Chapter 23: An Accidental Encounter with an Old Acquaintance

"Brother! Are you going to the bonfire party tonight?"

Whether it was fate or sheer coincidence, the moment Ji Huo returned to the inn, he ran into Tian Xun, who happened to staying at the very same place.

Upon catching sight of Ji Huo, the young man bounded over with bright, excited eyes and asked.

"Not going," Ji Huo replied expressionlessly.

"That's where the osmanthus tree is! The very tree where an overbearing female grandmaster and her frail little man made their vows of eternal love!" Tian Xun raised his voice.

Ji Huo did not break his stride, heading straight for the stairs without looking back. "Not interested."

Tian Xun doubled down and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"They're all women!"

...

"Actually, I just came to take a look," Ji Huo reasoned.

"I understand, I totally understand. We're merely here to appreciate the osmanthus tree, to admire the breeze, the moon, and the sea..." Tian Xun said with a cheeky grin.

The two of them sat not far from the roaring bonfire, while in the distance, groups of young men and women sang and danced merrily.

No matter how fierce the ocean breeze blew, it carried the subtle, sweet fragrance of young maidens.

"Hehe, hehehehe!"

Truth be told, inhaling such a scent was enough to put anyone in a delightful mood.

Tian Xun tried to drag Ji Huo into the dance circle, knowing that if Ji Huo joined, a swarm of fierce female martial artists would undoubtedly surround them. However, Ji Huo was too lazy to bother, leaving Tian Xun with no choice but to venture out alone.

"Young hero, might I ask your esteemed name?" At that moment, another female martial artist approached, cupping her fists in greeting.

This was hardly the first time tonight. Even though Ji Huo had deliberately sought out a dim, secluded corner, he could not conceal his alluring aura.

Ah, this damned charm of mine.

Ji Huo offered a faint smile. "Forgive me, my heart already belongs to another."

Just as the woman was about to reply, Ji Huo casually added, "A man."

With that, she turned and departed as swiftly as if she had swallowed a fly.

Ji Huo chuckled softly and looked toward the legendary osmanthus tree where the overbearing grandmaster and her young lover had allegedly pledged their love. Goodness me, it was densely hung with marriage plaques and countless small wooden slips inscribed with heartfelt wishes.

One had to hand it to the temple keeper here; he certainly knew a thing or two about marketing.

He had basically replicated the romantic tropes from popular romance novels.

Not only that, because the tree stood right at the entrance of the Dragon God Temple, visitors naturally figured, *Since we're already here, we might as well go inside and pay our respects*, leading to a steady, unbroken stream of tourists entering the temple.

The sheer revenue from incense offerings alone was immense, turning a massive profit.

Since he was already here and had his fill of wine, Ji Huo strolled toward the Dragon God Temple to see what kind of entity this Dragon God actually was.

In Western Sichuan, such temples were practically unheard of. In fact, the vast majority of temples throughout the martial world had fallen into ruin, with barely any remaining that still received incense offerings.

The reasons for this remained unknown.

This was also why, when Ji Huo initially proposed building a divine temple, everyone had objected. Song Ping had simply changed it to a living shrine instead, figuring a shrine dedicated to a living person would be more effective.

Perhaps in the eyes of the Central Plains people, if a enshrined deity proved reliable and responsive to prayers, there was no harm in making offerings.

If the deity failed to deliver, however, the fault lay squarely with the deity. *You can't even grant my humble little wish? Did you even try to manifest your power? No? Give me my money back! Otherwise, I'll go make a scene right inside the temple—and I mean loudly.*

Pragmatism was the name of the game.

A scene as bustling as this Dragon God Temple—brimming with perpetual incense and an endless parade of worshippers—was something one could usually only witness in a past life.

When Ji Huo stepped into the Dragon God Temple, he found the inner courtyard quite spacious. To one side sat a middle-aged temple keeper, resting his chin in one hand and keeping watch over his stall with a listless, exhausted air.

Behind him hung a sign with several large characters: "The Dragon God Wishes You Endless Good Fortune!" Below it was a smaller line of text: "Divination draws cost one silver tael per attempt."

On the table before the keeper stood a bamboo cylinder filled with dozens of divination slips, accompanied by a merit donation box.

At that moment, a young maiden was clutching the bamboo cylinder, whispering a silent prayer to herself.

When she finished praying, the girl shook the cylinder until a single slip fell out. She picked it up, and her complexion instantly turned pale.

Peering from a distance, Ji Huo saw that the slip bore only three stark characters: "Worst of the Worst," with no other text whatsoever.

"Master, this..." the girl asked in a trembling, hushed voice.

The middle-aged temple keeper cast a token glance without even lifting his head and casually replied, "Draw again."

The girl’s face lit up with immediate joy. Without a moment's hesitation, she forked over another silver tael, picked up the bamboo cylinder, and shook it vigorously until a medium-lucky slip dropped out.

"This..." The girl hesitated, casting a furtive glance at the temple keeper.

"Draw again," the keeper repeated.

"Alright!" she replied ecstatically, pulling out yet another silver tael and dropping it into the merit box.

*Clatter!*

This time, a top-tier auspicious slip fell out.

The girl was overjoyed. The keeper smiled and said, "Congratulations, young lady. You have received the blessing of the Dragon God, and your wishes are certain to come true."

"Thank you, Dragon God! Thank you, Master!" The girl scampered away happily, her steps noticeably lighter.

Quite a few people came to the keeper for divination. Whenever someone drew an unfavorable result, the keeper would prompt them to draw again, repeating the process two or three times until they finally landed on a top-tier auspicious slip.

Yet everyone who left wore a bright smile on their face, telling anyone who would listen how wonderful the divination at the Dragon God Temple was and how remarkably efficacious it proved to be.

With a peculiar expression, Ji Huo walked forward.

"Divination is one silver tael," the keeper said indifferently without raising his head.

Ji Huo tossed a pebble into the box, picked up the bamboo cylinder, and gave it a casual shake.

With a *clatter*, a slip fell out.

"Draw ag..." The keeper started to say, but suddenly sensing something amiss, he glanced down at the slip.

Top-tier auspicious.

"Huh?" His eyes widened. He lifted his head and saw a youth dressed in luxurious black garments with loose hair standing right before him, looking down at him with utter disdain.

"What are you looking at me for?" the middle-aged temple keeper demanded righteously.

Ji Huo narrowed his eyes. "What is the meaning of this?"

The keeper replied with complete calm, "Off-season. I take any gig."

"And that's your justification for running a scam here?" The contempt in Ji Huo's eyes deepened.

Wu Sheng retorted irritably, "If your Earth Fiend assassins hadn't snatched all the contracts, would I have been driven to this?"

Ignoring him, Ji Huo gazed out toward the distant ocean and muttered thoughtfully,

"Come to think of it, your 'Dark Water Sword' technique is supposed to involve comprehending the power of water, and you've reached the 'ocean' level now? Not bad at all."

"Scram, scram, scram! You put me in a foul mood the moment you show up! Go find some cool shade and stay there!" Wu Sheng waved his hand as if his secret had been exposed, shooing Ji Huo away with extreme disgust, as though driving off a fly.

Ji Huo took two steps, then suddenly turned back and murmured softly,

"You wouldn't want the other assassins to find out that the dignified second-best assassin in the world has stooped to swindling silver from young girls, would you?"

Wu Sheng, bearing the moniker "Death Without Reprieve," was ranked second on the Assassin's Leaderboard.

"Get lost! What scamming? Didn't you see how happy they were when they left? I gave them the opportunity to redraw—what a benevolent person I am! It's a willing buyer and a willing seller!"

Wu Sheng's weathered face flushed crimson, his voice rising a few notches.

"Is that why you used your inner qi to manipulate the bamboo cylinder?" Ji Huo added softly.

"Ji Huo! Don't think that just because you've become a grandmaster I won't dare beat you up!" Wu Sheng's voice grew even louder.

Ji Huo let out a mocking laugh. "Even before I became a grandmaster, you couldn't beat me."

"..."

Wu Sheng's face turned beet red. He longed to unleash a torrent of abuse, but noticing that several people were already looking their way, he took a deep breath and demanded,

"What do you want?"

With that, he reached beneath the table, hauled out a jar of wine, and tossed it over.

Ji Huo caught the jar, happily removed the seal, and took a swig. His eyes instantly lit up, and he asked with a smile,

"What's the story with this Dragon God?"