Phi-Fic Chapter 728 Guiding the Stars, The Priest's Rebirth (Page 12)
Chapter 728 Guiding the Stars, The Priest's Rebirth (Page 12)
A cool evening breeze stirred, causing the star ornaments in her hair and the jade pendants on her body to tinkle softly. She reached out, feeling the faint warmth emanating from beneath her leather armor, sensing the wondrous connection between the spirit rings and the distant stars.
She knew that her path as a priestess of the Lin clan had only just begun. This five-pointed star leather armor and the rings adorning her body would accompany her through the years to come, witnessing her growth and transformation.
And it all began with a panicked thought her mother had caused due to a misunderstanding. Thinking of this, Lin Muxue couldn't help but smile, her smile radiant under the starlight. Her heart was filled with strength, and she was brimming with boundless anticipation for the future. This peaceful town, because of her return, because of her unique priestly attire, was destined to be anything but tranquil. And Lin Muxue's life, guided by the stars, would write a new and legendary chapter.
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**Chapter 1: The Return of the "Crossdressed" Girl and the Turmoil in the Town**
It was late at night when Lin Muxue returned home. The small town of "Falling Star Town" was immersed in a slumbering silence, broken only by the occasional bark of a dog and the murmur of a distant stream. She stood in front of her familiar wooden door, took a deep breath, and felt the fresh scent of earth and grass filling the air—the scent of her childhood.
She gently pushed open the wooden door, the hinges creaking softly. The bright moonlight in the courtyard shone on the stone-paved path and illuminated the anxious silhouette reflected on the window paper of the main house.
"Xue'er? Is that you?" came the mother's slightly hoarse and surprised voice from inside the house.
"Mother, it's me who's back." Lin Muxue's voice was weary from the journey, yet filled with undisguised excitement.
The door creaked open, and the mother, Aunt Lin, wearing an overcoat, looked haggard. But upon seeing her daughter at the door, tears instantly welled up in her eyes: "My child, where have you been? You scared me to death! You've been like this for the past few days..."
The mother's words came to an abrupt halt when she saw Lin Muxue's attire. Her eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape, and the joy and worry on her face were instantly replaced by astonishment and a barely perceptible hint of fear.
The daughter before me was no longer the girl next door in her coarse cloth dress and simple bun. She wore a unique set of leather armor, the leather a deep, dark blue, like the background of the night sky. Most striking were the silver five-pointed stars inlaid on the chest, shoulders, back, and sides of the armor, their sharp edges reflecting a cool luster in the moonlight. The edges and seams of the armor were embroidered with fine, star-like patterns in silver thread. She wore matching silver rings at her waist, wrists, and ankles, which swayed gently with her breath, producing a soft, clear tinkling sound. Her bun had come undone, her long, ink-black hair cascading down her shoulders, interspersed with small silver star-shaped hair ornaments that echoed the rings on her body.
In the relatively closed-off and traditionally-minded town of Luoxing, this outfit makes one an "outcast."
"Xue'er...you...what are you wearing? What have you been through these past few days?" Aunt Lin's voice trembled slightly. She subconsciously took a small step back, her eyes filled with confusion and panic. "Are you...are you being haunted by something unclean?"
Seeing her mother's reaction, Lin Muxue's joy at receiving the inheritance cooled considerably. She then realized that her "priest" attire was far too impactful for her simple and honest mother.
"Mother, don't be afraid, it's not something unclean," Lin Muxue quickly explained. "Listen to me, it's like this..."
She wanted to explain that she hadn't disappeared without a trace. A few days earlier, while gathering herbs in the back mountains, she had accidentally fallen into a hidden ravine. When she awoke, she found herself in a deep cave. Deep within the cave was an ancient stone platform, upon which rested a set of leather armor and these ornaments, as well as a tattered bamboo scroll written in ancient script—the *Lin Family Star Classic*.
There, she seemed to hear a call from the depths of her bloodline, and a flood of unfamiliar information surged into her mind. She understood that her Lin family was not an ordinary mountain dwelling, but rather the descendants of an ancient priestly family. This family had passed down through generations the ability to observe the stars, interpret astrology, and manipulate the power of the celestial bodies, responsible for protecting the peace of the land and communicating with the gods and the mortal realm. However, with the changing times and the chaos of war, the family gradually declined, and its lineage nearly died out. By her mother's generation, only some vague legends and a mysterious reverence for the starry sky remained.
She, Lin Muxue, seems to possess a "Star Spirit Body," a rare find in the family, capable of resonating with the stars and inheriting the long-lost priestly tradition. The leather armor is called "Stardust Armor," and the ornaments are called "Star Summoning Pendants." Both are standard equipment for the Lin family priests, providing not only protection but, more importantly, assisting the priests in guiding and gathering the power of the stars.
However, how can these words be explained to an ordinary peasant woman who only believes in mountain gods, land gods, and reveres ghosts and spirits?
"Mother, don't worry, I'm fine." Lin Muxue tried her best to make her voice sound calm and believable. "I didn't encounter anything unclean. This outfit... I met a hermit in the mountains. He said I had a special constitution, so he took me as his disciple and taught me some skills to strengthen my body and identify the stars. This outfit and these ornaments were given to me by him. He said they could protect me and help me sense celestial phenomena."
She could only give a half-truthful explanation. That "master" was a wisp of remnant soul left in the cave by the Lin clan's ancestor. After she awakened her bloodline, he imprinted the basic knowledge of priesthood and the introductory chapter of the "Lin Clan Star Scripture" into her mind and guided her to wear this set of inherited items.
Aunt Lin looked at her daughter with suspicion, the fear in her eyes lessening slightly, but the confusion increasing: "An expert? Identifying stars? Xue'er, we're just an ordinary family, what would we need to learn these things for? Quickly take off these strange clothes, and I'll find you a clean set of coarse cloth to change into." As she spoke, she reached out to pull Lin Muxue, as if these clothes were a hot potato.
"Mother, you can't take off these clothes." Lin Muxue gently avoided her mother's hand, her tone firm. "Master said this is my destiny and my responsibility. I am already... a priestess of the Lin clan."
"A priest?" Aunt Lin's face turned deathly pale in an instant. She waved her hands repeatedly, "No, no! Our Lin family has always been honest farmers, we don't do these superstitious things! Xue'er, are you confused from the fall? Come inside with me, have a bowl of hot soup, and you'll be fine after a nap. Tomorrow... tomorrow we'll go to the temple to pray to the mountain god and ask for peace!"
Her mother's reaction was similar to what Lin Muxue had expected, or even more intense. She knew that changing her mother's deeply ingrained beliefs would be difficult, and she also knew that this matter could not be rushed.
“Mother, I know it’s hard for you to accept right now.” Lin Muxue softened her voice, stepped forward, and gently took her mother’s slightly cool hand. “But what I’m saying is true. I’m not confused, nor am I being haunted by anything. This dress, these ornaments, and all the knowledge I’ve gained in my mind are all incredibly real. I can feel the stars in the sky now; they… are talking to me.”
She looked up at the night sky. In the deep night, countless stars twinkled, like a multitude of eyes blinking. Just as her thoughts stirred, the five-pointed star armor on her chest and the Star-Summoning Pendant on her body felt slightly warm. A faint but clear sense of energy emanated from beneath the armor, creating a wondrous, invisible connection with the stars in the night sky. She could "see" some stars brighter than others; their light seemed to form faint, ethereal threads, extending towards her.
This feeling is wonderful and mysterious.
Following her daughter's gaze, Aunt Lin looked up at the starry sky, only to see a familiar, unchanging constellation. She shivered and tried to pull her hand back: "How can the stars talk? Xue'er, don't scare your mother! Quick... quick, change your clothes!"
The mother and daughter were locked in a stalemate in the courtyard. One was extremely anxious, wanting only for her daughter to return to "normal"; the other felt a sense of mission, but didn't know how to get her family to understand.
In the end, Lin Muxue gave in. She knew her mother genuinely cared for her, but simply couldn't understand her situation at the moment.
"Alright, Mother, I won't wear this leather armor to sleep. I'll take it off and put it aside, okay? As for the jade pendants... let me wear them. They're gentle and won't hurt me." Lin Muxue took a step back.
Looking at the determination in her daughter's eyes, and then at the "strange" leather armor, Aunt Lin finally nodded helplessly and sighed deeply: "Oh well, whatever you want. Let's go inside, it's cold outside."
That night, Lin Muxue didn't sleep well. She lay on her familiar bed, the Stardust Armor neatly folded beside her. In the quiet night, the Star-Summoning Pendant on her body would occasionally resonate with the stars outside the window, making an almost inaudible sound, in sync with her heartbeat and breath. She could feel the light in her mother's room had been on for a very long time.
Unbeknownst to her, her late-night return and her peculiar attire did not completely escape the notice of her neighbors. Falling Star Town was small; news of an incident in one household quickly spread throughout the entire town.
The next morning, when Lin Muxue walked out of the room dressed in a simple coarse cloth dress, but still wearing those silver pendants, Aunt Lin looked at the ornaments on her wrists and ankles, her brows still furrowed, but ultimately said nothing more.
However, the peace between the mother and daughter did not last long.
Just after breakfast, Aunt Zhang's excited voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Is Aunt Lin home? I heard your Xue'er is back? Oh my, the child is finally back! You were so worried about her these past few days..."
Along with the sound, Aunt Zhang and several familiar female neighbors entered the courtyard. Their gazes, without exception, fell on Lin Muxue, especially on the silver pendants on her body that glittered in the sunlight.
"Oh, Xue'er, what are you wearing? It's quite unique." Aunt Zhang's tone was full of curiosity and inquiry.
“Yes, it looks like silver. Where did it come from?” another woman chimed in.
Aunt Lin quickly smoothed things over: "Oh, it's...it's some old stuff left by Xue'er's father. It's not worth much, but it's something new for the kids to wear."
But her explanation clearly failed to satisfy everyone's curiosity. Life in Falling Star Town was peaceful and monotonous, and any "abnormality" was enough to become the talk of the town. Soon, rumors began to circulate quietly in the town about Lin Muxue's disappearance for several days, her drastically changed personality upon her return, and the fact that she brought back a set of "strange clothes" and "silver ornaments".
Some say she was bewitched by the spirits of the mountains, others say she encountered a sage who gave her guidance, and still others go to even more mystical angles, saying she might have been possessed by something and that the pendants were used to suppress evil spirits.
Rumors, like an invisible tide, began to surge towards this once peaceful family. Whenever Aunt Lin went out, she could always feel the strange looks and whispers from her neighbors, which made her more anxious and uneasy, and she became more and more resistant to her daughter's identity as a "priest".
Lin Muxue witnessed all of this, her heart filled with anxiety. She knew that merely passively explaining and hiding wouldn't help. She had to do something, not only to prove herself, but also to protect her family and the land that gave her birth and nurtured her. Her responsibility as the Lin clan's priestess was not only to pass on the bloodline, but more importantly, to safeguard the peace of this region. Falling Star Town was precisely the place she needed to protect first.
She began to use her newly acquired knowledge to secretly observe the environment and celestial phenomena around Falling Star Town. She discovered that although Falling Star Town was named after a legend that a star had fallen there, in recent years, the town's harvest seemed to be getting worse year by year, the water volume of the streams was also much less than in previous years, and the stars that could be seen at night seemed to be dimmer than she remembered.