Chapter 163 - 162: Going Up the Mountain

Chapter 163: Chapter 162: Going Up the Mountain

The car drove all the way up the mountain, stopping in the open-air parking lot outside the Daoist temple.

"The competition officially starts tomorrow. The folks from the Mystic Association arrived two days ago, so you’re the last one here," Liu Ergou said as he got out of the car. "At four o’clock, the judges are having a get-together. It’s just a brief meeting to go over our judging criteria. Afterward, we’ll have dinner to get to know each other."

Gu Qingyin hummed in acknowledgment and asked, "How long will the competition last?"

"About a week," Liu Ergou said. "Day one is the internal selection tournament, day two is the knockout stage, day three is the semifinals, day four is the finals, day five is the challenger round, and day six is for open sparring."

"The competition is also divided into categories: Talismans, Arrays, Spells, and Fighting. The schedule is flexible—if a round can’t be completed in a single day, it’ll just roll over to the next."

Gu Qingyin nodded and asked the crucial question. "So, how’s the food at your temple?"

Liu Ergou couldn’t help but laugh. "It’s actually pretty good."

Gu Qingyin smiled in relief. "Do a lot of people come to watch during the competition?"

"That’s right. The competition is always open to the public. Anyone who buys a ticket can come watch."

Gu Qingyin let out a sigh. "You guys sure know how to turn a profit."

Liu Ergou chuckled. "Well, it is a major event. If we let everyone in for free, we’d be overwhelmed. The temple just isn’t big enough."

As the two walked and talked, passersby would stop to bow to Liu Ergou or greet him with a smile, before stealing either a subtle or an overt glance at Gu Qingyin.

Liu Ergou introduced Gu Qingyin to a select few people, most of them from their own generation. Upon hearing her name, they all gave her an expression that said, ’So it’s you.’

This left Gu Qingyin completely baffled. ’Am I really that famous now?’

Liu Ergou grew a little embarrassed and shot the others a subtle glare, silently urging them to move along.

’Gu Qingyin had never been aware of his feelings for her, and he’d already moved past them. If she found out now, it would be mortifying,’ he thought. ’We wouldn’t even be able to be friends anymore.’

After a brief rest in the guest hall, a young Daoist led Gu Qingyin to the conference hall to meet the organizers and the other judges.

The representatives from the Mystic Association were familiar faces—Elder Zhang and Elder Miao. Both looked a little uncomfortable upon seeing Gu Qingyin. They offered only a slight nod of greeting before quickly turning to chat with the people next to them.

The judge from Wudang Mountain was Liu Ergou’s senior martial brother, Liu Yang, a highly respected Daoist. The judge from Longhua Temple was a disciple of the abbot, with the dharma name Ci Hang.

Gu Qingyin politely exchanged a few words with both of them. Then, the current master of Wudang Mountain, Daoist Lin Jiran, arrived.

Everyone stopped their conversations and rose to greet him.

"Daoist Lin."

"Master Lin."

"Master Lin."

The forms of address varied, but all were equally respectful.

Lin Jiran gave a calm nod, then walked over to Gu Qingyin. He looked her up and down for a moment before smiling. "You’ve grown up."

Gu Qingyin smiled. "Uncle Lin, it’s been a long time."

"It certainly has," Lin Jiran remarked with a sigh. "The last time I saw you, you were just a kid who couldn’t even handle a Fire Talisman properly. Now you’re a judge."

Gu Qingyin’s face instantly flushed red with embarrassment.

She had first met Lin Jiran on the mountain where she lived with her master. Back then, she practiced with talismans every single day. Whenever she learned something new, she was eager to show it off to her master and get a little praise.

But in her excitement, a Fire Talisman had gotten out of control and set Lin Jiran’s beard ablaze.

"Let’s not bring up the past, shall we?" Gu Qingyin pleaded in a low voice. "There are so many people here. Spare me a little dignity."

Lin Jiran burst out laughing. He strode to the head of the table and sat down, then spoke crisply, "Everyone, let’s keep this brief."

The others quickly took their seats, and the preliminary meeting officially began.

Gu Qingyin had intended to listen attentively, but everyone in attendance was an old-timer. Once they started droning on with their long-winded, bureaucratic speeches, she felt drowsy within minutes.

Gu Qingyin remained seated, looking for all the world as if she were concentrating, but in reality, her mind was completely blank.

It wasn’t until someone called out to her, "Master Gu, you have no objections to this arrangement, do you?"

Gu Qingyin gave an imperceptible jolt. Her eyes instantly snapped back into focus as she said earnestly, "No problem."

The words had barely left her mouth when she looked up and met Lin Jiran’s amused gaze.

Gu Qingyin forced herself to look composed, offering a polite smile before averting her gaze.

The meeting ended not long after. Gu Qingyin breathed a sigh of relief and was just about to stand and leave when she heard Lin Jiran say, "Qingyin, stay for a moment."

No matter how reluctant she felt, Gu Qingyin had to stay. ’This is his territory,’ she thought. ’Even if I tried to run, where would I go?’

Once everyone else had left, Gu Qingyin obediently approached him. "Uncle Lin, did you need something?"

Lin Jiran shot her a look. "Do you even know which category you’re primarily responsible for judging?"

Gu Qingyin fell silent. ’Of course I don’t know,’ she thought. ’I was planning to ask Huo Yunjing when I got back.’

’Huo Yunjing has way more experience with meetings. Even though he was just listening in, I’m sure he remembered every detail and has already sorted it all out. It’s much more effective than me listening myself.’

Lin Jiran shook his head. "You are solely responsible for judging the Talisman category. Don’t worry about the others. For the Talisman competition, you will act as the chief judge."

Gu Qingyin smiled sheepishly. "Got it. Thank you, Uncle Lin."

Lin Jiran chuckled. After a two-second pause, he spoke again. "Your master... has he come back to see you?"

A thought flashed through Gu Qingyin’s mind. She shook her head. "No."

’Lin Jiran is only asking because Master has never appeared before him. Since Master hasn’t shown himself, I should probably pretend I haven’t seen him either.’

’That way, regardless of whether Master is deliberately staying hidden or if there’s some other secret reason, my answer won’t screw things up.’

"Never mind." Lin Jiran sighed, a troubled look on his face. "Go on to dinner."

Gu Qingyin blinked, gave an obedient bow, and took her leave.

After the dinner gathering, Gu Qingyin returned to her guest quarters and promptly started to wash up.

At this point, she couldn’t help but complain. ’What century is this? This temple doesn’t even have a water heater! Or air conditioning!’

Thankfully, the weather had started to warm up. Otherwise, Gu Qingyin had no idea how she would’ve managed to sleep.

After washing up, Gu Qingyin sat cross-legged on the bed and began her unskippable nightly cultivation routine.

Huo Yunjing, who had been cooped up for most of the day, floated out. He sat cross-legged in the moonlight, cultivating alongside Gu Qingyin.

Half an hour later, the human and the ghost opened their eyes in unison.

Gu Qingyin raised an eyebrow. "You seem less and less willing to stay inside the pendant lately."

Huo Yunjing didn’t deny it. "I want to be able to see you," he said bluntly.

Gu Qingyin gave a noncommittal hum, flopping backward onto the bed to get some sleep.

Huo Yunjing floated over to the bed, tucked her in, and then embraced her through the blanket. "Good night, wife."

Gu Qingyin closed her eyes and mumbled, "Wake me up at seven tomorrow."

"Okay. Go to sleep." Huo Yunjing leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

The cold touch made Gu Qingyin flinch, but soon after, her breathing slowed and evened out.

The night passed uneventfully, and by the next morning, the entire Daoist temple was bustling with activity.