Ms. Diviner: The Prodigal Daughter's Return

Chapter 1738: Chapter 1738: Probably Won’t Have Enough to Eat

”The food’s here.” Fortunately, Sikong Qinglan didn’t forget and quickly walked in with a basket of food.

”What’s delicious?” Ling Baobao asked expectantly, with eyes gleaming.

”It’s rather simple, hope you don’t mind.” Sikong Qinglan said apologetically.

”No problem, no problem, I’m tired of gnawing on dried meat every day; something simple is good too.” Ling Baobao took the basket with a smile, opened the lid, and then his smile froze on his face.

A few bowls of thin porridge, some coarse-grain buns, and a plate of pickled vegetables. Initially, he thought Sikong Qinglan was just being humble, but it turned out to be truly this simple.

Even someone like Han Yan, who never fussed over food, found it a bit shabby. No wonder Sikong Qinglan was so hungry at the welcome feast in Mu Family Village, almost nibbling on the plates; life in the temple really was tough.

Thinking about the predicament of Huayu Temple, Han Yan could understand. Mu Family Village’s territory had barriers for protection, with large farms and households raising livestock, whereas Huayu Temple’s surroundings were so dilapidated that even the temple itself could barely sustain itself. How could they have farmland or livestock? Even if there were, it’s barely enough to keep from starving.

”Let’s eat.” Han Yan really had no appetite, but didn’t want to embarrass Sikong Qinglan’s kind gesture.

Ling Baobao, though disappointed, was considerate in social interactions and didn’t want to embarrass Sikong Qinglan, so he picked up the bowl of thin porridge and drank heartily.

”It’s getting late, you should rest early. I’ll take you for the temple’s baptism tomorrow morning.” After they finished eating, Sikong Qinglan packed up the food box and left the room.

Once Sikong Qinglan left, Ling Baobao took out a piece of supposedly ’tired of it long ago’ dried meat and started gobbling it down, showing no signs of being tired of it.

Han Yan sympathetically watched Ling Baobao, realizing that it’s not just about improving cultivation anymore; even filling the stomach seems to be a problem.

At dawn, Han Yan and Ling Baobao followed Sikong Qinglan through the corridor to the central hall.

Unlike yesterday, a stone platform was placed at the center of the hall, looking somewhat like an altar. Above the altar, a black crystal stone about half a foot in size emitted a strange halo, with runes engraved upon it.

Apparently, this crystal stone was for the baptism.

The hall entrance was already crowded with people; except for An Xiaxin and Shen Yuhe, all priests were present, and many civilians came to watch the spectacle.

Huayu Temple hadn’t recruited priests for several years, and Han Yan’s easy pass of the examination yesterday surprised everyone. Today’s baptism naturally attracted more attention.

Seeing Han Yan and Ling Baobao arrive, Shen Yuhe’s cherubic face showed a friendly smile, while An Xiaxin remained icy.

”Why are you late, dragging your feet?” An Xiaxin said impatiently.

”They just arrived at the temple and have been traveling. I called them a bit late.” Sikong Qinglan, being gentle and slightly shy, didn’t get angry at the reprimand and explained.

”We’ll let it go today, but don’t let it happen again in the future. Especially you, even if you’re a naturally Divine Priest, you must adhere to Huayue Temple’s rules upon arriving here. If you continue to be lazy and slack in cultivation, it’d be better for you to leave early.” An Xiaxin said to Han Yan.

Han Yan frowned slightly but nodded. She could sense An Xiaxin’s unwelcoming attitude, even a bit of exclusion, but having lived two lives, Han Yan’s heart was far more open than those her age, not willing to flip over a single remark.

”Lord An, let’s begin.” Sikong Qinglan, though gentle, wasn’t foolish. Detecting An Xiaxin’s unfriendly tone, he changed the topic.

”Let’s begin,” An Xiaxin said reservedly.

Sikong Qinglan let out a deep yet melodious chant, performing hand gestures while jumping into a God-man dance. As the Prayer Priest, it was his duty to baptize the new priests.

The crowd around showed solemn faces, some civilians even bearing envy and reverence, yet seeing Sikong Qinglan singing and jumping in the God-man dance, Han Yan couldn’t help but want to laugh. What kind of things were these? Who thought of them?

A radiant light suddenly shot up from the black crystal stone, illuminating the entire hall in a sacred and dignified manner.

Han Yan quickly suppressed the faint smile at the corner of her lips. Although the dance was somewhat amusing, it was distinct from the god-men of the Holy Court Continent.

”Alright, place your hand on the Divine Soul Stone, and you may receive the Divine’s baptism. There might be some pain, but just endure it,” Sikong Qinglan finished the last hand gesture, saying solemnly to Han Yan.

Han Yan nodded and briskly stepped forward, placing her hand on the black crystal stone.

A clear stream immediately surged into her body through her palm, rapidly moving through her meridians, feeling so ethereal and light yet encompassing a vast sense.

Han Yan was taken aback; she knew the temple’s cultivation method was primarily based on Divine Sense, assuming the baptism would be related to it. Unexpectedly, a force directly entered her meridians.

For an ordinary person, it might be no big issue, with no cultivation foundation, there wouldn’t be any conflict, be it Divine Sense or meridians. But she’s different; don’t forget she also possesses Fifth Rank Swordsman cultivation—if the Qi lurking in her meridians clashed with this force, her strength and identity would be fully exposed!

With a thought, Han Yan quickly cycled the Heavenly Heart Technique, gathering Qi towards the Heart Meridian, but as fast as she was, the force was faster, circulating rapidly throughout her meridians.

”Now this is trouble!” Han Yan’s heart sank, as if already witnessing the shock on An Xiaxin and Shen Yuhe’s faces when the qi burst.

Sikong Qinglan might let it slide; he has some guess about her background, and seeing won’t change much, he’ll even keep it quiet for her. The civilians don’t matter; even if they see it, they wouldn’t understand. But the other priests, especially An Xiaxin and Shen Yuhe, aren’t easy to deceive—though their strength isn’t as high as Feng City Temple’s elderly, as Huayu Temple’s Dual Priests, their insight isn’t lacking.

”Should I resort to silencing them?” Han Yan began to ponder this question.

While she’s merciless towards guilty foes, just for keeping her secret by slaughtering innocents, she truly couldn’t bring herself to do it.