The Mystery of Jinzhao Temple

"In this day and age, even with malevolent spirits running rampant, those mountain bandits wouldn't choose to lay down their weapons and return to their fields to become diligent, practical, and honest farmers. They're unwilling to work, preferring laziness and relying on plundering others' wealth to survive. People's minds are truly a strange mix."

"Wealth that can be obtained with a simple effort—one robbery could yield more than half a year of farming or half a year of trade. Once accustomed to such rapid profits, who would be willing to earn meager silver coins step by step, just enough to fill their stomachs each month?"

"Amitabha, wealth is indeed the greatest malevolent spirit in the world."

Ren Qianxing and the other two chatted as they traveled along the road.

Meanwhile, Ning Xiu sat on the back of the Iron Eater Beast, looking down at the Yunze Prefecture map that Ren Qianxing had brought with him on this outing.

The day they parted ways with the Li Family Caravan to enter the mountains to capture the demon, the operation had proceeded smoothly. After interrogating the mountain bandits and forcing them to reveal the location of their stronghold.

The group charged directly into it, found the demon harboring these bandits, and executed it on the spot.

Without the demon's protection, if these bandits continued to stay in the deep mountains as outlaws, they would be in danger of losing their lives if they encountered any malevolent spirits.

Ren Qianxing attempted to persuade these people to become ordinary citizens and live peaceful lives. To his surprise, they flatly refused.

"Peace? Impossible. It's impossible to live peacefully. We don't know how to farm, we're clueless about doing business, and we can't even read a single character. The only way to survive is to hide in the mountains and occasionally go out to rob."

Good heavens, hearing this, Ren Qianxing was so angered that he could only execute the bandits who had colluded with the demon on the spot and then set the entire mountain stronghold ablaze, reducing it to ashes.

Perhaps there were indeed people among them who were forced by circumstances, but colluding with a demon and knowingly concealing it was a capital offense under Great Shang law, with no possibility of leniency.

"Cloud Mist Mountain is located in the central part of Yunze Prefecture. The road leading to Cloud Mist Mountain will inevitably pass through Shen Family Town. My good friend works there. Once we reach that place, we'll have our full complement of personnel," Ren Qianxing said.

Ning Xiu looked at the map. After entering Yunze Prefecture, they needed to travel another two hundred and fifty li southwest to reach Shen Family Town. The entire route was through deep mountains and old forests, with no houses or villages, making it quite remote.

At this moment, a place name on the map, smudged out with black ink, caught Ning Xiu's attention. He immediately asked curiously, "Brother Ren, what place is this that has had its name erased?"

"Jinzhao Temple. It used to be a famous ancient Buddhist temple in the Yunze Prefecture region. It was prosperous with numerous monks and many pilgrims.

Unfortunately, one day over ninety years ago, Jinzhao Temple suffered a great calamity. All the monks in the temple vanished overnight, leaving behind only an empty and desolate Buddhist temple. The Demon Subduing Bureau sent people to investigate, but they found nothing. There were no signs of any malevolent spirits appearing in the temple.

This incident caused a great stir throughout Yunze Prefecture, and no one dared to offer incense at Jinzhao Temple anymore. Although monks came later to try and take over, they were unable to achieve any success, and Jinzhao Temple was completely abandoned," Ren Qianxing said.

Ning Xiu asked, "This matter is so strange, it sounds very much like the work of malevolent spirits. Did the Demon Subduing Bureau really not find anything back then?"

Ren Qianxing stroked his chin and mused, "The Jinzhao Temple incident is one of the top ten unsolved mysteries of the Demon Subduing Bureau. Although many believe it was the work of malevolent spirits, unfortunately, no one could find any evidence to prove it at the time. Zhengwu, how much do you know about Jinzhao Temple? Tell us."

As a monk from the Great Spirit Sound Temple, Monk Zhengwu would certainly know more about matters concerning Buddhist temples than Ren Qianxing.

Instantly, everyone turned their gaze to him, their eyes filled with anticipation, hoping Zhengwu could supplement some details that Ren Qianxing had not mentioned.

"Uh..." Seeing Ning Xiu and the others looking at him like that, Zhengwu could only say, "Indeed, nothing was discovered back then. The Demon Subduing Bureau even sent a Silver Tiger Demon Subduing Captain for this matter, but they still couldn't find any trace of evil qi in Jinzhao Temple.

The abbot of Jinzhao Temple was a highly accomplished monk sent from the Great Spirit Sound Temple. If he were to undertake any major action, he would have to report it to the Great Spirit Sound Temple beforehand. Leaving with all the monks in the temple overnight is clearly not something he would do.

Therefore, there must be some hidden circumstances behind this matter, but unfortunately, no one has been able to investigate the cause, and it has dragged on until now, becoming an unsolved mystery."

Hearing that even a Silver Tiger Demon Subduing Captain had been dispatched without being able to find the cause, everyone immediately stopped questioning.

If even the Silver Tiger Demon Subduing Captain was helpless, it was clear that the matter was beyond their reach.

Rumble!

A clap of thunder suddenly broke the clear sky, immediately pulling everyone's thoughts away from the Jinzhao Temple incident.

Looking up at the sky, which was gradually darkening and gathering dark clouds, Ren Qianxing frowned, "This is bad. Judging by this situation, a heavy rain is coming. The weather in Yunze Prefecture is the most unpredictable; it can rain at any moment. We need to find a place to shelter from the rain quickly."

Ning Xiu looked at the map and said, "This area is all deep mountains and old forests. The closest place to us is that Jinzhao Temple, but it's still about eleven or twelve li from here."

"Then let's hurry. The heavy rains in Yunze Prefecture are known to penetrate to the bone. If you get soaked for too long, it's no different from being locked in a water dungeon. Believe me, you won't want to experience that."

With a whip crack from Ren Qianxing on the hindquarters of the Black Wind he was riding, the wild boar immediately took off as if it had taken medicine, running at full speed with wind beneath its hooves. It quickly left Ning Xiu and the others behind.

Since Ren Qianxing had said so, everyone naturally wouldn't give themselves the chance to experience the heavy rain of Yunze Prefecture and immediately urged their mounts to chase after him.

Dust billowed up from the road in their wake.

Although the Iron Eater Beast looked bulky with short limbs, its running speed was actually quite impressive.

As the sky darkened to the point where the land became completely black, Ning Xiu and the other three finally saw the ancient Buddhist temple located on the hillside beside the road.

Raindrops were already falling from the sky, hitting everyone. Ning Xiu quickly urged the Iron Eater Beast up the slope, entering Jinzhao Temple before the downpour.

"Hey, this door seems to have been opened recently," Xia Yunshan exclaimed, climbing down from the Black Tiger's back. He pointed at the ground behind the door, which was covered in dust accumulated over many years, and saw a large number of footprints.

Ren Qianxing pulled the Black Wind to a spot out of the rain and said calmly, "The official road was blocked due to an Earth Dragon Overturn, so people must have changed their routes. They're probably like us, travelers seeking shelter from the rain."

Boom!

The dark sky began to flash with lightning and rumble with thunder. Soon, large raindrops poured down like beans, quickly turning into a spectacular curtain of rain.

This kind of downpour was a unique spectacle in Yunze Prefecture, rarely seen elsewhere.

"Judging by this, the rain won't stop for at least two or three hours. We should find a place to rest. We might have to stay in Jinzhao Temple tonight. May the ancestors of the Demon Subduing Bureau bless us. We're already very tired from traveling, so please, no evil tricks." Ren Qianxing looked at the sky and sighed.

Walking along the temple corridors, Ning Xiu and the others circled the entire Jinzhao Temple and finally chose to temporarily set up camp in the Mahavira Hall.

Firstly, the space was large enough to accommodate the mounts of several people.

Secondly, this hall was one of the few buildings in the entire Jinzhao Temple whose main structure was still well-preserved, capable of sheltering them from the wind and rain.

After Ren Qianxing dispatched his two puppets to search various parts of the temple for combustible materials, Ning Xiu began to wander around the Mahavira Hall alone.

Even though Jinzhao Temple had been abandoned for over ninety years, the interior of the Mahavira Hall was still in quite good condition. The candle stands originally used for candles and the many Buddhist statues in the hall were all very well-preserved.

The only slight regret was that Zhengwu had mentioned the statues were originally gilded, but now they were all stone. It was clear the golden shells had been pried off.

In times of chaos, even gods and buddhas had to abide by the saying, "Possession is a crime."

Ning Xiu cast his Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique to scan his surroundings. His skill had now reached the eighth level, allowing him to perceive much more subtle details than before.

After a thorough check, everything in the Mahavira Hall appeared normal, with no anomalies.

However, during his inspection, Ning Xiu's gaze was drawn to a mural on the hall's wall.

"Huh? Isn't this..." Ning Xiu's expression turned incredibly surprised.

In fact, as Ning Xiu had walked from the temple gate inwards, he had already seen many murals on the walls along the way.

Some depicted dancing girls performing in unison, with men drinking and applauding nearby.

Others showed burly men in tattered clothes sleeping with their swords, cradling severed heads.

Still others depicted common folk kneeling and kowtowing, though it was unclear to whom they were praying.

To be honest, it was quite strange for murals with such content to appear in Jinzhao Temple, a Buddhist temple. The themes did not align with the temple's solemn atmosphere.

What Buddhist temple would feature murals of anything other than Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? Who would put these indecipherable murals on their walls?

The mural Ning Xiu was currently staring at was even more peculiar.

The mural depicted a caravan traveling along a mountain path. The guards were all rendered with lifelike detail, with a "Li" character embroidered on the chest of their uniforms.

In one of the carriages being escorted by the caravan, a woman in a green dress was peeking out the window, her expression solemn as she looked in the direction the caravan was heading.

Ning Xiu was certain that the painting depicted the Li Family Caravan they had rescued from mountain bandits in the forest a few days prior.

The woman in the green dress in the painting looked exactly like the woman he had seen that day.

"Jinzhao Temple is an ancient temple from a hundred years ago. How could it feature someone I only met a few days ago?"

Ning Xiu stared intently at the mural with his Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique, but he couldn't discern any abnormalities. It was just a perfectly ordinary mural.

Without delay, Ning Xiu immediately called out to Ren Qianxing and the other two, who were preparing to start a fire. Such a strange mural definitely needed to be investigated thoroughly.