I manage female characters in all the heavens.

"The Taoist priest said that Yao Guang is the seventh star of the Big Dipper, which is regarded as an auspicious symbol. It is also known as the Po Jun star, which represents destruction and then construction, and can suppress your destiny."

"I tried anything as a last resort, and following his advice, I changed your name to Nie Yaoguang. I never expected that the moment I called out your name after the name change, your illness would be cured without any medicine."

“From that time on, I never mentioned the name Nie Xiaoqian again, nor did I mention it to anyone. Even if it was the last gift your mother left you, I will never allow it to endanger your safety.” Nie Yan looked at her.

"Because the Po Jun star in your destiny palace is unfavorable for marriage and easily violates common sense, I have always been strict with your education, hoping to restrain your destiny palace with humane etiquette and law so that it will not get out of control and harm your future."

"I thought this method would be very effective, but now it seems that you just hid it well. That restless heart has always been beating inside you. You are not a stable person at all."

At this point, Nie Yan looked up to the sky and sighed, "Letting you live and letting you live well are two options that you can't have at the same time. Oh, heavens, how cruel you are to me..."

"..."

Upon learning that she was Nie Xiaoqian, "Nie Yaoguang" sighed deeply, thinking to herself that the story of A Chinese Ghost Story had ended before it even began.

She knows her own situation best. Even if she really dies one day and becomes a ghost, she would never be driven by the Tree Demon Granny to stage any love story or anything like that.

With her current abilities, if she were to truly become a ghost, it would be terrifying. The Tree Demon Granny would probably turn around and feed her, and even the Black Mountain Demon would be scared silly. She wouldn't be a ghost at all.

However, regarding Lao Nie's superstitions, "Nie Yaoguang" has something to say:

"That's superstition! I thought you, as a Confucian scholar, wouldn't get involved in these strange and supernatural things, but you actually secretly believe in them. That's outrageous!"

Nie Yan shook his head and sighed, "If you were in my situation, you would believe it too."

My child, you are still young and don't understand many things. There is a complete difference between not having encountered something and having encountered it.

Nie Yaoguang rolled her eyes; she actually preferred to believe that this was a conspiracy orchestrated by that Taoist priest.

There are indeed demons and monsters in this world, but she doesn't believe in things like fate or destiny.

She has always believed that human will can overcome fate, and that all talk of destiny is nonsense. She has come this far not because of destiny, but because of real fighting.

If a name can change one's destiny, then what does her hard work and struggle amount to?

What do the efforts and struggles of ordinary people amount to?

This made her feel frustrated, and she had to vent.

She flung open the carriage window and shouted to the sky:

"I am Nie Xiaoqian, who could possibly harm me?!"

"I am Nie Xiaoqian, who could possibly harm me?!"

"I am Nie Xiaoqian, who could possibly harm me?!"

I shouted it three times, afraid that God wouldn't hear me.

The sound carried far and wide, reaching the entire group, who began whispering amongst themselves.

"What's wrong with Miss? Why did she suddenly change her name?"

"What do you mean suddenly? I've always thought the name Nie Yaoguang was unpleasant. It doesn't suit the young lady's gentle temperament at all. Xiaoqian is so much better, so beautiful."

"...You must not have been scolded by the young lady yesterday, otherwise you would know that the name Yaoguang is very suitable for the young lady, and the young lady's words are sharper than knives."

"The young lady actually swears? What did I miss that I want to be sweared at?!"

"...?"

Everyone consciously distanced themselves from the guy who wanted to be scolded.

Inside the carriage, Nie Yan was shocked and pulled his crazed daughter back: "What are you doing?!"

Nie Yaoguang broke free from his hand and said confidently, "From now on, I'll be called Nie Xiaoqian. I want to see if anything bad will happen."

"Let me personally tear your superstitions to shreds!"

At this moment, the sun was already setting in the west, and the eerie atmosphere between heaven and earth suddenly intensified. At the same time, lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky, and dark clouds immediately covered the sky, clearly indicating that a rainstorm was brewing.

It was clear that they could not continue their journey under such circumstances. Although it was urgent, Nie Yan still ordered them to find a place to take shelter from the rain and spend the night there, and to continue their journey when the weather cleared up the next day.

As luck would have it, the group arrived in Guobei County, not far from Lanruo Temple, so they decided to stay at Lanruo Temple to avoid the rain.

Looking at the brightly lit temple before her and hearing the chanting of sutras, Nie Xiaoqian was completely bewildered.

She had barely announced that she was Nie Xiaoqian when she arrived at Lanruo Temple. It seemed that Nie Xiaoqian was destined to have an inextricable connection with Lanruo Temple.

When she was called Nie Yaoguang, she lived to be 20 years old and never visited Lanruo Temple.

Are those wandering Taoist priests really capable?

But it doesn't matter anymore. Whoever wants to harm her will have to ask about the 5,600 years of internal energy within her first.

With such martial arts skills, she was also curious whether she could get the Tree Demon Granny to cook her a couple of dishes.

Chapter 163: Giving the Tree Demon Granny a fright

The temple gate of Lanruo Temple was faintly visible in the rain, the gray temple walls were washed clean by the rain and the copper bells hanging from the eaves made a few crisp sounds in the wind and rain.

The Nie family's procession, numbering nearly two hundred, stopped in front of the temple gate in a grand procession.

Such a large procession caused quite a commotion, and the monks at Lanruo Temple had already noticed it.

"Amitabha Buddha—" A middle-aged monk dressed in a gray robe and holding prayer beads bravely stepped forward, followed by several young monks, all of whom looked frightened.

In this chaotic world, in the middle of nowhere, encountering a force that includes soldiers is even more terrifying than encountering bandits.

"Esteemed esteemed benefactors, what brings you to our temple?" the middle-aged monk stammered, suppressing his panic.

The leading captain dismounted and cupped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, sir. We are the troops of Prefect Nie of Jinhua, on our way to the capital to assume our post. We have been caught in a heavy rain and would like to ask for lodging at your esteemed temple for the night. Would that be convenient?"

"Convenient, of course it's convenient!" The middle-aged monk breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly.

"As monks, we are compassionate. How could we turn away travelers on their way? Please come in, everyone. I will have someone prepare a few empty rooms right away!"

As he spoke, he eagerly led the way, guiding the group into the temple.

Nie Yan stepped down from the carriage, his blue official robe instantly soaked halfway by the rain.

He looked up at the temple's plaque—the three gilded characters "Lanruo Temple" were somewhat blurred in the rain, but their former grandeur was still evident.

"Lanruo Temple...it was once glorious, but now it is in decline, like..." He murmured softly, but didn't finish, and stepped into the temple gate.

"Nie Xiaoqian" followed closely behind and jumped down from the carriage.

Dressed in a light blue dress, she held an oil-paper umbrella and casually surveyed her surroundings.

The torrential rain enveloped the entire temple in a misty fog.

The courtyard, paved with bluestone slabs, was washed clean by the rain. Several lanterns hung under the eaves of the side rooms, their dim yellow light swaying uncertainly in the wind and rain.

The temple's architecture isn't particularly grand, but it still has about twenty buildings, laid out in a neat and orderly manner, showing that it was once a place of great religious activity.

In the center stands a grand hall, with a spacious courtyard in front, flanked by side halls, wing rooms, and meditation rooms. Behind it are several storage rooms and a kitchen, giving the whole place a rustic and tranquil feel.

Benxin, the current abbot of Lanruo Temple, an old monk with white hair and a kind face, personally came out to greet Nie Yan.

He clasped his hands together and bowed slightly: "Amitabha, Lord Nie's presence at our humble temple is truly an honor. I, Benxin, as the abbot of Lanruo Temple, greet you, Your Excellency."

Nie Yan returned the greeting: "Master Benxin, you are too kind. We are just passing by and have taken the liberty of disturbing you. We hope you will forgive us."

"Not at all, Lord Nie's arrival is an honor for our temple." Benxin smiled broadly. "This humble monk has already had several clean rooms prepared for you and your family."

"As for the accompanying soldiers... there aren't many empty rooms in the temple, so they'll probably have to camp in the courtyard."

"It's alright." Nie Yan waved his hand. "The soldiers already brought tents. It's a blessing that they have a place to shelter from the wind and rain. We dare not ask for too much."

After exchanging pleasantries, Nie Yan, accompanied by "Nie Xiaoqian" and several close attendants, followed Benxin to see the rooms that had been arranged for them.

Meanwhile, the escorting army of a hundred men began to find open spaces to set up camp in various courtyards within the temple.

The soldiers worked quickly, and soon more than a dozen tents were set up in the courtyard in a neat and orderly fashion, which was just enough.

The rain gradually intensified, accompanied by strong winds that blew down the canopy covering the carriage.

Nie Yan's trip was to move his entire family to the capital, and it was unlikely that he would return. Naturally, he brought all his belongings with him, including various gold and silver valuables, precious objects, ancient books and paintings, which filled three large carts and were tightly wrapped in oilcloth.

Even so, leaving it to soak in such heavy rain could easily cause problems.

These items were quite valuable and susceptible to dampness, so Nie Yan instructed his servants to move them into an empty room in the temple for storage until the rain stopped, at which point they would be reloaded onto the cart.

The servants responded immediately and began unloading the goods from the carriages despite the heavy rain.

A young and strong servant carried a heavy wooden box and walked into the temple on the slippery bluestone slabs.

As he approached a threshold, he was not paying attention and tripped.

"Ouch!"

He fell forward, the wooden box in his hand flew out and crashed to the ground with a bang, the lid popping open.

Whoosh!

Gold and silver jewelry were scattered all over the ground!

Silver ingots, gold bars, pearls, agate, jade... shimmered brilliantly in the dim light, almost dazzling everyone present.

Several monks who were helping to move things were stunned when they saw this scene. Their mouths were wide open and they couldn't close them for a long time.

The servant turned pale with fright and scrambled to his feet, frantically stuffing the gold and silver jewelry on the ground into the box.

The abbot, Benxin, who was standing under the corridor, glanced at the sound, a strange light flashing in the depths of his eyes, but he still wore a kind smile on his face and quickly walked over.

"Don't panic, benefactor, this humble monk will help you." He bent down and helped the servant gather up the scattered valuables.

The other monks also came to their senses and rushed forward to help.

Soon, the scattered gold and silver jewelry was put back into the box, which was then moved to an empty room for safekeeping.

The servant wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and repeatedly thanked Benxin and the others.

"Amitabha Buddha, it was nothing, please don't worry about it." Benxin smiled warmly, put his hands together, and spoke gently.

"Please go and rest, benefactor. I will have someone make some ginger soup to warm you all up."

The servant left, expressing his deepest gratitude.

Benxin watched his figure disappear at the end of the corridor, her smile slowly fading, and a struggle flashing deep in her eyes.

But in that instant, all the negative resentment that filled the world seemed to find an outlet, rushing wildly toward Benxin and the monks.

Finally, greed rose in their eyes as they looked at the room where the valuables were stored, their gazes growing increasingly intense.

Benxin slowly twirled the prayer beads, uttered a Buddhist chant, and turned to leave.