When they arrived at the gate of Yuling Palace, they found it solemn and simple, with red doors, green tiles, flying eaves and brackets. The Sanqing Hall inside the temple was magnificent, and smoke was curling from a person-high bronze incense burner outside the hall. Many people were kneeling devoutly. Looking at this scene, He Qing realized that her expectation of not being able to enter the door before she came was too much.
At this time, a young Taoist priest came forward and said, "I don't know you, believers. Are you here to burn incense and pray for blessings, or to invite a Taoist ritual?"
He Qing shook his head: "Neither, I am He Qing from the Yaoguang Sect, and I am here to ask to see the Sect's head, Taoist Master Chen."
This Taoist must have heard about the dispute between Chen Sanyi and He Qing. His face changed after hearing it. He glared at He Qing and said, "My headmaster is in seclusion and will not see guests. Headmaster He Qing, please go back."
He Qing bowed his head and smiled: "Little Taoist Priest, I came here to apologize to Taoist Priest Chen. Please pass on my message to thank you."
Seeing that He Qing spoke in a gentle manner and smiled kindly, unlike the fierce and evil spirit his fellow disciples described him to be, the young Taoist priest immediately became bolder and waved his hands impatiently, "I told you that the master doesn't want to see guests. Hurry up and leave!"
He Qing's smile did not diminish, and he said in a more humble tone: "Please help me, little Taoist priest. If Taoist priest Chen still does not show up after you pass the message, then we will leave."
"How can you be so shameless?" The young Taoist priest became more and more arrogant, and his raised voice attracted the attention of the pilgrims. He also took this opportunity to spread the word: "My master is very skilled in Taoism, and there are many people who want to see him. If you want to see him, get in line!"
The smile on He Qing's face faded a little and his eyes narrowed slightly.
Yue Qingru curled her lips and silently pulled Qi Guanrui, who was about to step forward to help, back a step. Qi Guanrui was looking puzzled when he saw He Qing nodded with a smile. He instantly swung out a shadow to entangle the little Taoist priest, swung him around in the air for a few rounds, and then smashed him directly onto the incense burner, sending incense ashes flying.
The little Taoist priest was face down, with several red-burning incense sticks just within reach. Even his eyeballs could feel the scorching temperature. He screamed in fear, and the pilgrims also ran away in panic, fearing that they would be affected.
He Qing smiled kindly: "Little Taoist priest, can you help me pass the message now?" As he spoke, his shadow occasionally moved, making the distance between the little Taoist priest's face and the incense and candles fluctuate.
"Sure, sure! I'll pass the message right away!"
He Qing still didn't let him go, and said considerately: "Young Taoist priest, please don't force it."
The young Taoist priest was so frightened that he was sweating all over his forehead. He stammered, "No, no need to force me. I will go and pass the message on behalf of Master He Qing!"
He Qing then put him down and nodded politely: "Thank you very much, little Taoist priest. We will wait here. I believe it won't take too long, right?"
The young Taoist priest, covered in dust, stepped back repeatedly: "I'll go right away, right away!" Then he ran away without looking back.
Yue Qingru laughed heartily and said to Qi Guanrui proudly, "How dare he deliberately embarrass my master!"
Qi Guanrui stared at He Qing with a confused look. He had been spending several times more time with He Qing recently than forty years ago, but the more they interacted, the more he felt as if he had never known He Qing.
Unconsciously, Qi Guanrui glanced at Gu Changnian, but saw that his eyes were also full of worry, as if he didn't want to see He Qing being so wanton and rampant.
After waiting for a while, Chen Sanyi arrived. He exclaimed from afar: "Oh, what a rare guest! Master He Qing is coming to visit, why didn't you inform me in advance so that I could welcome him in advance." As always, he had a flattering and fawning smile on his face.
He Qing looked him up and down, but couldn't tell whether this was Chen Sanyi's real body or a puppet. He also acted like an old friend meeting and stepped forward, clasping his hands and saying, "Master Chen, you are too polite. I am here to apologize. How can I trouble you, Master Chen?"
Chen Sanyi laughed and looked at the messy incense burner: "Oh? Sect Leader He Qing is here to apologize?"
He Qing also looked at the incense burner, raised his eyebrows and smiled: "Of course." Then he spread his right hand and took the small gourd from Yue Qingru's waist through the air, and presented it to Chen Sanyi respectfully: "This is the Nine Spirit True Water that I carefully refined. It's a small token of my respect."
Qi Guanrui: ...
Yue Qingru: …
Chen Sanyi took it, held it in his hands as if it were a treasure, and sighed, "Oh, it's worthy of being the Yaoguang Sect. This holy water is obviously not an ordinary item."
He Qing put his hands in his pockets and nodded without any shame: "If you want to present it to Taoist Master Chen, you must put your heart into it."
Gu Changnian felt extremely uncomfortable watching these two people who had obviously fought to the death, yet were being pretentious with each other here. You know, He Qing had always been distant from people in the past, and was never willing to go through these vulgar and hypocritical formalities, but now he was being pretentious without even blinking an eye.
Among these people, the one who enjoyed the show the most was probably Lu Li. He was so keen on watching this woman's acting, which was lively and interesting.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with He Qing, Chen Sanyi turned his gaze to Lu Li. Although he was extremely restrained, He Qing could still see the passion and greed in his eyes.
He Qing took an almost invisible step forward to block Lu Li, and explained: "This is the second son of the Qi family, Qi Guanrui."
Qi Guanrui bowed and saluted: "Master Chen."
Chen San nodded and said with a sad face: "I have also heard about what happened in Liangzhou City. Master Qiguan, please accept my condolences."
"Thank you, Master Chen. Master Chen, the reason I came here this time is actually..."
After Qi Guanrui thanked him, he immediately wanted to ask about the letter, but was interrupted by He Qing. She said to Chen Sanyi: "Master Chen, we have been traveling all the way, why don't you arrange for me to rest first? I still have a lot of apologies to say to Master Chen."
Tired from the long journey? Lu Li suppressed his laughter and turned his head away: How could she say that, and said it so seriously.
"Yes, yes, yes," Chen San responded repeatedly, "Master Heqing, please follow me."
Chen Sanyi led the way through various halls and corridors all the way up the mountain. It was obvious that the pavilions at the bottom of the Yuling Palace were used to receive pilgrims, while the side rooms in the back mountain were the areas where the sect's disciples practiced and carried out activities. The forest was dense and the layout was complex, looking eerie and mysterious.
And unlike the low-key state when the Yuling Palace goes out, in the darkness of the back mountain, there are two or three zombies wearing copper coin masks, star crowns on their heads, and black Taoist robes standing at intervals. If it gets a little later, they may not be seen, which is creepy.
But He Qing also discovered that Chen Sanyi deliberately took a long detour while leading the way, trying to let them avoid the temple with the round dome in the deepest part. He couldn't help but glance at Qi Guanrui, signaling him to pay attention.