Jiang Xunbai was taken aback by her words: “Really?”
Lu Qingtang wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief and shook her head uncertainly: “But we’ve never met before.”
Noticing that Lu Qingtang’s gaze kept drifting unconsciously toward the Buddhist beads on his wrist, Jiang Xunbai discreetly tucked them into his sleeve, fearing she might start crying again.
As the beads disappeared from view, the inexplicable emotions surging within Lu Qingtang gradually subsided. Clutching the handkerchief in her hand, she apologized: “Second Young Master Jiang, I’m sorry for staining your handkerchief.”
Jiang Xunbai teased: “Is there actually something Miss Lu feels embarrassed about? Then this handkerchief has been stained worthily.”
Lu Qingtang cast him a faint glance, thinking that Jiang Xunbai truly couldn’t remain serious for more than three seconds.
Turning her attention to the bizarre-looking statue, Lu Qingtang whispered to Jiang Xunbai: “I’m going to pay respects.”
As she moved directly toward the statue, Jiang Xunbai swiftly caught her wrist, advising: “Don’t.”
This statue was too peculiar, and he didn’t know what consequences paying respects might bring.
But Lu Qingtang responded indifferently: “It’s fine.”
The man had said the sachet was obtained here. Having searched the temple for so long without finding any clues about the sachet, they couldn’t simply abandon this lead.
Guessing Lu Qingtang’s purpose, Jiang Xunbai conceded: “Don’t you pay respects. I’ll do it.”
Lu Qingtang raised her eyebrows slightly: “The Second Young Master doesn’t believe in such things. Your worship wouldn’t be sincere.”
Seeing he couldn’t persuade her, Jiang Xunbai had no choice but to accompany her in paying respects.
Before the human-faced, snake-bodied deity statue knelt the young man and maiden in devout prayer. With closed eyes, they bowed in unison as blooming Tang flowers showered down upon them. A distant, prolonged bell toll echoed through the silence, enveloping them in such stillness that the world seemed to contain only their two figures.
When they opened their eyes simultaneously, Lu Qingtang momentarily thought she saw the tightly shut eyes of the statue suddenly open. But when she looked again, the deity’s eyes remained closed.
Rubbing her eyes, Lu Qingtang assumed she had imagined it.
Then, a faint, elusive exotic fragrance suddenly wafted through the air, and two sachets materialized floating in the space before Lu Qingtang and Jiang Xunbai.
Exchanging a glance, they reached out and took the sachets.
As they stood up, a white-bearded monk had somehow appeared behind them. Holding a string of Buddhist beads, he smiled at the pair.
Lu Qingtang and Jiang Xunbai returned the greeting. Just as they were about to leave, the monk suddenly spoke: “Please wait.”
Puzzled, they halted their steps.
“What insight does the Master have to offer?”
The white-bearded monk smiled: “Meeting is fate. As you two look quite familiar to me, if you don’t mind, would you permit this humble monk to divine your fortunes?”
Lu Qingtang couldn’t shake the feeling that the white-bearded monk resembled those scam artists who prey on tourists at scenic spots. She was about to leave when Jiang Xunbai expressed interest: “Very well.”
Shooting a glance at Jiang Xunbai, Lu Qingtang couldn’t help but inwardly complain: He doesn’t believe in gods or ghosts, yet he believes in this?
The white-bearded monk led them to sit in the corridor. Only then did Lu Qingtang notice the winding gallery in the backyard of Meeting Spring Temple. He began conducting the divination for them.
Jiang Xunbai watched him with keen interest, while Lu Qingtang idly spaced out. Just as twenty-five different dishes she planned to eat that night flashed through her mind, the white-bearded monk spoke.
His expression was grave: “You two share an extraordinary fate.”
Jiang Xunbai asked: “Then why does the master look so solemn?”
The white-bearded monk continued: “Your destinies are intertwined across three lifetimes, destined for happiness, yet the path is tortuous, fraught with life-and-death trials and numerous tribulations.”
Lu Qingtang widened her eyes: “Master, are you sure? We’ve only known each other for a few days. How could there be so many complications?”
Do swindlers these days not even bother preparing their scripts?
Jiang Xunbai, however, inquired: “According to you, master, how should we resolve these tribulations?”
Lu Qingtang, puzzled, leaned close to whisper: “Jiang Xunbai, are you alright? You actually believe this deceptive nonsense?!”
The corner of Jiang Xunbai’s mouth twitched. Ignoring her, he continued gazing sincerely at the white-bearded monk, who stroked his long white beard and smiled without speaking.
Seeing he couldn’t get any answers, Jiang Xunbai had no choice but to leave with Lu Qingtang. Before departing, he took out some silver and handed it to the white-bearded monk, who accepted it with a beaming smile.
Witnessing this, Lu Qingtang became even more convinced that the white-bearded monk was nothing but a charlatan.
They had only stood under the green pine tree for a short while when Jiang Yijie and Su Lingyao returned.
Su Lingyao frowned slightly: “We found nothing. I keep feeling that faint demonic aura permeates the entire Meeting Spring Temple, but we can’t locate its source. We can only wait for it to emerge slowly.”
The group nodded and descended the mountain.
Having climbed so many steps and baked under the scorching sun all day, Lu Qingtang felt utterly exhausted, as if her vitality had been drained. Thus, they decided to return to Lu Manor to rest for the night and visit Kumu Temple the next day.
After returning home, Lu Qingtang hung the sachet obtained from Meeting Spring Temple in her room. The moment her head touched the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep until morning sunlight streamed through the window lattice, waking her.
These past few days, Lu Qingtang had been constantly busy. She hadn’t seen Lu Huai since returning home, and they even ate meals separately, which made her somewhat suspicious.
But she didn’t dwell on it, as they still needed to visit Kumu Temple today.
In the afternoon, as the sun tilted westward, the four of them set out for Kumu Temple.
The narrow path from the mountain base to Kumu Temple wound tortuously. The four walked along the overgrown road, weeds sprouting everywhere. The surroundings were utterly silent, with only the sound of their footsteps audible.
Lu Qingtang and Jiang Xunbai walked shoulder-to-shoulder behind Jiang Yijie and Su Lingyao. Feeling the eerie winds around her, she grew somewhat fearful.
This place was completely deserted—who knew what might lurk here?
Jiang Xunbai glanced down and noticed Lu Qingtang’s slightly pale cheeks, finding it rather amusing.
The girl before him, usually bold and unrestrained, had once dared to lure the Skin-changing demon alone, yet now she stood trembling by his side.
“Miss Lu, are you feeling cold?”
Meeting Jiang Xunbai’s smiling eyes, Lu Qingtang felt inexplicably reassured. She looked up at the gradually setting sun.
It was still quite hot, with heat waves rolling in. Lu Qingtang was sweltering—how could she possibly be cold?
“Not quite. After all, not everyone possesses the same constitution as Second Young Master Jiang.”
Lu Qingtang smiled faintly, her eyes filled with mischief.
Jiang Xunbai froze for a moment before suddenly understanding what Lu Qingtang implied.
She was subtly mocking his physical weakness…
Jiang Xunbai sneered coldly, “Miss Lu is truly sharp-tongued. I, Jiang, am no match for you.”
Lu Qingtang lowered the corners of her eyes slightly, staring at him with an innocent and pitiful expression as she asked, “What is Second Young Master saying? Tang-Tang doesn’t understand.”
Seeing her hypocritical demeanor, Jiang Xunbai knew she was truly unafraid and felt relieved.
When the four reached the mountaintop, the sun had not yet fully set. Lu Qingtang stood with her hands on her hips, squatting to catch her breath. Jiang Xunbai stood a few steps away, gazing down at her. Jiang Yijie and Su Lingyao looked up at the scene before them. No one spoke, leaving only the rustling wind around them.
The legendary Kumu Temple had become a stretch of ruins before their eyes. Weeds grew wildly among the broken walls and collapsed beams, and a giant camellia tree in the midst had been split in two by lightning—one half blooming with vibrant red flowers, the other half withered branches on the verge of collapse.
One half alive, one half dead.
Lu Qingtang stood up, staring blankly at the extraordinarily peculiar camellia.
The camellia seemed to possess a strange magic that made it impossible to look away. Just as Lu Qingtang’s limbs began moving beyond her control, as if about to start dancing gracefully, a clear, slightly panicked young voice fell upon her ears, abruptly pulling her back from her dazed state.
“Lu Qingtang.”
Lu Qingtang jerked her gaze away, and her heart sank at what she saw. A vast white mist had appeared around her at some point, and there was no trace of the male and female leads.
Even Jiang Xunbai, who had just awakened her, was nowhere to be found.
“Second Young Master Jiang?”
“Jiang Xunbai!”
“Sister Su—”
“Big Brother Jiang?”
“…”
There was not a single sound, not even the wind had vanished.
In the dense fog where nothing could be seen beyond a few feet, it felt as if Lu Qingtang was the only person left in the world.
A wave of fear rose within her, spreading with lightning speed.
“System! System!”
Lu Qingtang tried to awaken the system. Even if it couldn’t help her, at least it could talk with her and ease some of her panic.
Yet, there was only dead silence. The system remained dormant.
Just as fear and despair threatened to drive her mad, she suddenly bit the tip of her tongue. A metallic taste spread in her mouth, jolting her slightly awake.
It’s fine, she still had two chances to use the “Summoning Scroll Divine Beast.” She wouldn’t die—at most, she would suffer some torment.
Thinking this, Lu Qingtang moved forward—toward the direction where Jiang Yijie and Su Lingyao had been before the white mist appeared.
She walked for a long time without encountering anyone. Stranger still, before the mist appeared, they had been facing ruins, but now the ground beneath her feet felt perfectly flat, with no trace of bricks or tiles.
As she called their names and walked intently, she had no idea how long she had been walking—only that it felt immensely long, as if she had traveled very far.
Just then, something suddenly grabbed her ankles. She felt as though countless ropes were simultaneously reaching for her, tightly binding her and rendering her immobile.
“Help—”
Lu Qingtang’s cry for help was abruptly cut off, as if a switch had been forcibly pressed.
She finally understood what was binding her—countless vines, as if they had come to life!!
Her lips were also tightly covered by the vines, allowing her to emit only muffled sounds.
Just as countless waves of despair and suffocation were about to engulf her, a snow-white sword light cut through the air, and countless sword energies surged forth like rain.
In the next moment, Lu Qingtang felt her limbs, mouth, and body loosen as the vines binding her were slashed and shredded by the sword energy, transforming into countless fragments that drifted down like falling petals.
A figure in white emerged from the mist, revealing Jiang Yijie’s elegant and handsome face.