Chapter 12

Outside, it was pitch black and eerily quiet.

"Big Brother, what's wrong?"

Yang Shouwen raised an eyebrow and then turned around, saying, "Nothing, how about it, can we go in?"

The monk had already verified Yang Rui's identity. Hearing Yang Shouwen's question, he also became more alert, and his attitude became more amiable.

"Since you are sent by the county magistrate, you two have worked hard. What do you need? Should I inform the master?"

In the Tang Dynasty temples, there were ranks such as the abbot, the head monk, and the guest monk.

However, they did not call them by their titles but often referred to them as 'master.'

"That's not necessary."

Yang Shouwen held his spear and led Yang Rui into the mountain gate.

"Master, we have come to ask about something."

"Oh?"

"May I ask if any good men came to offer incense yesterday?"

This Great Maitreya Temple was located in the mountains, and there were not many visitors.

Hearing Yang Shouwen's words, the monk thought for a moment and then replied, "To be honest, our temple is in a remote area, and there are not many people who come. The incense offerings are not very prosperous. We usually maintain ourselves with the help of local laypeople. However, the day before yesterday... oh, it should be the day before yesterday! Indeed, a few people came to stay overnight."

"Stay overnight?"

The monk nodded, "At noon the day before yesterday, a good man came and said he wanted to practice for a few days at our temple. He also gave us the incense money for staying. Usually, it might take ten to fifteen days for someone to come to stay overnight, but the day before yesterday, two groups of people came.

In the evening, three more people came to stay overnight.

However, those four people disappeared that night. When I cleaned the temple the next day, I found that they had already left."

"Four people, can you tell what kind of people they were?"

The monk smiled, "How could I not tell? The four people's attire clearly showed they were Liáo people.

The first Liáo person could speak fluent Mandarin, but the other three Liáo people seemed to be Turks... yes, they were Turks. Their Mandarin was very stiff, and when they talked privately, they used Turkish. I had been to the frontier in my early years and had dealings with the Turks. Although I can't speak it, I can recognize their language."

Turks?

Yang Shouwen frowned, feeling a bit uneasy.

The area around Changping was mainly inhabited by Khitans and Xi people, and there were not many Turks.

Did those Turks travel thousands of miles just to kill one person? This matter seemed more complicated than it appeared.

He glanced at Yang Rui, but found that Yang Rui was idly looking around the temple.

Clearly, he had not noticed the issue.

Yang Shouwen thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "Where did the lone Liáo person stay? Did he do anything unusual that day?"

"Oh, he stayed in that side room."

The monk pointed with his hand and explained, "Our temple is very small, with only two sections.

After the Liáo person arrived, he stayed in the side room without any movement. Later, when the three Liáo people came, he went to the Great Hall. He stayed there until the evening service ended and then returned to the side room. After that, there was no movement... the next day, I found that the room was empty and clean, with no trace of anyone. I thought he had left suddenly."

"Master, how many people are in your temple?"

"Including me, there are five people."

Yang Shouwen nodded and clasped his hands together, "May I ask, Master, can you take us to the meditation room to have a look?"

"Of course... but there's nothing much to see. I cleaned the room yesterday, and it's very clean."

The monk said as he held the candle and led the way.

Yang Shouwen followed behind him, and Yang Rui tugged on Yang Shouwen's clothes, looking a bit nervous.

The meditation room was indeed very clean, as the monk had said.

There was not much furniture inside, just a meditation bed and a cushion.

The monk said, "People who come here to practice usually have low requirements, so it's very simple, with no extra furnishings."

Yang Shouwen nodded and scanned the meditation room with his eyes.

"Master, can we go to the Great Hall to have a look?"

"Well..."

The monk thought for a moment and then agreed, "Sure, but please be quiet, don't disturb the Buddha."

"Of course."

Yang Shouwen then followed the monk to the entrance of the Great Hall.

The monk gently pushed open the door, which made a creaking sound.

The Great Hall was not very large, with a golden statue of Maitreya Buddha in the center, and colorful paintings of bodhisattvas on both sides.

Yang Shouwen was not sure what the Maitreya Temple in Changping County looked like, but the Great Hall in front of him was at least half the size of the Great Hall in Shaolin Temple in his memory.

"This is the Great Hall."

"Master, do you remember what the Liáo person did here that day?"

"Well..."

The monk smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying softly, "I'm not quite sure.

That day, I passed by the door once and saw the man kneeling before the Buddha... yes, kneeling right here."

The monk walked to the cushion and then turned to Yang Shouwen, "As for what else he did, I'm not sure. The temple was busy that day because of the sudden arrival of the good man, and I only came here during the evening service."

"Sir, why don't we call the master? He might know more."

Yang Shouwen did not comment and slowly walked to the front of the Buddha, standing directly in front of the cushion.

He looked up at the golden statue of Maitreya Buddha, then looked down at the cushion.

After a moment of thought, Yang Shouwen suddenly knelt on the cushion, then prostrated himself, spreading his hands and touching the ground with his forehead.

It seemed like nothing!

Yang Shouwen stood up and shook his head.

He looked up, about to examine the Buddha statue again, when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and his hair stood on end.

The door of the Great Hall was open, and the moonlight shone through the door into the hall, illuminating the altar.

Yang Shouwen clearly saw a shadow on the Buddha statue.

"Second Brother, get down."

Yang Shouwen shouted and rolled to the side.

He heard the sound of a bowstring, followed by a惨叫.

Yang Shouwen got up and picked up his spear.

Although Yang Rui did not know what was happening, he instinctively lay on the ground when Yang Shouwen shouted. The monk, however, was staring wide-eyed at the entrance of the hall, his eyes filled with horror.

An arrow with eagle feathers was embedded in his chest, the feathers trembling in the moonlight.

"Second Brother, stay down."

Without a word, Yang Shouwen rushed out of the Great Hall. As he stepped over the threshold, he heard another bowstring sound, and an arrow shot towards him. Yang Shouwen deflected it with his spear, sending it flying.

At that moment, two black figures darted out from the steps in front of the Great Hall.

Two bald, braided foreigners appeared before Yang Shouwen, one holding a large knife and the other a long sword, attacking from both sides. They were indeed Liáo people! Yang Shouwen, under the moonlight, clearly saw the faces of the two Liáo people.

However, he did not panic. He crouched slightly, roared, and thrust his spear forward.

The tiger-swallowing spear moved as fast as lightning, surprising the Liáo person with the knife. He quickly raised his knife to block, and a loud clang echoed. The Liáo person felt a powerful force, and his knife slipped from his hand, clattering to the ground.

He shouted, and the other Liáo person rushed forward to intercept Yang Shouwen.

But as Yang Shouwen thrust his spear, he moved with the spear, sliding his feet and dodging the sword, then thrust his spear again. This thrust was even faster than the previous one. The Liáo person with the knife could not dodge, and with a thud, the tiger-swallowing spear pierced his chest, splattering blood on Yang Shouwen's face.

Clang!

The bowstring sounded again.

From the time the two Liáo people appeared to the moment Yang Shouwen killed one of them, it took only a few breaths.

The archer hiding in the dark clearly did not expect Yang Shouwen to be so skilled. In a panic, he fired another arrow, but his mind was in disarray.

A voice called out from a tree in the temple.

The Liáo person with the sword did not wait for Yang Shouwen to turn around but ran down the steps and towards the wall. Yang Shouwen dodged the arrow, kicked the Liáo person with the knife to the ground, and turned to chase after the other.

However, the archer on the tree had calmed down.

He jumped onto the wall and fired three arrows in quick succession. Yang Shouwen had to stop and dodge. In that moment, the Liáo person with the sword had already jumped onto the wall and fled with the archer.

Yang Shouwen quickly ran to the wall, used his spear to push off the ground, and leaped onto the wall...

Outside the wall, a thick fog had settled, and the two Liáo people were nowhere to be seen.