Chapter 66

The straw hat and raincoat could not withstand the heavy rain, and the continuous thunderbolts frightened the horse, causing it to neigh in terror. Hoover hurriedly dismounted and shouted, "Everyone get off your horses and walk! Cover the horses' eyes with cloth and plug their ears to prevent them from getting spooked!" He had dealt with horses for half his life and was very familiar with their temperaments.

Everyone dismounted. Before they all got off, another thunderclap exploded overhead, scaring everyone into instinctively shrinking back. Liang Dazhuang dismounted like a bandit, and his mount, terrified by the thunder, lowered its head, raised its hind legs, and threw Liang Dazhuang off its back.

Liang Dazhuang fell on the mountain path and cried out in pain. The horse turned and ran away. Hoover rushed forward and grabbed the reins, but unfortunately, he couldn't stop the horse. The horse galloped off, dragging Hoover along the muddy road. Hoover had to let go of the reins, and his body continued to slide due to inertia, nearly colliding with a rock ahead. If he had held on a moment longer, he might have been smashed to death.

Hoover, still shaken, stared at the rock less than a foot away, breathing heavily. Li Jinhuo rushed over to help him up, and the frightened horse had already disappeared.

Shao Yijiao helped Liang Dazhuang up. Fortunately, he had only fallen into a pile of mud and was not seriously injured. The group continued on, searching for a place to take shelter in the torrential rain. Murong Feiyan led the way, holding the reins of a black horse. She shielded her eyes and could vaguely see the outline of a building ahead. Although it wasn't far, the heavy rain made it hard to see clearly. From the vague outline, she could tell the building was quite large.

When they approached, they found that the dark building was an old temple. The temple was built against the mountain, and a horizontal plaque hung above the gate with the words "Lanruo Temple" written on it. Due to its age and exposure to the elements, the gold paint on the characters was peeling, and the temple walls were very old, overgrown with weeds, indicating that it had not been maintained for a long time.

The temple gate was tightly closed, and the red lacquer had peeled off in many places. The group approached the gate, and just as a lightning bolt flashed, the words "Lanruo Temple" were clearly illuminated. Hu Xiaotian, seeing the plaque, couldn't help but gasp. "No way, this is too coincidental. There's actually a Lanruo Temple here. Could there be a Nie Xiaoxian and a Black Mountain Demon?"

Shao Yijiao rushed over and knocked on the door, shouting, "Is anyone there?"

Hu Xiaotian was uneasy, his mind filled with thoughts from "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio." Lightning and thunder continued, and he whispered, "Should we keep going?" He was still very wary of the name "Lanruo Temple."

Murong Feiyan looked at him in confusion and said, "In this heavy rain, we can't travel. Let's stay here to take shelter and wait for the rain to stop."

Shao Yijiao knocked on the temple gate for a long time with no response and turned to say, "There might be no one inside!"

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself that if it was Lanruo Temple, there wouldn't be anyone inside, as the monks had all been eaten by Nie Xiaoxian.

Murong Feiyan said, "I'll go in and check!" Just as she was about to climb over the wall, a rough voice came from inside, "Who is it?"

Shao Yijiao shouted back, "We are travelers who encountered a heavy rain and cannot proceed. We request a place to stay for the night."

Soon, they heard uneven footsteps and the sound of a cane tapping the ground. A dim light shone through the temple gate, and the sound of the door latch being pulled back was heard. The door opened a crack, and a bald head appeared, belonging to a monk in his forties.

Shao Yijiao clasped his hands and said respectfully, "Master, we are merchants traveling to Xichuan. We encountered a heavy rain and are exhausted. We cannot proceed. We hope the master can show mercy and provide us with a place to stay." Shao Yijiao, being a seasoned traveler, spoke very politely.

The monk looked at the six people outside and smiled, "The Buddha is merciful. Since you are in trouble, if you don't mind the simplicity of our temple, please come in!"

The temple gate slowly opened, and the monk was a cripple, leaning on a cane. No wonder they had heard the sound of the cane tapping the ground. Another young monk accompanied him, and both looked very kind and friendly.

Shao Yijiao thanked the monk and led the horses into Lanruo Temple, followed by Hoover and the others. Hu Xiaotian, however, lingered at the gate, still staring at the plaque. Lanruo Temple! Although he knew this Lanruo Temple was not the one from the story, he still felt uneasy.

Murong Feiyan, seeing him standing at the gate, said impatiently, "Hey! What are you daydreaming about? Do you really want to spend the night in the wilderness?"

Hu Xiaotian snapped back to reality, thinking that with Murong Feiyan around, her martial arts skills were strong, and she could handle any trouble. He smiled and followed her into the temple.

Lanruo Temple was quite large, but it was in a state of disrepair. They learned from the crippled monk that there were four monks in the temple, including himself. The place they were given to stay was a side hall in the back. The crippled monk smiled and said, "Lanruo Temple is in a remote area and has few visitors, so we can only maintain it with great difficulty. The conditions here are very simple, and we can only offer you a humble place to stay."

Shao Yijiao laughed, "It's fine, it's fine. We are already very grateful to have a place to take shelter from the rain. Master, may I ask your name?"

The crippled monk smiled, "Call me Wuxing!" After saying this, he bid them farewell and left with the young monk, leaning on his cane.

Hoover tied the horses to the corridor outside, and the servants brought in their luggage. Due to the heavy rain, most of their bedding and food were wet. Murong Feiyan took it in stride, ready to go hungry if necessary, as she could endure any hardship.

Hoover was busy checking his chili powder, which he always carried. He was delighted to find that it was still dry. The rain continued, and it seemed to be getting heavier. Their clothes were soaked, and the side hall had no door, so cold wind and rain mist kept blowing in. Liang Dazhuang sneezed several times and said, "I can't stand it. I need to find some firewood to start a fire and warm up."

As soon as he spoke, two monks brought a brazier over, considering that the travelers were soaked. They also brought a pot of rice porridge and a basket of steamed buns.

The servants thanked the monks, praising their kindness. If they hadn't come here, they wouldn't know how to endure the cold and rain.

The group gathered around the brazier to dry their clothes, and Liang Dazhuang couldn't wait to grab a bun and eat. Only Hu Xiaotian seemed restless, pacing around the side hall. The lightning made the hall flicker between light and dark, and he could see the eighteen arhats statues, most of which were damaged and covered in spider webs, creating an eerie atmosphere.

Liang Dazhuang said, "Young master, aren't you going to eat?"

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

Hu Xiaotian said, "I just feel suffocated and want to go for a walk outside." He left the side hall and looked at the heavy rain, feeling a sense of helplessness. He didn't know how long the rain would last, and if it didn't clear up by tomorrow, they would have to stay at Lanruo Temple longer. The impression left by "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" was too deep, and since entering Lanruo Temple, he had felt uneasy. His stomach growled, and he was indeed hungry. He turned to go back to eat, but what he saw made him jump in shock. The five companions who had been sitting around the brazier eating were now all unconscious on the ground, including Murong Feiyan.

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