Fan Xian was startled. He had thought this place was sacred and quiet, but suddenly there was such a roar. Looking carefully, he realized that there was someone inside the temple. The person blocking his way was a middle-aged man with sunken eyes and a hooked nose. He looked very sinister.
Seeing the man staring at him, Fan Xian felt a little unhappy. He thought about the classics and history he had read. According to the rules of the royal city, the Temple of Qing was a place that everyone could come to. Not only did this man hide behind the door to scare people, but he also put on a posture like an eagle hunting a rabbit.
Who the hell would want to be a rabbit?
Fan Xian frowned. "Sir, your voice is so loud. Are you not afraid of deafening us?"
Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man's expression was unusually serious. He pushed Fan Xian forward and said in a low voice, "Leave quickly. There are people in the temple who are praying. Do not disturb them." The man was clearly dressed as a follower of a wealthy family, but his tone was very official.
Fan Xian did not notice this. Ever since he had dug graves with Teacher Fei as a child, he had developed a slight obsession with cleanliness. Seeing the hand coming closer and closer, he frowned and crossed his hands, twisting them around the man's wrist.
There was a light snap.
The two men, one big and one small, looked at each other in surprise. They found that their methods were very similar. It was like two snakes intertwining, unable to tear each other apart.
"Eh?" The middle-aged man let out a light sound. His eyes shone brightly, and a hidden force flowed out like a great river, attacking Fan Xian's body from his wrist.
Fan Xian grunted. He had not expected to run into such an expert. He felt a burning sensation on his back, and the Tyrannical zhenqi that had been quiet for many years reacted in an instant. It shot out from his dantian and met the man's attack head-on.
There was a soft hum. The dust on the stone steps was blown up by the collision of the two hidden forces, forming a strange gray ball that quickly dispersed.
The two men were shaken several steps apart. The middle-aged man covered his mouth and coughed. Fan Xian's face was expressionless, as if there was no problem.
The middle-aged man looked at him coldly. "So young, and yet you have such Tyrannical zhenqi. Which family are you from?"
"Why do you care who I am? I only want to enter the temple to pray. What right do you have to stop me?" Fan Xian looked at him coldly.
"There is a noble in the temple. Young man, wait for a moment." The middle-aged man felt that his opponent's technique was similar to his own. He thought that his opponent might be a disciple of some great family in the capital, and that he was acquainted with him. That was why he gradually dispersed the killing intent in his heart.
A hint of a smile flashed in Fan Xian's eyes. "In the laws of the Kingdom of Qing, there is no rule stating that one needs to line up to worship the temple."
The middle-aged man furrowed his brows. He felt that this young man was very annoying. With a wave of his sleeve, he entered the temple, leaving Fan Xian outside.
Fan Xian opened his mouth to speak, but his chest felt stuffy and his throat tasted sweet. He quickly pulled out a handkerchief from his sleeve and covered his mouth. Fortunately, at the critical moment when the hidden forces collided, his right index finger quietly flicked the opponent's pulse. It was all because his understanding of the human body structure was more profound than that of these martial arts masters. Otherwise, he was afraid that he would have suffered more serious injuries.
At this moment, when he looked at the heavy wooden door again, there was an additional trace of fear in his eyes. He no longer dared to try to push this seemingly immovable door.
…
…
Fan Xian coughed twice. A trace of determination appeared on his handsome face. Since he could not beat the opponent, he could only retreat and wait for another day to fight. Just as he turned to leave, he found that the wooden door behind him had opened again. The middle-aged master who had injured him stood at the door and said coldly, "The master has ordered that the young man should go to the side hall to pray. Do not enter the main hall."
After saying this, he added, "Do not enter the main hall. Do you hear me?"
Fan Xian turned around and looked at the middle-aged man. He then looked at the seemingly unfathomable and eerie temple of Qing. His brows furrowed, and with a wave of his sleeves, he stepped over the high threshold and walked in the direction of the side hall without turning his head.
Seeing that the young man, after this setback, was still unhurried and unafraid, and still persisted in his original goal, a trace of admiration flashed in the middle-aged master's eyes.
The middle-aged man closed the temple door and furrowed his brows as he looked around. These little bastards actually let the young man walk to the temple door. He had to train them well when he returned tonight.
— — —
The Temple of Qing was a quiet place. The people of Qing were a very realistic people. If the common people wanted to pray, they would rather go to the Dongshan Temple to the west of the capital to pray to the child-giving goddess and the immortals who looked like rich landlords.
But the people of Qing respected and feared the heavens. The Emperor was the so-called Son of Heaven, so the Temple of Qing became a place for the royal family to worship the heavens. Although the Temple of Qing was still open to the common people of the capital, no common people liked the heavy pressure of the strict atmosphere.
The main hall of the Temple of Qing was the building that looked like the Temple of Heaven. It had two layers of round eaves, and was very beautiful.
The middle-aged man stood respectfully outside the main hall, looking at the nobleman who was holding his hands behind his back and admiring the colorful paintings on the wall. He said in a low voice, "According to the master's wishes, the young man should go to the side hall."
The nobleman was about forty years old. His face could not be said to be heroic, but his eyes had a disdainful expression. It was only a trace of exhaustion that was difficult to detect.
"Which family does that young man belong to, to be able to exchange blows with you?" The nobleman asked with a smile.
The middle-aged man was very skilled in martial arts, but in front of the nobleman, he really was like a follower. He answered honestly, "I do not know. I just reported to the master. The way he walks is … similar to the way of the guards in the family."
The nobleman was a bit surprised. "Oh? Could it be the boy from the Li family? "
The middle-aged man smiled bitterly. "Although I have always been too lazy to deal with people, I still know Crown Prince Jing."
"Oh." The nobleman made another sound and turned his head to look at the frescoes on the wall. He had too many things to consider every day, and it was rare for him to have such leisure time. He did not want to be disturbed by such trivial matters. Earlier, he had allowed the young man to enter the side hall to pray purely because he felt that it was a good thing for the country to have more young talents.
The middle-aged man quietly stood guard outside the hall, his eyes occasionally glancing at the side hall.
…
…
After a long time, there was a commotion outside the hall. The nobleman suddenly frowned. "Why is the girl not resting in the back? What is she doing in the side hall?"
The middle-aged man was slightly surprised. He used all his strength to listen in that direction. He raised his head in shame. "The princess has gone to the side hall."
The nobleman frowned. "Nonsense …" He suddenly thought of something, and his expression changed slightly. "Go take a look. Also … bring that young man to me."
"Yes." The middle-aged man accepted the order and was about to leave. Suddenly, there was the sound of a bird outside the Temple of Qing. The temple door was pushed open, and a hurried man ran in. He handed the nobleman a sealed letter.
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