苏州哪里有站小巷的

Five years later.

“Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!”

“Howl!!!”

In the wilderness, darkness enveloped everything, punctuated only by the shrieking of night owls and the howling of wolves.

Just then, within the darkness, a flickering light appeared, trembling as it approached.

“Whoosh!”

A gust of wind howled past, causing the light to flicker unsteadily, revealing the silhouette of a frail figure.

It was a scholar, donning a long robe and a square scarf on his head, carrying a bamboo scroll case wrapped in white cloth on his back. His features were handsome, but his frame was delicate, appearing quite incapable of even trapping a chicken.

Clutching a lantern, he walked through the forest with trembling hands, his pace frantic. The wolves’ howling from all directions filled him with terror, spurring him to quicken his steps, but his trembling legs only slowed him down.

“Howl!!!”

At that moment, a chilling chorus of howls surrounded him, and the dark forest stirred, casting a few pairs of ghastly green eyes in his direction.

“!!!”

The scholar’s face paled, his body shook, and he somehow found the strength to scramble forward in a frenzied flight.

He ran for an indeterminate time, and even as his lantern went out, the scholar dared not stop.

Suddenly…

“Bang!”

He crashed to the ground with a loud noise, panic-stricken as he looked ahead to see what he had collided with.

There, under the sparse moonlight and within the gloomy tree shadows, stood a lone figure.

It was… a man, a young man. His posture was tall and straight, like a pine or a sword, his stature large but not bulky. Clad in a cyan gown, he exuded an air of detachment from worldly concerns, as if he were beyond the ordinary realm.

He stood there, and for a moment, the horror and gloom that pervaded the wilderness and dark forest seemed to retreat like a receding tide. The sharp, howling wind and the lingering, spine-chilling howls all fell silent.

Seeing this, the terrified scholar calmed down, struggled to his feet, tidied his disheveled clothes, and bowed to the other man. “My name is Ning Caichen. May I ask for your honored name, sir?”

As he spoke, his eyes darted around, taking in the other’s appearance.

Under the cold moonlight, the man’s figure and face were illuminated – with eyebrows like drawn swords and eyes like stars, he seemed both cultured and stalwart, suggesting both a scholar and a chivalrous swordsman, yet he carried no sword with him.

“Thank goodness, thank goodness. With such an appearance and bearing, it’s impossible for him to be a bandit or a thief.”

Assured by the other’s extraordinary demeanor, Ning Caichen felt more at ease.

The man also looked at him. “Ning Caichen?”

“Ha!”

Upon hearing this, the man gave a light chuckle and said, “My surname is Li, and my given name is Qinshan, from Qin River.”

“Li Qing Shan?”

Ning Caichen murmured, feeling as though he had heard the name before.

But he could not recall where, and so he just bowed and said, “So you are Brother Li, please forgive my rudeness!”

After speaking, he sized up the other man. “Brother Li, you are from Qin River?”

The man nodded with a light smile, “Indeed.”

“Qin River lies within Guanzhong!”

“Traveling such a long distance, what brings you here?”

Ning Caichen, looking surprised, asked, “Could it be that Brother Li also seeks to study at the Guo Bei Academy?”

“Guo Bei Academy?”

Hearing this, the man smiled again. “Something like that.”

“If that’s the case, we should travel together.”

At this, Ning Caichen was overjoyed and quickly suggested.

“I am from Zhejiang, living in Jiaxing, and I also wish to study at Guo Bei Academy. Unfortunately, the journey has drained my funds, and I cannot afford the city’s expenses. I’ve heard of a temple here that generously takes in travelers, so I sought shelter, and now I’ve had the good fortune to meet you. What a stroke of luck.”

“Oh?”

The man smiled, looking him over. “Where did you hear about it?”

“Why, in Suzhou City, of course.”

Ning Caichen looked puzzled. “You didn’t come from Suzhou City?”

The man shook his head with a smile. “I came from somewhere else.”

“Is that so?”

Ning Caichen didn’t dwell on it. “No matter where we come from, meeting here must be fate. It’s getting late, not a good time to travel. Brother Li, shall we head to the temple ahead to seek lodging for the night?”

With those words, he expressed genuine warmth.

Such an attitude was not strange. After all, in such desolate places, if one could find companionship, it was a blessing most would eagerly welcome.

Furthermore, the newcomer had an impressive demeanor, suggesting he possessed both scholarly knowledge and martial skill, which greatly increased the feeling of security. Facing him, not just a few wolves, but even encountering bandits seemed manageable.

“That sounds good,”

the man responded, not rejecting the offer. “Let’s go.”

“Let me light the lantern to guide our way!”

Ning Caichen, filled with joy, took out a flint and rekindled the lantern.

“Whoo!!!”

As soon as the lantern was lit, a prolonged howl echoed around them, and the biting wind howled, making Ning Caichen, in his thin clothes, shiver uncontrollably.

Looking at Brother Li beside him, who wore only a thin robe yet seemed unfazed by the cold, Ning Caichen felt a pang of envy. His humble background didn’t allow for learning such martial arts.

The two of them traveled together, walking forward.

After some time, a pile of rubble suddenly appeared in front of them.

Upon closer inspection, they discovered that it was the mountain gate of a temple—the years had not been kind to the gate tower, which had collapsed, leaving only a single, damaged stele still standing, its surface eroded by wind and rain, with three dark red characters emblazoned on it — Orchid Temple!

From there, they lifted their gaze upwards and saw an ancient temple laid out along the stone stairway, shrouded in the boundless darkness. Under the sparse, cold moonlight, a circle of dilapidated and rotten contours was faintly illuminated, its abandonment of unknown duration.

“This…”

“Orchid Temple?”

Ning Caichen stepped forward, holding the lantern to illuminate the stele, and looked at the temple’s name, feeling a bit strange: “Orchid Temple, Orchid Temple… Who would name a temple Orchid Temple?”

“Wouldn’t that be like naming a person ‘Person’ and a city ‘City’?”

“Odd indeed, odd indeed!”

Ning Caichen shook his head, turned back, and asked, “Brother Li, what do you think?”

Xu Yang smiled, his expression unchanged: “The world is so vast, nothing is too strange. A temple named Orchid is not that odd.”

“That’s true.”

Ning Caichen nodded, not dwelling on it too much, and simply lifted the lantern higher, casting light forward…

“Has this temple been abandoned?”

Ning Caichen frowned deeply but soon relaxed his brows, turned back to Xu Yang, and said, “Since it’s an abandoned temple, then surely there are no monks inside. We need not announce ourselves and can just go in. I wonder if it’s still habitable.”

Xu Yang smiled, “We’ll see when we take a look.”

With that, he took the lead and walked ahead.

“Brother Li, wait for me!”

Ning Caichen hurried to follow.

As the two approached the ancient temple, the sparse, chilly moonlight illuminated discarded stone lanterns and ruined Buddha statues along the way, as well as two figures of wrathful guardians whose originally majestic and intimidating poses took on an extra ghastly horror in this eerie and dark environment, radiating a sense of warning.

However, neither of them felt any fear. Xu Yang said nothing, and even Ning Caichen wasn’t scared.

After all, he was a scholar who believed in the saying ‘Confucius did not speak of strange powers or chaos from spirits,’ a principle taught in countless sages’ books that he had committed to heart. He dismissed talk of ghosts and spirits, seeing these just as statues.

The two treaded the stone steps, passed through the mountain gate, and entered the temple.

As soon as they crossed the threshold of the temple, they saw that the main hall in front was brightly lit, with the sound of voices faintly coming from within.

“There are people here?”

Ning Caichen was surprised and looked at Xu Yang.

Xu Yang’s expression remained unchanged, and he silently pressed on.

When they arrived at the entrance, they saw the main hall aglow with light, with many candlesticks already lit.

There was also a bonfire in the center, around which sat several groups of people, some dressed in brocaded clothes, some in plain blue robes, apparently a few wealthy young masters and young scholars, accompanied by three distinctively styled ladies.

“So many people?”

Seeing this, Ning Caichen was taken aback.

“Eh?”

“Another guest has arrived?”

In the main hall, the group of people noticed him, and immediately someone raised a hand: “Are you looking for lodging, brother?”

“This…”

Ning Caichen felt uneasy and glanced at Xu Yang beside him. Seeing no particular reaction from him, he then stepped forward to join the conversation: “My name is Ning Caichen. I greet all the gentlemen here, as well as the three young ladies.”

After saying this, he bowed respectfully to everyone.

This polite demeanor immediately garnered much goodwill.

Straightaway, someone approached and grasped his wrist warmly, “So you are Brother Ning. What a wonderful coincidence tonight, please, have a seat.”

After saying this, he led him to sit next to the bonfire and began introducing the others around.

“My surname is Feng, a gentleman from Guangling!”

“This is Young Master Chu!”

“Brother Chu has his residence in Jiangning, hailing from a noble lineage!”

“This is Brother Gao from Songjiang.”

“This gentleman is Brother Xie, who lives in Hangzhou.”

“And this is Brother Zhu.”

After introducing the young masters and scholars, Feng Sheng then turned towards the three styles-varying ladies, his eyes revealing a hint of infatuation, before he went on to say, “This is Miss Nie, a lady from a distinguished family, truly a refined young miss. And these two are her sisters, Miss Qing and Miss Die.”

Listening to Feng Sheng’s introductions, Ning Caichen felt that something was off, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was and could only reply courteously: “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Brother Feng, Brother Chu, Brother Gao, Brother Xie, Brother Zhu. I am Ning Caichen, pleased to meet all the gentlemen here, and also…”

Having said that, he glanced at the three women, noticing that the young woman in the center was exceptionally graceful and clearly a young miss from a high-status family, far surpassing the two gorgeous attendants on either side with her delicate and pitiable beauty.

Yet, as he was not one to lust, his demeanor remained solemn and respectful: “I greet the three young ladies!”

“You can just call me Xiao Qian, young master.”

The young woman smiled captivatingly, her words tender and touching. Without a hint of seductiveness, she nonetheless enchanted several of the commendably vigorous young men, leaving them spellbound.

Upon seeing this, Ning Caichen’s brow furrowed; he felt they had missed something important.

What had they missed?

After thinking for a moment, Ning Caichen quickly realized and turned around, calling out, “Brother Li, come over here!”

“Brother Li?”

The crowd was taken aback, confusedly looking at Ning Caichen.