Qiulu Temple is located on the top of Qiulu Mountain. It is a nunnery that has not been open for very long.

According to the information Shi Jin found while climbing the mountain, this nunnery was moved to Qiulu Mountain only three years ago and was renamed Qiulu Nunnery.

After climbing for another ten minutes or so, we reached the top of the mountain.

Unexpectedly, there are not many tourists in Qiulu Mountain, but the Qiulu Temple is quite popular.

During the short few minutes that Guang Shijin stood in front of the door, he saw five or six people holding incense sticks and inserting them into the incense burner in front of the door, and bowing down sincerely.

The lingering aroma of incense enveloped the small Qiulu Temple, and the thick smoke filled the eyes, making people want to cry.

There are not many nuns in Qiulu Temple. Except for a middle-aged nun who provides incense and candles in front of the incense table, most of the others are busy with their own affairs.

Shi Jin stepped into the room and followed the footsteps of other pilgrims to the incense stand.

"Amitabha." The middle-aged nun in a nun's robe put her palms together, closed her eyes and chanted the Buddha's name: "May I ask what you are here to ask for, benefactor?"

The nun was wearing a blue-gray monk's robe and had a fair complexion. Although there were some fine lines at the corners of her eyes, one could still tell that she must have been a beauty when she was young.

Shi Jin paused and said, "Safe."

The nun counted out three incense sticks and handed them to him, then led him to the incense burner and watched him insert the incense into the burner.

The solemn golden statue of Buddha is located in the main hall in front of the incense burner, with compassionate eyes.

Shi Jin stood up and thanked the nun.

"Don't be polite, benefactor." The middle-aged nun lowered her eyebrows and smiled, then raised her head again: "If you need anything, you can go to the Buddhist place in front of the temple to ask for a Buddhist object."

A place of Buddha's fate?

Shi Jin followed her gaze and discovered that this so-called "Buddha's place" was just a small shop selling souvenirs.

He thanked the nun and walked towards the shop.

This small shop is just like all souvenir shops in tourist attractions. Apart from some Buddhist beads and amulets that are said to have been blessed by Qiulu Temple, the rest are basically small commodities purchased wholesale on a voluntary basis. They are renamed and packaged to become Qiulu Mountain specialties.

Shi Jin walked around the shop and found that the family of three who had just got off the car had also got on.

Seeing Shi Jin, his wife smiled tenderly, but the little girl who was just out of breath from exhaustion waved at him excitedly: "Big brother!"

Shi Jin curved his lips and walked over: "Are you here to see the souvenirs too?"

"Yes." The wife smiled and touched her daughter's head: "Come and ask for a lucky charm."

After a few simple words, the husband came back with the Buddhist beads and amulets he had bought: "Let's go and burn incense to the Buddha."

Perhaps because she saw him talking to the family of three, the nun in the shop came over and asked, "Do you need a peace amulet, benefactor?"

Shi Jin thought about it and followed the nun to the counter.

There are several strings of Buddha and some amulets in the transparent glass cabinet, with prices marked below. The cheapest ones are a few amulets for praying for peace, priced at 66.

Shi Jin listened to the nun's introduction and followed her instructions to ask her to take out the amulets: "I want three, no, four."

While the nun was wrapping up the amulet, Shi Jin asked casually, "I just saw two people coming up by cable car. Isn't the cable car at Qiulu Mountain only open to staff members?"

The nun raised her head and looked in the direction he pointed: "Those two donors are pilgrims of the nunnery, who give money to the nunnery all year round."

"The cable car is indeed only open to the staff of the scenic area and the people of the nunnery, but because the two donors often stay on the mountain, the abbot asked the staff to make it convenient for them as well."

Shi Jin keenly caught a key word: "Short stay? Does the nunnery also provide accommodation services?"

"Yes." The nun looked young, and her temperament had not yet been completely calmed by her practice. "From time to time, there are pilgrims who come to stay in the nunnery, mostly for one or two days."

She handed the wrapped amulet to Shi Jin and added, "If the donor wants to stay in the nunnery for a while, he can go to the abbot. The abbot is in charge of all accommodation matters in the nunnery."

Shi Jin took out his phone and scanned the QR code on the counter: "Thank you."

When he put away his phone, his eyes inadvertently passed over one end of the counter and paused slightly.

The nun followed his gaze and saw that he seemed to be looking at the red string on the corner of the cabinet: "Do you want a red string? You can wear it on your hand to keep safe."

Shi Jin was silent for a moment. After a while, he lowered his eyelids, and the expression in his eyes was hidden by his long black eyelashes.

"No."

The nun looked at the young man in black walking out of the shop with some confusion.

But soon she smiled again: "I sold so many amulets today, the host will definitely praise me."

She happily counted the remaining amulets in the cabinet, thinking that she would have to ask the host for a few more later.

While I was thinking, a dark shadow appeared in front of me.

The nun looked up and saw a handsome man standing in front of her, with his sharp eyebrows slightly raised: "What was he looking at just now?"

She came back to her senses: "Who are you asking about, benefactor?"

Yu Ci glanced around the transparent glass cabinet, but didn't find anything worth paying attention to.

"The man who just left was dressed in black and looked like an immortal."

His description was simple, but the nun knew it immediately: "The donor bought a few amulets, and before leaving he looked at this red string, but he didn't buy it."

Yu Ci followed her gaze and saw the red rope on the corner of the cabinet.

The red rope is an ordinary braided red rope, just like the bracelets you can see everywhere on the streets. It has no pendants and no special designs, it is just a simple loop.

Yu Ci didn't see anything special, but he still said, "I want it, please install it for me."

After he walked out of the door with the wrapped red rope, Yu Ci looked around the nunnery but didn't see the person he was looking for.

He frowned and took out his cell phone.

A middle-aged nun not far away came over and said, "Amitabha."

She looked at Yu Ci obscurely, then stopped at the watch on his wrist, and asked tentatively: "Donor, is there anything I can help you with?"

Out of respect, Yu Ci turned off the screen: "I would like to trouble Master to help me find someone."

The middle-aged nun's eyes flashed, and she relaxed her vigilance slightly. She looked around and lowered her voice: "Please follow me, the abbot is in the back."

Yu Ci frowned slightly.

Does he need to inform the abbot before he looks for someone?

Although he felt it was a bit strange, Yu Ci still followed the nun.

The Qiulu Temple doesn't look big from the outside, but after passing the main hall and passing through a secret path, there is a large locked courtyard at the back.

Before entering the room, the nun turned her head to look at him and asked a strange question: "Did you come up with this idea on a whim or have you been thinking about it for a long time?"

Is there a difference between finding someone on a spur of the moment and someone you’ve been thinking about for a long time?

Yu Ci looked at the nun who was still waiting for him to speak: "Neither."

The vigilance in the nun's eyes completely disappeared. She turned around and took the key to unlock the door: "Donor, I believe you came here because of our reputation. We will definitely not let you down."

Before Yu Ci could speak, the nun pushed open the gate, revealing a courtyard inside.

"This is the residence in the nunnery." She led the people behind her into the courtyard and said, "I will take you to see the abbot first. You can discuss the price and candidates with the abbot later."

Price and selection?

Yu Ci's brows suddenly tightened, and the weirdness in his heart completely came out.

When the nun turned around, he relaxed his brows, his face looked lazy, and his eyes casually swept across the simple courtyard, seeming to be a little disgusted: "Your environment is a bit shabby."

The nun looked outside the courtyard cautiously, and after making sure that no one else was following them, she closed the gate and locked it from the inside.

Hearing Yu Ci's slightly disdainful words, she did not get angry: "Donor, please bear with it for now. When you and the host have decided on the candidate, I will take you to the wing room in the backyard."

Yu Ci glanced at her and reluctantly agreed: "Okay."

"Let me make it clear first, if I'm not satisfied I will leave immediately."

"Donor, you are worried. There are many candidates in the nunnery. Donor will be satisfied."

——

The conversation between the nun and the man gradually became fainter and fainter, and finally could not be heard at all.

Shi Jin walked out from behind the tree in the corner and looked at the closed gate with a cold gaze.

He came here following the two middle-aged men he saw at the foot of the mountain.

Compared with other people who came to Qiulu Temple to worship Buddha, their behavior was really abnormal. After entering the temple, they did not worship Buddha or pay homage to Buddha. Instead, they carried their backpacks and walked around the main hall, and then followed the path all the way to the backyard of Qiulu Temple.

Shi Jin initially suspected that these two might be criminals who had committed a crime, but from what he had just heard from the nun in the shop, he knew that they were frequent visitors to the nunnery and frequently donated money to the nunnery, so it was obvious that they were not poor people.

only......

He didn't expect to get such an unexpected message here.

The nun who was in charge of guarding the gate had just gone to the toilet, and there was no one locking the gate from the outside.

Shi Jin took a peek through the crack of the wooden door and found that the door lock inside was the kind of bolt-type lock that was commonly used in the early years.

This type of door lock, which is fixed by the fall of the bolt, is easy to open.

Shi Jin picked up a branch from the ground and passed it through the crack of the door. With a slight flick of his wrist, the bolt was hooked up by the branch.

"squeak--"

The gate opened.

Shi Jin quickly slipped in and closed the gate behind him.

There was no one in the yard, this is what he just saw through the crack in the door.

This is a neat courtyard with rooms on both sides, but the doors and windows are all closed, so it is impossible to tell whether there is anyone living inside.

There is a rockery in the middle of the yard, and around the rockery is another door opposite the courtyard gate.

Shi Jin took a look and found that the door was locked from the inside.

There seemed to be nowhere to investigate.

Almost the next second after this thought came to his mind, a door on the right opened.

The person in the room was holding a wooden basin. Just as she was about to step out, she saw Shi Jin standing in the yard. She seemed startled and quickly closed the door again.

At that time, his brows were furrowed.

The door closed too quickly, and he only had time to take a quick glance, but he still saw the face of the person in the room.

She had a thin figure, a fair face, willow-shaped eyebrows, and cherry lips. Even the blue-gray nun's hat could not hide her beauty.

She is not very old and doesn't look like a nun.

While I was thinking, I heard the sound of the door leading to the backyard being unlocked.

There seemed to be nowhere to hide in the empty courtyard except the rockery in the center, but because of his previous exploration, he walked to the corner of the courtyard some distance away from the rockery, and the time to unlock the door was not enough for him to hide.

There is no way to avoid it, so just don't avoid it.

Shi Jin raised his eyes and stared at the gate with a cold gaze, intending to take the initiative.

The courtyard door opened, revealing two people standing on the other side.

The nun was startled when she saw someone outside the courtyard. Just as she was about to ask, she heard the guest beside her say, "You're here?"