Chapter 12 – Temple Offerings

Lin Yue ran her fingers through Xue’s tangled hair, smoothing out the knots with gentle strokes. The young girl’s breathing slowed into a steady rhythm against the pillow. A small smile tugged at Lin Yue’s lips as she watched Xue drift off, looking peaceful despite the chaos of their lives.

The door’s heavy lock clicked into place. Lin Yue tested the handle twice. No one would reach Xue tonight.

The bouncer gave his usual acknowledging glare as she passed. She ignored him, maintaining their unspoken routine of mutual distrust.

Night market aromas assaulted her senses—roasted meat, incense, sewage, and unwashed bodies all competing for dominance. Lantern light cast dancing shadows across vendor stalls and hurrying pedestrians.

“Keep your qi suppressed,” Shadow whispered. “Cultivators aren’t supposed to mingle with mortals. You’re technically breaking sect law just being here.”

“Since when do you care about laws?” Lin Yue glanced down at her ruined clothes. Scorch marks and blood stains marred the fresh fabric. “Fuck, I just bought these.”

“No one important will notice a bottom-feeding cultivator like you.” Shadow swirled lazily around her shoulders. “As long as you don’t stand out.”

Lin Yue counted their remaining coins. The silver pieces wouldn’t last long at this rate. “What could we get for one spirit stone fragment?”

“A few gold, easily. Full spirit stones fetch a jade tael minimum.”

Lin Yue stumbled. “A jade tael? Each?”

“Of course. They’re cultivation necessities.”

“I just burned through twelve of them.” Lin Yue’s mind raced through calculations. Twelve jade taels could have bought a mansion in the merchant district and maintained it for decades. Secured Xue’s safety… Turn them into the wealthy merchant class. Instead, she’d consumed a fortune just to unlock her dantian and meridians. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What would be the point?” Shadow drifted through the lantern-lit street. “Mortal concerns stopped mattering the moment Master Ruixian branded you. Money, clothes, food—those belong to your old life.”

Lin Yue snorted. “Right. The life I had before you led me straight into his trap.”

“I am compelled to follow orders.” Shadow’s form compressed into a tight coil. “And I lack your freedom to simply die rather than obey.”

“Not much of a ‘Shadow Dragon God,’ are you?”

The puff of smoke and silence spoke volumes.

The night market’s silk merchants displayed vibrant robes that sparkled with golden thread—far too ostentatious. The regular tailor would have closed hours ago, leaving overpriced options as her only choice.

Lin Yue watched Shadow’s serpentine form twist through the air. “Maybe you are just too weak to resist?”

Shadow snarled. His ethereal body expanded, rushing through a merchant’s carefully arranged display. Supernatural wind scattered trinkets and knocked over stacks of fabric. The vendor cursed, scrambling to catch his tumbling merchandise.

“You’re such a jerk.” Lin Yue shook her head at the mess.

Lin Yue wandered past the gaudy silk merchants until she spotted a more modest stall tucked between two larger shops. Simple robes in muted colors hung from wooden racks, the quality evident in their tight stitching and clean lines.

A pitch-black outfit caught her eye—silk rather than cotton, but without the embroidery that screamed ‘rob me.’ The fabric slipped like water through her fingers. Fifteen silver pieces seemed reasonable for something that wouldn’t fall apart after one street fight.

The elderly shopkeeper ushered her behind a privacy screen. Lin Yue changed quickly, the silk settling cool against her skin. When she stepped out, the merchant guided her to a bronze mirror.

The reflection surprised her. The cut and drape transformed her usual street rat appearance into something refined. She looked like a merchant’s daughter who’d snuck out for a midnight adventure.

“You dress up nice,” Shadow drifted beside the mirror. “Shame about that face, though.”

Lin Yue ignored him and bowed to the shopkeeper. “Thank you for your help.”

“So how exactly do you plan to harvest souls dressed like some rich brat?” Shadow coiled around her shoulders. “The slums are full of easy targets, but this outfit will juts get messed up.”

“Big City claims plenty of souls without my help.” Lin Yue adjusted her new sleeves. “People die here every day.”

Shadow’s form twitched with anxiety, like he knew something she didn’t.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Lin Yue strode through Tax Square, past the towering administrative buildings with their pristine white walls and gleaming gold trim. The twilight of Big City cast long shadows across cobblestones. Neither hot nor cold touched the air—just the same regulated temperature that pervaded every district, every day.

Shadow twisted anxiously around her shoulders. “Why are we heading toward the temple district? Have you lost your mind? Did you forget about last time?”

“Shut up. We’re not going to those temples.” Lin Yue kept walking, her new silk robes whispering with each step.

“Kid, I know exactly which temple you’re thinking of.” Shadow’s form compressed into a tight coil. “This is a terrible idea.”

Lin Yue rounded the corner and spotted what she sought—clusters of ragged figures hunched at the base of weathered stone steps. The Temple of Mercy loomed above them, its facade etched with prayers for peace in death. Row upon row of stone benches formed a small amphitheater below, where the desperate gathered to await their end.

The sharp tang of decay mingled with incense. Several still forms lay wrapped in cheap shrouds, waiting for the temple’s servants to cart them away. The dying knelt in prayer, their labored breathing echoing off ancient walls as they begged for a gentle passing.

Skeletal figures swayed in their seats, too weak to hold themselves upright.

Every day, temple attendants emerged to select five random supplicants. The massive bronze doors would groan open, swallowing the chosen into the temple’s depths. Lin Yue studied the weathered stone steps where countless feet had worn smooth paths—all leading in, none leading out.

They probably dump the bodies out back. Lin Yue watched an elderly woman press copper coins into a collection box. The desperate always paid, offering what little they had left for the promise of a peaceful death. Some even pledged their souls to whatever god or demon promised relief from suffering.

“What’s your range for soul collecting?” Lin Yue kept her voice low.

Shadow coiled tighter around her shoulders. “Not far. Thirty paces at most. You’ll want the center bench for maximum coverage.”

“And if someone dies while I’m—”

“Don’t examine the bodies.” Shadow’s form rippled. “Act appropriately distressed like everyone else. Though this wasn’t your brightest idea.”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you think you alone discovered this golden opportunity? This place draws every soul-hungry parasite too squeamish to kill.”

Lin Yue scanned the huddled masses for any signs of cultivators or demons lurking among the dying. “Will they attack me?”

“Doubtful.” Shadow’s ethereal form rippled through the incense smoke. “They want to avoid attention as much as you do. Though sometimes a self-righteous prick shows up to check for demons.”

“Great. Just what we need.” Lin Yue shifted her weight on the worn stone steps.

“Relax. The sects don’t really care unless it makes them look bad.” Shadow drifted closer to her ear. “To these mortals, dying is dying. Whether their soul feeds a demon or ascends to heaven—they’re still just as dead.”

The temple bells tolled, their deep resonance mixing with the soft moans of the dying. Lin Yue watched an elderly man collapse into a coughing fit, blood speckling the stones at his feet.

Shadow lunged forward, his ethereal form stretching like smoke across the temple steps. The dying man’s final breath escaped in a rattling wheeze. A silvery wisp rose from his body, twisting in the air before Shadow’s jaws snapped shut around it.

Lin Yue studied the worn grooves in the stone steps, considering their next move. One soul would buy them time—maybe enough to figure out a better plan than lurking in death’s waiting room.

“Well, that’s one!” Shadow swirled excitedly around her shoulders. “Right on time! You’re a natural at this, Boss!”

Temple attendants shuffled past with fresh linen wrappings. They worked with practiced efficiency, shrouding the man’s body while muttering prayers. Not a single mourner looked up or showed interest in the scene. Death held no novelty here.

Lin Yue counted the coins in her purse. With the extra soul, she had more time. Enough for a better plan, anyway.

“Why are you fidgeting?” Shadow drifted in front of her face. “Don’t tell me you’re running away already?”

You were just complaining that we were here.

Heat rushed to Lin Yue’s cheeks. She stood abruptly, silk robes rustling against the stone steps. Fuck this parasitic bastard. Her feet carried her up the steps, leaving Shadow’s taunts behind.

Two temple attendants at the top moved to block her path, their white robes pristine against the temple’s weathered facade. The fabric looked expensive—probably silk, not the rough cotton most temples used.

“Sorry, I changed my mind.” Lin Yue stepped back, studying their immaculate appearances. No blood stains, no signs of handling corpses. These weren’t normal attendants.

“You’ve been selected.” The taller attendant smiled with perfect white teeth. “The gods have blessed you with their notice.”

Shadow swirled through the incense smoke. “They spotted the healthy young woman! Definitely worth one of their daily quotas. Probably sells for twice what these other wretches would fetch.”

“I don’t want to go.” Lin Yue tensed as both attendants shifted their stances.

Wooden cudgels appeared in their hands. “This can be easy or difficult,” the shorter one said. “Your choice.”

“Should’ve listened to me.” Shadow’s laughter echoed inside her skull. “Could’ve just knifed a few pricks in the slums instead. But no, you had to be clever!”

Opportunistic bastard. But he might be right. Lin Yue scanned the temple steps. Too many witnesses. Fighting here would draw attention she couldn’t afford.

“Fine.” Lin Yue forced her shoulders to relax. “Lead the way.”

Her fingers found the familiar grip of her knife beneath her sleeve as she followed the attendants toward the pagoda’s gate.