Daoist Temple

Nanli Kingdom took its name from the Southern Bright Li Fire, and its capital was called Lihuo. Immortal Trace Village was a small village in the southwest of this kingdom.

Over the past two months, it was not as though Qin Yi had never gone into the city for amusement. He had also deliberately gathered plenty of information and learned that this was an enormous continent, dotted with countless nations. Nanli Kingdom was merely a barbaric little country. Further south lay the Transverse Rift Valley, bottomless and impossible even for birds to cross. No one knew whether there was another world beyond the rift; in theory, Nanli Kingdom was the southernmost frontier of the continent.

Precisely because Southern Li lay in such a remote region, filled with mountains and dense forests, with rugged roads and exceedingly inconvenient travel to the Central Lands, news was cut off and people were self-sufficient. Even when Qin Yi deliberately asked around, he could not learn much of the Central Lands' true situation. Most of it was hearsay, and after being passed from mouth to mouth, who knew how distorted it had become?

Yet the people here were naturally warlike. While great nations in the Central Lands rose and fell time and again, this remote little kingdom had stood firm for who knew how many generations, as though blessed by the gods. The current ruler was King Wude, who had been on the throne for twenty years.

Before Qin Yi heard that the Li Family Siblings' enemy was the National Teacher, he had never imagined they came from Lihuo, the capital. Though Southern Li was small, it still encompassed several commanderies. Between Lihuo City and Immortal Trace Village lay at least two great commanderies and several small cities. He had thought they might have come from a commandery at most, but they were actually from the capital—and important figures capable of standing toe-to-toe with the National Teacher... It was one thing for Li Qinglin to have other calculations, but Li Qingjun had traveled all this way purely to see a legendary, illusory immortal trace that most people did not believe in at all. She really had far too much free time...

"Brother Qin, you really won't change horses?"

"No. The road is so rough that horses cannot run fast anyway. Even if we changed horses, how much faster could we be?" Of course, Qin Yi would not tell them that being able to ride a horse at a slow pace was already good enough for him. If it started running, he would be the first to fall to his death.

"A little faster is still faster. I truly do not understand how a young man like you does everything as slowly as an old man!"

"Qing Jun!" Li Qinglin stopped his angry sister. "Brother Qin refuses to change horses out of sentiment. That is a precious quality. Besides, Brother Qin is right. This road is unsuitable for galloping horses; changing mounts would make no difference."

"Hmph. We could clearly have gone faster on the way here."

On the mountain road rode two fine horses, carrying two figures in brocade robes, gold and silver belts, and dark iron silver spears. Several zhang behind them followed an old horse. Upon it sat a young man in coarse cloth, a filthy Wolf Tooth Club hanging at his side. He carried an old gourd in one hand and drank leisurely, seeming not to notice the strange looks from passersby or Li Qingjun's sidelong glances.

Li Qingjun ignored Qin Yi and sighed to her brother. "I truly hope immortals exist. Riding the mist and soaring through the clouds, traveling on the wind—how carefree that would be."

The girl had originally been angry at her brother, yet now she had grown close to him again. She had simply been accustomed to being close to this brother since childhood. Qin Yi watched from the corner of his eye and always felt this girl had a screw loose. Perhaps even after being sold, she would still help count the money.

This time, Li Qinglin did not dampen his sister's enthusiasm for seeking immortals. Instead, he smiled rather indulgently. "I hope so too."

Li Qingjun said leisurely, "Everyone probably hopes so."

A song suddenly drifted from behind them. "At dawn I drifted over Cangwu, at dusk returned again; within the cave, the sun and moon—I am heaven. The treasured sword within its case roars from time to time; should it not meet..."

Li Qingjun gazed yearningly at the sky. Whatever she thought of Qin Yi, some of the things this boy occasionally came out with truly struck at her dreams.

But the song abruptly stopped at the fourth line. Li Qingjun turned around. "What comes next?"

"Oh, the next line is: should it not meet one of its kind, I swear I shall not pass it on. I do not know why it insists on passing on fanfiction but not the original work, so I stopped singing."

"..." Li Qingjun felt that she had understood the original meaning, but after Qin Yi twisted it, she no longer understood. Deciding not to care what he had twisted, she rolled her eyes. "Another song from some wandering Daoist?"

"Very clever. You can even buzz in with the answer now."

Li Qingjun sighed. "Maybe he really was an immortal."

"Actually, immortals ride donkeys too."

He had killed the conversation again. Li Qingjun glared at him and could not be bothered with him.

"Qin Yi." Liusu's voice rippled through his Sea of Consciousness. "Where exactly did all these songs and verses come from? Do not fob me off with wandering Daoists."

Qin Yi replied soundlessly, "What business is it of yours?"

"You wrote them yourself, did you not?" Liusu sighed. "Clearly, you also long for such a scene. Why not come with me..."

"Shut up, parrot stick. At worst, I will seek immortals myself, just like Li Qingjun."

"Heh... Immortal Opportunity is hard to come by. Do you really think everyone has such good fortune? Since back then... mmph..."

It was hiding things again. Qin Yi had grown used to it. He casually tipped the gourd, letting liquor pour over the head of the Wolf Tooth Club.

Who did not want to cultivate immortality? Who did not want to roam the Northern Sea at dawn and Cangwu at dusk?

But could everyone just be honest?

"Brother Qin." Li Qinglin suddenly spoke from ahead. "The weather does not seem right. It looks as though it is about to rain."

Qin Yi also looked at the sky. They had been traveling all day, and it was now dusk. Black clouds hung over the distant horizon, gloomy and overcast. It truly looked as though rain was coming.

"There is still at least an hour's journey to the next town. We may not make it in time." To understand the world better, Qin Yi had deliberately visited the county town before and knew the roads fairly well. "There is a Daoist Temple in the mountains to the right, not far away. We can shelter there for now."

The three of them reined in their horses together and darted onto the mountain path to the right.

The sky grew ever darker. By the time they glimpsed the eaves of the Daoist Temple appearing amid the trees in the distance, the black clouds had already pressed down heavily. The three dismounted without prior agreement, led their horses, and ran toward the temple. Looking at Li Qingjun's back, Qin Yi found it strange. She truly was not some delicately raised young miss, but more like a chivalrous woman accustomed to roaming the martial world.

"Brother Qin." Li Qinglin, running ahead, suddenly stopped. He hesitated before asking, "This Daoist Temple... has no one keeping it?"

Qin Yi withdrew his gaze from Li Qingjun's back and looked around, his heart tightening slightly.

He had been here before. There had been people in the Daoist Temple then. In weather as dark as this, if anyone were here, they would surely have lit candles already. Yet the temple before them was unlit and pitch-black, utterly silent.

In the autumn wind, leaves on either side swayed. Now and then, leaves fell and were swept up to drift away on the wind. A faint fishy stench dispersed through the air, making the place seem like desolate graves and a land of death.

"I only visited this place a month ago. There were people here then." Qin Yi cautiously gripped the Wolf Tooth Club. "Something may have happened. Everyone, be careful..."

Before he finished speaking, raindrops as large as beans poured down in a deluge. Li Qingjun drew her spear and kicked the temple gate open.

The temple was quiet and covered in dust. A huge spiderweb draped over the deity statue, as though no one had lived here for a long time. There were dead rats on the ground as well; the foul smell probably came from them. Li Qingjun let out a breath. "They must have moved away. There is nothing unusual."

Li Qinglin also naturally swept aside the filth, casually picked up a prayer cushion and set it alight. Smiling, he said, "When one is traveling abroad, this is just how it goes."

"..." Qin Yi scratched his head. All those ruined-temple springtime romances from television and novels—now that he thought about it, something was wrong. It was so filthy. How could anyone possibly feel springtime romance?

Li Qinglin had already opened his bundle and taken out dry rations, but Liusu's voice abruptly surfaced in Qin Yi's Sea of Consciousness. "There is something wrong with this Daoist Temple. Be careful."

Using the excuse of relieving himself, Qin Yi walked outside the temple gate and asked quietly, "What is it?"

Liusu said, "There may be a demon hiding outside the back gate."

"You sensed Demon Qi?"

"My soul power is weak; I cannot sense Demon Qi." Liusu said, "If your home had been empty for a month, would there be such a huge spiderweb? I find it unusual. I suspect there is a Spider Demon or something similar. When you suddenly arrived, it was startled and hid..."

Qin Yi was startled. "Then this demon is much more intelligent than that demon tiger. Its Demon Power is probably stronger too. They may not be able to handle it. I have to warn them..."

"Do not! I told you, I cannot sense Demon Qi. It is purely a guess. Would it not be embarrassing if I guessed wrong?"

"..."

"Do not worry. Since it avoided you, it understands the situation. The Li Family Siblings' spears are stern, and their bodies are filled with righteous force. It will not lightly provoke them. Spiders dislike noise and dislike having their webs destroyed, so as long as you do not shout or damage its web, you should basically coexist in peace."

Qin Yi relaxed. "Then it is fine. The Li Family Siblings are not the noisy sort."

But when he returned to the Daoist Temple, the first thing he saw was Li Qingjun holding a stick and reaching out to sweep away the spiderweb.

Sweating profusely, Qin Yi rushed over and grabbed her hand. "What are you doing?"

Li Qingjun turned and glared at him. "I should be asking what you are doing. Such a huge spiderweb is right beside us. Does it not creep you out?"

"Oh, oh, I mean, this sort of dirty work should not trouble a young lady. I will do it. Let me."

Li Qingjun did not insist. She let him take the stick, then turned and headed toward the back gate.

Qin Yi grabbed her again. "Where are you going?"

Li Qingjun slowly lowered her gaze and looked expressionlessly at the large hand gripping her wrist.

Qin Yi knew it was inappropriate to grab a girl like this. When he turned to look at Li Qinglin, even his expression had become strange. Qin Yi could only release her and say, "It is dark, there is a rainstorm, and it is too dangerous to go out alone..."

Before he could finish, a group of martial wanderers rushed through the rain toward the Daoist Temple. "There is a Daoist Temple here. We can shelter from the rain!"

Qin Yi covered his forehead.