Chapter 143: Longevity Daoist Temple

An ancient Daoist temple stood quietly on the outskirts of Star City, far from the noise and bustle.

The vermilion doors looked brand new, and the blue-green roof tiles were neatly layered. Auspicious beast sculptures stood proudly along the roof ridges, making the entire structure look as though it had just been built.

An ancient plaque hung above the main gate, bearing four large characters: Longevity Daoist Temple.

Sikong Zhen and Mu Lingxi stepped into the Longevity Daoist Temple. As they walked across the courtyard's bluestone slabs, they spotted a handsome Daoist priest lounging lazily at a stone table, playing on his phone. He seemed to have seen something highly entertaining, repeatedly letting out the kind of chuckle only men understood, completely oblivious to their arrival.

Mu Lingxi took a step forward. "Excuse me, Daoist priest, is Taoist Priest Xuanqing around?"

Startled as if he had just been caught in bed with someone, Jun Wushang frantically locked his phone screen. He looked up—and immediately froze.

He stared blankly at Mu Lingxi. Her tight black leather outfit and knee-high boots perfectly highlighted her alluring figure and long, slender legs.

Mu Lingxi's expression remained unchanged as she repeated, "Is Taoist Priest Xuanqing around?"

Jun Wushang finally snapped out of his daze, nodding furiously like a chicken pecking at grain. "Yes, yes, yes, Master is right inside the main hall."

Mu Lingxi nodded and walked toward the main hall with Sikong Zhen.

Jun Wushang's eyes practically bulged out of his head as he kept ogling her long, straight legs. "By the Celestial Sovereign, those legs are straighter than my own morals."

Sikong Zhen and Mu Lingxi entered the main hall. A grand, ancient altar dominated their vision, taking up almost a fifth of the room. Strangely enough, atop this massive altar sat a miniature idol less than twenty centimeters tall. The humanoid clay figure was slathered in cheap paint, its surface already peeling and cracked in several places.

Beside the altar, an old Daoist priest with a full head of white hair and the transcendent air of an immortal sat with his back to them. He sat cross-legged in front of the idol, as deeply pious as if he had entered a meditative trance. Two wisps of blue smoke drifted up in front of him, curling through the air and adding an ethereal quality to the scene.

"Taoist Priest Xuanqing, it has been five years since we last parted in the Imperial Capital, hasn't it?" Sikong Zhen laughed heartily, acting as if he were reuniting with a dear old friend.

The transcendent Taoist Priest Xuanqing slowly turned around, revealing a face completely covered in age spots. "Ah, so it is Layman Sikong. This humble Daoist, Xuanqingzi, greets you."

Sikong Zhen and Mu Lingxi sized up Xuanqing, who had initially looked the part of an enlightened master, and exchanged very strange looks.

Taoist Priest Xuanqing noticed their stares and nonchalantly wiped a trail of drool from the corner of his mouth with his wide Daoist sleeve. Acting as though nothing had happened, he asked in a profound and unreadable tone, "May I ask what brings Layman Sikong here today? If you intend to persuade this humble Daoist to return to the Imperial Capital, please save your breath.

This humble Daoist has dedicated his entire life to worshipping the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity, sworn to wander the world and expand the Longevity lineage. I absolutely cannot remain confined to one little corner."

Sikong Zhen seemed to have anticipated this response and paid it no mind. Instead, he cut straight to the chase. "You misunderstand, Taoist Priest. I came here primarily to ask for your help in casting a divination. Surely you have heard that an organization calling itself the Seven Deadly Sins recently appeared in Star City. Its leader, the Head of the Seven Deadly Sins, Pride, went so far as to murder a noble of the Empire in broad daylight.

This incident sent the entire Chiyan Empire into a fury, which is why I was dispatched to investigate. The case has currently hit a bottleneck, so I would like to request your assistance."

Faced with a request from a Gold-tier powerhouse, Taoist Priest Xuanqing surprisingly shook his head. "I gave up fortune-telling many years ago. Layman, please return the way you came."

Standing to the side, Mu Lingxi frowned slightly. "Taoist Priest Xuanqing, the Seven Deadly Sins have committed heinous crimes. The Royal Family has handed down absolute orders that they must be brought to justice. I implore you to lend us a hand."

By invoking both heinous crimes and the Royal Family, she was throwing the twin mountains of morality and imperial authority at Xuanqing to pressure him.

Taoist Priest Xuanqing remained entirely unbothered, calmly posing a question in return. "Young female layman, how old do you think I am?"

Mu Lingxi didn't understand the point of the question, but she answered anyway. "Going by your features, you should be at the ripe old age of eighty."

Taoist Priest Xuanqing stroked his hoary white beard and chuckled. "Too high."

"Seventy?"

Taoist Priest Xuanqing smiled and shook his head.

Mu Lingxi arched an eyebrow. "Sixty?" She hadn't expected Taoist Priest Xuanqing to look so much older than his actual age. Her guess of eighty had been a very conservative estimate; going purely by his appearance, she would have believed him if he claimed to be a hundred.

To her surprise, Taoist Priest Xuanqing kept shaking his head. "Still too high."

Mu Lingxi was genuinely taken aback. "Fifty?"

"Forty-nine," Taoist Priest Xuanqing declared. Noting the clear disbelief on Mu Lingxi's face, he explained, "Divination means leaking the secrets of heaven, which chips away at one's lifespan. This humble Daoist is the best example of that. I am a mere forty-nine years old, yet I bear the visage of a centenarian. Therefore, it isn't that I refuse to help you, but rather that my spirit is willing while my flesh is weak."

"This..." For a moment, Mu Lingxi was at a loss for words. She couldn't exactly force the man to sacrifice his life for a reading. Although she had never met Taoist Priest Xuanqing before, she had heard legends of this eccentric master back in the Imperial Capital. Earning the honor of being summoned by the Royal Family and being fiercely sought after by countless nobles meant that a figure like him would never bow to threats.

Sikong Zhen, however, seemed to have expected this all along. He said bluntly, "Taoist Priest, name your price."

Taoist Priest Xuanqing instantly moved with an agility that completely defied his supposed age, swiftly jabbing a single finger into the air. "One hundred million."

Mu Lingxi: "..."

Sikong Zhen nodded calmly. "Agreed."

"I haven't finished speaking yet. One hundred million, plus a specific Transcendent material—an Eight-Leaf Blade Orchid. Payment upfront before the service is rendered. Also, if I fail to scry anything out, there are strictly no refunds." Taoist Priest Xuanqing rattled off the string of demands like rapid cannon fire.

Mu Lingxi: "..."

Had a Gold-tier powerhouse like Sikong Zhen not personally vouched for him, she genuinely would have suspected that the Taoist Priest Xuanqing sitting in front of them was a con artist.

"Very well. I will go back and prepare. I'll return at this exact time tomorrow with the funds and the Eight-Leaf Blade Orchid. We will rely on you then, Taoist Priest." After calmly delivering his piece, Sikong Zhen turned and left the temple with Mu Lingxi in tow.

The moment they left the temple, Mu Lingxi couldn't hold back her disbelief. "Lord Sikong, isn't one hundred million a bit too much? And the Eight-Leaf Blade Orchid is an incredibly rare material..."

"If you hadn't mentioned that the Royal Family issued absolute orders, ten million might have sufficed."

Mu Lingxi was struck speechless yet again. She had lost count of how many times she had been rendered utterly mute today. As it turned out, that damned old Daoist had been taking advantage of the situation to hike up the price. The more desperate you seemed, the higher he charged.

"So long as we catch the Seven Deadly Sins, a minor expense like this is well worth it. Oh, right—have the General Law Enforcement Bureau reimburse this expense. Just report it as two hundred million." Sikong Zhen spoke with absolute nonchalance, as if discussing a completely trivial matter.

Mu Lingxi: "..."