Nanzhi's plan to seek information from the Grey Rat Spirit had been delayed for some time.
The reason was simple: Dingyuan County was located in Shouzhou, right at the intersection of the Northwest Circuit and the Huainan West Circuit, bordering Huainan to the north and Haozhou to the east.
Thanks to its advantageous location, Dingyuan was far more prosperous than the four neighboring counties. The city was a melting pot of all sorts of people, making it a place where dragons and snakes mingled.
Never mind a Grey Rat Spirit skilled in hiding; even finding a living person concealed within such a crowd would be a challenge.
Using the excuse of wanting to pray, Nanzhi pestered Chen Jingui into taking her for a walk around the City God Temple in Dingyuan County.
She wanted to test her luck—firstly, to see if she could trigger any new quests, and secondly, to take a look at the Mud Ghost Godfather mentioned by the Grey Rat Spirit.
“That is exactly what I was thinking. Now that you are fully recovered, Eldest Daughter, you should indeed go to the temple to offer some incense and pray for the gods' protection.”
Chen Jingui was in complete agreement.
“In the past, the City God of our Dingyuan County was very efficacious. On the first and fifteenth of every month, the incense smoke never stopped.
But later, for some reason, after the temple was renovated, it became less effective. After that, fewer and fewer people came.”
Beside her, Nan Ye, who was carrying some wine and food, nodded in agreement.
“Sister, do you remember? When you were little, you loved playing at this City God Temple.
Once, you and I got separated. Father and Mother searched everywhere nearby but could not find you. They thought a kidnapper had taken you.
They searched all night, and in the end, the temple warden found you under the altar table.”
She pursed her lips and smiled. “At that time, you were holding a pastry in your hand and would not give it to anyone!”
This was a bit beyond Nanzhi's knowledge of her past.
She shook her head and said, “I truly do not remember. Perhaps the City God really was watching over me and let me sleep in the temple.”
The City God Temple was not large. Compared to the Buddhist temples and Daoist halls that enjoyed constant incense, there were only a few scattered pilgrims here, making it feel exceptionally desolate.
The temple had three courtyards in total. The front was where pilgrims prayed, and the second courtyard housed the main hall with the golden statue of the City God.
The final courtyard was naturally the residence for the temple warden and those practicing quiet cultivation.
According to legend, this City God Temple had existed since the time of the Great Zhou Emperor.
As time passed and the years flowed by, Dingyuan County had weathered many storms, and the divine statues in the temple had changed with the shifting eras.
The statue of the City God had changed from a gold plated body to its current painted wooden form.
The deity possessed a certain aura. The long bearded, long haired City God sat atop his divine seat, though large patches of the paint had peeled away, revealing the wood grain beneath.
Below the divine platform, various fierce looking Rakshasas stood in different poses, flanked by tall, imposing statues of the Day and Night Wandering Gods clad in armor. This sight wordlessly instilled a sense of unfathomable divine majesty.
There was only one old temple warden in the temple, who had moved a stool to the hall's entrance to print paper money.
His method of printing paper money was very unique. He would take a stack of yellow paper and place a copper coin on top.
He used a small wooden hammer to strike the coin, hitting it until round indentations appeared on the yellow paper. Then, he would move his palm in a circular motion and give it a light rub—
The stack of yellow paper was rubbed into a fan shape, each sheet bearing the same coin impression.
That was one set done.
Then he repeated the action.
The warden seemed to be getting on in years, as his eyesight was poor and he kept his eyes squinted, yet his hand movements never faltered in the slightest.
Seeing people coming to offer incense, the old warden pointed toward the hall door and then toward the large bundle of yellow paper in front of him, signaling the three women to help themselves.
In front of the hall door was a slip interpretation stand, upon which sat an old black wooden bucket filled with bamboo slips representing various fortunes.
Nanzhi stared at the floating 【Today's Fortune】 text for a long while before drawing a slip from the bucket:
【Today's Fortune: Medium High. ‘Parting the clouds to see the sun; meeting a benefactor brings luck.’ By encountering a benefactor, the cultivator's desires shall surely be fulfilled.】
【Luck +2 (Limited Time), Constitution +5 (Limited Time)】
【Congratulations, Cultivator, on completing a daily divination and achieving “Divination for Fortune and Foe (I)”: The path of cultivation is full of hardships; calculating luck is a common occurrence!】
【Obtained: Heaven and Earth Treasure Tree Draw tickets ×2】
Drawing a slip could actually increase attributes?
Although it was limited in time, it was still incredibly useful!
Nanzhi's heart stirred. She held up the slip and asked the old warden, “Old sir, is there an interpretation for this slip?”
Hearing someone speak, the old warden slowly lifted his head.
“Young lady, interpreting a slip costs five wen per time. Whatever you draw is what you get. If you are not satisfied with the fortune—”
He casually pointed to the black bucket. “Just draw another one. However, the copper coins will not be returned.”
It could work like that?
Nanzhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She tried to shake the bucket again, but a bright red warning appeared in her vision:
【You have already drawn a slip today. Please return tomorrow!】
She could only set down the bucket with some regret, intending to look elsewhere.
“Wait a moment.”
The old warden stared at her for a while before suddenly calling out to the three of them.
“There is a well in the temple that has quite a history. Even in times of great drought, that well water has never run dry.
If the three of you have the time, go take a look by the well. The weather is dry and hot today, and it feels as if there is a fire in one's throat. It would be good for you to draw some water to drink.”
“That well still has water? That is right, that well water...”
Chen Jingui knew about this well and was somewhat surprised. But then she remembered something and mysteriously pulled her two daughters toward the back courtyard to take a look.
Nanzhi looked back at the old warden and found that he had lowered his head again to continue rubbing the paper money, as if he had just spoken in passing.
...
The warden had not been lying. There was indeed a well in the back courtyard. The mouth of the well was kept very clean, and a red cloth ribbon was tied to the bucket used for drawing water.
The three women worked together to pull up a bucket of water. The well water was clear and sweet, and despite the heat, it actually gave off a faint chill.
Nanzhi took a sip but found that her character panel showed no buffs, making her feel a bit disappointed.
She had overthought it. The old warden likely just saw they were thirsty and gave them a tip; there was no deeper meaning.
“This well water was quite famous in the past!”
Seeing her two daughters drink the water, Chen Jingui said enthusiastically:
“Back when this City God Temple was efficacious, many wealthy families would draw water from here to take home and drink.
It is said that young ladies who drink this water will receive the protection of the Old Man under the Moon. Not only will they become more beautiful, but their marriage prospects will also be smooth!”
After saying this, she sighed. “A pity we did not bring a bucket. From now on, I should have the two of you wash your faces with this water every day.”
Only then did Nanzhi understand why Chen Jingui had been so excited. She couldn't help but interrupt:
“Mother, although the Old Man under the Moon governs the world's marriages, this well belongs to the City God Temple. They have nothing to do with each other. At most, this water is just cooler and tastes better than elsewhere; it has no other use.”
“May the gods not take offense, may the gods not take offense! My eldest daughter is young and foolish, please do not take offense!”
Chen Jingui would not listen to such talk. She pressed her hands together and bowed in all directions, then scolded Nanzhi with a glare:
“You! How can you speak about the gods behind their backs? Be careful, or they will get angry and marry you off to some ugly, poor night soil collector!”
At this point, she remembered something and lowered her voice.
“You have learned skills and can afford not to marry, but what about your sister? If she cannot marry a prince or a high official, she should at least marry into a wealthy family so she does not have to suffer.
No, I must go and ask that warden to borrow a bucket. At worst, I will just return it another day.”
Saying this, she pulled her two daughters to go. Nanzhi took a step back and said:
“Marriage is a matter of destiny; it is only a true match when the time is right. If one only looks at family status, who knows how much suffering there will be.
There is no rush for Second Daughter's marriage. Mother, I still want to pray to the City God. Why don't you and Second Daughter go?”
Rate on N.U.
