Chapter 67: The Temple Archives.
Narrator's POV
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Temple Archives
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The group followed Xiao Lu out of the armory and into another building hidden deeper within the temple grounds.
As the heavy cedar doors creaked open, a cool breeze carrying the scent of aged paper, polished wood, dried herbs, and lingering sandalwood incense greeted them. The bustle of the outside world seemed to vanish the moment they stepped inside, replaced by a silence so profound that even the sound of their own footsteps felt almost disrespectful.
Before them stretched the temple archives.
Towering bookshelves of dark oak rose from floor to ceiling like an endless forest, each shelf packed with countless bamboo slips, weathered scrolls, bound manuscripts, and ancient tomes carefully arranged according to age and discipline.
Dust motes drifted lazily through narrow beams of sunlight that slipped in through the high lattice windows, giving the room an almost dreamlike glow.
