Chapter 401

Gu Jiu Ling's entourage also brought two maidservants, Yun Duo and Jiu Yue, plus a coachman; the four of them arrived at Qiantuo Temple outside the city by carriage.

Qiantuo Temple differs from Panlong Temple; Panlong Temple is an imperial temple that enjoys abundant incense.

Those who usually go to Panlong Temple are officials and nobles, either rich or noble; the annual incense supply makes other temples jealous.

Qiantuo Temple, however, is a place for the poor; its incense is not very strong, because its location is relatively remote—one must leave the city and climb a mountain to reach it.

The surrounding scenery is also rather desolate; unlike Panlong Mountain, whose scenery has been fully renovated, Qiantuo Temple's scenery feels somewhat rough.

It is merely a small, ordinary temple built amid the barren ridges stretching across the hills; all incense offerings depend on fate.

Gu Jiu Ling rode the carriage along a country lane toward Qiantuo Temple; although the scenery was rather desolate, it had its own rustic charm.

The carriage moved very slowly; Gu Jiu Ling rested her head against the carriage wall, swaying back and forth with the vehicle, almost falling asleep.

Yun Duo leaned close to Gu Jiu Ling and whispered a report: "Master, following your orders, I have already spread those idle words."

"The neighbors around here. Now they still don't know your true identity; when we left this morning, Aunt Zhang even asked what you were up to."

"I said my lord father is traveling abroad and has fallen ill, his fate unknown, and my mistress wishes to go to Qiantuo Temple outside the city to offer a few sticks of incense for her husband."

As soon as Yun Duo finished speaking, Gu Jiu Ling gave her a thumbs‑up; this excuse was excellent—wasn't it precisely to pray for her husband's blessing?

Now Xiao Yin, poisoned and with his life or death uncertain, even unable to get out of bed—his saying that suggests the fish that have taken the bait may bite even sooner.

"Master, our covert guards have sent word that those people are following us."

Gu Jiu Ling nodded.

"In a moment we'll split our people into several groups; one group will follow Young Master Zuo. He is highly skilled in martial arts and will surely be able to restrain them."

"Another group consists of a few individuals I borrowed at great expense from the Red Scorpion; last time I saw that some of them were capable fighters."

"You will personally lead this group; when the time comes, obey my orders and do not act on your own—if anything goes wrong, you will be punished according to family law."

Yun Duo nodded, then suddenly recalled that when she met people from the Red Scorpion, she had encountered Prince Tuo Ba Yu.

Prince Tuoba has become much thinner than before; these days I don't know why he has almost ceased contact with our mistress.

Since the falling out between Prince Tuoba and our mistress on that boat, he has never appeared before her again.

The Red Scorpion is originally a famous assassin organization in the jianghu; this time Gu Jiu Ling's hiring of its members also cost a great deal of money.

Moreover, no discount was given for Tuo Ba Yu's sake; these are essentially jianghu outlaws who do as much work as they are paid for, which is fair enough.

But just as Yun Duo took the Red Scorpion's token to investigate that lowly person's identity a bit further, she was unexpectedly summoned back by Tuo Ba Yu midway.

Tuo Ba Yu also simply asked about her circumstances, inquiring where her mistress currently resides; Yun Duo firmly refused to evade the question.

She herself does not know why she acted that way; the expression on her face was somewhat dazed, and her feelings toward this man‑woman relationship have not yet been enlightened.

She also does not understand what unrequited love or lovesickness means.

However, looking at Prince Tuoba's appearance, he does seem somewhat pitiful; she opened her mouth and eventually spoke.

"Master, when I met people from the Red Scorpion, I ran into Prince Tuoba, who asked whether you have been doing well lately."

Gu Jiu Ling did not reply; she merely lifted the carriage curtain, gazed at the bleak scenery outside, and lightly said, "It's fine—having money and children, I lack nothing."

Jiu Yue and Yun Duo, the two maidservants, dared not speak; obviously the mistress likes the Prince yet says she lacks nothing—hehe.

These days, isn't she just missing the Prince?

Master and servants each had their own thoughts; finally the carriage halted at the mountainside.

They helped Gu Jiu Ling climb the mountain, and at the mountainside they rested in a pavilion.

Gu Jiu Ling ordered Yun Duo to go forward and knock on the door; after a long while an elderly monk with heavy steps slowly approached.

As he walked he still muttered irritably: "I already told you, the monks in this temple can't even get enough to eat—how could they support you beggars? Isn't Panlong Temple just up ahead?"

"Go try Panlong Temple yourself."

Gu Jiu Ling realized he was treating them as beggars making a living at Qiantuo Temple.

The old monk guarding Qiantuo Temple opened the door, saw Gu Jiu Ling's face, and was instantly startled.

He hadn't seen anyone come to Qiantuo Temple to offer incense for many years; seeing a charming noble lady voluntarily come to offer incense, he was suddenly frightened badly.

"Venerable Master, sorry to disturb you."

"I came from Jing Cheng; passing by Qiantuo Temple, I felt this place had outstanding people and auspicious spirits, and I brought my maidservants to come in and make offerings."

The old monk first froze, then hurried forward, palms together, and politely smiled: "Female benefactor, your intention is appreciated; please rise, I will go fetch our abbot."

Gu Jiu Ling brought her maidservants into the temple's Zheng Ting, then lit the incense she had brought and bowed three times before the solemn Buddha statue.

Previously she was a steadfast atheist, but after crossing into this other world, her own worldview has also somewhat collapsed.

In this short half‑year period, she has only just recovered enough to begin adapting slightly to life here.

The abbot had already been summoned; he looks so old he can hardly speak, his body stooped as if about to collapse to the ground—upon inquiry he turns out to be a remarkable person, now ninety years old.

Gu Jiu Ling genuinely developed some interest in Qiantuo Temple.

You know, being over ninety in her modern society would already be extremely extraordinary; in this era, being over ninety is practically divine.

The abbot came out, said only a few words, showed his face, and was then escorted back by the monks.

Gu Jiu Ling then spoke a while longer with that old monk, and afterward donated five hundred taels of silver as incense money.

For the old monk, this was enough to feed two people for several years; in recent years, hardly anyone came to make offerings, so the temple could no longer sustain itself, and now Gu Jiu Ling's offering is truly rare.

After drinking tea and chatting for a while, Gu Jiu Ling excused herself, saying it was getting late and the mountain path was bad, and wanted to spend the night in the meditation hall of Deep Expansion Temple, planning to leave at dawn the next day.

Seeing Gu Jiu Ling give so much incense money, the old monk had no reason to object.

He also personally tidied up the Ke Yuan, after which Gu Jiu Ling lay down on the cramped bed to rest.

In the dense forest around the Pool Expansion Temple, there had also gradually been some movement.