Chapter 150: What the Hell, Trying to Snatch the Deity of Beauty Too!!

High noon.

The sun blazing overhead.

Inside Sanqing Hall of Zhenlong Temple, pale smoke curled up.

Lu Yuan stood outside the hall door, pinching a three-section incense stick between his fingers.

He turned his head, glancing at Song Meiqin and Zhao Qiao'er behind him.

The two glamorous aunts had deliberately changed their outfits earlier.

They had shed their opulence and kept only plain elegance.

Song Meiqin wore a moon-white jacket dress, with a single plain silver pin in her bun.

Zhao Qiao'er had on a blue-gray cotton dress, and her usually alluring face had no makeup at all.

“Remember the rules?” Lu Yuan asked.

Both of them bowed their foreheads in unison.

On the way here, Lu Yuan had reminded them a thousand times.

Do not speak in the hall, do not laugh, do not turn your back on the deities.

When offering incense, hold it with the left hand and protect it with the right, the incense must stand straight, not tilted.

After finishing the bows, do not turn around, retreat three steps, then step aside.

Taoist rituals had many intricate rules.

But today they were honoring the ancestral line of Zhenlong Temple, so even if tedious, it must be done respectfully.

Lu Yuan turned, crossed the high threshold, and stepped into Sanqing Hall.

The interior was dim.

Three majestic deity statues sat on their thrones, eyes lowered to observe the living.

In the center was Yuanshi Celestial Master, loosely holding nothing with his left hand, cradling a pearl with his right.

To the left was the Numinous Treasure Celestial Master, holding a jade ruyi.

To the right was the Celestial Master of Virtue, holding a fan with sleeves hanging.

The three golden figures loomed through the incense smoke, solemn and dignified.

Below the statues, long offering tables were arranged.

Incense burners, candlesticks, seasonal fruits, two cups of clear tea, all lined up in order.

Lu Yuan led his two wives in offering incense, silently reciting the prayers.

After completing the three purities, the three of them moved into the side hall.

This place enshrined the spirit tablets of Zhenlong Temple’s ancestral lineage.

At the top, on a rosewood plaque, large golden characters were brushed in iron strokes.

[Position of Zhang Jiuting, Perfected Being of the Nine Heavens Responding to Primordial Principles, Upholder of Laws, Celestial Master Commanding Thunder, Illusion-Breaking Golden Thunder].

Looking down along the tablets, one plaque followed another; some ink still fresh, others mottled by time.

Lu Yuan’s gaze scanned them, and suddenly stopped at the very bottom.

Heh!

Lu Yuan glanced at an empty plaque at the lowest spot — that place was reserved for the old man.

Nothing was written on it.

But Lu Yuan knew this was the old man’s preparation for himself.

That in itself wasn’t surprising.

Elderly folk often prepared burial garments and portraits in advance.

Only, this old man had placed such a thing here just before going to meet the Commanding Ghosts’ Liu Family.

It gave off a slightly eerie vibe...

Lu Yuan paused for a moment, then stopped looking and composed himself. He stepped to the offering table and stood firm.

Song Meiqin and Zhao Qiao'er lagged half a step behind, holding their breath, not daring to make a sound.

Lu Yuan took out three-section incense sticks.

He lit the fire starter and handed one to each wife.

“Receive the incense with your left hand, protect it with your right.”

Song Meiqin and Zhao Qiao'er obeyed, taking the three-section sticks with both hands, and slowly knelt toward the ancestral tablets.

The cushions had been laid out in advance.

They knelt properly, backs straight, both hands raising the incense over their heads with reverence.

Lu Yuan held his incense, faced the tablets, and bowed three times.

When he rose, he spoke loudly so their voices echoed in the quiet side hall.

“Lu Yuan, disciple of Zhenlong Temple, now with my wives Song Meiqin and Zhao Qiao'er, kowtow before the ancestral masters of past generations.”

Then the three of them bowed together.

One kowtow.

Two kowtows.

Three kowtows.

After the three kowtows, Song Meiqin and Zhao Qiao'er stood and approached the main incense burner.

Following the taught rules, they placed their incense upright into the ash.

After the incense was set, Lu Yuan led them down the row of ancestral tablets.

“This is the founding patriarch.”

Lu Yuan introduced.

Song Meiqin and Zhao Qiao'er bowed together.

“This is the second-generation patriarch.”

They bowed again.

Lu Yuan introduced each in turn, and the two women bowed at each tablet.

After paying respects to the ancestral line, Lu Yuan guided them to a small incense burner by the side of the hall.

The small burner was unremarkable, far smaller than the one on the offering table, placed in a corner as if forgotten.

Yet its ash tray was full, and a few nearly burnt incense stubs remained upright.

“Who is this for?” Song Meiqin asked softly, Zhao Qiao'er equally curious.

Lu Yuan gazed at the full ash, paused for a moment.

“This is for the nameless disciples of Zhenlong Temple.”

“For those who never made it, those lost halfway, and those who died outside with no remains returned.”

The plain words made the two women’s hearts tighten.

Lu Yuan took three-section incense alone, lit it, and carefully placed it into the small burner.

“They have no tablets, but they’re still Zhenlong Temple’s blood and bone.”

Song Meiqin and Zhao Qiao'er exchanged a glance.

They stepped forward on their own, each took incense, lit it, and respectfully offered it.

A few new wisps of smoke rose and joined the hall’s incense.

Lu Yuan did not bow again; he simply stood quietly before the burner, watching the faint sparks die and flare.

“All done, let’s go.”

He turned and led his wives out.

As he crossed the threshold, Lu Yuan looked back.

The hall’s incense blazed, ancestral tablets lined the walls in silent watchfulness.

In the corner’s small burner, the newly placed incense burned brightly.

He withdrew his gaze and strode forward.

Elder Zhou, guarding outside the door, stepped up and slowly closed the heavy hall doors.

Afternoon sunlight warmed the three of them.

Zhao Qiao'er exhaled a long breath and patted her chest.

“Finally out. I didn’t even dare breathe in there earlier.”

Song Meiqin shed the solemn demeanor, a lively smile returning to her face.

In front of those imposing tablets, the pressure had been overwhelming.

Lu Yuan looked at his two wives as their defenses fell and their coquettish charm returned, and couldn’t help teasing.

“What’s there to fear? They’re family. The patriarchs aren’t going to eat you.”

“All right, the rites are done.”

“You two go play mahjong with the Deity of Beauty, I need to go handle Qingwan’s matters in the back.”

After speaking, he waved and headed for the backyard.

He left the two still-graceful aunts standing there.

They watched their man stride away with brisk decisiveness and both flashed a coquettish, exasperated eye-roll.

What a little thing.

Uses people and then runs off.

Qingwan’s issue had been temporarily settled.

The list of materials to procure was already compiled and handed to Aunt Qiao'er’s chamber of commerce to source.

The tongue-restoration ritual had been initiated, only seven days of waiting remained.

Lu Yuan could finally pull himself free from those matters and dive back into Zhenlong Temple’s mundane affairs.

He plunged in for a full two days.

From rearranging the routes for disciples to take on errands, to approving large procurement lists,

to background checks and team assignments for newly accepted disciples — a thousand tasks.

Zhenlong Temple was no longer the quiet little temple it once was.

The fallout from clearing Nurturing Malevolence Sites had not yet fully settled, and the Celestial Master’s reputation had spread.

Clients at the foot of the mountain were practically trampling the temple’s gate.

This was an opportunity for Zhenlong Temple.

No room for mistakes.

Now Zhenlong Temple not only had numerous clients, it had many new disciples.

Some were children hoping to enter the mountain and learn.

Others came to offer skills and attach themselves — for example...

Many disciples from Baiyun Temple had arrived.

Lu Yuan treated them all the same.

His principle was clear: separate matters fairly, don’t take out anger on others.

The earlier incident with Baiyun Temple was the elder’s fault, but the ordinary disciples beneath were innocent.

Especially the Baiyun Temple disciples — compared to some itinerant Taoists, they were more familiar and dependable.

If you wanted to know someone’s character, a quick inquiry in Fengtian City would suffice.

As long as they weren’t problematic or criminal, they could be accepted.

Honestly, disciples accepted by Baiyun Temple, especially common disciples, were usually fine.

As a top-tier temple with centuries of history, and a foothold near Fengtian City — one of the busiest cities beyond the Wall — their management of common disciples was solid.

These newcomers were treasures to Zhenlong Temple.

They could immediately take posts and lead teams on errands.

Frankly, they brought experience from top temples.

As the saying goes, in travel there is always someone to learn from.

Be open-minded; you can’t judge based on past conflicts with Baiyun Temple.

Like in war stories, someone who failed spectacularly might still end up teaching at the military academy.

Of course...

Old Li didn’t listen.

But Lu Yuan was willing to listen.

Still, he wouldn’t accept everything — he kept what was good and discarded the bad.

Over the next two days, Lu Yuan reorganized Zhenlong Temple’s disciples and formed teams.

Speaking of which...

Those two boys Wang Cheng'an and Xu Erxiao, who used to trail after Lu Yuan like puppies calling him Brother Lu,

had become people others referred to as “Brother Lu.”

These two had followed Lu Yuan through many travels and seen a lot.

Although still a bit green, leading a few newly initiated junior brothers to handle minor possession-clearing errands was well within their capability.

For two days, Lu Yuan locked himself in his room, leaving only to relieve himself and otherwise not stepping out.

Meals were delivered.

As for Qingwan, Aunt Qiao'er, Aunt Qin, and the others...!

Those four were doing fine these two days.

They sat together in Qingwan’s side hall, chatting and playing mahjong.

This was actually quite good; for Aunt Qiao'er and Aunt Qin, having things to do and not being stuck idle in the temple was pleasant.

For Gu Qingwan, Lu Yuan thought it was good too.

Perhaps Gu Qingwan didn’t know what loneliness was, or perhaps she had no concept of it.

Before she had been solitary; now Aunt Qiao'er and Aunt Qin talked with her every day...

Lu Yuan felt this was nice.

And he hadn’t seen Qingwan seem annoyed.

She now followed along with the games, waving left three rounds, right three rounds.

As for the Deity of Beauty...

Heh!

This round was hers!

She was the happiest of all!

If Lu Yuan had to describe her personality, it was truly easygoing and carefree.

Last time when she met Qingwan, Qingwan nearly strangled her.

But the second time they met, she went up and dragged people into mahjong.

Not afraid, not holding grudges — as if she had simply forgotten the earlier incident.

Lu Yuan could only say she was awesome.

Being able to pull people into daily mahjong was a blessing for someone so carefree.

As the saying goes?

Enjoy it to the fullest!

......

On the third day, dawn pale and soft.

“Ah—”

The door was pushed open, Lu Yuan stepped out, greeted the rising sun, and stretched hard.

His joints crackled like frying beans.

Two days of exhaustive effort had delivered months of order to the temple’s future.

The satisfaction of personally putting everything back on track was intoxicating.

“Oh?”

“Finally coming out of the room.”

Before Lu Yuan could lower his stretching hands, a sweet voice appeared beside him.

Hmm?

Lu Yuan turned and saw the Deity of Beauty.

She leaned in the doorway, her glance flickering with a teasing pout.

Although she wasn’t Lu Yuan’s type of voluptuous, broad-shouldered mature beauty, one could not deny:

The Deity of Perfection was not named for nothing.

She casually leaned against the doorframe, one toe lightly touching the floor, her silhouette tracing a breathtaking curve.

Dawn gilded her with a soft edge, making her seem otherworldly.

In her hand she held a pear with a small bite taken out, the dark fruit making her fingertips look even paler.

The Deity’s beauty wasn’t one particular style; it was...

Perfection.

That face — Lu Yuan had seen it many times, and each time it still struck him.

Not merely stunning, but jolting.

Like first seeing a sunrise, the sea, a sky full of stars — an unguarded shock.

Her brows and eyes were exquisitely natural.

Not artificially sculpted, but organically perfect.

Brows neither too thick nor too thin, framing star-bright eyes.

Eyes neither large nor small, just right for that face.

A nose neither high nor low, exactly supporting the facial contours.

Perfection within perfection.

But... as before, others might fall for her, but Lu Yuan would not.

“Why not playing mahjong?”

“Still one short, looking for me to fill in?”

Lu Yuan lowered his hand and teased.

At his words, the Deity of Beauty rolled her eyes at him with all the charm of a seasoned flirt.

Hmm...

She hadn’t behaved like this before; this coquettish, flirtatious eye-roll must have been learned from Aunt Qin or Aunt Qiao'er.

“You’re imagining things.”

“Qingwan wanted frozen pears, I’m bringing some from the dining hall, happened to see you coming out.”

The Deity said this and produced three dark frozen pears from behind her back with a flourish.

Lu Yuan watched her small, triumphant expression and smirked.

She’d even picked up the accent from beyond the Wall!

“Perfect timing, I’ll come along.”

Lu Yuan set off toward the side hall.

The Deity floated after him, handing him the pear she’d bitten.

“Here, want a bite?”

Lu Yuan looked at her.

The little bite still held a bead of crystal-clear juice, glinting in the sunlight.

It did look tempting.

Lu Yuan reflexively reached for it.

She flicked her wrist and dodged his hand, hiding the three pears behind her.

Then she pushed the bitten one forward again.

With a light lift of her brows she coquettishly said:

“Eat mine, those are for them!”

Lu Yuan: “...”

He kept silent. The Deity briefly pouted in mock offense:

“Hey!”

“What do you mean, you reject me?”

“Our fates are all tangled together, I helped you so much...”

Before the Deity finished, Lu Yuan took the bitten pear from her hand,

and in front of her, bit hard into the exact spot she had just bitten.

The icy sweet juice exploded in his mouth.

Chewing the pear, he mumbled through his mouthful:

“You pick up things fast. Between your stay in Fengtian City and these two days, your accent’s completely changed.”

Seeing his action, any earlier displeasure vanished; her eyes curved into crescent moons.

“Not bad?”

Lu Yuan shook his head.

“Very good.”

Then he took another big bite of the pear and, curious, asked:

“You brought Qingwan along; you two get along well these past two days?”

The Deity nodded proudly at once.

“Mm-hmm!”

“We had no grudge before; last time it wasn’t because of you?”

Lu Yuan: “....”

Well, that made it sound like she was the instigator.

Lu Yuan dropped the subject and suddenly thought of something, looking at the Deity with interest:

“These past nights, why have you been squatting by the west gate of the rear hill every night?”

Lu Yuan had noticed this over the past days.

Besides playing mahjong, the Deity liked wandering the temple.

Well...

To be precise, after Aunt Qiao'er and Aunt Qin stopped playing, she would wander.

After all, those two big aunts were ordinary people.

They might play mahjong, but not all day and night — that’d wear them out.

Usually after dinner, Aunt Qiao'er and Aunt Qin would rest.

At that time, the Deity would go out.

That alone wasn’t odd.

As an object-turned-deity, she had a natural affinity for temple buildings.

She wanted to peek into Sanqing Hall, the side hall, each room in the backyard — she roamed like a curious child.

But in the end, she would sit at the west gate and stay.

How did Lu Yuan know?

First, their fates were entangled — she could find him and he could vaguely sense her location.

Second... Lu Yuan had once stepped out to relieve himself and grabbed a midnight snack at the dining hall, and had seen her with his own eyes.

At first he didn’t think much of it, assuming she was bored.

Later he realized she was truly “keeping watch.”

Each night after dark, she set up a small stool and sat properly at the mountain gate, those exquisite eyes fixed on the blackness below the mountain.

She’d sit there all night.

When Lu Yuan was busy earlier, he didn’t ask; he finished and went straight back.

Now he was curious.

Hearing him, the Deity blinked and a rare serious look crossed her face.

“Something wants to come up.”

Lu Yuan: “?”

“What thing?”

The Deity pondered, trying to find the right word.

“Not a person.”

She shook her head.

“Not a ghost either.”

“More like... some other things.”

Lu Yuan looked at her with a continued question mark on his face.

Her delicate brows slightly knit; she tilted her head, struggling to form the sentence.

After a long while, she forced out an uncertain line.

“They... made me feel familiar, yet hateful.”

“They told me I was one of them.”

The Deity paused, then looked up at Lu Yuan, confusion in her eyes.

“I’m a deity.”

“They... seem to be deities too.”

“They said deities shouldn’t guard gates for mortals, that I should come with them.”

Lu Yuan’s expression stiffened.

He blinked, digesting the information in that sentence.

Well...

Theoretically, the Deity of Beauty was an object-turned-deity, a true divinity.

She indeed shouldn’t be guarding human gates.

That much was true.

She was here because their fates were tangled.

Once that entanglement was untied later, no one could keep her.

But the problem was...

Damn it!!

What kind of dogshit thing wants to abduct the Deity of Beauty?!

Trying to kidnap someone right at Zhenlong Temple’s doorstep, are you serious?!