"Clang!" The bell of the Buddhist temple rang out.
Chu Ge slowly climbed the stone steps with Qiu Wuji.
The so-called Borobudur was a collection of ancient stone pagodas. Supposedly, there might once have been many of them, but only a few dozen remained. The pagodas were quite magnificent, and even after repeated renovations, they still bore the weathered marks of time.
Simply as a historical site, it was decent enough.
Originally, there had been no temple here-or rather, only a small temple, something like an administrative office for the pagodas. At some unknown point, an enormous temple complex had risen here, resplendent in gold and jade, a magnificent sight.
Now armed guards with live ammunition stood both in front and behind it, making it look every bit a state within a state.
Naturally, an atmosphere like this kept tourists and ordinary worshippers away. It was very quiet, just right for the young couple to look around.
The two strolled leisurely upward. Sure enough, since they had come openly to worship Buddha, no one stopped them. Instead, the guards were quite welcoming, and someone even escorted them up.
This was called faith.
If you paid homage to Buddha, they respected you.
"Not bad." Qiu Wuji looked around with interest. "Whenever I visited temples before, they were never this quiet. There were always people coming and going, bustling with activity."
Chu Ge kept his eyes straight ahead. "Good. We won't have to hold back."
"If those friendly guards knew you'd actually come to settle a score, wouldn't they be heartbroken?"
"Unfortunately, they worship a false Buddha," Chu Ge said. "Honestly, if they worshipped someone like Dabei, I'd be quite supportive."
"Isn't this just a clay idol or wooden puppet? They're only worshipping the Buddha in their imagination. Probably something fairly close