Chapter 127 Testing You Qing
Xu Qianqian was quite frightened.
The rest of the crew were skeptical. Some suspected she was trying to create a publicity stunt, while others felt that she had become paranoid since "Starry Eyes Awakening" and might have some mental issues.
"...I want to be alone."
Seeing that they didn't really believe her, Xu Qianqian closed the door, feeling cold all over, and slowly slid down to the ground, her back against the door panel.
Then she called Yan Zekai again, her voice trembling with tears: "Zai, Zai, you don't know what I saw, it was a ghost! They don't believe me!"
After listening to her description, Yan Zekai pondered for a while.
"Don't be afraid, Qianqian, I'll come find you tomorrow."
That night, Xu Qianqian stayed awake until dawn.
The cracks on the jade Guanyin made her feel increasingly uneasy.
In the early morning, her face was deathly pale in the mirror, with dark circles under her eyes. She didn't bother with concealer and just wiped her face haphazardly.
When the guide, Lao Li, saw that the girl, who had been lively and cheerful the day before, had suddenly turned into a wilted eggplant, he asked her a question.
Old Li seemed thoughtful after hearing her story.
"Not far away, on Jinglan Mountain, lives a powerful celestial master."
“A heretical Taoist priest came to our village before, trying to use the lives of the villagers to forge weapons. That Taoist priest killed the heretical priest in no time. He is the benefactor of our whole village.”
Old Li pointed to the misty Jinglan Mountain not far away: "If Miss Xu is worried, why don't you go up the mountain and ask that Celestial Master?"
Xu Qianqian's heart fluttered.
She was quick to agree to leave; she told the director she wanted to ask for a leave of absence to see the Taoist master.
Unexpectedly, the director was even more excited than she was, slapping his thigh and saying, "That's a great idea! I was just worried that the show was missing a punchline!"
After all, if this show only focused on picking vegetables and cooking, it would lack some excitement. The hermit Taoist priests living in seclusion in the mountains would be much more interesting.
Xu Qianqian hesitated: "What if that reclusive master doesn't like being photographed..."
The director waved his hand: "It's okay, it's okay. If they don't like it, we'll just turn off the camera. You know, the internet is so popular now that it's only been online for a millennium. If our show has some mystical elements, the ratings will definitely skyrocket."
“Alright,” Xu Qianqian nodded, “Then it’s settled. If the Celestial Master is unwilling, we’ll leave immediately.”
"Okay! I'll go prepare the equipment right away!"
The director turned around excitedly, already calculating how many trending topics this episode could garner.
...
The group wandered along the rugged mountain path for nearly an hour, but still couldn't find the small courtyard that Old Li had mentioned.
The cameraman carried heavy equipment, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"Is Old Li playing a trick on us?" the assistant director complained, wiping his sweat. "There's no sign of anyone living here in this desolate wilderness."
Just as everyone was complaining, a clear voice suddenly came from above.
"What are you looking for, wandering around here?"
The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a girl in a blue Taoist robe standing on a protruding rock above.
She was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a bamboo basket tied around her waist, and was tilting her head to look at them curiously.
The director's eyes lit up, and he quickly cupped his hands and said, "Young Taoist priest, we heard that a Celestial Master lives on this mountain, so we have come to pay our respects."
The girl raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "Weren't you guys filming 'Rural Food Chronicles'? How come you've switched to seeking immortals and visiting Taoist masters?"
"You know us?" the director asked in surprise.
“I saw you in Qixia Village yesterday, quite a large group.”
The girl leaped lightly off the rock, her movements as nimble as a mountain deer.
At this moment, Xu Qianqian stepped out from the crowd and asked softly, "Little sister, can you take us to find that Celestial Master?"
The girl's eyes lit up when she saw Xu Qianqian's face clearly: "Qianqian! I really loved your performance in 'Starry Eyes Awakening'!"
But then he said seriously, "However, I need to ask the Grand Preceptor whether he will see you or not."
She turned to leave, then turned back and added, "You all stay here and don't move."
After saying that, he disappeared like a gust of wind at the end of the mountain road, leaving the group of people looking at each other in bewilderment.
You Qing quickly returned, her sleeves fluttering with a hint of excitement: "The Grand Preceptor said you can see me, come with me."
She waved to the crowd.
The group excitedly followed.
"Young Taoist priest, may I ask your honorable name?"
"My name is You Qing."
The group followed her around a bend in the mountain, and suddenly the view opened up before them.
A courtyard with blue bricks and gray tiles stands quietly amidst the verdant bamboo.
On the courtyard wall, ivy climbs and several wisteria buds are about to bloom.
The director rubbed his eyes: "Strange, how come I didn't see it just now..."
“This is a smokescreen set up by the Grand Preceptor.” You Qing raised her chin smugly. “Ordinary people would not be able to find the way even after three days of searching.”
Xu Qianqian couldn't help but ask, "You Qing, is that Celestial Master's name the Imperial Preceptor? Is he your master?"
You Qing is a bit hard to explain. Where would a national advisor come from in this era? But she just gets used to calling her that.
She could only mumble, "She's not my master. My master and grandmaster would all be called 'Master'... Well, you can call her 'Millennial Master,' that's what everyone calls her online anyway."
Xu Qianqian was startled and stopped in her tracks, exclaiming in surprise, "Wait, you just said... a thousand-year master?"
Even the great master was her benefactor!
Xu Qianqian quickened her pace, grabbed You Qing's arm, and hurried forward.
Xu Qianqian's voice trembled with excitement: "She's my savior!"
She hurriedly tidied her hair, then looked down at her mud-covered shoes: "This...this is so rude of me to come empty-handed..."
You Qing chuckled: "No need for all that formality, come in quickly."
As he spoke, he pushed open the courtyard gate covered with ivy, and a delicate aroma of tea wafted in on the breeze.
Inside the courtyard, a woman dressed in a blue Taoist robe sat at a small table, the morning light filtering through the wisteria trellis and casting dappled shadows on her.
Hearing footsteps, she slowly raised her head, revealing an ethereal face.
The director excitedly nudged the cameraman with his elbow and whispered, "Quick! Close-up! This is exclusive footage!"
Lu Yao caught a glimpse of the flashing red dot out of the corner of her eye, but simply smiled indifferently.
As a popular metaphysical livestreamer, she is already used to every gaze in front of the camera.
"Master of a Thousand Years!" Xu Qianqian rushed forward, her words tumbling out in excitement. "Thanks to you on TV last time, you broke Su Man's Heaven-Stealing Array. That Samadhi True Fire was just too cool... I've been sending you gifts in your live stream every day since, but it's not enough to express my gratitude..."
Lu Yao smiled and stopped her from speaking: "I appreciate the thought."
She lightly tapped the teacup with her fingertip: "Tell me about the trouble you've encountered."
Xu Qianqian calmed her breathing and recounted the terrifying events of the previous night in detail.
Her voice trembled involuntarily when she spoke of the woman in white.
After listening, Lu Yao looked at You Qing thoughtfully and said, "You Qing, you've been with me for a while now, why don't you give me your opinion?"
This means they're going to test the teachers.
You Qing immediately tensed up and straightened her back.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
