She had been unconscious for a while after being bound, then slept for a long time, and after that, she had tried to escape, was caught, and treated.
Even if the time wasn’t much, it couldn’t have been just an hour!
Also, the sun… Nan Shan looked up again, and the blood-red sun seemed like a single pupil, silently staring at her.
She suddenly remembered seeing such red eyes on the accompanying stone of the Seven-Legged Serpent and the last thing she saw before being bound was also a pair of identical eyes.
Although she had always known that this place was abnormal, looking at the blood-red sun that had been hanging above her head from the beginning, Nan Shan still felt a chill down her spine.
Shou Xin saw her staring at the sun, and couldn’t help but push her: “Hey, you…”
“Ah!”
Nan Shan suddenly looked down in panic.
Shou Xin also looked startled: “Ah! What’s wrong?!”
They stared at each other in silence for a moment.
After a while, Nan Shan calmed down, wiped the sweat from her palms on her clothes: “It’s nothing, just trying to scare you.”
“…You must be crazy.”
Shou Xin was speechless. “Are we going to the front courtyard or not?”
Nan Shan glanced at the sky, then firmly said, “Let’s go.”
The front courtyard and the back courtyard were separated by a high wall, with only one gate to pass through, and there wasn’t even a door on it.
“…You just mentioned that ordinary people aren’t allowed into the back courtyard,” Nan Shan asked, pointing at the wide-open gate, “Is this how you forbid entry? Aren’t you afraid someone will disobey?”
Shou Xin sneered: “The Immortal Lord’s decree, who would dare disobey?”
Nan Shan thought to herself, well, you really are quite devout.
Passing through the gate, they entered a narrow corridor, and the noise of a growing crowd became audible, yet no one was in sight.
Shou Xin led Nan Shan through the corridor, up a few steps, and then opened something like a back door.
The strong smell of incense instantly filled the air, and Shou Xin looked visibly disgusted and quickly stepped back.
Nan Shan almost stumbled from the incense, and when she turned around, she saw Shou Xin standing on the steps, refusing to move forward.
“This is the back door of the temple. Once you go in and lift the curtain, you’ll see the main hall,” Shou Xin muttered, covering her nose.
Nan Shan: “You’re really not going with me?”
Shou Xin decisively shook her head.
Nan Shan had no choice but to go on her own.
The curtain was very thin, so thin that it couldn’t block the sounds of people.
As Nan Shan approached, it felt like she could hear thousands of voices chanting, each one more devout than the last, filled with reverence for the Immortal Lord.
She began to feel dizzy again, experiencing symptoms of oxygen deprivation.
Finally, she reached the curtain, took a deep breath, and carefully lifted a corner.
The sight in the main hall left her in shock.
Even though the back courtyard was large, it couldn’t compare to the Canglan Palace, but it did have several big tile-roofed houses and a courtyard the size of an acre.
However, compared to the main hall, it felt too shabby.
This was the first time Nan Shan had seen such a huge temple.
It stretched so far that she couldn’t see the end of it.
But even such a massive hall was packed tightly with people.
Every inch of the floor was covered with kneeling worshippers, and behind the distant steps, more people were lined up, continuously flowing in.
The statue was in her direction, and the people in the hall were also kneeling toward her direction.
But even though the statue was right in front of them, it was as if they didn’t see it at all, only clasping their hands and continuously bowing toward the statue.
Nan Shan stood there for a while, then finally moved forward a step to look at the statue, which was at least thirty feet high.
The statue’s eyes were lowered, filled with compassion, yet it didn’t resemble Ji Yue in the slightest.
The golden body looked majestic at first glance, but on closer inspection, it seemed as though the golden body was alive and about to be tightly squeezed into the statue’s shell.
Nan Shan felt inexplicably disgusted.
“…Are you done looking?”
Shou Xin, still covering her nose, stood on the steps, “I’m really going to die from this incense.”
Nan Shan snapped out of her thoughts and hurried back, and just as she stepped out, Shou Xin had already closed the door, shutting off the incense smoke back in the main hall.
They exchanged a look and both sighed in relief.
“What kind of incense do you use here? It’s so pungent.”
On the way back, Nan Shan couldn’t help but ask.
Shou Xin seemed a little down:
“It’s similar to the ones you use in your world, but there are just too many worshippers here, so the smell is stronger.”
“When you mentioned how the Dong Yi people are so devout to Ji Yue Immortal Lord, I didn’t believe it. But now, I believe it.”
Before she could say more, a sudden burning pain shot through her neck, and she groaned, instinctively clutching the painful spot.
Shou Xin was alert:
“Are you trying to play tricks? I won’t fall for it.”
“It hurts…” Nan Shan gasped, holding her neck weakly, collapsing to the ground.
Nan Shan sighed and was about to…
“…They say Ji Yue Immortal Lord doesn’t restrict your freedom, so if you want to slip away, just say so. There’s no need to put on a show,” she added, unable to resist helping her.
Shou Xin watched in concern as Nan Shan broke out in cold sweat, and through the gap in her fingers, faint silver light seeped through.
Seeing her pale face, Shou Xin finally realized something was wrong, but before she could react, Nan Shan’s vision went black and she fainted.
When she woke up again, she found herself lying on a wedding bed, and Shou Xin was theatrically demonstrating what had just happened to the figure in blue robes, Ji Yue.
Nan Shan looked out the window, and as expected, there was no change in the light.
She struggled to sit up, and her movements caught the attention of the two people on the other side, both looking curious, their expressions oddly familiar.
“You’re awake,” Shou Xin said, leaning over to the bedside.
Nan Shan sat up, touched her neck, and didn’t feel any pain.
It was as if the burning pain from before had just been an illusion.
“It was Qingqiu’s Soul Calling technique,” Ji Yue said slowly, his eyes clear, “Someone forcefully activated it, which caused your pain.”
“Impossible, Xi Yuan already helped me…,” Nan Shan instinctively retorted, but then paused and asked, “What technique are you talking about?”
“Soul Summoning Technique,” Ji Yue repeated with a good-natured tone.
Nan Shan stood there for a long time, then suddenly became furious:
“Xi! Yuan!”
“Achoo!”
Xi Yuan sneezed, then looked up, meeting Ling Ye’s ink-black eyes.
Xi Yuan shrugged his shoulders.
“Something doesn’t want me to find her, severed the connection between me and her. I really tried my best. If I forcefully use the Soul Summoning Technique again, I might find her, but Nan Shan’s life would be lost.”
Ling Ye’s voice was deep: “Is there another way to find her?”
Xi Yuan chuckled.
“If even the young master of the underworld can’t do it, what can I, a powerless fallen noble from Qingqiu, do…”
Before he could finish, Ling Ye’s sword pointed directly at his throat, and the sword qi cut a clear wound on his Adam’s apple, causing blood to flow instantly.
Xi Yuan didn’t retreat but simply reminded him with a half-smile, “Young master, you should think carefully before making a move. If I’m still alive, even if Nan Shan dies, her soul will still be sent to me through the Soul Summoning Technique. As the future master of the Yin-Yang River, whether you send her to be reincarnated or find a body to imprison her in, it would still be a result. But if I die…”
Ling Ye coldly sheathed his sword: “She won’t die. I will find her.”
Xi Yuan laughed softly. As he watched Ling Ye turn and leave, he suddenly added, “The Soul Summoning has disappeared in the far east.”
***
The scene shifted to Nan Shan, who had given up on her earlier plans of familiarizing herself with the local area and instead decided to take more drastic action.
She had initially planned to blend in, gather information, and sneak away by purchasing a boat.
However, it seemed that everyone here immediately recognized her and insisted on kneeling and bowing before her, not giving her a single chance to speak.
The idea of buying a boat was a bust.
Fortunately, she still had a little trick up her sleeve.
There was a small evil spirit following her around, and after countless attempts at coaxing it, she learned the location of the East Yi docks.
Now, she just had to wait for nightfall.
Once everyone was asleep, she would sneak out and steal a boat.
Her plan was flawless.
She had gone out a few times to better memorize the routes and even asked Shouxin for some advice on how to row a boat.
Everything was set, and all she had to do now was wait for nightfall.
She waited… and waited…
It felt like an eternity.
Meals came and went, sleep was had, and even Ji Yue visited her twice.
She greeted him warmly and sent him off with equal warmth.
No one, not even her own father, had received such treatment from her.
On the seventh day, after a nap, Nan Shan looked at the unchanging sun and decided to take a risk.
“Are you going out again?”
Shou Xin frowned, concern etched in his voice.
“What’s so fun out there that it’s worth you going out so many times?”
“I’m curious. Come with me if you’d like,” Nan Shan offered generously.
Shouxin hesitated but shook his head.
“I’m not going. If you want to go, you go.”
“Alright, I’ll bring you something fun when I get back.”
Nan Shan cheerfully waved as she made her way out.
Once outside, she grabbed the package hidden behind the stone lion and ran straight for the docks.
Having already memorized the route, she could easily avoid the crowds, even during the day.
She swiftly made her way through the small streets, arriving at the docks.
A few fishermen were sitting nearby chatting.
Nan Shan carefully lifted her package and tiptoed across the sand, avoiding their attention.
She climbed into a boat and untied the ropes.
The wind was in her favor today.
Though the waves were rough, the boat managed to sail smoothly into the sea.
By the time the fishermen noticed the missing boat, it was already a speck on the horizon.
Nan Shan relaxed and lay back on the boat, the contents of her package spilling out with a clatter.
She had packed plenty of water and roasted chickens.
The endless sky above, the blood-red sun hanging in the air, and Nan Shan yawned, holding onto her package as she drifted off to sleep.
She was awoken by a wave that slapped against her face.
Disoriented, she fumbled for the oars, trying to balance the boat.
The boat, once massive when anchored, now bobbed like a sesame seed in the waves.
Nan Shan was tossed around helplessly, feeling the saltwater sting her mouth as she struggled to stay afloat.
After a few more wild turns in the water, she finally managed to crawl back into the boat, bruised and exhausted, lying still and staring blankly at the sky.
The waves continued to roar, but her body felt numb.
“Isn’t this what you wanted? Come and take it.”
Her voice was flat as she looked up at the sky, unbothered by the events that had transpired.