The bright moonlight shone into the dilapidated temple.
A single candle could not illuminate the entire dilapidated temple, but the bright moonlight could fill all the darkness. The refined scholar looked up and saw Qin Luo. He was taken aback at first, but quickly put down the candle and books in his hands, stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and smiled brightly. "What I have learned from books is ultimately superficial. With your arrival, I understand what it means to have my humble abode honored!"
"I dare not accept such praise."
Qin Luo returned the greeting with a cupped hand.
The blindfolded monk was strong and healthy. He was practicing closed-eye meditation and had not opened his eyes for many years. At this moment, light shone into his body, illuminating his mind and bringing clarity to his heart.
The monk rose, clasped his hands together, bowed respectfully to Qin Luo, and said, "Golden Light Temple, return to dust."
"Longhu Temple, Qin Luo."
“Daxia Academy, Chu Peiran”
Chu Peiran had heard of Jin Guang Temple, a Buddhist temple in the west, far from the Great Xia Dynasty, where a true Buddha resided.
Gui Chen also knew about the Great Xia Academy, which was the highest institution of learning in the Great Xia Dynasty, with an imperial tutor in charge.
They had never heard of Longhu Temple.
Chu Peiran exuded righteousness, and Gui Chen radiated masculinity. Evil spirits dared not approach them, while the little ghost cowered in a corner, trembling with fear of being discovered.
Qin Luo chuckled and asked, "Are you together?"
Chu Peiran shook his head and replied with a smile, "No, I came in the evening and saw Master Guichen meditating in the temple, so I didn't want to disturb him and planned to rest here for the night."
Gui Chen looked at the little ghost in the corner, "This humble monk came to the temple yesterday, intending to help her pass on to the afterlife, but her obsession is too deep. If this humble monk were to force her to pass on, her soul would be scattered."
It was a little girl dressed in white, who looked even smaller than Ziyue and had a pitiful appearance. Chu Peiran shook his head and sighed softly, "Poor little girl."
Chu Peiran and Gui Chen both knew of the little ghost's existence, but they did not harm the little female ghost. Qin Luo walked to a corner of the dilapidated temple, smiled, and said softly, "You don't need to be afraid, we won't hurt you."
Ever since Qin Luo arrived at the dilapidated temple, the little female ghost huddled in the corner has been watching him.
"Little sister."
Why are you here?
Qin Luo squatted down in front of the little female ghost.
The little ghost girl stared at him intently.
Chu Peiran was somewhat surprised, "Brother Qin, she's afraid of us getting close, but she's not afraid of you."
Qin Luo smiled and gently stroked the little ghost's head. "If you have any other obsessions, you can tell us, and we might be able to help you fulfill them."
"yes."
Chu Peiran nodded.
Gui Chen stood quietly to the side.
The little ghost girl wrote two words on the ground.
"Are you waiting for your mother?"
Qin Luo looked at the words on the ground.
The little ghost girl nodded, her eyes full of expectation.
Where do you live? What's your mother's name?
The little ghost girl shook her head.
She has forgotten many things.
Qin Luo turned to look at Chu Peiran and Gui Chen, who both shook their heads, unable to find a solution.
"Little sister, let me give it a try."
Qin Luo closed his eyes. Through the laws of time, his consciousness appeared in the river of time. Time around the dilapidated temple began to flow backward. He saw Chu Haoran carrying a book box and a sword, and then Gui Chen holding a Zen staff. As time continued to flow backward, a heavy fog appeared in the river of time.
The scenes in the river of time became increasingly blurry. Qin Luo could only hear sounds from near the Dragon Tiger Temple. He listened carefully, wanting to know how the little female ghost had come to the dilapidated temple.
Decades have passed since then.
Qin Luo felt mentally exhausted.
He hadn't felt this way in a long time.
It seems that collecting information over a long period of time requires a tremendous amount of effort.
Qin Luo overheard woodcutters chatting at the mountain god temple and learned that there was a group of wicked bandits near the dilapidated temple who had vanished without a trace on a snowy night.
Time keeps turning back.
"It's so cold!"
"Mother, I miss you so much!"
......
"Mother, I will be a good girl."
"Yuanyuan, no matter who comes, don't make a sound. Wait for your mother to come back and get you."
Qin Luo's consciousness lingered on the river of time, and he heard the conversation between the mother and daughter through the mist.
"I don't know if I can help them."
Qin Luo's consciousness pierced through layers of mist; he wanted to enter the river of time to help them.
As the snow fell heavily, the beautiful young woman was cornered by the bandits at the edge of a cliff, with nowhere left to retreat.
"Hehehe, where do you think you're going, little lady?"
The one-eyed bandit stepped forward with a mocking expression.
"You beasts, you will all come to a bad end!" The young woman's eyes were filled with despair. She clenched her fists, turned around, and jumped off the bottomless cliff.
"What a pity!"
"What the hell is this bad luck!"
The one-eyed bandit spat into the snow.
The short bandit standing nearby reminded him, "Brother, I remember this woman has a child with her. We must eliminate her completely, lest the imperial court discover what we've done."
"It's probably hidden nearby."
"Let's go check out the mountain god temple."
Boom!
The sky was torn apart.
A bolt of purple lightning pierced the sky.
The bandits stood frozen in place, rubbing their eyes as they stared at the young Taoist priest who was faintly visible in the wind and snow.
"Is it a hallucination?"
"You saw him too?"
Qin Luo felt extremely tired. He didn't want to waste words with them and whispered, "Lightning strike!"
A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, instantly killing all the bandits present, even obliterating their souls.
Qin Luo felt like he could barely keep his eyes open. Traveling through the river of time had taken a heavy toll on him, and he walked heavily toward the mountain god temple.
The dilapidated temple was pitch black.
The little girl huddled in the corner, her face pale, cold and hungry. She clung to her last breath, hoping to see her mother return.
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