Inside the dilapidated temple, the candlelight flickered.
A woman in coarse cotton clothes leaned against the offering platform, her eyes closed in a light slumber.
Urgent footsteps sounded from outside the door. The woman looked up to see two men, their expressions weary and their movements hurried, their bodies robust, entering one after the other.
The woman tightened her clothes, her knees protruding as she drew her legs forward. She hugged her knees and curled into a ball, moving further into the shadows not reached by the temple's candlelight, watching the two men with wariness.
"Phew, finally found a place to rest."
Of the two men, the shorter one grumbled complainingly. His peripheral vision caught the woman huddled in the corner. His rough motion, as if to adjust his undergarment, paused slightly, then he restrained himself and cupped his hands, bowing slightly to the woman. "Miss, my brother and I are passing through. We only wish to rest here for a bit. If we have been impolite, we ask for your understanding… please be assured, though we are not gentlemen, we are not despicable scoundrels either. We will absolutely not do anything to harm you. As soon as dawn breaks, my brother and I will leave immediately. If you are not at ease, my brother and I…"
The man scanned the surroundings and pointed to a corner farthest from the woman. He said to her, "My brother and I will rest over there. We will not approach your vicinity. But after traveling all day, we are truly exhausted. We finally found this dilapidated temple, so we don't have to sleep under the open sky. Therefore, we beg your pardon for not retreating outside the door."
"Elder brother, why are you saying so much? I saw a horse tethered outside. I surmise this young lady is also a martial artist. Since she is a martial artist, traveling the jianghu, where are there so many rules and doctrines? You could simply cupped your hands and asked the young lady to allow it. Why are you rambling so much?"
Beside the man, the slightly taller, younger-looking man grumbled impatiently.
The shorter man turned and glared fiercely at the younger man.
The younger man touched his nose, but defiantly straightened his neck, asking the woman, "Miss, do you think I am right?"
"The horse, the horse is not mine!"
The woman, hugging her knees with her head tucked into the crook of her legs, looked up when the man asked, then quickly lowered her head. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum.
"Not yours?"
Although the woman's voice was soft, it did not hinder the two men's sharp ears; they heard it clearly.
The two exchanged glances, then the younger man scratched his head and took a step towards the woman's direction, a wry smile spreading across his face. "Ha, haha, so I misunderstood. Miss, don't be afraid. We are truly not bad people."
Seeing the man's approaching steps, the woman recoiled like a startled fawn.
"Alright, we've been traveling all day. Shouldn't you rest quickly?"
The elder man tugged at the younger man's sleeve, signaling him to rest. Looking at the young lady's demeanor, if they said a few more words, she might get up and flee.
The younger man responded with a series of "yes, yes" and the two walked to a corner of the dilapidated temple and sat down against the wall.
"She is holding her knees, so I can't see her palms, but the web between her thumb and index finger is smooth, and there are no calluses on the inside of her fingers. Her hands bear no rope marks from riding. She doesn't seem to use a sword, nor has she ridden a horse. Her breath is weak, not deep, not long; she doesn't seem to have practiced martial arts. Therefore, she is likely not the person we are looking for."
"But there is a horse outside the temple. If the horse is not hers, it means the rider is either hiding nearby, or…"
The dilapidated temple was silent, only the occasional crackling sound of burning firewood could be heard. The moon hung in the branches but was obscured by dark clouds that drifted in from somewhere. The sky outside the temple was as dark as ink, and a cold wind blew in through the broken windows and the half-hearted, tottering door.
The tiles on the roof made a faint rustling sound, as if they could not withstand the wind and frost and might fall at any moment.
The two huddled in the corner instantly stopped talking.
"Is it Wang Yun and his group?" The young man cast a questioning glance at the elder man.
The elder man frowned, and the next moment, he suddenly stood up. "Go!"
As soon as he spoke, with a "whoosh," the tiles above suddenly fell. Several figures rushed into the temple from the roof, doors, and windows.
A total of twelve people.
Damn it!
Seeing the people who had rushed into the dilapidated temple, how could they not realize they had walked into an ambush?
"Sang Ji, break through!"
Feng Quan suddenly drew the long sword at his waist. As his shout still echoed in the air, his body had already charged towards the nearest black-clothed man.
Sang Ji wasted no words. He turned and broke through towards the window. His aim was not to kill the enemy but to break through.
However, the very next second after their sudden burst of action, both their legs went soft, and their bodies fell to the ground uncontrollably.
Poisoned?
When did they get poisoned?
The woman who had been huddled by the offering platform slowly stood up. Her face showed no trace of panic or fear. She adjusted her sleeves and walked to the side of the bonfire.
Was it the firewood?
As the thought formed, Feng Quan and Sang Ji fainted.
"Hong Gu, how should we deal with these people?"
The three who had flanked them from behind and the two who had ambushed them had already been captured. Hong Gu had sprinkled poisonous powder all around the temple. Not to mention people, even an elephant would be poisoned unconscious.
"Take them all away, and find a cliff to throw the other six off!"
Although the order was only for Feng Quan, if the other six were killed on the spot and only Feng Quan disappeared, then those dogs from Lin Yuan would surely turn their attention to Gui Lao. The Master's affairs were of utmost importance and could not be trifled with or have any mistakes. Therefore, all these people had to be taken away. However, carrying these burdens would not only hinder their travel but also make them vulnerable. Hence, apart from Feng Quan, all of them had to die.
"Yes!"
The others received the order, found the horses left by Feng Quan and his group from the dense forest, and threw the bound individuals onto the backs of their own horses.
They galloped all the way, reached the cliff, and threw the other six, along with their horses, off the edge.
...
As dawn broke, smoke curled from the village at the foot of the cliff.
People woke from their sleep and began to start fires for cooking.
The men looked at their hoes and hammers; some went to farm, some to fell trees. By a house next to the stream, every morning at the hour of Chen, the male owner would take a fish trap woven from bamboo strips to catch fish in the stream.
From a distance, he saw something resembling a human form slowly drifting towards him along the direction of the stream's flow.
His whole body trembled. He walked quickly in the opposite direction of the stream's flow. Seeing that it was indeed a person floating in the stream, he quickly put down his fish trap, hooked the man's collar with his fishing hook, and pulled the person to the bank with all his might.
"Child's mother, child's mother!"
The man shouted towards the house.
...
The capital was permeated with an ominous atmosphere, like a storm was brewing. In the past few days, the sun had been obscured by dark clouds, and the sky was so gloomy it seemed like heavy snow would fall at any moment.
Nan Shiying held a cup of tea, warming her cold hands.
"Is there still no news about that missing team from the Imperial Censorate?" She turned and asked Ji Jinmo.