Qingyuan Mountain's Ruined Temple Offers Shelter from Rain, Muddy Road and Heavy Crossbows Cause Terror

About ten li from the southern bank of the Xi River, Qingyuan Mountain coiled like a giant python. The mountain path was rugged; traversing it on foot would take at least half a day.

Night fully descended, and after a few muffled thunderclaps, the heavens unleashed a torrential downpour.

Raindrops the size of beans pattered down, weaving curtains of rain through the forest.

This was the first rain since the start of winter, and its unexpected arrival perfectly delayed Chen Duan's journey.

Although this bit of wind and rain was nothing to Chen Duan—he could even repel the water with his True Qi after taking off his straw cloak and hat.

However, traveling in such foul weather was ultimately an unpleasant affair.

"Ah Huang, there seems to be a dilapidated temple up ahead. Let's go check it out."

Chen Duan's gaze pierced through the rain curtain, locking onto the silhouette of a building by the roadside.

Seeing the outline of the ruined temple, he immediately decided to take shelter from the rain.

During the Previous Dynasty, Great Qi revered Buddha, and temples across the land were prosperous. But the current Daliang regime favored Daoism and suppressed Buddhism, leading to the abandonment and ruin of many temples from the Previous Dynasty, scattering them across the land and turning them into temporary shelters for travelers.

According to common jianghu experience, dilapidated temples, abandoned villages, and roadside inns were always places prone to trouble.

But since it was raining anyway, and Chen Duan was feeling bored, anything that happened might actually be amusing.

He kicked open the temple door and walked in with Ah Huang. Then, he removed his hat and looked around.

The interior was much more spacious than expected, but cobwebs covered everything, the Buddha statues were dusty, and the entire place exuded decay.

They were not the first guests here.

Two groups of people had already occupied separate corners, lighting bonfires.

Upon hearing the door being kicked open, both groups looked over warily, their eyes filled with caution.

In a ruined temple in the wilderness, unfamiliar travelers often represented instability.

Chen Duan's gaze swept across the scene, and he was surprised to discover a pair of familiar faces—the White-clothed Senior Brother and Sister he had met in Huailin City.

He immediately cupped his hands in greeting towards them.

The white-clothed man's pupils constricted upon seeing Chen Duan. He nodded slightly in response, but his attitude was clearly distant, showing no intention of further acquaintance.

After all, this burly man before them had killed the Prince's young master on a whim, acting without restraint, clearly not valuing human life very highly.

Coupled with the trouble he had encountered with that rude old man before, he was now much more cautious, unwilling to become too close before understanding the other party's temperament.

Seeing their cold reaction, Chen Duan naturally wouldn't force himself. He found his own corner and gestured for Ah Huang to sit down.

The other group consisted of about seven or eight people, all dressed in matching sturdy outfits. Their attire suggested they were caravan guards.

When Chen Duan entered, he had glimpsed several horse-drawn carts with flags outside the temple.

However, these individuals all had stern expressions and exchanged little to no communication amongst themselves, unlike typical jianghu travelers. They resembled soldiers with strict discipline.

Seeing this, Chen Duan found it rather uninteresting and stopped paying attention to them. He sat down cross-legged and began circulating his cultivation technique, nourishing his Vast Qi with Malevolent Spirits.

Recently, his main focus had been on this matter, and his Vast Qi Nourishing Spirit Technique seemed to have reached a formidable level.

As his Vast Qi circulated, he felt his Spiritual Platform clear, his entire body relaxed, and his control over his internal energy became as natural as his own arm, without any obstruction.

He had a vague premonition that once the accumulated Malevolent Spirits were consumed and he used his Vast Qi to refine other True Skills, it would usher in a major breakthrough in his progress.

The current situation was like "gathering momentum" before a great battle, poised for action.

Time passed. After about half an hour, the rain outside lessened, but the temperature plummeted. A chill permeated the air, nearly extinguishing the two bonfires.

"Senior Brother, that person doesn't seem to have anything to start a fire," the white-clothed woman whispered to the man beside her while adding firewood.

Martial Artists had vigorous blood and qi and were generally unfazed by ordinary cold, but that applied during normal activity. When sitting quietly, their blood and qi would slow down, and in such a cold night, it wouldn't be very comfortable.

The white-clothed man pondered for a moment. That day, this person had indirectly attracted attention for them, creating a sense of obligation.

"Alright."

The white-clothed woman walked to a spot not far from Chen Duan and said softly, "Brave warrior, the night is cold. If you don't mind, you're welcome to come by the fire to warm yourself."

Chen Duan opened his eyes, glanced at her, and smiled, cupping his hands. "Thank you for your kindness, young lady. I, Chen, have thick skin and can endure this bit of cold. I won't disturb you two."

Seeing his refusal, the white-clothed woman didn't insist. She nodded and returned to her spot.

The night passed uneventfully.

It seemed everyone was in a hurry. As soon as dawn broke, the three groups simultaneously began packing their belongings and left the dilapidated temple.

After a night of rain, the mountain path had become extremely muddy and difficult to traverse.

A caravan guard was pulling a cart loaded with goods. The cartwheels dug deep ruts into the mud. After only a few steps, with a thump, one wheel sank into a mud pit. No matter how hard he pulled, the cart wouldn't budge.

"Damn it!"

The caravan guard cursed under his breath, straining his arms and giving a mighty heave upwards.

Clang!

Perhaps due to the excessive force, the entire cart lost its balance and tilted to one side, on the verge of tipping over. The boxes and bundles strapped to the cart began to loosen.

"Careful!" the caravan leader exclaimed, his face changing color as he saw this.

At the same time.

Chen Duan's figure arrived in a flash. He reached out with one hand, grabbing the side panel of the carriage. The carriage felt as light as nothing in his hand. With a slight exertion of his arm, he easily righted the carriage, and its wheels landed back on the ground.

"Thank you!" The caravan guard who had lost his grip, still shaken, quickly cupped his fists in thanks.

Chen Duan casually waved his hand. "It was nothing."

The caravan continued forward. The caravan leader seemed to urge them on in a low voice, and the entire caravan's speed noticeably increased, appearing somewhat urgent.

But just then, a woman's voice suddenly came from behind:

"Hey! You back there, you dropped something from the carriage!"

Hearing this shout, all the caravan guards froze. They stopped in unison and instinctively turned to look back.

In an instant, everyone's faces turned deathly pale.

The white-clothed woman, out of kindness, bent down to pick up the object from the ground.

But as soon as the object was in her hands, the cloth wrapping it slid off, revealing its true form.

The white-clothed woman looked closely and saw that it was a very well-made bow and crossbow. Moreover, the style of the crossbow's body felt very familiar to her.

She suddenly remembered, her eyes widening in shock as she exclaimed:

"This is a heavy crossbow from the Shenji Sect! How could it be here?"

In less time than it takes to say it!

A sharp blade light suddenly appeared, slashing directly at the white-clothed woman.

It was the caravan guard closest to her, who, without hesitation, suddenly attacked. His move was decisive and fierce, aiming directly to kill.

"Junior Sister, be careful!"

The white-clothed man reacted extremely quickly. With a longbow in hand, his fingers moved, and an arrow shot out like a shooting star chasing the moon.

The arrow pierced the brow of the knife-wielding caravan guard. His head exploded, his forward momentum abruptly stopped, and he fell directly to the ground.

"Leave no survivors!" Seeing that their cover was blown, the caravan leader immediately ordered sternly.