Chapter 390: Chapter 225: Master Fan’s Daughter, Blood-Stained Incense Burning_2
[After Authority Representative has shown you around the two temples, he intends to take you to the guesthouse to rest. Once the current group of devotees have finished offering their incense, the attendants will clean the temple for your private worship...]
"Devotees must donate money before lighting the incense sticks... they aren’t trying to take a large sum from me, considering my high status, are they?"
Lin Xun narrowed his eyes. Not to mention that he had already joined the camp of the ’Chaos Origin Dragon’, asking for donations from him was simply out of the question.
[You leave the temple under the guidance of Authority Representative...]
[You look deep into the shrine, at a small, simple temple.]
[Authority Representative explains that the third ’temple’ has not been cleaned in a long time, it’s filled with dust and currently not suitable for visitors to worship.]
[You express some interest, and insist on entering the temple without concern for the dust.]
[Authority Representative shakes his head, indicating again that the temple is not open to the public...]
[Will you insist on visiting the third temple?]
Lin Xun squinted his eyes.
There must be secrets hidden in this off-limits temple.
If he missed out on uncovering these secrets, he would be at a great loss.
[You quietly pull out five thousand spirit points and unobtrusively hand them over to the ’Fire Worshiping Authority Representative of Shishan Society’. You testify about your firm belief and assure that you will make many offerings of incense.]
[Without changing his expression, he accepts the spirit points. He looks around before shaking his head resolutely again. He explains that the temple in the deepest part of the shrine truly is not open to the public and it is guarded by the power of the incense.]
[Even he, as an ’Authority Representative’, has not had the fortune of entering the temple all these years he has been part of the shrine.]
[Perhaps because he accepted the spirit points and refused Master Fan’s request to tour the temple, which may have made him feel somewhat embarrassed, he whispers in your ear...]
[It is rumored that the true divine statue of ’Tiansui Blooming Rice’ is enshrined in the third temple. Only the ’Master’, who controls all affairs within the society, and the ’Master of God’, who is responsible for the rituals, can enter to worship.]
[The ’Master’ and ’Master of God’ seldom enter the third temple, leading to accumulations of dust that need to be cleaned.]
[Interestingly, the two masters do not allow others to clean it up. They claim that any male would desecrate and defile the divine statue.]
[Presumably when Master Fan came to the mountains, he also saw the notice, Shishan Society’s recruitment for shrine maidens is specifically for cleaning the third temple. Unfortunately, they have not been able to recruit a suitable maiden for quite a while...]
[Apostle with a thousand faces and myriad forms, are you going to volunteer to be the shrine maiden?]
"...Volunteer? You are truly audacious."
Lin Xun pursed his lips and hit ’yes’.
[You once again pull out five thousand spirit points, quietly hand them to the Authority Representative, and solemnly say that coincidentally, your daughter is wayward, of marriageable age but lacks a suitable groom. You intend to send her to the shrine to serve the gods.]
[Authority Representative is delighted upon hearing this. He can’t help but exclaim that as Master Fan’s daughter, there is no need to say much, she definitely meets the criteria for selection as a shrine maiden. It seems the other competing women have wasted their running...]
[You immediately respond that there is no better day than the present, and you will return to the swordsmanship hall at once to have your daughter participate in the shrine maiden selection.]
[The other potential shrine maidens naturally do not know that the two of you have already decided the winner of the ’shrine maiden’ title in a few words.]
[Authority Representative urges you to first offer some incense, and then invite your daughter. However, you respond that you will offer incense after your daughter becomes a shrine maiden.]
[You wave goodbye to Authority Representative and leave ’Shishan Society’...]
[...]
Lin Xun waited for a while, and finding the timing appropriate, he went to a deserted corner to switch bodies.
[You possess the ’body of a failed prospective shrine maiden’ from the Fire Worshiping Sect!]
This ’courtesan’ body was still dressed in the shrine maiden outfit she wore during her performances.
The shrine maiden costume, which had undergone the ’special modifications’ of the spirit world, looked alluring at a glance.
To prevent blowing his cover, he changed the body into the outfit of a direct disciples from the swordsmanship school and equipped her with swords.
In an instant, he transformed from a dispirited woman to a dashing swordswoman.
[...]
[You have returned to ’Shishan Society’ again. There is a group of young women gathered at the entrance of the shrine, they are obviously here to participate in the shrine maiden selection.]
[Different from those women with sullen faces and worn clothes, you are dressed in a snow-white outfit, with a sharp sword at your waist. The jade belt outlines your slender waist and hourglass figure. Whether it is your bright and clear eyes or your charming and lovely smile, it is clear you are of extraordinary origin.]
[Not only are the prospective shrine maidens dumbfounded, but even the two servants at the door have their eyes wide open.]
[Soon, ’Fire Worshiping Authority Representative from Shishan Society’ rushed over.]
[Seeing you also brightens his eyes, he promptly announces to everyone that you are the daughter of Master Fan from the ’Heartless Swordsmanship’ school. Because of the deep level devotion, you are willing to serve alongside the gods and have come to participate in the shrine maiden selection.]
[Hearing these words, the group of women all lower their heads in depression, as if they have lost their mothers.]
[In the whispers exchanged between them, their quiet whispers start floating in...]
[...Why is the daughter of the master from the swordsmanship school joining the fun? Even if she wants to be a shrine maiden, she should go to the notable shrines.]
[...Exactly, exactly, looking at her it is clear she is a little lady from an upper-class family. Why would she want to seize the title of shrine maiden at this small shrine in the wilderness?]
[...Hey! This you wouldn’t know. It is rumored that the master of the swordsmanship school is a guest of the noble ’Otani Family’. This morning, there were strange signs in the sky, and a meteorite fell from the sky causing not a single soul in the ’Otani Mansion’ to survive.]
