I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 355 - 355 354. Scouting_1

Chapter 355: 354. Scouting_1 Chapter 355: 354. Scouting_1 “My Lord, you are free to move around most parts of Mount Shen, but please refrain from approaching the main hall and the vicinity of the Shrine Maiden Pavilion. Pure Fire might scorch mortals.”

A Shrine Maiden, dressed in red and white and with her hair tied up using red and white sandalwood paper, said to Lu Ban.

As Amber’s companion, Lu Ban was treated as if he were a member of her family, and was allowed to stay directly within the Shrine.

“What about the Divine Sakura?”

Lu Ban asked further.

“If you wish to see the Divine Sakura, you can go to the Worship Hall, where you can directly touch the Divine Body of the Divine Sakura. The Divine Sakura itself transformed from the flesh of The First Divine Child and has a spirit, so please treat it with care.”

The Shrine Maiden’s voice was devoid of emotion.

“It really is the body of the first generation…”

Lu Ban was somewhat surprised and then thought of something else.

“By the way, the little girl we brought with us, where is she staying?”

“She is in the side hall, where the High Shrine Maiden is preparing to test her spirituality.”

“Test her spirituality? I would like to see it, could you lead the way, please?”

Driven by a mentality of not missing out on a free show, Lu Ban requested the Priestess Sister to accompany him to the side hall, a Shrine Hall located to the northwest of the main hall. There, beneath the dark cyan eaves, a little girl was sitting on a mat, dressed in white, while an elderly Shrine Maiden was taking out a yellow Talisman Paper and placing it in front of her.

“What if that Shrine Maiden looks at the paper and exclaims something like ‘Power of Three Stages,’ then banishes her from the Shrine?”

Lu Ban joked.

The Priestess Sister looked at Lu Ban strangely.

“Just kidding.”

Lu Ban said with a smile.

“She shouldn’t have any issues, she may not have exceptional talent, but she does have some spiritual sensitivity. There should be no problems for her to serve as a common Shrine Maiden at the Shrine.”

The Priestess Sister explained further, still emotionless, but her explanation already conveyed her stance; Lu Ban guessed she simply might not like expressing her emotions openly.

“That’s good.”

Lu Ban watched from a distance as the young girl underwent the old Shrine Maiden’s test. The result seemed neither good nor bad, just as the Priestess Sister beside him had said, the girl would likely become a Shrine Maiden.

“Once she becomes a Shrine Maiden, she will be given a new name, and everything from her past will become irrelevant to her.”

The Priestess Sister added.

“That’s for the best.”

Remembering the tragic state of Changfeng Island, Lu Ban nodded in agreement.

“May I visit the Divine Sakura?”

He inquired again.

The Priestess Sister glanced at Lu Ban, probably thinking he was treating this as a sightseeing trip, wanting to see everything.

But without a word, she simply gestured for Lu Ban to follow her.

Lu Ban glanced at the Shrine Maiden Pavilion, which had been silent since the arrow earlier that day, suggesting that the Chief Priestess wasn’t too busy—she might even be hiding somewhere, asleep for all he knew.

“It’s so tall, such a high loft can probably only be reached using a Technique.”

Lu Ban remarked, then thought about how Amber would have to climb up to shoot arrows whenever unclean beings were sensed, which seemed somewhat comical to him.

The Priestess Sister did not respond, probably finding Lu Ban’s comment foolish.

As they walked along a path lined with torii gates, they could see some Shrine Maidens cleaning. It seemed that only Shrine Maidens could live in the areas beyond the Divine Gate while Shrine Executive Officers and the like were restricted to an even lower level.

So, am I the only man on this level?

Lu Ban mused idly to himself.

The cleaning Shrine Maidens bowed to the leading Priestess Sister, whose status appeared to be not insignificant. Lu Ban speculated that she too might have been one of the candidates for Shrine Maiden but remained here to work due to insufficient aptitude.

Surprisingly, within the Great Shrine of Harmony Island, the frequency of cherry blossoms falling seemed to decrease significantly. It appeared that the towering canopy scattered most petals outside, while closer to the trunk, it was more desolate.

Two Shrine Maidens were cleaning under the Divine Sakura tree. Lu Ban found it strange, as this task seemed endless and impossible to finish. Yet seeing their earnest demeanor, it appeared to be just an ordinary affair.

“This is the Divine Body of the Divine Sakura.”

The Priestess Sister remarked.

On that robust trunk, a massive Plumbline was tied, with many white Offered Coins hanging around it. This place seemed somewhat dim, like the boundary line between two worlds—as if one could enter the afterlife just by crossing over here.

Lu Ban glanced at the spot where the trunk met the ground, which seemed like ordinary soil. He planned to return in the evening to fulfill Red Leaf’s long-cherished wish, considering this akin to staking out the spot.

At first, he worried that, just like in the legends, if only stones lay beneath the sakura tree, he might have to dig through some rocks to bury the object. Now that it was ordinary dirt, he felt relieved.

Seeing Lu Ban’s relieved expression, Priestess Sister tilted her head and couldn’t quite fathom what this man was thinking.

“Thank you, I have already sensed the grandeur of the sacred stealth.”

Lu Ban expressed his gratitude, while secretly deciding on the spot where he would dig a hole later that night. In his heart, he apologized to the grand tree in advance.

“?”

Priestess Sister didn’t quite understand.

Since Amber was busy with preparation for selection proceedings, naturally, Lu Ban couldn’t see her.

In the evening, after having dinner provided by the Shrine, Lu Ban turned down Xia Dao’s invitation to accompany him to He Dao’s flower district to listen to music, citing the need for rest after a long journey as his reason to stay behind closed doors.

In fact, he had already researched the route to the Divine Sakura.

Disguising his intentions as a leisurely walk, Lu Ban left his lodging, passed through the torii corridor he had seen in the morning, and headed towards the Divine Sakura.

Along the way, there were no shrine maidens; they seemed to be at the Shrine Hall at this time, practicing evening lessons. The path was quiet, almost ghostly.

Halfway through his walk, Lu Ban suddenly felt someone was behind him.

He turned around and thought he saw a woman in white attire passing through a distant torii gate, not quite distinct, ethereal.

“Could it be that this place is also haunted?”

Lu Ban muttered to himself, and when he turned his head back, he saw a woman standing ahead, clad in white with a crimson hakama.

Her hair was deep black, her complexion pale, and her cherry-blossom light eyes held a texture not of this world.

Lu Ban merely blinked, and she disappeared from sight.

“Could this be… the spirit of the Divine Sakura?”

He remembered hearing a legend during the day; this tree was transformed from the physical body of the First Chief Priestess and still held a spirit, perhaps the soul of that priestess was wandering the Great Shrine of Harmony Island, becoming an earthbound spirit.

“What are you doing?”

Suddenly, a childlike voice sounded from behind Lu Ban.

Lu Ban turned his head to see that it was the young girl.

She was dressed in a tiny Priestess Costume, looking every bit the part of a little shrine maiden.

“Shh, I’m going to see the Divine Sakura.”

Lu Ban gestured for silence.

“I want to go too, let’s go, let’s go!”

The little girl called out.

“Alright.”

Lu Ban pondered for a second, and to avoid having her crying attract more shrine maidens, he agreed.

Plus, if he got caught, he could simply say she demanded to be taken to the Divine Sakura to play; no one would blame the child.

Perfect.

Lu Ban, without any guilt, shifted the blame onto the little girl in advance, took her by the hand, and made their way under the Divine Sakura.

Finding the spot he had scoped out during the day, Lu Ban quickly dug a small hole and then pulled out a crimson crystal.

“What’s this? It’s so pretty?”

The little girl reached out to touch it, but Lu Ban denied her the chance.

He placed the crystal into the hole, covered it with soil, and began to explain.

“This belongs to a friend of mine, she was also a shrine maiden. It’s her soul after death, by burying this thing beneath the Divine Sakura, she’ll never be lost and will always be able to find her way home.”

“The way home…”

The little girl seemed to not quite understand, yet also seemed to grasp something.

Just then, Lu Ban heard the clear and pleasant sound of a bell.

*

The end of the month has come, I ask for your recommendation tickets, for your monthly tickets!