Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Antique?

Wu Qingluan looked down at the shards of porcelain at her feet. She knew nothing about porcelain, but these fragments had a beautiful green-blue glaze, crystal-clear and lustrous. They looked quite expensive.

“Hah, you’re really calling this an antique?” Wu Qingluan placed her hands on her hips. “Who are you playing, and why aren’t you wearing a wig? If a prop is damaged, you can just ask the prop department for a replacement. I’ll send you a thousand yuan via QR code, and I’ll treat you to a meal for any extra trouble!”

The other person silently stared at her. “What you broke was a Tang Dynasty secret color porcelain purification vase. It’s a precious artifact from our temple.”

Our temple… Could it be this person isn’t an extra? Wu Qingluan began to feel uneasy, though she tried to maintain a composed demeanor. “Nonsense! It wasn’t me who broke it. Clearly, you didn’t hold it securely, and it fell from your hands!”

“Because you bumped into me.”

“…”

Half a day later, Brother Guo dragged Wu Qingluan into a room in the backyard of Qinglong Temple.

As they entered, Brother Guo knelt down and said, “I implore Master Xuanwei to show mercy and spare her this time!”

Wu Qingluan obediently lowered her head. “I beg you…”

The room was decorated in an antique style, exuding a sense of grandeur and elegance. Positioned in the center of the room was a double-sided embroidered screen adorned with a profusion of flowers, radiating opulence.

In front of the screen stood a blackwood tea table, and a handsome man in a white Daoist robe was seated at the table, brewing tea.

This man was none other than Master Xuanwei, as referred to by Brother Guo, the one whom Wu Qingluan had collided with. He was also the owner of the secret color porcelain purification vase, the principal deity of Qinglong Temple.

Now that everything had become clear, it was confirmed that the shattered purification vase was indeed a Tang Dynasty secret color porcelain, a treasured artifact of Qinglong Temple, and a bona fide antique.

Today, Master Xuanwei had just changed the water in the purification vase and was planning to take it to the main hall when, coincidentally, he had the unfortunate encounter with Wu Qingluan.

A conservative estimate valued the purification vase at 80 million yuan.

Wu Qingluan’s face was ashen. “I told you I wanted to leave here, and now it’s over!”

Brother Guo believed there was still a glimmer of hope and dragged her over to apologize to Master Xuanwei.

Master Xuanwei remained silent, and Brother Guo continued to heap praises upon him. “We’ve long heard of Master Xuanwei’s boundless merits and compassionate nature. You are known to grant any request! We respectfully ask Master to consider showing mercy and granting her a way out!”

Brother Guo then brought Wu Qingluan forward and pleaded, “This young lady has a pitiable background, with no parents and only her grandmother for support. She has been using her earnings to pay for her grandmother’s medical expenses over the years. She truly cannot afford this. Master, please, perhaps you could allow her to do some work for the temple as compensation, reducing her debt a bit?”

With teary eyes, Wu Qingluan looked at Master Xuanwei and implored, “Great Master Xuanwei, please show mercy!”

Before coming here, Brother Guo had already briefed her. Qinglong Temple was Master Xuanwei’s private property, filled with countless antiques and treasures, not just the secret color porcelain vase.

If it weren’t for Wu Qingluan’s collision and her bad attitude and refusal to take responsibility, Master Xuanwei might have been willing to let it go. Now, she had angered the Daoist master, and he was demanding that she pay the full price. She couldn’t even afford to pay off this debt if she were sold!

The current plan was to apologize sincerely and make Master Xuanwei see her remorse and earnestness. Hopefully, in light of her pitiable background and genuine repentance, he might consider letting her off the hook.

Money could be compensated, but it couldn’t be the full 80 million yuan!

After listening to Brother Guo and Wu Qingluan’s pleadings, Master Xuanwei fell into deep thought. Eventually, he raised his hand and pointed to the ground in front of him. “The floor is cool; sit down.”

Brother Guo was overjoyed, and Wu Qingluan breathed a sigh of relief. They both got up and knelt down on the cool floor in front of Master Xuanwei.

Master Xuanwei poured them each a cup of tea. “Drink.”

“Thank you, Master!”

“Thank you.” Wu Qingluan picked up the teacup, her heart pounding with anxiety. She wondered if even this teacup was an antique.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the screen on her side, which still had three small foxes embroidered in the lower right corner, chubby and adorable.

Brother Guo nudged Wu Qingluan’s arm. “The Master asked you a question.”

“I’m sorry, Master, it’s up to you,” Wu Qingluan smoothly replied, even though she hadn’t heard a single word.

Master Xuanwei repeated his question, “How much can you compensate?”

Wu Qingluan, with a pitiful expression, said, “If I successfully complete this film and receive my remuneration, I can offer a maximum of five million yuan, plus all my savings.”

Master Xuanwei looked at her but remained silent as he lifted his tea cup and took a sip.

As they sat face to face, Wu Qingluan couldn’t help but notice his captivating phoenix eyes. Her heart raced uncontrollably when he locked his gaze on her.

Master Xuanwei retrieved a ledger from his side and handed it to Wu Qingluan. “In my domain, there is no compassion, only clear and marked prices.”

Wu Qingluan extended her stiff hand and accepted the ledger. On the cover, there were four lines of verse: “In the temple, a blade of grass, please don’t come to beg. Day and night, a three-part profit, descendants still can’t repay.” Inside, it listed prices for everything from building structures to individual plants. It was indeed clear, marked, and priced.

Wu Qingluan found the shattered water vase that had broken because of her and saw it was priced at “80 million.”

She closed the ledger and sighed, “I simply can’t afford this. Whether you want to file a lawsuit or whatever, it’s up to you.”

Despair washed over Guo Ge as he covered his head in the corner.

“Give me your right hand,” Master Xuanwei ordered.

Wu Qingluan hesitated but extended her hand to him.

Master Xuanwei lowered his gaze, examining the palm of her hand.

Wu Qingluan wondered, “Is he reading my palm? Can he tell how much money I have from it?”

Her fingers were slender, her palm fair, and her palm lines were clear and clean. There was a small mole on the second section of her ring finger.

However, as Master Xuanwei stared at her hand for a while, Wu Qingluan’s palm began to sweat slightly.

This Daoist, who seemed to be obsessed with money, was acting strangely. Although he had only looked at her hand, Wu Qingluan couldn’t help but feel offended.

She withdrew her hand and asked, “Can Master Xuanwei see anything?”

Master Xuanwei contemplated for a moment and said, “You are the person I’ve been looking for.”

“What?” Wu Qingluan was dumbfounded.

Master Xuanwei continued, “You don’t have to compensate with money, but I have two conditions.”

“Deal!” Brother  Guo shouted in agreement, while simultaneously pinching Wu Qingluan hard.

Wu Qingluan glared at Brother  Guo, her lips moving silently, “Would you agree if he asked me to sell myself?”

Brother Guo paid her no attention.

Wu Qingluan forced a dry laugh, “So, what are the conditions, Master Xuanwei?”

“First, before you leave this place, spend the night with me. Second, help me raise my son for a period of time,” Master Xuanwei stated.

Wu Qingluan clenched her fist, “What did you say?”

Master Xuanwei sipped his tea and continued, “Or you can immediately transfer me eighty million.”

Wu Qingluan couldn’t bear it any longer. She felt like she had fallen into the hands of some dark and evil force, demanding her money and taking advantage of her beauty. She had always suspected that this Daoist wasn’t genuine. Daoists weren’t so young, and serious practitioners didn’t have eyes that seemed to carry ulterior motives. Furthermore, he claimed to have a son, which didn’t make sense for someone who was supposed to have renounced worldly desires. Maybe she should report him!

“Ughhh!” Wu Qingluan couldn’t speak as Brother  Guo tightly covered her mouth.

Brother Guo took it upon himself to respond, “Deal!”

~ ~ ~

At midnight that night, Wu Qingluan finished a day of shooting and walked hand in hand with Xiao Ma towards her room.

“Ahem!” Brother Guo, who had been keeping an eye on her, cleared his throat loudly and pointed in the opposite direction.

Wu Qingluan quickly let go of Xiao Ma and grabbed Brother Guo by the neck. “Call the police!”

Brother Guo gritted his teeth and said, “Call the police for what? The master said he just wants to borrow your birthdate for his practice, he won’t cross the line!”

“Do you actually believe that?” Wu Qingluan shook Brother Guo vigorously. “Then where did he get a son from?”

Brother Guo extended his chubby hand and asked, “Do you have eighty million?”

With tears in her eyes, Wu Qingluan sprinted away.

She had always known that she was stunningly beautiful, enchanting, and captivating to anyone who laid eyes on her. But she never expected that in this day and age, even a Daoist would covet her beauty.

Her original plan was to retire from the entertainment industry after completing this film. She had toiled in the entertainment industry for over a decade, saved up enough money, and bought a house. She didn’t want to continue living this exhausting life of sleepless nights. Her dream was to open a dessert shop after retiring, work half a day, rest half a day, and take vacations whenever she wanted. However, since joining this film crew and coming to this dilapidated Daoist temple, misfortunes seemed to follow one after another.

Xuanwei’s door was open, Wu Qingluan lightly knocked on the door. “Master?”

There was no response.

Wu Qingluan really wanted to turn and leave, but the thought of the eight million kept her walking inside.

The tea on the table was still brewing, and it seemed that he hadn’t gone far. Wu Qingluan’s gaze once again fell on the screen behind the tea table. The screen depicted a vibrant scene with an abundance of flowers, which contrasted sharply with Xuanwei’s cold demeanor.

Huh? Wu Qingluan noticed that the three little foxes at the bottom right corner of the screen were missing. She distinctly remembered there being a cluster of peonies with three adorable snow-white young foxes underneath…

Strangely, as she stared at the screen for a while, Wu Qingluan felt like the flowers were coming to life, swaying gently in the breeze. She even thought she heard faint rustling sounds, as if someone inside the screen was whispering to each other.

Wu Qingluan extended her hand towards the bottom right corner of the screen, intending to brush aside the peonies and check if the little foxes were hidden beneath them.

Suddenly, footsteps behind her startled Wu Qingluan. She blinked, and the flowers on the screen remained still, no different from the double-sided embroidery she had seen before.

Turning around, she found Xuanwei standing right behind her.

Wu Qingluan noticed that his hair was wet, and he was wearing a pure white silk robe, indicating that he had just come out of the bath.

He’s quite the lecher!

Wu Qingluan watched as Xuanwei closed the door, she couldn’t help but notice that the door had a fingerprint lock, a clear sign of advanced technology in this ancient setting.

“You’ve had a long day, why don’t you take a bath?” Xuanwei said. His voice was cold, and it felt like a cool breeze atop a mountain, carrying a sense of chill.

Wu Qingluan took a step back, realizing that if she were to casually take a bath here, she would be truly foolish!

“No need,” Wu Qingluan said seriously, “Master, you should rest. I can sleep on the floor as we agreed… Ah!”

Suddenly, a gust of cool wind swept across her, and before she could react, Xuan Wei had embraced her from behind.

Xuan Wei lowered his head, and his warm breath brushed against her neck. “Do you want to start right away? That’s fine too.”

Wu Qingluan struggled, realizing that this man was incredibly strong, and she couldn’t break free.

She decided it was best not to fight back. Wu Qingluan forced a smile and said, “I think I’ll take a bath first.”