The Mountain Temple Came to Life

In the modern era, with incense offerings dwindling, Yuan Manyue, a Taoist temple that has gained sentience, must descend from the mountain and gather faith in order to survive her tribulation and ascend to immortality. But with no incense offerings in her belly and her magic gone, she has no choice but to return to her old trade: fortune-telling. At first, everyone sees her youthful beauty and assumes she’s a lazy fraud. Then “Your nanny is a human trafficker. She left your house with your daughter ten minutes ago.” An hour later, a bus heading out of town is stopped, and a trafficker holding a baby is arrested. “Your daughter’s fiancé and her best friend are legally married. They’re working together to swindle her.” Three months later, a man and a woman are prosecuted for fraud and attempted murder. “Want to know where your father, who eloped with someone, is now? He never eloped. He’s right there on your family’s homestead.” A year later, a murder case stemming from a fight over family property is officially brought to a close. The story of a brother and sister who spent twenty years seeking justice for their father goes viral on social media. Years later, Yuan Manyue has earned enough merit to ascend successfully. Here’s a coming-soon story of mine. Please add it to your collection if you’re interested! *Staying Alive Through Gossip in the 1970s* Blurb: Bad news: He Lanyue was born frail, and her doctor said she wouldn’t live past twenty! Good news: At nineteen, she was forced to bind herself to a gossip System. Every juicy tidbit she devours extends her life! On the very first day the System binds itself to her, a shocking piece of gossip comes right to her doorstep. But the person at the center of it is none other than He Lanyue herself A country girl who’s been through hardship arrives in a rage, accusing her of being a cuckoo in someone else’s nest. The gentle, considerate boy next door turns out to be a womanizer, juggling six girlfriends and about to get caught. The delicate, weepy Miss Pea is a skilled fighter and a foreign spy lying low. [Ding! Consumed low-level gossip, “The Womanizer Unmasked.” Lifespan +1 day!] [Ding! Consumed mid-level gossip, “The Real and Fake Heiresses.” Lifespan +5 days!] [Warning! Triggered special-class gossip, “Spy Suspicions”... Automatic encryption initiated... Host, proceed to the designated location at once. Complete the mission to earn 30 days of life!] Armed with the gossip System, He Lanyue goes from a sickly, frail girl to a pillar of the nation who lives to a hundred. Theme: Good and evil both meet their just deserts in the end