Last night, there was a light rain, and the hoof prints and donkey prints on the ground were no longer clearly visible, only the general direction could be vaguely discerned.
Yun Ze naturally chose a path in the opposite direction to descend the mountain. Although it was a bit of a detour, it was also relatively safer.
In the end, he still brought Bu Bu with him.
This was not due to any threat of force, but out of concern.
In the current chaotic times, for such a "frail and weak" little girl, if she were sent to some relative's house, she might be sold to a brothel the next day.
To prevent such a tragedy, Yun Ze had to shoulder the responsibility of raising a child!
It's just that for some reason, ever since they left Hanshan Village, Bu Bu would occasionally turn her head to look at the sky behind them, as if confirming something.
Yun Ze paid no mind to these things, but instead kept a close watch on the surrounding environment, guarding against ambushes by wild beasts or bandits. He completely failed to notice a patch of floating clouds slowly moving along their tracks...
Fortunately, Yun Ze had accompanied his parents to the prefectural city not long ago and had a general idea of the direction and route. Since the road was mostly mountainous, it would take at least two days on foot.
As dusk approached, Yun Ze searched for a mountain temple he remembered.
There were rarely inns in this area, and even if there were, they were often connected to chains of businesses involving bandits, human flesh bun shops, and wholesale distributors of knockout drugs.
Let alone Yun Ze, even his parents' caravan would not dare to stay at such places lightly.
Mountain temples, on the other hand, were considered safer.
After all, in the entire Tangze Dynasty, there were few who did not believe in immortals and gods. Even temples in desolate mountains were often frequented by worshippers.
Both beggars and travelers, as well as unfortunate souls robbed by bandits, could seek temporary shelter in the temples.
Within the temple, even bandits would not dare to act presumptuously and offend the gods.
Sometimes, one could even see bandits and their recently robbed victims sitting together in the temple, chatting. If the conversation went well, the bandits might even return what they had stolen.
These were amusing anecdotes Yun Ze had heard from his parents; whether they were true, he did not know.
He arrived at the front of the mountain temple and, following the custom, knocked three times on the temple door.
This was to prevent someone from entering suddenly and disturbing those resting inside.
Yun Ze waited for a moment. There was no sound from within, indicating that tonight, he and Bu Bu would be the only ones staying.
Good, this way it would be safer.
But the moment he pushed the door open, he was instantly stunned by the sight before him!
The head of the immortal deity in the mountain temple... was gone!
"Yo, someone's here?"
Yun Ze followed the sound and saw an old man dressed as a beggar standing in the corner, urinating on a spherical stone!
If he wasn't mistaken, that spherical stone was the one missing from the deity's neck!
Was this man mad!
How dare he desecrate the deity within the temple!
Before Yun Ze could react, the old beggar shook himself, tied his pants, and walked towards the campfire that had already been set up.
He unceremoniously beckoned to them, "A young man and a girl, come, come, sit down, don't be shy, make yourselves at home!"
Bu Bu took a step forward, but Yun Ze stopped her by reaching out.
Although mountain temples were safer than inns, that was only for those who believed in immortals and gods.
For someone like the old beggar, who dared to urinate on the deity's head, the rule of not doing evil within the temple was likely nonexistent.
He began to hesitate whether to stay in the mountain temple.
"It's already dark, you won't find anywhere else."
Bu Bu said calmly, pulled her hand out of Yun Ze's, and walked into the mountain temple, sitting directly opposite the old beggar.
This was the first sentence Bu Bu had spoken to him since leaving Hanshan Village.
Since it had come to this, Yun Ze had no choice but to enter the mountain temple, not forgetting to turn back and close the temple door.
He could only hope that no one else would enter later.
Otherwise, if they saw the deity's head reeking of urine, who knew what kind of trouble would arise.
Yun Ze sat between the old beggar and Bu Bu. As soon as he sat down, the old beggar took the initiative to strike up a conversation.
"Where are you from, young man? Seeing you carrying such large bags, are you heading to Weishan Prefecture City?"
"Mm."
Yun Ze replied indifferently, placing the bundle filled with travel provisions beside Bu Bu. He took out a piece of flatbread from another bundle and handed it to the old beggar with both hands.
"Apologies, old sir, my sister and I are going to the prefectural city to visit relatives. However, his identity is special, and it's inconvenient for us to say more.
Please don't ask further. We siblings will stay for one night and then leave, we won't be a bother."
"Hahaha, sensible, sensible!"
The old beggar laughed twice and casually took the flatbread, placing it by the campfire to roast. "You are sensible, and this old man is also sensible! I won't ask!"
"Thank you."
Yun Ze said, and also took out a piece of flatbread to roast by the campfire.
But before he could relax, the old beggar spoke again.
"Hey, have you heard? The entire Hanshan Village was massacred! That guy, hundreds of lives gone just like that!"
Yun Ze frowned.
How did he know!
Hanshan Village was not far, but they had been traveling since dawn, and no one else had come from the village during that time. The old beggar could only have gotten this news from one source.
That is, from the group of young men in brocade clothes!
"Oh?"
Yun Ze feigned surprise and turned to look at the old beggar. "Who did Hanshan Village offend to bring such disaster upon themselves?"
"Who else could it be? The only son of the Prefect of Weishan Prefecture, He Laichao!"
The old beggar crossed his legs, showing interest as he spoke of this. "You know He Laichao, right? He practically walks sideways in Weishan Prefecture!"
"In the entire Weishan Prefecture, there isn't a girl he can't get, nor wine and meat he can't eat!"
"Last time I heard he kidnapped a middle-aged couple, that guy, he directly... cough cough! There are children here, so I won't go into detail! Those who understand, understand!"
He Laichao... so that was his name?
"Anything else?"
Yun Ze suppressed the anger in his heart, but could only force a smile. "Old sir, you've traveled the jianghu for many years, you must know a lot! Tell us to broaden our horizons, please?"
"Broaden our horizons..."
As the old beggar spoke, his gaze drifted towards the bundle containing dry rations beside Yun Ze.
"Hey, look at my brain!"
Yun Ze slapped his forehead and took out two more pieces of dried meat from the bundle, handing them to the old beggar with both hands. "Here, let's roast and eat, old man. We'll chat while we eat!"
"Hahaha, you're a smart kid!"
The old beggar took the dried meat, threaded it onto a wooden stick, and placed it over the fire to roast. "Speaking of He Laichao, one must mention the He family.
They are extremely overbearing in Weishan Prefecture, a force that controls everything with one hand!"
"Forget about Hanshan Village, even if all the surrounding mountain villages were wiped out, the one in the imperial capital would probably not dare to say much."
"Old sir, are you exaggerating!"
Yun Ze's heart trembled upon hearing this, but he remained expressionless. "The one in the imperial capital wields immense power. Even villagers in mountain villages are his subjects. He wouldn't allow that He family member to act so recklessly, would he?"
He truly hoped this old beggar was just bragging.
Otherwise, if it were as he said, then his method of revenge would be completely blocked!
If even the one in the imperial capital couldn't do anything about him, then what official would dare to oppose him?
"Tch! You're still a kid, what do you know!"
The old beggar tore off a piece of dried meat and put it in his mouth. After chewing a couple of times, he said again, "However, seeing that you're giving this old man meat to eat, I'll tell you a bit more."
"You want to know why, right? Come closer, I'll tell you quietly."
Yun Ze frowned slightly, but still let down his guard and leaned towards the old beggar...
"That He family is backed by immortals!"