The so-called chat, of course, could not be a straightforward visit. It had to be conducted in secret, away from prying eyes. Any trace of it would be thoroughly hidden, with all critical clues hidden from sight.0

Zhao Changhe felt a flicker of nostalgia for his days wandering the jianghu. Like a shadow in the night, he slipped over the rear wall of the temple, his figure vanishing into the shadows of the rear hall.0

Outside, the temple fair was winding down.0

While Da Zhou had mentioned that smaller gatherings had been frequent lately, this grand event for the Laba Festival was clearly the largest public celebration since Buddhism’s resurgence. The temple had spared no effort, deploying monks to maintain order and ensure safety. Any disruption here could deal a devastating blow to Buddhism’s revival efforts.0

Inside the hall, the abbot, Master Yuan Cheng, sat cross-legged, chanting sutras with closed eyes. In reality, he was employing a secret technique to extend his senses, monitoring the area within several li for any disturbances.0

Unfortunately for him, his cultivation, only enough to be in the middle of the Ranking of Earth, was no match for Zhao Changhe’s...0