Chapter 22

"Wait!"

Lin Yu struggled to stop the bamboo slip, but she was no match for the Xianzun's strength. Just as the slip was about to pierce the girl's eyelid, Lin Yu suddenly twisted her wrist inward, the sharp bamboo tip nearly scratching her own skin.

She quickly released the force in her hand, and the bamboo slip clattered to the ground.

A wish falling to the ground was an ill omen, signifying that the wish of the slip's owner would go unfulfilled.

The Xianzun hadn't expected Lin Yu to make such a move. His expression suddenly turned stern.

Under his piercing gaze, Lin Yu's heart began to race. On this grand ceremony witnessed by ten thousand people, she, as the Divine Maiden, had openly defied the Xianzun's intent.

Lin Yu quickly composed herself, a faint smile on her face. "Xianzun, I was thinking... this chest holds at least ten thousand believers' wishes. Picking only a few seems too unfair to the rest, doesn't it? Regardless of whose believers they are, as long as they hold a heart of reverence for the gods, their wishes deserve to be heard."

The Xianzun looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Lin Yu: "Why not move the wish box among the sacrifices and burn them all together?"

The believers nearby were delighted to hear this—if everyone's wishes could be delivered to the gods, nothing could be better.

The Xianzun stared at Lin Yu with a scrutinizing gaze for a long while. She didn't know whether he would agree, but his eyes were terrifying, as if at any moment he might throw her onto the pyre as well.

After a long pause, the Xianzun finally spoke. "You don't want these sacrifices to be defiled before being burned?" He looked her over from head to toe. "They're already dead. For me not to make them swallow the bamboo slips alive before sending them to the heavens is already the greatest mercy."

He looked at her, resentment in his eyes for her lack of resolve. "Hesitant and soft-hearted—a Bodhisattva's heart will never make you a worthy Divine Maiden of our Heaven's Mandate Tower."

Time seemed to stand still. A sudden oppressiveness fell over the Seek Immortal Platform—no one dared to move. The believers on the steps below didn't know what had happened, but when they saw a bamboo slip fall, they all froze and began looking around.

Everyone feared angering the gods, so no one dared to speak. They craned their necks, exchanging glances, clueless about what was happening on stage.

Time passed slowly. The wind lifted the flamboyant tassels on Lin Yu's skirt, brushing them gently against the edge of the altar.

Lin Yu could hear her heart beating, one thud after another.

"Forget it."

The Xianzun casually pointed at a few disciples and ordered them to carry the wish box among the sacrifices. He fixed his gaze on Lin Yu. "I'll let this slide, but I don't want to see you do this again."

Lin Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Air rushed back into her lungs. Her emotions had surged up and down several times in just a quarter of an hour, and now her heartbeat gradually slowed. "Thank you, Xianzun, for your grace."

The Xianzun said nothing more and walked straight to the front of the platform to observe. After this little hiccup, the flames rose, the painted-face High Priestess took the stage, and the sacrificial ceremony officially began.

Lin Yu accepted the prayer wheel that the priest had sent over. Next, she would follow the priest, Si Ming's, guidance and circle the sacrifices three times to offer blessings.

This prayer wheel was the one gifted by Lu Yao, the new richest merchant of Jiangnan. Lin Yu hadn't examined it closely before. Now holding it, she could only feel its heavy weight and icy touch—nothing particularly special about it.

The priest began chanting incantations that Lin Yu couldn't understand. She turned the prayer wheel to match his rhythm, but after only a few steps and a dozen or so rotations, she clearly sensed something wrong.

The weight of this prayer wheel was off. The wheel was hollow inside, meant to hold scriptures, so even a solid gold one wouldn't be this heavy. Either something was hidden inside the wheel, or—it wasn't actually made of real gold!

The wheel grew heavier and heavier, until Lin Yu had to use both hands just to continue the ceremony. She stopped listening to whatever the High Priestess was chanting, quietly pondering what material this wheel could possibly be made of.

Finally, after the last circuit of the sacrifice, Lin Yu stood before the flames, and the fragmented thoughts in her mind connected into a clear line.

The prayer wheel was sent by Lu Yao—a gift to her, the Divine Maiden. No one else would touch it. The only person who would actually use this wheel was Lin Yu herself.

Lu Yao was the richest merchant in the Jiangnan region. Knowing full well it was a sacrificial ceremony, she had still sent counterfeit gold. And the Rain Goddess had been forcing believers in Jiangnan to offer gold, silver, and jewels...

There had to be a connection between all of this.

Once this thought took hold, time felt unbearably long. She was like a marionette, pushed through the motions by various people—a sacrificial ceremony so elaborate and utterly meaningless.

Finally, the ceremony ended. Lin Yu quickly left and hurried back to her quarters at the foot of the mountain. Because her appointment had been so sudden, the Heaven's Mandate Tower hadn't been prepared, and the Divine Maiden's Hall atop the Divine Mountain hadn't been cleaned out. Lin Yu was temporarily lodged in the priestess's residence below.

Just as she was about to run off, the doorway was packed with believers who had come to pay homage to the Divine Maiden, clogging the courtyard beyond capacity. Lin Yu cracked open the window and peeked out—the crowd outside nearly scared her to death. Men, women, young, and old were piled together like ants, all desperate to rush in for a look.

If not for the disciples outside holding them back, they would have stormed in long ago.

With no other choice, she shot Chen Lu a look, then jumped out the window. Once she was out of the Heaven's Mandate Tower, she made a beeline for Fu Ming's Xuanzheng Hall.

Fu Ming must have instructed the guards, because this time Lin Yu passed through unimpeded. She smoothly entered the familiar Xuanzheng Hall.

As soon as she stepped inside, she saw a row of chests arranged in the hall, piled high with copper coins and jewels.

Fu Ming sat upright at the desk, several opened memorials pressed before him, with a neat row of copper coins laid out on top. He was examining one of them closely.

Lin Yu walked into the hall. Fu Ming didn't even look up. "You're here."

Lin Yu: "You—how did Your Majesty know I'd come?" Perhaps because they had spent so long in the illusion, Fu Ming's identity as "Fu Qing" lingered more vividly in Lin Yu's mind, and she kept forgetting who he really was.

"I heard about today's sacrificial ceremony." Fu Ming set down the coin and looked up at Lin Yu. "I was supposed to attend, but something came up and I couldn't make it. A bit of trouble."

Lin Yu didn't ask what had happened. A quick glance at the hall's contents told her enough. The coins on Fu Ming's desk looked unremarkable at first glance, but when different kinds were piled together, it was obvious—almost every one differed in color and texture.

The air fell silent. Fu Ming explained on his own: "The four members of the Xie family in Jiangnan were all murdered this morning. The method was extremely brutal. These were found in their carriage."

Lin Yu didn't need him to say it. She knew the coins, jewels, gold, and silver in the chests were all fake.

She had waited all morning for the Xie family without seeing them. She had already considered the worst outcome, but hearing Fu Ming say it still made her sigh softly. "Someone doesn't want us to meet them."

Lin Yu pushed the prayer wheel in front of Fu Ming. "There's definitely something big happening in Jiangnan that the court doesn't know about."

Fu Ming took the prayer wheel, puzzled. He gave it a couple of casual spins, and quickly noticed the problem too. "This heavy?"

The prayer wheel far exceeded the weight of normal gold. Though it looked extremely real, indistinguishable to the naked eye, anyone who held it would soon sense something off.

Fu Ming looked up. "A counterfeit too?"

Lin Yu glanced absently at Fu Ming's slender fingers—the prayer wheel looked quite small in his hand. She looked away. "Yes, fake gold. Sent by Lu Yao, the current richest merchant in Jiangnan."

Fu Ming: "This wheel was used in the sacrificial ceremony?"

"Mm."

The Heaven's Mandate Tower had originally prepared all the ceremonial vessels. But when Lu Yao's gift arrived, not only was it dazzling, its craftsmanship was also extremely intricate—far superior to the tower's original vessels. And since she was the wealthiest merchant in Jiangnan, the High Priestess didn't want to offend her, so replacing the Divine Maiden's prayer wheel with Lu Yao's gift was deemed acceptable.

Fu Ming frowned and tossed the prayer wheel onto the table, his tone carrying displeasure. "What shoddy goods are they putting in front of you?! What the hell are those people at the Heaven's Mandate Tower doing?"

Lin Yu blinked. "Huh?" She didn't follow his logic at all. What did shoddy goods have to do with anything...

The point was the fake gold! Someone dared to make counterfeit gold, even bringing it before the royal court—the real issue was how brazen they'd become behind the scenes!

Looking at Fu Ming, Lin Yu couldn't help recalling the rumors among the people.

Fu Ming was a capricious tyrant—everyone knew that. Mention his name, and all faces turned pale with fear.

Yet Lin Yu felt Fu Ming was nothing like the rumors. She had no idea where those bloodthirsty tales came from.

While she was lost in thought, Fu Ming suddenly spoke. "Tomorrow, I'll go to Jiangnan with you."

Lin Yu was taken aback. She looked around the room, her gaze sweeping from the chests packed with coins and jewels to the stack of spread-out memorials in front of Fu Ming, before finally settling silently on his face.

Lin Yu: "Aren't you going to deal with all this...?"

Fu Ming cleared his throat. "The new Grand Canal commissioned by the court has already been completed. With so much happening in Jiangnan now, I'll take the opportunity to inspect the canal project and also observe the people's conditions there."

Lin Yu took the chance to bring it up. "I'd like to bring someone along."

Fu Ming didn't hesitate. "Fine."

Lin Yu stepped closer, moving nearer to Fu Ming. "Aren't you going to ask who?"

Fu Ming asked then: "Who?"

Lin Yu smiled at Fu Ming. "The Imperial Preceptor."

The two were separated only by the cluttered desk. Fu Ming looked at Lin Yu's smiling face and the faint red mark on her forehead. For a moment, he was lost in thought. His gaze dropped back to the golden coins before him. "Fine."

...

Early the next morning, Chen Lu clung desperately to the front of the carriage, begging to leave with Lin Yu. Lin Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she had to pat Chen Lu's little face and send her back.

As they were still fussing, Lin Yu saw someone approaching from afar. Morning mist hung over the mountains, and she could only make out a silhouette.

An unexpected figure appeared.

Lin Yu thought she was seeing things. Chen Lu, seeing who it was, immediately straightened up, obediently clasping her hands behind her back and hiding behind Lin Yu.

The Xianzun emerged from the thick fog. He wore a loose Daoist robe, and nearly half of the hair at his temples was white. In just one night, his appearance had suddenly aged by more than a decade.

Lin Yu was startled for a moment. She was about to ask about his white hair when the Xianzun suddenly produced a multicolored bead from his sleeve and held it out to her.

He said gravely, "This is a mending stone. It contains a portion of my power. Keep it with you, and you can draw on that power. It's enough to protect yourself. If anything happens, you can go to your senior brother—his name is Zhou Yu."

He added, "Remember this: you must not be soft-hearted. Anyone—anyone who stands in your way, you may kill. Your future is what matters most."

The Xianzun before her now looked old and frail, a world apart from the fierce-faced man at yesterday's ceremony. Just as Fu Ming had said, Lin Yu couldn't figure out what kind of person he truly was.

The Xianzun emphasized, "Do you remember?"

Lin Yu nodded to him. "Understood."

The Xianzun: "Starting today, I will begin seclusion. Your senior brothers and sisters are all waiting for you in Jiangnan. Zhou Yu will refine the Soul-Renewing Pill and convert it into cultivation to transfer to you."

Lin Yu nodded again. "Alright."

The Xianzun reached out and touched Lin Yu's brow. Before the sacrificial ceremony, a dark bird–shaped flower ornament had been painted on her forehead.

After the ceremony ended, that ornament had become a Divine Maiden's mark, branded onto her brow. It now showed a pale red hue, distinct from the deep red, gold-inlaid pattern of the Rain Goddess's divine seal.

The Xianzun looked at Lin Yu, an inexplicable melancholy rising in his heart. "A Si is dead."

Lin Yu looked up. The Rain Goddess had been missing for twenty years—she had indeed guessed that the goddess might be dead. But the public didn't know, and the Xianzun knew she was dead, and had told her directly?

"She fell just a few days after her ascension, and all trace of her vanished since. You must, you absolutely must surpass her." As his words faded, before Lin Yu could respond, he disappeared into the morning mist.

The mystery surrounding the Rain Goddess A Si in Lin Yu's heart grew ever larger. After sealing Gujin Mountain, what exactly had she experienced that led to her fall within a matter of days...

Perhaps the Xianzun's presence was too intimidating. Even after he left, Chen Lu still shrank behind Lin Yu, not daring to move. Lin Yu gave Chen Lu a few instructions, which Chen Lu obediently acknowledged. Lin Yu patted her shoulder and sent her back.

...

The sun gradually rose, and the carriage rattled southward. Before long, they had left the Imperial City.

Just at the city's outskirts, the carriage suddenly stopped—frozen in place, refusing to move.

Puzzled, Lin Yu lifted the curtain. Outside, the driver was gone, and no one was around. She sensed something was wrong—and at that very moment, the horse bolted wildly without warning!

This horse was still a Sun-Chasing Horse. It suddenly reared up, screeching, and charged recklessly down the path with Lin Yu in tow!