Legend of Swordsman

”A statue of a Buddha!”

Jian Wushuang felt a stir in his heart but didn’t think there was anything amiss. However, when he looked more closely, he noticed something peculiar.

Bao Guang Temple!

A sacred place for Buddhists, where paying respects to a Buddha statue was natural.

To outsiders, this was nothing unusual.

However, for Jian Wushuang and Jiang Shang, there was much surprise and confusion regarding the statue.

Jian Wushuang was the first to be surprised.

He was both surprised and puzzled.

What surprised him was that the statue looked very much like a person.

”Hu Qing!”

This was also what surprised and puzzled Jiang Shang.

Because the moment she saw the statue, something in her heart was suddenly stirred, as if she had seen someone who had never existed yet appeared in her life.

Jiang Shang, or rather, Jiang Shang.

In her life, there were indeed many connections with Hu Qing.

Since childhood, she had been adopted by Hu Qing.

The bond between master and disciple may have taken less than half of Hu Qing’s time, but it Occupied Jiang Shang’s entire life.

The past memories flashed before Jian Wushuang’s eyes, but the current Jiang Shang remembered nothing.

She only felt an inexplicable feeling toward the statue, like seeing the plaque outside the door.

”Sigh!”

Jian Wushuang sighed inwardly.

What was meant to happen would happen.

He had long noticed that this small world seemed to have countless connections to his past.

Now seeing the statue of Hu Qing confirmed the suspicions in his heart.

He just didn’t know when all this would end.

Just as both were lost in their thoughts, a voice brought them back to reality.

”You two seem very interested in our Bao Guang Temple’s Tongtian Buddha Master!”

A shadow in a black robe, unnoticed until then, stood behind them.

Upon hearing the voice, they both turned to look.

”I am Monk Feng Jue!” The monk in black robes clasped his hands together and lowered his brow slightly.

A black-robed monk!

This attire was rather strange.

Jian Wushuang, well-traveled and knowledgeable, didn’t find it odd but was rather taken aback by the monk’s words.

”Tongtian Buddha Master?” he asked in surprise, ”Is he still alive?”

The black-robed Feng Jue paused, then smiled awkwardly, ”You overestimate our Bao Guang Temple. The Tongtian Buddha Master is the Lord of the Heavens; I, a humble monk, do not know!”

Once again, the heavens.

This time Jian Wushuang gave up and speculated inwardly that this statue was likely an inheritance from the prince consort back then, not from this world.

But why use the title Tongtian Buddha Master?

It was clearly Hu Qing’s statue!

He had many questions in his heart, but the black-robed monk before him couldn’t explain them, so he chose not to ask further.

Beside him, Jiang Shang voiced her own doubts.

”Master Feng Jue, how did you know we were coming to Bao Guang Temple and specifically asked Master Fanchen to bring us here?” Jiang Shang’s eyes showed suspicion.

Jian Wushuang was equally curious and wanted to hear the monk’s explanation.

”There’s no rush. First, you two should go pay respects to the Tongtian Buddha Master!” Feng Jue appeared unhurried, disregarding their expressions, as he walked past them towards the main hall where the statue was enshrined.

Jian Wushuang and the others could only follow along.

He wanted to see what exactly the other party was hiding.

Ever since they arrived in Tai’an City, he felt an indescribable presence surrounding them.

Perhaps he could learn something he wanted to know from Hei Yi Fengjue.

Entering the grand hall of the backyard, a gentle incense filled his mind.

Fengjue took out some incense, handed it over, and then proceeded to light it and bow deeply.

Jiang Shang followed suit.

When it was Jian Wushuang’s turn, he stood still and did not bow.

It wasn’t that he was too proud to bow, but he found it odd.

He was now expected to burn incense for Hu Qing’s image.

Thinking back to when he first met Hu Qing in the great wilderness, he couldn’t help but sigh.

”Why, does Benefactor Wushuang not believe in Buddha?” Hei Yi Fengjue was not surprised and looked at Jian Wushuang with a calm expression.

It didn’t matter if he didn’t bow.

However, Jian Wushuang still forced himself to bow and light a stick of incense.

”I once revered him like a god!” Jian Wushuang’s voice suddenly sounded ancient and weary.

But there was another sentence in his heart.

”He once revered me like a god!”

...

The entire morning, Jian Wushuang and Jiang Shang followed the black-robed monk,

”Fengjue,” around Baoguang Temple.

They walked and chatted.

Until noon, at the earnest invitation of their host, the two left.

On the way back, Jiang Shang asked with a puzzled expression, ”Senior, why were you in such

a hurry to leave? I think Master Fengjue had more to say!”

”If we waited for him to finish, we wouldn’t be able to leave!” Jian Wushuang shook his head silently. ”Don’t think of him as so mysterious. The things he knows are probably learned from the First Floor, pretending to be mysterious in black robes, but there’s nothing special about

him!”

Jiang Shang, who half understood, fell half a step behind him and rolled her eyes.

In her view, Jian Wushuang, this old-fashioned man, had been away from the mundane world for too long. He thought no one was better than him, always with an aloof demeanor.

This was her conclusion after these many days.

Moreover, she often noticed that when Jian Wushuang was with Xiang Yang, he always put on

a look of deep bitterness.

But she didn’t know how frustrated Jian Wushuang felt at that moment.

Especially today, seeing Hu Qing’s image.

Back at the inn.

The two went to their respective rooms.

Jiang Shang was still savoring Master Fengjue’s words from today.

Especially when Master Fengjue mentioned the Jiang Kingdom...

Jian Wushuang was the same.

Except his gains were different from Jiang Shang’s.

First, Master Fengjue subtly told them in many words to leave Tai’an City, or rather, to leave

the Tang Dynasty.

Thinking it over.

Yesterday, he hadn’t revealed much to Zhu Quan.

”How did they notice us?” Jian Wushuang frowned, puzzled.

It was his first time meeting the black-robed monk, and nothing he said to Zhu Quan was

revealing.

Why did a monk from Baoguang Temple take notice of him?

Initially, he was excited, thinking the other party knew his true identity.

Especially when he saw Hu Qing’s image.

And that black robe. At the time, even if Fengjue’s true identity was the Demon Lord Wutian,

he would have believed it.

But the words Fengjue said later were completely mundane.

He only knew from Zhu Quan that he was an ascetic.

But Jiang Shang’s background was unknown to the other party. Considering that he had been investigated, Jiang Shang would certainly not escape either.

After all, it was extremely difficult to erase one’s past identity as a ruler of a country.

It was normal to have her true identity discovered.

”It seems it’s not aimed at me!”

Jian Wushuang stood with his hands behind his back.

After pondering for a moment, he reached a conclusion. Baoguang Temple was not targeting him but Jiang Shang. Otherwise, he couldn’t think of why Fengjue would investigate them.

And today, subtly tell them to leave Tai’an City.

Jiang Shang might not have noticed, but he understood the meaning behind the words.

”Was he trying to warn Jiang Shang?”

Tai’an City was not peaceful.