Chapter Fifty-Five
"Individually," Mei Tingzhu whispered. "Then the five of us act together. That way, we all survive."
Given the disparity in strength between Mei Tingyuan and Mei Tingchun, going alone would undoubtedly make them prey for others. Thus, they had to form a team. Unfortunately, with their team's current strength, securing five Heavenly Book Fragments was impossible—meaning some would still die.
But if they each took individual assignment documents and then acted together, their chances of obtaining the Heavenly Heart Remnants would greatly increase. Even if they failed, at least they’d all have a shot at survival.
"But why would there be such a loophole?" Mei Tingjun asked.
If they could think of it, wouldn’t the Crane Control Army have anticipated it?
"Regardless, isn’t this our only option?" Mei Tingzhu countered.
For the five of them, securing even one Heavenly Book Fragment would already be a remarkable achievement. If they stuck to the original plan, more people would die. Going "individually" was the better choice.
"What do the rest of you think?" Mei Tingjun looked at the other three.
"I have no objections," An Jiu said.
To An Jiu, this was simply another mission. Whether they worked as a team or alone didn’t matter—the goal was to secure the Heavenly Book Fragment. The lives of the others were irrelevant to her.
Mei Tingchun swallowed dryly. "Then... let’s try it."
"Fine," Mei Tingyuan agreed.
In such a short time, there truly was no better alternative.
By the time the five of them finished deliberating, half the crowd had already left.
One by one, they collected their assignment documents and followed the others toward the ancient temple.
Dozens of people moved across the snow like feathers brushing the ground—only An Jiu’s footsteps crunched loudly, drawing many glances.
An Jiu remained unfazed, though those walking beside her grew visibly uncomfortable.
"Can’t you use a bit of Inner Force?" Mei Tingyuan snapped.
"Who says it’s necessary? Why waste it when we might need it to survive?" An Jiu wasn’t about to admit she lacked Inner Force in front of everyone. If word got out, the moment they entered the temple, people would swarm her for the map in her possession.
Mei Tingzhu found her reasoning sound and withdrew his own Inner Force as well.
The snow wasn’t too deep yet, so even without Inner Force, they wouldn’t lose their way.
Gradually, others nearby followed suit, though some scoffed and quickened their pace, eager to scout the temple’s layout ahead of time.
As she walked, An Jiu pulled out the map from her robes to examine it.
After a moment’s thought, Mei Tingjun decided it was safe enough—they hadn’t entered the temple yet, so no one could attack them for it. He signaled the others to take out their maps as well.
Comparing them, they realized An Jiu’s and Mei Tingyuan’s pieces formed a complete map, while the other three had identical fragments.
Without a word, they tucked the maps away and hurried to catch up with the crowd.
The ancient temple used for this trial was first built in the early Tang Dynasty and expanded over a dozen times in the subsequent 270 years, becoming the most renowned Buddhist sanctuary in the region. However, after the Song Dynasty’s rise, which favored Daoism over Buddhism, a massacre was said to have occurred here a century ago, claiming the lives of hundreds of monks. The reason remained unknown.From then on, the ancient temple often echoed with the sounds of chanting scriptures. On days when the sunset dyed the sky blood-red, the temple bells would inexplicably toll. Nearby villages were ravaged by plague, leaving no survivors. Thus, rumors spread that the souls of the wronged monks still lingered within the temple. People believed the vengeful spirits of unjustly slain monks were far more malevolent than ordinary ghosts. For a hundred years, no one dared to live nearby.
An Jiu had guessed it was a large-scale ancient temple, but she was still quite astonished when it finally loomed before her.
A vast expanse of darkness stretched out before them. The undulating structures resembled several distant mountain peaks, and the stupa tower stood like a giant's finger, piercing the sky.
"Heavens!" Mei Tingchun gasped softly.
Exclamations of awe rose all around them.
While many grand Taoist temples today were built with magnificent splendor, none could compare to the abandoned ancient temple before them. The prosperity of the Tang Dynasty could be glimpsed from its remnants.
The plaque above the temple gate had long been destroyed, leaving its original name unknown. The weathered gates stood ajar, with several figures cloaked in black mantles stationed at the entrance, handing out signal tubes to those entering.
One of them spoke in a deep voice, "Lone travelers in peril may release this signal to summon rescue from the Crane Control Army. The cost is a facial tattoo, marking you as a slave..."
"Pah! What use is that?" someone immediately threw the signal tube away.
They carried the honor of their families on their backs—better to die with dignity than live in disgrace!
The members of Mei Shi's second branch also discarded their signal tubes. Even Mei Tingchun, who had weak martial arts skills and feared death, abandoned his lifeline without a second thought.
An Jiu saw little use in keeping it. Instead, it might make others perceive her as weak and target her, so she followed suit and discarded hers.
Entering the grounds, everyone chose their own paths.
All were uniformly dressed in black robes and mantles, but their clothing bore distinct markings. The Crane Control Army had silver cranes in flight embroidered on their hems, Mei Shi had a red plum blossom, and the Cui family simply bore the character "Cui"...
"Which way is the Stupa Tower?" Mei Tingyuan whispered.
Now that everyone was wrapped in their mantles, their figures indistinguishable, and their genders hard to discern unless they spoke, Mei Tingzhu tilted her chin slightly, indicating the path forward.
Though the five of them were not particularly strong, Mei Shi was one of the four great families of the Crane Control Army, and their formidable reputation preceded them. Along the way, many cast glances their way, but none dared to make the first move.
The temple occupied an entire mountain peak. Most of the original paths were overgrown with weeds, and walking through the dry grass would create noise, so the majority chose to pass through the buildings instead.
At the mountainside, the most imposing structure was the Mahavira Hall, with all other halls connected to it by pathways. The tower grove lay in a vast hollow behind it, making the Mahavira Hall the only route to reach the towers.
Mei Tingjun sensed the sounds of skirmishes beginning around them. In a voice barely audible, he murmured, "This doesn't bode well."
Since An Jiu lacked inner force and couldn't use qinggong (lightness skill), they had no choice but to stick to the main path. Others initially assumed they were highly skilled and fearless, deterring them from rashly provoking the group.
"We’ll be safe for now. Let’s pick up the pace," Mei Tingzhu said quickly.
Silently, the group hastened their steps.This speed soon caused problems! People with Inner Force and those without walked completely differently! It wasn't long before someone noticed something amiss, but not knowing the strength of the other four, they remained cautious.
There were many solo travelers nearby who didn't need to risk stealing maps from a group. Unhindered, the five quickly reached the Mahavira Hall.
"Through the hall or around it?" Mei Tingjun sought Mei Tingzhu's opinion.
The hall was dimly lit, making it easy to fall into an ambush, but going around meant taking a much longer detour through dense buildings—with them exposed and enemies hidden, that would be even more dangerous.
After brief consideration, Mei Tingzhu decisively said, "Through the hall."
The main gate stood wide open, with faint footprints on the ground.
An Jiu halted. "You go ahead. I'll catch up."
They could move silently with True Energy, but An Jiu couldn't. If there were ambushers inside, she'd be easily detected.
"Alright," Mei Tingzhu agreed.
Mei Tingjun hesitated briefly but said nothing before stepping inside.
Once they were completely out of sight, An Jiu grabbed the carved door, leaped up lightly, and flipped onto the beam of the corridor roof. She took out the bow from her back, hung upside down from the beam, and prepared to ambush anyone inside through the broken windows and doors.
She hung silently like a bat.
Clang!
The sound of clashing weapons came from inside—but only once.
At the center of the Mahavira Hall stood three massive Buddha statues, with raised platforms along the walls holding numerous arhat statues in various poses.
From outside, An Jiu clearly saw a Hidden Weapon shoot out from behind a smiling, seated arhat statue.
She nocked an arrow and waited.
As Mei Tingjun and the others moved toward the back hall, the ambushers inside grew restless and soon attacked again.
The moment another Hidden Weapon shot from behind the statue, An Jiu's arrow flew with a whoosh.
"Ah!"
A cry of pain echoed through the hall.
An Jiu knew that if she were alone, she'd only target other solo travelers to have a chance. Whoever dared attack the Mei group must be at least their equal in strength.
"Careful, poison!" Mei Tingjun shouted, sword flashing as he deflected incoming poisoned needles.
Whoosh!
An Jiu fired another swift, decisive arrow.
Seeing another body drop, Mei Tingjun and the others realized An Jiu was assisting—and that they were being used as bait!
Mei Tingchun prodded the corpse with his sword and retrieved half a map from it.
"It's Liu Shi," Mei Tingchun noted the embroidered characters on the hem.
They didn't know how many families made up the Crane Control Army, nor were they familiar with Liu Shi.
Initially, the four had considered An Jiu a burden when they learned she lacked Inner Force. But witnessing her kill two in the darkness within moments, their perception shifted subtly.
As they hesitated whether to leave or wait for her, another Hidden Weapon shot from the east.
Two ambushers charged out with swords, engaging the Mei group.
No—there should still be one more...
An Jiu kept her bow drawn but unmoving. She could sense someone approaching her position! (To be continued...)
OpenNovel