Murim's Weakest Princess-Chapter 257: Shrine Keeper

For a long time, all Anji discovered in this labyrinth were souls that had lost all intelligence. With the few exceptions that had loyalty, Anji did not think she would encounter a new type of soul in this place.

Previously, Anji had already figured there was an old civilisation here in the ruins. The carved walls and stone structures were dead giveaways even in the darkness and with a blindfold over her eyes. However, she never thought this would be a temple for a real deity. Not until she met the shrine keeper, a soul with real form and intelligence. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Welcome, successor of the Mystical Qilin Sect! It has been a while since the last one arrived. Is she doing well? The child with snow-white hair and a stern countenance."

The talking shrine keeper’s soul scared Anji bad enough that she stumbled backwards, tripped on the uneven ground and fell backwards right into a sharp stalagmite.

The moment she tumbled down, Anji felt a sharp heat on her back and thanked the elders for gifting her the special robe with protective spells. If not for the cloth armour, she would have been impaled and stabbed by the sharp rock. Thankfully, all she suffered from were cracked bones and terrible bruises. It did not make her suffer any less pain, but Anji did not panic even when it was laborious to breathe.

Seeing the accident right before her, the shrine keeper’s soul floated over in concern while Anji tried to circulate her energy to speed up her healing. Although not as quick as cultivators of the Enlightened Core level, Anji’s body was much stronger now and capable of slow healing with enough spiritual energy. However, the downside was how hungry and tired she would become. She had enough water and fasting pills with her. However, it would mean Anji would have less time to explore the rest of the labyrinth if her injury required a few weeks to fully recover.

Through her pain, Anji attempted to communicate with the shrine keeper. As she was unable to maintain full focus to communicate telepathically, she replied verbally only to realise how loud her own voice was in this cave.

The echoes scared the sleeping bats, and Anji shrieked when something brushed past her cheeks. The movement made her back hurt worse, and in the end, she opted to remain completely still and silent while healing up a little more.

The shrine keeper felt bad and quickly told Anji she did not have to reply. If anything, the talkative soul shared many trivial but useful pieces of information with Anji, such as a small rock pool with clean water and a healing hot spring in the lower cavern of the cave. There were also many rare spiritual mushrooms growing in the smaller cavern that were harder to reach, which she could guide Anji to if the girl needed.

"Although I was unable to leave my post, I heard from the grapevine about a kind successor candidate who guided the lost children into the afterlife. As the keeper of this sacred shrine, I cannot thank you enough!"

It had been several hours since Anji had started circulating her energy, and the pain had greatly reduced, though her back continued to throb dully.

Replying telepathically now that she could hold her focus, Anji replied to all the questions from the beginning of the one-sided conversation as she continued to heal.

The shrine keeper was thrilled when Anji replied. To think that the girl with white hair was now an old lady and one of the Mystical Qilin Sect’s strongest sect leaders... oh, how time had passed.

"Aren’t you a little too young to be doing this successor trial?" the shrine keeper asked. "I’m not saying that you should leave. However, this place is more dangerous for children. You even became hurt because of me."

Unable to refute, Anji felt a wave of embarrassment. The shrine keeper was a soul who could not even move a pebble. How could she possibly hurt Anji? It was due to Anji’s own clumsiness that she landed herself in this predicament. Thankfully, there was no need for her shifu to know about it. Anji would be fully healed by the time she completed the successor trial.

"Your shifu was quite mean," the shrine keeper sighed. "She did not talk much, even though it had been a very long time since I last saw anyone. In fact, she would only talk to us when demanding answers. I hope she’s doing well. You must have it tough being her disciple."

Anji chuckled. It appears as if her teacher had not changed all that much over the years. As she was still stuck trying to heal, Anji indulged the lonely shrine keeper with stories about the sect, including how she became the successor and the ongoing war outside.

"A war?" the friendly soul hummed. "I see, a war. It explains why they would allow a child to attempt this dangerous trial. They must have loved you a lot to arm you very well with all sorts of treasure. I’m sure you have many questions about this place as well. If you are not in that much of a hurry, would you mind listening to an old story?"

Not one to refuse stories, Anji nodded. She was curious about this crypt and finally had some answers.

Happily, the shrine keeper’s soul danced before settling on a faded stone tablet. Anji also picked herself off the ground. It still hurt to move, but it was manageable. Thankfully, none of her bones were broken. The stalagmite missed her spine by a fraction, and only two of her ribs were badly damaged. None of her organs was punctured, but Anji would still need to make a splint for it.

As she adjusted her position, the shrine keeper started telling the story from her earliest memory. As expected, due to the passage of time, even she who had the strongest soul spirit could not recall all the details from when she was alive.

"We must start the story from at least a few thousand years ago, long before the Mystical Qilin Sect was established. It has to be a story about the first founder of your sect and the God we swore to serve. This is the shrine of a fallen dragon who failed to become Fuzang Dragon. He was a mighty great snake that hoarded many treasures and would often use his treasures to grant wishes."

Anji paused. The Fuzang Dragon was an elusive dragon known as the best treasure hunter, sleeping underground and causing volcanic eruptions whenever it ascended to heaven. To think that the birth of treasure dragons was more than myths, Anji wondered why this shrine became something the Mystical Qilin Sect chose to protect.