Thunderbolts flashed across the sky outside the temple. Before long, rain began to patter down, growing from a drizzle into a downpour. It hammered the ruined temple's roof and fell through the holes onto the stone tiles below. Gusts of cold wind made the firelight flicker.
On the other side of the ruined temple.
Wei Jianxing and his four companions gathered around their fire, some lying down, others sitting. They silently watched Zhang Yuan on the opposite side out of the corners of their eyes, their brows slightly furrowed.
He had been expressionless while standing earlier, but once he sat down, he started pulling faces, smiling one moment and looking solemn the next. Was there something wrong with him?
Wei Jianxing and the others exchanged glances and shook their heads.
"Wei Jianxing, look at the trouble you've caused. Anyone can see there's something wrong with this fellow's head. Aren't you just making trouble for us by inviting him into the temple?" said a youth around Wei Jianxing's age.
"Wu Qing, that's not fair. He was right outside the temple. Even if I hadn't invited him in, he would definitely have come inside once it started raining. Better to call him in myself and exchange a few words to sound him out. Wei Liu, Wei Huai, Brother Pan Zhong, wouldn't you agree?"
Wei Jianxing was immediately displeased by those words. As he argued back, he also sought the support of the young man and woman.
"Indeed."
The young woman was named Wei Liu, and she expressed her stance succinctly.
The youth beside her, named Wei Huai, nodded slightly. Clearly, he also agreed with Wei Jianxing's approach, even though he had wanted to kill the man earlier.
The middle-aged man named Pan Zhong merely smiled, neither agreeing nor objecting. He seemed long