Chapter 485 - 244: Orchid Fragrance in the Desolate Temple

Chapter 485: Chapter 244: Orchid Fragrance in the Desolate Temple

The Orange Cat, held in the Red King’s arms, helplessly stretched its paws toward the vanished package, a vivid expression of "despair" on its face.

Yin Qingqing saw the young man’s look of relief.

She suspected the Red King had deliberately found an excuse to avoid carrying the heavy bag of cat food.

But she had no proof.

After this little farce, about an hour later, the pair followed a flat, winding path up the mountain, soon arriving near the Five Passes Temple.

The nearby woods were posted with prohibitions from the Government Office, and officials had sealed the mountain path with stones.

Zheng Xiu jutted his chin at Yin Qingqing.

Yin Qingqing used her Miracle Technique again, collecting the mountain-like pile of stones.

But after collecting the pile of stones, Yin Qingqing didn’t hide them away as she usually did. Instead, she ran to the side and, with a flip of her wrist, a gray sheet swirled out. Stones rustled and fell from the sheet of what looked like human skin.

This time, Zheng Xiu saw what was going on. He smiled and asked, "So, the original weight of the people and things you ’abduct’ presses down on you?"

Hearing this, Yin Qingqing’s pupils contracted slightly. She shook her head with a wry smile. "You have sharp eyes, Red King. But what you said is a little off. It’s not the full weight. After I use my Miracle Technique to ’abduct’ a living person or an object, about seventy percent of its weight disappears. It’s tied to how far I’ve progressed along the Path."

"If it’s food, it can be preserved for a year without spoiling. If it’s a person... well, never mind. It’s not that I’m intentionally hiding anything; I simply don’t know myself."

Zheng Xiu nodded. This was normal. A Time Demon could abduct others, but not themselves. She could absorb things into the skin, but she had no idea what it was like inside.

It was just like Feng Bei, whose touch was death, yet she herself couldn’t figure out why. She called her Ability "Omen." For a Mystic, an innate Miracle Technique becomes as instinctive as breathing after Awakening. They know how to use it, but they don’t understand the principles behind it.

After clearing the pile of stones at the entrance, the pair continued up the mountain on horseback. The Orange Cat in Zheng Xiu’s arms was no longer struggling. Listless, it simply curled up inside his robes, pressing against his skin with only the top half of its head peeking out. Apparently, the disappearance of the fried fish cakes had been a devastating blow.

After another few dozen paces, they spotted a dilapidated temple at the end of the forest path, its walls and roof tiles just visible. Zheng Xiu suddenly held out an arm to stop Yin Qingqing, then turned back, placing a finger to his lips. "Shh!"

"Someone’s been here," Zheng Xiu mouthed.

Zheng Xiu mouthed the words, and Yin Qingqing nodded in understanding. After signaling for them both to dismount, Zheng Xiu gestured for Yin Qingqing to put away the two horses.

WHOOSH!

The miraculous Miracle Technique once again left Zheng Xiu amazed. He watched as Yin Qingqing rubbed off two pieces of skin, which then expanded to cover the horses. The pieces of skin then shrank into two small pink balls, which returned to Yin Qingqing’s body and vanished.

But after "abducting" the two horses, beads of sweat broke out on Yin Qingqing’s forehead, and her expression became strained.

’Time for a Scouting check.’

Zheng Xiu observed a fresh set of footprints on the ground. The soles of the shoes were embroidered, and the prints themselves were narrow and delicate, just over five inches long—the tracks of a woman.

Scouting successful.

A stream of information appeared before Zheng Xiu.

Using his special ability, Zheng Xiu analyzed the footprints to determine when the woman had passed by, as well as her approximate height and build.

It seemed to be a young woman.

’But why would a young woman come to this desolate mountain all by herself? And in tiny embroidered shoes, no less?’

Zheng Xiu was puzzled. The effect of [Scouting] was still active, and a pink cloud of gas had appeared in his field of vision. The cloud drifted intermittently toward the Five Passes Temple.

"Is it a... scent?"

Zheng Xiu hadn’t used [Scouting] in a long time. He never expected that an olfactory sensation like a "scent" would manifest as a visual effect. He cast [Scouting] on the cloud of "scent" again.

"The fragrance of Orchids."

Zheng Xiu sniffed the air, but the scent was too faint for him to identify. [Scouting], however, didn’t require his own senses; it effortlessly provided the answer. Simple and effective.

Yin Qingqing was now carrying the equivalent weight of a horse, slowing her movements. Zheng Xiu signaled to her that he would go on ahead to scout. Before Yin Qingqing could object, he had vanished into the woods.

’Where did he go?’

Yin Qingqing was stunned. The young man had vanished in the blink of an eye, and his skill in Stealth shocked her once again. ’Could it be,’ she wondered, ’that the Zheng Brothers Association’s skill in Stealth was personally taught by the Red King himself?’

What Yin Qingqing didn’t know was that Zheng Xiu had anticipated needing [Stealth] for the investigation, and it was now coming in handy. After activating it, his presence was suppressed to an extremely low level, and his vision highlighted suitable hiding spots.

He crept closer to the Five Passes Temple. The temple was dilapidated, its door Pillars rotting away. The plaque, originally reading "Five Passes Temple," was so weathered that only the words "Five Passes" remained. An ancient stone stele stood before the temple, its convoluted inscription describing the Wutong God’s power, the gist of which could be summed up in four words: "A child is guaranteed."

The footprints vanished at the temple’s entrance. The Orchid scent swirled around the inside and outside of the temple several times, casting a pinkish halo over Zheng Xiu’s vision. Not daring to enter rashly, he followed the trail of the "Orchid scent," searching the grounds of the Five Passes Temple.

After a moment, Zheng Xiu shouted to Yin Qingqing in a deliberately childish voice, "Huh? Sister Qingqing, hurry up! This must be the legendary Wutong God, who ’grants all requests and guarantees a child’!"

Yin Qingqing was slowly making her way toward the Five Passes Temple, each step leaving a deep impression in the soft earth. When she heard the young man’s strange cry from a distance, a chill ran down her spine. But a moment later, her mind raced, and she understood. A bright smile immediately blossomed on her face as she called back in a flirtatious tone, "Slow down and wait for me! Honestly, I’m the one who needs a child, not you. What are you in such a rush for!"

As Yin Qingqing approached, Zheng Xiu, seeing no one else around, didn’t let his guard down. From a distance, he activated [inspiration].

inspiration: Minor Success.

A minor success was still useful. In his black-and-white vision, the dilapidated Five Passes Temple showed not the slightest hint of anything strange or evil. ’I don’t see anything on the surface,’ Zheng Xiu thought, puzzled. ’So how did Mo Kuang end up getting knocked up?’

’Wait.’

’It seems there’s a stir.’

Zheng Xiu strained his vision, widening his eyes to peer into the depths of the Five Passes Temple. Sure enough, within the temple, there was an extremely faint black shadow. Based on his experience, this was a reaction to the lingering presence of something unholy.

The closer something was to things like the Darkness, the Ghostly Realm, or Mystics, the stronger the reaction, and vice versa. After going through the Secret Ministry’s files, Zheng Xiu had come to believe that his [inspiration] was sensing something from the Darkness called "Filthy Qi."

Simply put, the denser the Filthy Qi, the clearer he could see it.

"It’s so faint,"

Zheng Xiu frowned.

Yin Qingqing, smiling sweetly and feigning shyness, took her "little brother’s" hand. "Dear brother, are we... going in to pray for a child now? My heart is all aflutter. Mmm~"

She let out a delicate hum, twisting back and forth on the spot while holding Zheng Xiu’s hand.

"Uh, I think they’re gone." Zheng Xiu was momentarily thrown by Yin Qingqing’s awkward and uncharacteristic performance. He clicked his tongue, the corner of his mouth twitching. "You can stop acting. I was just trying to flush them out, see if anyone was hiding nearby."

Yin Qingqing looked stunned. The next second, she quietly released Zheng Xiu’s hand and stood aside, her expression instantly shifting back to her usual calm, impassive mask. "Yes, Prince."

She said nothing more.

Yin Qingqing seemed to want a moment of peace.

"Aren’t you curious why I was so sure my bluff would have worked if she were here?"

With no one to play along, the young man was itching to explain. After a moment of silence, Zheng Xiu couldn’t resist leaning toward Yin Qingqing and asking.

"I am curious. Please enlighten me, Prince."

"Forget it. You’re no fun to talk to." Zheng Xiu waved his hand, losing interest in interacting with his subordinate. After a moment’s thought, a slight smile touched his lips. Then, to Yin Qingqing’s utter shock, the young man strode forward with a fearless swagger, stepping right into the Five Passes Temple—the one rumored to impregnate anyone who prayed there, regardless of age or gender.