knife

Chapter 3 Small Temple
With a soft thud, a raindrop fell onto the roof of the carriage, leaving a coin-sized stain. Then came a second drop, a third drop, and in the blink of an eye, the rain poured down from the sky as if a basin had been drenched.

"Quickly, put on your rain gear!" Wu De hurriedly took a raincoat from the horse and put it on, then took off his straw hat and tied it on his head. Even though he was quick, his clothes were already soaked through, and a gust of wind made him shiver. Looking at his eight men, they were all drenched to the bone.

They need to find shelter from the rain quickly and change into dry clothes. Otherwise, in this season and in this weather, if wet clothes stay on their bodies for too long, even if they are strong and healthy, they will definitely get sick.

If this were in Chang'an, it would be nothing more than a dose of medicine or two. But here beyond the Great Wall, if you fall ill by accident, it's a matter of life and death. You never know, you might end up meeting the King of Hell.

"Speed ​​up!" Wu De shouted.

The rain was so heavy that he had to shout so that everyone could hear him.

“I remember there’s a Bodhisattva temple up ahead,” the coachman, sitting on the carriage shaft, called out.

"Then why aren't you leaving yet?" someone shouted.

Eight men escorted the carriage, breaking through the rain and rushing forward.

After walking for about a few miles, the rain finally subsided a bit, but the ground became muddy, and the potholes were filled with water, making it difficult to see the road. As a result, everyone's pace slowed down.

The main concern was that their warhorses might break their hooves on such roads, which would be a double whammy, making the remaining hundreds of miles even more difficult.

Wu De led everyone off their horses and led them away.

There was no other way but to choose the lesser of two evils.

Before long, the group caught up with the Yuan brothers ahead. Seeing a horse lying on the ground neighing pitifully, Wu De couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. The two brothers were unlucky; they had lost a horse.

The Yuan brothers joined the marching procession without saying a word.

Fortunately, the driver, who came from Yangguan, was not mistaken. After walking for about half an hour in the rain, a dilapidated temple came into view.

Although it's dilapidated, at least it looks like it has a roof.

People don't ask for much; they just want a place to shelter from the rain and some ginger soup to drink to ward off the cold. Ginger is naturally an essential item for long trips, and these people are used to traveling, so they wouldn't forget such small things.

Only when they got closer did they realize that this former temple was not small. Perhaps in the past, it was very prosperous. However, it is now dilapidated. The two side halls on the left and right have all collapsed. Even some of the enshrined Arhats and Bodhisattvas are missing limbs and exposed to the light of day. In some time, it may just return to dust.

Fortunately, the main hall is still well preserved, at least the two doors are intact, but they are tightly closed now. I didn't notice it when I was far away, but now that I'm closer, I can see some wisps of smoke rising from the roof, but the smoke is blown away by the wind and rain as soon as it appears.

"There are people inside the temple, I'll go and chase them away!" Yuan Rong strode forward and pushed open the temple door.

"Wait!" Zhang Ruo, who had poked half his head out of the carriage, stopped Yuan Rong and said, "We are all people seeking shelter from the rain. If we're talking about who came first, then they were the ones who came first. How can you drive them away?"

"Scholar, the people living in this desolate wilderness are probably not kind-hearted." Yuan Tong said, "Your status is so noble..."

“What am I? I’m nothing but a criminal!” Zhang Ruo said. “Besides, in this heavy rain, if you drive people away, won’t they get soaked? Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. Besides, this temple is quite large; it can easily accommodate us.”

Pushing open the temple door, the scene inside came into view.

Judging from their attire, the two people inside the temple appeared to be a master and a servant. They were sitting cross-legged by the fire, drying their clothes. They seemed to be lucky; it seemed that they happened to be near the temple when the rain started and immediately took shelter inside, so their clothes didn't get too wet.

Besides the two people, there were also four horses.

Clearly, the two men were worried that the horses would get wet in the rain, so they brought them in as well.

Upon seeing Zhang Ruo and her group enter, both of them stood up.

The young man wore a wide robe with a sword hanging at his waist. Yuan Rong only glanced at the young man with the sword and then ignored him, turning his attention to the burly man who looked like a servant.

The sword at the young man's waist was a ceremonial sword, perhaps not even sharpened, purely for showing off.

The servant, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, had a knife tucked into his waistband. What made Yuan Rong's pupils shrink slightly was that the knife had no sheath; it seemed to be casually stuck in his waistband. However, having spent half his life immersed in swordsmanship, Yuan Rong knew at a glance that the angle at which the man had stuck the knife in his waistband was precisely the angle at which he could draw it out in the shortest amount of time.

This man is no ordinary person.

"Excuse me!" Yuan Rong clasped his hands and said, "My name is Yuan Rong. My master is traveling and has been caught in a heavy rain, so he has come here to take shelter."

The young man returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute, and said with a smile, "We are both fellow sufferers in this world. We just borrowed the Bodhisattva's house to take shelter from the rain. We just arrived a little earlier than you. The Bodhisattva's house is quite large. Please make yourself at home, brother!"

Yuan Rong nodded, turned around and gestured to Wu De, and the group went to the left side of the main hall.

The temple was also dilapidated. Yuan Rong didn't hold back and directly dismantled the offering table. Then he dragged in a section of collapsed beam from outside and smashed it with a few punches, preparing to rekindle the fire later.

The two scholars were behaving in the same manner. In recent years, fewer and fewer people outside the borders have revered gods and bodhisattvas; people trust the knife in their hands more.

Zhang Ruo sat cross-legged, his daughter Zhang Qingyun wearing a veil on her head, close to him. Wu De and the others formed a circle, which conveniently separated the father and daughter from this side. Zhang Qingyun was facing the young man. She looked at him with some curiosity, but unexpectedly, he was also looking at her. Their eyes met, and the young man smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. Zhang Qingyun blushed and lowered her eyes.

After everyone was seated, the Yuan brothers, Yuan Rong and Yuan Tong, walked straight up to the two men and said, "There are too many people on our side, it's too crowded. Could we borrow your son's place to dry our clothes?"

The young man smiled and nodded: "Helping others is helping yourself. Since we've run into each other and are taking shelter from the rain together, it must be fate!"

After thanking them, the two brothers sat down to dry their clothes, but their eyes were fixed on the four horses behind them.

“Fine horses! It’s rare to see even one normally, but I never expected to see four such fine steeds at once! It’s very difficult for ordinary people to get their hands on such horses. Speaking of which, I’ve always wanted to get one like that! May I ask your name, brother?” Yuan Rong asked enviously.

Precious swords, fine knives, and fine horses have always been the things that wandering heroes care about most.

The young man's face was full of pride: "It is indeed a good horse, but it is not rare outside the pass. As long as you are willing, you can always get one. Brother Yuan, my surname is Li and my given name is Da Chui. This is my bodyguard, surname Fang. You can call him Xiao Mao."

Yuan Rong was somewhat stunned. This young man looked quite handsome and had a scholarly air about him, but what about his name?
Li Dachui!
That was truly unexpected.

This guard, a burly man who was half a head taller than me, was called Little Cat, which was completely unexpected.

A soft chuckle came from one side of the hall. It was Zhang Qingyun on the other side who couldn't help but laugh when she heard the names Li Dachui and Fang Xiaomao. As soon as she laughed, she realized that it was inappropriate. She turned her body slightly to the side, wishing she could hide behind her father.

Fortunately, the young man did not show any displeasure. Instead, he smiled and said to Yuan Rong, "Brother Yuan, as long as you have money, you will have the opportunity to buy it when you go to Tai'an City!"

Tai'an City is the most famous town outside the pass, except for Zhenwu City. However, Zhenwu City is the headquarters of the Qin army stationed outside the pass, where Linghu Ye, the commander of the 100,000-strong army outside the pass, is located.

Tai'an City, however, is famous for its commerce.

Anyone, regardless of their origin, can trade in Tai'an City. As long as they pay a 20% transaction income tax to Tai'an City, they can obtain the protection of Tai'an City.

Tai'an City is a very special place. It only has a thousand guards to maintain the operation of the city. Among the countless forces outside the pass, it is insignificant. However, the city lord of Tai'an City is a pillar of strength.

Rumor has it that the lord of Tai'an City is a master of the Innate level.

Throughout the entire Qin Dynasty, there are only a handful of experts at the Innate level. Even Linghu Ye, who commands an army of 100,000, is only at the Ninth Rank, still a long way from the Innate level.

Are there ten ninth-rank masters in the entire area outside the pass?
I'm afraid there isn't any.

No one wants to offend a master of innate skill.

Because it would be far too easy for them to take your life.

"Brother Li, are you from beyond the Great Wall?" Yuan Rong asked tentatively. It was indeed somewhat presumptuous of Yuan Rong to ask such a question when they had just met and were in a place like beyond the Great Wall.

Li Dachui, however, did not mind at all: "That's right. My family also owns a business in Tai'an City. I'm just here to travel around."

"I've heard things aren't very peaceful outside the pass!"

"It's alright!" Li Dachui chuckled. "Small thieves can't beat me and Little Cat, and big thieves can't outrun me and Little Cat. If we really run into a powerful dragon, they probably won't make things difficult for me since I'm from Tai'an City."

Yuan Rong glanced at Fang Xiaomao, who remained silent.

The claim that petty thieves can't beat Li Dachui and Fang Xiaomao likely means that Li Dachui can be ignored.

"Your Excellency?" The young man glanced at Zhang Ruo, who was not far away across from him.

“My lord’s surname is Zhang, and I come from Chang’an,” Yuan Rong said.

The young man tilted his head slightly, frowned, as if he had remembered something, and after a while suddenly pointed at Zhang Ruo opposite him and said, "Could it be Zhang Ruo, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue of the Great Qin Dynasty?"

Yuan Rong was startled, and his hand unconsciously went to the hilt of his sword.

"How did you know, Brother Li?"

Li Dachui clapped his hands and laughed, "Brother Yuan, have you forgotten where I'm from? I'm from Tai'an City. What we sell there isn't just goods, but also intelligence. How could Tai'an City not know about such a big event in Chang'an? Zhang Ruo has the courage of a leopard; he is truly a model for us scholars. I admire him!"

He actually stood up, clasped his hands together at eyebrow level, and bowed deeply to the ground.

This was a very grand gesture, and Zhang Ruo, who was standing some distance away, was also moved. She stood up and bowed in return, while Zhang Qingyun, who was standing to the side, also stood up and bowed deeply in return.

(End of this chapter)