Chapter 982: Do as the Locals Do

Under the protection of two experts at the Soul Transformation stage, Old An and his companions completed their journey without mishap, arriving safely within the walls of Imperial Opening City.

Just as the Imperial Opening Temple had once been known as Erlitun Temple, the city itself was originally called Erlitun, nothing more than a thoroughly obscure little settlement until successive abbots of the temple exerted themselves, eventually building the place up into the grand and sizeable city it was today.

Unlike the cities of the Great Xia, which were constructed from gray bricks and masonry, the strongholds of the Buddhist Kingdom were universally built with thick, heavy earth walls, weather-beaten and worn smooth by the sun and wind until they appeared on the very verge of collapse.

In truth, the layered interiors of these earthen ramparts were fortified with all manner of stabilizing and defensive arrays, ensuring the walls would not fall for a thousand years.

An unnamed river bisected Imperial Opening City, serving as the water source for the entire populace; it was said that Grandmaster Duanchen, the current abbot, had diverted its course to this place.

Along the way, Lu Yang encountered many a monk, their heads shaved clean, one shoulder and arm left bare, their skin a deep, sun-baked reddish-black; they walked while leafing through scriptures, devout believers by any standard, though their habits left Lu Yang quite worried about the state of their eyesight.

Upon entering Imperial Opening City, the contrast with the settlements of Great Xia grew starker still, revealing exotic beauties with golden hair and emerald eyes, their figures voluptuous beneath veils, ascetic wanderers with tiny monkeys perched upon their shoulders, and snake charmers whose melodies coaxed cobras into dance, while fishmongers set their blades upright upon chopping blocks, pressing the fish against the static steel to avoid the sin of active slaughter.

“Finally, no more sand,” Meng Jingzhou muttered, letting out a breath of relief; the ceaseless yellow dust had been an intolerable nuisance, but the city walls were fitted with sand-repelling formations that barred it from entry, making things vastly more comfortable.

Yet Lu Yang’s spiritual domain was not afforded the same luxury.

Within that inner landscape, yellow sand blanketed the ground in rolling dunes, where a divine maiden clad in golden, exotic robes hummed a melody as she danced gracefully, her bare feet pressing into the sand and leaving behind a trail of delicate prints.

“Immortal, could you perhaps manifest a little less sand?” Lu Yang shouted at the top of his lungs, for he was so far removed from the Immortal Unying that she would not hear him otherwise.

They had managed to reach the city, and while the sand was gone from reality, it had somehow migrated into his mind.

The Immortal Unying swayed her hips as she glided to his side. “This immortal is merely adapting to local customs. Look at you and the Meng boy; your garments match nothing of this place, and people have been staring at you the whole time. Now, if you look at this immortal, do I not blend in perfectly?”

Lu Yang had long noticed the peculiar glances of the passersby; much as a monk from the Buddhist Kingdom would draw stares in Great Xia, two Xia cultivators walking the streets here stood out like sore thumbs.

They had intended to find a secluded spot to change into local attire, but the right opportunity had yet to present itself.

Lu Yang stole a glance at the still-dancing Immortal Unying, his face quickly flushing as he lowered his gaze; clad as she was, it was impossible not to draw attention, leaving him utterly at a loss for where to cast his eyes.

“Would the two masters care to grace our humble abode with your presence?” Old An and his companions were profoundly grateful to Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou and wished to entertain them, knowing full well that without their presence, they would have long since perished in the jaws of the sand wolves.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou politely declined Old An’s kind offer, inquired after the location of the Imperial Opening Temple, and set off to pay their respects.

“Brother, walk faster!”

As Lu Yang reached a crossroads, a young girl suddenly came sprinting past, turning her head back toward her brother just as she collided directly into Lu Yang.

Before any impact could occur, Lu Yang cast a subtle spell, wrapping the girl in a gentle breeze that steadied her frame, ensuring she neither struck him nor tumbled to the ground.

“I am sorry, so very sorry,” the girl stammered, realizing she had nearly offended a cultivator, and bowed repeatedly in apology.

Her brother hastened his steps upon seeing this. “My deepest apologies, senior, it was my failure to watch over my little sister.”

“Watch your step,” Lu Yang replied mildly, giving the matter no further thought.

As they watched the retreating figures of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, the boy’s eyes flickered with a trace of wariness. “People of Great Xia…”

“Strange, why was that boy so guarded around us, and what did he mean by ‘people of Great Xia’?” Though Lu Yang had already walked a considerable distance, the hearing of a Soul Transformation cultivator was nothing short of miraculous, allowing the boy’s muttered words to reach his ears with perfect clarity.

“Perhaps he has never seen a Xia cultivator before, or maybe he was crossed by one in the past?” Meng Jingzhou shrugged, offering a casual conjecture, neither of them taking the youth to heart.

The two of them took their time strolling through half the city, browsing the sights and absorbing the customs of the Buddhist Kingdom, so that by the time they reached the gates of the Imperial Opening Temple, dusk had already fallen.

The temple stood in solemn, majestic splendor, defined by red walls and gray tiles, surrounded by the thick scent of thriving incense, the great tripods at the entrance filled to the brim with ash and a few scattered embers.

“Two benefactors, our temple is closed to visitors for the evening. Please return tomorrow,” a young novice monk at the entrance spoke courteously, barring their path.

Lu Yang produced the letter the temple had sent him and handed it to the young novice. “Kindly pass this along to Grandmaster Duanchen.”

Grandmaster Duanchen was the abbot of the Imperial Opening Temple.

“Very well.”

Before long, an old monk with a flowing white beard emerged hurriedly from the temple depths, rapping the young novice sharply on the head as he walked. “To think you failed to recognize Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, yet had the audacity to make me read the letter first!”

“Benefactor Lu, Benefactor Meng, your reputations precede you. This poor monk is known as Duanchen.” Grandmaster Duanchen pressed his palms together, his face alight with smiles; he had sent the invitation merely on the off-chance it might succeed, never expecting to truly receive such illustrious guests.

“So you are Grandmaster Duanchen,” the two young men replied in unison, mimicking his gesture with pressed palms.

“Please, fellow Daoists, come inside.” Grandmaster Duanchen gestured invitingly, ushering them into the temple grounds.

The monks following behind Duanchen jostled one another in their eagerness to catch a glimpse of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou’s countenances, the shorter ones resorting to standing on their tiptoes.

“I did not expect the two benefactors to arrive so far ahead of schedule; our preparations are hasty and lacking, and I pray you will forgive any shortfall in our hospitality.”

With the Buddha Bathing Festival still two months away, Grandmaster Duanchen had assumed that even if the two chose to attend, they would not have arrived so early.

Yet this was a welcome turn of events; with their early arrival, the Imperial Opening Temple would have ample time to spread the word of their attendance, which would undoubtedly draw a host of unexpected cultivators and lend greater grandeur to the festival.

“Think nothing of it, Grandmaster. We merely worried that unforeseen circumstances on the road might delay our journey, so we set out somewhat early.”

“The two benefactors jest. With your current cultivation, you possess the strength to establish your own sects within Great Xia; what manner of mishap could possibly hinder you?”

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou exchanged a silent, knowing smile.

Lu Yang chose to deftly steer the conversation elsewhere. “I have heard that Imperial Opening City was once known as Erlitun, and that it was through the tireless efforts of your temple that it grew into the city we see today. Truly, a meritorious deed worthy of great admiration.”

Grandmaster Duanchen waved his hand deprecatingly. “It was hardly a matter of great merit. It so happened that one of our past abbots was the illegitimate son of a certain high monk from the Western Heaven Temple. In order to ensure his son lived a comfortable life, that high monk continuously channeled secret aid to our temple, allowing it to expand to its current scale. We are merely enjoying the shade of the trees planted by our predecessors.”

“Later, when that high monk attained parinirvana, he left behind a great many sarira relics. That particular abbot went to dispute the ownership of those relics with the Western Heaven Temple, and from that day forth, no word was ever heard from him again.”