Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
âBrother Lin, he gave us a discount,â Qiao Xin said.
âDo you have too much money to spend? Do you think heâs the Jade Emperor or Guanyin Bodhisattva? How can you believe such words?â
âBut he said that Sister Liâs lifespan is short. I donât feel comfortable hearing that,â Qiao Xin said honestly.
âItâs all lies. Just have fun with it. Donât take it too seriously,â Lin Yi said.
âIf heâs really that awesome, he wouldnât have to read fortunes here.
Qiao Xin suddenly felt that Lin Yiâs words made sense.
She seemed to have really been cheated of too yuan by that old man.
âLetâs go somewhere else.â
âOkay.â
The three of them continued walking up the mountain.
Compared to the base of the mountain, there was less natural scenery at the top, but there were many late Qing Dynasty buildings.
It was said that this was the emperorâs favorite place, with many spots marked by his handwritten inscriptions.
While the scenery was a bit lacking, the place had a rich historical atmosphere.
After wandering around the Jingyi Garden on Xiang Mountain for a while, the three of them arrived at the Xiyun Temple.
Upon arrival, they realized what âtruly crowdedâ meant.
Most people were just there for a quick look, adding to the bustling atmosphere.
The air was filled with the smoky scent of incense, and many people were lined up in front of a huge incense burner, praying for peace.
Seeing this, Qiao Xin couldnât resist. She spent thirty yuan to buy three thin incense sticks, placing them in the burner and offering her prayers.
âBrother Lin, Iâm a bit hungry.â
After offering the incense, Qiao Xin patted her stomach.
Lin Yi checked his phone and saw it was already past noon, time for lunch.
âPlaces like this usually have somewhere to eat. Iâll go find out.
Lin Yi walked a few steps ahead and found a young Daoist in traditional robes.
After asking about dining options, he returned to the two women.
âThereâs a dining hall at Xiyun Temple that provides food for visitors. The taste might not be great, though.â
âItâs fine as long as you can fill your stomach. Weâll go back and have a feast tonight.â
Lin Yi didnât care too much. The three of them walked towards the dining hall.
âEh? Thereâs actually a pill room here?â
On the way to dinner, Qiao Xin exclaimed in surprise. She found it very novel.
âAre Daoists still refining pills these days?â
âLetâs go in and take a look.â
âSounds good.â
Qiao Xin took out two packets of biscuits from her bag and handed one to Li
Chuhan. âSister Li, fill your stomach first.â
âIâm not hungry. You can eat first.â
âThen Iâll leave you to it.â
Qiao Xin opened a packet of biscuits and walked towards the pill room not far away.
At this moment, Qiao Xin said in surprise,
âBrother Lin, there seems to be a fee for entering the Daoist temple. It doesn t seem like we can enter as we please.â
âFine, I can afford it.â
The three of them walked closer and saw a sign beside them. They saw that there was a fee sign on it.
The admission ticket for an internal tour was priced at 298 yuan per person, a far cry from the standard 28 yuan ticket.
Although this was supposed to be a serene place, the pricing seemed to want to extort money from visitors.
However, the high price included a special perk.
The package included lunch, which seemed to be quite decent.
This discovery made Lin Yi feel a bit better about the cost.
Even so, there werenât many people interested in the internal tour.
Only two groups were ahead in line. The 298 yuan ticket wasnât cheap, and most visitors were here to enjoy the scenery rather than explore the internal facilities of the Daoist temple, so the queue was short.
Lin Yi took out his phone and joined the line, ready to scan the QR code to pay.
At the front of the line was a couple, around thirty years old, wearing glasses and looking scholarly.
The couple behaved oddly. While buying tickets, they called the young Daoist aside, whispered something, and then entered the temple without paying.
âTickets are 298 yuan each, so for two people, itâs 596,â the young Daoist said lazily.
âWait a minute. I want to know why those two people went in without paying, but we have to buy tickets.â
The middle-aged woman standing in front of Lin Yi and his companions asked, displeased with the unfairness.
Initially, Lin Yi and his group hadnât paid much attention to the couple. But hearing the middle-aged woman, they realized that the couple indeed seemed to have entered without purchasing tickets.
This was a little strange. After all, they didnât dress like the staff here.
âUmâ¦â
The young Daoist priest in charge of collecting the money was stunned. He did not expect the woman in front of him to ask this question. His expression changed.
âYouâre different from others. If you want to come in, you have to pay. Otherwise, donât go in.â
The middle-aged woman didnât seem to be a kind person either. The other partyâs attitude made her temper rise.
âWe all have the same nose and two eyes. Wiry should we pay?!â
The middle-aged woman said, âBelieve it or not, Iâll call and report you right now!â
âYou!â
The young Daoist priest was a little flustered. If he was reported, he wouldnât be able to do business in the Daoist temple.
After weighing the pros and cons, the young Daoist priest said to the couple who had just left,
âCan you two come back for a while?â
Hearing someone calling him from behind, the couple walking in front turned around. One of the men said,
âAre you calling us?â
âYes, yes, yes.â The young Daoist priestâs attitude improved a little. He said in a difficult manner,
âYouâd better come and buy the tickets.â
âTickets?â
The bespectacled manâs expression did not look too good. âDidn 11 already show you my identification? Why must I still buy tickets?
âWellâ¦â said the young Daoist.
âItâs mainly because they saw that you didnât buy tickets. They are raising a fuss so I canât do my job.â
The bespectacled man narrowed his eyes and looked at the middle-aged woman who had lined up behind him just now. He walked over angrily and took out his identification card.
âIâm a civil servant. I donât need to buy a ticket to come here. Do you have a problem with that?â
Lin Yi raised his head and looked at the other partyâs ID. He couldnât help but purse his lips when he saw that it was a city enforcement officer.
Could a city enforcement officer be so pretentious?
They didnât even need to buy a ticket to visit the scenic area?
If he took out his documents, would the whole temple start worshiping him?
âSo what if youâre a city enforcement officer? This isnât your house! Why can you avoid buying tickets?â
The middle-aged woman displayed her extraordinary combat strength and didnât give in at all.
âLet me tell you, if they donât buy the tickets, we wonât buy them either. Otherwise, Iâll report you!â