Chapter 66: Lanruo Temple (Middle)

The straw hat and raincoat could not withstand the impact of the violent rain; one clap of thunder after another frightened the horses, making them whinny in terror. Hu Fo hurriedly dismounted, shouting, "Everyone, dismount and go on foot, cover the horses' eyes with cloth, plug their ears, so they won't be startled!" He had dealt with horses for half his life and understood their temperaments very well.

Everyone dismounted in a hurry, but before they had all gotten down, another thunderclap exploded overhead, making everyone instinctively shrink back. Liang Da Zhuang leapt off his horse like a bandit; the thunder terrified his mount to the point that it dropped its head, raised its hindquarters, and kicked up its hind legs, actually flinging Liang Da Zhuang off its back.

Liang Da Zhuang fell onto the mountain road, letting out a miserable scream of agony. The horse turned and bolted; Hu Fo rushed forward and grabbed the reins, but couldn't hold back the galloping steed. The horse instantly dragged Hu Fo down, pulling him backward. Hu Fo had no choice but to release the reins; his body, still moving from inertia, slid along the muddy road and narrowly avoided crashing into the rocks ahead—if he had let go a moment later, he likely would have been smashed to pieces.

Hu Fo, still shaken, stared at a rock less than a foot away, gasping for breath. Li Jin Hao rushed over and helped him to his feet; the frightened horse had already fled without a trace.

Shao Yijiao went to help Liang Da Zhuang up; fortunately he had only fallen into a pile of mud and suffered no serious injury. The group pressed on, seeking shelter in the torrential rain. Murong Feiyan led the way, holding the black horse's reins, shielding her eyes with her hand; through the sheets of rain she could faintly make out the outline of a building ahead. Though not far off, the heavy rain obscured details, but from the vague silhouette she could tell the structure was quite sizable.

When they drew near, they realized the dark mass was actually a dilapidated temple built into the mountainside. Above the gate hung a horizontal plaque bearing the three large characters 'Lanruo Temple'. Due to its age and exposure to wind and rain, the gilt lacquer on the characters was mottled and peeling, and the temple walls were extremely old, overgrown with weeds, clearly long neglected.

The temple doors were shut tight, the red lacquer peeled in several places. As they approached the gate, a flash of lightning split the sky, making the three characters 'Lanruo Temple' stand out starkly. Hu Xiaotian read the plaque, sucked in a breath of cold air, and muttered, "I say, what a coincidence—there really is a Lanruo Temple here; could Nie Xiaoqian and the Black Mountain Old Demon also be present?"

Shao Yijiao had already rushed forward and knocked on the door, shouting loudly, "Anyone there?"

Hu Xiaotian felt uneasy, his mind repeatedly recalling that episode from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. With thunderclap after thunderclap, he muttered lowly, "Should we just keep going?" He remained very wary of those three words 'Lanruo Temple'.

Murong Feiyan glanced at him, puzzled, and said, "With this downpour we can't go on; let's take shelter here and wait for the rain to stop."

Shao Yijiao knocked for a long time with no answer, then turned and said, "Maybe there's no one inside."

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself, "Since this is Lanruo Temple, there must be no one inside—the monks have all been eaten by Nie Xiaoqian."

Murong Feiyan said, "I'll go have a look!" As she was about to climb over the wall, a rough, gruff voice came from inside, asking, "Who's there?"

Shao Yijiao shouted back, "We are passing merchants; the heavy rain prevents us from moving forward, so we seek lodging for the night."

Soon came the sound of dragging steps—'draggedraggedrag'—uneven, mixed with the thudding of a cane striking the ground. A yellowish light seeped from the gate, then the sound of a bolt being drawn back; the door opened a crack from within, revealing a bald head belonging to a monk in his forties.

Shao Yijiao clasped his hands respectfully and said, "Venerable master, we are merchants heading to Xichuan; we passed through here, encountered a downpour, and are exhausted with our horses unable to continue. We hope you will take pity and grant us a little shelter." Having traveled the martial world himself, Shao Yijiao spoke very politely.

The monk glanced over the six people outside, then broke into a smile and said, "The Buddha's heart is compassionate; since you patrons have run into trouble, don't mind the temple's simplicity—just come inside!"

The gate swung open slowly; the monk was a cripple, leaning on a crutch under his right rib—hence the earlier thudding of his cane. Accompanying him was a young monk; both appeared kind and wore smiles.

Shao Yijiao thanked the monk, led the horses into Lanruo Temple, and Hu Fo and the others followed in turn. Hu Xiaotian lingered last, still staring at the gate's plaque: Lanruo Temple! Although he knew this Lanruo Temple was not that Lanruo Temple, he couldn't shake an uneasy feeling.

Seeing him standing motionless at the doorway, Murong Feiyan couldn't help but say, "Hey! What are you spacing out for? Do you really want to spend the night out in the wilderness?"

Only then did Hu Xiaotian snap out of it, thinking that with Murong Feiyan present—her martial arts being formidable—any trouble could be handled; he just needed to stay careful. He smiled and followed her into the temple.

Lanruo Temple was not small in scale, but the buildings had long been neglected and lay in ruins. Asking the crippled monk along the way, he said that including himself there were four monks in the temple. The place offered for their temporary stay was a side hall in the rear courtyard. The crippled monk smiled warmly and said, "Lanruo Temple is remote, its incense sparse, so we barely scrape by; the conditions here are very rudimentary—I hope you will excuse us, patrons."

Shao Yijiao laughed, "No problem, no problem—having a place to escape the wind and rain already makes us deeply grateful. Master, please don't stand on ceremony; may I ask your dharma name?"

The crippled monk laughed, "Just call me Wu Xing!" After saying that, he bade everyone farewell, leaning on his crutch as he departed together with the young monk.

Hu Fo tethered the horses beneath the outer corridor; several servants brought their luggage inside. Because the rain was so heavy, their bedding was mostly soaked, and much of their dry rations had been doused. Murong Feiyan took it in stride—going hungry for a meal was no big deal; she bore no trace of delicacy and could endure any hardship.

Hu Fo busily checked the chili powder he carried; he always loved spicy food, and on this trip to Xichuan he had brought a generous amount of chili powder. Finding it still dry and unaffected by moisture delighted him greatly.

Outside the rain continued unabated, showing no sign of letting up—in fact it seemed even fiercer than before. Their clothes were soaked through, and since the side hall lacked a door, cold wind mixed with mist kept blowing in. Liang Da Zhuang shivered, sneezing repeatedly, and said, "No way—I need to go fetch some firewood, build a fire, and warm up."

No sooner had he spoken than two monks arrived carrying a brazier. The temple's monks, seeing that everyone's clothes were drenched from the rain, had brought the brazier to dry their garments, and also brought a pot of congee and a basket of steamed buns.

After expressing their thanks, the servants all praised the Lanruo Temple monks for their compassionate hearts, saying that if they hadn't happened to come here, they wouldn't know how to endure this bitter wind and rain.

Several people sat around the brazier drying their clothes; Liang Da Zhuang eagerly grabbed a steamed bun and began to eat. Only Hu Xiaotian seemed restless, pacing back and forth inside the side hall. The lightning made the hall flicker between light and dark, and in the flashes he could see the eighteen luohan statues arranged inside—most were incomplete, covered in cobwebs, giving off an eerie vibe no matter how you looked at it.

Liang Da Zhuang said, "Young master, won't you have something to eat?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head, turned away, and Murong Feiyan, having tested the food with a silver needle, told him, "Don't worry, the food is fine."

Hu Xiaotian said, "I just feel stifled inside and want to go outside for a walk." He stepped out of the side hall, gazing at the dense sheets of rain, and reflected, "I don't know how long this downpour will last; if it doesn't clear up tomorrow, we may have to stay longer at Lanruo Temple." The impression left by Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio was so deep that since entering the temple he had felt ill at ease—coincidences in this world are just too many. At that moment his stomach growled; he was indeed hungry, and he turned back intending to return for a meal, but the sight that met his eyes shocked him greatly. The five companions who had just been gathered around the brazier warming themselves and eating were now all collapsed on the ground—Murong Feiyan among them.

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