piratefiction Chapter 4 Spending the Night at an Ancient Temple
Chapter 4 Spending the Night at an Ancient Temple
Ancient road, west wind, setting sun.
Dusk, outside the city.
Li Kuang, Ling Fei, Qingfeng Daoren, Bi Yuntao and others appeared, and soon saw Li Anlan's carriage. It should have been driven by a guard, but now it was Chu Sheng who drove it.
He was dressed in the distinctive attire of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency, wearing a bamboo hat, a black robe, and carrying a large sword on his back, resembling a swordsman from the martial arts world. Notably, he also had a wine gourd hanging at his waist.
Chu Sheng's favorite thing over the years has been drinking; he feels restless if he doesn't drink for a day.
"Chief Escort Chu, is everyone here?" Li Anlan's voice came from inside the carriage as he inquired.
"Everyone's here!" Chu Sheng responded. Inside the carriage, Li Anlan said, "Let's set off!"
The carriage disappeared into the wilderness, and the group of people followed closely behind on horseback.
"Master Chu, the distance between Qingyang City and Yunyang City is quite far. Let's not rest tonight and travel through the night to try to reach Yunyang City by dawn tomorrow."
"I will do as Your Highness says." Chu Sheng had no objection to this. His job was to escort Li Anlan back to the capital. He was willing to accept any kind of journey, and not getting a sleep for one night had no effect on him.
Others said they had no objection to this.
Traveling at night can save a lot of trouble, and you can rest better after entering Yunyang City, without having to camp out in the wilderness along the way.
Night fell quietly, and the carriage had been traveling for more than two hours. Along the way, Chu Sheng drove carefully, always alert to his surroundings, and did not utter a single word.
Li Kuang and his group were seasoned veterans, so they were much more relaxed, chatting and laughing.
Chu Sheng learned some stories and secrets about the martial arts world from them. After the Zhenyuan Escort Agency closed down, new escort agencies sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
Among them, Wuwei Escort Agency stood out and was known as one of the four major escort agencies in the martial arts world, along with Longmen Escort Agency, Fuwei Escort Agency, and Changfeng Escort Agency.
Having replaced the former Zhenyuan Escort Agency, everyone thought that discussing this would attract Chu Sheng's attention, but he acted as if nothing was wrong, showing no interest whatsoever.
Chu Sheng was able to remain so calm for a very simple reason: he understood that the title of the number one escort agency in the martial arts world belonged only to Zhenyuan Escort Agency.
Give him a year, and he will make Zhenyuan Escort Agency famous throughout the land and known to everyone in the martial arts world once again.
Now he just wants to proceed steadily and complete the escort mission.
As we walked, a sudden gust of wind arose, the surrounding trees swayed, and a torrential downpour began without warning.
Unfortunately, the weather is not cooperating, and we may not be able to continue our journey tonight.
"Your Highness, a sudden downpour has begun. We need to find a place to settle down and continue our journey once the rain stops," Chu Sheng said in a deep voice.
Inside the carriage, Li Anlan lifted the curtain and looked out. Heavy rain was falling, and the air was thick with mist. "Master Chu, we'll do as you say."
This was Chu Sheng's first time escorting a goods shipment, and he knew nothing about what was to come on the way to the capital.
He hadn't left Qingyang City in all these years and was unfamiliar with the surroundings.
"Senior Li, are there places to stay along the way?"
Li Kuang looked in the direction of the voice and said, "Master Chu, if we keep up, there's an ancient temple ahead. We can rest there tonight."
"Alright, Senior Li, please lead the way to the ancient temple!"
Half an hour later, the group arrived at the ancient temple and settled the horses before entering the temple.
It was a dilapidated temple that had been abandoned for a long time, leaking wind and rain everywhere, but it was much better than them traveling in the heavy rain.
The guards gathered some dry firewood to start a fire. Chu Sheng looked around to check the situation inside the ancient temple. Only after confirming that it was safe did he feel relieved.
"Thank you all for your hard work!"
"We'll rest here tonight."
Li Anlan spoke politely, then gave a look to his maid Li Lan, who distributed the prepared food to everyone.
Li Kuang, Qingfeng Daoren, Bi Yuntao, Ling Fei, and Fu Yin took the food and began to eat around the campfire.
Li Lan handed the dried meat to Chu Sheng, who waved his hand and said, "No need, thank you."
Chu Sheng took down the wine pot, tilted his head back and drank a few mouthfuls. As long as there was wine, he could go without eating anything from anyone. After a few mouthfuls of spicy wine, his whole body felt warm instantly, and the chill brought by the sudden rain was dispelled.
Suddenly, Qingfeng Daoist spoke up, "Escort Chu, the first half of the night is yours, and the second half is ours. We'll take turns guarding His Highness. What do you think?"
"I have no objection!"
As soon as Chu Sheng finished speaking, he raised an eyebrow and said warily, "Someone is approaching the ancient temple, everyone be careful!"
Upon hearing this...
The group's expressions instantly turned serious as they looked toward the entrance of the ancient temple. A moment later, someone pushed the door open and entered.
The newcomer was a scholar, with a kind face and handsome appearance. He carried a book box on his back, and his clothes were soaked by the rain, making him look somewhat disheveled.
Upon seeing the crowd inside the ancient temple, his pupils dilated, and he looked astonished. He said timidly, "I was just passing by and had no intention of disturbing you. Please do me a favor."
As he spoke, the scholar took down his book box and walked to the side on his own. "Gentlemen, please continue. Just pretend I don't exist. I'll leave as soon as the rain stops."
Seeing his appearance, the wariness on everyone's faces dissipated, because there was not a trace of internal energy fluctuation on the scholar's body. He was obviously a weak scholar and could not possibly pose a threat to them.
Everyone immediately relaxed.
"Scholar, what is your name?" Li Kuang asked in a booming voice.
"My name is Cui Xuan, and I come from the Cui family of Luoyang."
"Where does Young Master Cui intend to go?" Li Kuang asked again.
"Go to the capital!" Cui Xuan said. "To study."
Li Anlan knew that after autumn, Chang'an Academy would recruit students, and students from all over the country would arrive in Chang'an before autumn. If that were the case, Cui Xuan would just be an ordinary scholar.
At least for now, there's nothing wrong with him.
After a brief inquiry, everyone relaxed their guard and went back to their own business.
Not far away, Cui Xuan was reading by the light of the fire, holding a dry meal in his hand—the kind of hard steamed bun that could crack walnuts. He ate the bun while reading by the light.
He showed no signs of nervousness despite the presence of other people.
Chu Sheng frowned slightly, wondering how an unarmed scholar could remain so calm in this environment.
He withdrew his gaze from Cui Xuan, realizing that there was something wrong with this man, but he didn't expose him, wanting to see what Cui Xuan was planning to do.
After a quick bite to eat, the others gathered around the campfire, holding their breath and focusing intently on their practice. The ancient temple was very quiet, with only the sound of wind and rain outside.
Chu Sheng sat down near Li Anlan. "You should rest."
Li Anlan nodded, "Thank you for your trouble!"
Chu Sheng looked in Cui Xuan's direction and gave Li Anlan a look, which the latter understood immediately.
This moment.
In the wilderness outside the ancient temple.
Dozens of dark figures moved through the wind and rain like ghosts. They wore straw hats and raincoats, and held long swords that emitted a cold light. Under the rain, the long swords became even brighter and more intimidating.
The group approached the ancient temple, their fierce killing intent materializing; they had come prepared.
A chilling atmosphere filled the air as it rippled in the wind. Inside the ancient temple, Chu Sheng suddenly opened his eyes and looked out into the darkness. So many assassins! How lively!