About ten li from the southern bank of the Xi River, Qingyuan Mountain coiled and wound like a giant python, its mountain paths rugged and treacherous. Crossing it on foot would take at least half a day.
Night had completely fallen. After several muffled peals of thunder, Heaven poured down a torrential rain.
Raindrops the size of beans pattered loudly, weaving curtains of rain through the mountain forest.
It was the first rain since the beginning of winter, and it had arrived unbidden, conveniently delaying Chen Duan's journey.
Though this bit of wind and rain meant nothing to Chen Duan—even if he removed his straw rain cape and hat, he could still use true qi to keep the rain away—
traveling in such wretched weather was ultimately an unpleasant affair.
"Ah Huang, there seems to be a ruined temple up ahead. Go take a look."
Chen Duan's gaze pierced through the curtain of rain and locked onto the outline of a building beside the mountain path.
Upon seeing the shadow of the ruined temple, he immediately decided to go inside and take shelter.
The Previous Dynasty's Great Qi revered Buddhism, and incense offerings flourished in temples throughout the land. But the current Great Liang valued the Dao and suppressed Buddhism, leaving many temples from the Previous Dynasty abandoned and dilapidated. Scattered across the country, they had become temporary shelters for travelers.
According to Jianghu experience, ruined temples, deserted villages, and wild inns had always been places where trouble brewed, and incidents easily arose.
But it was raining anyway, and Chen Duan was already feeling bored. If something really happened, it would at least help pass the time.
He kicked open the temple door and walked in with Ah Huang, then removed his rain hat and looked around.
The temple was far more spacious than expected, but spiderwebs covered it, dust veiled the Buddha statues, and decay showed everywhere.
They were not the first guests here.
Two groups already occupied separate corners of the temple, with bonfires burning before them.
Hearing the door crash open, both groups looked over warily at the same time, their eyes filled with caution.
In a ruined temple in these desolate mountains, unfamiliar Jianghu travelers often meant an unstable factor.
Chen Duan swept his gaze around and unexpectedly spotted a pair of acquaintances: the White-clothed Senior Brother and Sister whom he had encountered briefly in Huailin City that day.
He immediately cupped his hands toward the two and greeted them.
When the white-clothed man saw Chen Duan, his pupils contracted. He gave a slight nod in response, but his attitude was clearly distant, with no intention of forming a deeper acquaintance.
After all, this burly man had killed the prince's family's young lord without hesitation. He acted without the slightest scruple, clearly not taking human life too seriously.
Having already suffered because of that rude little old man, he was much more cautious now. Before figuring out the other party's temperament, he did not dare rashly become close.
Seeing the other party's cool response, Chen Duan naturally had no intention of pressing his warm face against a cold backside. He found a corner of his own, called Ah Huang over, and sat down.
The other group consisted of roughly seven or eight people. They wore matching tight-fitting outfits and looked like escort guards traveling with a security caravan.
When Chen Duan entered, he had glimpsed several flag-bearing carriages parked outside the temple.
Yet every one of these people wore a grim expression and barely spoke to one another. They looked unlike ordinary Jianghu escort guards and more like soldiers under strict military discipline.
Seeing this, Chen Duan found it somewhat boring and stopped paying attention to them. He sat cross-legged and began circulating his cultivation technique, using Evil Spirits to nourish his Righteous Qi.
Recently, he had devoted most of his energy to this matter, and the Vast Qi Nourishing Spirit Technique seemed to have reached an astonishing level.
As soon as the Righteous Qi circulated, his Spiritual Platform Clear, his whole body relaxed, and he controlled his inner force as easily as moving his own arm, without the slightest impediment.
He faintly sensed that once he finished consuming the Evil Spirits he had accumulated this time, using his Righteous Qi to regulate and cultivate his other true techniques would surely bring about an explosive surge in progress.
The situation was like "building momentum" before a great battle, storing strength and waiting to unleash it.
Time passed. After roughly half an hour, the rain outside the temple gradually weakened, but the temperature suddenly plunged. A chill spread through the air, nearly snuffing out the two bonfires.
"Senior Brother, that man seems not to have brought anything for starting a fire." Taking advantage of the moment she added firewood, the white-clothed woman spoke quietly to the man beside her.
A Martial Master had vigorous qi and blood and naturally feared no ordinary cold. But that mostly applied during normal activity. If he sat quietly to rest and his qi and blood settled, staying in such a frigid night would ultimately be uncomfortable.
The white-clothed man pondered for a moment. That day, the man had indirectly drawn attention away from them, so they owed him a favor of sorts.
"All right."
The white-clothed woman walked to a spot not far from Chen Duan and said softly, "Strong sir, the night is cold. If you don't mind, you may come warm yourself by the fire."
Chen Duan opened his eyes and glanced at her, then smiled and cupped his hands. "Thank you for your kindness, miss. Chen can endure this bit of Chilling Air with his thick skin and rugged flesh, so I won't disturb the two of you."
Seeing him decline, the white-clothed woman did not insist. She nodded and returned to her place.
The night passed without incident.
Perhaps they were all in a hurry. As soon as dawn began to break, the three groups unexpectedly started packing at the same time and left the ruined temple together.
After a night of rain, the mountain path had become especially muddy, making travel difficult.
One escort guard pulled a carriage loaded with goods forward. The wheels carved deep grooves in the mud. But after only a few steps, there was a gurgling sound, and one wheel sank into a mud pit. No matter how hard he strained, the carriage remained utterly motionless.
"Damn it!"
The escort guard cursed under his breath, tensed both arms, and suddenly heaved upward.
Clang!
Perhaps he had used too much force. The entire carriage lost its balance and tilted to one side. It looked as if it would overturn, while the chests tied onto it began to rattle loose.
"Careful!" The escort leader saw this and his expression changed. He shouted urgently.
At the same time.
Chen Duan's figure suddenly arrived. He reached out with one hand and supported the sideboard of the carriage. The carriage body seemed weightless in his grasp. Then, with a slight exertion of his arm, he easily righted it, and the wheel settled back onto the ground.
"Thank you!" The escort guard who had fumbled was still shaken out of his wits. He hurriedly clasped his fists in thanks.
Chen Duan waved casually. "It was nothing."
The group continued onward. The escort leader seemed to urge them on in a low voice, and the entire escort caravan noticeably quickened its pace, appearing somewhat anxious.
But just then, a woman's voice suddenly came from behind:
"Hey! You there from just now—something fell from your carriage!"
At the shout, every escort guard stiffened. They all stopped and instinctively turned around.
In an instant, every one of their faces turned deathly pale.
The white-clothed woman, acting out of kindness, bent down and picked up the object on the ground.
But the moment it entered her hand, the cloth covering it slid away, revealing its true form.
The white-clothed woman looked closely. It was an exquisitely crafted bow-crossbow, and its design felt intensely familiar to her.
She suddenly remembered. Her eyes widened as she cried out:
"This is a powerful crossbow from the Shenji Sect! How did it get here?"
Before the words had finished leaving her mouth, a fierce blade light suddenly appeared, cleaving straight toward the white-clothed woman.
It was the escort guard nearest to her. Without the slightest hesitation, he erupted into violence. His strike was decisive and vicious, aimed directly at taking her life.
"Junior Sister, look out!"
The white-clothed man reacted with astonishing speed. With the longbow in hand, he twisted his fingers, and a feathered arrow shot from the string like a meteor chasing the moon.
The arrow pierced the blade-wielding escort guard's brow. His head exploded, his forward momentum abruptly halted, and he crashed face-first onto the ground.
"Leave no survivors!" Seeing that the matter had been exposed, the escort leader immediately issued a harsh command.
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