Chapter 33: The Master of Xingde Temple

He called out several times, but there was no answer from within the hall.

Liu Xiaolou stepped up the stairs and slowly arrived before the main hall's door, only to discover an iron lock hanging on it. It seemed the master was not home.

He pushed the door gently, creating a crack, and peered inside. He saw a statue about a zhang tall standing in the hall, its expression solemn and its eyes piercing.

Liu Xiaolou met the statue's gaze for a moment and felt a sense of vast emptiness wash over him, leaving him dazed and causing him to step back a few paces.

The statue was carved exquisitely; it was truly lifelike.

He steadied himself, waking from his daze, and suddenly felt a sense of freshness penetrate his mind.

A mountain breeze blew by, carrying a fine, hair-like drizzle that swept over Liu Xiaolou, refreshing his spirit. He could not tell if the freshness came from the statue's gaze or the cool mountain rain.

He moved on to the east side hall and the west wing, peering through the cracks in the doors. They were also empty, showing only the necessities of life: tables, chairs, beds, and firewood in the kitchen.

The moon gate connecting the side hall to the main hall was at the edge of the mountain peak, with a bottomless abyss just a few steps away. Looking out from there, the sun had already set, and the sky was thick with dark clouds; the world was plunged into dimness.

Since he was already here, he would make the best of it. Liu Xiaolou decided to rest here for a few days and wait for the master to return.

The iron lock could not stop Liu Xiaolou, of course. Despite its size, it was not difficult to pry open. However, he had come to ask for a favor, and there was no reason to break the lock. He sat cross-legged under the eaves of the east side hall, ate two pieces of dry rations, held a spirit stone in his palm, and began to cultivate with his eyes closed.

He had already opened the two major acupoints of the Hand Jueyin Meridian—Tianchi and Tianquan—which had consumed five spirit stones in total. Now, holding fifteen spirit stones, he wondered how many of the remaining seven acupoints—Quchi, Jian Shi, Neiguan, Daling, Laogong, and Zhongchong—he could open. He was quite expectant.

Threads of spiritual power transformed into true qi within his body, passing through the Yuan pools of the Tianchi and Tianquan acupoints, then surging all the way to Quchi. He struck at the acupoint barrier of Quchi like waves, creating ripples at the barrier. The acupoint at the crook of his elbow pulsed with the impact of the true qi, visible to the naked eye.

This was a long-term, grinding process that could not be achieved overnight. Liu Xiaolou had been cultivating for ten years and was long accustomed to it.

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, he woke from his cultivation, stretched his slightly stiff body, and went to the edge of the mountain peak to gaze in all directions.

The world was shrouded in clouds and mist, somewhat gloomy, just like yesterday. The mountain breeze was mixed with drizzle, leaving a slight chill on his skin.

He walked around the edge of the mountain peak, which was about an acre in size, but found no signs of the master's return. Liu Xiaolou was not anxious. He ate some dry rations, drank a few mouthfuls of clear water from a large vat in the corner, and continued to strike at the Quchi acupoint.

Several days passed in this manner, and the master still had not returned. Liu Xiaolou, however, had gradually grown fond of this place. With clouds and mist swirling about and no one to disturb him, was this not the perfect place for cultivation?

His dry rations were finished, so he went down into the valley to hunt. Worried that the master might not like it, he decided to finish eating the wild rabbits, pheasants, fish, and crabs before returning.

Late at night on the fourteenth day, the spirit stone in his palm could no longer absorb even a shred of spiritual power. With a slight exertion, it crumbled into dust and debris. One spirit stone was exhausted, and the Quchi acupoint showed not the slightest sign of wavering. Liu Xiaolou judged that this acupoint would likely require three spirit stones to open.

He relaxed his legs, lay down leaning against the base of the wall, stretched, and had a good sleep.

While sitting in meditation could refresh the mind, one could not keep their spirit taut forever. After a long time, it was quite exhausting, and for a Qi Refiner, it still could not fully replace sleep. He hadn't slept well for half a month, so this sleep was extremely sweet.

Liu Xiaolou woke up amidst falling snow. This was the first snow since the start of winter. Snowflakes drifted down, the mountains were hidden from view, and it felt as if he were the only person left in the world.

After wandering for a while, just as he was about to begin cultivating, he suddenly heard a cough from outside the temple gate.

Liu Xiaolou hurriedly straightened his clothes, bowed, and stood solemnly, preparing to welcome the master.

He waited for a long time, but saw no one. He went outside the temple, but there was still no sign of anyone, only the rugged mountain path winding and disappearing into the heavy snow.

He had definitely heard a cough just now. Liu Xiaolou confirmed it wasn't an illusion, so he followed the mountain path downward. When he rounded a mountain hollow, he saw a person lying sideways on the stone steps, already half-buried by the drifting snow.

He checked the person's breathing and pulse; they were still alive. Liu Xiaolou straightened the person's body, lifted them with one hand, and hurried back to Xingde Temple.

He placed the person under the eaves and brushed off the snow, revealing their appearance. This person was quite tall, at least half a head taller than Liu Xiaolou, and looked to be about forty or fifty years old. There were three wisps of beautiful beard under their chin, and they looked quite dashing. Even though their complexion was ashen, it did not hide their dashing and elegant air.

Checking the pulse again, he knew the person had suffered internal injuries, seemingly to the heart and lungs.

Who was this?

Liu Xiaolou reached into the person's robes, pulling out a pile of odds and ends, wanting to see if he could find any items to confirm their identity or any healing elixirs. But there were only a few gold ingots, a handful of broken pearls, two pieces of jade, and two spirit stones.

Huh? These two pieces of jade were similar to the jade pendant he had on him; both exuded a thick spiritual energy.

Liu Xiaolou's eyes flickered as he looked back and forth between the two pieces of jade and the two spirit stones. Hmm, the few gold ingots were worth ten taels, and those broken pearls were each unusually large and round, not comparable to ordinary pearls.

He looked at the path down the mountain and the heavy snow... Should he...

Just as he was pondering, the bearded man coughed again, bringing up streaks of blood. Because the coughing was too violent, it woke him from his coma. His eyes half-opened, and he grabbed Liu Xiaolou's arm.

Liu Xiaolou was startled. He struggled slightly and broke free, but heard the man mutter a few words in a low voice, though he couldn't make them out clearly.

He saw the man's other arm lift, point to the eaves above, and then drop powerlessly, falling back into a coma.

Liu Xiaolou tapped his toes, leaped up, and found a key on a crossbeam under the eaves where the man had pointed.

He tried inserting the key into the lock, turned it gently, and the iron lock clicked open.

Alright, he understood now. This bearded man must be the master of this place. He just didn't know how many people were in Xingde Temple, and if this bearded man was Xingde Jun.

He pushed the door open and entered. This side hall also had three rooms. The main room had the octagonal table he had seen through the crack in the door, two chairs on the left and right, and a side table against the wall. The left wing was a large bed, and the right wing had shelves against the walls, piled with various tools.

Liu Xiaolou dismissed other thoughts, carried the bearded man into the bedroom, tore off his dirty, messy robes, laid him flat on the bed, and found a thick wool blanket in the cupboard to cover him. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

After thinking for a moment, he tidied up the pile of odds and ends from the ground outside and placed them by the man's pillow.

"I, the Daoist, came to ask for an array plate to be forged, not to commit theft. I'll spare your wealth for now."

So, what next... what should he do? ===== CHAPTER 34 =====