I am invincible, that's why I lie down. You're using your entire clan to rebel?

Chapter 488 Playing games in a dilapidated temple: Truth or Dare!

However, upon entering the temple, Qin Mu did not see the scene he had hoped to see.

The temple was empty except for a dilapidated statue, covered in dust and dirt, standing in the center. Most of the paint had peeled off, revealing the gray-black clay underneath, like a forgotten, lonely soul that had been abandoned for many years.

There was no sign of people warming themselves by the fire inside, as he had imagined.

There was no campfire, no travelers, no wandering knights, not even a stray cat.

Qin Mu looked around and shook his head in disappointment.

"What kind of temple is this?" he asked.

Yunluan stepped forward and looked her over, her gaze sweeping from the statue to the wall, and from the wall to the roof, her voice clear and steady.

"Young master, it looks like a mountain god temple. It has been in disrepair for many years and no one worships it anymore."

Qin Mu nodded, turning his gaze away from the dilapidated statue, and said nothing more.

Yunluan began to clean a clean area.

She took a piece of felt from the horse's back and spread it on the relatively dry ground, her movements swift and efficient.

The other women then took out their personal provisions and water pouches and laid them out on the felt.

Jiang Zhaoyue took out a packet of dried meat and a pot of wine from her bundle and placed them in the center of the felt cloth.

Yun Suxin squatted to the side, silently picking up the scattered withered branches and piling them into a heap.

Han Xin'er was not idle either.

She walked to the corner of the wall, picked up a few dry stones, carried them back, and used them to build a makeshift stove around the withered branches.

She moved very lightly and carefully, afraid of making too much noise.

Qin Mu doesn't need to do anything.

He stood with his hands behind his back at the temple entrance, gazing at the increasingly dark sky outside, a half-smile playing on his lips.

His gaze swept from the dark, cloud-covered sky to the howling forest, and from the howling forest to the dilapidated temple, his eyes filled with interest.

With a deafening roar, thunder exploded overhead, sending dust plumes of dust falling from the temple roof.

Immediately afterwards, the rain poured down, crashing down like a burst dam in the Milky Way. The raindrops pounded on the tiles, the withered leaves, and the mud, making a dense and muffled sound.

Qin Mu took a deep breath, tilted his head back, and gazed at the water curtain hanging from the eaves, his face filled with a look of rapture.

He shook his head and said with emotion, "It feels so good. It's exactly the taste."

His voice was mostly drowned out by the sound of the rain, but everyone could hear the excitement and satisfaction in his tone.

The other girls looked puzzled, not understanding what Qin Mu meant by "this taste" or "this feeling".

Jiang Zhaoyue raised her head, glanced at Qin Mu, and her eyes were full of gentle smiles.

She didn't understand, but she didn't need to understand. As long as His Majesty was happy, she was happy.

Yunluan remained expressionless as she continued tidying up the things on the felt. To her, the Emperor's thoughts were never something she needed to guess.

Xu Fenghua sat on the edge of the felt mat, her gaze fixed on Qin Mu's back, a complex feeling welling up inside her.

She didn't understand what he was excited about, but seeing his happy expression, her tense nerves actually relaxed a bit.

She quickly lowered her eyes, suppressing that inappropriate emotion.

Yun Suxin squatted by the stove, holding a flint in her hand, striking it repeatedly, producing tiny sparks.

She was happy because Qin Mu's happiness meant that she might not suffer, at least not tonight.

Han Xin'er knelt on the felt cloth and placed the dried meat pieces one by one on the plate.

Qin Mu turned around, stood with his hands behind his back, glanced at the women, and sighed.

"pity."

Yunluan raised her head and looked at him.

"Young master, what's the pity?"

Qin Mu's gaze fell on the rain outside the door, his voice tinged with regret.

"Unfortunately, there was no one else in the temple."

"Without people, there are no stories. Without stories, the rain has fallen in vain, the temple has been visited in vain, and the feeling is just missing something."

The women looked at each other, none of them understanding what he was talking about.

Yunluan lowered her eyes and did not reply.

Jiang Zhaoyue smiled gently.

"What kind of story does the young master want?"

Qin Mu leaned against the mottled wall, one hand across his chest and the other stroking his chin, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the women.

"For example, a down-on-his-luck scholar was taking shelter from the rain in this temple when he met a lost girl."

For example, a wounded swordsman, being chased by his enemies, took refuge in this temple and met a kind village girl.

For example—" He paused, and the smile on his lips deepened.

"For example, a group of travelers, on a stormy night, sit around a campfire and tell their stories."

As the women listened to his words, some lowered their heads, some smiled faintly, and some seemed lost in thought.

Jiang Zhaoyue covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

"Young master's imagination is truly rich."

Qin Mu shook his head, withdrew his gaze, walked to the edge of the felt mat, and slowly sat down.

He sat cross-legged, one hand supporting his chin, his gaze fixed on the pile of unlit dry branches in front of him.

"Since there's no one else here, how about we play a game?"

The women were stunned for a moment, and they all looked up at Qin Mu with their eyes full of doubt.

Jiang Zhaoyue blinked, the smile still lingering on her lips.

"What game would you like to play, young master?"

Yunluan removed her hand from the sword hilt, her brow twitched slightly, but she remained silent.

Xu Fenghua's heart skipped a beat, and her fingers slowly clenched in her sleeve, wondering what Qin Mu was up to this time.

Yun Suxin's eyes flickered.

She didn't know what awaited her—punishment, humiliation, or... She dared not think about it.

Han Xin'er knelt on the edge of the felt, her hands folded on her knees, her head down, not daring to look at Qin Mu or anyone else.

Her heart was pounding so fast that her breathing became rapid.

Qin Mu's gaze swept across the women's faces, and he smiled faintly.

The rain grew heavier and heavier, pouring down as if someone were constantly splashing water from the sky.

The wind blew in through the broken windowpanes, gently fluttering everyone's clothes and rustling the pile of withered branches.

Outside the temple, night was falling.

Inside the temple, the candles had not yet been lit, and only the dim light of daylight seeped in through the doorways and window cracks, casting the shadows of the crowd onto the mottled walls, sometimes long and sometimes short.

Qin Mu finally spoke, his voice calm.

"Let's play a game called Truth or Dare."