Chapter 06 The Moon Lord’s Shrine

The next morning, as daylight broke, the snow finally ceased after three days of relentless fall. Di Jiang stepped out of her room and saw the branches in the atrium adorned with glistening droplets—whether from the melting snow or morning dew remained unclear. Birds chirped noisily around the atrium, occasionally swooping down to snatch a berry. Everything seemed pristine, clean, beautiful, and serene.

By this time, Wu Rui’an had been up for a while, having breakfast with Wen Yao in the cave’s main hall. Two steamed buns and a bowl of warm millet porridge were almost gone.

“Finally, we don’t have to eat sweet potatoes today,” Di Jiang smiled, just about to sit down when she heard many footsteps behind her, followed by Dong Liancheng’s self-assured laughter—

“As long as I bring you all back safely, they probably won’t scold you too much. If father and mother are really angry, Sister Biling can just blame it all on me. My face is thick enough; I’m not afraid of being scolded!”

“Thank you, Brother Liancheng,” Dong Biling sighed in relief, seemingly reassured.

Di Jiang and Wu Rui’an exchanged glances, finding something odd—the sibling dynamic felt overly formal.

Soon, the group entered the hall. After bidding farewell to Mr. Wang, Dong Liancheng and the servants went outside, carrying luggage and leading carriages. Only the two young ladies remained in the hall, waiting for the carriage arrangements.

“What’s this?” Just then, Wen Yao picked up a triangular object from the ground and handed it to Di Jiang, “Is this yours?”

Di Jiang took it, glanced at it, and shook her head, “No.”

The object was red, half the size of a palm, resembling a waist pendant. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be made of paper, like an amulet.

“Did you drop this?” Di Jiang held up the amulet and asked the Dong sisters.

Dong Yezhen and Dong Biling immediately checked their sleeves. Dong Biling pulled out a similar amulet and sighed in relief, “Not mine. Sister Yezhen, check if yours is missing?”

“Oh no! To lose such an important thing without realizing it—if I found out later, this trip would be in vain!” Dong Yezhen rummaged through her sleeves several times, discovering hers was indeed missing. She quickly stepped forward to take the amulet from Di Jiang and smiled, “Thank you, Miss.”

“What is this?” Wen Yao couldn’t help but ask curiously.

“This? It’s a prayer talisman from the Yue Lao Shrine atop Qingyun Mountain. As long as you write your birth date and your beloved’s, they are destined to become a couple!” Dong Biling laughed, nudging Yezhen playfully, winking, “Sister Yezhen, isn’t that right?”

Dong Yezhen blushed, retorting, “Say less, or people might think you’re mute!”

Di Jiang and Wen Yao understood from this exchange that the group braved the stormy weather just for this talisman. Clearly, Dong Yezhen was deeply in love...

“By the way,” Dong Biling approached Wu Rui’an, covering her mouth and giggling, “Young Master, take my advice. Go to the Yue Lao Shrine atop the mountain and pray. Perhaps the gods will hear your prayers and make this lady fall for you!”

Though spoken in a tone of advice, it sounded quite sharp to Wu Rui’an.

“Thanks for your good intentions, but does this... I need anyone’s help?” Wu Rui’an rolled his eyes, sneering, “With this face and these martial arts skills, do I need divine intervention to win over women? Ridiculous!” With that, he turned and returned to his room, unwilling to stay in the same hall with them.

“What a strange temper!” Dong Biling pouted, complaining, “No wonder he looks good but the girl doesn’t like him!”

Wu Rui’an ignored her completely. Had it been Dong Liancheng speaking, he would likely have been beaten to a pulp...

After the Dong family left, the inn returned to its usual quietness. By afternoon, when the snow had melted by four to five-tenths, Di Jiang carefully inquired about the route to the Yue Lao Shrine from Mr. Wang and set off towards Qingyun Mountain with Wu Rui’an and Wen Yao.

Qingyun Mountain was the highest peak in Yunmeng Marsh. Milky white clouds floated around it. Looking up, the upper part basked in sunlight, while the lower part was shrouded in mist, making the mountain appear even more majestic and towering into the clouds, like a mirage floating in mid-air.

At the foot of Qingyun Mountain, they saw a thousand stone steps leading straight up, flanked by towering stone pillars. The steps were overgrown with weeds, and the inscriptions on the pillars were worn. The place was desolate, far removed from its former glory, solemn and evoking sighs.

They climbed the stone steps, finally reaching the summit where they saw a Taoist temple in the center. On the plaque above the temple entrance were three crooked characters: Yue Lao Shrine.

“Baiyun Temple has become the Yue Lao Shrine. Mr. Wang wasn’t lying! Hahahaha—” Seeing this, Wen Yao couldn’t hold back her laughter, shaking with mirth amidst the cold wind and snow.

Suddenly, the doors of the Yue Lao Shrine opened wide, and a Taoist with an ethereal presence emerged. The old priest appeared to be about sixty, with sunken eyes, emaciated frame, and a patched-up robe.

Di Jiang and her companions were startled, but the priest’s surprise quickly turned into a broad smile. He beamed, “I am Priest Yu Ling, the overseer of this Yue Lao Shrine. Are you here to burn incense and seek matrimonial blessings?”

The trio exchanged glances and shook their heads.

“To tell fortunes?”

Again, they shook their heads.

“To pray for children?”

Still, they shook their heads.

“What then?” Priest Yu Ling was perplexed, unable to fathom why this group of elegant and well-dressed individuals ventured into the deep mountains.

Although Di Jiang thought this money-grubbing priest had nothing to do with Zhong Xu, she persisted, stepping forward and asking, “Esteemed priest, I’d like to inquire if this was once the site of Baiyun Temple?”

Upon hearing mention of Baiyun Temple, Priest Yu Ling tensed visibly.

Seeing his reaction, Di Jiang knew she had the right person and pressed on, “Do you know a certain Daoist surnamed Zhong? He has a young disciple, about this tall.” She gestured to her ribcage.

“No!” Before Di Jiang finished, Priest Yu Ling immediately shook his head firmly, “I know nothing of any Baiyun Temple or Zhong Xu! You should leave!” With that, he forcefully pushed Di Jiang out and slammed the door shut.

“Lao Dao! Lao Dao!” Di Jiang called twice, but there was no response.

Wen Yao pulled Di Jiang, “Boss, let’s go. Zhong Xu isn’t here.”

“Why leave?” Di Jiang smiled, “He already admitted knowing Zhong Xu without us having to force it out of him.”

“Eh?” Wen Yao widened her eyes, “But he clearly said he didn’t know Zhong Xu!”

At this moment, Wu Rui’an laughed, explaining loudly, “Just now, Di Jiang only asked if he knew a certain Daoist surnamed Zhong, without mentioning Zhong Xu’s name. That old Daoist unwittingly confessed!”

“Exactly.” Di Jiang nodded. Though rudely shoved out, she wasn’t angry because his words confirmed: he definitely knew Zhong Xu.

Having found a lead after months of searching, wasn’t it worth celebrating? They no longer needed to search aimlessly in Yunmeng Marsh. Now, they just needed to find a way to make the old priest divulge Zhong Xu’s whereabouts.

Yet, until sunset and nightfall, despite their persistent shouting, the door remained closed. Wu Rui’an tried scaling the wall several times but was bombarded with rotten vegetables and eggs. Normally, this wouldn’t matter, but in the frigid mountain air, his soaked clothes soon left him shivering uncontrollably.

Seeing Wu Rui’an covered in filth, Di Jiang couldn’t bear to see him suffer further, “Let’s come back tomorrow.”

“No! I must drag that stinking Daoist out today!” Wu Rui’an attempted to scale the wall again, but Di Jiang and Wen Yao hastily restrained him. Regardless of whether he could swallow his pride, they forcibly escorted him down the mountain.

All the way down, Wu Rui’an seethed with anger, feeling humiliated after being toyed with by a few stinking Daoists for half the day.

“Tomorrow, I’ll find the local magistrate and bring a team to raid this Yue Lao Shrine. Let’s see if he talks then!”

“Calm down, Your Highness. Perhaps by tomorrow, they’ll see reason. Besides, involving the magistrate means trouble later. They’ll surely report to Chen Huang and send you back to Taiping Prefecture. Would you part with me?”

“I’ll take you with me!”

“Eh, we’ve barely enjoyed traveling together for over a month. Returning so soon would be such a pity!”

Wu Rui’an pondered and realized this was true, so he nodded reluctantly, “Alright… we’ll come back tomorrow.”

“Your Highness is wise!” Di Jiang appealed to his emotions and logic, finally calming him down somewhat.

That night, after Wu Rui’an fell asleep, Di Jiang couldn’t resist casting an invisibility spell and flew up to the Yue Lao Shrine with Wen Yao.

Inside the shrine, everyone was asleep. Di Jiang quickly scanned the rooms where the priests rested and discovered only four people in the entire temple. One was the overseer, Priest Yu Ling, whom they met earlier, but he was nowhere to be found.

The other three were dressed as young Daoists, sleeping soundly. Di Jiang hadn’t seen them before, but their faces revealed prolonged hunger and deprivation, gaunt and malnourished.

“How incompetent is this abbot Zhong Xu? Look at these young Daoists, how starved they are!” Wen Yao muttered.

“Who says otherwise?” Di Jiang sighed.

“Where did that old priest go?”

“Perhaps he fled...” Di Jiang felt a headache coming on.

Where did Priest Yu Ling go?

Why wouldn’t he admit knowing Zhong Xu?

If Zhong Xu wasn’t in Baiyun Temple, where was he?

“Huh?” Just as Di Jiang was at a loss, preparing to descend, she suddenly noticed scattered chicken feathers and jujube pits near the temple gate. Jujube pits were understandable, but chicken feathers contradicted the Taoist principle of abstaining from worldly desires.

Could it be...

“Boss, what are you looking at?” Wen Yao asked upon seeing Di Jiang stop.

“I think these Daoists are suspicious.” Di Jiang said.

“What’s suspicious? Apart from being too thin, nothing seems odd... Should I capture them all and torture them?” Wen Yao suggested.

“This requires wit. I already have a plan. We’ll come back tomorrow.” Di Jiang shook her head and descended the mountain with Wen Yao.