She didn't know when, but Lanqin drifted off to sleep. She had never known before that a person could fall asleep sitting up, but that night, she not only fell asleep sitting up, but also had to withstand the bitter cold of the night. The room was pitch black and icy cold, and Lanqin huddled there and fell asleep.
I wonder if Fourth Master will be moved if he knows that Lanqin endured such suffering just to come and find him?
The next day, Lanqin woke up very early; she was awakened by the cold. Moreover, she was afraid of being discovered by the Taoist priests who came to clean the Jade Void Palace the next day, so she was on high alert and woke up very early.
She stood up, stretched her limbs which were numb from the cold, then walked to the window, reached out and pushed aside the latch, gently opening the already worn wooden window. A ray of sunlight shone into Lanqin's hand. The sun must rise earlier on the mountainside than on the plains. Lanqin faced the sunlight and looked outside.
The Wudang Mountains were truly beautiful in the early morning. A layer of mist seemed to drift through the forest, giving the mountain an ethereal quality. The chirping of birds, near and far, sounded like heavenly music, incredibly pleasant to the ear. Lanqin noticed that the outside was still empty; there wasn't a soul in sight. She guessed it was still early, and no one had gotten up yet.
Lanqin decided to explore the Jade Void Palace properly first, as it had been too dark and cold last night. Taking advantage of the fact that no one had come yet, Lanqin began her tour. When she arrived at a large palace at the back, she was astonished by the portraits of the successive sect leaders hanging there. Last night she had only seen the portrait of the founder, but she hadn't expected that in the large palace at the back, portraits of more than thirty sect leaders from the founding of the sect to the present day would all be hanging on the walls.
Lanqin glanced around briefly before emerging from inside. It seemed that the Jade Void Palace was clearly a gathering place for these Taoist priests to discuss scriptures and doctrines.
Lanqin walked to the entrance of Yuxu Palace, thought for a moment, and then decided to go to the kitchen because her stomach was rumbling. She needed to get something to eat first, and also find out from those people where the Fourth Prince and the others were being held.
Although Fourth Master and the others were imprisoned by these Taoist priests, they still needed to eat, so there must have been Taoist priests delivering food to them. Therefore, it was the right thing to start by investigating the kitchen.
Lanqin remembered that the aunt had told her that the kitchen was on Changfang Ridge. So, she followed the mountain path towards Changfang Ridge, which she remembered. Along the way, Lanqin hardly encountered a single Taoist priest. She continued towards Changfang Ridge, and because it was an uphill path, it took Lanqin about fifteen minutes to finally see the rooftops of the houses on Changfang Ridge.
Sure enough, the closer she got to Changfang Ridge, the more Taoist priests she encountered. They were likely minor priests of low status, preparing breakfast for their masters or senior brothers. It was like this everywhere; those without ability were oppressed and exploited.
Lanqin lowered her head and imitated the young Taoist priests, hurrying towards Changfang Ridge. She saw that the kitchen was located in a secluded courtyard within the palace, while the other buildings were likely used for other purposes.
"Hey, where are you from?" a voice came from behind Lanqin.
"Ah! I'm from Xuan Yue Sect, I'm here to bring them breakfast." Lan Qin had no choice but to say it, forcing herself to be polite. She knew that those who guarded the mountain gate were probably the least popular, so not many people would remember the Taoist priests who guarded the gate.
"Oh. You're from over there. I don't think I've seen you before!" said the young Taoist priest.
"I didn't come here often before. Which palace are you from?" Lanqin asked in a low voice.
"I'm from Taizipo. Hurry up, or those guys will take all the good stuff," the young Taoist priest said.
Lanqin then went inside with the young Taoist priest to fetch their meals. She noticed that the kitchen here was similar to the one in the Fourth Master's inner quarters; many dishes were prepared and placed on arranged shelves. She could take whatever she wanted. Any special requests required prior reservation.
Lanqin saw a table laden with steamed buns, cakes, and other staple foods and couldn't resist taking two. Seeing that everyone else was carrying baskets while she had nothing, she secretly peeked into the kitchen and spotted a basket. She picked it up and began to imitate the other Taoists, putting food into it.
"Damn it, I still have to deliver food to those people!" Lanqin heard someone complain from a few people away.
A thought flashed through her mind: could the "those people" the Taoist priest had mentioned refer to Fourth Master and his group? With that in mind, Lanqin walked over to the man, intending to ask him about it.
"Senior brother, who are those people you just mentioned?" Lanqin walked over to the man as if nothing had happened and handed him some fried dough sticks.
"Where are you from?" the Taoist priest asked, frowning as he saw that Lanqin was a stranger.
"Hehe, I'm from the Xuan Yue Sect. I just heard you talking about those people, senior brother. I wonder who they are. I saw you were working hard, so I wanted to help you out," Lan Qin said with a fawning smile.
"You're quite ambitious, but there's no future for you at Xuan Yue Sect. Kid, how about you go work for our Five Dragons Palace?" the Taoist priest said.
Five Dragon Palace? Lan Qin silently noted it down in her mind, then smiled and said, "Senior brother, you're overthinking it. I just heard you complaining and wanted to help you out. I didn't mean anything else."
“Well, you’re not from the Wulong Palace, so even if you wanted to share the burden with me, it wouldn’t work,” the Taoist priest said.
In a short while, everyone who had breakfast left with their meals, leaving only Lanqin still dawdling there.
"I'm talking to you, you! You've been holding on for ages, what are you trying to get?!" A deep, gruff voice came from somewhere.
Lanqin was startled and replied, "I'm sorry, Master, I'm a little hesitant. I don't know which breakfast to get for my senior brother."
"You said you're from the Xuan Yue Sect?" A chubby head chef came out of the kitchen and looked at Lan Qin.
"Yes, Master Chef," Lan Qin replied.
"When did Xuan Yue Sect acquire such a handsome young Taoist priest like you?" the fat master said.
"I haven't been here long," Lanqin said, her heart tightening.
"Oh, new here. No wonder you don't know the rules. Hurry up and take your things and leave," the fat cook said.
Lanqin hurriedly picked up a few breakfast items and put them in her basket before leaving the kitchen. She had just heard the man mention the Five Dragons Terrace and decided to give it a try; perhaps those people were the ones she was looking for.
Lanqin walked with her head down, encountering more and more Taoist priests along the way. She dared not look up, and continued running towards the Five Dragons Terrace with her head lowered.
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