"Jiang Da?"
The group opposite them all looked suspicious, their brows furrowing.
That was obviously a fake name!
Then again, they were using fake names too.
"Brother Jiang, if I'm not mistaken, you seem to be from the Blazing Flame Sect?"
Li San's eyes flickered as he recognized the clothing Jiang Dao and the others wore.
This sort of attire could not be concealed even if one tried.
The Blazing Flame Sect's clothing was predominantly black, embroidered with crimson flames across the chest—flames blazing in the darkness, as though capable of burning all things to ash.
"That's right. Might you all have some connection to the imperial court?"
Jiang Da's tone was calm as he glanced at one of them, a man dressed as a traveling merchant but wearing official boots.
Quite a few of them instantly changed expression, tightening their grips on their swords and sabers.
It was as though that man was of paramount importance and could not be known to outsiders.
Li San immediately steadied his brothers and said, "We do indeed have some ties to the imperial court. However, we have dealt with the Blazing Flame Sect before and even met your sect leader once. I trust Brother Jiang will not make things difficult for us."
"I only concern myself with my own affairs. I do not meddle in anything else."
Jiang Dao spoke.
"That's good!"
Li San slowly nodded.
Quite a few people behind him still stared at Jiang Dao with ill intent.
They could not put their minds at ease based on a single sentence.
The best solution would be to kill them and silence them forever.
Yet when Li San caught the meaning in their eyes, he turned back and gravely shook his head.
Jiang Dao's strength was unfathomable. Even he could not see through him.
If they made a move, the consequences would be unthinkable.
When the group saw Li San's expression, their hearts jolted. They lowered their heads and stopped entertaining such thoughts.
The sound of the little monk running came again. He laboriously unlocked the gate from within and said, "Benefactors, Master has agreed."
"Thank you, little master."
Jiang Dao nodded, carrying a stone-carved Buddha statue as he took the lead toward the temple.
Du Feng and the others hurriedly followed behind him.
Li San and his group came after them.
Neither side interfered with the other, each keeping to its own side of the river.
"Little master, is your master asleep? May I pay him a visit?"
Jiang Dao suddenly asked.
"This... Master is still doing his evening recitation. I don't know whether he is receiving visitors."
The novice hesitated.
"Please lead the way, little master. I am willing to donate some incense money to help spread the Buddhist teachings."
Jiang Dao said.
"Very well."
The novice nodded in the end. After arranging lodgings for both groups, he carried a paper lantern and led Jiang Dao's group deeper into the dim temple.
As they walked, Jiang Dao gradually frowned.
The temple was deep and secluded, yet not a single lamp could be seen.
"Little master, don't you light lamps at night?"
Jiang Dao casually asked.
"The temple receives little incense offering, so we have no money to light lamps. Only Master's room is lit at night."
The novice said.
"I see!"
Jiang Dao nodded and called Du Feng over. "Tell the brothers to be more careful."
"Yes, Hall Master!"
Du Feng quickly nodded and began giving quiet instructions to the others.
The group crossed the courtyard and continued onward.
Rows of dim, dark side rooms stood on both sides.
After walking a long way, they arrived at a courtyard.
The courtyard was pitch-black. Only the room at the very front showed a faint glimmer of light.
The steady knocking of a wooden fish drifted out, accompanied by waves of difficult, tongue-twisting scripture chanting.
"Master, these benefactors say they wish to donate some incense money."
The novice stood outside the door and spoke.
The wooden fish suddenly fell silent. An aged voice sounded from within the room. "Amitabha. The Buddha is merciful. Benefactors, please come in."
Jiang Dao immediately strode forward and gently pushed open the door.
A rich scent of sandalwood rushed toward him.
The room was simple, containing only a Buddha statue, a prayer cushion, a huge wooden fish, and an old monk in his sixties or seventies.
The old monk was thin, with a beard and brows white as snow.
"Greetings, Master. May I ask for your Dharma name?"
Jiang Dao clasped his hands.
"This old monk is Fa Ning."
The old monk pressed his palms together.
"Master, I have come for two reasons. First, to donate some incense money. Second, to ask you about something."
Jiang Dao sat cross-legged on the ground, casually placing the stone Buddha statue on the floor. "Master, are you familiar with this object?"
Monk Fa Ning looked mildly puzzled. He reached out with both hands, lifted the statue, and examined it repeatedly.
"There is nothing unusual about this Buddha statue. May I ask what the benefactor wishes to know?"
"Was this statue produced by the temple? Has any Buddha statue gone missing recently?"
Jiang Dao asked.
"The temple has been peaceful lately, and no Buddha statue has ever been lost. Besides, none of the Buddha statues in our temple are this size. Even the smallest is over a meter tall."
Monk Fa Ning said.
"None have been lost? Then what do the words beneath the statue's base mean?"
Jiang Dao frowned.
"This old monk truly does not know."
Monk Fa Ning gently shook his head and handed the statue back to Jiang Dao.
Jiang Dao accepted the statue and pondered for a moment. "Thank you, Master. Here are one thousand taels as incense money. Please accept them."
He casually placed one thousand taels' worth of banknotes beside Monk Fa Ning, then rose and left.
The Buddhist doors closed, and the sounds of the wooden fish and scripture chanting rang out from the room once more.
Jiang Dao narrowed his eyes and looked back again.
Something was wrong!
This old monk's chanting sounded just like those two sect members' chanting earlier. It gave him the same sensation of empty clarity.
Though the scriptures were different, that sensation of empty clarity was absolutely real!
Could this old monk not be human?
"Du Feng, tell the brothers not to leave their rooms tonight!"
Jiang Dao gave the order in a low voice, intending to investigate in secret under cover of night.
"Yes, Hall Master."
Du Feng immediately passed down the order.
The group headed toward the side rooms.
In another direction.
A group of martial wanderers had crowded into the same side room. They lit an oil lamp and quietly discussed matters.
"Brother Li, is that Blazing Flame Sect man really so powerful? Even you are no match for him?"
One of the women asked.
Li San gently shook his head. "In any case, I cannot see through him. We should not create unnecessary complications. We will leave at dawn tomorrow. I will keep watch tonight."
He suddenly looked at the middle-aged man in official boots and clasped his hands. "General Yue, you believe us now, don't you? Someone within the imperial court wants to kill you. We were invited to come protect you. For now, General Yue, you can only endure the hardship of staying with us."
The man in official boots sighed softly. "I never imagined someone within the imperial court had truly colluded with the northern barbarians and wanted me dead. Thank you, righteous men and women, for escorting me all this way. If I can safely meet the Emperor, I will surely persuade him to strike north against the barbarians and reclaim the mountains and rivers!"
"General Yue is the only one who can save the Great Ye Dynasty now!"
Li San said.
"That's right, General Yue. Please take care of your health!"
The others all urged him.
"If I can enter the capital safely, I will never forget the kindness of all you righteous people!"
The middle-aged man clasped his hands.
The night deepened.
After settling everyone in, Jiang Dao's gaze turned cold and dim. He quietly slipped out the door and looked over the vast Little Stone Temple.
He suddenly sprang upward and landed atop a nearby roof, sweeping his gaze around.
The surroundings were pitch-black, and the night wind was chilling.
An invisible yin aura had somehow spread throughout all of Little Stone Temple.
He moved at once, darting rapidly into the distance.
As he traveled, he would occasionally stop and scan the surroundings, hoping to discover something unusual.
Half an hour later, he had circled through most of Little Stone Temple.
Jiang Dao finally stopped, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.
The entire Little Stone Temple was strangely silent. Apart from the old monk and little novice from before, he had not seen a third person.
Even stranger, most of the temple buildings were already dilapidated.
It was as though no one had lived there for a very long time.
Many courtyards were overgrown with weeds and thick with spiderwebs. Even the roofs of some rooms had cracked open.
"Something is wrong. This is absolutely wrong."
Jiang Dao stared at the decrepit Scripture Repository before him, his brows tightly furrowed.
The Scripture Repository was usually the core of a temple. By all rights, it should never have been left so abandoned. Moreover, that old monk loved chanting scriptures so much that he should have been even less likely to let the Scripture Repository fall into ruin.
Jiang Dao once more darted toward the area where the old monk had been earlier.
But when he arrived, his expression suddenly changed.
The room before him was in ruins. Its door had collapsed, its windows were shattered, and everything was utterly dark. There was no trace of how it had looked before.
Jiang Dao gripped his steel saber, his expression grave, and instantly shot into the room.
The room was sealed with dust, and the Buddha statue had fallen over.
The prayer cushion and wooden fish were both tipped to one side, covered in dust.
It was as though everything that had happened before had been nothing but an illusion.
Jiang Dao drew in a deep breath and suddenly thought of something.
"Not good!"
He hurried toward where Du Feng and the others were staying.
Since there was something wrong with that old monk, Du Feng and the others were most likely in danger.
Before you continue