Achieving A Happy Ending With The Tragic Female Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 6

The temple was filled with a dense scent of incense. Through the swirling mist, Su Mi looked up at the jade statue, gazing at it for a moment before shifting her focus to the surroundings.

The two windows on the walls were tightly shut, with several thin lines stretched across them. On either side hung intertwined black and red ropes, dropping down in an orderly fashion. At the bottom of each tassel tied a copper bell; the slightest disturbance would cause them to ring.

It looked like a setup to ward off thieves.

Unlike Su Mi’s serious observation, Wanqi Yue’s eyes were filled with novelty. Having grown up on Mount Qingyang, most of what she knew about the outside world came from the stories of her peers and elders thus, she held a natural curiosity for places she had never seen.

After looking around, she called out to Su Mi: “Senior Sister.”

The soft, warm voice reached Su Mi’s ear. She turned her face and responded, “Hmm?”

Wanqi Yue continued, “The carving technique of this jade statue seems even more exquisite than those of our ancestors on Fengxian Cliff.”

Fengxian Cliff was the front peak of Mount Qingyang, where statues of the ancestors who founded the sect stood to guard the mountain gate. Those statues were the work of a cultivator known in the immortal world as the “Fairy of Carved Light.”

This person’s carving skills were supernatural she could even carve spiritual energy along specific veins, turning her creations into spiritual artifacts. Countless people scrambled for a single piece of her work, but they were incredibly rare. Had Mount Qingyang not shown her great kindness in the past, it would have been difficult to commission her for the ancestral statues.

Rumor had it she belonged to no sect and her movements were a mystery. After completing the statues at Mount Qingyang, she vanished completely. No one had seen her since, and her existence had become a legend passed down by word of mouth.

Su Mi only had vague impressions of the statues from the original host’s memories, so she gave a non-committal hum to avoid saying anything wrong.

As time passed, more and more people entered the temple to worship. After lingering for a while and finding no new clues, Su Mi and Wanqi Yue prepared to leave.

To their surprise, the crowd outside was even larger. On the open ground outside the temple stood a tripod for incense, and next to it was a notice: Anyone who comes to offer incense will receive a free protective yellow talisman distributed by the temple.

Consequently, a sea of people pushed forward to offer incense in hopes of obtaining a peace talisman.

Su Mi disliked crowds, let alone rubbing shoulders with strangers in a cramped space. With her clean, cold features and silent demeanor, people instinctively gave her a wide berth, so they weren’t actually squeezed by the throng.

However, they couldn’t leave immediately and had to wait off to the side.

Standing right in front of them was a group of people preparing to get their talismans, chatting away.

Wanqi Yue, possessed of an irrepressible and lively nature, saw how highly they “hyped” the effectiveness of the talisman and couldn’t help but join in.

“Auntie, is this thing really that good? Could it be a scam?”

The woman addressed as “Auntie” looked at Wanqi Yue and grinned. “What could they be scamming us for if it’s free? Besides, I didn’t believe it at first either. But there was someone in our village who fell ill the doctors said he wouldn’t make it. His family came here to pray for this talisman, and he got better! Not a single ailment left.”

“That’s right, I heard the same. My daughter has been frail since she was little, so I came to get one for her.”

Similar words were heard incessantly, everyone seemed to hold great expectations for these talismans.

Su Mi did not join the conversation. Seeing a slight opening ahead, she called out to Wanqi Yue, “We can go now.”

Wanqi Yue replied, but her head kept turning back toward the distribution point, her eyes still full of curiosity.

“You want one too?” Su Mi asked, looking straight ahead.

Wanqi Yue turned back to look at her Senior Sister’s cold profile. She nodded first, then shook her head. “I’m actually just a little curious.” She finished by pinching her thumb and forefinger together to show a tiny gap. “Just a tiny bit.”

Su Mi turned back without hesitation to meet her gaze and said, “Talismans written by ordinary people have no magical empowerment. Like those medicinal pouches, they are of no benefit to you.”

The moment the words left her mouth, the “Coal Ball” (black cat) resting quietly on her shoulder suddenly shook its fur to warn her.

[Master, speaking like this discourages the female lead’s curiosity. It might cause her favorability to drop.]

Su Mi was about to argue that it was impossible she was merely stating facts when she looked up to see the value above the female lead’s head drop by one.

Su Mi: “…”

At that moment, Wanqi Yue’s long lashes drooped slightly, half-concealing her bright eyes, as she looked somewhat dejected.

For some reason, Su Mi sensed a hint of grievance in her expression.

Had she really said the wrong thing?

Su Mi remained silent for a moment, then tried to mend the situation. “If you like it, I can draw one exactly like it for you.”

After all, she was a Talisman Cultivator now, drawing something like this was second nature to her.

“Really?” Wanqi Yue immediately looked up. The sunlight hitting her eyes seemed to add a shimmering, fragmented glow, making them sparkle.

Su Mi nodded.

“Senior Sister is the best!”

Mindful of the people around them, Wanqi Yue didn’t speak loudly, but her somewhat childish tone reached Su Mi’s ears clearly.

Watching the joy value jump up by two points, Su Mi’s cold expression softened slightly.

She glanced at the crowded masses, pursed her lips for a second, then relaxed. “Wait for me here a moment.” With that, she turned and followed the flow of people toward the talisman distribution point.

Folk talismans were different from those studied by cultivators. Since she wanted to give her a “replica,” getting an original would make it easier to copy. The difference would be that she could infuse her own spiritual energy and the necessary arrays into it.

Wanqi Yue wanted to follow, but she was quickly blocked by the oncoming crowd. The two were separated in an instant, so she stood to the side to wait, fearing her Senior Sister wouldn’t be able to find her if she moved.

To get this talisman, Su Mi exhausted nearly all of her patience.

When it was finally her turn, she first took a stick of incense, blended in with the crowd to bow, and then went to the distribution area. She received a small, neatly folded yellow talisman from the distributor.

The coarse paper still smelled of cinnabar. Su Mi gave it a quick glance, tucked it into her palm, and walked back.

Wanqi Yue was still waiting. Seeing her return, she said she wanted to see what the talisman looked like.

Su Mi prepared to hand it over, but just as Wanqi Yue’s fingertips touched the paper, Su Mi’s hand retracted.

Wanqi Yue looked at her, puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

The bright yellow paper flipped slightly between Su Mi’s long, fair fingers. She stared at the traces of the incantation written on it, turning it over several times.

She discovered that a small positioning array was attached to this paper. It looked strikingly similar to the array found in the abandoned residence of the Divine Physician.

After hearing this, Wanqi Yue stopped thinking about the talisman she wanted.

“Why on earth are they giving these people trackable positioning arrays?” The more she looked at this temple, the more eerie it felt.

Su Mi tucked the item away. “Let’s go back first.”

Their trip hadn’t been entirely fruitless.

As they returned to the inn and went upstairs, they could vaguely hear voices coming from inside a room.

The sect had booked all the rooms on the south side of this floor, so anyone inside should be one of their own.

“Why do I hear a strange voice?” These were disciples Wanqi Yue saw every day; she could naturally distinguish their voices.

[Reminder: The male lead has appeared within the target range.]

As the Coal Ball finished speaking, Su Mi’s pale hand pushed open the closed door.

Standing among the Mount Qingyang disciples was a tall, elegant man in green robes. When the door opened, he turned to look.

“Senior Sister, you’re back?” one of the disciples exclaimed happily.

The man’s gaze fell upon Wanqi Yue in the back, and a flicker of something hidden flashed in his eyes. But in the next moment, his view was completely blocked by the woman with the cold aura.

Only then did he seem to snap out of it. He raised his hands in a polite greeting, his tone gentle and humble.

“I am Yue Qianzhou. It is a pleasure to meet you both.”