Techniques and Dao

Chapter 198 Searching for Mazu
It is 12:15 PM Paris time. 7:15 PM Nanjing time. 1:15 PM Saint-Pierre de S.A. time.

There are 45 minutes left until the ultimate Solomon seal's six-pointed star magic circle is formed and the Jinling Dragon Vein is destroyed!

This amount of time is only enough for the Supreme Lord to do one more thing within a certain distance.

He had to take a gamble, betting everything on one thing. And this thing had to rekindle Jin Fan's fighting spirit, so that they could join hands to protect the dragon vein of Jinling!

Facial scars can be healed, but how can emotional wounds be healed?
Who can cure it?

"Should we ask family members to persuade them?"

"Let his family comfort him?" Tai Shang Xiao Jun murmured. "This is a common method in the mortal world, and it's not impossible. But Jin Fanyin is a victim of the Qiankun Defense War. If we ask his close friends or family, they not only won't fully understand the meaning of the Jinling Dragon Vein, but they also won't agree to let Jin Fanyin participate in the battle again."

Even though this isn't on the front lines, it's still the first large-scale battle between celestial arts and magic. War is merciless, and everything is unpredictable. Who can guarantee that the tacticians will emerge unscathed?

Even the Supreme Lord Xiaojun himself was unsure, so how could he expect others to advise him?

Since we can't force Jin Fanyin, why not use magic to transform into a family member and persuade him?

"No way..." After careful consideration, Tai Shang Xiao Jun once again rejected his own idea.

If exposed, the losses would outweigh the gains. Not only would it turn them into enemies, but if it led him to deliberately destroy the Great Wall, the front lines would fall. The lives of millions of people must not be tied to a clumsy lie.

I cannot deceive Jin Fanyin. The battle for survival in Jinling is no child's play!

In the planning of each key point, we must never take reckless risks.

He had to tell Jin Fan the truth, he had to encourage him to muster his courage, and he had to make him fight as hard as the other participants!
what to do?what to do?what to do!
A thought suddenly flashed through Tai Shang Xiao Jun's mind. If finding family was one way, could she consider going to her ancestral home to try and find a solution?
He quickly took out his phone to look up Jin Fanyin's information. For an idol star like Jin Fanyin, there should be a dedicated profile entry online.

He quickly found the answer he was looking for.

“Lingnan…”

Taishang Xiaojun pondered, "The deity who governs the Lingnan region should be... Mazu?"

Although the places of household registration are now connected online, asking for help in person shows more sincerity.

The journey from Chengdu to the Lingnan region, no matter how fast the flight, would take the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, leaving very little time for a round trip. In other words, going to Lingnan to pray to Mazu was a desperate gamble.

If even Mazu (the goddess of the sea) can't solve the problem, or if there's some other reason why it can't be resolved, then Taishang Xiaojun (the Supreme Lord) will have completely messed things up.

"But we have no choice but to take the gamble!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun looked up at the stars that had just fallen into the night and no longer hesitated.

He made hand seals and chanted incantations, then rode the clouds and flew straight southeast like a sharp arrow.

Mazu, also known as the Heavenly Princess, Holy Princess, or Heavenly Empress, is the deity who governs the Lingnan region.

Before long, Tai Shang Xiao Jun had already flown to Xiuyu District, Putian, Fujian.

He turned around and landed in front of the Mazu Temple.

The moment her feet touched the ground, the unique warmth and humidity of the South rushed towards her. The air along the South China coast even seemed to have a salty taste. The sea breeze on her face immediately left a sticky feeling. Ignoring the sweat on her body, Tai Shang Xiao Jun glanced at the clock beside the temple gate and saw that it was nearly 7:30 PM.

He rushed into the Mazu Temple and shouted, "Heavenly Princess! Mazu! Your humble servant, Taishang Xiaojun, has an urgent matter to ask of you!"

To everyone's surprise, the Mazu Temple was empty, with smoke swirling under the dim fluorescent lights, and only a solitary clay statue of Mazu standing in the temple.

Taishang Xiaojun stood there stunned for a long while in the temple, then called out, "Goddess Mazu! I am Taishang Xiaojun..."

"The temple is closed today. If you want to burn incense, come back tomorrow morning!"

An elderly man with a wrinkled face emerged unsteadily from behind the statue of Mazu. He wore a worn-out baseball cap and had a crumpled cigarette tucked behind his ear.

The old man looked Taishang Xiaojun up and down, coughed for a long time, and then said, "It's not a festival to worship Mazu, what are you doing here in a Taoist robe, young man?"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun was certain he hadn't come to the wrong place. He had often heard that Mazu Goddess resided in Xiuyu District of Putian, but why didn't she appear when he came to pay his respects?

"I'm not looking for this plaster statue, I'm looking for the Goddess Mazu!"

The old man on duty looked puzzled and replied, "A living Mazu? I'm over eighty years old and I've never seen one. I've only ever seen ones that don't move."

He started coughing again, and seeing that Taishang Xiaojun was standing there and wouldn't leave, he deliberately tried to drive him away, saying, "I'm old and forgot to lock the door, and you young man barged in. I told you the temple is closed today, don't disturb my shift, get out! Get out!"

Taishang Xiaojun was turned away again within a few minutes and walked out of the temple gate in a huff.

The old man on duty closed the temple gate, coughed, and went to the rest room behind the temple.

Taishang Xiaojun was completely baffled. Although it was a last-minute visit, how could Mazu not be there?

Logically speaking, even immortals don't have a nine-to-five get off work schedule! Could it be that after being away from the mortal realm for a while, the celestial bureaucracy in the southeastern coastal region has undergone institutional reforms and now has a system of leaving get off work?
"Please don't let me actually run into that!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun thought to himself, "If that happens, it's all over."

He sighed, sat on the stone steps outside the temple, and felt utterly despondent.

After nightfall, there were not many worshippers coming and going outside the temple of Mazu.

Not far from the door stands an ancient palm tree, beneath which is a dark gray old brick wall, mottled and dilapidated with several missing pieces.

Just then, a yellowish-brown stray dog ​​appeared out of nowhere, wagging its tail as it walked past Tai Shang Xiao Jun's feet. It was aimlessly searching for food, walking with a slightly unsteady gait, its tongue lolling out as if it were both thirsty and hungry.

The stray dog's fur was bald, and it had sores on its back; some areas looked like it had been injured but had not yet healed.

The stray dog ​​limped along the old brick wall and finally stopped next to a vending machine. The vending machine was a glass cabinet, filled with drinks, instant noodles, cakes, cookies, and other snacks to stave off hunger.

A stray dog ​​sat on the concrete floor in front of the vending machine, its eyes fixed on the convenient food items that could fill its stomach. It whimpered softly, knowing full well that the food could never be its, yet unwilling to leave.

After reading it, Taishang Xiaojun shook his head and said, "Only after experiencing it can one know that all living beings in this world truly suffer."

He stood up, walked to the vending machine, bought a bottle of mineral water, conjured a porcelain bowl in his hand, poured the clean, cool water into the bowl, and placed it in front of the tan-colored stray dog.

(End of this chapter)