Chapter 126: Arrival in an Instant

When Cui Ya woke up again, she found herself lying on a soft bed. Not far away, an oil lamp on the desk cast a faint, dim yellow glow.

A subtle, mellow scent of sandalwood drifted from a gilded, embossed floral-patterned three-legged bronze censer in the center of the room. Through the window, faint streaks of moonlight could be seen illuminating the interior.

Has a whole day passed already?!

Cui Ya sat up abruptly, throwing off the quilt. She didn't even have time to put on the cloud-patterned shoes neatly placed by the bedside before she hurried to the door and pushed it open.

A bright, clear moon hung in the night sky. It was so close and appeared so large that, in her dazed state, Cui Ya had the strange illusion that she could almost reach out and touch it.

A cool breeze brushed against the tip of her nose. The faint, rich, and mellow scent of sandalwood intermingled with the fresh mountain air, and when combined with the sight of red walls, yellow tiles, and towering ancient cypresses, it dawned on her: she had arrived at a Taoist temple. She just wasn't sure if this was indeed the Fufeng Temple.

But the sky was still pitch black. Could it be that another day had passed since that pretty young girl brought her here?

"You're awake!"

A crisp voice rang out from the corridor, sounding like the clear chime of wind bells. It wasn't jarring; instead, it brought a sense of peace and clarity.

Cui Ya looked toward the source of the sound. The first thing she saw was a Taoist priest with a long beard, holding a horsetail whisk. Cui Ya recognized him immediately—it was Yin Xinchun, the abbot of Fufeng Temple.

"Daoist Yin," Cui Ya said, bowing respectfully to the approaching priest without even glancing at who was behind him.

Fan Xuanyue had been skipping along behind the group of priests, admiring the scenery of Fufeng Temple, when she suddenly caught sight of the room door opening and the woman walking out unscathed. Relieved, she pushed past the priests and walked over to Cui Ya.

She had used her Qingxuan Gourd to capture many demons, but she rarely used its alchemy function. She hadn't been entirely certain that her pill would heal the woman's soul injury, but it seemed to have been a complete success!

"We've arrived at Fufeng Temple. Hurry and tell this priest what you need," Fan Xuanyue urged, nudging the bowing Cui Ya.

She was curious about what this woman had come to seek. Was it exorcism? If so, she wanted to tag along and see if the methods of the Southern Wasteland priests differed from those of the Central River Province. Please, she thought to herself, let it not be something as hollow and ethereal as wishing for wealth.

Cui Ya did not lift her head at the nudge, maintaining her bowed posture.

"Rise," Abbot Yin said calmly, waving his whisk and stroking his beard as he glanced at her.

Only then did Cui Ya look up. She reached into her clothes, but her hands met with empty air. She looked down and realized she had been changed into a simple blue Taoist robe. Her double-edged dagger and the token necklace her mistress had given her were nowhere to be found.

"I saw your clothes were torn and smelled of sweat, so I asked the priests for a change of clothes for you," Fan Xuanyue said, flipping her palm to reveal the dagger and the exquisite necklace, which she handed over.

Cui Ya silently took the items. She looked at Fan Xuanyue and added, "Thank you."

"I saved your life, and you didn't say a word of thanks. I give you back your dagger and necklace, and you say 'thank you'? Is your life worth less than these trinkets?" Fan Xuanyue was momentarily annoyed, then laughed at the absurdity of it.

"Thank you for saving my life," Cui Ya replied. She couldn't quite grasp the young girl’s train of thought, but she wasn't one to be stubborn; another "thank you" did no harm. Fan Xuanyue nodded, satisfied.

Abbot Yin had been watching their exchange calmly from the corridor, making no move to interrupt.

"This girl has many magical treasures on her, and none of them look ordinary," a low voice resonated in the Abbot's mind.

Yin glanced at the priest beside him—also holding a whisk and wearing a red Taoist robe embroidered with gold and silver thread in the shape of a pagoda.

"You saw how she broke in from the front gate. She is not someone we can easily handle," Yin's voice replied, heavy with warning.

"Just because we can't handle her head-on doesn't mean we can't deal with her later. She has the temperament of a sheltered child; such people are easily deceived," the red-robed priest responded, his eyes gleaming with greed as he looked at the Abbot.

A flicker of light passed through Yin’s calm eyes.

"If we kill her and take those treasures, our Fufeng Temple wouldn't need to be tucked away on this Wufeng Mountain anymore," the red-robed priest continued, his voice tempting.

"And if her people come for revenge? Those treasures don't look like things she could have obtained on her own. She has a background," Yin replied cautiously.

"The Twelve Provinces are vast. Once we have the treasures, where can't we go? Even the Three Pure Ones and Four Emperors couldn't stop us. How powerful could her backing really be?" the red-robed priest pressed.

"Enough. I will make my own judgment," Yin concluded. He turned his attention back to the woman who had presented the necklace, flicking his whisk.

"My mistress requires four types of pills: Qi-Inducing, Qi-Gathering, Qi-Nourishing, and Qi-Restoring," Cui Ya said, setting the dagger on the ground and handing the necklace to the Abbot.

Yin took the necklace, glanced at it briefly, and held it in his hand. "Is your mistress Cui Dandan from the Cui family in Mengfu City? The niece of Chief Clerk Cui?"

"Yes, that is my mistress," Cui Ya replied respectfully.

"We have a batch of Qi-Inducing and Qi-Gathering pills ready, but the Qi-Nourishing and Qi-Restoring pills are low in stock. We will need to refine a new batch," Yin said, looking down at her calmly.

"How long will that take?" Cui Ya asked.

"Ten hours," the Abbot replied.

"Ten hours to refine Qi-Nourishing and Qi-Restoring pills? Are you refining some sort of supreme-grade elixir?" Fan Xuanyue asked, surprised.

Abbot Yin coughed, a hint of embarrassment crossing his face. His Fufeng Temple was hardly capable of refining supreme-grade pills; even basic ones carried the risk of blowing up the furnace.