Chapter 8: 8 A Temple in the Mountains

8 A Temple in the Mountains

Amidst the thicket, they saw a building; though not large, it was clearly still standing.

Sui Feng and Tang Zhao were both overjoyed. Sui Feng did not hesitate further and urged the donkey forward.

Upon getting close, they discovered it was a dilapidated temple. The fence in front of the temple had already collapsed by half, revealing a desolate courtyard with nothing but wild grass and a dry well; it was extremely bleak.

Tang Zhao asked, "Is it a Moon-Suppressing Terrace?"

Nowadays, among all the various Shenmiao, the most common ones were Moon-Suppressing Terraces, named for their purpose of suppressing the Calamity Moon.

Sui Feng said, "No, how could a Moon-Suppressing Terrace be so small? It doesn't seem to be a temple for Grandfather Dongjun either."

Tang Zhao hummed, "Then I don't know which minor deity this is."

Sui Feng shook his head. Tang Zhao had a split attitude toward ghosts and gods; on one hand, he was timid and afraid of ghosts, but on the other, he had no taboos, and neither his heart nor his mouth held any reverence. He was different. Most people who traveled the jianghu were superstitious and prayed for the protection of gods and Buddhas in everything. He had always been in awe of ghosts and gods. Even though the Imperial Court had been heavily renovating Moon-Suppressing Terraces and honoring Dongjun in recent years, branding the various folk-worshipped deities as evil gods and licentious sacrifices, and even letting Earth Temples and City God Temples fall into ruin, he still bowed at every temple he passed, not daring to offend any deity.

However, believing was one thing, but it didn't stop him from asking for lodging in a temple. He had traveled the jianghu performing arts with his father and had stayed in dilapidated temples many times; how could he afford to stay at an inn every day?

The door of the dilapidated temple was closed. Sui Feng unhitched the donkey, found a tree in the courtyard to tie it to, and pulled a Flower Spear from the cart. This was for his performances and could not compare to the real blades and spears used in battle, but the spearhead was made of raw iron, and he carried it on the road for self-defense.

He pushed the door.

The old wooden door did not budge.

He pushed again.

The wooden door seemed to shift inward a little, but then there was no more movement.

Tang Zhao followed suit and pushed the door, only to feel immense resistance. He said, "Is it locked? There's no lock on the outside. Is there debris blocking the door?"

There was silence in the temple.

A gust of wind blew by, and Tang Zhao shivered. At this moment, the sky was pitch black like ink, and the night wind was as cold as a knife.

In the dark night of the wilderness, every blade of grass and tree seemed like an enemy soldier. The bustle made one panic, and the silence made one palpitate.

He patted the door again and asked, "Is anyone there? We are passersby. We request to come in and rest for the night; we hope you can accommodate us. The wind outside is too cold."

Enduring his discomfort, he asked three times, but there was no answer. Tang Zhao felt relieved instead and said, "No one is here, let's just push the door and go in."

After that last incident, he had developed a bit of a psychological Shadow. Although the ruined temple wasn't large, who knew what kind of villain might be hiding inside?

Isn't it just perfect that there's no one?

Even if there were ghosts, perhaps that would be better than having people.

Sui Feng shook his head and said, "There is a sliver of light in the door crack. It should be embers that were just extinguished. There is someone inside, and they don't want to let us in."

Tang Zhao's heart rose again, and he asked, "Then we..."

Sui Feng had much richer experience in the jianghu; this kind of desperate situation was actually what he was most used to handling. He immediately handed the Flower Spear to Tang Zhao, told him to hold it toward the door, and said loudly, "Friend inside, we are fellow travelers passing through, with thin luggage and stranded in the wild mountains. You heard the sound just now; we have a child here. It's not easy for anyone to be out and about. Although you occupied this temple first, can you really not spare a corner for us to rest?"

There was still no answer from inside. Tang Zhao thought that Sui Feng had emphasized that one must be cautious when out in the world; since the situation inside was unknown, it seemed they would have to miss out again.

Who would have thought that Sui Feng would ask one more time, then suddenly grit his teeth and say, "If it were any other time, we would certainly be tactful, but we are too tired tonight and cannot withstand any more tossing and turning. I must be rude—Zhaozi, stand back."

Tang Zhao hurriedly stepped back, and then he saw Sui Feng lift his leg—

"Boom!"

The dilapidated wooden door was kicked so hard the whole thing tilted. But it was crooked and, at any rate, didn't open.

Tang Zhao stared intently at the door and said, "There's movement!"

Sure enough, there was a rustling sound inside, and after a while, the main door opened.

Watching the main door slowly shift open, it emitted a creaking, trembling sound.

Tang Zhao felt his scalp tingle, thinking of the scene just now, which conjured up countless stories in his memory.

A desolate wilderness temple, female ghosts and wandering souls...

Curses...

Zombies...

A locked-room murder??

The door swung wide open, and a youth stood in the doorway.

The youth was about the same age as Tang Zhao and was exceptionally thin.

Tang Zhao looked very thin now; firstly, he had been living very hard recently and had lost quite a bit of weight compared to before, and secondly, he was naturally fine-boned, his weight fluctuated, and both thinness and fatness were very obvious on him. Furthermore, he was fair-skinned and physically weak; once he got thin, he would appear frail.

And among that group of human traffickers just now, there were several children thinner than Tang Zhao, who were already truly "yellow-faced and emaciated."

But this youth looked even frailer than those children. Even more emaciated. He was skin and bones, and a lack of nutrition made his limbs look abnormally long and thin, while his head appeared larger. This proportion made one instinctively feel uncomfortable.

The clothes on his body were very worn, patch upon patch, almost becoming rags.

Seeing his state, Tang Zhao couldn't help but glance at the top of his head.

Fortunately, his hair was still normal.

This youth's hair was slightly yellow, but that was just the look of malnutrition, not an abnormality, and it was even a bit neater than Tang Zhao had imagined.

In that case, he wasn't a refugee from the Calamity Lands?

This was just an ordinary, poor, wandering child.

That was... quite common.

Tang Zhao's family was well-off in his early childhood, with no worries about food or clothing, and there was even spare money for him to study and learn to read. He lived in the city, but he had seen plenty of beggars and poor people in street corners and alleys. If they encountered a famine year, there were even more.

Even though his father said this was already a time of peace, at least much better than when he was young, there were no major Natural Disasters or man-made calamities other than the Yin Calamity.

He had already forgotten what it felt like to see wandering children when he was young; he probably looked at them as if he hadn't seen them at all.

Only in the last half-year, since he stepped out of his home, had he gradually begun to see them clearly, and he would also feel sympathy in his heart.

Because his own situation was already very close to theirs.

Seeing this youth, Tang Zhao felt as if he were seeing himself, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow. He squeezed out a friendly smile, wanting to explain his reckless behavior just now. Almost at the same time, the other party also revealed a smile, the two corners of his mouth pulling to the sides to reveal a set of neat teeth, but for some reason, Tang Zhao just felt it looked awkward.

"Please come in, two masters." The youth bowed and stepped aside from the door.

Sui Feng stopped in his tracks and said sullenly, "We are not masters, just people traveling the jianghu. Don't be afraid, I will definitely not harm you. It was my fault for kicking the door just now..."

"No—" The youth did not straighten his back, still saying humbly, "It is this lowly one's fault. This lowly one is timid and afraid of the dark. Just now, upon hearing a sound, I was so scared my legs went weak and I dared not open the door. I never expected it to be two such kind elder brothers. If I had known earlier, how could I not have opened the door?"

Tang Zhao laughed: "Isn't that so? I was also afraid just now that there might be some fierce god or evil spirit in the temple! It turns out we were like a bamboo pole hitting a wolf—both sides were afraid."

He considered it a joke, but the youth opposite him did not move a muscle. Though he said he was smiling, there was not a shred of the ease that comes with being amused. Tang Zhao felt slightly awkward and had to shut his mouth.

Walking into the temple gate, one could see firewood piled in the center, half of it burned to ash, with wisps of firelight leaping amidst the embers.

Sui Feng said: "Can you light a fire?"

The youth bowed and said: "Please, go ahead."

Sui Feng took out a fire-starter and easily ignited the firewood that still held warmth. The flames flickered, dancing with warmth and light.

The firelight illuminated the small temple. This dilapidated temple had nothing but four walls; even the shrine was toppled on the ground, the incense burner overturned, incense ash scattered everywhere, with only some rubble and dry grass remaining.

Sui Feng muttered a few words of apology, propped the shrine back up, placed the statue inside, and bowed once. Tang Zhao naturally had no heart for such things; he glanced at the statue a few times and found he did not recognize its origin. It seemed it was indeed a minor deity.

The two sat by the fire, and their bodies immediately warmed up. Tang Zhao, in particular, relaxed all at once.

This day had been quite a struggle.

Tang Zhao was not born into a wealthy family, but his original household could be considered well-off, and he had always been free from worry about food and clothing. Later, after his family members all passed away, his life truly went from bad to worse. Even so, he still had a little family savings to rely on, allowing him to afford cheap inns, unlike the hardships of Sui Feng and his companions drifting through the world. Having faced several dangerous situations before and being in a wretched state, only at this very moment, facing a pile of burning firewood and feeling the warmth of the light, did he feel slightly at ease, as if he had found something to lean on.

Raising his head, he saw the youth still standing to one side, head half-lowered, cautious and wary. He couldn't help but say: "Come over and sit. My friend, do we look so terrifying that we scared you?"

The youth slightly raised his eyelids, meeting his gaze perfectly. By the firelight, both of their features were clearly visible.

Unknowingly, the youth's posture gradually relaxed.

It was truly because Tang Zhao looked upright—not only handsome, but also decent.

As his teacher once said, he "had the face of a protagonist who acts for the country and the people," the kind where you wouldn't even believe it if he played a villain.

As long as he didn't smile.

Even when smiling, he wouldn't look bad; at most, just a little silly.

And this youth himself didn't look crooked either. Even though he was thin and withered, even though his smile was awkward and his posture humble, he still looked pleasing to the eye.

Tang Zhao invited him again and again. The youth, with lowered brows and submissive eyes, edged over and sat right beside the two, his hands pressed on his knees, not moving a muscle.

Sui Feng untied his bundle, took out dry rations, and broke some off for Tang Zhao. Tang Zhao took it and broke half off for the youth.

The youth cautiously accepted it, revealed that same smile again, and thanked them repeatedly.

Taking a bite of the dry ration, Tang Zhao only felt it was coarse and hard to swallow, rubbing it continuously in his hands.

Seeing this, Sui Feng said: "Eat more; we still have to travel tomorrow."

Tang Zhao smiled bitterly: "I know. If Liangzi were here, he would surely mock me for having the sickness of a YoungMaster without the life of one. I... am not someone who cannot endure hardship."

Sui Feng took the dry ration from his hand, pierced it with his Flower Spear, and roasted it over the fire, saying: "If one can eat sweetness, who would still eat bitterness? You are not destined for a life of hardship."

Tang Zhao forced a smile: "I'll take Feng Ge's auspicious words. One day when our luck turns, even if we are eating dry rations, we will eat them with eggplant accompanied by a dozen chickens."

Sui Feng smiled rarely: "That would be great. When you settle down, study hard, pass the imperial examination, and become a great official. Let me drive your carriage and eat a peaceful meal."

Tang Zhao stared at the flames and said: "If I truly have a day of success, I will definitely repay those who were good to me, and also, I must treat the poor well."

Sui Feng was stunned for a moment and said: "I thought you would say you would definitely repay the bullying you received today."

Tang Zhao said: "Repaying kindness with kindness and grievances with justice is natural, but more importantly, one must not become that kind of person." He gently pressed his chest and said, "I hope I remember today's feeling and never inflict such hardship on innocent people in the future."

Sui Feng's breathing hitched. Even the youth beside them turned his head to look at Tang Zhao, then turned back.

After a while, Sui Feng said: "I don't know if you will remember today in the future, but for you to think this way, you really should be made a top scholar."

Tang Zhao laughed: "A top scholar? How could I have that ability? I can't even pass the Scholar exam. Besides, I don't want to study anymore in the future."

Sui Feng suddenly became anxious and said: "Nonsense! If you don't study, what do you want to do? It was hard enough to be born into a family that reads and writes, and now that you've met with disaster, everything depends on studying well to get ahead one day. You don't think about your own future, but I want there to be one more good official in the world to make decisions for us! Are you afraid of living under someone else's roof and finding it hard to study? Let's think of another way..."

Hearing "living under someone else's roof," Tang Zhao was stunned for a moment and said: "I am precisely considering the future. In this world today, is it still a world for scholars? I didn't understand before, but these past few days I've gradually understood a little. Feng Ge, you have more experience than me; do you think this world has changed?"

Sui Feng stopped talking. After a moment, he said: "The world is in chaos. Ever since the Yin Calamity appeared, living has become increasingly difficult. One day you are fine, and after a Yin Calamity, people are gone. But if we don't know if we will die tomorrow, should we not live today? The Imperial Court is still there, and there are people suppressing the chaos; in fact, life is gradually getting better. As long as one can live, one must strive for the better. In the end, to bring honor to one's ancestors, one must be a scholar."

Tang Zhao said: "Speaking of bringing honor to one's ancestors, is the Xue Clan's status not glorious enough? To have such status as a scholar, one would at least have to be a seventh-rank official. Every county appoints a Great Hero; what mansion, plaque, status, and title are any different?"

Sui Feng shook his head and said: "Comparing to the county magistrate, it is ultimately not the same; that is a wild path. If there is a shortcut, why take the long way?"

Tang Zhao said: "I know, but 'the hero uses martial arts to violate the prohibition.' Elevating Jianghu Martial Artists like this is clearly a sign of troubled times, just like forming local militias."

Sui Feng showed a confused expression. Tang Zhao said: "The so-called bringing honor to one's ancestors is nothing more than mastering literature and martial arts to sell them to the Imperial Court. In the past, the Imperial Court bought more literature; now it wants to buy martial arts. If one cannot keep pace with the times and still clings to the old market, one will surely fail. To take a step back, even if one doesn't seek Imperial Court titles, in troubled times, self-preservation comes first. If one doesn't learn some methods of self-preservation, one won't know if they will die at the hands of men or ghosts!"

Sui Feng's breathing was rapid; he couldn't even say a "Nonsense!" The thin youth suddenly raised his eyelids to look at him, then returned to his wooden expression.

The temple was silent. Outside the window, the wind howled, and cold air drilled in through the doors and windows, making the flames flicker.

Sui Feng stood up, stomped his feet, and said: "This won't do. The grass is too close to the fire; it's easy to catch fire at night. We need to move it away."

This was his experience, and Tang Zhao had no reason not to listen, so he stood up to help.

Just as he moved, he heard someone say: "Don't move—" The voice was urgent and fast. A figure rushed over, rolled up the dry grass, and blocked it beside him.

Tang Zhao was stunned for a moment, then saw the youth turning his body, and when he looked up again, his face was full of smiles, saying: "How can two elder brothers do such rough work? Let me do it." As he spoke, he prostrated on the ground to gather the dry grass neatly.

Tang Zhao was confused and looked at Sui Feng. Sui Feng's face was dark, and he gripped the Flower Spear tightly.

The youth rolled up the dry grass and placed it on the empty ground to the side, saying as he spread it out: "Two elder brothers, sleep here; it's clean and warm..."

Tang Zhao felt increasingly strange. Suddenly, Sui Feng, who had been silent, turned around and poked with his Flower Spear.

No sooner said than done, the youth arched his body like a cat with bristling fur and lunged forward fiercely.

Seeing him lunge over, Tang Zhao instinctively blocked him.

With a bang, the two collided, and Tang Zhao fell flat on the ground.

At the same time, a cluster of straw was poked up and drifted onto the ground.

"Wah—"

Crying started, the sharp sound of a child piercing the eardrums.

Tang Zhao propped himself up and raised his head.

He saw that behind the pile of straw, two pitifully thin children were crying in a heap.