It was the end of November in the third year of Shengyuan.
A carriage slowly moved forward along with the procession entering the city.
Lin Ji sat in the driver's seat, looked at the familiar towering city wall in front of him, and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Liang Cheng...it's been such a long time."
Lu Zhaoer's voice came from the carriage.
"You and I first met in Liangcheng. At that time, you were just the chief arrester of Liangzhou in the fourth realm."
Hearing this, Lin Ji shook his head and said: "Lu Youxing's tone was a bit too loud. The position of chief arrester is a direct descendant of the Supervisor Tiansi... I didn't understand it at the time, but now that I think about it, I really had no reason to be afraid of you.
Youxingguan from the state."
"Hmph, you're not ashamed of your words." Lu Zhaoer snorted twice and opened the car curtain.
In more than a month, although the two of them controlled their distance, they still crossed Yunzhou and Jingzhou and arrived at the border of Liangzhou.
The old horse driving the carriage has been replaced by a young and strong one.
The carriage entered Liangcheng along with the troops entering the city.
Lin Ji took Lu Zhaoer to find an inn and settled down, then asked, "I'm going to the government office later to meet Zhan Chengfeng, do you want to come with me?"
"Let's come together. When I came to Liangzhou, Uncle Zhan took good care of me. I have to meet him." Lu Zhaoer happily agreed.
After having lunch at the inn, the two of them went straight to the Liangcheng government office.
Arriving at the government office, Lu Zhaoer showed his token and said he wanted to see the Liangzhou town official.
When the yamen servant saw that the adults from Beijing were coming, he did not dare to neglect them and quickly led the two of them to a side hall to wait.
A moment later, instead of waiting for Zhan Chengfeng, the two of them were greeted by a strange Japanese monk.
This man looked polite. After walking into the side hall, he nodded slightly to Lin Ji and Lu Zhaoer, and then sat down on the main seat.
"I am Song Qiming, the official of Liangzhou Town. Two of my colleagues are from Beijing. I wonder what you are doing?"
Hearing this, Lin Ji and Lu Zhaoer were both stunned.
"Lin remembers that the town official in Liangzhou should be Master Zhan Chengfengzhan."
Song Qiming smiled and said: "It turns out that I came to see Senior Zhan. Senior Zhan has already broken through to the Dao and went to the capital to become a priest. And I was sent by Beijing to take over Senior Zhan's position as town official.
"
Hearing this, Lin Ji suddenly realized that at some point, Zhan Chengfeng had broken through to the Tao!
"I see... Then we'll take our leave."
Since Zhan Chengfeng was not in the government office, there was no need for them to stay. After saying this, Lin Ji took Lu Zhaoer and left the government office.
Song Qiming never asked about their identities, nor did he ask to stay.
"Your surname is Lin? Are you an old acquaintance of Zhan Chengfeng? It seems to have a good background..." He muttered a few words in a low voice and ignored it casually.
...
In the inn.
"Master Zhan is not here, and there are not many old acquaintances in Liangcheng. Let's rest here for a day and set off tomorrow, right?"
"Going to Qingyang County?" Lu Zhaoer asked.
"I'm passing by, let's take a look." Lin Ji sighed softly.
I can't even see a few acquaintances in Fucheng, and I'm afraid the same is true in Qingyang County.
However, when thinking about his old friend in Liangzhou, Lin Ji suddenly thought of the Daliang Temple outside the city, and the master Xingchi who was taken away by the evil Buddha.
"Come with me to Daliang Temple later," Lin Ji said again.
"Daliang Temple? When did you learn to worship Buddha?"
"It's not to pay homage to Buddha, but to pay homage to an old friend."
In the evening, Lin Ji led Lu Zhaoer outside Daliang Temple.
Looking at the dilapidated temple, Lin Ji sighed slightly.
Three years ago, the incense in Daliang Temple was still very strong. Before the ghosts besieged the city, the people of Liangcheng would come here to worship Buddha.
But now, the once spotless road up the mountain is already covered with dead branches and fallen leaves, and some of the stone steps are covered with moss. Apparently no one has set foot here for a long time.
When we arrived at the door of the temple, the young novice monk who once greeted the guests was gone. Some faint traces of swords could be seen on the door and walls of the temple.
"The Great Qin Dynasty finally angered Daliang Temple about the evil Buddha." Lin Ji knew what was going on without even thinking about it.
The evil Buddha incident has shaken the foundation of the country. No matter what role Daliang Temple plays in it, it will inevitably be retaliated against.
Just when Lin Ji and Lu Zhaoer stopped at the entrance of the temple, footsteps suddenly sounded behind them.
"Two donors, please come back."
A somewhat cold voice sounded.
Lin Ji and Lu Zhaoer turned around and saw a young nun carrying a bundle of firewood slowly approaching.
The little nun didn't even look at Lin Ji and the two of them. She just said the Buddha's name when passing by them, then lowered her head and continued walking.
Seeing this scene, Lu Zhaoer was a little surprised and said: "All the monks in Daliang Temple are gone, why is there still a nun?"
Lin Ji looked at the little nun's back.
"She is the apprentice of Master Xing Chi. A swan with spiritual wisdom got her mouth sealed by chance and survived the catastrophe of transformation."
Lin Ji's voice was not concealed, so the steps of the little nun in front suddenly stopped.
She turned around and saw Lin Ji.
After a moment of confusion, she tentatively shouted: "Is this Mr. Lin from Qingyang County?"
"It's Lin."
There was a bit of a smile on the little nun's face, but she quickly stopped.
"After my master left, I had nowhere to go, so I simply settled here in Daliang Temple."
Lin Ji asked: "There is no incense in Daliang Temple, how much do you have to spend on food and clothing?"
"Don't forget, I am a demon."
"Yes." Lin Ji suddenly laughed.
A transformed monster would never starve to death in this mountain forest.
"Although Daliang Temple is less bustling than in the past, it is a little more rare and quiet. Because of the Qin government, people in Liangcheng regarded this place as taboo, which actually gave me a place to practice in peace."
"I see."
"You two, Daliang Temple is in ruins, so I won't keep you here. It's getting late, so please go early."
As soon as the words fell, Hu Nu left quickly.
Lin Ji also took Lu Zhaoer down the mountain.
"It's so boring."
"how?"
"In the past three or two years, things have changed." Lin Ji let out a long sigh of relief.
He had stayed in Liangzhou for so many years, and he always felt that the surroundings were unchanged.
But after just three or two years of running around, everything seemed different.
While they were talking, a strong man suddenly appeared in front of the two of them.
The strong man went straight to Daliang Temple on the mountain.
When passing by Lin Ji and Lu Zhaoer, the strong man looked at the two people with a bit of scrutiny in his eyes.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the strong man asked coldly.
Without waiting for Lin Ji and the others to reply, the strong man said again: "This is not the place you should be, get away! If you do it next time, be careful and I won't be polite!"
After saying that, the strong man ignored Lin Ji and Lu Zhaoer, who were looking at each other, and went straight to the mountain.