Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 221 Qin King Temple

Just as everyone was filled with doubt, the "ghost" moved again.

He floated up from the two licorice plants, then drifted out of the courtyard and through the wall.

"Junior Sister Tang, come with me and we'll go after them! The rest of you, stay here and hold this position!"

Murong Ruyan gave a casual order, and he immediately took flight on the wind, crossed the courtyard wall, and chased after her.

Although Tang Xiaoyu's realm was not low, his cultivation was not strong. He had not yet learned the Wind Control Technique, so he had to obediently use the force to climb over the wall. Because of this delay, he could only see Murong Ruyan's departing shadow.

The two chased each other for a while until they reached a temple in the east of the city, where they saw the "ghost" enter the temple.

Ignoring the scattered people outside the temple, Murong Ruyan hurriedly rushed into the temple, only to see it drift into the clay statue inside before disappearing.

While they were still stunned, the temple keeper, being perceptive, saw that Murong Ruyan had "flew" in and was immediately startled. He quickly ran over, cupped his hands, and said, "Is this immortal master from the White Stone Immortal Sect? May I ask what brings you to our humble temple?"

"Second Senior Sister!"

Tang Xiaoyu then caught up and saw Murong Ruyan standing there. She took a couple of deep breaths and asked, "Senior Sister! Where's that 'ghost'?"

Murong Ruyan winked at Tang Xiaoyu, then waved her hand slightly, signaling her not to ask yet. She then politely nodded to the temple keeper and said, "May I ask, sir, what kind of temple is this? I don't recognize it."

Upon hearing the word "ghost," the temple keeper was greatly puzzled, but dared not press the matter. He simply replied honestly, "Reporting to the immortal, this temple is the Qin King Temple, a temple where the people of Qin worship the Qin King."

"King Qin..."

Murong Ruyan frowned and began to think.

Tang Xiaoyu followed up, "Senior sister, I recognize it! This Qin King Temple isn't just in Qin; there are many in Shu as well!"

The King of Qin was a vassal king before the unification of the Zhao state. The Qin region was called Qin because his territory was located in this area.

Of course, Murong Ruyan was from the state of Xiao, which was too far from the Qin territory. The Qin king was from several thousand years ago, so she did not know much about the Qin king. She only knew that there was such a feudal king, and that he was very famous. It is said that he abolished the system of human sacrifice and slavery, and that he defeated the Chiyou king who was rampaging in Shu. Therefore, it is not incomprehensible that the people of Shu also benefited from his kindness and built temples to worship him.

Legend has it that the King of Qin died of old age. After his death, his descendants built a huge underground palace for him, also known as the Tomb of the King of Qin, located at the border between Qin and Shu.

Later, as time passed and various states vied for supremacy, it wasn't until the King of Zhao became the first Grandmaster martial artist in the world that he unified the world...

That's right. It is said that in ancient times, there was no martial arts, so there were no martial artists, let alone immortals or cultivators.

How could there be "ghosts"?
Murong Ruyan looked up at the clay statue, which was a dignified middle-aged man with a long beard, wearing a crown with nine tassels, and dressed in the style of an upper garment and lower garment, with gold patterns painted on the black knee covering.

When was this Qin King Temple built?

Murong Ruyan couldn't help but press for an answer.

"Reporting to the Immortal Master, the exact time when it was first built is unknown, but it must have been one or two thousand years ago."

The temple keeper was in a state of great anxiety. One moment he was worried that the true immortals of the White Stone Immortal Sect might not tolerate the Qin King worshipped by the local people, and the next he was afraid that someone might have done something in the name of the Qin King that offended the immortals and brought trouble upon them.

Therefore, he spoke with great respect and carefully explained what he knew: "However, this statue was sculpted during the Zhou Dynasty, not the Zhou Dynasty.

"It's quite an interesting story about this place. Legend has it that more than a thousand years ago, when the ancestor of the Li family, the Duke of Li, passed through this place, he dreamed of the King of Qin. The King of Qin asked him to build a temple for him, saying that he would repay the Li family for building the temple and would preserve the last bit of their bloodline when the Li family faced a catastrophic disaster 1,500 years later... If you calculate it, it's been about a hundred years."

"Although Duke Li did not believe in ghosts and gods, he saw that many people in the area privately worshipped the King of Qin, so he went with the flow and built this King of Qin Temple."

"Twenty years ago, a madman suddenly ran up to the head of the Li family and cursed the Li family, saying that a great calamity was about to befall them. Although the head of the Li family killed the madman at the time, he still spent money the next day to have the statue recast at the Qin King Temple. Immortal Master, please look, the patterns painted on it are still gilded!"

The "Duke Li" mentioned by the temple keeper was one of the great generals who followed Emperor Taizu of Zhou in establishing the state during the pre-Zhou Dynasty. He was later enfeoffed as a duke, hence the title Duke Li, and was also the ancestor of the Li clan of Longxi.

After the Zhou Dynasty was fragmented, Qin was the only remaining territory of the Zhou state. It was not until a powerful minister usurped the throne and Li established the Later Zhou Dynasty that the Later Zhou Dynasty was able to rise again, conquer the Jin region, and hold onto the Qin and Jin regions until recently when the royal family was wiped out by the Mingjing State Master, and the Zhou Dynasty was finally destroyed.

By all accounts, the Li clan of Longxi and the Li clan of the Later Zhou Dynasty are related. If we trace it back several hundred years, they could be considered members of the imperial clan. No wonder the Li clan raised the banner of "restoring the Zhou Dynasty" after their rebellion. "If we say that this is the Li clan's 'catastrophe,' it is quite apt."

Murong Ruyan sneered, not really trusting the legend told by the temple keeper. "I just wonder how the King of Qin is supposed to preserve the last bit of the Li family's bloodline?"

If she really wanted to wipe out the Li family, she didn't believe that one seemingly confused "ghost" could defeat her.
"This... perhaps the story has been passed down orally for many years and has become somewhat distorted, which is also possible."

The temple keeper dared not confront Murong Ruyan directly, and only asked tactfully, "May I ask what business brings you to our humble temple, Immortal?"

Murong Ruyan glanced at the temple keeper indifferently, making no attempt to hide anything, and said frankly, "I just saw the King of Qin, but when I chased after him, he hid back inside that statue!"

With its nine tassels, clothing from the former Zhao state, and the fact that it was directly inserted into the statue, who would believe it wasn't the King of Qin!
However... didn't Master say that the spiritual energy here is thin and there are no ghosts or gods?

Although she was puzzled, Murong Ruyan showed no sign of it on her face.

Upon hearing this, not only the temple keeper but also Tang Xiaoyu, who was standing nearby, widened her eyes in surprise: "Second Senior Sister, what did you say?! The King of Qin? That gray ball thing is the King of Qin?"

The temple keeper, however, considered another possibility and was so frightened that his cane trembled: "Master, this, this, this... has the King of Qin offended you? Why, why did you chase after the King of Qin to this small temple?"

"No, I just hadn't seen it before and came here out of curiosity."

Murong Ruyan first waved her hand slightly to the temple keeper to tell him not to be nervous, then said to Tang Xiaoyu, "It should be the King of Qin, but I don't know why he has become like this. If he was a god like Master before, why has he become a 'ghost'? If he was a 'ghost' to begin with, I don't know how he has been able to exist for thousands of years..."

At this point, Murong Ruyan pondered for a moment and said, "I should still write to ask my master."

When Tang Xiaoyu heard that the "ghost" was the "King of Qin," he felt a pang of guilt. He was the guardian of the King of Qin's tomb. Although the "guardian" was not actually guarding the King of Qin, his ancestors and many great masters and sages had fought the Blood Demon in the King of Qin's tomb. To put it bluntly, they had "desecrated the ancestral graves." Now that he saw the "victim in question," how could he not feel guilty?

So she nodded hurriedly and said, "Yes, yes, yes, we should ask the sect leader!"

Could it really be the King of Qin?

Murong Ruyan originally wanted to use a messenger to send a message, but she was worried that it would be difficult to explain clearly. So she said, "How about this, Junior Sister Tang, you continue to stay in Xiangwu City to set up the teleportation array. I will set off immediately to go back to Baishi Mountain. Even if I am not there, with your and Tudi's cultivation levels, there shouldn't be any trouble. At most, I will be able to get back by night."

Tang Xiaoyu immediately agreed: "Second Senior Sister, don't worry, I'll keep an eye on things here! Although my cultivation is far behind yours, it's still much stronger than the others!"

Murong Ruyan nodded and, without further delay, immediately took to the air and rushed out of the Qin King Temple, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

The temple keeper stared in disbelief, becoming even more speechless. Tang Xiaoyu then instructed him, "Old man, you keep a close watch here. If anything happens, go to the county government and send a message to Tang Xiaoyu, understand?"

The temple keeper nodded repeatedly in fright, his accent distorted: "I know, I know..."

Tang Xiaoyu hummed in agreement and turned to leave the Qin King Temple.

The teleportation array is also a top priority. If it had been built a day earlier, it would have been much less troublesome to send messages to the sect!

……

Meanwhile, Murong Ruyan hurried back to Baishi Mountain before sunset.

Upon returning to the mountain gate, she didn't even have time to drink water before rushing straight to the Lingxiao Palace, only to find it empty.

Zhang Chengdao is not in the hall!
Fortunately, Xu Ying is still here. Since the side hall and buildings used for his office have not yet been completed, Xu Ying has been working in the Lingxiao Palace, which makes it convenient for everyone to find him at any time.

Seeing Murong Ruyan rush back in a hurry, and then look around after entering the hall with a disappointed expression, Xu Ying knew that she wasn't there to see him. So he kindly said, "Are you looking for the sect leader? It seems he went to water the trees!"

"Humph!"

Murong Ruyan had never liked Xu Ying because Xu Ying clearly disliked her. So she didn't even bother to say a polite word, and even gave a barely audible hum before turning around and flying out of Lingxiao Palace.

She did know "Xunmu," that huge tree that uprooted half of the entire White Stone Mountain from the ground and lifted it into the air. After she learned the Wind Control Technique, she once secretly flew to the top of the treetop to look out, and the scenery was absolutely stunning!
(End of this chapter)