Rainy Night, Two Missing

"It really is the same caravan from a few days ago. Even the embroidery on their chests is in the exact same spot."

"Amazing."

After Ning Xiu called Ren Qianxing and the others over, they all stood before the wall and began to observe it.

From an artistic perspective, this mural was quite exquisite and lifelike, clearly the work of a master.

However, the content of the painting was rather chilling.

A caravan they had seen just a few days ago now appearing on a mural in an ancient temple from a hundred years ago – did that make any sense?

Tap, tap, tap!

Xia Yunsi drew her short staff and struck the mural a few times. The sound was solid and muffled, clearly indicating the wall was not hollow inside.

Monk Zhengwu, seeing this, took out his Buddhist prayer beads and began chanting scriptures. These scriptures had a significant disruptive effect on Malevolent Spirits; any Malevolent Spirit in hiding would react upon hearing them, inevitably stirring a little.

However, Monk Zhengwu chanted the scriptures two or three times, and the entire mural remained as calm as ever, showing no abnormalities.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this was likely just a perfectly ordinary mural.

"This is strange. There must be something behind this. It seems the Malevolent Spirit hidden within Jinzhao Temple is quite capable," Ren Qianxing scratched his head, then asked Ning Xiu beside him, "Brother Ning, you are Martial Dao Fifth Rank. Do you have any thoughts?"

If it were a visible Fifth Rank Malevolent Spirit, Ning Xiu would have already smashed it with a single blow. Martial Dao practitioners were more adept at slaying demons and eradicating evil than at tracking and identifying traces; that was not a martial artist's strong suit.

Furthermore, even the Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique couldn't find any clues of abnormality on this mural, so Ning Xiu could only shake his head helplessly. "I have no ideas. How about we smash the wall open and take a look?"

"That won't do," Ren Qianxing immediately objected. "The rain outside is fierce right now. If we make a hole in this wall, the rain will blow straight in, and we won't be able to shelter from it."

Xia Yunsi nodded. "Then we'll just have to wait until the rain stops."

An hour passed, then two hours passed...

As the sky completely darkened and night fell, the heavy rain outside showed no signs of abating. Everyone knew they would be spending the night in this Mahavira Hall.

Fortunately, Ren Qianxing had anticipated this and had two of his puppets collect a good amount of firewood, which would be perfect for getting through the night.

"I had originally planned to have dinner in Shen Family Town, letting my friend spend a bit of money and treat us well. I didn't expect to be trapped in this ancient temple by the heavy rain, so dinner plans are out. But luckily, I came prepared, so no one needs to worry about going hungry."

After Ren Qianxing lit the firewood with a tinderbox, he smiled mysteriously.

Ning Xiu, who had just been about to take out his rations from his personal pack, immediately stopped and looked at Ren Qianxing curiously. "What did you prepare?"

From Chaotian Capital all the way here, whenever it was mealtime, they either bought food in nearby villages or ate the coarse dry rations they carried. There hadn't been anything special.

Hearing Ren Qianxing say this, it seemed he had a hidden stash.

As soon as he finished speaking, the two puppets standing behind Ren Qianxing began to shed their outer clothes, revealing their inner bodies made entirely of wood.

With a 'snap,' the chests of the two puppets sprang open like double doors, revealing their internal storage spaces.

You wouldn't know until you looked, and when they did, it was truly eye-opening.

Inside the puppets' chests were pre-marinated chicken, duck, fish, and meat, as well as vegetables and grains.

Dried fish, dried shrimp, potatoes, cucumbers, yellow chives, eggs, corn, chili peppers… it was like a miniature storage cabinet.

"Zhengwu, I know you don't eat meat. These potatoes, corn, and cucumbers are specifically prepared for you." Ren Qianxing took out two cucumbers, two ears of corn, and four or five potatoes from within the puppets and handed them to Monk Zhengwu.

Zhengwu accepted them as if it were nothing, clearly not the first time he had seen Ren Qianxing prepared like this.

"Senior Sister, Brother Ning, come, let's eat meat." Ren Qianxing took out a prepared chicken, ready for roasting, from within a puppet, found a branch, threaded it through the chicken, and placed it on the campfire to roast.

"This… I didn't expect Brother Ren to have such a skill. So this is how puppets can be used. I've truly learned something new," Ning Xiu said with genuine admiration.

"It's just a small thing."

It was said that there were three thousand Great Daos, and each Dao had its own method of personal storage. But Ren Qianxing's application of storage through the Puppet Path was so simple and convenient that it truly opened Ning Xiu's eyes.

In contrast, he and Xia Yunsi, both being of the Martial Dao, carried their belongings in packs, full of the aura of wandering knights.

"Brother Ren, since your puppets are hiding so much food, why didn't you use them when we were traveling before?"

"This food is considered emergency supplies. Unless there's a special need for food, I generally don't use it lightly. Because once it's consumed, it needs to be replenished, and replenishing the food requires time to take preventive measures against spoilage and mold, which is quite troublesome. If it's just normal travel, eating dry rations is enough."

Ning Xiu nodded, indicating he understood.

After Ren Qianxing finished roasting the chicken and they had eaten to their fill, the group began their respective cultivation.

For people like Ning Xiu, cultivation could temporarily replace sleep, thus eliminating the need for someone to stand guard.

Once any movement occurred in the surroundings, everyone would be alerted and awake instantly. There was no possibility of a Malevolent Spirit quietly approaching them and launching an attack.

The Iron Eater Beast, the Black Tiger, and the two Black Winds formed a circle around the group, using their bodies to shield them from the wind, making the campfire area even warmer.

Under this atmosphere, everyone quickly entered a state of focused cultivation.

Deep into the night.

"Mmm..." Zhengwu opened his eyes and looked around. Seeing that Ning Xiu and the other two were all cultivating, he got up and walked towards the outside of the hall.

Nature calls, and even a Third Rank practitioner couldn't escape this universal rule.

Zhengwu walked outside the hall, clasped his hands in prayer towards all directions, and apologized to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the temple. He truly felt he had no choice. Immediately, he lifted his monk's robe and relieved himself near the entrance of the Mahavira Hall.

Even as a Buddhist Seventh Rank Demon Subduing Captain, Zhengwu knew well that in the dead of night in the wilderness, one should not stray too far from companions, lest they encounter unexpected trouble alone.

Those who were arrogant and disregard rules were long dead. Therefore, even as a Buddhist monk, Zhengwu dared not venture into the gardens far from the Mahavira Hall to answer nature's call at this hour, and had to commit this irreverence.

Crack!

Just as the water was making a sizzling sound, a figure suddenly slammed a palm onto Zhengwu's shoulder.

His entire body trembled, and the water rippled three times. Zhengwu's body instantly glowed with golden light, and he turned his head to glare with Vajra's Wrathful Gaze.

He saw Ren Qianxing standing behind him with a mischievous grin. Ren Qianxing yawned and said, "Don't panic, I just came out for a pee. But Zhengwu, your senses are lacking. I walked right up behind you and you didn't even notice. Your alertness isn't enough; you need more practice."

"If there were malevolent spirits nearby, my Buddhist artifacts would have reacted already. I knew it was you," Zhengwu said calmly, his body returning to normal as he turned around.

"Hmph, that just proves your alertness is lacking. Luckily it was me. If it were someone with murderous intent towards you, even with your Golden Body, you'd still get stabbed," Ren Qianxing said, walking over to Zhengwu. He then took off his pants and got to work.

Even in the dim night, one could see him sneakily glancing downwards with the corner of his eye. He chuckled, "Zhengwu, we've known each other since we were kids. I never expected you to change so much. Does cultivating the Golden Body through Buddhist body refinement affect... that area too? Teach me how to train it, I'm not very satisfied with mine."

Pulling up his pants, Zhengwu clasped his hands together and said helplessly to all directions, "Amitabha, may the Bodhisattva forgive me."

With that, Zhengwu turned and walked back into the hall.

"All men want to perfect themselves," Ren Qianxing muttered, quickly finishing up and entering the hall as well.

Outside the hall, the heavy rain and cold wind were chilling. It was much warmer inside by the bonfire.

However, as Ren Qianxing was about to enter the Mahavira Hall, the scene before him instantly froze him at the doorway, his expression one of utter astonishment.

The Mahavira Hall was spacious, and the path to the bonfire had absolutely no place to conceal a living person.

Near the bonfire, he could only see Ning Xiu and Xia Yunsi meditating and cultivating. There was no sign of a third person.

No... the monk Zhengwu was gone from the hall!

Late at night, after finishing his business, Zhengwu wouldn't just wander off somewhere else instead of returning to cultivate.

Ren Qianxing's scalp instantly went numb, and goosebumps erupted all over his skin.

This Mahavira Hall was truly problematic.

"Brother Ning, Senior Sister! Zhengwu is gone!" Ren Qianxing immediately stepped through the doorway and shouted into the hall.

The moment he heard the voice, Ning Xiu's eyes snapped open, but his vision met emptiness. Only the lingering echo of the shout remained in the hall.

Xia Yunsi, sitting beside him, frowned, "What's going on?"

Ning Xiu and Xia Yunsi had noticed the monk Zhengwu and Ren Qianxing leaving, but they had no idea what happened afterward.

Hearing Ren Qianxing's voice from outside the hall, Ning Xiu immediately got up and walked towards the doorway, intending to investigate.

Xia Yunsi followed closely behind. It was most crucial not to split up at a time like this; it would be troublesome if someone else got into trouble.

Peeking out the doorway, the outside was empty. Not to mention Zhengwu, even Ren Qianxing's whereabouts were unknown.

If he hadn't been cultivating and had been asleep, Ning Xiu might have thought he was hallucinating.

"Two living people just vanished..." Ning Xiu looked out at the rainy night beyond the hall's entrance and quickly activated the Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique.

But everything appeared perfectly normal, with no signs of strangeness.