Chapter 98 - 98 98

Words : 1405 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

98: 98. Not So Serious Taoist Temple 98: 98. Not So Serious Taoist Temple The next day, early morning. There were hardly any green leaves left on the branches outside the window. The overcast clouds made it seem as if dawn had not yet broken. People tend to sleep in a bit more on rainy days. The dim light in the Detective Agency made it difficult to tell the time, and a biological clock was useless to someone with an irregular routine. In a vaguely conscious state, a feeling of being watched emerged from the depths of his heart. His intuition kicked in. The figure lying on the desk stirred slightly, lifting its head. Its closed eyes opened, and a pair of black pupils shifted from scattered to focused, suddenly crashing into a strange world composed of black and red. Black profound, red fiery. “Why... not sleep in a bed,” Kong Nanqing bent over, closely watching Lu Li’s well-defined face. Their noses almost touched, and a pungent burnt smell assaulted the senses. As she finished speaking, her head tilted back slightly. Lu Li sat up, just avoiding it. His black eyes narrowed as they fell on the bedroom across the desk. Yang Chunxue was gone, and judging by the time, she should have gone back to recharge at the Ghost Envoy Manual by now. “The bed is too comfortable,” Lu Li replied, barely making it an explanation. Kong Nanqing straightened her body as Lu Li looked up, her red pupils steadfastly fixating on him, her voice hoarse, “Are you hungry?” “Not really, I usually don’t feel hungry right after waking up,” Lu Li leaned back in his chair, his tone slightly languid. Kong Nanqing turned her head away, unable to look at him, her red pupils flickering, hesitating in her words, “So would you like to have breakfast first... or have me first...” Lu Li lifted his gaze, silently watching Kong Nanqing for several seconds. “Breakfast.” He tried his best not to think of the phrase “crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.” “Alright, I’ll go cook,” Kong Nanqing nodded and turned to walk toward the kitchen. Lu Li, nearly free from his post-sleep grogginess, stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and walked toward the bathroom. On his way, he paused briefly by a mannequin before walking off. Lu Li initially thought that bringing the mannequin back would mean it would clean or prepare breakfast during the night, as it had been quite active back at Xishan High School. He had thought too much. Since arriving at the Detective Agency, this mannequin had hardly left the side of the door, loyally acting as a coat hanger—a coat hanger that would throw away any clothing that landed on it. Lu Li entered the bathroom, and soon the sound of washing up echoed out. A few minutes later, Lu Li emerged, freshly cleansed, and directly headed into the adjacent kitchen. Minutes passed, and no sound came from inside. The stovetop flame was bright, with Kong Nanqing standing in front of it, her charred body even more profound. Kong Nanqing’s pupils flickered with the flames, and her breath became fluctuating. The flames reminded her of things like pain and resentment. “Let me do it,” walking over, Lu Li took the apron from Kong Nanqing’s hands and skillfully started cooking with oil and eggs. Kong Nanqing stood silently watching, her red eyes occasionally landing on Lu Li’s slender fingers cracking the eggs, sometimes on his resolute profile. A man in an apron, this scene inexplicably felt warm to her. Kong Nanqing subconsciously raised her charred arms, extending them toward Lu Li’s waist, intending to embrace him from behind— Thump, thump, bang— The door was knocked. “You go open the door. If it’s Shen Yuqiao, let her go downstairs to buy breakfast. If you’re eating too, tell her to bring an extra portion.” Stirring eggs, Lu Li spoke without even looking up. “Sister Nanqing, hello. Sister Chunxue isn’t here... Ah, okay, I’ll go buy it now.” A faint conversation came from the living room, followed by the sound of departing footsteps. Lu Li set aside a bowl of stirred eggs and turned off the burner before untying his apron. Looking up, he saw Kong Nanqing giving him a strange look from the doorway, “Aren’t you cooking anymore?” “Why bother cooking when there’s a free breakfast without lifting a finger?” Lu Li calmly stated it as if it were a matter of course and walked back to the living room to sit down. Kong Nanqing, not quite understanding, followed Lu Li and sat down on the sofa. She sneakily peeked at Lu Li next to her, her charred palm slowly reaching towards Lu Li’s hand. Creak— The half-closed door was suddenly pushed open, causing Kong Nanqing to swiftly retract her hand. “Lu Lili, I’ve brought breakfast.” Shen Yuqiao squinted his eyes behind round-frame glasses and lifted a plastic bag, shaking it. Eating in silence, Shen Yuqiao held a cup of soy milk, straw in his mouth, and mumbled, “Lu Lili, what are we going to do today?” “Wait for your cousin’s call.” [Toward countless next stops, drawing a long straight line—] The ringtone of the mobile phone coincidentally chimed, and Lu Li answered. “Found the boss! The Taoist robe you mentioned is indeed from a local Taoist temple at Tiger Head Mountain, Qianqing Temple. I remembered it last night, but it was too late to speak...” “Hmm.” “Ah, so cold... People here worked so hard—” “Are there other details?” “...Boss, do you think I’m annoying, cough cough, no more joking, the real issue, I still haven’t finished telling it, but I’m not sure if I should...” “Tell it.” “This Taoist temple, it has issues...” Lu Li paused tersely, “Haunted?” “Not that, what kind of ghost would dare to loiter in front of The Three Pure Ones so outrageously. It’s just... I don’t know how to describe it to you, I went there recently.” “Then just tell me what you saw.” “Okay, I went to investigate the temple a while ago and headed to Tiger Head Mountain. When I reached the foot of the mountain, I looked up—ah, what beautiful scenery. Green mountains and waters, birds singing and flowers fragrant. A gentle breeze brushing past the mossy stones, sweeping away the layers of accumulated dust to reveal the deep crevices whittled by the years, and steps naturally forming in succession, leading towards the distant horizon.” “You don’t need to describe it so intricately,” Lu Li interrupted Shen Qian’s lengthy discourse. “Eh... But I thought it necessary to describe it in detail.” “I don’t care about your climbing experience or psychological descriptions. If you must describe, start after you entered the temple.” “Okay... okay, I thought my literary expression might enrapture you... Skipping the indescribable climbing process, I finally stood in front of the temple gate. At that moment, I complained aloud...” ... “Damn, that was tough.” Shen Qian looked ahead at the ancient Taoist temple built among the greenery, breathing slightly heavily. “Qianqing Temple was built during the Yongle Emperor’s reign, and the Taoists back then only wanted to find a secluded and bitterly cold place, so they chose Tiger Head Mountain. Us later generations have no choice but to suffer along with them.” Explaining voices came from nearby. Thinking someone was speaking to him, Shen Qian turned and saw a middle-aged Taoist in a gray robe accompanying an overweight tourist. The overweight tourist showed a bitter smile, hands respectfully pressed together in prayer, “Forgive my honesty, Taoist master, but I’ve been having a streak of bad luck lately, feeling quite troubled, and came to Qianqing Temple to seek a divination to see my fortune...” ... “Do you know what the Taoist told that tourist? I remember this clearly and I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life. That Taoist said to the tourist seeking a divination, ‘You can seek a divination, but it’s best not to be superstitious. If you really keep encountering bad luck, rather than seeking charms, I suggest you take a good look at yourself and your surroundings, and try to improve.'” “Listen to that, is that even human language!”

Chapter 98 - 98 98

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