Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

"My two gentlemen, the Yue Lao Temple was indeed not as popular as it is now."

A female Taoist woman in her thirties walked out from behind the tree. She was wearing a light blue Taoist robe. Her long, thick black hair was carefully combed up and tied with a gauze bun of the same color as her clothes. Her face was rosy and she walked gracefully.

For some reason, Cong Jinghai felt a little uncomfortable. He frowned subconsciously and became alert. He kept recalling whether he had seen this person when he came here many years ago.

Cui Bianxu, on the other hand, curled his lips into a smile, spoke softly, and saluted with his arms crossed: "May I know your Taoist name, Yuanjun?" (When addressing a female Taoist priest, one can address her as Yuanjun or Xiangu in person.)

"I'm a poor Taoist who has left the world."

"I hope Yuanjun will be willing to give me some advice."

Cong Jinghai felt inexplicably nauseous. What was wrong with Cui Shaoqing? Why was he so completely different from usual? Like a peacock spreading its feathers.

"My dear, you are so polite." The Taoist nun returned the greeting with a reserved expression, her eyes flickering as she slowly approached. "Three months ago, a senior brother came to the temple. He was very good at interpreting divinations, and many young ladies came here to admire his reputation."

"What are you here for?" Cong Jinghai's brain was a little numb from the stimulation, so he asked a stupid question.

Nun Quchen pursed her lips and chuckled softly. She spun on her toes and flicked the whisk in her hand, sweeping it across Cui Bianxu's thighs. She turned and walked towards the main hall: "My dear, are you confused? You came to Yue Lao Temple to seek marriage."

Cong Jinghai felt uncomfortable all over because of the laughter. He crossed his arms and rubbed the goose bumps up and down. Just as he was about to complain to his boss, he saw Cui Bianxu had already followed him. He glanced at the lush green locust tree, then looked at the Yue Lao Temple which was covered in red, cursed in a low voice, "Red and green are a mess", and hurriedly caught up.

"My dear, look, that is Senior Brother Yanyin. He is very knowledgeable in Taoism. Most of the young ladies who come to the temple come for him." Nun Quchen pointed a pair of white and tender hands to a corner of the hall. She and Cui Bianxu were very close, and she had the fragrance of peach blossoms on her body.

Cui Bianxu followed the direction she pointed and saw a dazzling crowd of young ladies gathered there. Not only were they chattering noisy, but the mixed scent of various cosmetics on their bodies overwhelmed the incense that was always lit in the temple and made the veins on his forehead throb.

Is this a Yue Lao Temple or a spice shop? It's so stinking it's killing me!

He took a step back calmly, glancing at the bundles of red silk ribbons hanging on the wall. Each had a small wooden plaque dangling from either end. Below that was a low table with a brush, inkstone, and inkstone on it. "What is this?"

"My dear, you may not know that there are too many people looking for Senior Brother Yanyin. Unfortunately, no matter how profound his Taoism is, he can only interpret six lots a day at most. The remaining young ladies don't want to come in vain, so they ask for a marriage belt and hang it on the sycamore tree in front of the temple."

Hearing this, he peeked outside and proudly boasted to Cui Bianxu, "I once tossed the marriage ribbon with my wife under that tree. I was so strong that I threw it up and it got caught. This ribbon is very particular. If you can't throw it up after three attempts, you can't throw it again."

"I see." Although Cui Bianxu had never been to the Yue Lao Temple, he had been to many Taoist temples. These so-called marriage belts and blessing belts were nothing but a scam. "It's ridiculous to think that all wishes can be fulfilled with just a small belt."

Cong Jinghai's face froze. What was going on? Why was this person's attitude so bad the next? It was a slap in the face, but how could he say such things on someone else's territory? He stole a glance at Nun Quchen.

Fortunately, this Taoist nun has a great mentality and remains calm even when people complain about her in person.

"Sincerity is the key to success." Nun Quchen flicked her whisk and said, "If you two gentlemen are not seeking marriage, you might as well go to the God of Wealth Temple across the street."

Cong Jinghai bared his teeth and winked at Cui Bianxu: "They're kicking me out! It's all your fault!"

As a result, he thought Cui Bianxu was going to say something to ease the atmosphere, so he saw him walk directly behind the young ladies. He was tall and could get closer, so he saw Yan Yin sitting on the crescent stool in the innermost part, holding a fortune stick in his hand and talking to a young lady in detail.

Cong Jinghai stretched his neck and refused to look at Nun Quchen. Instead, he stood beside Cui Bianxu, tiptoeing to look inside for a while. Not only did his toes hurt, but the soles of his feet almost cramped, so he had to give up.

When Yan Yin spoke, the young ladies would suddenly fall silent, and his deep, slow voice would float out intermittently from inside: "Returning home in the wind and rain is just... in the end, the fortress will be destroyed and the mud will be piled up again. According to the fortune, what the young lady asked for will not go smoothly."

The young lady in front of him, twisting her fingers with a serious expression, looked no more than fourteen years old. She had been somewhat confused when she first heard him recite the poem, but by the end her face had turned pale. She bit her lower lip, her eyes moist. "Yan Yin is long. Is there any way to break it?"

"This..." Cui Bianxu couldn't quite tell Yanyin's age. Judging from his face, he looked no more than thirty years old, but his hair and beard were all white, and he looked like an immortal. He seemed a little embarrassed and held his long beard in his palm.

These ladies who are deeply poisoned by feudal superstitions understand this kind of hesitation very well - there is a way!

The young lady immediately took off the purse from her waist and pushed it in front of Yan Yin, begging him sincerely to accept the offering.

Yan Yin said with a compassionate look, "Although this matter is difficult to handle, I have calculated that the young lady was a kind-hearted person in her previous life. I have no choice but to give it a try for her."

After seeing this, Cui Bianxu felt that the man was meaningless and turned away. He knew at first glance that he was a fraud who stole people's money.

Hearing the sound of copper coins clashing from the mirror sea, he couldn't help but show envy and whispered: "This earns more than me!"

This Yue Lao Temple is extremely small, with only one main hall and two side halls. There seems to be a garden behind the main hall. The garden gate is locked and the wall is two and a half meters high. Cui Bianxu stretched his neck but could not see a single thing.

"Cui Jiulang, can a person grow taller than a wall? Look at me!" Cong Jinghai said as he stepped forward, stuck his butt out and peeked inside through the crack in the door.

Cui Bianxu felt very embarrassed seeing him like that, so he quietly distanced himself from him, fanned himself with a fan and looked away, pretending to be enjoying the scenery, but actually he was keeping watch for him.

After a while, she retracted her hips from the Mirror Sea and walked back as if nothing had happened. She said in surprise, "That garden seems to be where these Taoist nuns live. There's nothing special about it."

"Then why lock it up?" Cui Bianxu also felt strange. Generally, Taoist temples and monasteries, where monks and Taoists live, would be closed, but they would not be locked up with such a big lock, as if to guard against someone.

Jing Hai naturally had no answer to this question. He looked around like a thief, then leaned over to Cui Bianxu and whispered, "How about I climb over the wall and take a look?"

"Go back first and let someone watch over it." Cui Bianxu glanced at the sun and suddenly felt that why did Cong Jinghai suddenly become unreliable?

It was broad daylight and both of them were in plain clothes. How could they be climbing over the wall?

Who knows that even though Nun Quchen has disappeared, she might still be watching them from some corner!