Peninsula: I'm being supported by a top idol.

Chapter 150

The two drank until late into the night, and the living room light stayed on until the early hours of the morning before being turned off amidst the aroma of food and their quiet conversations.

The next morning, Cui Shi'an was awakened by sunlight streaming through the gaps in the curtains.

He lay on the sofa and noticed a cartoon-themed blanket covering him, which made him smile.

It seems that Na secretly covered him up in the middle of the night.

However, the bedroom was completely silent, so she was probably still catching up on sleep.

Cui Shi'an checked the time, quietly got up from the sofa, folded the blanket and put it aside.

After a quick wash, he found a clean trash bag and efficiently cleaned up the empty wine cans, food wrappers, used tissues, and other clutter on the coffee table from the previous night. He also wiped the floor a little, restoring some of the tidiness to the living room.

After doing all this, he found paper and pen, thought for a moment, and left a note:

"Yona, I'm going back now. Thank you for taking me in and for your hospitality. I've tidied up the living room a bit. You should rest well. I'll contact you later." Shi An oppa then placed the note on the table in a conspicuous place, pocketed the 50,000 won Yoona had given him earlier, gently closed the door, and left the apartment.

He planned to go to Mingxintang to retrieve his coat and wallet that he had left in the car.

The taxi drove smoothly, with a slightly romantic autumn street scene outside the window.

When the car entered the small road near Pumen Cave, its speed slowed down significantly, and it eventually came to a complete stop at a corner.

"Sir, it seems we can't get through here, the road is blocked." The driver looked out at the line of small cars ahead and said apologetically.

Cui Shi'an had no choice but to get out of the car and walk there.

He hadn't walked far when he noticed something unusual.

These two alleys leading to Mingxin Hall, which are usually quite clear, were now lined with parked cars on both sides, some of which were expensive imported cars.

There were also more pedestrians than usual, and most of them seemed to be heading in the same direction.

What are they doing?

A sense of doubt arose in his mind, and he quickened his pace.

When Cui Shi'an turned the last corner and saw the simple wooden plaque of "Mingxin Hall", the scene before him made him pause for a moment.

Good heavens! A queue had actually formed in the small open space in front of the shrine!

At a glance, there were at least several dozen people, including men, women, and children. Some waited quietly, some talked in hushed tones, and others carried gifts such as fruit baskets and pastries.

The procession even turned a corner and extended into the alley next door.

This is a stark contrast to the deserted scene of the past.

Just as Cui Shi'an was about to push through the crowd towards the entrance, he was immediately stopped by a rather capable-looking middle-aged woman with curly hair in the queue: "Oh my god, young man, you have to wait in line! How can you cut in line? We arrived before dawn!"

"No, auntie, I—" Cui Shi'an tried to explain.

"What do you mean it isn't? Everyone has been waiting for a long time! Little Master Duoling is very effective now, you have to be sincere and wait in line!" An old man next to him chimed in.

"Little Wizard Duoling?" Cui Shi'an was both amused and exasperated, and had no choice but to raise his voice to explain, "Gentlemen, I'm not a guest here to ask questions. I'm—I'm someone who helps out in this shrine, and I have something to discuss with you."

Several people looked at him with suspicion, but seeing his calm demeanor, they didn't think he was lying. So they parted the way, still half-believing, and reminded him, "Are you really a staff member? Then hurry up and go in, don't delay the little mage's business."

Cui Shi'an nodded and strode to the heavy security door of "Mingxin Hall".

The moment his hand touched the doorknob, a familiar warmth, several times more intense and refined than yesterday, seeped through the crack in the door and gently enveloped him!

He pushed the door open and entered.

In an instant, the incense offerings and prayers, clearer and more surging than those perceived outside the door, flowed out from the "Eight Paths to Heaven" painting hanging inside the shrine, gently and continuously pouring into him, like a stream that had found its home.

The last bit of discomfort from a night of heavy drinking, and the slight feeling of exhaustion after the injury, were quickly eliminated and mostly recovered under the cleansing and nourishing power of this pure will!

My spirits lifted, as if I were soaking in a warm spring, feeling completely refreshed.

Inside the shrine, there were a few more temporary seats added compared to his last visit, and it was now almost full of people.

Dressed in a neat shrine maiden's attire, Dorin sat behind the long table at the head of the table, explaining something to a middle-aged woman with a sorrowful expression.

The girl looked a little tired, but her eyes were bright and alert.

Noticing the commotion at the door, she subconsciously looked up and saw Cui Shi'an. Her eyes immediately flashed with surprise and respect, and she instinctively reached out to stand up and bow.

Cui Shi'an quickly gestured to her that there was no need for formalities, then pointed to the guest in front of her and mouthed and looked at him, saying, "You're busy, don't worry about me."

Jie Duoling understood, nodded slightly, and refocused her attention on the guest, but her posture became more upright.

Seeing that she was adapting well, Cui Shi'an stopped disturbing her and walked smoothly to the small side room on the side of the shrine, which was used for resting and storing miscellaneous items. He casually found a futon, sat down cross-legged, and opened his mind to receive the incense and prayer power that flowed from the shrine.

The power of his will was invisible, yet it seemed to carry warmth and weight, permeating his limbs and nourishing his soul.

If the incense offerings continue to be this abundant every day, Cui Shi'an predicts that it won't be long before he can reach the third level.

Moreover, with Shin Yuna's help now, they will likely uncover more fragments of memories soon.

There was one thing that made Cui Shi'an very uneasy.

According to the "Annals of Silla" in the "Samguk Sagi" (History of the Three Kingdoms), in the seventh month of autumn of the tenth year:

Generals Pinri, Wenzhong, Zhongchen, Yiguan, and Tianguan captured 63 cities and relocated their inhabitants to the interior; Tiancun and Zhuzhi captured 7 cities and beheaded 2,000; Officers and Wenying captured 12 cities, attacked the Di army, beheaded 7,000, and captured many warhorses and weapons. In total, 82 cities were captured and established as prefectures and counties.

In other words, the split between Tang and Luo began in 670 AD.

However, the city of Sabi, the seat of the Xiongjin Governor's Office, fell in the spring of the twelfth year of King Munmu's reign, which was 672 AD.

So if the conflict started in July 670, why was I still ambushed?

There is only one possibility: only someone close to the victim can succeed.

However, this proves that he met Jie Lianhua at least after the spring of 672 AD.

In a previous dream, when I was escorting Xi Yuanjie back to Jincheng, King Munmu Kim Beopmin mentioned that in the future, when we conquer Pyongyang, we will still need the strong assistance of Commander Choi.

The Goguryeo Kingdom fell in 668 AD, which means that the story of him escorting Seokwon-hae took place before 668 AD.

What happened during those years?

It seems that the idea of ​​them being a couple in a past life was just his subjective imagination.

Apart from the night at Bukhansan Mountain, when the bearded man who resembled Yama, the King of Hell, uttered the words "a loving couple," it seems that the existing dream cannot prove that he and Yoo Ji-min are husband and wife.

Are they secretly developing feelings for each other? Or have they secretly pledged their lives to one another?

Just as he was lost in thought, soft footsteps approached the door of the side room, followed by Doring's respectful voice, which cautiously asked, "My lord—are you awake?"

Cui Shi'an slowly opened his eyes, his gaze clear and unwavering.

He looked at the graceful young witch standing at the door, whose complexion was noticeably rosier than a few days ago, and asked with slight surprise, "Have all the guests been received?"

Dorling nodded, a faint smile on her face that was a mixture of weariness and satisfaction: "Yes, thanks to you, sir, today went exceptionally smoothly."

She took a step closer, lowered her voice, and said with a hint of mystery, "Because I sensed your presence here, I used your energy to perform divination, cure illnesses, and pray for blessings. The process was much smoother than usual, and the guidance I gave seemed clearer and more powerful. The guests were very satisfied."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shi'an understood.

As the master of the "Incense Chart," his very existence is a blessing to the shrine maidens and temples that worship him.

But he was more interested in something else: "Why are there so many guests today?"

Mentioning this, Jie Duoling's smile deepened, tinged with a sense of wonder at the wonders of the world: "It's all thanks to you, sir, for exorcising the evil spirit from Cheng Ying. His parents had joined all sorts of social groups to try and cure their child's illness, and they met many other parents who were also worried about their child's strange illness. To express their gratitude, they strongly recommended our Mingxintang in those groups."

She paused, then added, "As a result, word spread like wildfire. Starting from the afternoon before yesterday, people began to come here. There were already quite a few people yesterday, but I didn't expect that today—there's even a queue."

In the end, she herself found it somewhat unbelievable.

Cui Shi'an couldn't help but smile after hearing this.

"Looks like you're going to be quite busy from now on, little magician Duoling."

Duling blushed slightly at the address and quickly waved her hand, saying, "You flatter me, sir—it's all thanks to your divine power."

As she spoke, she took out a bulging, dark blue cloth sachet embroidered with simple auspicious cloud patterns from the wide sleeves of her hanbok, and respectfully presented it to Choi Si-an with both hands: "My lord, this is the incense offering we received today, as well as—the extra ten million won that Sung-young's parents promised as a token of gratitude. It's all inside, please take a look, my lord."

Cui Shi'an took the sachet; it felt heavy in his hand.

Untie the rope and peek inside—there were neatly stacked stacks of 10,000 won notes, roughly counted, definitely more than 20 million.

This doesn't even include the fruits, pastries, and other items that were left as offerings.

He smiled, said nothing more, simply counted out about ten million banknotes from the sachet, and then gently pushed the rest back.

"As agreed, we'll split the incense offerings 50/50."

Seeing this, Duoling quickly shook her head and said urgently, "My lord, you mustn't! The ten million in rent you lent my daughter for emergency use hasn't been repaid yet. How can you accept so much more? This should be returned to you first—"

"There's no need to rush to pay that money back." Cui Shi'an interrupted her, smiling gently. "I don't have any urgent need for money right now. But you," he glanced outside, where he could still faintly hear the soft voices of people waiting for the next round of reception, "Judging from this trend, there will only be more and more guests. You have to preside over the rituals, receive inquiries, and manage the inside and outside of the shrine all by yourself. It's inevitable that you'll be overwhelmed."

He stuffed the sachet back into Dorling's hand: "So keep this money. You can consider hiring one or two reliable assistants to share the chores. Otherwise, we can't expect you, the high priestess, to do everything yourself. If you collapse from exhaustion, who will take care of the incense offerings at Mingxin Hall?"

These words were both considerate and practical, and Duoling felt a warm current surge in her heart, her nose slightly tingling.

She knew that Cui Shi'an's decision was hard to change, and that this arrangement was indeed for her and Mingxintang's long-term benefit, so she no longer refused. She accepted the heavy sachet with both hands and bowed deeply: "Thank you for your consideration, sir. I will obey."

After carefully putting away the sachet, Duoling suddenly remembered something, and a bright light flashed in her eyes: "My lord, just now, during a break from receiving guests, I sensed that the flow of energy in the 'Eight Paths to Heaven' painting seemed to have changed—my lord, did you also feel it? I felt that the figure in the painting seemed to have taken another step forward?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Shi'an immediately followed her to the shrine.

Sure enough, the pale ink-colored figure that had been standing before the realm of "clear breeze and bright moon" was now positioned further into the clear clouds, and closer to the graceful waters of Jeolla Province, which symbolized "willows in the wind."

With the incense burning brightly and the power of prayers gathering, this is the best resource for him to climb this map and verify his own path.

Cui Shi felt it quietly for a while, then opened his eyes, met the girl's expectant gaze, and smiled clearly: "Yes, it moved."

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