The official road ran north, growing more remote the farther they went.
As the sun slanted westward, a caravan was making its way along the foot of the mountain.
Seven or eight mule carts, and more than a dozen people.
Leading them was a steward surnamed Sun, over fifty years old. His complexion looked rather unpleasant.
Something had happened on the road that day, and they could no longer make it to the town twenty li away.
"Master Sun."
"Looks like we can't keep traveling."
Another middle-aged man glanced at the sky. "There's an abandoned temple up ahead. I've heard that people occasionally stay there overnight, but I've never heard of anything happening."
"Maybe we can make do there tonight."
Traveling at night was out of the question.
That was common knowledge.
Out in the wilderness after dark, no one knew what strange things they might encounter.
They might make it through safely, or they might suddenly drop dead for no apparent reason.
They might even mysteriously disappear.
From then on, no one would see them alive or find their corpses.
Steward Sun raised his head and watched the last trace of sunset disappear. The mountain hollow had already fallen dark.
There was nothing else he could do but say helplessly, "Fine, let's go to the temple."
The abandoned temple was not large.
Half of the main hall had already collapsed, revealing half of a Buddha statue. The side rooms on both sides were still mostly intact. Though the doors and windows were broken, they could at least block some of the wind.
The workers busied themselves unloading the goods, feeding the mules, and starting a fire.
Steward Sun walked around the temple once and furrowed his brows.
There was something... He glanced at the half of the Buddha