About ten minutes later, the monk came over, stood in front of us with one hand, and bowed slightly, saying: "The Abbot says that everything in the world is governed by a sense of fate, whether it be good or bad. Fate lies not within the objects themselves, but within the hearts of those who use them.

The drum has been in the warehouse for years, never finding its moment to appear. Today, the benefactor visited, and it finally saw the light of day. This proves that the benefactor is fated with the drum."

"How much?" Xiao Feng ignored the monk's words and directly asked for the price.

"Not a penny." The monk emphasized, "This was specially instructed by the Abbot."

Upon hearing it was free, Xiao Feng beamed with joy and said, "Then I won't be polite."

Having said that, he handed the drum to the little girl.

The little girl shook her head and stepped back two steps, clearly feeling a bit like once bitten, twice shy.

Looking at the others, they more or less felt the same, but Jiu Ye stepped forward and boldly took the drum.

Thinking carefully, this was quite normal. Tomb raiders earn from the dead, opening coffins and seeing corpses is like a regular meal, even extracting luminous pearls from a corpse's mouth.

The faint-hearted definitely couldn't do this job.

And although the little girl and the others were far more combat-capable than ordinary people, it didn't mean they were fearless. At least, they were quite wary of life and death, especially after knowing the drum was made of human skin, which made them feel uncomfortable.

On the way to the main hall, Lin Zhiyan walked beside Xiao Feng and said, "Congratulations on obtaining a powerful weapon, this is much more useful than swords and knives."

"Indeed, swords and knives can only deal with a few people. This thing is an indiscriminate attack; unless you're deaf, you can't escape its effects." Xiao Feng laughed happily.

Next, Xiao Feng planned to continue testing, like determining how far the drum's impact could reach, if the distance affected the impact differently, and if blocking one's ears could prevent or minimize the drum's effect.

Of course, these were tasks for later. Right now, Xiao Feng was more concerned with meeting the Abbot of the temple soon.

Upon reaching the main hall, they saw the pilgrims had already entered the hall to offer incense, and the monks had finished chanting at some point.

After offering incense, Xiao Feng instructed Qi Xiaoman and Xiao Yalan to stay in place, and then followed Jiu Ye to the temple's backyard.

Unlike the front courtyard, the backyard felt noticeably quieter, and the scent of incense in the air was much lighter.

In the middle of the yard was an ancient well. Moving forward, there were the monks' living quarters, with the kitchen beside it, and a large water tank at the entrance.

However, the most eye-catching sight was the monks practicing martial arts in the yard. Despite it being the midst of winter, the monks were dressed like it was midsummer, dripping with sweat, creating an illusion of a change in seasons.

If the one who had previously stolen money saw this scene, even with three times the courage, he wouldn't dare to steal again because he risked losing his life over mere money.

"Ha!" A muscular martial monk let out a deep shout, then clapped a five-centimeter-thick wooden board on his head.

"Crack!"

The board broke and fell to the ground, while the monk's head remained unblemished.

Regarding the "intrusion" of Xiao Feng and the others, the monks didn't seem to register it, treating them as if they were air, busying themselves undisturbed, as though nothing could affect them.

"Were they like this when you lived here before?" Xiao Feng asked Jiu Ye behind him.

Jiu Ye nodded, "Basically, unless you speak to them first, no one will bother with what you're doing. Exaggeratedly, even if you kicked over the water tank, no one would take a second look at you."

Xiao Feng clearly didn't believe this and asked, "What if I take a leak in the well?"

"You can try." Jiu Ye replied irritably, feeling like he just found a fly in his meal, inexplicably disgusted.

"You think I wouldn't dare?" Xiao Feng gave him a glance, stepping forward and saying, "Then I'll try."

However, as soon as the words left his mouth, all the monks in the courtyard stopped their actions, their gazes locked onto him.

Although the monks' gazes were calm, seemingly without hostility, for some reason, Xiao Feng felt that if he took another step forward, he'd immediately be attacked as a group.

"Heh, just kidding, don't mind me." Xiao Feng said with an awkward smile.

Only then did the monks resume their tasks.

It wasn't that Xiao Feng was afraid he couldn't win, but there was no point in provoking those who hadn't provoked him.

Xiao Feng never engaged in unreasonable actions.

This is not an excuse but a fact.

Looking back at past events, every time he retaliated, it was because someone had provoked him first. Though outsiders might think his retaliation was excessive, Xiao Feng didn't see it that way.

This is not about giving gifts; it's not like someone slaps him, so he'd respond with a slap exactly the same.

In this regard, Xiao Feng's approach was always, if you dare glare at me, I will slap you immediately.

Because people tend to only remember when they feel a prickling pain.

Take Zhao Fengyun for example; the reason he dared to hire kidnappers after suffering losses was because the pain he felt wasn't enough.

"This way." Jiu Ye led the way, heading straight towards the monks' quarters.

Behind the monks' quarters, there was a separate small meditation room that stood alone, seeming like a paradise compared to the bustle behind.

At this moment, the Abbot, draped in a kasaya, appeared at the door of the meditation room and made a "please" gesture to Xiao Feng and the others, "Venerable benefactors, please have some tea inside."

Without hesitation, Xiao Feng and the others followed Jiu Ye into the meditation room.

Inside, it appeared particularly elegant, and the arrangement was clear at a glance.

Besides a table and a bed, there was a brown wooden rack for scriptures, and a few calligraphy paintings on the wall, giving an impression of transcendence.

"Please sit as you wish." The Abbot said while pouring tea.

Everyone took a seat, each person with a seat and a teacup, seemingly arranged by the Abbot to have a few extra chairs and teacups.

Soon, a faint fragrance wafted through the air, the emerald-green tea looking so enticing it made you want to try it.

Jiu Ye spoke up, "Master, I..."

But before he could finish, the Abbot waved his hand to interrupt, "Whatever you have to say, it's not too late after finishing the tea. Drinking tea is just like life, tasting differently at different times. Now, it's neither strong nor light, just right for tasting."

In the end, nobody picked up their teacups; instead, they all turned to look at Xiao Feng, as if asking: drink, or not drink?

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