The moment the fat man heard that, he bristled. The words sounded like a bad omen. "You're still young, kid. Don't go saying things like that. What do you mean, 'just like me'? Are you cursing me?"
Realizing he'd misspoken, the young attendant hurriedly apologized. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. That was my mistake. Please don't hold it against me, bosses. I didn't mean anything by it."
Once they left the city, the road grew rough, and a fine drizzle began to fall. The group hurried along as fast as they could and finally reached Xiatuotuo Temple before the rain got any heavier.
When they arrived, they discovered that the temple was much larger than they'd expected. A low wall of rubble and packed earth surrounded it, but years of neglect had left it collapsed in several places. Even the only gate was battered and tottering in the wind and rain. It didn't look as if it would last much longer.
"Has it always been like this?"
Jiang Cheng's first impression of the temple was terrible. It hardly looked like a good place to discuss anything. It was gloomy and remote, and there was something strange about it. It seemed more suited to killing someone and burying the body.
The attendant seemed puzzled, too. Stretching his neck, he peered inside through a gap in the collapsed wall. After a long moment, he said quietly, "That can't be right. The place is remote, sure, but the main hall is still in decent shape. It provides shelter from the wind and rain, and homeless people often come here to stay. Why is it so quiet today...?"
When something was out of the ordinary, trouble was sure to follow. Jiang Cheng didn't rush inside. Instead, he led the group around the temple's perimeter. From