Chapter 17-Part 3

“Thank Shaotang for me,” Teng Yuyi said with a smile, tucking the note into her sleeve.

She returned to the inner courtyard, bypassing her aunt and cousin, and headed straight to her room.

From under her pillow, she retrieved a jade sword.

Since she had obtained this sword, she had slept peacefully every night. But last night, she was plagued by vivid and terrifying nightmares. She wondered if this was related to the sword’s sealed spiritual energy. If it was, she needed to restore its spiritual energy as soon as possible.

She placed the sword in her sleeve: “I asked Steward Cheng to gather information about the Taoist temples and priests in Chang’an yesterday. I wonder if there’s any news yet.”

“Steward Cheng sent word early this morning. In Puning Ward, there’s a temple called Dongming Temple, which has a history of over a hundred years. There are five elderly Taoist priests there, known as the Five Beauty Immortals. Their skills are said to be quite profound, and they are well-known.”

Five Beauty Immortals? What a strange title.

Teng Yuyi looked at the sun outside. Lin Chengyou was not someone to be trifled with. Unless absolutely necessary, she didn’t want to deal with him.

Since the priests at Dongming Temple were also reputed to be skilled, she decided to try her luck there first.

“Prepare a set of Hu men’s clothing for me. I’m going to Dongming Temple to meet these Five Immortal Taoists.”

(Hu clothing probably something like this)

(T/N: Hu was a term to designate ancient barbarians, namely populations beyond the Central Plains, generally to the north and west of the Huaxia realm. The Hu are usually horse or mounted nomads.)

When Du Tinglan heard that Teng Yuyi had returned, she came to her room and was surprised to see Teng Yuyi dressed in men’s Hu clothing: “Ah Yu, why are you dressed like this? Are you going out?”

As Teng Yuyi tied her belt, she examined Du Tinglan. Her cousin looked much better than she had the previous day, which reassured her.

“I need to go out, and this outfit is more convenient. Sister, if you want anything to eat, let me know, and I’ll bring it back for you.”

Du Tinglan approached and adjusted Teng Yuyi’s hat. Because they were in a hurry, Chunrong and Biluo had not been as meticulous as usual.

Teng Yuyi’s hair was not properly done, with a few strands falling on her shoulders. Du Tinglan patiently braided the loose strands and tucked them into the hat. She looked left and right but was still not satisfied.

She frowned and said, “Why don’t you let sister comb it again for you?”

Teng Yuyi was busy hiding various poisons and concealed weapons in her belt and responded casually: “There’s no time today. I’ll let sister do it tomorrow.”

Du Tinglan’s gaze softened. When Ah Yu first arrived at the Du residence, she was like a small, prickly beast. Any attempt to get close to her was met with resistance.

Once, when her mother was doing her hair, Ah Yu silently watched for a while before running out. Du Tinglan had chased her to the garden, where Ah Yu was swinging with her doll.

She knew her cousin must be missing her aunt and feeling upset. If her mother were gone, she would be even more distraught than Ah Yu. She had approached Ah Yu and offered to do her hair, despite Ah Yu’s initial resistance. Since then, whenever Ah Yu stayed at the Du residence, Du Tinglan always did her hair.

“Don’t bring me anything to eat. I can’t eat anything. When will you be back? Will Steward Cheng accompany you?” Du Tinglan asked gently.

Teng Yuyi looked at her cousin in the mirror. Although she seemed fine, there was still a trace of sadness in her eyes, likely due to her anger over Lu Zhao’an’s actions.

“Sister, Steward Cheng is already taking measures against Lu Zhao’an. Just wait for the news.”

Du Tinglan blushed and looked out the window: “Because I mistakenly trusted the wrong person, the whole family has been frightened. I’m still shaken by what happened that night. Be careful when you go out. Since Duanfu is injured and can’t leave the residence, take more people with you.”

“Don’t worry, I know,” Teng Yuyi said, handing a fake beard to Du Tinglan.

“Sister, help me put this on.”

Du Tinglan fiddled with Teng Yuyi’s face for a while. The fake beard was thick and wide, covering much of Teng Yuyi’s face.

“How does it look?” Teng Yuyi asked her cousin.

Du Tinglan nodded approvingly: “It still looks like a woman, but at least no one will recognize you immediately.”

Teng Yuyi adjusted the curved sword at her waist and started to leave: “Sister, if you see Shaotang, tell him I might not go to Caifeng Tower today. If he insists, we’ll go tomorrow.”

“Caifeng Tower?” Du Tinglan asked suspiciously.

“I’ll explain when I get back.”

When Teng Yuyi reached the outer gate, Steward Cheng wasn’t there, but several sharp-witted old servants led by Huo Qiu were waiting.

Teng Yuyi got into the carriage and urged Huo Qiu to hurry.

Huo Qiu drove straight to Dongming Temple.

Upon arrival, they entered the temple with generous gifts to visit the head priest. The temple had few visitors, but there were five senior priests managing the place.

Spring was leisurely, and with nothing to do, the priests feeling bored were busy dividing pears to eat. They weren’t inclined to see visitors when the Taoist Boy reported.

“Tell them we’re in seclusion and send them away.”

“But the carriage outside looks prestigious, probably from a noble family in Chang’an.”

“A noble family?”

The five senior priests’ eyes lit up. They put down their pears and rushed out. Upon seeing the well-dressed guard, they lined up, waved their whisks, and introduced themselves:

“This Taoist priest’s name is Jian Tian.”

“This Taoist priest’s name is Jian Xian.”

“My Taoist name is Jian Mei.”

“My Taoist name is Jian Le.”

“My Taoist name is Jian Xi.”

Teng Yuyi and Huo Qiu were startled by the scene.

Among the five elderly priests, the one named Jian Xi was the fattest: “I am the head priest of this temple. What brings you here today?”

Teng Yuyi stroked her large fake beard. The temple’s food seemed quite good; the priests were all well fed, and their robes were clean and tidy. She motioned for Huo Qiu to present the prepared gifts and, after explaining her purpose, laid the jade sword in her palm: “Can the elders help restore its spiritual energy?”

The priests gathered around and examined the jade sword for a long time, but they couldn’t identify its origin: “Lifting the seal isn’t difficult. It seems the sword has lost its spiritual energy due to contamination with something unclean. Cleansing the impure energy should restore its spiritual energy.”

They began a ritual, placing the sword on the altar, and various spells and talismans were used. However, the sword remained dim. The priests conferred in hushed tones before saying dejectedly: “If this priest is not mistaken, this sword is under a Sha Ling Huan spell.”

(T/N: I purposely put it like this for aesthetic purpose..hehe..it can actually be translated as evil/demon spirit/soul ring…but I find it weird, so I stick to the original version..hehe.)

“What is Sha Ling Huan?”

Though they had realized Teng Yuyi was a woman, they continued to address her as “Young Master”: “Young Master should know of the Qingyun Temple.”

“I’ve heard of it.”

Jian Xi explained: “This curse was devised by Qingxuzi of that temple. Many years ago, a young priest went astray and used Taoist artifacts for robbery. His cultivation is not low, and with the artifacts, he was unstoppable. To counter him, Qingxuzi created the Sha Ling Huan spell. They would have a beautiful woman approach the evil priest and place the curse on his artifacts, rendering them powerless. Soon after, the priest was captured.”

“So, despite its name, Sha Ling Huan is a righteous spell used to punish evildoers.”

The priests eyed Teng Yuyi suspiciously.

“Priests from Qingyun Temple do not use this spell lightly. They only use it if they suspect the artifact’s owner has malicious intentions. Young Master, you—”

Teng Yuyi silently cursed Lin Chengyou, but maintained her smile and made up a story: “To be honest, I just arrived in Chang’an a few days ago. I was drinking at a tavern when I encountered Heir Apparent Cheng. After a few drinks, I boasted about my jade sword in front of him and his fellow junior brothers when I heard him talk about Taoist artifacts. Unintentionally, I offended Heir Apparent Cheng. That night, shortly after leaving the tavern, my sword became like this. It was truly an unexpected disaster.”

As she spoke, she sighed.

The priests exchanged glances.

So, it was the disciple of Qingxuzi—no wonder.

Jian Mei sympathetically looked at Teng Yuyi: “I see. Unfortunately, we cannot lift this spell. If Qingxuzi were here, you could go to Qingyun Temple and explain. He would lift the spell for you. But as it stands, we cannot help. Only Qingxuzi can undo his disciple’s spell.”

“This—” Teng Yuyi forced a smile.

“What if Qingxuzi doesn’t return for a year or more?”

“Then you will have to wait a year or more to lift the spell.”

The priests shrugged.

“Young Master, you offended the wrong person. Offending Qingxuzi’s disciple—well,that guy, tsk tsk….”