Down in the south, near the Yangtze River, a cluster of dilapidated temples stood in the distance as Yongzheng carried Xue Horan toward them. The abandoned buildings had been left to ruin by nature. As the two odd friends walked down the old street, a beggar would occasionally peek out, checking to see who had returned.
Yongzheng carried Xue Horan to the last, most ramshackle building—half of its roof was gone. Everything inside was old, and the remaining roof looked ready to collapse. Dead vegetation surrounded the four buildings of the temple compound. Yongzheng took Xue Horan to the first building on the left of the main entrance, gently settling him onto a straw mat in the corner.
Xue Horan immediately noticed that Yongzheng wasn't the only person living here; four other beggars also occupied the building.
Yongzheng instructed him. "You stay here, and I will fetch water."
Xue Horan nodded. He watched Yongzheng walk out the door, only to find the four beggars staring intently at him. Feeling uneasy, he quickly pulled his bag and the packed food closer, his right hand gripping his sword tightly.
Beggar Li walked up to Xue Horan; his eyes fixed on the food. "Is the little guy sharing that food with us?" he asked, his voice rough.
Xue Horan replied evenly, "This food doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Yongzheng ge."
Beggar Li dismissed this. "He always shares with us. He doesn't mind." He reached out for the package.
Xue Horan quickly grabbed the food and sat back, shielding it. "Like I said, this is not mine, and I have no right to give it to anyone. If you want, you can ask him when he comes back."
Beggar Li's gaze lingered on Xue Horan's delicate features: his long eyelashes and smooth skin. He grabbed Xue Horan's left hand, but Xue Horan instantly yanked it back.
Beggar Li smirked, his tone now taunting. "Are you really a man? Or a woman in disguise?"
Xue Horan responded, his voice strained. "I am a man."
Beggar Li looked at the other three beggars, his smile turning cruel. "Everyone, come and help me see if this beauty is really a man."
The three beggars hesitated for a moment, then two young beggars walked toward Xue Horan. Xue Horan tried to stand up, but his sprained ankle failed him, and he fell heavily to the ground. The two beggars hurriedly pounced, pressing him down by his stomach.
Xue Horan yelled, struggling furiously, "Let go of me!"
Beggar Li smiled and crouched over him. "Let me see what's under this dress." He stretched a hand to Xue Horan's chest. "No breasts... You must be a man." He bent down toward Xue Horan's right ear. "On the contrary, I have never tried..." He licked Xue Horan's right ear, his breath foul.
In a burst of pure desperation and rage, Xue Horan suddenly wrenched his right hand free from the beggar's grasp and violently elbowed Beggar Li hard in the cheek. The sudden attack made Beggar Li stagger back. The beggar holding Xue Horan's left hand quickly let go, startled. Xue Horan seized the momentary freedom, quickly spun around, and punched Beggar Li in the left chest, sending him flying backward toward the door. Xue Horan pushed himself up from the straw mat, grabbed his sword, and swung the hilt forcefully, striking another beggar. He glared angrily at the three remaining men.
Beggar Li slowly got up, his lower lip stinging. He touched his mouth and saw blood dripping from the corner of his lips; his lip was torn. He angrily glared at Xue Horan. "How dare you hit me? You..."
Before he could finish, he felt his neck being violently grabbed. He suddenly went flying from the doorway toward the older beggar in the corner. He looked up at the door and saw Yongzheng walking toward Xue Horan with a wooden barrel.
Yongzheng put down the barrel and asked, his voice calm but firm, "Are you okay?"
Xue Horan replied, "Yes..." He looked at Beggar Li, who had retreated like a defeated dog. "He wanted some food, but I told him it wasn't mine. He had to wait for you, but he refused."
Yongzheng's eyes hardened as he asked, "Did he hurt you?"
Xue Horan blushed, suddenly feeling shy about the assault. "No, but he wanted to take off my clothes to see if I am a man or a woman." He quickly grabbed Yongzheng's arm, preventing him from walking over to Beggar Li. "Yongzheng ge, it's alright." He smiled innocently. "Fortunately, I am a man. Let us forget it."
Yongzheng murmured, a look of self-reproach crossing his face. "I'm sorry. Knowing that Li ge is here, I shouldn't have left you here alone."
Xue Horan smiled brightly. "I am not weak. I know how to protect myself."
Yongzheng watched as Xue Horan washed his hands and innocently began to open the food package. He knew that traveling to the Central Plains was fraught with danger, and it was deeply unsuitable for someone like Xue Horan, who still believed everyone was as kind as he was. Xue Horan didn't even know how to keep his guard up to protect himself. He chuckled silently, realizing Xue Horan was far too naive for a martial arts world full of tricks and dangers. He genuinely wondered how Xue Horan had survived until now.
Yongzheng and Xue Horan ate, sharing their food with the four beggars in the building. As they finished, it began to rain heavily, and a man and a woman rushed into the dilapidated building seeking shelter.
The woman looked around the dilapidated temple and found a corner on the same side as Yongzheng and Xue Horan. She helped the man down; he was coughing heavily. She then walked over to the two friends, studied them for a moment, and asked, "Can I drink some water?"
Yongzheng immediately grabbed the wooden pitcher, filled it with water, and handed it to her. The woman took the pitcher, but before drinking, she took out a silver needle and discreetly tested the water. Satisfied, she walked back to the man and held the water for him.
After the man drank, the woman took a drink herself. She returned the pitcher to Yongzheng, smiling faintly. "Thank you." She walked back, sitting close beside the man.
Then, a new figure appeared: another woman walked into the building. She didn't fully enter but stood at the front door, looking inside as if searching for someone specific.
A man followed her in and said, "Chief Suo, this is the least populated out of the four buildings."
Suo Dongmei addressed the occupants. "Gentlemen, if you don't mind, we will stay with you tonight. If it weren't raining, we wouldn't bother you."
The man accompanying her then walked around, giving each beggar ten liangs. When he arrived in front of Yongzheng and Xue Horan, Yongzheng refused to accept the money.
Yongzheng explained. "This temple is not mine, so I have no reason to take your money."
The man walked back to Suo Dongmei. "Chief Suo, the two people over there," he pointed to Yongzheng and Horan, "They refuse to accept the money."
Suo Dongmei dismissed the concern. "Let them be, and don't disturb anyone. Everyone must remember our mission." Suo Dongmei stepped fully into the building. She noticed that the man and woman sitting in the corner did not look up at them. She smiled, then walked back out the door. "Get ready."
Ten people quickly positioned themselves behind Suo Dongmei and drew their swords.
Suo Dongmei pulled out her own sword and pointed it at the corner where the refugees sat. She ordered, her voice sharp and cold, "Kill Wang Biming and Miao Mingzhu!"
The rush of thirteen people through the temple's broken entryway didn't just bring sound; it brought a sudden eclipse of the evening light. Dust motes, disturbed from centuries of undisturbed sleep, rose in golden clouds, making the air thick and choking. The sun, high and harsh, streamed through the gaping holes in the roof and the massive, shattered windows, illuminating the ruin in stark, merciless clarity. There was no hiding in shadow here—every detail of the confrontation was laid bare.
At the far corner, beneath a crumbling, moss-slicked altar, sat Wang Biming and Miao Mingzhu. They were exposed, trapped between the ancient, crumbling stone and the human wave advancing on them.