“Old fellow, have you been to Wu Temple?”

“Yes.”

“Exactly what kind of place is Wu Temple?”

“The place in the world that martial arts fanatics aspire to as a holy land.”

Liang Gou Er rolled his eyes. “That’s like saying nothing at all!”

On the official road to Jing Chao, Liang Mao Er was diligently driving the ox cart.

Zhu Yun Xi sat cross-legged at the back of the cart, constantly using breathing techniques to cultivate the Liang family’s knife intent.

Liang Gou Er lay on the cart, his left arm as a pillow, a dry straw in his mouth, his beard grown long, and his hair messily covering his face!

Everyone was wearing gray cloth clothing. This was because in Jing Chao, except for those with noble titles, commoners were only allowed to wear gray!

If you looked at commoners in a bustling marketplace, you would feel as if the world was gray!

In this northern region, color was a form of power, and power was not just about color!

They had walked north from Lüshun for fifteen days. They couldn’t even get a carriage to shelter from the wind and rain; with their commoner status, they could only drive an ox cart!

Liang Gou Er looked at the azure sky and continued to ask, “Old fellow, tell me more about Wu Temple, or tell me about Jing Chao’s affairs. Otherwise, what if we talk and reveal our flaws?”

Yao Old Man lifted his eyelids and glanced at him. “Shut your mouth and pretend to be mute!”

Liang Gou Er’s expression froze. “Surely not three mutes in one cart?”

Yao Old Man chuckled coldly. “You want to hear a story but you’re so lazy, you don’t even know how to say something nice. Do I owe you something?”

Liang Gou Er hurriedly sat up with a fawning smile and massaged Yao Old Man’s legs. “It’s hard to find someone who’s been to Wu Temple. Please tell us about it!”

Yao Old Man eyed him sideways. “Reportedly, Wu Temple is located on Tan Bai Mountain’s Tianchi, which is the birthplace of the world’s Soldier Lord…”

Liang Gou Er’s eyes widened. “These kinds of nonsensical mythological stories, I heard storytellers tell them when I was a child. They’re all fake!”

Yao Old Man rarely didn’t mock Liang Gou Er. He just calmly said, “Maybe it’s true!”

Liang Gou Er was surprised and looked Yao Old Man up and down!

He had seen this old imperial doctor make a move. The other party’s realm was no lower than his own, at least a great official above the fifth level of the Seeking Dao Realm!

If the other party said it was true, then it was likely indeed true!

Liang Gou Er was shocked and doubtful. “Old fellow, you’re not fooling me, are you? Fuxi performing the Eight Trigrams, Nüwa mending the sky, aren’t those all fake?”

Yao Old Man said plainly, “If there was no Nüwa mending the sky, where would the Forty-nine Heavens come from?”

Liang Gou Er was shocked again. “Wait! You mean, the Forty-nine Heavens are related to Nüwa mending the sky?”

Yao Old Man did not answer this question but continued on his own. “Legend has it that when chaos first began, the Soldier Lord was nurtured by Tan Bai Mountain. When he was born, the volcano erupted, accompanied by a million divine soldiers, creating the Ten Directions Refining Hell! And then that place where the volcano erupted accumulated over time and turned into a lake, which is Tan Bai Mountain’s Tianchi!”

“Wu Temple was originally not a mysterious place. It was just a martial arts fanatic named Jiang Xian Zong who suffered from heartbreak and happened to travel here. He obtained a short sword in Tan Bai Mountain’s Tianchi, and then he discovered that cultivating beside Tianchi brought him great enlightenment, and entering meditation was even easier than usual!”

“So, he built a hut by the edge of Tianchi and lived there. He lived there for thirty-seven years and entered the Divine Path Realm!”

Liang Gou Er was doubtful. “That’s not right, that’s not right. I’ve heard of Jiang Xian Zong, but I heard he obtained a cultivation method in Wu Temple, not a short sword!”

Yao Old Man pondered for a moment. “Did Jiang Xian Zong write you a letter?”

Liang Gou Er was speechless for a while. “It’s like he wrote me a letter, he was a figure from several hundred years ago.”

Yao Old Man laughed mockingly. “Then it’s settled, isn’t it? What I said is the standard. After Jiang Xian Zong entered the Divine Path Realm, many people admired his name and went there, building huts and living by the edge of Tianchi. This is how Wu Temple came to be!”

Liang Gou Er was doubtful. “But you still haven’t said why the Soldier Lord’s legend is true. Which era was the Soldier Lord from? Why is he not mentioned in mythological stories!”

Yao Old Man said casually, “Underneath Tianchi, someone carved large characters with knife intent!”

Liang Gou Er was excited. “What did the knife intent carve?”

“The world was born with me, and all things are one with me!”

Liang Gou Er savored these twelve characters. After a long time, he said sourly, “Mad to the extreme. It’s just a few characters. If I go and carve a few characters, won’t I also become the Soldier Lord?”

At this moment, Liang Mao Er looked at the outline appearing in front of the official road and turned back to say, “Master, we’ve arrived at the foot of Tan Bai Mountain. Ahead should be Er Dao Bai He Town!”

Er Dao Bai He Town was the last populated place before entering Tan Bai Mountain. Countless Jing Chao martial artists who couldn’t enter Wu Temple built huts and lived here!

Some cultivated for several years and luckily entered Wu Temple!

Some wasted a lifetime here, only looking up at the majestic snow mountain in the distance from the foot of the mountain!

As soon as the ox cart drove into Er Dao Bai He Town, Liang Gou Er was shocked to see dozens of armored soldiers hiding in the alleys, wearing black armor and pheasant tail helmets, standing guard attentively. Their left hands were placed on the small crossbows behind their waists, and their right hands were pressing on the handles of their waist knives!

Liang Gou Er parted a gap in his messy hair. “Old fellow, they’re not here to catch us, are they? Can you handle so many armored soldiers, or should we run!”

Yao Old Man chuckled coldly. “With you few burdens, where can I, an old man, run to? They’re not here to catch people, keep moving forward!”

Liang Mao Er stiffened his scalp and drove the ox cart towards the town.

The closer they got to the armored soldiers, the more nervous he became, and his hands grasping the reins were sweating!

However, when they brushed shoulders with the Jing Chao armored soldiers, the other party just stared at them, their icy eyes watching them enter the town, and they made no move!

Inside Er Dao Bai He Town, it was as silent as a grave!

Passing by a blacksmith shop, Yao Old Man saw that the furnace fire was still burning in the shop, but the craftsman had hidden to one side and stopped hammering.

Liang Gou Er looked at Yao Old Man and softly muttered, “Old fellow, you’ve seen a lot and know a lot. What’s going on?”

Yao Old Man said expressionlessly, “These are Jing Chao’s Tiger Symbol Army. A prominent figure has come to Er Dao Bai He Town. At least a positive second-rank high official from one of Jing Chao’s three great surnames!”

Jing Chao’s three great surnames were Yuan, Lu, and Jiang!

Liang Gou Er asked, “Then what should we do?”

Yao Old Man said in a low voice, “Don’t cause trouble, pass through the town quietly, and go straight up the mountain!”

Passing through the middle of the town, they saw over a hundred armored soldiers guarding around a restaurant, glaring like tigers on guard!

Inside the restaurant, a middle-aged man in a gray robe sat alone in front of an Eight Immortals table. In front of him was only a simple clay bowl, and inside the clay bowl was only half a bowl of white rice!

No vegetables!

The middle-aged man in the gray robe, under the solemn guard, picked up a mouthful of white rice, then closed his eyes and chewed slowly!

When he reopened his eyes, he smiled and said to the shop owner, “Bring over a handful of raw rice for me to see!”

The shop owner hurriedly responded, grabbing a handful of white rice from the back kitchen, but he was stopped by a young man!

The young man took the white rice from the shop owner’s hand and turned back to the middle-aged man in the gray robe. “Sir!”

The middle-aged man looked for a long time. “This is Tokyo Dao’s rice, each grain is full. I hope this year’s planting will have favorable weather and a good year, a good harvest in the autumn, so that fewer people in West Jing Dao starve to death. Bring some corn and beans for me to see!”

The shop owner went back to the kitchen and brought out corn and beans again. The middle-aged man looked at them reluctantly!

The sound of the ox cart wheels rolling came from outside the door. He turned his head and looked outside, just seeing Liang Mao Er driving the cart past!

The middle-aged man didn’t pay attention at first, but the young man beside him saw the people sitting on the cart and immediately bent over and whispered a few words!

The middle-aged man was slightly startled, then smiled and said, “Quickly invite them in, say I want to invite them to eat a meal!”

The young man quickly walked out of the restaurant and came to the front of the ox cart, politely cupping his fists. “Elder, my master wants to invite you into the house to rest for a moment. This restaurant’s ginseng chicken stewed with hazelnut mushroom is a must. The plaque above the door was personally written for the shop by the First Emperor before he entered the mountain… You may taste it before continuing your journey!”

Liang Gou Er said hoarsely, “No need, we still plan to…”

But Yao Old Man smiled and interrupted him, saying to the young man, “Meeting is fate. Since your master is so polite, we will eat a meal and then enter the mountain!”

Saying that, he boldly jumped off the ox cart and walked straight into the restaurant, sitting opposite the middle-aged man!

The middle-aged man waved his hand to the shop owner. “Go, make a table of signature dishes!”

The shop owner hurriedly retreated!

At this time, Liang Gou Er and the others did not sit, just stood behind Yao Old Man!

They were pretending to be Yao Old Man’s son and grandson, so there was no reason for them to sit!

The middle-aged man looked at them and signaled the young man behind him to pour tea!

He looked at Yao Old Man and smiled, asking, “Where are you from, Elder?”

Yao Old Man answered casually, “Ning Chao!”

Liang Gou Er and Zhu Yun Xi instantly widened their eyes, looking at the old man in disbelief!

They thought the old man was an old jianghu figure and would be able to muddle through. As a result, he exposed everything as soon as he opened his mouth?

Admitting his Ning Chao identity in front of a Jing Chao high official, wasn’t this seeking death?

Liang Gou Er subconsciously wanted to grab his knife, but then he remembered that he no longer had his right arm and his governor meridian was broken, so he couldn’t use a knife!

At this time, the middle-aged man heard that they were from Ning Chao, but his smile did not change. “It’s not close from Ning Chao. How did you come?”

Yao Old Man answered, “We boarded a ship from Qi Dong, drifted at sea for a while, and disembarked at Lüshun!”

The middle-aged man praised, “I think you must have been on the Xu family’s merchant ship. Were there spices on the ship?”

Yao Old Man said, “There were spices and silk!”

The middle-aged man calculated the days and said apologetically, “When you disembarked in Lüshun, there should have just been a military disaster. Did it disturb you?”

Yao Old Man took out a pair of chopsticks from the chopsticks holder and said casually, “No harm. At my age, I’ve seen big storms and waves! Instead, you, how did you run to this remote mountain in the eye of the storm!”

The middle-aged man smiled and avoided answering this question. He raised his head and looked at the three people behind Yao Old Man. “These are… your disciples?”

Yao Old Man said disdainfully, “No, my disciple is much stronger than them!”

Liang Gou Er raised his eyebrows, looked at the armored soldiers standing around, and swallowed his retort!

The middle-aged man sat opposite the Eight Immortals table and slowly asked, “You seem to cherish that disciple of yours quite a bit.”

Yao Old Man raised his head and stared directly at the middle-aged man opposite him. “He’s a wild boy. His birth mother doesn’t love him, his uncle doesn’t dote on him. I, an old man, naturally have to cherish him a bit!”

The middle-aged man sighed. “Maybe his mother and uncle have their own hardships.”

Yao Old Man asked curiously, “What hardships? Are they dead?”

The middle-aged man in the gray robe was startled. He waved his hand, signaling everyone to retreat, leaving only four confidantes!

After everyone in the restaurant had left, he laughed heartily. “I’ve long heard that you have a harsh nature and can anger people to death and save people to life. Today, I’ve finally experienced it.”

Liang Gou Er’s face changed. Although the other person didn’t mention names, the phrase “harsh nature” pointed out his identity just as clearly as if he had!

The other person actually recognized Imperial Doctor Yao’s identity from the beginning. When did he recognize him, and how did he recognize him?

While he was thinking, the shop owner carried the dishes and placed them on the table one by one!

Yao Old Man picked up a piece of hazelnut mushroom and put it in his mouth, saying casually, “Lu Jin, Master Lu, has just been restored to office. He should be holding the world’s power and lying drunk on a beauty’s lap. Why would he have the leisure to come to Tan Bai Mountain to admire the snow?”

Lu Jin! Chen Ji’s uncle!

Just over ten days ago, he had seized power through a military coup and become the new Privy Envoy of the Jing Chao Privy Council!

From now on, only the Zhongshu Pingzhang and the Emperor were above him!

And the young man behind Lu Jin was strikingly Wu Hong Biao, whom Chen Ji had once saved and adventurously sent away!

Yao Old Man used his chopsticks to point at the rice and dishes on the table. “Why aren’t you eating? Is a big figure afraid of someone poisoning him?”

Lu Jin looked at the dishes on the table but didn’t move his chopsticks, just slowly explained, “Sixteen days ago, my dynasty’s Tian Ce Army was defeated at Gu Yuan. The whereabouts of the great commander Yuan Zhen are unknown, and West Jing Dao has suffered another locust plague. Disaster victims are starving and their bodies are everywhere! In such a difficult situation, how can I, Lu, have the heart to enjoy myself? So I only eat one meal a day recently, and only eat wild vegetables, sharing the hardship with the refugees of West Jing Dao!”

Yao Old Man praised, “Master Lu should change into inner court clothes to perform opera!”

Instantly, the three confidantes behind Lu Jin, except for Wu Hong Biao, drew their knives and faced him, but did not speak!

Yao Old Man smiled and took another mouthful of hazelnut mushroom into his mouth. “But if this opera can be sung for a lifetime, making people unable to distinguish between inside and outside the play, it’s not bad either!”

Lu Jin raised his hand and signaled the Tiger Symbol Army to sheath their knives. “Do not be rude! The elder is venting for someone, no harm. Venting it all out will calm the heart!”

He saw that Yao Old Man’s face did not change, and pondered again before asking, “Why didn’t you bring your disciple to Jing Chao?”

Yao Old Man chuckled coldly. “He said his uncle wouldn’t let him come to Jing Chao! He also said that if he stayed in Ning Chao, he might still be able to help his uncle!”

Lu Jin sighed lightly. “It’s hard for him!”

A confidant looked at the sky, bent over and whispered a few words in Lu Jin’s ear!

After speaking, Lu Jin stood up and cupped his hands to Yao Old Man in thanks. “Thank you very much for your care, Imperial Doctor Yao. I, Lu, thank you! You are his master, and now you are implicated by the matter of King Jing Manor and have come to Jing Chao. Why don’t you follow me back to Liao Yang Fu tomorrow to avoid the hardship of traveling! After the situation stabilizes, I will send people to bring him to Liao Yang Fu to live with you!”

Yao Old Man said coldly, “I won’t go. When you bring him to Jing Chao, send someone to Wu Temple to find me!”

Lu Jin did not force him. “I, Lu, still have to go up the mountain today, so I won’t delay here. Whenever you want to come to Liao Yang Fu, I, Lu, welcome you anytime!”

He turned and walked outside. The armored soldiers scattered in the corners of Er Dao Bai He Town followed with a swoosh, the dense sound of armor friction, their momentum like a dragon!