Night fell.
After dark, Ning Xiu and the others chose not to spend the night in the village. Instead, they went to rest at a small temple nearby.
Cloud Mist Mountain had been conquered by the eminent monks of Great Spirit Sound Temple. Later, Master Chan Hui came here to build a temple and take charge, and the Buddhist culture of the Eighteen Villages of Cloud Mist Mountain had become deeply ingrained.
Almost every mountain road between the villages had a temple enshrining a Buddhist statue. Even the stone lamps used to light the roads were Buddhist in style.
After what had happened to Master Chan Hui, Zhengwu was in a terrible mood. He had become quiet and despondent, still unable to accept that the other man had fallen from grace halfway through his path.
Ning Xiu gazed at the Buddha statue inside the temple without a word. They had only meant to escort Zhengwu to Cloud Mist Mountain to visit Master Chan Hui. Who could have guessed that something like this would happen?
In a corner of the temple, Ning Xiu's Iron Eater Beast sat against the wall, leisurely clutching the tender bamboo shoots and fresh green bamboo Ning Xiu had gathered for it earlier. It munched away with gusto.
Cloud Mist Mountain was covered in dense bamboo groves, so getting bamboo and bamboo shoots was no trouble.
If Ning Xiu hadn't worried that something might happen if the Iron Eater Beast went foraging alone at night, he would have been tempted to let it roam free in the wild.
The night was still, the atmosphere peaceful. None of them felt like chatting, and each began cultivating on their own.
Mm!
As the many candles in the temple suddenly began to flicker violently, Ning Xiu's eyes flew open.