When Yan Yu heard Xu Ziqi’s question, she quickly looked up and answered. Ever since arriving at Qingxu Mountain, she had been feeling inexplicably restless.
“Sorry, I’m not feeling too well, so I wasn’t talking earlier.”
“Not feeling well? Should I let the class monitor know and take you to sit on that bench over there to rest?”
Hearing Yan Yu’s reply, Xu Ziqi immediately stepped closer, her voice laced with concern.
Yan Yu shook her head, not feeling unwell enough to warrant that. “No, it’s fine. Let me just stand here and get some fresh air. I’ll probably feel better soon.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
“Alright, if you say so. But if you start feeling worse, you have to tell me or someone else right away, okay?”
Hearing Xu Ziqi’s concern, Yan Yu smiled. “Thanks for looking out for me, Ziqi. If anything’s wrong, I’ll definitely let you or the others know.”
“Good.”
Not long after their conversation, Sun Zhengning, their class monitor, confirmed that all their classmates were present and none had gone missing. After reminding everyone to stay safe, he announced that they were free to explore the area around Qingxu Temple.
Cheers of “Long live the class monitor!” erupted, and their class of over thirty quickly split into more than a dozen small groups, each heading off to different spots near the temple.
Knowing Yan Yu wasn’t feeling her best—and that she, like herself, wanted to get a Qingxu Temple amulet—Xu Ziqi deliberately paired up with her. They made their way to the amulet stall under the willow tree at the temple entrance.
After a fifteen-minute wait, they finally reached the front of the line. Behind the stall stood a young Taoist priest, clad in robes and clearly much younger than them. Xu Ziqi flashed a bright smile and eagerly asked,
“Little priest, how do we get one of Qingxu Temple’s amulets?”
The young priest studied Xu Ziqi and Yan Yu, sensing they were first-time visitors. “Are you two visiting our temple for the first time?”
Xu Ziqi nodded honestly. “Yeah, my classmate and I are here for the first time.”
“Since it’s your first visit, we actually have a promotion. If you scan the QR code here and follow our temple’s official account, you can get a free amulet.” He pointed to the QR code stand on the table.
“Really? Just by scanning and following, we get an amulet for free?”
“Of course. We who follow the Tao do not lie.” The young priest smiled sincerely.
Delighted—she had expected to spend money—Xu Ziqi immediately pulled out her phone and scanned the code, following the temple’s account. Yan Yu did the same without a word.
Once the young priest confirmed they had followed the account, he retrieved two amulets from a box under the table and handed one to each of them.
After thanking him and stepping aside for the next visitors, Xu Ziqi turned to Yan Yu.
“Now that we’ve got our amulets, where do you want to go next?”
“Hmm, I don’t have any plans. What about you?”
“Me neither. Honestly, the only reason I came on this class trip was to get these amulets.” Xu Ziqi admitted sheepishly.
Yan Yu thought for a moment, then suggested, “Since neither of us has plans, why don’t we check out the temple itself?”
Xu Ziqi nodded. “Sure, let’s go inside.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Okay.”
With that, the two followed the crowd toward the temple entrance. But just as they were about to step inside, Yan Yu suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of unease. She whipped around, her gaze darting toward the foot of Qingxu Mountain.
“Yan Yu? What’s wrong?” Xu Ziqi asked, puzzled by her sudden movement.
Yan Yu scanned the base of the mountain but saw nothing unusual. She turned back. “It’s nothing. I thought I saw someone I knew, but it wasn’t them.”
“Oh, that’s why you turned around so suddenly.” Xu Ziqi accepted the explanation without suspicion.
Yan Yu pointed ahead. “Come on, let’s not stand here. Let’s go inside.”
“Okay.”
With that, the two stepped over the threshold and began exploring the temple.
For the next two hours, they wandered through Qingxu Temple, stopping here and there to take in the sights. Finally satisfied, they made their way back to the meeting point, ready to descend the mountain with their classmates and catch the bus back to school.`