Chapter 358: Zhao Long Where Are You?

After returning the seal and giving a few instructions, Ji Yuan showed no desire to stay, rose, and bid farewell to everyone.

Declining everyone's attempts to make him stay, Ji Yuan stepped directly into the night. Within just a few steps, his figure had already vanished into the distance.

For such an exalted person, Du Heng, Wang Ke, and the others found themselves unable to send him off, even if they wished to. After chasing out just two steps, Ji Yuan's back was already out of sight, so they could only give up and return to the campfire.

At this moment, Wang Ke was extremely excited, much like a child receiving his first wooden sword. He playfully held the seal in his hand, unable to put it down, and simultaneously felt that it had genuinely become much heavier—it wasn't entirely an illusion.

Yizhou is situated between Jizhou and Bingzhou, with Xining Prefecture specifically located in its central region. Lu Shan Jun had actually passed through this area once before when he came from Jizhou, but at that time, he had flown directly on the wind and was unaware of Zhao Long's exact whereabouts.

In reality, Lu Shan Jun had initially intended to find Zhao Long first. However, by heading in this direction, he inadvertently left Yizhou and instead sensed the whereabouts of Wang Ke and Du Heng. Since the two happened to be together, he decided to visit them first.

Now that he knew Zhao Long had become a monk at Luming Zen Temple, things would be much simpler. Lu Shan Jun once again flew on the wind towards Yizhou, heading directly for Xining Prefecture.

Upon arriving at Xining Prefecture, Lu Shan Jun, relying on a vague sensation, landed outside Daokuan County and proceeded directly into the bustling county town.

Daokuan County was quite lively; upon entering, he saw street stalls everywhere and people carrying baskets, selling small goods as they walked.

Lu Shan Jun looked around and saw an old man whose trouser legs were tied with bandages and stained with mud. He was selling dried mountain herbs from a basket, so Lu Shan Jun walked directly over to him.

"Hey, scholar, are you here to buy herbs? My herbs are all personally gathered from various mountains; they're much cheaper than at the pharmacy. If you have a prescription, I can check what I have for you. If something's missing, you can then go to the pharmacy to get the rest, which will save you a lot of copper coins!"

The old man was clearly very familiar with the herb business; he rattled off these words before Lu Shan Jun could even open his mouth.

Lu Shan Jun smiled and took out a 'Dangwu Tongbao' coin from his pocket. Having entered the mundane world, he had naturally already exchanged some Dazhen currency. After taking out the coin, he handed it to the old man and inquired:

"Old man, I'd like to ask you about a place. Do you know where Luming Zen Temple on Xiaoliang Mountain is located?"

The old man took the Dangwu Tongbao coin, weighed it, but didn't reply immediately. Instead, he rummaged through his basket and finally took out a small packet wrapped in unknown dried leaves.

"Here, dried wolfberries. Pharmacies call these goji berries. Good stuff! There's enough here for you to brew tea seven or eight times; it's very nourishing. Regular consumption strengthens tendons and bones, makes you resistant to cold and heat, and heh, it can even enhance male potency – young people can use it too. This is a five-wen quantity, fair to all. You couldn't get a packet like this at a pharmacy for less than two Dangwu Tongbao coins."

Lu Shan Jun watched the old man place the herbs in his hand, looking from him to the herbs, waiting for him to continue speaking.

Having completed a sale, the old man stroked his beard and chuckled.

"I know there are two mountains with similar names in our Xining Prefecture: one is Xiaoliang Mountain in Yongtong County, and the other is Xiaoliang Mountain south of this county. The former produces abundant epimedium, eucommia, dogwood, fleeceflower, and Solomon's seal. The latter is much deeper in the mountains, and besides regular medicinal herbs, one can also dig up old wild ginseng, or even 'mountain king ginseng.' If you were to ask someone else, the Luming Zen Temple you, scholar, are asking about should be the temple in Xiaoliang Mountain south of the county. However, it's long been different now."

The old man paused, seeing Lu Shan Jun's calm, almost expressionless face, then continued.

"This Luming Zen Temple changed its name a long time ago; it's now called Daming Temple. Few people knew about it even before, and even fewer visited. Now, even fewer know about it. It's strange, this temple seems not to care much about pilgrims, building itself so deep in the mountains."

Lu Shan Jun pondered for a moment, then, with a flicker in his eyes, he thanked the old man.

"Thank you for the information, old man."

"You're welcome. Have a good journey, scholar. If you find these dried wolfberries effective, come again next time!"

Lu Shan Jun simply said "Certainly" twice, then quickly departed. Outside the county town, he immediately moved swiftly as if wind-borne, heading south with a vague sense of direction.

At the same time, Lu Shan Jun was pondering that since Zhao Long had become a monk, it should be comparable to Luo Ningshuang's life as a wife and mother, and therefore not a sin. It was clear he still needed to meet him.

The distance wasn't far, and with Lu Shan Jun flying on the wind, it wasn't long before he reached Xiaoliang Mountain. Finally, after some searching, he spotted the outline of the temple hidden within Xiaoliang Mountain from the air.

This temple looked quite extraordinary; nestled deep in the mountains, it seemed to merge with them, making it easy to overlook.

Descending from the sky and concealing his aura, he headed towards what was now Daming Temple. Although located deep in the mountains, stairs began far from the temple's exterior, a rough count revealing at least a thousand steps.

"Dong... dong... dong..."

Faint bell sounds drifted over. Lu Shan Jun frowned and looked up towards the temple. With each chime, a faint aura of light diffused and flashed by, and simultaneously, the bell sounds seemed to grow louder.

"It seems this Buddhist temple is not an ordinary place for incense offerings, but one where the Dharma of the Bright King is truly cultivated!"

Lu Shan Jun knew quite a bit about worldly affairs, as he had once had many spectral followers, ranging from peddlers and commoners to scholars and mountain travelers, from whom he learned a great deal. However, he knew little about the cultivation world, having primarily learned from his esteemed teacher, Ji Yuan.

He also knew some things about Buddhist temples, understanding that they fell into two categories: some were merely superficial, possessing statues of the Bright King but lacking the true Dharma, and perhaps even existing purely to deceive believers and accumulate wealth. A very small portion, however, were true places of cultivation, possibly even housing an incarnation of the Bright King within.

Since it might be a true place of cultivation, Lu Shan Jun grew more serious. As he ascended the steps, he adjusted his mindset and straightened his clothes, approaching the temple gate with a respectful demeanor. There, a monk, appearing to be over fifty, was leaning against the gate, holding a large broom and dozing off.

"Dong..."

The bell chimed again, and the monk instantly awoke, seeing a person dressed like a scholar in a green robe standing outside the gate.

"Uh, Amitabha, Great Bright King Buddha. Is this benefactor here to offer incense at my Daming Temple?"

The monk looked behind Lu Shan Jun and saw no one else. It seemed the young man had come alone, and he wasn't a woodcutter. Walking alone in these deep mountains dressed like this was a little strange.

Lu Shan Jun bowed respectfully and said:

"Master, my name is Lu Shan Jun. I've come to your esteemed temple to visit an old acquaintance. He is a monk here, and his secular name is Zhao Long."

"Zhao Long?"

The monk scratched his head.

"Do you know what his monastic name is?"

Lu Shan Jun shook his head. Du Heng hadn't mentioned it before, and he hadn't paid attention to it, never asking.

"Oh, then please come in, have some tea, and rest. I'll help you ask around."

"Okay, thank you."

Lu Shan Jun replied with a smile and was about to step into the temple.

"Luu-wuu..."

A long, melodious sound of a deer calling rang out from within the temple.

A white light flashed, sweeping directly across Lu Shan Jun's body. As the light and shadow bounced, Lu Shan Jun seemed to have slammed into a great wave head-on and was swept backward, flying out of the temple gate.

The monk at the gate was startled. Seeing Lu Shan Jun suddenly sent flying, his body already airborne with countless steps below, the monk knew that if he fell and rolled down like that, he would definitely be severely injured.

"Oh, Benefactor, be careful..."

Before the cry had fully faded, the monk was astonished to see the scholar transform mid-air while moving backward, as if standing on an icy surface. After retreating seven or eight *zhang*, his figure spun and lightly landed on the steps.

"Evil creature... why have you come to my Daming Temple?"

A mighty voice echoed from within the temple, and simultaneously, sounds of footsteps came from inside; it seemed many people were running towards the temple gate.

Before long, two rows of monks, holding staves or Zen staffs, lined up on either side of the temple gate, and three elderly monks walked out. All the monks looked sternly at Lu Shan Jun, who stood dozens of steps below.

"Hmm? No demonic aura?"

The elderly monk in the middle showed a hint of astonishment, then immediately realized something.

"No, it's not that there's no demonic aura; it's that your cultivation is far higher than mine! Who exactly are you—a demon, a devil, or some other spirit creature? Why have you come to my Daming Temple?"

Lu Shan Jun looked at the formation of so many monks, brushed his left and right cuffs, then dusted his trouser legs. Only then did he speak:

"Masters, there's no need to be nervous. I'm just here to find someone. His secular name is Zhao Long; he became a monk here. He made a pact with me many years ago, and now I've come to fulfill it."

The old monk's eyes flashed with sharp light as he stared intently at Lu Shan Jun.

"At that time, Master Huitong said that Jue Ming was still plagued by karmic calamity. So it turns out it was related to you?"

"Jue Ming? Karmic calamity?"

Lu Shan Jun narrowed his eyes and looked at the old monk.

"Hehehe, so you're saying that before Zhao Long became a monk, he must have committed some heinous act?"

With just one sentence, Lu Shan Jun inferred some things. Otherwise, a profound master wouldn't have predicted Zhao Long would face a calamity, but rather a beneficial connection. Of course, it was also possible that Zhao Long's fate was simply fraught with difficulties, and other hardships had yet to arrive, but Lu Shan Jun didn't believe in such a coincidence, at least not at this moment.

"Where is Zhao Long? Is he in the temple? Tell him to come out and speak with me directly! Otherwise, a mere Buddhist temple that cultivates Dharma, even if it has an incarnation of the Bright King, might not be able to stop me..."

The moment Lu Shan Jun's words fell, the temple bell chimed again.

"Dong..."

At this moment, as the Dharma light permeated the air, Lu Shan Jun opened his mouth and roared.

"Awooooh—"

The incredibly powerful tiger roar, carrying fierce winds and surging demonic energy, shattered the temple's bell sound and swept across the temple and the mountains.