Chapter 33: Arriving in Succession

Wu Chengyu's expression didn't change; he merely gave a slight nod, then immediately joined Niu Dajie in snatching the meat skewers — he was hungry too.

But in his heart Wu Chengyu couldn't help complaining: "I knew it — in wuxia novels, spending the night in a broken temple always means something happens; it's practically a law. I just hope these people can actually handle it later and don't get counter-killed, dragging a little fish like me down with them."

A group of people huddled in the broken temple eating skewers; Niu Dajie wasn't satisfied and even brought out a wine gourd, but Lu Dage stopped her.

Yu Xiaowu finished grilling all the skewers and was still fighting with people over them, only then remembering to attend to Wu Chengyu.

"Little Brother, your thirteen-spice blend is simply amazing. I, Yu Xiaowu, like cooking and flatter myself I have some skill, but I never expected to meet a master today. If I miss this chance, I'll definitely drink a few cups with Little Brother and humbly ask for advice."

"Brother Yu Wu is too polite. Culinary arts are meant to be exchanged; Brother Yu Wu and I are kindred spirits. I've always believed one thing: in this world, only fine food must not be betrayed."

"In this world, only fine food must not be betrayed…" Yu Xiaowu murmured the phrase several times, his whole person lighting up as if ignited. He leapt up from the ground, gesturing excitedly at Wu Chengyu: "Well said, Little Brother! How did I never think of such a fine line? Just for this sentence, my trip here wasn't in vain."

"What a pity we have business tonight and can't drink — meat without wine is truly a regret. After tonight, I, Yu Lao Wu, will definitely drink three cups with you, Little Brother."

"Go on, go on. Wu Xiaoxiongdi is still a child; how can he drink? Don't you corrupt him." Niu Dajie said while eating skewers.

"Second Sister, Wu Xiaoxiongdi is already ten. Back then I was only three when you poured me a bowl of strong liquor and nearly drank me to death — why didn't you say you were corrupting me?"

The sister and brother bickered back and forth, laughter filling the place. At that moment Wu Chengyu's eyebrow twitched; he looked toward the broken temple gate and stopped speaking.

After a few breaths, Lu Dage and Niu Dajie also noticed in turn, shifting their attention and silently staring outside. In terms of internal cultivation they far surpassed Wu Chengyu, but Wu Chengyu's keen five senses let him detect the change outside before anyone else.

The raging storm was enough to cover all traces; Wu Chengyu only discovered someone approaching when they were about a hundred meters from the broken temple.

Only one person. Footsteps steady and powerful, step by step, utterly unaffected by wind and rain. In Wu Chengyu's perception, each step this person took was exactly the same distance, as if measured with a ruler, and every step landed extremely solidly, sinking three inches into the earth. This person's lower-body kung fu was no small matter.

The visitor comes with ill intent. Wu Chengyu was just thinking this when the other party had already reached the broken temple gate.

"Amitabha. This poor monk, Tianshi, passes through here and has missed the hour for lodging. I trouble you to let me stay one night; I ask each benefactor to grant a convenience."

So it's a monk. Since transmigrating, Wu Chengyu hadn't yet seen a Southern Song monk; he immediately felt three parts curiosity. But monks who wander the jianghu are never easy to deal with.

Lu Dage replied in a clear voice: "Master need not be polite. We are all jianghu people lodging here; everyone grants convenience to each other."

Tianshi listened, pressed his palms together and gave a bow, then lifted his leg over the threshold. Wu Chengyu glanced at him: age around thirty-something, not tall, spine ramrod-straight, very lean and capable. The monk's palms bore multiple old calluses — clearly skilled in hand techniques.

After entering, Tianshi merely gave Wu Chengyu and the others a brief once-over, then bowed toward the headless deity statue in the temple, walked alone to a corner of the broken temple, sat down, and said no more, closing his eyes to meditate.

Lu Dage and the others also shifted their attention back; only one brother turned his seat slightly, ensuring he could see Tianshi's every move at any time.

Wu Chengyu knew this monk Tianshi was just a random intruder, not the real principal Lu Dage and the others were waiting for tonight.

With the monk intruding, the laughter and cursing by the fire died down a bit. Everyone had eaten most of the roasted meat when another uninvited guest approached outside the broken temple.

This time it was two people, a man and a woman, wearing douli hats, clothes soaked by the heavy rain, but their attire was clearly luxurious — by no means ordinary folk.

The two removed their bamboo hats. The woman appeared close to thirty, dressed in a double-butterfly embroidered luo skirt, wearing a gold hairpin, a translucent emerald-green jade bracelet on her wrist, crystalline and pure. Even with a pale face she couldn't hide a few parts of noble bearing. She also glanced at the people by the fire and gave a slight bow.

The other person was only about twenty. He wore the most common Song official's hat, a piece of emerald jade embedded at the forehead, features handsome, teeth white and lips red — only his brows and eyes carried a few parts of frivolity, his gaze drifting. All his attention was on the woman; the moment he entered he fussed over her warmth, completely ignoring everyone else.

"Madam, this broken temple is dilapidated beyond measure; it truly wrongs you." Finishing, he briefly scanned the circle, led the woman to the other side of the main hall, far from Wu Chengyu's group, moved over a stone, brushed off the dust, and only then helped the woman sit down.

Next, he dismantled the spirit niches around the deity statue, gathered some dead branches into a pile, turned and walked before Lu Dage and the others, tossing a piece of broken silver at Niu Dajie.

"One qian of silver for one stick of firewood from you." Without waiting for agreement, he casually picked a blazing stick from the fire, turned back to the woman's side, and used it to ignite those wood blocks and dead branches.

"Madam, warm yourself by the fire first. In this wretched weather, if you catch a chill because of it, I, Qian Yang, would die of heartache. In my heart, Madam cannot suffer the slightest grievance." Having said that, he attended to her even more carefully, even taking out dry rations from his bosom.

"Madam, you must be hungry. Eat some dry rations to pad your stomach first. Tomorrow when we reach Qingyuan Prefecture, I'll take you to Zhuangyuan Building for Zhuangyuan Chicken and Hua Diao Steamed Yellow Croaker."

From the moment she sat down, the woman's face was calm as water, head lowered, not speaking a word, acting as if unaware of the man's attentive service. The man didn't mind, instead performing even more eagerly.

Wu Chengyu right now felt like he was watching a melodramatic romance — a simp fawning over a rich woman, carefully serving her; the rich woman neither welcomes nor refuses, letting the simp circle her, giving her enough emotional value. Such things are no less common in ancient times than in modern times. Wu Chengyu again had that feeling from his previous life of scrolling short videos.

Niu Dajie beside him quietly cursed "pretty boy," clearly showing strong maladaptation to the pretty boy and the dog food.

About two incense sticks' time after this man and woman entered the temple, another uninvited guest arrived outside the wild temple.

This time it was a burly man wearing a straw raincoat, extremely tall — at least 1.8 meters, a giant in this era. He seemed to be holding something in his arms, a long spear in his right hand, chest out, head high, striding in.

Upon entering, the burly man drove the long spear butt-first into the ground with a clang, sinking one chi; the shaft didn't tremble at all. It was actually a Dianqiang forged entirely of metal, the spearhead faintly tinged with gold.

Wu Chengyu frowned slightly. This one looks like the real ill-intentioned visitor.

Song martial artists wandering the jianghu mostly carry sabers and swords; white-wax-pole spears are already rare, let alone an iron spear. This spear is one zhang long, thick as a child's arm, weighing at least fifty or sixty catties.

Thanks to Gourd Sister for the reward.

Thanks to kan shu ren yyds, Book Friend 0896, April in Full Bloom, Taiyi Great Emperor Taiyi Great Emperor, Book Friend 6483, One Qi Opens Creation Three Five Great Dao Lord, Canghai Nine Provinces, Dongfang Cangqiong's monthly tickets.

Thanks to Book Friend 4682, Book Friend 9971, Finally Have Time, Book Friend 2432, Seven Gu Insects, Picky Bookworm, Book Friend 9827, Miao Sheng, Book Friend 5546, Book Friend 5304, Big Sea Beast, Gourd Sister, Laugh Laugh 520, A Melon-Eating Man, Yi Zi Jin, Book Friend 7998, Flowers Bloom Night Rain Sound Annoying, Book Friend 5234, Book Friend 4018, Lonely Smoke Ghost, One Qi Opens Creation Three Five Great Dao Lord, Book Friend 9936, Ancient God Law One, Book Friend 6624, Book Friend 0111, Book Friend 0470, Long Sky Wild Goose, History's First Avatar, A Smile Passes Spring, Common People All Say I Am Natural, Dongfang Cangqiong, Book Friend 9646, Two Grains a Day, Wind Walker Lingyun's recommendation tickets.

When did doing acknowledgments here become hard labor? Three hundred characters at once — painful yet happy.

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(Chapter End)