【You have successfully checked in at Qingcheng Daoist Temple in Qingzhou Prefecture. You have received a Longevity Lamp.】

Gu Qingyan looked up at the rows upon rows of Longevity Lamps inside the Daoist temple, feeling at a loss for words.

So the Qingcheng Daoist Temple gives out what it already produces itself? What was he going to do with a Longevity Lamp? He didn’t believe in this stuff at all.

“What’s wrong?” Pei Xuan keenly noticed something and looked over at him with concern.

Gu Qingyan smiled. “Let’s go.”

The main hall of Qingcheng Daoist Temple enshrined the Three Pure Ones, the three heavenly deities, seated high above, overlooking all living beings.

As the two walked in, there were worshippers already kneeling in devout prayer.

Gu Qingyan lifted his head. The sight indeed felt solemn. Since he was already there, he decided to pay his respects out of courtesy.

But when he turned around, he saw that Pei Xuan was still standing at the entrance and hadn’t stepped in.

“Brother Pei, aren’t you coming in?” Gu Qingyan asked curiously.

Pei Xuan’s face was calm. “I don’t believe in this.”

Gu Qingyan blinked, understanding that when he said he didn’t believe, it wasn’t just casual disbelief—it meant he wouldn’t even enter the Three Pure Ones’ temple hall.

What a good brother. He clearly didn’t believe in any of it, yet still came along with him.

Gu Qingyan turned to a Daoist priest nearby who was busy collecting money, interpreting lots, and writing down offerings.

“Daoist priest, I brought my own Longevity Lamp. Can I offer it here?” Gu Qingyan asked.

The Daoist priest, accustomed to seeing all kinds of people, still found this one a bit odd, but answered kindly, “Layman, the Longevity Lamps we offer here are not ordinary. They must be consecrated, prayed over, and ritually offered.”

Gu Qingyan nodded. “So can I use my own if I do that?”

The priest replied with a sigh, “You may bring your own incense, but not your own Longevity Lamp.”

“What a shame. I especially brought a lamp that looks exactly the same as the ones you offer,” Gu Qingyan sighed. He thought to himself that the system gave it to him for free—it wasn’t that he didn’t want to offer it, it’s that the temple wouldn’t accept it.

The priest began to suspect he might be a troublemaker.

Gu Qingyan didn’t push the issue and changed the subject. “Daoist priest, I wonder if you remember—sixteen years ago, there was a scholar and his wife who stayed here for the night. The wife was heavily pregnant and gave birth to a child at the temple.”

“At the same time, the wife of the Li family in town also gave birth here. The two children were accidentally switched.”

He expected to have to ask multiple times to get to the bottom of it, but to his surprise, the priest reacted as if he had already anticipated this.

“May I ask if the layman’s surname is Li or Gu?”

Gu Qingyan raised an eyebrow. “Gu.”

“Please follow me.”

The Daoist priest stood up and walked out of the main hall, heading toward a side door to the right.

The two followed. Gu Qingyan couldn’t help tugging on Pei Xuan’s sleeve to slow down. “He knew the moment I asked. He must’ve been expecting this.”

“The baby swap has been widely rumored in Qingzhou Prefecture. It’s no surprise the Qingcheng Temple knows of it,” Pei Xuan said.

But his gaze dropped to where Gu Qingyan’s slender fingers were still holding his sleeve, pale and delicate against the dark fabric.

Soon, a sign appeared ahead: “Temple Inner Hall—Laymen Not Allowed.”

The priest gestured politely. “Laymen, head straight down this path. At the end is the Hall of the Earth Officer. The person you seek is inside.”

With that, he turned and walked back toward the main hall.

Gu Qingyan frowned. “So mysterious.”

“I’ll go with you. No need to worry,” Pei Xuan said calmly. He didn’t believe there was anyone in the Qingcheng Daoist Temple who could hurt them.

Gu Qingyan laughed and strode ahead.

Suddenly, a palace hall appeared abruptly before them.

It stood out starkly—it was completely different from the surrounding structures. It was entirely painted black, from the roof tiles to the walls, with only a black plaque bearing gold characters hanging above.

The two of them stopped. The building was just too strange.

Gu Qingyan frowned. “Why is it black?”

“The Three Sovereign Lords: the Heavenly Officer is Tang Yao, the Earthly Officer is Yu Shun, and the Water Officer is Yu the Great. The Heavenly Officer bestows blessings, the Earthly Officer pardons sins, and the Water Officer removes misfortunes,” Pei Xuan stepped forward, shielding Gu Qingyan behind him.

“A black Hall of the Earth Officer… I’ve truly never heard of such a thing.”

Gu Qingyan poked his head out from behind him. “Is anyone inside?”

There was no sound at all from within the black temple.

Gu Qingyan tugged at Pei Xuan’s sleeve again and winked.

He cleared his throat and shouted, “Oh dear! Must be someone committed an unforgivable crime, so afraid the Earth Officer wouldn’t pardon them, they painted the whole place black to repent!”

Pei Xuan played along, “Why black?”

“Think about it! With everything so dark, the Earth Officer arrives, sees it all, and tsk, maybe the contrast makes the living person’s heart seem a bit brighter.”

Pei Xuan held back a laugh. “That’s very convincing.”

Just then, a voice from inside could no longer hold back, and cursed, “Nonsense! Coming here for answers and yet spewing nonsense at the door.”

Gu Qingyan exaggeratedly cried out, “So there is someone inside! My apologies, no one answered, I thought the place was empty!”

“Come inside to speak,” the voice inside replied coldly.

Gu Qingyan took a step forward.

Pei Xuan grabbed him and shook his head.

“It’s fine, I’ll just go to the doorway.”

Gu Qingyan placed Pei Xuan at the entrance and said, “Daoist priest, this friend of mine doesn’t believe in all this, but he’s highly skilled in martial arts.”

Strangely, although the place was labeled the Hall of the Earth Officer, there was no statue of the deity inside. Only an old Daoist priest with snow-white hair sat cross-legged on a mat, muttering like he was possessed.

Even more surprising to Gu Qingyan was that beneath the old priest… was a system check-in point.

They overlapped, making it unclear whether the point was on the old priest or inside the hall.

The old Daoist looked toward the entrance and visibly trembled.

“You—come a bit closer. Let me see your face.”

Gu Qingyan stepped over the threshold and leaned his face closer.
“Can you see clearly now?”

The old Taoist squinted and studied his face carefully. After a long moment, he suddenly threw his head back and laughed.
“You actually look quite human.”

“You call yourself a Taoist, yet you mock people?” Gu Qingyan frowned. “If I don’t look human, do I look like a ghost?”

He cut to the chase.
“My surname is Gu. Sixteen years ago, I was one of the children who were mistakenly switched at Qingcheng Daoist Temple. Old Taoist, do you know what happened back then?”

“I do.”

The old Taoist nodded and beckoned him closer.
“Come here, I’ll tell you everything.”

Gu Qingyan felt an uncontrollable urge to move forward at his beckoning.

“Qingyan.” Pei Xuan pressed a hand on his shoulder.

Gu Qingyan turned around in surprise.
“You came in too?”

Pei Xuan didn’t answer, but fixed a cold stare on the old Taoist.
“Putting on a show with ghosts and gods.”

The old Taoist looked at the two of them, nodding and shaking his head.
“Young Master Gu has a kind face. But this young man by your side… he’s different. His face carries ill fortune—ominous, very ominous.”

“One of you is blessed with great fortune, the other destined for hardship. Tsk tsk… You two are not meant to walk the same path.”

Now Gu Qingyan was unhappy.
“My Brother Pei is a good man. Are you going to speak or not?”

“If you don’t know, I’ll go ask someone else. Someone will know. Don’t waste our time.”

The old Taoist shook his head.
“So impatient for someone so young. That’s not good.”

“Fine. Since you’ve come this far and want to know the truth, I’ll tell you.”

Gu Qingyan raised his eyebrows and waited quietly.

“Did you know… the name ‘Gu Qingyan’ was given to you by me?”

The very first sentence made Gu Qingyan’s heart skip a beat.

That was impossible!

He hadn’t always been surnamed Gu—he used to be Li Qingyan.

The old Taoist smiled at him.
“In the blink of an eye, you’ve grown so big. Time spares no one. And I’ve only grown older.”

“That year, your father was traveling with his wife to take the imperial exams. When they arrived at Qingzhou Prefecture, your mother discovered she was four months pregnant. She hadn’t shown yet, so it had gone unnoticed.”

“The couple didn’t have much money, so they stayed at the Qingcheng Daoist Temple.”

“They originally planned to return home after the exams. But once they learned your mother was pregnant, they decided to stay longer and wait for the baby to be born before traveling again.”

“That year, your father failed the exams again. Your mother was eight months pregnant and about to give birth.”

That much aligned with what Gu Qingyan already knew. He leaned in even closer.
“And then?”

“Then… the unexpected happened.”

The old Taoist tossed out two meditation cushions. Gu Qingyan quickly sat down.

Pei Xuan didn’t sit. Arms crossed, legs tense—clearly on high alert.

The old Taoist knew that if he made any sudden moves, this man’s sword would be drawn in an instant. He didn’t mind and let the other cushion remain empty.

Gu Qingyan pressed urgently,
“What happened?”

Sixteen years had passed, but the old Taoist remembered it all vividly.

That night, the Hall of Heavenly Officials was brightly lit. Countless longevity lanterns were burning, all lit to pray for blessings.

Madam Xu had been carried in. Her belly was high and round—she was clearly about to give birth.

But for some reason, instead of giving birth at the Li family home, she had come to the Qingcheng Daoist Temple.

Gu Qingyan frowned. This already felt very strange.

The old Taoist sighed.
“Can you guess what Madam Xu was trying to do?”

Gu Qingyan couldn’t. He guessed,
“Was she praying to the Heavenly Officials to grant her child a life of wealth and status?”

He thought, If this followed the plotline of “The Real Young Master Becomes a Top Scholar,” then Xu’s wish came true.

Too bad this time, there was someone like me. Li Jingting failed repeatedly.

No… that didn’t make sense. If it were just a prayer for blessings, how could the babies have been switched?

The old Taoist shook his head.
“You only guessed half right.”

“Madam Xu wanted her child to be born into wealth and to become the heir of the Li family. But she wasn’t the one actually performing the ritual that night.”

Gu Qingyan’s heart jumped.
“Then who was?”

The old Taoist stroked his long beard but said nothing.

Gu Qingyan frowned.
“Old Taoist, what do you mean? You don’t know?”

“The ritual wasn’t led by me. It was done by an outsider—another Taoist named Wang Chuan. I only remember he was highly skilled in Taoist arts. Even the temple master treated him with great respect.”

Wang Chuan?

“Where is he?” Gu Qingyan asked urgently.

The old Taoist shook his head again.
“He left. But before he did, he told me that you would come one day—and to tell you everything I knew.”

Gu Qingyan felt his patience wearing thin. The old man was too slow, always getting lost in side details.

“So who exactly was performing the ritual? And what does this have to do with me?”

The old Taoist smiled faintly.
“Young one, don’t be impatient. Let me explain slowly.”

“As for who was praying and what they wished for, I truly don’t know. But I do know that on that night, Madam Xu—who was supposed to give birth—did not deliver a child. Instead, it was Madam Gu, who had been staying at the temple, who gave birth to a son.”

Gu Qingyan grew more puzzled.
“But didn’t you just say my mother was only eight months pregnant?”

“That’s right. Folks often say ‘seven survives, eight doesn’t’—a child born at eight months rarely lives to grow up.”

The old Taoist looked at Gu Qingyan and suddenly said, “I was the one who delivered you.”

Gu Qingyan felt his gaze was odd—not like he was looking at a person, but more like a rare treasure.

He instinctively leaned back.

His back met warmth—it was Pei Xuan’s leg.

So Gu Qingyan simply leaned against his leg. The firmness of the muscles gave him a sense of security.

“The Hall of Heavenly Officials glowed for an entire day and night. Madam Xu still hadn’t given birth, yet you were already crying your lungs out when you came into the world.”

Now Gu Qingyan understood why he was so prone to illness as a child—being born prematurely at eight months made that inevitable.

“And then? According to your story, I was born first, Madam Xu hadn’t given birth yet, and since my parents were just guests, they must’ve stayed in the outer guest rooms. Madam Xu was in the Hall of Heavenly Officials—how could the two babies have been mixed up?”

The old Taoist listened to his question and merely shook his head.

Gu Qingyan grew anxious. “Why are you shaking your head again?”

“Because even I don’t know,” the old Taoist said with a sigh.

“After delivering the baby, I was tainted by the unclean and went to bathe and burn incense. I didn’t witness what happened afterward.”

“A few days later, I heard that Madam Xu had also given birth to a son at the Taoist temple, and on the very day of labor, she was carried back home.”

“Now that I think about it, the babies must have already been swapped by then. I just don’t know what happened in between.”

Gu Qingyan leaned back in exasperation. After all that talking, the old Taoist basically knew nothing.

“If you don’t know, then Wuchuan must know. What else did he say?”

The old Taoist still shook his head.

Gu Qingyan narrowed his eyes, starting to suspect he was being played.

Pei Xuan pressed on his shoulder, signaling him to calm down.

Gu Qingyan asked again, “Besides this, what else do you know?”

“Your fate is extraordinary. Misfortune turns to fortune, and your life is destined for wealth and greatness. Your future is limitless,” the old Taoist said with a smile.

Gu Qingyan gave him a strange look. “Don’t think that flattery is going to make me drop this. That ‘Heavenly Officials’ Blessing’ nonsense already sounds shady—could very well be dark magic. And yet Qingcheng Temple allowed such things to happen? If word got out, hmmph.”

“Wuchuan is not actually a Taoist of Qingcheng Temple. Whatever he does, the temple has no control over it,” the old Taoist explained.

Gu Qingyan snorted. “Went to all this trouble to have someone give birth at the temple, only to swap the babies in the end. Absolutely absurd.”

The old Taoist let out a long, wistful sigh.

“I heard the Gu couple passed away early, never getting to see their real child. I carry guilt in my heart for that.”

Gu Qingyan’s expression softened.

This old Taoist might be superstitious and mysterious, but he didn’t seem to have ill intentions.

Just then, the old Taoist stood up.

Gu Qingyan saw clearly now—the sign-in point was underneath him, not on him.

The old Taoist added, “The Hall of Earthly Officials is where Daoist Wuchuan cultivates in seclusion. I figured telling you what happened here back then would be most appropriate.”

“You’re saying this place isn’t where you meditate—it’s Wuchuan’s?”

Gu Qingyan’s eyes lit up immediately.

If this was Wuchuan’s cultivation spot, then maybe the sign-in point on the floor would reveal the truth from back then.

Like Gu Tongsheng’s lingering obsession—maybe it could trigger a memory from Wuchuan, and then he’d finally understand what really happened and why the two babies were swapped.

Gu Qingyan reached out his hand.

Suddenly, the old Taoist blocked him.

Gu Qingyan looked up, puzzled.

With a cheerful grin, the old Taoist picked up the meditation cushion, rolled it up, and walked off with it. “Little layman, I’ve told you everything I know. The rest… you’ll have to find out on your own.”

“Take your time, you two. I’m off to continue my cultivation.”

The old Taoist strolled unhurriedly out of the hall, never looking back.

It left Gu Qingyan with the distinct feeling that the old Taoist had come just to share what he knew from the past.

“Pei-ge, when do you think that old Taoist got here?”

Pei Xuan didn’t understand his meaning.

Gu Qingyan pointed to the pitch-dark hall.

“We made a last-minute decision to come here. No one could’ve known in advance. When we arrived at the main hall, that little Taoist asked my surname before leading me over.”

“If this isn’t where the old Taoist usually meditates, then he couldn’t have been sitting here waiting for me.”

“So how did he know I was coming? Did he sprint here and act all profound? Or does he occasionally sit here and just happened to bump into me?”

Pei Xuan followed his line of thought.

From when they entered the main hall to arriving here, at most a cup of tea’s time had passed. Qingcheng Temple wasn’t small—he would’ve had to sprint like mad to get here in time.

Just picturing that, Gu Qingyan couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Pei Xuan also couldn’t hold back a smile, but then he thought of how Gu Qingyan had come all this way and still didn’t learn the truth of that year. He couldn’t help feeling worried for him.

Looking again, Gu Qingyan was sitting on a meditation cushion, reaching out to touch the ground in front of him.

[You have successfully checked in at the Earth Deity Hall of Qingcheng Daoist Temple and received a Heavenly Blessing.]

Gu Qingyan was full of question marks.

You’re checking in at the Earth Deity Hall, but you’re giving a Heavenly Blessing—System, do you even know what manners are? Did you ask the Earth Deity’s opinion?

The check-in didn’t reveal the truth, leaving Gu Qingyan quite disappointed. His little head drooped down.

Pei Xuan saw this and grew even more concerned. He reached out to pat his hair gently. “If you really want to know, I’ll investigate it.”

Gu Qingyan perked up. “Actually, I don’t really need to know.”

He counted on his fingers: “It’s just a few possibilities—Madam Xu changed it on purpose, that Wangchuan Daoist played dirty and switched it… Even though I don’t know why it was changed, I’m alive and well now. All of their evil schemes will end in failure.”

“Anyone who tries to harm me will suffer instead. Just thinking about them flying into a rage, yet being completely helpless against me—that makes me happy.”

With that thought, Gu Qingyan no longer cared about the truth.

Who was he? A man with a system.

Anyone trying to harm him—forget the dark, eerie Earth Deity Hall, even the King of Hell himself wouldn’t be able to drag him away.

Gu Qingyan raised his chin proudly. “Let’s go, let’s go. What a waste of half a day. Since we’re already here, we might as well look around. Qingcheng Daoist Temple is a famous scenic spot, after all.”

Pei Xuan didn’t know why his mood suddenly improved, but seeing him so lively made him feel relieved.

The issue of the real and fake young master, and Madam Xu’s ruthlessness, must have hurt Gu Qingyan. It was good that he could let it go on his own.

Gu Qingyan was already dragging Pei Xuan outside.

As expected of a famous historical site, Qingcheng Daoist Temple had plenty of check-in points.

Gu Qingyan walked around stepping on each one, receiving all kinds of blessings.

He didn’t know what the blessings were good for, but they sounded like great things—no reason not to take them.

The only downside was that the blessings couldn’t be stored in the system and were instead applied to him directly.

Gu Qingyan was a little disappointed. He had wanted to share them with his awesome big brother. After all, true brothers should share their blessings.

Although system blessings couldn’t be shared, the peace charms from Qingcheng Daoist Temple could be requested.

Gu Qingyan was about to ask for one, but then remembered Pei Xuan didn’t believe in this stuff, so he gave up the idea.

After wandering around for a while, the two finally strolled down the mountain leisurely.

Gu Qingyan hopped down the trail, commenting, “It’s so famous, but honestly it’s just okay. The mountain’s average, the scenery’s average, but there sure are a lot of Daoists.”

Pei Xuan held back a laugh. “True, even the vegetarian food was pretty average.”

On the way back, they still rode the same horse together.

Gu Qingyan really liked the tall, majestic horse and reached out to stroke its mane. “It’s so handsome.”

The steed seemed to understand him, proudly lifting its head and letting him pet it more.

Pei Xuan smiled. “His name is Aoshuang. He has a bad temper. Other than me, most people can’t even get near him—but he likes you.”

“Really? Then I should show my appreciation.”

Gu Qingyan pulled out a bag of candy from his robe. “Hello, Aoshuang. This is a bribe—thanks for carrying me.”

The horse unceremoniously ate the candy and even licked his fingers.

Gu Qingyan laughed heartily, not noticing Pei Xuan’s brows knitting behind him.

Pei Xuan lightly tugged on the reins. Aoshuang had no choice but to focus on the road and stop playing around with Gu Qingyan.

Gu Qingyan didn’t notice. He looked back at Qingcheng Daoist Temple and sighed. “Well, I’ve been here once, so that settles the thought. Otherwise, it’d always be on my mind.”

“When we return to Qingzhou Prefecture, I’ll have to study seriously and try to pass the entrance exam on my first try.”

Pei Xuan, worried he’d feel too pressured, comforted him. “You’re only sixteen. Just do your best.”

Gu Qingyan nodded earnestly, but still felt that, with the system acting as a cheat and so many one-on-one tutors, if he couldn’t even pass the entrance exam, then maybe he really didn’t have a talent for studying.

“Brother Pei, I haven’t asked yet—how long will you be staying in Qingzhou Prefecture this time?”

After all, the case was wrapped up, Director Lu had committed suicide, and the Lu family had already taken the body back home for burial.

Pei Xuan paused, feeling reluctant. “I have to leave tomorrow. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to stay for your exam—but I’ll wish for you to pass with flying colors.”

Gu Qingyan looked disappointed. “You’re always coming and going in such a rush, Brother Pei. You work too hard.”

“But if I pass, I can take the provincial exam next year. If I succeed again and go to the capital for the final exam, we’ll be able to meet again.”

Pei Xuan smiled. “Alright, I’ll wait for you in the capital.”

Gu Qingyan burst into laughter. Then he suddenly remembered—he hadn’t checked in on Pei Xuan yet today.

“Brother Pei, give me your hand,” Gu Qingyan said.

Pei Xuan extended his hand, which was immediately grasped, followed by Gu Qingyan’s bright laughter.

“That old Daoist said I’m blessed with great fortune, so I’ll share half of it with you.”

Pei Xuan frowned and was about to pull his hand back. He didn’t want to share Gu Qingyan’s fortune.

But Gu Qingyan held on tightly. “It’s settled then.”

“You…” Pei Xuan had complicated feelings.

In the end, he couldn’t bear to push the boy away. Instead, he turned his hand over and held Gu Qingyan’s tightly. “Thank you.”

He didn’t believe in such things, but at this moment, he couldn’t help feeling touched—he wanted nothing more than to pull Gu Qingyan into his arms and never let go.

Gu Qingyan truly meant it. If he was blessed with that much fortune, he was more than willing to share it with Pei Xuan.

After all, every time he checked in, he got so much from Pei Xuan.

Pei Xuan didn’t have a system. Just because he once saved Gu Qingyan’s life, he had treated him like his own brother ever since.

Gu Qingyan felt he wasn’t that pure. His friendship with Pei Xuan had selfish motives. That’s why he wanted to treat him even better.

That way, each check-in would feel more justified.

[You have successfully checked in with Pei Xuan and received one powerful magnetic stone.]

Gu Qingyan’s heart skipped a beat.

A powerful magnetic stone? What was that for? Hopefully not something to attract arrowheads during an ambush…

The next moment, that ominous premonition came true.

With the sound of arrows tearing through the air, Pei Xuan grabbed Gu Qingyan and pulled him out of harm’s way.