Chapter 1 Lingxiao's Warning

Jiang Cheng's mind suddenly conjured up the face of Lingxiao Daoren. In the final moments of last night, Lingxiao Daoren had instructed them not to enter the Sutra Pavilion until dawn.

If Lingxiao Daoren really had a problem, then today the Sutra Pavilion was of utmost importance.

Having already seen the corpses of Song Tianming and the other three, going to the side courtyard was meaningless. Everyone excused themselves, saying they had lost interest and headed back. Perhaps wanting to leave a good impression on Jiang Cheng and the others, and also to salvage Fatty's negative impression of Qingfeng Temple, Xuan Yi became even more enthusiastic on the way back, telling the three about the history of Qingfeng Temple.

According to him, Qingfeng Temple was an ancient temple with a three-hundred-year history. The Bixu Zhenren who founded Qingfeng Temple was an extraordinary figure. Not only was his knowledge comprehensive, spanning the past and present, but his methods were also formidable. With a Qinghong sword and a white jade whisk, he single-handedly stormed the Demon Cave, slaying the seven great demon heads of the Demon Sect. He forcibly converted over a hundred stubborn disciples of the demonic path with his own strength, and suppressed all evil in Yongzhou for sixty years.

Changing the subject, this Xuan Yi began to talk about his master, Lingxiao Daoren. In his words, Lingxiao Daoren was a celestial figure no less than Bixu Zhenren, slaying great demons, destroying evil spirits, eliminating demons and defending the Way, and upholding justice. He had a reputation for chivalry throughout the martial world, and heroes from all sides came to结交 (jiéjiāo, befriend) him. Unfortunately, Lingxiao Daoren had always been indifferent to fame and fortune, and in recent years he only maintained close relationships with Master Fuji, the abbot of Wuwei Temple, and Jingchen Shitai of Jingci Nunnery, among a few others.

Xuan Yi's face was full of respect when mentioning his master, Lingxiao Daoren, but Jiang Cheng was more concerned with the name Master Fuji. After thinking for a moment, Jiang Cheng turned to Xuan Yi and couldn't help but sigh, "Lingxiao Daoren is such a divine figure, so those who can associate with him must also be extraordinary. I wonder if we unfortunate people will have the honor of meeting him in this lifetime."

These words were humble, but Xuan Yi clearly enjoyed hearing them. "Where are you saying, honorable guest? Coincidentally, this Master Fuji and a group of eminent monks are in this temple."

"Such a coincidence?" Ye Qiutang feigned surprise, vaguely feeling that she had touched on the crux of the matter.

"That's right, but Master Fuji and his party arrived in a hurry, apparently to discuss important matters with my master, so... so whether you can meet him depends on the three of your luck."

"Hehe, so Xuan Yi Daoren has seen Master Fuji himself, truly fortunate." Ye Qiutang and Jiang Cheng echoed each other, while also observing Xuan Yi for any possible flaws he might reveal.

Unexpectedly, Xuan Yi hastily shook his head, "No, I am unfortunate and have not seen Master Fuji himself. I only heard about it from my senior brother Xuande."

"I see."

The group walked and talked, and the atmosphere became increasingly harmonious. Xuan Yi was no longer as reserved as before. Seeing that the time was right, Jiang Cheng looked at the road ahead and asked in a casual tone, "Is this the road to the Sutra Pavilion?"

Xuan Yi, who was introducing the scenery along the way to Ye Qiutang, was stunned and looked at Jiang Cheng with a questioning gaze. "Honorable guest, this temple is a Taoist temple, how can there be a Sutra Pavilion? Are you asking about the Scripture Hall of this temple?"

Jiang Cheng slapped his forehead and hurriedly apologized, "Oh dear, look at my memory, when you enter a mountain gate, you worship the mountain god, a sin, a sin, I hope Xuan Yi Daoren will forgive me."

Xuan Yi waved his hand indifferently, smiling and comforting, "Honorable guest, you are too serious. My master taught me that as long as the pilgrims who come to the mountain are wholeheartedly good, what difference does it make whether they worship Buddha, believe in Tao, or some other immortals?"

After several interactions, Fatty had a very good impression of Xuan Yi. He was very open-minded, spoke pleasantly, and most importantly, he was very sincere, which made him feel a little embarrassed.

Some disciples of the temple they met along the way also greeted Jiang Cheng and the others very politely. It could be seen that the disciples in this Qingfeng Temple lived a very simple life, and some of their robes were even patched.

Following the familiar road, they were almost at the Sutra Pavilion when a young Taoist hurriedly rushed over. He didn't even have time to greet Xuan Yi, "Senior Brother Xuan Yi, it's not good, Senior Brother Xuan Cong's seizure has relapsed, Senior Brother Xuande wants you to go over quickly!"

"What? I'll go right now."

Xuan Yi had just taken a few steps when he seemed to suddenly remember something. He turned around and looked at Jiang Cheng and the others with a troubled expression.

Jiang Cheng nodded understandingly, "Xuan Yi Daoren, you go ahead and do what you need to do, we'll just walk around on our own."

"Ah, then please help yourselves, honorable guests."

After saying this, Xuan Yi and the young Taoist left in a hurry.

Watching the figures of Xuan Yi and the other completely disappear, Ye Qiutang's brows gradually furrowed. After a long while, she finally spoke, "What's this? Drawing the tiger away from the mountain?"

Jiang Cheng naturally understood what Ye Qiutang meant. Not long ago, just as they were about to examine Xuan Cong, Xuan De suddenly appeared and disrupted their plan. And now, as soon as they arrived at the Sutra Pavilion, Xuan Cong was making a fuss. It seemed as if they wanted to divert their attention from the Sutra Pavilion.

However, Jiang Cheng and Ye Qiutang would naturally not be led by the nose, so they simply ignored it and let Xuan Yi leave. They wanted to stay and see what was going on in this Sutra Pavilion, now called the Scripture Hall.

Following the familiar road, led by Jiang Cheng, the three of them quickly passed through the Lost Forest and arrived at the open space in front of the Sutra Pavilion.

But at this moment, the three of them were stunned. The scene before them was truly beyond everyone's expectations.

They saw two or three Taoists chanting scriptures on the open space closest to them, and also practicing swordsmanship with bamboo swords under the guidance of their senior brothers.

But as the line of sight extended, a strange scene appeared. On the steps in front of the so-called Scripture Hall, there were actually several monks bending over sweeping the floor, using the kind of thick bamboo brooms at the front end.

And outside the Scripture Hall stood two Shaolin warrior monks with clubs, their faces full of fierce expressions, looking like they were not to be trifled with.

Even stranger, these Taoists and monks got along extremely harmoniously, and there was no abruptness between them, giving the impression that they were a whole.

As the line of sight raised a little, Fatty's eyes went straight, his pupils were full of shock, and he saw that the Scripture Hall had indeed changed, but not completely. It retained the magnificent and noble spirit of the Buddhist red pillars and golden tiles, but the walls had been replaced with gray and simple brick walls.

Under the upturned eaves hung wind chimes engraved with Bagua diagrams, the wind chimes swaying in the wind, making a crisp sound.

There were countless similar details. The characteristics of Buddhism and Taoism were simultaneously reflected in one building, and the feeling was unspeakably strange.

After a brief hesitation, Jiang Cheng and the other two walked forward. A young Taoist put down the sword in his hand and walked over with a puzzled look, asking, "I am Xuanqi, who are you looking for?"

Jiang Cheng and the others did not answer, and continued to walk towards the gate of the Scripture Hall.

"Stop, who are you? What are you doing here?" The Taoist followed closely behind.

Just as Jiang Cheng and the others were about to approach the sweeping monks, an angry voice behind them immediately stopped them.

"Stop, three benefactors! Why don't you answer when I ask you? If you insist on moving forward, this monk Huiqi will have to offend you!"

Ye Qiutang suddenly turned her head back, and the scene before her made her pupils tremble. She saw that the young Taoist had somehow changed into a monk's robe, and his hair was gone. He was staring at them angrily, and there was a posture of risking his life if they took another step forward.

"The Xuanmen is not to be trifled with!" Behind the so-called Huiqi, the Taoists who were a little further away shouted in unison.