Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 670 - 659: Pulling a Trick

Origin?

Jiang Yuan looked bewildered and shook his head.

The system's appraisal details only mentioned it as the temple's treasure, swapped by demon monk Guang Hui with a fake.

Exactly how it was swapped and why he had no idea, and since the demon monk was dead, probably no one would ever know the answer. He pondered; most likely the demon monk was greedy, seeing how valuable and exquisite the Jade Throne Golden Buddha was and wanted it for himself.

Just like the old monk in Journey to the West who loved collecting monk robes, envied Tang Monk's splendid robe, and wanted to confiscate it. After all, it's a religious treasure.

"If that's the case, let me tell you the story," Zhi Ming smiled slightly and led him to the main hall, patiently explaining: "Long, long ago, before there was Cold Spring Temple or Cold Spring City, a wandering monk traveled from afar and passed by here, witnessing the flood disasters of Cold Spring, causing immense suffering to the demon beasts and demon cultivators living nearby.

The wandering monk alone managed the Cold Spring, and while he was restructuring the spring's riverway, he excavated many precious Gold of the Spring Base and Cold Jade. He didn't claim them for himself but sold them to obtain enough Spirit Stones to complete the overhaul and also gave charity to nearby demon cultivators. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Eventually, he redirected the Cold Spring, making it never flood again. In gratitude for his benevolence, the demon beasts and demon cultivators living there mined gold and jade to build a statue of him and constructed the Cold Spring Temple in his honor.

Back then, the Jade Throne Golden Buddha was just an object containing the pure sincerity of the common believers.

Later, an artifact refiner heard of the master's good deeds and discovered that the materials used in the Jade Throne Golden Buddha were the best refining materials, although it was crafted in a somewhat crude manner with ordinary techniques.

He took action and crafted it into a magical treasure. The statue, offered incense and prayers, could sense the aura of evil cultivators within a hundred meters; if any approached, it would sound an alarm. Thus, it was not merely the temple's treasure but also the supreme treasure that safeguarded an entire city."

Jiang Yuan: !!!

Well, no wonder the whole Zhao Yongxiang family of evil cultivators hid in Cold Spring City to live a life of comfort. Turns out it was all under the temple's nose!

The monks in the temple believed in the power of the Jade Throne Golden Buddha so firmly that they never considered it might be a fake, which ironically turned the city into a haven for evil cultivators!

That makes it all the more necessary to find a way to return it. The monks will have a busy time then.

"I am enlightened." He bowed, looking up at the over three-foot-tall counterfeit. No wonder it could pass off as genuine, the demon monk's forgery skills were extraordinary!

The fake atop the over two-meter-tall lotus throne was also gleaming and beautiful. Jiang Yuan felt that without the system's special annotation, he could mix the two up.

Additionally, given the difficulty of mining Gold of the Spring Base and Cold Jade, it would take years to accumulate enough for a three-foot-tall golden Buddha, so no wonder no one ever doubted it.

"Patron, please enjoy some tea at the back. Patron?" Zhi Ming finished telling the story known throughout Cold Spring City and wanted to invite him to a quiet room for tea and to stay out of trouble, only to find him staring intently at the Jade Throne Golden Buddha with a complicated expression, seemingly puzzled.

Jiang Yuan snapped out of it and asked, "Master, has this Jade Throne Golden Buddha ever warned against evil cultivators?"

"Naturally, it has, but that was a very long time ago. Once the miraculous story of Cold Spring Temple's treasure spread, evil cultivators were afraid to come. For over a thousand years, not a single evil cultivator dared approach, which is why Cold Spring City became more and more prosperous."

"I see..." Jiang Yuan was a bit conflicted, mainly because the system never mentioned the real one having the function of warning against evil cultivators. If that feature had been lost due to demon monk Guang Hui, taking out the real one could easily cause misunderstandings.

If that's the case... I can find a quiet place to equip the exoskeleton!

Then put on the "Demon God" title, letting a wild demonic aura soar into the sky, which the Buddhist cultivators could easily detect, and they would realize there was an issue with the fake Jade Throne Golden Buddha not reacting.

Heh, clever as I am!

Unlike the Zhao Family, where evil cultivators do all sorts of terrible things but don't reveal much evil energy, as long as they hide well, they can get away with it. It's normal for the Buddhist cultivators in the temple not to detect them. By creating some evil aura that all cultivators could sense, no more explanation would be needed – the Buddhist cultivators would begin to suspect on their own.

Resolving to do this, Jiang Yuan prepared to drink tea and explore the Zhao Family's situation in the city. However, no sooner had he sat down in a quiet room than a young monk reported: Zhao Gui was requesting to see the master.

"Zhao Gui? Is he Zhao Yongxiang's son, the third young master Zhao Gui of the Zhao Mansion?" He raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking this was an unexpected windfall.

A huge city, and before I could go looking for them, here they come by themselves.

"Precisely that person. Does Patron Jiang know him?" Zhi Ming did not expect they knew each other and was puzzled.

Jiang Yuan smiled upon hearing this: "I wouldn't say I know him. Master, you may not know, but I tracked Zhao Gui all the way from Golden Chicken River Market. The Zhao Family engages in cheating, kidnapping, and human trafficking, and they're all evil cultivators!

Zhao Yongxiang was originally a disciple of the renowned and upright Linyue Sect but was caught in the act of killing and robbing out of jealousy for his senior sister. After escaping, he was wanted by multiple parties and chose to fall into the evil path. Master, you can visit Linyue Sect for verification at any time.

His son Zhao Gui abducted and murdered fellow puppet master Huang Hanying from Golden Chicken River Market. I was invited to rescue but arrived a step too late, saving only a fragment of their soul. Huang's disciple Huang Niu'Er was taken by Zhao Gui and is missing, so I've been tracing Zhao Gui ever since and never expected to run into him here."

Master Zhi Ming was puzzled, a head full of questions – could it be that the grand Zhao Mansion was a nest of evil cultivators?

For so many years, they've been brazenly living in Cold Spring City?

How could it be possible! The Jade Throne Golden Buddha had never given a warning, and he interacted with Zhao Gui frequently, never detecting any evil aura.

"Patron Jiang, is there some misunderstanding in this matter? If there were an evil cultivator in the city, the temple would surely know. Perhaps it's a case of identical names? Or maybe the rumors are incorrect? I have never detected any evil energy from Patron Zhao's family. Please move to the back hall and don't act rashly. Let's find out the truth first to avoid hurting the innocent."

Jiang Yuan bowed and took his leave, thinking to himself that if it weren't for the large number of people from the Zhao family, fearing that too much commotion would make it hard to tidy up, I would have already secretly dealt with them one by one.

At the very least, I should let the monks know that the Zhao family is an evil cultivator's den, so I don't get wrongly accused of wrongdoing while eliminating evil for the people.

No time to lose, I need to find a spot to perform a little trick!

He exited through the back door of the back hall, told the little novice monk that he had other matters and wouldn't disturb the master's meeting, and then hurriedly left the Cold Spring Temple.

Cold Spring City was indeed bustling and lively. Jiang Yuan wandered for a while before finding a deserted corner. He immediately activated his exoskeleton, and in the next second, evil energy soared sky-high under the empowerment of the "Demon God" title!

"What is this aura? So terrifying!"

"An evil demon has descended!"

"Quick, go to the Cold Spring Temple! The treasure guarding the temple will protect us!"

"Help! A terrifying evil cultivator is here..."

...

Under Jiang Yuan's deliberate release of aura, nearly half of the city, including the Cold Spring Temple, sensed it.

Zhao Gui had just finished convincing Master Zhiming, using the position of host as bait, to assist him in contesting for the position of patriarch. Just then, he saw the master's face change, and he too sensed the terrifying aura, nearly wetting his pants in fear!

"Senior brother! Senior brother, look! Such a terrifying evil demon aura yet it hasn't alarmed the Jade Throne Golden Buddha. What's going on?" Zhiming didn't have time to rebuke Zhao Gui's nonsense. At the same time he sensed the anomaly, his figure instantly disappeared from the quiet chamber and then looked at the unresponsive Jade Throne Golden Buddha, his face growing more solemn.

The Buddhist cultivator beside him was even more flustered, not understanding why the treasure that guards the temple remained motionless, softly asking, "Should we invite the abbot to emerge?"

"Senior brother abbot must have already sensed it." Zhiming's face was grim, his divine sense perceived the sudden appearance and disappearance of the evil aura. Even if the brothers from the Dharma Institute rushed over, it would be difficult to trace its source.

For some reason, he suddenly thought of the complex expression Patron Jiang had when looking at the Jade Throne Golden Buddha moments ago.

This person's divine powers are vast and strange. He had specifically asked whether to signal for an alert and pointed out that the Zhao family are all evil cultivators. Could it be… he knows something?

Sure enough, by the time the Buddhist cultivators in the temple sensed the anomaly and arrived, Jiang Yuan had already uninstalled the exoskeleton with a single click and slipped into an alleyway.

The many vigilant Buddhist cultivators were left empty-handed, looking around for traces of the aura.

Other Buddhist cultivators were ordered to calm the demon cultivators seeking protection, and a moment later, they were all incredibly busy.

"Master Zhiming, the temple is busy, so I will head home first. Let's talk another day." Zhao Gui was restless. Seeing the monks in the temple were also in a mess, he wanted to quickly return home and hide.

Everyone knew that the Cold Spring Temple was a pivotal place for the city. With the sudden appearance of such a terrifying evil demon aura, it was highly likely aimed at the temple, best to steer clear of trouble quickly.

Zhiming, still had doubts but didn't stop him, "Patron, feel free to leave."

Zhao Gui had just left when Jiang Yuan hurriedly entered the temple, heading straight for the main hall.

"Earlier, the master seemed to doubt what I said, so I left on my own to find out where the Zhao Mansion is and locate Huang Niu'Er. Unexpectedly, a terrifying evil demon aura appeared suddenly, so I returned to see if the Jade Throne Golden Buddha responded." Jiang Yuan cut to the chase.

The other party bitterly smiled and said, "Amitabha, as a monk, I do not speak falsehoods. Earlier, despite the evil demon disturbance, this Buddha statue had no reaction. I see Patron is quite concerned with it, could I ask why?"

This is a good channel to open up and talk!

"Please find a quiet place, master, so I can explain the situation."

They moved to an empty side hall. Jiang Yuan spoke in an orderly manner, "To be honest, when the demon monk Guang Hui was executed, I happened to be in Wo Hu Temple stirring up excitement around the Immortal Peach.

After his true identity was revealed and killed by a mysterious cultivator, many cultivators took the opportunity to search for Immortal Peach among the rubble. I found a box inside, containing a finely crafted Jade Throne Golden Buddha."

At this, Zhiming's heart skipped a beat, suddenly having a bad premonition.

"At the time, I did not find anything special about the Buddha statue, thinking it was the demon monk's collection, but the Jade Throne Golden Buddha was so magnificent that I put it in my storage bag and carried it with me.

Today, while tracking down to Cold Spring City, I heard that this place had excellent refining materials, planning to look for treasures before finding someone. Who knew that passing by the temple's main hall, I would see the worshipped Jade Throne Golden Buddha that was identical to the one I collected!

Thus, when I had the chance, I asked the master if Guang Hui was meditating in the temple, thinking he might have replicated the statue according to the temple's treasure.

However, after hearing the master talk about its origin and the guarding function, I thought there might be something else amiss about this matter."