"Chance Encounter"

Great Xiangguo Temple was first built in the Northern Qi Dynasty, flourished during the Tang Dynasty, and reached its peak in the Northern Song Dynasty, becoming the premier imperial temple under heaven.

When it came to the magnificence of its pagodas and halls, it had reached the absolute limit.

Compared to its golden, resplendent glory, the Shaolin Temple was nothing more than a rustic, mud-brick shrine.

Of course, most people knew of Great Xiangguo Temple because of Lu Zhishen uprooting the weeping willow in The Water Margin.

One wondered if Lin Daiyu had also traveled here in later years, which was how she obtained her inheritance.

When Huang Shang arrived at the back gate of Great Xiangguo Temple, it was already a sea of people.

Unless one experienced it firsthand, it was hard to imagine that these people were not here to burn incense, but to shop.

If Sang Family Bazaar was a place for entertainment, then Great Xiangguo Temple was a market for small commodities.

The Ten Thousand Surname Fair was held here five times a month; "ten thousand" was naturally an exaggeration, but the number of commoners who came was still staggering, with all sorts of trinkets on sale.

Today was not a day for the Ten Thousand Surname Fair, yet the foot traffic was already quite exaggerated. Smelling the raw scent of sweat, Huang Shang asked the horse renter walking beside him, "Is it always this crowded? Which days are less busy?"

The horse renter laughed, "Sir, the days following the Ten Thousand Surname Fair are much quieter."

Huang Shang understood and nodded.

It was just like the day after Double Eleven, when online shopping volume plummeted off a cliff.

After impulsive consumption came the "chopping of hands," and after the limbs grew back, one would be impulsive again the following year, only to chop them off once more.

He didn't mind the stench of sweat and squeezed his way inside.

From the main gate to the main hall, all kinds of goods were arranged in an orderly fashion.

There were household ornaments, flowers, birds, insects, and beasts, food and tea, as well as books and toys.

Huang Shang looked at them one by one, and soon his eyes lit up.

There was a beautiful landscape over there.

A row of stalls run by nuns.

Nuns selling goods in a Buddhist temple sounded unbelievable, but in reality, it was quite normal.

Everyone had to eat.

There were many nunneries and Taoist temples in Dongjing City that lived on a shoestring budget. When the nuns and Taoist priestesses had nothing to do, they didn't spend all day chanting scriptures; instead, they did needlework and brought it to the stalls to sell.

Since they were all part of the Buddhist faith, Xiangguo Temple arranged fixed stalls for them, providing whatever help they could.

Huang Shang walked up and tried his best to identify the items: "Embroidery, collars, pearls, jade, hairpins..."

As someone from the entertainment industry, he had some knowledge of cosmetics, but the era was different, and Huang Shang was a standard straight man; his memories contained none of these.

Therefore, among the dazzling array of women's goods, he recognized very little, save for the smiles.

He smiled, and the nun at the stall smiled back at him, her eyes curving into crescents.

However, when another woman, dressed in flashy, gaudy clothes, stepped forward, the pretty nun's smile quickly vanished.

"Excellent!"

Huang Shang observed carefully and quite liked this contrast.

In a place like an inn, the waiters and staff might curry favor or inform on him because of a woman's beauty, potentially leaking his whereabouts.

But in this place, these nuns and priestesses would almost never gossip to a strange beauty.

Like repels like.

Of course, nothing in the world was absolute, and one didn't need to consider extremely small probabilities, otherwise, one would fail at everything.

After his investigation, Huang Shang had a plan in mind. He left Great Xiangguo Temple, returned home, and began to paint.

Following this, he deliberately avoided the Ten Thousand Surname Fair, coming to Great Xiangguo Temple only when it was less crowded.

He not only chose different times to record the changes in foot traffic but also lingered in front of the book and needlework stalls, becoming a familiar face to the nuns.

Getting too close to the nuns carried risks; there might be some jealous soul lurking in the shadows, waiting to catch him in a mistake.

However, since the reincarnators had already entered, he couldn't afford to worry about such things.

Fortunately, these costs were worth it.

Twenty days later, on an afternoon, Huang Shang returned from his tutoring session with Zhang Zai and passed by Great Xiangguo Temple, walking inside.

Today was the least crowded the temple had been in all these days. The smell of sweat in the crowd had largely dissipated, replaced by the scent of incense. Women walked in groups, and faint, lingering fragrances drifted by, which were quite pleasant.

Huang Shang first went to the book stall, pretending to pick and choose, before glancing toward the needlework section.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened as he caught sight of a beautiful profile.

He had looked at the portraits of the reincarnated man and woman so many times that their features were deeply etched into his mind.

Only after he was certain he would recognize them even if they were reduced to ashes had he burned the portraits.

Therefore, at this moment, even though the attire had changed, he recognized at a glance that this woman was indeed the reincarnator.

"Finally! Finally!"

At this moment, the woman was standing before a stall, examining a set of hair ornaments.

The set was not a single piece, but a complete collection consisting of five items: a center-piece, a top hairpin, a forehead ornament, side-temple clips, and a pair of hairpins.

It had to be said that the aesthetics of the Song Dynasty were truly impressive; even Huang Shang found them quite beautiful.

The woman liked them more the longer she looked, and she had already begun asking for the price, preparing to make the purchase.

This was the difference between men and women.

When male reincarnators entered the worlds of the heavens, they only thought about what divine arts they could learn, what magical treasures they could obtain, and how much their strength could improve.

In contrast, female reincarnators often had more lifestyle-oriented needs, such as shopping, eating, and searching for the unique makeup techniques of the era.

Of course, this statement was certainly an exaggeration, as there were plenty of female reincarnators who were even more violent than men when it came to combat.

It was just that, by comparison, their attitudes toward enjoying life were indeed different.

"It's my turn to step up!"

Huang Shang steadied his nervous heart and walked over.

As soon as he appeared, the young nun running the stall immediately curtsied and said in an elegant, melodious voice, "May blessings be upon you, young master!"

As the saying goes, a clever mind leads to skillful hands; among this row of stalls, this young nun's needlework was the most beautiful, and she was the most delicate in appearance. Huang Shang returned the bow and began to pick through the flowers on the stall.

The woman saw Huang Shang walk to the side, glanced at him briefly, and quickly turned her head back to focus on comparing the hair ornaments.

Even though the profit margin on the hair ornaments was higher, the young nun was more enthusiastic toward Huang Shang, taking the initiative to recommend, "Young master should buy the silk flowers. They are wrapped in gold thread and decorated with tiny beads; compared to real flowers, they possess a touch more nobility!"

Huang Shang took the flower, suppressed the awkwardness in his heart, and placed it on his head. Thinking that girls could also serve as basketball ambassadors, he let it go, paid the money, and took a scroll of painting from his bag: "Help me take a look at this painting."

The young nun was delighted: "Is the young master looking to sell it on consignment?"

Consignment was essentially acting as an intermediary, earning the price difference as a middleman, which yielded a high profit.

When Huang Shang's painting was unfurled, the young nun's eyes lit up.

The painting possessed a grandeur somewhat reminiscent of the Along the River During the Qingming Festival, depicting the scene of Great Xiangguo Temple with incredibly vivid detail.

The literary atmosphere of the world was extremely prosperous. Although Li Qingzhao, the earliest of the four talented women of the Song Dynasty, would not be born for another twenty years, women's painting skills were generally not low, and even nuns and Taoist priestesses had their own works. However, compared to Huang Shang's painting, the difference in quality was immediately apparent.

"It is a pity that it feels a bit rushed; otherwise, it would be even more perfect."

The young nun felt a hint of regret in her heart, though she praised it repeatedly with her words.

Her exclamations of praise attracted the attention of the woman nearby, who subconsciously took a few more looks.

This look was significant; at the signature, she saw a familiar name.

Huang Shang!

The woman was slightly stunned, her eyes flickering.

A moment later, she looked sharply at Huang Shang, as if she had discovered some peerless treasure, and began to examine him from head to toe.

(The book has been signed, please support with recommendations. Additionally, I am asking for the smallest amount of tips, because if there are one hundred people on the fan list, the fan count will automatically become ten thousand, which serves as promotion. The new book craves care, thank you all!)

Thanks to book friends "Heaven Crystal Hun Tian Treasure Mirror", "Yu Ming", and "Six Paths Handsome Guy" for their tips.