Chapter 1527 - 820: Blocking Jealousy (Bonus 3 and 1)

The carriage stopped at the gate of the quarter; Chen Yi paid the fare. As he led Donggong Ruoshu off the carriage, the sun was already leaning westward, stretching the shadows of the quarter wall long. The words Iron Abacus said about the Golden Immortal Temple before parting were still swirling in his mind.

According to Iron Abacus, the Golden Immortal Temple has a rather ancient origin, tracing back to the time of Emperor Ruizong of Tang. He established the temple for his eighth daughter, Princess Xining, to enter the Dao and founded a Quanzhen Daoist Temple, which was said to have flourished at one time. Ordinary people do not know such legendary stories, not even which emperor of the Tang Dynasty this was, but he abdicated in favor of a very famous son, who was Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

The Golden Immortal Temple continued for over a hundred years into the current dynasty, but about a hundred years ago, it was thoroughly abandoned by order of Emperor Zhaowen.

Iron Abacus smacked his lips as he recalled, "At the time of Emperor Zhaowen, our Da Jin had not yet established Han Law, and evil monks and Daoist heretics with immortal techniques were rampant everywhere, causing many mischiefs. The Emperor wanted to implement Han Law and cleanse the atmosphere; the first fire was set upon the then-flourishing Golden Immortal Temple in Chang'an City. It was said that the Daoists in the temple used the pretense of blessing to perform Nightmare Suppression, associating with the powerful and plotting with ill intentions... In short, the plaque was removed, the temple's property confiscated, the Daoists were either exiled or unaccounted for. Since then, the Golden Immortal Temple has been abandoned, and now there is no trace of it."

Chen Yi pondered these pieces of information as he walked towards the guest courtyard.

Abandoned for a hundred years... Emperor Zhao Wen's implementation of Han Law, the first to bear the brunt...

The timing aligns correctly. A hundred years ago was precisely when the Western Jin consolidated its rule and vigorously promoted Hanization, and attacking "immoral worship and evil techniques" was inevitable. The Western Jin has always revered the Dao and disparaged Buddha, so the Golden Immortal Temple, being prominent, became a target.

However, while the temple was abandoned, practitioners, particularly those with some Daoist achievements, living over a hundred years is not difficult. Therefore, encountering that man, Dragon Dao Adept, who claimed to have been from the Golden Immortal Temple and is now serving as the Vice Supervisor of the Astronomical Bureau in the Imperial Palace Dream Sea... it makes sense.

The sleeve was tugged on.

Chen Yi snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at Donggong Ruoshu.

Donggong Ruoshu raised her head, glanced at the street lights gradually lighting up, and then sniffed, catching the aroma of various foods beginning to waft in the air.

"Still not under curfew," Donggong Ruoshu's eyes appeared particularly bright in the darkening sky, "Do you want... to stroll around?"

Chen Yi's first reaction was to shake his head. Clues about the Golden Immortal Temple, schemes from the Han Prince Mansion, the bizarre underground Lu Ying... a pile of things weighed on his mind, leaving no leisure for visiting the night market. But as he was about to refuse, meeting her eyes illuminated by the lights, which bore no complicated thoughts, just a simple "want to look, want something to eat," it was hard to refuse.

Perhaps due to the strong luck that Donggong Ruoshu carries, he paused, then nodded.

"Alright."

A hint of a smile immediately appeared on Donggong Ruoshu's face, not a broad smile, just a simple curve of the mouth, showing satisfaction. She naturally took Chen Yi's hand and pulled him towards the bright lights ahead, her palm slightly cool yet firm in strength.

The celebration remnants of the Dragon King Festival had not yet completely dissipated; the closer they got to the streets near the West Market, the busier it became.

On the ground at the street ends, there were still many artists performing industriously, attracting circles of people to stop and watch.

There was a man with bare arms doing acrobatics, balancing vases and walking tightropes, drawing cheers for thrilling acts; beside him, an old man led a monkey wearing a red hat, beating a small gong, prompting the monkey to perform somersaults and bows, smart and funny; further away, on a piece of open ground, the crowd was the thickest. A burly man was lying on a bench, with a blue stone slab pressed on his chest, while another swung a big hammer, shouting as he smashed it down, "breaking a stone on the chest," the stone slab cracked, and the man below sprang up with a carp's jump, clasping his fists to the crowd, winning thunderous applause.

There was also a small stall playing "Three Immortals Return to the Cave," with bowls covering small balls, and the hand movement so fast it dazzled people. Donggong Ruoshu found it curious and, not being superstitious, bet money to guess, but she lost again and again, yet she wasn't annoyed, just stood there scratching her head blankly.

Chen Yi, pulled along by Donggong Ruoshu, wandered through the lights, sounds, and heat, saying they went for a stroll, it was this stupid girl doing the strolling.

She was filled with childlike curiosity about the performances in the streets and alleys, and he noticed that Donggong Ruoshu was looking and walking all the way, eventually as if she learned instinctively, arriving at a tea house.

A big copper pot sat atop the stove at the tea house, puffing out white steam. In front of the shop, there were a few roughly made wooden tables and benches, with a few porter-looking individuals already sitting there, drinking tea from coarse porcelain bowls and munching on hard biscuits. The shop owner was a dark-skinned middle-aged man, using a long-handled spoon to ladle out milky-white liquid from a barrel into a customer's bowl. It was milk tea, the most common drink in Chang'an. Beside it, an oil pot was sizzling as the lady boss deftly turned the golden-yellow oil cakes inside with long chopsticks.

Donggong Ruoshu stood before the tea house, her eyes fixed on the barrel of milk tea and the oil cakes in the pot. Then, she released her grip on Chen Yi's hand, stepped forward, and said clearly to the busy owner:

"One bowl of milk tea, two oil cakes."

The voice was not loud, yet crisp and decisive, having long decided, just waiting to speak upon arriving.

"The milk tea and cakes here are the best; I used to climb over the wall with my cousin to eat them as a child."

Soon, the milk tea was served along with a small dish of fried rice, which Donggong Ruoshu pushed in front of Chen Yi, surprising him slightly.

He saw Miss Donggong ladle a spoonful of fried rice into his bowl.

"You won't drink any?"

"No, I just want to eat the cakes, and I'll drink later."