"Young lady, I see you have extraordinary bones and innate immortal potential. Why don't you follow this old Taoist and cultivate? I will surely ensure you... *burp*~~~"
A loud, drawn-out, and rather pungent burp echoed clearly in Li Yue Shu's mind for several rounds.
Her lips twitched. She looked at the old man in Taoist robes before her, completely bewildered.
Why was there a Taoist in a Buddhist temple?
And one who drank alcohol at that!
Li Yue Shu took a step back and politely replied, "Thank you for your kind offer, master. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you further."
With that, she intended to continue heading southeast.
However, the old man, who had been several meters away, grabbed her wrist with such speed that she had no time to react.
"Don't rush off, girl. My Taoist arts are profound; I know astronomy and geography! I will definitely... *burp*~~~" The old man smacked his lips. "I will definitely be a good master."
Li Yue Shu covered her nose with disgust, trying to pull her hand away, but her attempts were unsuccessful.
Her heart tensed.
She could clearly feel that the old man's grip wasn't strong, so why couldn't she break free?
Li Yue Shu straightened her expression and secretly applied subtle strength, but the old man's hand remained unmoving.
She grew wary. "Master, you are a cultivator, yet you are holding a young lady's hand in this Buddhist place. Isn't that rather inappropriate?"
The old man looked at the wrist he was holding, seemed to agree with her words, and finally let go.
But he wore a smile, showing no embarrassment or anger, as if he were facing someone he knew intimately, not a young lady he had just met.
Li Yue Shu immediately put distance between them, her eyes warily assessing the old man, then she turned to leave.
This time, the old man didn't pursue her. He leisurely opened his mouth and said, "Girl, you possess great wisdom. Since you can glimpse the heavenly secrets of this world, why must you tread a path against the heavens?"
Li Yue Shu's steps faltered. She abruptly turned back, her aura sharp and fierce. "What do you mean by that, master?"
The old man seemed to have drunk quite a bit, his footing faltering as he took a couple of steps.
He rubbed his stomach and said, "Fate cannot be defied. You understand the will of heaven and know the outcome; why not follow destiny?"
At that moment, Li Yue Shu was certain that the old Taoist knew something.
She walked back. "To achieve the goals of one or two people, do I have to sacrifice so many of my loved ones and friends? Such is destiny, and you want me to comply?"
The old man looked at her, his face still showing signs of intoxication, but his eyes were full of wisdom. "However, if you insist on going against the heavens, it won't just be these few people who get involved."
Li Yue Shu looked at him curiously. "From your words, master, it seems you know what will happen in the future?"
The old man chuckled. "Don't you also know what will happen in the future?"
This was true.
But what Li Yue Shu knew was only what the author had written. This was a complete world, and many things she didn't know were automatically filled in by the plot.
After a long silence, Li Yue Shu spoke again. "I just want to protect the people I care about. They haven't done anything wicked; why should they become stepping stones for others?"
Her attitude was resolute. "I don't care about the outcome for the person chosen by destiny. As long as they don't harm the people I care about, I naturally won't do anything that goes against the heavens."
The old man did not reply. He simply looked at her deeply. Apart from his slightly flushed cheeks, there was no other sign of intoxication.
After a long while, he finally spoke. "Girl, you are a person of kindness and benevolence. I wish that no matter what you experience in the future, you can maintain this kind and benevolent heart."
Li Yue Shu had heard similar words from Ji Mo Bai before, but this old Taoist's words clearly had a different meaning.
After some thought, Li Yue Shu said, "I am just an outsider. I have no interest in anything here. As long as the people I care about are well, everything else is irrelevant to me."
She clearly stated her position, but the old man chuckled. "How do you know you are definitely an outsider?"
Li Yue Shu's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively moved forward. "What did you say?"
The old man laughed heartily. "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed! Hahaha, burp~"
He couldn't help but let out another burp, appearing extremely drunk. "This little monk was supposed to cook me some sobering soup, where did he go to slack off!"
The old man muttered as he stumbled away, looking as though he might fall over at any moment.
Li Yue Shu had many questions, but seeing that the old Taoist didn't seem inclined to say more, she ultimately didn't ask.
She turned and continued heading southeast, her movements without any hesitation.
At the southeast edge of the temple complex was a dilapidated meditation room. There weren't even many guards patrolling openly. Would Qin Yi Jia hide the item here?
Li Yue Shu was puzzled but meticulously searched the dust-covered, cobweb-filled meditation room, finding nothing.
Had the old monk lied to her?
Li Yue Shu recalled the old monk's words and felt she had been too trusting.
What if they had set up an ambush here, deliberately luring her?
Li Yue Shu's mind tensed. She immediately decided to leave quickly.
As she emerged from the meditation room, she was about to leave when her gaze suddenly fell upon a rockery in the corner.
The area around this abandoned meditation room was covered in weeds and dust, but the vicinity of the rockery was exceptionally clean, with hardly any dust.
Furthermore, the rockery was located precisely in the southeast corner of the meditation room.
Li Yue Shu hesitated for a moment. On the principle of "better safe than sorry," she stepped forward.
She carefully examined the rockery, meticulously feeling every part. Finally, in a crevice, she discovered something amiss.
She reached inside and felt something like an iron ring.
Without hesitation, she pulled it outwards.
"Click!"
After a subtle sound, Li Yue Shu felt a tremor beneath her feet.
She quickly jumped down from the rockery and saw that the entire rockery had split in half, revealing a long passage below.
Li Yue Shu did not hesitate and immediately jumped down.
The passage wasn't large, but the walls on both sides were illuminated by luminous pearls, giving it a luxurious appearance.
Li Yue Shu observed her surroundings while cautiously moving forward.
Before long, she reached the end of the passage.
At the end was a heavy iron door. Apart from a keyhole, there wasn't even a handle.
Li Yue Shu pushed and tried various methods, but the iron door remained unmoving.
After a long hesitation, she finally decided to leave.
While there were some corrosive substances in the space that could open the iron door, if the Scarlet Flame Vine wasn't here, it would alert the enemy.
To be safe, Li Yue Shu decided to give up for the time being.
However, on her way back, she couldn't help but glance at the luminous pearls hanging there, reluctant to look away.
Such large luminous pearls were obviously very valuable!
When Li Yue Shu emerged, she wandered around the temple grounds and then saw Qin Mo Yuan come out empty-handed.
They exchanged a look and, without much conversation, left the imperial temple directly.
It wasn't until the carriage began to move, slowly heading towards the prince's mansion, that Li Yue Shu asked, "How did your talks with Qin Yi Jia go?"