After Dawn - Chapter 5

Great Master Ling Hui of Anguo Temple does have some real skills, but Qing Ran is not at all worried about her disguise being exposed.

She has the heroine halo in her skill bar, which when worn enhances her attraction to the opposite sex, increases the hatred of the same sex for her, and is automatically defaulted to the Phoenix body of the Daughter of Heavenly Destiny by all high rankers.

But as impressive as this skill sounds, not many people have it, and in fact, most of the enforcers whose mission content will come into head-to-head conflict with the heroine will have a high chance of revealing this skill after they kill her.

–The burst rate is like a pick-up-and-play.

In Qing Ran’s skill bar, there are three types of skills, namely Normal Skills, Pseudo-Godly Skills, and Godly Skills.

Normal skills are basic skills such as the four arts, cooking and embroidery, which can be acquired through extensive study and contact in the mission world, while Pseudo-Godly skills are skills such as the heroine’s halo, which when worn and used can significantly improve the special stats of the mission, such as luck and charisma, as well as interfere with the heavenly dao of the mission world, making it easier for the enforcers to complete the mission.

The effectiveness of a divine technique is so unbelievable, but the restrictions on its use are also very great, often requiring a cooling period of two to three worlds, for example, the heroine’s aura, which requires a cooling period of five worlds after being used once before it can be used again.

Qing Ran is now using the heroine’s aura with the pseudo-word enclosed in parentheses, also known as the pseudo-godly technique.

However, when a skill with the same name is given a pseudo-word, it becomes a tasteless and discarded chicken rib.

Take this pseudo-godly skill, its effectiveness time is very short, only twenty-four hours, that is, twelve hours, a day’s work, and as the effective time passes, its effect will continue to weaken, in the last few hours can even be so weak as to be completely ignored, and although it does not have as long a cooling time as the real Heroine halo,  it also needs to cool down for forty-eight hours before it can be used again.

For many enforcers, twenty-four hours will not get the situation back, and there is a high risk that its effect on the subject will diminish as it continues to weaken, and that it will cause suspicion in a perceptive subject, knowing that once the true identity of the enforcer is discovered by a character in the mission world, the mission will be ruled a failure even if 99% of it has been completed.

However, Qing Ran often used it because her own mission time was limited to twelve hours, which meant that the cooldown time of this pseudo-godly Skill did not exist for her. As for the constant weakening of its effect, ordinary people in the mission world may not be able to see it, but those so-called high level people can tell at a glance.

After doing so many missions, Qing Ran had already figured out the rules. Whether the skill given by the system was good or bad, whether it was a Godly skill or a pseudo godly skill, since it existed and occupied such a place in the skill bar, it must have its own value of existence, and when used properly, a pseudo godly skill might not be worse than a true godly skill.

The curfew of the Xuanyuan Dynasty began at Wu Shi, and now it has passed Hai Shi, and there is no one on the huge Chang’an Street. The eurasian  jackdaws sounded in the night sky, and a seemingly simple carriage passed across the street and drove out of the capital.

In the carriage, the three Xuan Yuan brothers sat together, looking solemn. Qing Ran seemed curious about travelling at night and lifted the curtain on the carriage to look out unceasingly, only to be able to see only empty streets and shops with closed doors, despite the bright moonlight outside.

The busy Chang’an Avenue in the daytime looks, at this time, was a little forlorn.

But Qing Ran’s expression was still excited, and from time to time she made a waving motion to the outside, as if she was greeting someone. Feng Yue coaxed her patiently, telling her to put down the curtain and not to get cold.

In fact, everyone in the carriage knew that Qing Ran’s remaining life expectancy at this time was only a few hours, and there was no such thing as catching a cold.

Qing Ran was still very receptive to Feng Yue’s care, and after putting down the curtain with some reluctance, she sat down beside him obediently. But she didn’t rest for a while, she carefully lifted the curtain again when Feng Yue wasn’t looking, as if she had seen something very interesting, she smiled so much that her cat eyes even curved into crescents.

“Shénxiān Gege, just now I saw a particularly cute little brother.” She excitedly exchanged what she saw outside with Feng Yue, “And there was an old uncle selling candy canes, he asked me if I wanted to buy a bunch.”

Feng Yue rubbed her head dotingly. For some reason, he always had a little more patience with the girl in front of him, who was only twelve years old at heart.

Xuan Yuan Chao was a little annoyed watching the interaction between the two, one was his protégé and the other was his princess consort, and now they were openly showing affection in front of him with their eyes, but he didn’t even know how to get angry.

The group finally arrived at the Anguo Temple at around the hour of the sun.

Great Master Ling Hui seemed to have known they were coming. When they got off the carriage, they saw an old grey-clad monk in the moonlight, standing silently with his hands together at the bottom of the stone staircase in front of Anguo Temple, waiting for them.

Looking over from Qing Ran’s angle, Great Master Ling Hui’s face could be described in one word – bitterness and hatred.

And to Xuan Yuan Chao and the others, it meant worrying about the country and being compassionate to the people.

At this moment, Qing Ran’s face was pale and looked very weak because of the Return Truth spreading in her body. When she got off the carriage, she could no longer stand up and could only lean on Feng Yue’s arms and be half carried by him as she got down.

At first, Xuan Yuan Zhi felt that it was not proper to do so, but Qing Ran would not let Xuan Yuan Chao come close at all, even if Xuan Yuan Chao’s position moved towards her a little, although she would not cry out, but she would look straight at him, tears rustling down in her eyes, and then tug at the hem of Feng Yue’s garment for dear life, not letting him leave even a little bit.

“Great Master Ling Hui.” In front of Monk Ling Hui, all three Xuan Yuan  brothers had dropped their imposing presence and saluted respectfully.

Monk Ling Hui also gave them back a Buddhist salute. Feng Yue could only smile a little apologetically at Monk Ling Hui as he was holding Qing Ran. Even Feng Yue, who did not put power and wealth in her eyes, had some respect for Monk Ling Hui when he saw him.

The only person who is as usual is probably Qing Ran.

“Great Master , why do you have so many stones on your body? Doesn’t it hurt to have them set inside your body?” She asked, cocking her head curiously, seemingly coming on with interest and a little more spirit.

Monk Ling Hui was stunned by her question, and on closer inspection, he saw that the woman in front of him had a pale face and extremely pale lips, but her eyes were particularly bright, as if a thousand stars were hidden within them.

His lips trembled a couple of times, and then the words that were about to come out of his mouth were swallowed back and turned into a sigh.

“Merciful Buddha!, benefactor, it is windy in the mountains, come in with me.”

When he entered the meditation room, Monk Ling Hui found a prayer mat and sat down cross-legged, the Buddhist beads in one hand spinning so fast that the few people who entered the room did not dare to disturb him in his contemplation.

“Great Master, you haven’t answered my question yet.” Qing Ran was now being childish and asked relentlessly.

“Poof ……” Monk Ling Hui spurted out a mouthful of blood, and his face, which was still described as rosy, suddenly turned yellow and dry.

“Huo Qing Ran!” Xuan Yuan Chao shouted at Qing Ran with a low voice. Qing Ran was also frightened by Monk Ling Hui spitting blood, and when she was yelled at by Xuan Yuan Chao, her eyes turned red and her tears were about to fall down.

“Merciful Buddha.” A familiar Buddhist cry came, it turned out to be Monk Ling Hui who had opened his eyes, his face still looked unpleasant, as if he had aged a lot all of a sudden, “It’s not the fault of Benefactor Huo’s , it’s the old cassock’s poor cultivation and his delusion to glimpse at heaven’s destiny. If not for the interruption of Benefactor Huo, I am afraid that the rest of the old cassock’s life span would have been taken away by the heavens.”

Xuan Yuan Chao knew that he had wrongly blamed Huo Qing Ran, his face flushed and he did not speak again.

Monk Ling Hui turned his head to Qing Ran again and asked in a soft voice, “The Benefactor said she saw stones on the old cassock, but what kind of stones were they?”

Qing Ran tilted her head in thought and said, “There are so many colourful stones on you that I can’t tell you all about them at once.” Then a glint appeared in her eyes, “Great Master, can you give me two of your stones? I have never seen such beautiful stones before.”

“Amitabha Buddha, Benefactor Huo was born with natural wisdom and is able to see through the soul of a person, which is rare.” Monk Ling Hui said, “If I have guessed correctly, the stone that the benefactor is talking about is the She Li Zi in the body of the old cassock, which is fused inside the soul of the old cassock and can only be taken out after the old cassock has passed away.”

“When the time comes, I will certainly ask the temple’s shami to deliver it for the benefactor.”

“That ‘s good.” Qing Ran said happily, but her expression looked a little drained, narrowing her eyes and half leaning into Feng Yue’s arms, like a lazy cat.

Seeing this, Monk Ling Hui sighed and whispered the word of Amitabha Buddha, the Buddhist beads in his hand spinning faster again.

“Great Master Ling Hui ……” Xuan Yuan Zhi’s expression looked a bit anxious, less calm above the imperial ancestral temple, no wonder he was so concerned about the whole Xuan Yuan Dynasty’s life and death, no matter who is afraid it is difficult to keep calm.

“Amitabha Buddha.” Monk Ling Hui recited a Buddhist word, “Benefactor Huo was originally in the phoenix’s appearance, and with her alone she would have been able to preserve Xuan Yuan Dynasty’s fortune for a hundred years, but now that the phoenix is weeping blood, it is a dying omen, and Xuan Yuan Dynasty is afraid of unrest.”

After thinking about it, Monk Ling Hui added, “It is reasonable to say that a foreign star can hardly hurt a true phoenix, and with Benefactor Huo looking like this, I am afraid that there is another person helping the enemy.”

Feng Yue subconsciously then turned his gaze to Xuan Yuan Chao.

If we talk about aiding and abetting the enemy, there is no one present who deserves that name more than he does.

——-

Four arts 琴棋书画 (qínqíshūhuà) : the four arts (zither, Go, calligraphy, painting) / the accomplishments of a well-educated person

it becomes a tasteless and discarded chicken rib. 食之无味弃之可惜    (shízhīwúwèi, qìzhīkěxī) : lit. to be hardly worth eating, but it would still be a pity to discard it (idiom) / fig. some things have little to no value, yet one is still reluctant to part with them

Hai shi  亥时    : 9-11 pm (in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in former times)

No one 空无一人 ( kōngwúyīrén) : not a soul in sight (idiom)

Eurasian Jackdaws  寒鸦    ( hányā):            (bird species of China) Eurasian jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)

Sounded 凄厉 (qīlì): mournful (sound)

Shénxiān 神仙    :Daoist immortal / supernatural entity

Gege 哥哥    : older brother

bitterness and hatred. 苦大仇深 (kǔdàchóushēn) : great bitterness, deep hatred (idiom); deeply ingrained long-standing resentment

benefactor 施主 (shīzhǔ) : benefactor (term used by a monk to address a layperson)

natural wisdom 慧眼 (huìyǎn) : an all-seeing mind / mental perception / insight / acumen

she li zi 舍利子 (shèlìzi) : ashes after cremation / Buddhist relics (Sanskirt: sarira)

Shami 沙弥 (shāmí) : novice Buddhist monk

another person helping the enemy 助纣为虐 (zhù Zhòuwéinüè) :lit. helping tyrant Zhou 商紂王｜商纣王 in his oppression (idiom) / fig. to take the side of the evildoer / giving succor to the enemy