Shelter from Rain at a Buddhist Temple

Yunze Prefecture is home to many great mountains and rivers, and its climate is most unpredictable.

One moment you might be walking on a dry road, and the next, a torrential downpour could begin. By the time you manage to find a place to shelter from the rain, the sky might have already cleared up again.

Rumble!

Dark clouds gathered, and even the wind that blew became much stronger.

As a bolt of purple lightning flashed within the largest mass of dark clouds, a startling thunderclap immediately echoed through the heavens and earth.

The horses whinnied in fright, their steps becoming much more frantic.

"Young Miss, we've entered the territory of Yunze Prefecture. Judging by the sky, a heavy rain is imminent. We must find a place to take shelter quickly. The downpours in Yunze Prefecture are not to be trifled with; even a man of iron would catch a severe cold for days if caught in one."

A man in tight-fitting clothes approached the carriage window and said this. The woman in the green dress immediately poked her head out. "Since the Official Path was built, this old road hasn't been traveled by anyone for many years. I wonder if there are any places to shelter from the rain. Have you sent people to search nearby?"

The man in tight-fitting clothes nodded. "I've already sent a few brothers from our company to ride ahead and search. They'll rush back immediately if they find anything."

The woman in the green dress said, "Alright, then let everyone speed up their pace. If we really can't find a place to shelter from the rain, put on the straw raincoats and bamboo hats that were prepared in advance. Let's try to minimize getting wet."

"Young Miss, there are also dozens of waterproof beast hides loaded onto one of the carriages. Master had them packed before we departed," the maid, Xiao Chan, reminded her from inside the carriage.

The woman in the green dress turned back and smiled. "Fortunately, you reminded me. I almost forgot about that."

Just then, several figures appeared on the road ahead, accompanied by the sound of hurried hoofbeats.

The guards of the Li Family Caravan took a closer look and realized that the approaching figures were indeed the brothers who had gone out earlier to find shelter from the rain.

These men rode their horses directly to the carriage where the woman in the green dress was, panting as they spoke, "Young Miss, we found a temple about three miles ahead, by the side of the road on a mountain slope. It can shelter us from the rain."

Upon hearing this news, the Li family guards all showed expressions of relief.

No one wanted to get rained on in the territory of Yunze Prefecture. Even with the protection of straw raincoats and bamboo hats, it was enough to be fatal.

The caravan quickened its pace and soon arrived at the location of the temple.

As the scouts had said, there was indeed a Buddhist temple of considerable size on the mountainside. To reach it, one had to follow a dirt path winding up the slope.

The dirt path was narrow and in poor condition, posing quite a challenge for the carriages.

However, thanks to the skilled drivers of the Li Family Caravan, the entire group eventually arrived outside the temple gate.

Withered vines coiled around the walls, and broken tiles revealed the brickwork. Two stone statues of door gods, their heads cracked in half, stood on either side of the temple gate. The ancient, dilapidated temple gate and the faded temple name plaque spoke of a place long abandoned and neglected.

An aura of desolation and antiquity wafted towards them. It was clear this was an ancient, abandoned temple that had been left to ruin for many years.

"Young Miss, this place... do we still need to shelter here?" Xiao Chan asked, a little fearful.

Everyone knew that the wilderness was often home to Malevolent Spirits, and long-abandoned temples and monasteries were prime hiding places for them.

Except for those with some skill, who enjoyed hunting demons and exterminating evil spirits, and a few fearless desperadoes, ordinary people dared not stay in such abandoned places.

If it hadn't been for the rain, the Li Family Caravan's temporary resting place would have been Shen Family Town, forty miles away, where an Eighth Rank master of the Way of Harmony resided.

But now, it was clearly impossible to reach Shen Family Town before the heavy rain began.

For a moment, the woman in the green dress regretted not having the opportunity to travel with the four Demon Subduing Captains from a few days prior. If they were here now, there would be no need to worry about such problems.

The Li Family Caravan had a long journey ahead to deliver its goods, and their schedule was tight. They couldn't afford to be delayed too much.

And after the downpour in Yunze Prefecture, if any guards caught a cold, it would be troublesome and greatly affect their travel progress.

Abandoning guards with colds would also weaken the caravan's defense.

Therefore, the woman in the green dress had no reason to refuse the readily available shelter before them.

"Bring out the evil-exterminating magical artifacts that have been prepared. Everyone take one and keep it with you. Be extremely cautious and don't let your guard down. We'll leave as soon as the rain weakens," the woman in the green dress said.

"Yes."

Immediately, guards brought down a large wooden chest from one of the carriages. As they opened it, they revealed it was filled with many Bagua mirrors, copper coin swords, peach wood swords, Talisman bronze mirrors, Buddhist statues, Buddhist prayer beads, and more.

These were various miscellaneous magical artifacts that the Li family had spent a great deal of money to acquire from various renowned orthodox sects, all possessing the power to ward off evil and suppress malevolent spirits.

After each guard took an artifact, their hearts became considerably steadier.

They had many people here. If they truly encountered any Malevolent Spirits, they would have a chance to resist them with this collection of magical artifacts.

Creak!

As two guards stepped forward and pushed open the large gate, accompanied by a grating sound, the scene within the Buddhist temple slowly came into view.

Overgrown with weeds, stone lanterns toppled, the ancient temple in disrepair, all presenting a desolate and bleak picture.

On the walls throughout the temple, colorful murals depicted various scenes with numerous figures.

Despite years of disrepair, these murals remained remarkably intact and exquisite, a fact that filled them with silent wonder.

They drove several carriages into the temple and found a spot under a well-preserved corridor to stop.

Not long after, thunder rumbled in the sky, and with a pattering sound, the heavy rain from Yunze Prefecture finally began to pour down.

In just a few breaths, the rain curtain had become so dense that one couldn't see five steps ahead. The rainwater splashed onto the temple grounds, creating sprays as high as a person.

This demonstrated just how terrifying the approaching downpour was.

"It's good that we found a place to stop and shelter from the rain. With this amount of rain, even with straw raincoats and bamboo hats, people would likely be incapacitated after getting wet."

"What luck! Thank Buddha we found a place to shelter from the rain."

"But now I'm a bit puzzled. How could a perfectly good Buddhist temple be abandoned like this? By the way, has anyone here traveled this old road before? Do you know the name of this Buddhist temple?"

All the guards sheltering under the eaves shook their heads blankly, claiming ignorance.

Only one old guard, in his fifties, showed a thoughtful expression, as if he knew something but couldn't recall it at the moment.

However, no one noticed his demeanor. Everyone's attention was drawn to the heavy rain outside the eaves.

Yunze Prefecture has always had immense rainfall since ancient times. Sometimes, the rain was so heavy that poorly constructed houses could be washed away.

This led to the saying, "Dark clouds churn like ink, obscuring the sky; white raindrops leap like pearls into Yunze."

"What heavy rain! It looks like it won't stop anytime soon. I hope the rain eases up a bit before sunset so we can continue our journey. I don't want to spend the night in a place like this," one of the guards muttered softly.

The sun set in the west, and dusk deepened.

The rain showed no signs of weakening. As the last trace of daylight vanished from the temple's overhanging eaves, night officially fell.

Crackle!

Inside the Mahavira Hall, the dry firewood and withered grass that everyone had gathered from various parts of the Buddhist temple crackled merrily in the fire.

Everyone knew it was impossible to travel now. It was better to quickly build a bonfire. The light would at least provide some comfort.

"We'll split into three shifts for guard duty tonight, each shift lasting for an hour. Our activity range will be limited to this hall. No one is allowed to go out without permission. If you need to go anywhere, you must bring at least five brothers with you, even if it's just to relieve yourself. Also, do that kind of thing near the entrance; don't wander too far. You all understand why. Be smart about it," the caravan leader said to all the guards by the bonfire.

Since they were forced to be stranded here, there was nothing they could do about it, so there was no need to complain. They just had to do their duty.

Everyone present, having traveled far and wide, understood this clearly.

As the eldest daughter of the Li family, the young woman in the green dress did not need to stand guard. And as her personal maid, Xiao Chan, who took care of her daily needs, also did not need to be included in the guard duty assignments.

After all, everyone else was a man, and they wouldn't be bothered by the help of a young girl.

After distributing rations and water, those assigned to the latter half of the night lay down on the ground to sleep. The guards on the first shift picked up their magical artifacts and weapons and began patrolling and checking various parts of the Mahavira Hall.

Silence, drowsiness, sleep.

Rain outside, fire crackling within.

"Ah!!!"

At some unknown hour, a scream suddenly erupted from the hall. Everyone who was asleep was jolted awake, scrambling to their feet and nervously looking around.

"What happened? Who's in trouble?"

"I don't know! Who's on guard duty now? See if any of our brothers are missing."

The young woman in the green dress stood by the bonfire with a serious expression, though her eyes still held a hint of sleepiness.

But at this moment, without understanding the situation, no one dared to sleep again.

"Miss, there are bloodstains on the wall over there in the hall. Three of our brothers have disappeared from our side."

After understanding the situation, the caravan leader immediately came over to report to the young woman in the green dress.

"This..."

Upon hearing this news, the nearby guards' hearts sank. Everyone knew exactly what was happening.

It was definitely the work of malevolent spirits! If they remained in this hall, they might suffer the same fate as the three missing men.

But the rain outside was still heavy. Leaving the temple at this time would likely be even more dangerous.

Just as the young woman in the green dress was hesitating, someone suddenly pointed at the white wall of the hall, illuminated by the firelight, and exclaimed, "What is that?!"

Everyone turned their heads to look.

They saw numerous figures, seemingly alive, dancing on the white wall.

Among them, the movements of three figures were particularly abrupt.

They kept swinging their arms and punching the wall, completely ignoring the obstruction from the surrounding figures.

Their postures were as if... they were trying to escape from the wall.

Just then, a rumbling vibration echoed through the hall.

Everyone's gaze swept towards the source of the tremor, and their faces instantly changed.

Fear, shock, and surprise appeared on all their faces.

"No!!!"