Jiang Xiaoqing's eyes rolled around a little and she said, "Oh, right. Weren't you worried about whether the airing of Demons would be affected? Why don't you ask about Luo Xiu's career? You can not only ask about his fortune; they can also resolve any bad luck for you."
Gu Nian was a little tempted instantly.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she nodded slowly and said, "Oh, alright. What did you want to ask about?"
"Hmm. Romance?" Jiang Xiaoqing cracked open her mouth and smiled. "I want to see when my true love will show up!"
"Alright."
The young Taoist priest yawned while looking at the two girls walking away from him and smiled.
A young Taoist priest apprentice walked past and was stopped by the young Taoist priest.
The young Taoist priest apprentice turned, saw who the young Taoist priest was, and quickly lowered his head, "Great Uncle Chigua!"*
The young Taoist priest got a slight headache from his title that was equivalent to great grandfather. "Can't they slow down on the recruitment a little?"
"Great, Great Uncle, what did you say? I didn't, didn't……"
"Don't be nervous." The young Taoist priest patted the apprentice on his hand and said, "I am not testing you on your studying."
The young Taoist priest apprentice was nervous nonetheless.
He had heard from his seniors and even his master uncles that the old abbot of the temple had accepted a young disciple before he retired. He was young and new in the Taoist way but was considered the same "generation" as the current abbot. He was told to not offend this grand uncle but also best not to get too close to him……
The little Taoist priest apprentice recalled what his master had told him when he heard a languid voice coming from over his head, "I have some matters to take care of in the front hall. I need you to deliver a message to a visitor in the VIP room in the back hall."
"Oh?" The young Taoist priest apprentice looked up, dazed. He looked at the young Taoist priest's hand reflexively and noticed that he wasn't holding anything in his hand.
An Yi smiled and said, "Just a verbal message. Not literally a letter."
The young Taoist priest apprentice got it now and he blushed.
"When you see him, tell him to come here and have his fortune read."
The young Taoist priest apprentice nodded seriously and asked, "Should I say that it was instructed by Great Uncle?"
"Mmm," said An Yi. Then, thinking about it some more. "But he probably won't listen to me either. Tell him this too."
"……?"
The young Taoist priest apprentice looked up, baffled.
His grand uncle said in the inappropriate tone that his master uncles talked about privately, "Tell him that the female demon in the mountains is visiting the temple today."
The young Taoist priest apprentice was stunned silent for a few seconds. Then, with a frantic look, he said, "Fe, fe, fe, female demon? Where is she?!"
An Yi chuckled, "That's not something that you need to go. Go and deliver the message now."
"…… Okay."
The young Taoist priest apprentice turned and headed over toward the VIP room with a sad and pale look.
An Yi, too, picked up the sleeves of his robe and continued headed toward the front hall. He even said regretfully as he walked, "What a bummer. If it wasn't for senior, I could be there to watch the drama unfold……"
***
The area asking about career path had much less traffic than the other areas. Gu Nian exited the hall after she received the interpretation that roughly said things will "go smoothly".
Jiang Xiaoqing was nowhere to be seen and, per what the two had agreed upon before they had parted, Gu Nian walked over to the romance section.
She did not walk inside after she had arrived but waited by the stairs for Jiang Xiaoqing to come out. She had barely stood still for a few seconds when she saw a few girls walk past her, smiling, and turned to look behind themselves from time to time.
Gu Nian didn't think much of it. She felt languid being under the sun. She shifted sideways by a few steps and wanted to look for a cooler spot while she waited.
She had just taken a couple of steps when two more young girls here to ask about their romance walked past her.
This time they were closer to Gu Nian and Gu Nian could see the blush on the girls' faces and their exciting discussion.
"He is so good looking. If I am not at the Daoci Temple, I would think he is a movie star."
"And there was that young Taoist priest apprentice leading his way for him. I am starting to wonder if there are so many people here asking about their romance that the temple needs to throw out someone that handsome to help with the matters."
"Ahahahaha. That could be it. But one of him isn't enough to go around."
"Well, if only he is willing, I won't even ask about my romance. I will just take off with him."
"You wish!"
The girls' bantering wasn't enough to get Gu Nian to look up. She was just about to walk into the shaded area under the eaves of the hall when the final few mumbled words caught her attention––
___
Translator's notes:
When an apprentice follows an master (in general, not necessarily in Taoist temple), one will refer their teacher as "Master" (shifu). Shi meaning teacher and fu is the character for father. So those who trained with one's Master will be equivalent of their Aunt and Uncle, and the Master's Master will be another generation up, so on and so forth. Someone joining the Taoist temple will also receive a Taoist name, much like Catholics. Hence Chigua was An Yi's Taoist name.
And, as the Chinese way goes, if one's father has a brother that is younger than their child, the father's brother will still be one's uncle, regardless of age. So, as the temple recruited more and more disciples, An Yi's "generation" became higher and higher as his Master was very high up in "rank".