Chapter 64: Chapter 55: Steel Blades Conquer the 8 Directions, Shang Yin Unites the World
「More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye.」
Liang Fangying and Zhao Xiaocha came to Anchan Temple to return the Token.
"Amitabha Buddha, you two ladies."
Seeing the looks on their faces, Xu Lei just smiled faintly. "No need to say more. It was a small matter."
For the Xu Lei of today, handling such things was indeed no big deal.
"It may be a small matter for the Little Divine Monk,"
Liang Fangying said, "But to us, it was an immense matter."
"That’s right."
Zhao Xiaocha added, "At the time, we had no idea what to do. We were in complete despair."
"Amitabha Buddha."
Xu Lei said, "You two ladies have an affinity with the Buddha, so you were naturally protected."
"Little Divine Monk, I would like to stay in the temple for a night to worship the Buddha and fulfill my vow. I wonder if I am still welcome?"
Then, with a slight blush on her cheeks, Liang Fangying asked, "And I wonder if you are still willing to perform Charitable Giving?"
She was, of course, much older now than she had been back then.
After all, Xu Lei was already forty-eight.
And she was a few years older than him.
Of course, as she was the wife of a wealthy man, she had maintained a slender figure.
She had not become a portly matron.
However, the wrinkles on her face could not be hidden.
"Amitabha Buddha."
Xu Lei said, "Since you have this wish, I am happy to oblige."
He certainly didn’t find her unattractive. After all, they had witnessed the passing of years together.
Besides, Liang Fangying was far from ugly.
The foundation of a beauty was still there.
"Xiaocha would also like to request Charitable Giving again."
Zhao Xiaocha pursed her lips and said, "But I’ll come back later. Sister Fangying should go first."
Zhao Xiaocha also had more wrinkles on her face now.
But she was a bit younger than Liang Fangying.
Three years younger than Xu Lei, in fact.
Plus, her family had been well-off all these years.
So she too had remained slender.
She had taken good care of herself.
The condition of her skin was still quite good.
Of course, she had come to the temple for Charitable Giving many times over the years.
So she knew that Xu Lei, too, was getting older.
He wasn’t as energetic as he used to be.
That was why, unlike when they were younger, she chose not to stay behind with Liang Fangying.
"Amitabha Buddha."
Xu Lei nodded. "You two ladies have devoted hearts to the Buddha. On the Buddha’s behalf, I welcome you!"
「The next day arrived in a flash.」
Liang Fangying said her farewells and descended the mountain.
"Thank you, Divine Monk, for fulfilling my vow and bestowing your grace upon this devotee."
In the Almsgiving Room, she tied up her long hair, slowly got dressed, and put her earrings back on. "This will be the last time I ask for Charitable Giving."
"I probably won’t be coming back anymore."
"Because I’ve gotten old."
Hearing this, Xu Lei embraced her from behind.
"You don’t have to say anything."
Liang Fangying smiled. "I don’t want to admit it, but my youth has faded, after all."
"From now on, I’ll probably focus on taking care of my grandchildren."
"In any case, Little Divine Monk, I don’t regret coming to the temple to pray for a child."
"If there is a next life, I will ask you for a child again."
"No, if there really is a next life, perhaps... I’d wish to marry you directly."
"Even just as a concubine."
With that, before Xu Lei could say anything, she hugged him again, gave him a kiss, and left.
Xu Lei watched her back as she descended the mountain.
He was reminded of the first time he had watched her leave, back at Longyuan Temple.
Now, her hair was streaked with white.
One could only say that time waits for no one.
But aside from the extra wrinkles on her skin, the act of Charitable Giving with her still felt quite good.
It was a different experience from being with a young maiden or a young wife.
「That evening came in the blink of an eye.」
That same day, Zhao Xiaocha also came to the Almsgiving Room.
"Little Divine Monk, after performing Charitable Giving for Sister Fangying last night, I wonder if you are completely exhausted."
She hugged Xu Lei and said, "Do you have the strength to perform Charitable Giving for Xiaocha tonight?"
"It’s okay if you don’t. Just letting Xiaocha hold you for the night would be enough to satisfy me."
"Amitabha Buddha, you are very considerate, Xiaocha."
Xu Lei wrapped his arms around her waist and began to undress her. "So thoughtful of me."
"But even though I’m already forty-eight..."
"...I still have the ability to perform Charitable Giving for you."
After all, he exercised every day.
He had no mentally taxing work to do.
And he ate large meals of fish and meat daily.
For a man his age, Xu Lei’s body was in excellent shape.
Of course, he certainly couldn’t perform Charitable Giving multiple times in one night like he could when he was younger.
「Another year passed in the blink of an eye.」
With the help of the Steel Refining Technique that Xu Lei had provided, Shang Yin’s army grew much stronger.
His grand army was finally fully equipped.
All preparations for war were complete.
Only then did he finally launch the first battle in his campaign to end the chaotic era.
It had taken him a little over half a year to finally begin the official campaign because the Steel Refining Technique Xu Lei had offered was not particularly advanced.
It was only at the technological level of iron and steel smelting from the middle to late Spring and Autumn period on Earth.
Relatively speaking, the efficiency of the steel refining process was still quite slow.
It wasn’t that fast.
Xu Lei was paying close attention to Shang Yin’s first battle.
After all, it was a crucial test of whether his original judgment was correct and a major sign of whether the chaotic era could be brought to an end.
However, there was nothing he could do.
He could only wait for the news to arrive.
That evening, a now twenty-five-year-old Shang Rou came to Anchan Temple to see Xu Lei.
Inside the Almsgiving Room.
She and Xu Lei embraced.
"Divine Monk, my brother won! A great victory!"
She said excitedly, "It seems he’s really going to unify the world, just as you said he would."
"Amitabha Buddha."
Xu Lei said, "A great victory is good. This way, the flames of war will be extinguished, and peace will arrive. Excellent, excellent."
"If he really succeeds, won’t I become the sister of the founding His Majesty the Emperor?"
Shang Rou continued, "I’ll become a Princess? But I know that this is all thanks to you, Divine Monk."
"Without you, it would have been very difficult for my brother to achieve such a great victory."
"I beg you, Divine Monk, perform Charitable Giving for this Princess."
"This Princess wishes to bear another son for the Divine Monk."
"Amitabha Buddha."
Xu Lei said, "Since you have this wish, I shall naturally oblige."
「The next day passed in a flash.」
Zhang Xiaomai also came to the Almsgiving Room at Anchan Temple.
After all, it wasn’t good for Xu Lei to always be visiting the Wei Family.
There were too many prying eyes.
Zhang Xiaomai was also twenty-five years old now.
The child she had conceived the previous year, a daughter, had been born a few months ago.
"Master, our little daughter’s appetite isn’t very large."
This day, Zhang Xiaomai said as she undid her clothes, "What do you think we should do?"
"Amitabha Buddha."
Xu Lei said, "Since you are suffering, and I am here to witness it, my merciful Buddha will naturally provide a way."
「Another day passed.」
Wei Qingning also came to the temple to find Xu Lei.
But Xu Lei no longer had the strength for Charitable Giving.
He was forty-nine years old, after all.
Xu Lei said he had important matters to attend to that day.
He only chatted with Wei Qingning for a while, expressing his happiness over Shang Yin’s great victory and so on.
Afterward, Wei Qingning left.
「After resting for two days.」
Xu Lei took the initiative to go down the mountain to find Wei Qingning.
In the study of the Wei Family residence, he had her properly assist him in his Cultivation.
「More than a year passed in the blink of an eye.」
With the aid of steel, Shang Yin’s army went from one victory to the next, their courage growing with each battle!
Wherever their Steel Blades pointed, no city could stand against them.
In just over a year, he swept across the land!
He defeated all the other powers in the world!
