Ten taels of gold for a single night? Is that not expensive?
Nan Zhi couldn’t help but click her tongue inwardly upon hearing the price.
One had to realize that a thousand wen made a guan, and ten guan made a single tael of gold. For an ordinary family, their entire year’s worth of living expenses wouldn't even amount to that much.
The money spent on a single night at the Ghost Buddha Temple was enough to stay in the most prosperous restaurant in Bianjing for half a month, enjoying daily delicacies like abalone, ginseng, and shark fin without a single repeated dish.
“The temple also accepts other forms of payment for the room: fortune, lifespan, cultivation, or Yin merit. We are open for business; even if you were to cut off your own head and offer it as collateral, this little monk would accept it.”
The monk Huiyuan raised his lantern. The eerie green ghost fire reflected off his deathly pale face, making him look even more terrifying.
“Naturally, if a guest is unwilling to stay, we will not force the matter. However, seeing as it is your first time on the Yin Yang Road, it is better to be cautious. We wouldn't want you to lose your life for no apparent reason.”
Was there some hidden mystery within this temple?
Why did the monk’s words make it sound as if staying outside the temple would result in a certain death?
Nan Zhi weighed her options silently, but her expression remained neutral as she spoke casually.
“I’m not particularly picky; as long as the place is clean, it will do. However, I wish to share a room with my friend, and as I dislike noise, I must trouble the master to find us a quiet cell.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a smile immediately broke across Huiyuan’s face.
“This little monk knew it. With a guest of your wealth and status, how could you be unwilling to spend a few nights here?
“Our temple provides personal service—washing, cleaning, and morning and evening meals are all delivered to your door by specialized little ghosts.
“If you find the food of the underworld unpalatable, you may command the temple attendants to go to the mortal realm and purchase food for your enjoyment.
“Only one thing: the temple has many rules, but the most important is that no fighting or brawling is permitted. I hope you will keep this in mind. Guests, please follow this little monk.”
Nan Zhi shifted Xu Zi on her shoulder and followed Huiyuan with long strides. They passed through an arched gate and skirted around a bamboo forest thick with ghostly energy before arriving at a stone wall.
For some reason, every corner of the Ghost Buddha Temple was shrouded in a grayish-blue mist.
Walking through it without a lantern would likely result in one becoming disoriented by the strange fog within a few steps.
“This is the residence for you two.”
Huiyuan led them to a small cell and hung the lantern he was carrying by the door. He pressed his palms together and chanted a prayer.
“On the Yin Yang Road, there is no black or white; day and night are indistinguishable, and light and dark are one. Therefore, every two hours, a brother will strike the temple bell as a reminder.
“The temple is a place of mixed company. If you wish to go out, remember to carry this lantern with you. If you encounter any unreasonable fools, the temple monks will intervene on your behalf upon seeing this lantern.”
Nan Zhi nodded and thanked him. She watched as his figure gradually vanished into the mist before turning to push the door open.
The room’s furnishings were sparse: a single purple-wood bed and a square table. The curtains on the bed were the plainest gauze without a hint of a pattern.
There wasn't even bedding on the bed; only two soft prayer mats were placed upon it. The teacups on the table were made of coarse porcelain, and the teapot even had a chip in its spout. It looked incredibly "simple."
Though the floor and table were clean and free of dust, Nan Zhi still felt as though she had been swindled.
This was the room that cost a hundred taels of gold per night?
That monk had called her a "prestigious guest" and referred to himself as a "little monk" with such a gentle face, but who would have thought he was a total crook!
Seeing that Xu Zi was still asleep, Nan Zhi took off her outer robe and laid it on the bed so the girl could lie down comfortably.
But before Nan Zhi could let go, the person in her arms suddenly opened her eyes and said with a giggle:
“That monk Huiyuan has such sharp eyes. I was pretending to be asleep on your back, yet he recognized me at a glance. He intentionally made things difficult for us by giving us such a shabby room.”
“You know that monk?”
Nan Zhi let go, and Xu Zi landed on the bed with a thud. She wasn't upset, however, and simply leaned her head to the side to complain.
“Quite a few people in the Demon Suppression Division know him. We often have to deal with demons, ghosts, and soul reapers, so we inevitably travel the Yin Yang Road. The Ghost Buddha Temple is right on this path, and I’ve dealt with him a few times.
“Don’t let his kind face fool you; he’s actually a petty, money-grubbing miser. Someone from our division accidentally offended him before, and he’s held a grudge ever since!
“If you hadn't pulled out the money today, he probably would have led us straight into the Gates of Hell to feed the Blood Rakshasa!”
“So I was dragged into this because of you? Since we’re investigating in disguise, why didn't you stop me from entering this temple?
“If Huiyuan recognized our identities, won't he tell others?”
Nan Zhi walked to the table and picked up the teapot, giving it a shake. Unsurprisingly, it was empty.
“When I spoke with that monk earlier, his words implied that there was something strange about this temple.”
“You don’t understand. We have to stay at the Ghost Buddha Temple whether we want to or not.”
Xu Zi rolled over and played with the purple gold bells at her waist, seemingly intent on scaring Nan Zhi.
“Did you see the mist on the road when we came? That wasn't ordinary fog; it’s the ‘Heart Mist.’
“The Yin Yang Road doesn't just connect the mortal realm and the underworld. This path is neither Yin nor Yang; day and night are blurred, and it is incredibly unpredictable.
“One moment it might be at the edge of the world, and the next it could be in the Nine Abyss. You blink, and it’s moved to the extreme cold of the north.
“If you aren't careful while traveling it, you could easily lose your way and fall into the Yellow Springs, dropping straight into Wangchuan.
“Within Wangchuan, there are eight hundred miles of bone-grinding gales that can scour the flesh from a person’s bones. There are also the desolate battlefields of the ten directions, where any spiritual energy is instantly drained.
“And then there are the Blood Sea Rakshasa living at the bottom of Wangchuan. They are born of filth, great demons of sin and evil karma who love nothing more than feasting on human flesh and devouring souls.
“Even if an immortal falls in there, they will only meet their end, their soul scattered to the winds.”
Hearing this, Nan Zhi hurried to the window. Sure enough, the great road leading to the Ghost Buddha Temple had changed.
Through the hazy mist, the area around the headless Buddha statues had become an indistinct frozen wasteland.
Snow lay white across a vast wilderness, and she could almost smell the chill of ice in the air.
But as she watched, the scenery vanished back into the grey mist, replaced once again by an endless darkness.
“In other words, the Yin Yang Road is constantly shifting, and only the Ghost Buddha Temple remains constant.”
Nan Zhi said thoughtfully,
“It turns out that those hundred taels of gold weren't for a room, but for a ticket to stay on the Yin Yang Road and reach the Ghost Market.”
If the Yin Yang Road was a stormy sea with hidden undercurrents, then the Ghost Buddha Temple was the only island in that vast ocean where one could catch their breath.
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