Watching Zhang Chao act the clown, Zhang Wei laughed heartily, "This slap was so good, slap me again and let me have some fun."
His words were met with Zhang Chao's middle finger.
Then, Zhang Wei continued with a smile, "Actually, I quite believe in Zhang Chao's jinx, it's always accurate, so in the Vatican, I've decided to keep a low profile."
"Low profile? That won't do. You are the pride of our Great Xia, you must be high-profile. However, I don't recommend using your figurines." Zhang Chao spoke frankly, and then laughed at himself, "This is the Vatican, the world's most recognized organization of ghost exorcists, with the largest number of exorcists and followers worldwide. When you go there, Zhang Wei, you should at least be a Void Emperor, not weaker than anyone else."
"So, if you encounter ghosts or anything this time, don't use anime figurines, it looks cheap. I suggest something grand. What you showed Miss Lu last time, I thought that was good, or if you have anything hidden up your sleeve, bring it out."
Not only Zhang Chao, but even Wunian chimed in, "Amitabha, although Buddhism says fame and fortune are fleeting, and all is vanity after death, this time, this humble monk agrees with Zhang Wei. After all, when you go to the Vatican, Zhang Wei, you don't just represent yourself, but also the image of Great Xia."
Speaking of which, Wunian recalled, "If this humble monk remembers correctly, the Pope has never proactively invited a young man from Great Xia to the Vatican. Zhang Wei, you are the first. My grand-uncle, Master Jing Kong, who is the Buddhist Head Jing Kong, always taught me that one should not care about fame and fortune, as they are useless. However, when abroad, one should not be unknown, nor let outsiders look down on Great Xia."
With that, Wunian clasped his hands and said leisurely, "Buddhism teaches non-contention, not detachment from the world. A person fights for pride, a Buddha strives for incense. Amitabha."
"Well said, Wunian, you fellow. Finally, there's something from your Buddhist teachings that I like." Zhang Chao gave Wunian a thumbs-up.
Zhang Wei also nodded, "I agree with Wunian's words. However, we might not even encounter any ghosts. That's the Vatican, the territory of the ghost exorcist organization with the most followers in the world. What ghost would dare to go there?"
Before he finished speaking, Zhang Wei shook his head again, "That's not right. As you said, Zhang Chao, with your jinxing nature, you might actually encounter one. But it's fine. When Matt found me earlier, I had already thought about this."
"Oh? How do you plan to exorcise ghosts, Zhang Wei? Tell me quickly."
"Using figurines."
"Damn, didn't I say not to use figurines?"
"No, no, no, Zhang Chao, wait until I finish. I said I'll use figurines, but I didn't say anime figurines."
"Huh? Then what kind of figurines?" Zhang Chao asked curiously.
To this, Zhang Wei didn't keep him in suspense. Feeling the curiosity from Zhang Chao, Lu Lianxue, and Wunian, he grinned and said, "Using figurines of heavenly soldiers and generals. Don't forget, if we talk about the origin of 'figurines,' Great Xia has a long history. In ancient times, almost every family had statues of deities for worship. That... can also be considered figurines, figurines of deities."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chao's eyes lit up, "Holy crap, that's great! Use them, we must use them. By the way, did you bring them? Statues of deities. I didn't expect you to only invite anime characters, I didn't think you could invite gods too."
In his opinion, Zhang Wei's act of inviting heavenly soldiers and generals was no longer just consecrating figurines, but the most common ghost exorcism technique in Great Xia – inviting gods. Inviting gods meant, through a certain medium, inviting deities and Buddhas to possess one's body and borrow their power to expel evil. In fact, the "Chuma Xian" of Northeast China was also a form of inviting gods, but they invited the "Five Immortals" of the Northeast.
Zhang Wei couldn't expose his system to Zhang Chao's words, so he casually laughed, "Isn't that obvious? I'm also a ghost exorcist of Great Xia. Inviting gods is a basic operation, isn't it? However, I didn't bring any deity statues this time."
"Damn, then hurry up and buy some. No, this is the 'Stealing Country' (a derogatory term for South Korea), you can't buy them. It's fine, your brother Zhang Chao is here. I'll contact my sister right away and have her air-freight them to you overnight." Zhang Chao said excitedly, adding, "What kind of deity statues do you want, Zhang Wei? Tell me. Don't worry, you're going to the Vatican this time, for the sake of Great Xia's reputation. I'll pay, and you can show off."
Wunian also clasped his hands and agreed, "Amitabha, count me in too. Although I'm not as rich as Zhang Wei, I can afford this money."
With that, Zhang Wei, Zhang Chao, and Wunian looked at each other, and all three smiled.
Then, Zhang Chao picked up the phone and called his sister. While waiting for her to answer, he asked, "By the way, Zhang Wei, what kind of deity statues do you want?"
Zhang Wei didn't stand on ceremony and said slowly, "Heavenly soldiers and generals, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Black and White Impermanence..."
...
The next day, at noon.
At the departure hall of the airport in the 'Stealing Country', Zhang Wei and the others stood by the exit, watching the passengers who were coming out one by one. Soon, their gaze fell on a person in a suit, and they waved, "Matt."
On the other side, Matt, who had just walked out, heard the call and looked over, a smile appearing on his face. He ran over with his luggage, "Mr. Zhang Wei, thank you for taking the time to pick me up. I'll treat you later. By the way, who are these people?"
"Haha, treat you? Next time. You've come a long way to find me, so I'll treat you. Let me introduce you." Zhang Wei introduced Lu Lianxue and the others to Matt.
Soon, they became familiar with each other and took a car to the restaurant.
On the way, Matt didn't beat around the bush and explained the reason for the Pope inviting Zhang Wei, whispering, "Mr. Zhang Wei, let me tell you, the Pope actually invited you this time not only to thank you for helping suppress Abraham, but also to ask if you also believe in God, because your spiritual artifact can ignore God's protection."
Upon learning the situation, Zhang Wei understood and shook his head, "I do not believe in God."
"Haha, I knew Mr. Zhang Wei didn't believe in God. I told the Pope about this, but they didn't believe me. I could only casually say that you believe in the Jade Emperor, and that you have the Jade Emperor's faith backing you up."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chao interjected, "Of course, everyone in our Great Xia believes in the Jade Emperor."
"Amitabha, no, this humble monk believes in the Buddha," Wunian said, glancing at Zhang Chao.
Seeing the two bickering again, Zhang Wei smiled and looked at Matt, "Matt, do you have anything else to say?" He noticed Matt's expression, as if he had something more to say.
As expected, when asked by Zhang Wei, Matt nodded, "Mr. Zhang Wei, you've noticed. Well, let me tell you, don't tell anyone. The Pope and the others told me not to tell you, fearing it might make you wary. Actually, besides thanking you, they also wanted to win you over to the Vatican and have you believe in God together, if you don't believe in God."
"Oh? They want to win me over?"
"Yes, because of the potential you've shown, Mr. Zhang Wei, they believe that if you become a believer in God, God will surely be pleased, and it will strengthen the Vatican."
"I see. Well, their wish will be in vain. I'm not interested in God."
"Haha, I know, Mr. Zhang Wei is definitely... cough, I know Mr. Zhang Wei is definitely not interested. I'm just reminding you." Matt said with a smile, "Mr. Zhang Wei, just consider this trip to the Vatican as a vacation. Although you're not interested in God, you'll definitely be interested in the Vatican. Our local customs, culture, and food are quite good, haha. By the way, Mr. Zhang Wei, is there anything about the Vatican that interests you? You can ask me, and I can be your tour guide, haha."
"You know, there is something about the Vatican that interests me, but it's not the customs, culture, or food. I want to ask."
Before he finished speaking, Zhang Wei glanced at Zhang Chao beside him, remembering what he had said yesterday about him potentially encountering ghosts in the Vatican and needing to be high-profile in exorcising them. He then looked at Matt and asked, "Matt, have there been any ghosts causing trouble in your Vatican recently?"
As Zhang Wei asked, Matt was stunned for a moment, and then, with a hint of surprise, looked at Zhang Wei, "Huh? Mr. Zhang Wei, how did you know something big has happened in our Vatican recently? Can you foresee Western affairs too?"