Eternal Sword

Chapter 139 Ruined Temple

Chapter 139 Ruined Temple
Chen Tang did not stay long in Yanzhou.

Along the way, we encountered some minor conflicts. After all, we had already cultivated to the eighth level, and we could handle most situations without any danger.

After Yanzhou, we headed west and arrived in Bingzhou.

It took nearly a month to walk from Pingzhou to Bingzhou.

As we head south, the weather gradually warms up, the ice and snow melt, and there’s a hint of green all around.

After entering Bingzhou, you can already see green trees and vitality along the way.

Chen Tang traveled during the day and rested at night, and practiced the Yi Jin breathing method "Qin Long Gong" in the meantime. When he entered Bingzhou, he had already practiced to the seventh level!

Through the accumulation of the two extreme realms, he, who is at the lower seventh level, has reached the power to draw a nine-stone bow, which is comparable to that of the lower sixth level!

With the help of the meditation, Chen Tang basically does not panic below the fifth level.

It was that day, not long after we entered Bingzhou.

Just as evening arrived, the sky was already covered with dark clouds and thunder rumbled. The sky seemed to be splashed with ink and was frighteningly dark.

Seeing that a heavy rain was approaching, Chen Tang quickened his pace along the path.

Amidst the lightning and thunder, a ruined temple could be vaguely seen in front.

As the old saying goes, one person does not enter a temple, and two people do not look into a well.

Temples and Taoist temples like this located in the wilderness, especially those that are in a dilapidated state, are mostly temporary resting places for people of the underworld or even bandits.

Ordinary people rarely have the opportunity to travel far in their lifetime.

Some people who normally travel far away and have clearance documents will take the official road and rest in the county inns.

Most of the people who run to the wilderness or stay in temples in the deep mountains and forests do not have customs documents and are not good people.

Some of them are wanted for murder, and some are simply bandits who kill and rob. Some of them are considered good-for-nothings like petty thieves.

The surrounding area is remote and sparsely populated, so if something really happened, no one would know.

Chen Tang was not afraid.

He is not a good guy either.

Many incidents had happened before in Yanzhou, in suburban inns, and in wild temples, but he had always escaped danger safely.

Of course, there are many times when nothing really happens.

Chen Tang let Hu Leibao go and entered the ruined temple before it rained.

Since the rise of Xuantian Sect, many of the Buddhist temples outside have been abandoned, including the one in front of us.

The several Buddha statues enshrined were covered with cobwebs and dust.

Chen Tang stood at the entrance of the dilapidated temple and looked around.

This dilapidated temple is not big. After entering the temple, you can see everything as far as you can see.

In the northeast corner, there was a man leaning against the wall, wearing a coarse linen robe, sitting casually on the ground.

The man had his arms crossed over his chest, holding a long sword in his arms, and a straw hat covered his face, so his features could not be seen clearly. He was sleeping soundly as if no one was around.

Of course there are still people in the temple.

In the northwest corner opposite, there stood a tall young man dressed in black, looking about seventeen or eighteen years old, with sword-like eyebrows and a heroic look, holding a straight spear in his hand.

Although there was a wall behind him, the young man did not stand against it.

If this person had not come in with Chen Tang and turned his eyes to look over here, Chen Tang would have even thought that this young man was also a stone sculpture.

"are not you tired?"

Chen Tang really wanted to go up and say hello.

But after all, I have been wandering around for a month and have gained some experience. It is better not to be too rash when meeting someone I don't know.

Seeing the young man looking at him, Chen Tang nodded slightly, greeted him, and walked to the southeast corner on the right.

Generally speaking, when people come to stay in this kind of temple, the four corners are the first to be occupied.

After all, resting in the middle of the temple with wind blowing in from all sides, one can't help feeling a bit insecure.

A moment later, heavy rain poured down!

Rumble!
Thunder rolls.

Listening to the heavy rain outside, Chen Tang closed his eyes and took a nap.

The young man in black was still standing with his gun, but his eyes were closed.

Chen Tang even doubted whether the boy knew how to sleep while standing.

At this moment, amidst the sound of rain and thunder, there was the sound of hurried footsteps running towards the ruined temple.

Not long after, a young girl in white came running in in a panic, her clothes were soaked by the rain, she was gasping for breath, her long black hair was also wet, and she was shivering slightly in the cold wind, looking very pitiful.

Chen Tang frowned slightly.

It was a bit strange to see such an unarmed young girl who seemed to know no martial arts appear in such a dilapidated temple in the wilderness.

The girl was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a fair face, extremely beautiful features, and clear eyes, but her look was a little dazed and dull.

The girl in white entered the ruined temple, but did not explore the surroundings like Chen Tang did.

He just stood there for a while, then leaned in front of the Buddhist shrine and found a cushion to sit down.

The girl in white bent her legs slightly, hugged her knees with her arms, and rested her chin on her knees. She didn't move, and no one knew what she was thinking.

This girl doesn't seem to have much experience in society.

It seemed as if they didn't know that there were already three people in the temple.

If the three of them had evil intentions, the girl might have been in great danger.

Of course, Chen Tang didn’t have that idea.

The guy in the northeast corner didn't move at all and was still sleeping soundly.

The one in the northwest corner is still standing there like a spear.

It would be best if everyone lived in peace.

After a while, there was a noisy sound of footsteps outside the dilapidated temple.

A moment later, five or six men came in quickly from outside, each with a sharp knife hanging from their waist. They looked fierce and did not look like good people.

When they saw the girl in white in the middle of the ruined temple, they were all stunned.

The leading big man observed for a while, then looked around, his eyes swept over Chen Tang, the man in the straw hat, and the young man in black in turn, with a hint of warning in his eyes.

Chen Tang half-opened and half-closed his eyes, pretending not to see it.

One of them said, "Captain Liu, please wait here for a moment. Let's go to the temple and see if there is any dry firewood or something like that."

"Tear down this shrine and use it as firewood."

Captain Liu pointed to the shrine behind the girl. The others understood and came to the girl in white.

"Little girl, make way."

One person said with a smile.

The girl in white seemed not to hear anything and continued to stare blankly ahead.

"Hey!"

The man frowned and shouted, "I'm talking to you, do you hear me?"

The girl in white came to her senses after being shouted at. She quickly stood up, hid aside, and looked at the big men timidly.

Several people stepped forward, kicked the shrine to pieces with a few bangs, then took out a fire starter and started a fire in the ruined temple.

The blazing fire brought a ray of light and warmth to the dilapidated temple.

Captain Liu and his men took out some dry food and cooked meat, warmed up some wine, and sat around the fire to eat.

Seeing that Chen Tang and his companions were relatively well behaved, Captain Liu and his companions gradually let down their guard and started chatting.

"Have you heard that the Fugui Villa near Qingcheng County was massacred, and no one was spared!"

"It should be Wushan Village who did it."

"It must be them. Except for women under the age of 20, all the others, regardless of age or gender, were killed. No one was left alive!"

"You said that Wushan Village is so arrogant, why doesn't the government wipe it out?"

"Why not? Every year they launch a crackdown, claiming to be out to crack down on bandits, but in the end they just get a few people together and deal with the problem."

"Let me tell you this. For a force like this to have stood firm for so many years, there must be someone supporting it!"

From the casual chat of these people, Chen Tang heard that they were all from a gang called Beifeng Gang in Qingcheng County.

Chen Tang had also heard of the Wushan Village they mentioned.

It is said that this Wushan stronghold specializes in plundering women under the age of 20, and many people have suffered from it in counties and prefectures across Bingzhou.

In recent years, the government has made great fanfare in suppressing bandits and collecting salaries, but in the end, nothing has been accomplished.

At this moment, the girl in white standing next to her suddenly felt her stomach growl.

Captain Liu glanced to the side and saw the girl in white secretly swallowing her saliva. There was a hint of spirit in her eyes as she looked at the food in their hands.

Captain Liu smiled and said, "Little girl, you must be hungry. Why don't you come over and eat something with us?"

"I, I, can I?"

The girl in white swallowed and asked hesitantly, her voice was clear and very pleasant to the ear.

Several people couldn't help but look at the girl in white.

The girl in white's clothes were wet, and some parts were vaguely visible, which made people imagine a lot.

Captain Liu smiled and said, "If you don't mind, come and eat with us."

"Thank you, brother."

The girl in white thanked him and sat down. She took the dry food and cooked meat handed to her by Captain Liu without any disgust and started eating with big mouthfuls, completely disregarding her image.

It looked like he was really hungry.

"A drink?"

Several people on the side cheered and talked, with a strange look in their eyes.

"it is good."

The girl in white smiled, took the wine glass, tilted her head back and took a big sip. Then, as if it was spicy, she stuck out her tongue and took a breath.

"Ha ha!"

Several people laughed.

Someone advised maliciously: "Drink more, brothers, there is plenty of wine!"

The girl in white nodded while eating.

Chen Tang frowned secretly.

Originally, he was a little wary of this girl.

But now it seems that this girl has no experience in the world. She eats whatever a stranger hands her, without any suspicion at all.

The young man in black, who had originally closed his eyes, now turned around and looked over. His expression was stern, with a hint of chill in his eyes.

Several people came up to the girl in white and wanted to persuade her to drink, but Captain Liu waved them back.

"never mind."

Captain Liu shook his head slightly.

When they heard Captain Liu say this, they had no choice but to sit back in disappointment.

Captain Liu watched the girl in white eating happily and couldn't help asking, "Why did you come to this dilapidated temple alone? Where are your family members?"

"I ran out secretly by myself, but I got lost while walking."

The girl in white said.

Captain Liu was speechless.

Can you do this?

Captain Liu added, "You can't eat our brothers' food for free. You have to pay for it. Do you understand?"

"Uh-huh."

The girl in white nodded quickly and said, "Yes, I have money!"

"Ok?"

Captain Liu's expression changed and he asked, "How much silver do you have?"

"Three hundred taels!"

The girl in white raised three fingers with some pride.

Hey!
Captain Liu and the others were secretly shocked.