The Eight Rising Cloud Temple had always been the most prosperous place within ten miles of the capital. On the day of the Human Triumph Day, there were countless believers who came to the temple early in the morning to offer incense, and in the afternoon, it was still packed with people.
The carriage stopped at the foot of the mountain. Yu Shu and the others walked up the mountain and did not stand out among the crowd. After entering the mountain gate, they lined up in front of the merit box. Finally, it was their turn. Yu Shu donated the silver Zhao Hui gave her in exchange for a handful of incense and candles from the Taoist child. Protected by Jing Chen and Zhao Xiaozhu, they squeezed into the Three Pristines Temple to burn incense.
They had to line up to donate money, to burn incense and kowtow, and to line up to pray for blessings. Yu Shu and the others were like ordinary pilgrims. They did what they had to do. In the end, when the sun was about to set, they passed through the temple and went to the backyard.
In such a large Daoist temple, there must be a place for the guests to rest. Many foreigners came to offer incense to the temple despite the long journey. They could not leave at night, so as long as they donated some incense money, they could stay for the night.
Before Yun Hua went into seclusion, he was once a frequent visitor of Ascending Cloud Temple. According to him, the old temple master was a Taoist expert. He once discussed Taoism with him for three days and three nights and was convinced by him. Hence, they became friends despite the difference in age. The reason why they chose to meet here was that Yun Hua was clear about the secret passage in this Taoist temple, and it was convenient for him to escape.
It was a pity that the old temple master passed away many years ago. The current temple master, Taoist Cheng Yun, was his junior. In Yu Shu's impression, the new temple master was a black-hearted person. A few months ago, Zhu Qingjue asked her to help as a lobbyist. The reason was that Old Lady Yao of the Duke Jing's Mansion had a nightmare. After that, her precious great-grandson, Young Master Yao, fell ill. Taoist Cheng Yun came and pointed out a way to prolong his life. It sounded unreliable to use the blood of six relatives to make elixirs. One elixir cost a hundred taels of gold.
Zhao Xiaozhu stopped a Taoist priest who was passing by in a hurry. She gave him an ingot of silver and said a few nice words. The priest took them to the guest room. Jing Chen could not help but frown when he saw the man in the Daoist robe putting the silver into his sleeves, looking as if he had eyes for money. The man was still mumbling, "You're a Taoist.
"Fortunately, you met me. The guest rooms in the backyard are not for people to enter casually. You should take a rest and leave. Don't spend the night here. If the Abbey Dean finds out, he will be angry. Don't blame me if he drives you out."
Zhao Xiaozhu inwardly rolled her eyes. Only the rich were allowed to enter this place. The Taoist priest led them to a guest room and left in a hurry. Zhao Xiaozhu closed the door, turned her head, and spat.
"Foster Father stayed here the day before yesterday and donated a thousand taels of silver in one go. Isn't it just a place to stay? I think even the most expensive restaurant in the capital can't compare to this place in terms of profit."
"If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked." Yu Shu believed that when the old Taoist priest was alive, Rising Cloud Temple would not be like this.
Jing Chen carried the sword box and walked around the room. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary and no one eavesdropping, he said to Zhao Xiaozhu, "Which room does my father live in? Bring us to him."
"In the yard next door. It's not far from here. I'll go scout first. Wait for me." Although Zhao Xiaozhu spoke carelessly, she was very careful in her work.
Zhao Xiaozhu left in a flash. Yu Shu found a soft chair and sat down. Jing Chen paced back and forth in front of her. He looked flustered. She coughed and asked him to stop, "Are you nervous?"
Jing Chen looked at her quietly, "Are you not nervous?"
"Why should I be nervous? It's not like I'm going to see my father." Yu Shu teased. Seeing Jing Chen's embarrassed expression, she kindly comforted him, "You and your father haven't met for so many years. You're not the only one who's nervous, your father must be looking forward to it too."
This was not the first time Yu Shu noticed from Yun Hua's tone and expression that he was far more attentive to Jing Chen than he was to Xue Rui. It was probably because he was forced to choose Jing Chen's mother, Princess Luyue, while Xue Rui's birth mother, Madam Han, was his beloved first wife.
On the contrary, Xue Rui, who was raised by the Xue family, did not have much expectation for Yun Hua. Unlike Jing Chen, even though he knew that Yun Hua had abandoned him, his admiration for his father did not change.
After hearing Yu Shu's words, Jing Chen stopped pacing around. He stood at the door and waited for Zhao Xiaozhu to return. After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he stealthily turned back and beckoned them to follow him.
The Taoist priests of Ascending Cloud Temple were receiving the pilgrims at the front. Zhao Xiaozhu led the way in front. They slipped past the wall and quickly walked into the courtyard next door. They did not meet anyone along the way.
This courtyard was much bigger. There were more than ten rooms connected to the corridor. It was clean and tidy. They came to the innermost room and sneaked into the door like thieves.
"Godfather, I brought them here."
This guest room was not as simple as the previous one. The furnishings in the room were quite exquisite. They walked around the partition screen and parted the curtains. There were two people in the room. One was an old man with white hair, and the other was a man with a fierce expression. If Zhao Xiaozhu had not shouted, Yun Hua and Jin Ke would have been the only ones there. Yu Shu would not have been able to recognize them.
Yun Hua sat on the low couch, and Jin Ke stood behind him. When he saw Jing Chen, Yun Hua was not very excited. At least, compared to when he recognized Xue Rui, Yu Shu felt that he was much calmer this time. It was not that Yun Hua was cold and heartless. When he looked at Jing Chen, his gaze was filled with gratification and guilt. It was just that he lacked that little bit of excitement, which made him seem uninteresting.
Before Jing Chen came, he was uneasy. When he saw Yun Hua, he took the initiative. He did not wait for Yun Hua to call out to him. He walked forward and knelt in front of Yun Hua. He called out softly, "Father."
Yun Hua reached out to help him up. "Get up. Don't kneel in front of me. I can't bear it."
Jing Chen was about to get up, but when he heard what Yun Hua said, he refused to move. He said, "You don't want me to kneel because you don't want to recognize me as your son?"
Yun Hua said, "Your mother died because of me. You also suffered because of me, but you are still willing to recognize me as your father. Don't you hate me?"
Jing Chen said, "Without parents, where would I come from? I can hate everyone in the world, but I can't hate my father and mother."
When Yu Shu heard him say this, she suddenly felt bad for him. Jing Chen had changed a lot since he came to the capital. However, his innocent heart had never wavered.
Yun Hua's gaze loosened. He sighed and raised his hand to put it on his shoulder. He said gently, "When I was young, I was as open-minded as you. Good child, get up."
Yu Shu nodded secretly. That's right. This is how a father and son should recognize each other.
After that, Yun Hua officially introduced Jing Chen to Jin Ke and Zhao Xiaozhu. Jing Chen was much more cooperative than Xue Rui. He obediently recognized Jin Ke as his older brother and Zhao Xiaozhu as his younger brother.
"Big brother, third brother."
Jin Ke smiled and nodded. Zhao Xiaozhu blurted out, "Wrong, wrong. I am not the third brother. I am the fourth brother. Also —"
"Ahem." Yu Shu suddenly coughed and interrupted Zhao Xiaozhu's words. She shifted everyone's attention to her and said in a serious tone, "Let's make a long story short. We still have business to attend to."
She thought to herself that Zhao Xiaozhu was too talkative and almost gave up on Xue Rui. Even if he wanted to confess, Xue Rui had to tell Jing Chen personally. That was the right way to go.
"Yes, yes. Let's talk about business first." Jin Ke came out and interrupted. He pointed at the sword box on Jing Chen's back and said, "Is this the imitation Chunjun Sword inside?"
Jing Chen untied it and handed it to him. Jin Ke took out the sword and held it in front of Yun Hua. "Look."
Yun Hua took the sword and placed it on his knees. He touched the patterns on the sword's body and slowly shook his head. "I have never seen the real Chun Jun sword, but I have heard my master describe it before. It is indeed very similar to the fake sword in my hand. Jing Chen, you have seen the real sword before, right?"
Jing Chen nodded. "When my junior sister, Shui Yun, returned the Chunjun Sword, I was watching from the side. After she left, the Great Tiao Dian handed the real sword to me."
Yun Hua hummed and lost interest in the fake sword. He handed it over to Jin Ke and put it in the sword box. Then, he looked back and forth at Yu Shu and Jing Chen's faces. He calculated with his fingers and had an idea. He said to the two of them,
"There are many people who followed you here. They have already arrived at Ascending Cloud Temple. In at most 30 minutes, they will be able to surround this courtyard. As soon as you show your head, they will break in. At that time, I will leave the Book of Xuan Nu and escape through the secret passage. Ah Jin and Xiao Zhu will escort me down the mountain. Jing Chen, you will try to delay them. "
Yu Shu and the others had been up the mountain for an hour. No matter how big Ascending Cloud Temple was, it still had a range. Moreover, they had deliberately left traces in front of the mountain gate. The group of men of sacrifice sent by the Great Tiao Dian would sooner or later lock onto the backyard and outflank them.
At this time, the sun had just set. Yu Shu looked at the dusk outside through the window screen and said, "Then we will wait a little longer before going out."
Out of nowhere, Zhao Xiaozhu found an incense burner, inserted a stick of incense, and lit it.
Yun Hua asked Jin Ke to take out the imitation Book of Xuan Nu and put it on the table. Jing Chen curiously leaned over to take a look. The red crystal, which was similar to the color of glazed crystal, had been carved and purified. Its surface was flowing with light, and its texture was as hard as iron. It showed an unparalleled magnificence. Whether it was the seal characters of the heavenly script on the front or the mysterious diagrams on the back, they were exactly the same as the real thing. If Jing Chen had not known that it was fake in advance, he would definitely have mistaken it for the real Book of Xuan Nu.
"How is it? It looks real, right?" Yu Shu asked proudly.
"Yes." Jing Chen nodded sincerely. He stared at the diagrams on the back and read ten lines at a glance. When he found the description of destiny and Tai Gu, he suddenly pursed his lips. Just like Yu Shu's reaction when she first heard the truth about Po Ming, he felt a strong disgust in his heart. He wished he could destroy the Book of Xuan Nu right now to get rid of any future troubles.
It turned out that Po Ming wanted to skin his own flesh and blood and make them into a set of tools to protect the imperial power. It was so inhumane that it was no wonder that Da Tidian had been reluctant to tell him the truth.
Jing Chen was so angry that his eyes were red. He stared at the diagram of human bones that exuded a bloody smell, but a hand covered it.
"Stop looking. Get ready. We should go out."
Jing Chen raised his head. The incense in the incense burner had just burned to the end, and the sky outside had darkened. Yu Shu walked to the door and looked outside through the crack. Then, she walked back quietly and whispered, "It's already so late, but there's not even a shadow outside. It looks like they're here. Let's go out now."
Yun Hua nodded slightly and lowered his eyes.
Jing Chen looked at him reluctantly and said, "Take care." He then cupped his hands at Jin Ke and Zhao Xiaozhu. "Thank you for protecting my father."
Jin Ke and Zhao Xiaozhu looked at each other. There was a slight uneasiness on their faces, but Jing Chen did not notice, and neither did Yu Shu. She tugged at Jing Chen's sleeves and urged him to leave. The two walked to the door and stopped at the same time. Yu Shu took a deep breath and was about to push the door open when she suddenly heard someone calling her from behind.
"Wait, there's something I forgot to tell you. Little Yu, come here."
Yu Shu took two steps back and saw Yun Hua waving at her. She looked confused, but walked over without thinking. Just as she was a few steps away from Yun Hua, something strange happened!
Jin Ke took a step forward, stretched out his long arm, and grabbed her shoulder. Like an eagle grabbing a chick, he brought her in front of him. Jing Chen was caught off guard. He was a little far away, and when he reacted, Jin Ke had already locked Yu Shu's throat in a threatening manner.
"Don't move."
"Huh?" Yu Shu was dumbfounded. What was going on now?
"What are you doing?" Jing Chen looked at this scene in bewilderment. He tentatively took a step forward, and Jin Ke forcefully grabbed Yu Shu's throat. In an instant, her face turned red, and she struggled with all her might. She did not look like she was joking at all.
"Stop!" Jing Chen growled, but he did not dare to move forward. Seeing that Jin Ke had loosened his grip, Yu Shu gasped and then retched. Jing Chen suppressed his anger and said to Yun Hua,
"What do you mean by this?"
Yun Hua raised his eyelids, revealing a pair of indifferent eyes. He looked at him expressionlessly and said, "I will give you two hours. Go back to the capital and find Zhu Muzhao. Ask him to bring the real Chun Jun Sword to see me. Otherwise, I will kill the person who broke my life."
Jing Chen's eyes widened, and he said in disbelief, "You want to exchange her for the sword?"
Yu Shu coughed and wanted to cry. Who could tell her that Yun Hua had taken the wrong medicine? This was not how the script was written!
"Wait, wait." She held a glimmer of hope and said with a dry throat, "Didn't we agree that when the big tipping point gets the fake Book of Mystic Fairy, we will have a chance to get the sword? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Yun Hua glanced at her, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He said sarcastically, "Do you really think that Zhu Muzhao can't even tell whether the Book of Mystic Fairy is real or fake? I cooperated with your plan to coax you out of the capital so that it would be convenient for me to take action. Otherwise, how could Zhu Muzhao let you go so easily? If I can't get the Chun Jun Sword, killing you will be the same. "
Yu Shu did not give up and asked, "If you do this, if the big tipping point refuses to give in and he doesn't exchange the Chun Jun Sword for my life, are you really going to kill me? Senior brother. "She gritted her teeth and said the last two words to remind Yun Hua of the relationship between them.
Yun Hua was unmoved. He said, "Destroying the Book of Mystic Fairy is the master's lifelong wish. You are also his disciple. Even if you die because of this, it will be a worthy death."
'A worthy death, my ass!' Yu Shu almost cursed out loud. She was fighting so hard just to save her life, okay?!
Although Jing Chen did not understand what they were talking about, he knew that Yun Hua had made up his mind. His face immediately darkened. This time, he did not hesitate, but decisively said to Yun Hua, "Don't hurt her. I will rush back and bring the big tipping point and the Chun Jun Sword here."
"Go and come back quickly." Yun Hua reminded him, "I will only wait for two hours."
Jing Chen did not say any more nonsense. He took a deep look at Yu Shu and strode away. He was so fast that Yu Shu did not even have the chance to stop him.
Yu Shu turned her head and said to Yun Hua, "You don't care about Jing Chen, don't you care about my big brother? If he knows that you want to kill me, he will definitely not forgive you."
Yun Hua closed his eyes again and did not answer.
Outside the door, as soon as Jing Chen appeared, more than a dozen black shadows jumped down from the top of the wall and the roof. They rushed towards him agilely. In the blink of an eye, half of the people surrounded him, and the other half broke into the room.
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