Li Wu twisted his left shoulder, confirming there was nothing abnormal with his body.
The original plan to buy the Holy Blood was to completely heal the gunshot wound on his left shoulder. That goal had already been achieved at the Cioara Orphanage, so it didn't matter if he bought it or not.
Just as Li Wu prepared to head back home, a beautiful snow-white figure instantly caught all his attention. For some reason, Li Wu didn't step forward to greet her. Instead, he immediately rushed to hide behind a utility pole.
"Kiana... what is she doing in a place like this?"
Li Wu was curious.
He thought hard but couldn't come up with a reason, not even a clue.
Why would someone as aloof as Kiana appear alone in such a place at night? Could it be... she's meeting a friend for dinner?
Could she have friends?
The answer was negative.
Like a sneaky thief, Li Wu used the crowd and buildings to conceal his figure, secretly tailing Kiana in the shadows.
They walked from the noisy snack street to the Nagazora Bridge, taking a full half-hour to cross it.
This confused Li Wu even more. If she was going somewhere this far, why not take a car? Did the Young Miss of the Kaslana family lack that bit of money? Or was it purely for physical exercise?
Suddenly, Kiana stopped in front of a grocery store, spoke with the owner inside for half a minute, and walked straight toward a Daoist temple less than two hundred meters ahead.
The name was: Qingyuan Temple.
Shenzhou style? There's actually a building like this in Nagazora City? Li Wu was completely unaware; this was another setting outside the manga.
But he could accept this surprise. After all, the manga mainly revolved around the love, hate, and emotional entanglements between the protagonist and the Valkyries. It was impossible to thoroughly draw every aspect of the city, and readers didn't care to read about that anyway.
Furthermore, the Third Honkai Eruption would destroy the entire city, so there was absolutely no need to waste ink describing it.
As for why so many people were gathered around Qingyuan Temple, they were probably there to pray to gods and Buddhas for peace of mind.
The people of the Far East didn't understand the meaning behind the three Shenzhou characters "Qingyuan Temple," but he understood perfectly: to clear the source and rectify the root, to cast aside distracting thoughts.
Did she specifically come to a Daoist temple to seek inner peace because of the nightmare she had during the day?
Isn't that making a mountain out of a molehill? A nightmare is just a dream, after all.
Li Wu waited until Kiana entered the temple before blending into the crowd and walking up to the grocery store.
Since the sun had just set, the streetlights and the neon signs of the shops lit up one after another. The street instantly became colorful. Walking on the street felt like walking on a giant, fully spread peacock tail—vibrant and bright. Couples walked hand in hand, the romantic and rich atmosphere blending into the light and spreading out.
Only then did Li Wu realize: Why are all the visitors couples? Is this right? It's not some popular romantic check-in spot, it's just a Daoist temple.
"Boss, I..."
"A 'Romantic Fate' (Qingyuan) Omamori from Qingyuan Temple? Here, take it, two hundred Far East credits."
"Uh..." Li Wu looked at the red omamori the boss forcibly stuffed into his hand, a bit dazed, but he still paid for it using his meager personal savings. "Isn't it 'Qingyuan Temple' (Clear Source) up ahead? Boss, why did you say 'Romantic Fate' (Qingyuan)? The pronunciation of the two is vastly different, it's impossible to mispronounce it, right?"
In Shenzhou language, they might be homophones, but in the Far East language, they were two completely different pronunciations and couldn't be mistaken.
Hearing Li Wu's question, the grocery store boss couldn't help but look sideways at Li Wu. He looked him up and down, confirmed he was alone, and suddenly realized something.
Upholding the principle that the customer is God—and a paying customer is the God of Gods—the boss patiently explained to Li Wu: "The Qingyuan Temple you're talking about is a Daoist temple imported from Shenzhou. At first, people only went there to pray for family safety and inner peace. But in recent years, for some unknown reason, it suddenly became popular among young people. Everyone started calling it 'Qingyuan Temple' (Romantic Fate). I heard it sounds similar when read in Shenzhou characters."
"Later, it started a trend of couples coming here to check in and take photos, hehe. Following the trend, the temple made red omamori. These 'Romantic Fate' omamori are officially authorized. But since you didn't know about the 'Romantic Fate' aspect, you definitely aren't here to pray for a good match. Let me swap it for the original 'Clear Source' omamori for you!"
The boss was a middle-aged man with a very honest and simple smile. His plump body squeezed between a pile of boxes as he dug out a box of blue omamori from the deepest corner.
Then, disregarding Li Wu's wishes, he handed one to him.
"Then I'll give the first omamori back to you, Boss."
"No need, no need. It's just an omamori anyway, doesn't cost much. You're a new tourist, right? The 'Romantic Fate' omamori has more commemorative value. When you meet a girl you like someday, bravely give the 'Romantic Fate' omamori to her! As for the 'Clear Source' omamori, to tell you the truth, the people in the temple have lost confidence in its sales. They told us shop owners that it's fine to give it away for free if we meet someone fated."
"There is a Miss Fox in the Daoist temple on the mountain. You can only meet her if you take two omamori. Young man, I'm only telling you this because you seem like a nice guy. Usually, I don't tell people!"
The boss patted Li Wu's shoulder, making Li Wu pull his hand back, and then turned his gaze to the next tourist.
Li Wu simply decided to keep both omamori.
There were too many people waiting in line behind him, and Li Wu felt embarrassed to keep interrupting the boss's business. He would have to seek answers to his many questions on the mountain himself.
Miss Fox?
Isn't she just a female staff member in the Daoist temple? Why make it sound so mysterious...
Li Wu, well-versed in traditional Shenzhou culture, saw through it instantly. The so-called Miss Fox was purely a gimmick to trick young boys into impulse spending.
A sigma male like him certainly wouldn't believe the Miss Fox on the mountain was some great beauty.
And even if she were a great beauty, so what? Just like female streamers, being at the center of traffic, flattered and loved by people, she must have had many suitors.
Handsome ones, rich ones, sweet-talkers... she had definitely seen them all and was probably long desensitized to them. Only young boys would fantasize about locking eyes for ten thousand years, aligning their brainwaves, and having a passionate romance.
In reality, from the very beginning, it was an out-and-out scam.
She was purely just working and had absolutely no intention of dating. Even if she wanted to find a partner, she definitely wouldn't pick from a bunch of "tourists" she met while working.
With that free time, it was better to generously pursue someone you liked in daily life.
But...
Li Wu looked down at the 'Romantic Fate' omamori. The miniature fox mask on it looked exceptionally familiar. Was it a coincidence?
Nagazora City, Miss Fox, Qingyuan Daoist Temple opposite the Yae Shrine, Fox Omamori...
Could it be Yae Sakura?
But she didn't appear in the manga.
Forget it, since she isn't a heroine, there is no "destined crisis." Even if she fits my preferences, it will have to wait until things settle down.
Li Wu, oh Li Wu, you can't let the little head control the big head!
Li Wu shook his head vigorously, casting aside the meaningless clickbait information about Miss Fox, and did not forget the purpose of coming here.
But it seemed he shook his head too hard, causing the surrounding tourists to cast strange glances at him. Countless lines of sight, densely packed...
Helpless, Li Wu had to quicken his pace and walk toward the Qingyuan Temple on the mountain, escaping this environment that made him feel oppressed.
As Li Wu got closer to the mountaintop, the number of people increased rather than decreased. The tree trunks and branches were decorated with lanterns and festoons, as festive and lively as celebrating a holiday. Couples stood in pairs on the slopes on both sides of the steps, taking photos with the bright red Shenzhou decorations. Girls stared intently at their phones, boys stared intently at the girls; at this moment, everyone seemed exceptionally radiant.
Qingyuan Temple did a very good job in this regard. Instead of putting on high-and-mighty airs and focusing on art, they catered to the tastes of the masses, transforming the Daoist temple into a place young couples loved.
Such an atmosphere was rare in normal society. The couples on the mountain cherished the present moment deeply, nearly blinding his titanium-alloy dog eyes.
"Do you like it?"
"I like it, can we do it again?"
"Mmh..."
"No, don't turn it up anymore, I-I can't take it...!"
In broad daylight, in front of a crowd... kissing is one thing, but how did electric toys get involved?! Are you Fibi trailing wires too?!
"See no evil, see no evil..." Li Wu muttered to himself.
Regarding exhibitionism.
He didn't understand it, but he respected it, pretending not to see anything and continuing up the mountain.
After continuously climbing hard for ten minutes, Li Wu finally reached the top of the small mountain and saw the gate of Qingyuan Temple.
Compared to other panting tourists, Li Wu's breathing was steady, and he hadn't even shed a few drops of sweat. His physical constitution had been enhanced a bit too much. What exactly did Raven feed him? This was much stronger than Holy Blood.
"Phew... business first." Li Wu hid in the crowd, quickly looking for Kiana, and found her under a cherry blossom tree not far away.
Kiana was holding a bamboo fortune slip in her hand, seemingly conducting some activity under the guidance of a Daoist priest.
Unable to hear what the two were saying clearly, Li Wu decided to take a risk. He directly pretended to be a tourist, lowered his head, and gradually approached while blending into the crowd.
As the distance closed, Li Wu finally heard the conversation between Kiana and the Daoist clearly—
"Honored guest, you have already drawn many times. May I ask if the message on this slip meets your wishes?"
The Daoist asked calmly.
Kiana held up the bamboo slip, and the top was deeply engraved with "Great Fortune." Obviously, she had drawn the best slip once again.
"I've drawn 'Great Fortune' thirteen times in a row. This cylinder is filled with nothing but 'Great Fortune,' right? When you saw me, you swapped the cylinder containing different slips for one that only has 'Great Fortune.' Don't you think that's going too far?"
"Going too far? Actually, the one going too far is you, Honored Guest. You are too harsh on yourself."
The Daoist smiled gently, not angered by Kiana. He methodically took all the bamboo slips out of the cylinder, placed them in his hand, and spread them out. Sure enough, they were all "Great Fortune."
Then, the Daoist stuffed all the bamboo slips back into the cylinder, took out a new cylinder from behind him, handed it to Kiana, and gestured for her to draw another one.
As Kiana reached out, the Daoist spoke up to remind her, "Drawing slips for fortune-telling is nothing but a street trick. How can a person's fate be calculated through such child's play? If drawing a slip could decide one's fate, wouldn't that be too unfair to those who strive in life?"