In the northwestern outskirts of Ye City stood the renowned Longgang Temple, where Fotudeng, an eminent monk of his generation, had passed away sixteen years earlier. The temple had originally been built for him by Shi Hu, ruler of Later Zhao. Shi Le and his nephew Shi Hu had rampaged with savage cruelty, slaughtering people like scything hemp, yet they had revered and trusted the eminent monk from the Western Regions beyond measure. Shi Hu had once built Buddhist temples throughout the area around Ye City. These had later all been destroyed by Ran Min and the Murong Clan, leaving Longgang Temple alone intact. After Murong Wei moved his capital to Ye City, Longgang Temple was designated a royal monastery, barred to ordinary people.
At dusk on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, Murong Chong came to invite Chen Caozhi to the Ullambana Festival lantern gathering at Longgang Temple. Remembering that he had been unable to add a handful of earth to his mother's grave on the Qingming Festival for two years now, Chen Caozhi could not help feeling sorrowful. He thought he would recite a scroll of the Ullambana Sutra before the Buddha to express his grief for her.
Longgang Temple stood beside the Zhang River, at the foot of E'e Mountain. The mountain was not high, but its sheer cliffs and flowing springs made for secluded, tranquil scenery. Two enormous upright boulders formed the temple gate, with a stone lintel laid across them. Passing through this stone gateway had a charm of its own.
Dusk had already fallen. In the distance, they could see a Buddhist temple built against the mountainside, its three-bay main hall ablaze with lamplight. Murong Chong asked, "Chen Xima, do you know why the imperial clan of our Great Yan honors Longgang Temple