Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 790: Chapter 592: Zhongyi Temple

"He’s been washed over by those ghostly things, drained of much of his Yang energy, but he’s human," Jiang Qingluan did not idle either, using her own methods to determine that Fang Zhou was indeed human, and still alive.

Since it was a living person, they couldn’t just ignore him. Yang Xiao reached out to pull the string from Fang Zhou’s wrist, but to his surprise, Fang Zhou grabbed the string, resisting with an attitude more fierce than one prepared to meet death, "The Ghosts were brought here by me, I can’t drag you all down with me!"

Yang Xiao raised his hand and knocked on Fang Zhou’s head, "What a mess you’re spouting, do you think we’d die for you? Give me the string, I’m going to tie it outside the door."

"Oh," Fang Zhou quickly untied the string.

Yang Xiao tied the string to a stone at the fastest speed he could manage, specifically to one of the broken slate tiles that Jiang Qingluan had stepped on, and tossed it outside the door. Yang Xiao deduced that the Ghost could not enter the temple’s doors, hence it resorted to such trickery, making Fang Zhou lead the way for it.

Suddenly, everyone hid in different places, and since Fang Zhou was slowed by the yin energy that had washed over him, Yang Xiao simply pulled him along, keeping him close by.

Rustle rustle...

Before long, a strange noise came through the mist, different from the sound of Fang Zhou’s steps. The noise became increasingly eerie, as if someone’s feet were not lifting from the ground, dragging across the surface.

"Brother Yang," Fang Zhou whispered very softly, "I feel that old beggar doesn’t seem like a Ghost."

"If you could tell it was a Ghost, would it still be a Ghost?" Yang Xiao unceremoniously taught him a lesson.

Perhaps Fang Zhou’s head had been numbed by the yin energy, as he didn’t catch on for a moment. He felt unusually cold all over, but compared to the difficulty he previously had in merely raising his head and walking unsteadily, his condition had improved quite a bit. Seeing Yang Xiao and the others again also gave him a sense of ease.

"Don’t talk, it’s coming," Yang Xiao warned in a low voice.

Peering through the gap between two Protective Deity Statues, Yang Xiao saw a figure sway out of the mist, hunched and moving slowly and strangely, with the left sleeve fluttering in the wind, revealing a missing arm.

Soon, the figure emerged from the mist, and Yang Xiao could now see its true face, just as Fang Zhou had described. It was a blind old beggar with a crippled body, covered in ragged, mud-stained clothes, clutching a twisted walking stick in its remaining right hand, continuously probing forward.

Even before the figure drew close, Yang Xiao smelled a foul odor emanating from its body, and that taut string was tied around the old beggar’s right thumb.

Although Yang Xiao could not yet discern anything amiss, the sudden appearance of an old beggar in this wilderness, who had also rescued Fang Zhou from beneath a Ghost’s shadow, was suspicious no matter how he thought about it.

Step by step, the old beggar approached the temple door, and the slate tied with the end of the string was just a few meters away outside the door.

At last, the old beggar stopped. He followed the direction of the string, bent down little by little, almost crawling on the ground, and groped along the string until he found the slate. The old beggar’s expression visibly shifted as he grasped the stone, his grimy, wrinkled face revealing a hint of confusion and an almost numb peculiarity.

A filthy rag covered the old beggar’s eyes, beneath which oozed repulsive pus and blood. He slowly stood up, straightened his body, and turned around, as if he wanted to use his blinded eyes to see the world anew.

"Fang... Fang Boy?" The old beggar’s parched lips trembled, awaiting Fang Zhou’s response, looking utterly helpless.

"Did you tell him your name?" Yang Xiao turned his head, staring into Fang Zhou’s eyes with a voice pressed to a whisper.

"No, I only said my family name was Fang," Fang Zhou replied in an equally quiet voice.

Seeing no response, the old beggar gave up his attempts and continued to probe his way with his walking stick, twisting and turning it toward the temple door. After the stick felt the threshold, the old beggar, his disobedient legs stepping forward, actually made his way inside.

"Another human?" At this point, Yang Xiao was also confused about the situation. He watched as the old beggar arrived under a Protective Deity Statue, set down his stick, and sat cross-legged. He pulled a bundle from behind him, which Yang Xiao recognized as theirs, containing not only incense candles and Paper Money but also wine, meat, and pancake. The old beggar did not hesitate to grab a pancake and start eating, occasionally tearing off a piece of meat and stuffing it into his mouth to chew on heartily. freёwebnoѵel.com

When in a hurry, he would gulp down some wine to wash it down, and soon the temple was filled with the aroma of wine and meat. The old beggar ate until his mouth was dripping with grease, and his filthy face became flushed, followed by a contented belch.

The wine, meat, and pancake they had bought were enough for four people, but the old beggar ate two-thirds of it all by himself, not forgetting to wrap up the leftovers and use them as a pillow under his head. Indeed, after filling his stomach and quenching his thirst, he laid down to sleep.

This made Yang Xiao and the others anxious; with this old fellow sleeping here, how were they to leave? Not that they couldn’t hide, but they had already set off at noon, and if they delayed much longer, it would be difficult to return to Earl Mansion before dark.

Rather than sitting ducks, a proactive approach was better. Yang Xiao picked up a stone and threw it toward the old man.

"Snap!"

The stone hit the ground, and the old beggar, who had just lain down, was startled almost to the point of jumping up, "Who’s there?! Who’s here?!"

Under Yang Xiao’s hint, Fang Zhou emerged from the shadows, "Old man, it’s me."

Relieved by the sound of Fang Zhou’s voice, the old man’s tense emotions eased and the raised walking stick slowly lowered as he excitedly said, "Fang, it’s you! I didn’t wait for you and followed the thread here. I was starving and thought to ask you for some food and drink, but couldn’t find you, and... and took the liberty to eat some on my own. I’m sorry."

"You’re speaking nonsense. It’s lucky I met you, otherwise, I wouldn’t have known how long I would be lost in the fog." Fang Zhou didn’t mention anything about the ghost to the old man, but instead that he had gotten lost in the mist.

"Fang, you should have some food and drink to warm yourself up. After eating, you’d better leave quickly. This Zhongyi Temple is not a good place for people to stay in; it’s a place of evil spirits," the old beggar said earnestly.

At this moment, Jiang Qingluan and Chang Chuchu also came out from their hiding spots. Hearing the noise, the old beggar tensed up again, "What... what is that?"

Seeing the old man’s reaction, Fang Zhou quickly reassured him, "Old man, don’t be afraid. They are my friends; they came looking for me."

"I was wondering how you found this place. This place is a place of evil spirits; people from the estate avoid this place. Many people have disappeared around here over the years," the old beggar said, kindly advising after knowing these were Fang Zhou’s friends.

"Old man, what did you just say this place was called?" Yang Xiao also approached, eyeing the old man with caution while keeping his distance.

"Zhongyi Temple."

"Isn’t this the Land Temple?" Yang Xiao pressed on.

The old beggar was stunned for a moment, then his brow slowly relaxed, he lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "I forgot, you’re not the idlers from our village. No wonder you haven’t heard the stories about this place. I only found out about it not long ago myself... all from those ’Little Immortals’."

Being an idler, Yang Xiao knew, referred to beggars, also known as "hua zi," "tao kou zi." What truly captured Yang Xiao’s attention was the latter part of the old beggar’s words, "Old man, what ’Little Immortals’?"

At this question, the old beggar suddenly fell silent, until Fang Zhou spoke up, "Old man, these are all my friends; they won’t go around gossiping."

"It’s those ’Little Immortals’ who taught us the Immortal Poem. It’s a pity some of them were captured, and I heard that they were skinned alive... it’s really... truly sinful." The old beggar said, shaking his head with regret in his tone, "Those hawks and dogs from the Earl Mansion are catching everyone everywhere, not even letting us, who have heard the Immortal Poem, go. They are ruthless; luckily, I played dead convincingly and escaped. Many of my friends were beaten to death by them."

"Are those injuries on you from the men of the Earl Mansion?" Jiang Qingluan was skeptical, "When did this happen?"

"I don’t quite remember clearly, but it was about a few days ago." As he shook his head, a closer look revealed bloodstains behind the old beggar’s head.

"Every business has to sell, marriage and funerals are not for outsiders, slaves and thieves get harmed, debts are confused in the Land Temple..." Yang Xiao paused and intentionally glanced at the un-faced Bodhisattva statue at the center, "Is it this Immortal Poem?"

"Yes, that’s the one. I’m surprised you foreigners even know it; those ’Little Immortals’ really are spiritual." The old beggar couldn’t help but admire.

Hearing this, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but bitterly smile. If those rebels had spiritual powers, they wouldn’t have been captured and skinned alive, dying so tragically.

But none of that mattered now. They were eager to know what the old beggar had learned from the mouths of those rebels.

"They told us the history of this Zhongyi Temple, and... and of those filthy affairs of the Earl Mansion. What divinely bestowed Marquis Zhongyi, that was all obtained through the blood of brothers! This is not a Land Temple, it’s Zhongyi Temple, it’s the Old Marquis’s guilty conscience!" the old beggar said indignantly, "The people enshrined here are all the Old Marquis’s old friends, and... the late Emperor!"

"These people were all the Old Marquis’s old friends? And the late Emperor?" This news was extremely shocking, and Chang Chuchu immediately responded.

"That’s right. How do you think the Old Marquis became Marquis Zhongyi? By betraying his brothers, betraying his former lord!"

The old beggar, fueled by a breath of alcohol, seemed determined to vent his grievances, "Back in the day, when our current late Emperor led troops to siege the palace, the former Emperor was forced to hang himself in Mengyang Palace, and the Crown Prince and many princes were killed. Only the Ninth Prince, who was still in swaddling clothes, was taken out of the palace under the protection of a group of officials and followers, and from that day on, disappeared."

"After discussing it, these people decided to seek refuge with the Old Marquis, hoping to rest for a few days in his mansion before making further plans. After all, the former Emperor had once saved the life of the Old Marquis’s family. Unexpectedly, the Old Marquis repaid kindness with treachery. While soothing these people, he secretly contacted others and led the pursuers to them. The Ninth Prince’s guards fought valiantly to the death and were slaughtered. To prevent the Crown Prince from being humiliated, the attendants set the manor ablaze in the final moment, and the Ninth Prince perished in the fire. With that, the former dynasty’s bloodline was extinguished."

"Afterward, when the late Emperor awarded those who had contributed, to acknowledge the Old Marquis’s merits, he issued an imperial decree conferring the title of Marquis and bestowed an imperial plaque inscribed with three golden characters: Marquis Zhongyi."

At this point, the old beggar scoffed coldly, "Don’t think it was an honor. Those who betray their lords for glory have always been despised through the ages; the late Emperor also looked down upon him. The ’loyalty’ and ’righteousness’ characters on that imperial plaque were each missing a stroke—this was to criticize him for being disloyal and unrighteous. The title of Marquis Zhongyi was nothing but a joke."

"It’s said that since then, the Old Marquis, who became a marquis by betraying his lord, couldn’t sleep at night and often saw avenging spirits in his dreams, demanding his life. His health deteriorated day by day. After seeking famous doctors to no avail, out of desperation, he had people build this Zhongyi Temple to offer sacrifices to the loyal officials who died because of him, especially that prince of the former dynasty."

"But he was also worried about gossip after all, building a private temple to worship a prince of a former dynasty is a grave crime punishable by the execution of the entire family. Even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn’t dare. So, to save his life, he could only make the statues here look like nothing in particular, with twisted faces, and against his will, called it a Land Temple."

"This main clay statue represents that prince of the former dynasty, the Ninth Prince, and the remaining eleven so-called Protectors are the eleven loyal officials of the former dynasty who died protecting their lord," the old beggar’s tone filled with sorrow.