Chapter 127: Inside the Temple.

"Hiss!"
众人倒抽了一口冷气。
“苏先生，你别吓人好吗？”
“好端端的你拍什么醒木，差点没让你把魂吓出来！”
"Grandma, my legs have gone numb from sitting for too long. Who wants to accompany me to the restroom to stretch my legs a bit?"
"You better hurry home and change your pants!"
The crowd below was shocked by Su's question, their hearts pounding.
Su Wen glanced at the growing spiritual charm with satisfaction and continued, "Ning Caichen has finally arrived at Lanruo Temple."
"This desolate and abandoned ancient temple on the outskirts of the city is indeed eerie and terrifying, but Ning Caichen is an educated scholar who only believes in the teachings of sages and does not believe in ghosts and gods. Therefore, he does not feel that Lanruo Temple is sinister or terrifying."
On the contrary, he was fortunate to have not found accommodations for himself yet, so he took a step towards the dark ancient temple. Sparse and cold moonlight poured down, revealing abandoned stone lanterns and dilapidated Buddha statues along the way. There were also two fierce-looking Vajra statues, their majestic faces becoming particularly sinister and terrifying in this gloomy darkness.
"Unfortunately, this was destined to be a futile effort. Ning Caichen didn't think much of it, treating the statues as mere clay and stone sculptures, and continued walking into the temple along the bluestone steps."
"Oh..."
"They really have no fear of death!"
"Just listen to it for fun, never take it seriously. Like this foolish scholar, venturing into such a ghostly place, even ten lives won't be enough to endure."
“Have these fools already gone extinct in our Mengzhou?”
“What kind of monsters and demons are hidden in the Lanruo Temple?”
The crowd below shook their heads and discussed, their words filled with tension. Please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with!
苏问也不吊众人胃口：“宁采臣刚刚来到寺门之前, 就听内中一阵激斗之声传来，随即……”
"Ah!"
“厉喝炸响，两人身影自黑暗中极掠而出，手中利剑交错，道道锐利剑气随之迸发溅扫，在周遭石木之上留下道道剑痕！”
"There are actually people in this Lanruo Temple!"
Su Wen raised his folding fan and continued, "Ning Caichen didn't know what had happened, but he saw two figures falling like birds, one from the left and one from the right, sandwiching him in the middle."
“这两人什么模样？”
“左边那人，三十上下的年纪，头束道鬓，一双剑眉插翅横飞，满络浓密的大胡子与鬓角连成了一圈，双眼炯炯有神，不怒自威。”
"The person on the right, also in their prime, is wearing a hooded black robe with iron armor underneath. Their face is as cold and stern as ice, with a faint hint of murderous aura. Surprisingly, it is the same Xiahou swordsman that Ning Caichen encountered before!"
"The two wielded swords, facing each other with sharpness, one on the left and one on the right, sandwiching Ning Caichen in the center, yet seemingly oblivious to his presence!"
"In this manner, they confronted each other for a long time, before the bearded man broke the silence and spoke to the black-clad Xiahou swordsman." Translated content: The two swordsmen faced each other with their weapons drawn, one positioned on the left and the other on the right, trapping Ning Caichen in the middle. However, it appeared as if they were unaware of Ning Caichen's presence. After a prolonged standoff, the bearded man finally spoke up, addressing the black-clad Xiahou swordsman.
Suwen turned and said, "Xiaohou, we've been fighting for seven years, and you've lost for a whole seven years. Why do you still persistently pursue me? Wherever I try to hide, you manage to track me down?"
Xiahou Jianke looked cold and ruthless, yet there was faint unwillingness in his eyes. "Yan Chixia, you are truly formidable. In these seven years, I have not won against you once!"
Su Wenzi then tapped his folding fan and said, "
Upon hearing Xiahou Jian's words, Yan Chixia's brows furrowed together like a pair of flying swords. He said in a deep voice, "Brother Xiahou, you should know that there are always greater talents beyond the sky and exceptional individuals beyond our human realm. Why are you so obsessed with mere reputation? I have already withdrawn from the martial world and have no interest in worldly affairs. If you want to engage in a duel, go find someone else!"
"Leaving the world of rivers and lakes?"
Xiahou Jian laughed heartily and said, "Yan Chixia, I heard that you have become a Taoist priest in these past years. Why do you talk like those bald donkeys? You are no match for me, but I insist on comparing with you. Let's end it here today, we shall compete another day!"
“说罢，就气冲冲的离开了，只留下宁采臣与燕赤霞。”
苏问轻笑说道：“燕赤霞看着宁采臣，宁采臣也看着燕赤霞，两人大眼瞪小眼，对视良久，才见燕赤霞出声问道：“你个白面书生，来此作甚？”
"Although Ning Caichen's heart is afraid, he doesn't appear to be an evil person and doesn't seem too alarmed. He straightforwardly says that he has come to seek lodging."
"Upon hearing his words, Yan Chixia's face instantly turns dark: 'You aren't here to seek lodging at all, you're clearly here to court death. Leave quickly, or else it will be impossible for you to leave later.'"
As Ning Caichen heard his words, his stubbornness began to rise: "This is an abandoned temple with no owner. How could I die by staying here? You live your life, and I'll live mine. We have nothing to do with each other."
After saying that, regardless of Yan Chixia's reaction, he carried his bookcase on his back and walked towards the temple.
"Oh..."
“好言难劝该死的鬼啊！”
“这种蠢货是怎么长这么大的？”
“没办法，那些书呆子都是榆木脑袋，有些事情根本说不通。”
"Who is Yan Chixia? How can he reside in this Lanruo Temple?"
“他剑法还在夏侯剑客之上，莫非他才是搭救书生的高人？”
台下众人议论纷纷，更是期待剧情发展。
苏问轻笑继续：“燕赤霞见宁采臣如此，虽然皱眉但也没有强逼，同样提剑走进寺中，与宁采臣各占一间还算完整，能遮蔽风雨的偏殿做下榻之处。”
“两人就这般在兰若寺中住下，而兰若寺外夏侯剑客也没有走太远，就近找到了一个水潭，升起篝火，同样准备在这地方住一晚，明日再离开。”
"Indoors and outdoors, three people settled down, each with a different state of mind, and in the blink of an eye, it was the middle of the night."
"In the middle of the night, Ning Caichen had not yet fallen asleep, still air-drying accounting books in the side hall."
“隔壁的燕赤霞也未睡下，背着一个方形长匣，在偏殿之中，佛像之下闭眼打坐。”
“而兰若寺外……”
"Pa!"
只听一声响动，苏问折扇轻敲，将众人注意聚集：“兰若寺外，忽起异响！”
What sound?
Everyone stretched their necks and stared at Su Wen.
Su Wen said in a deep voice, "The sound of bells rang suddenly, and then a strong gust of wind blew into the temple. Yanchixia, who was meditating under the Buddha statue, suddenly opened her eyes and looked towards the sound, only to hear..."
"Ah!"
"A scream echoed through the mountains and forests!"
"Monster!"
"Yan Chixia shouted angrily, leaped up, and in an instant rushed to the outside of the Lanruo Temple."
"But it was still too late. Outside the Lanruo Temple, by the water pool, a person lay sideways on the ground. Under the black robe, the flesh and blood had withered, leaving only wrinkled skin tightly clinging to the bones and skull. The eye sockets were sunken, the face twisted, seemingly witnessed something horrifying and terrifying, maintaining this expression even in death."
“正是那夏侯剑客！”
苏问折扇一敲，望向众人：“诸位可知他经历了什么，竟然变成这副模样？”