With the protection of two Divine Transfiguration cultivators, An Hu and the others survived the perils and returned to Kaihuang City safe and sound.

Just as Kaihuang Temple had originally been called Erlitun, Kaihuang City had once been known as Erlitun, a tiny, unremarkable place. Through the efforts of several abbots over successive generations, Erlitun had grown into the substantial city it was today.

Unlike cities in the Great Xia, which were built from bricks and stones, cities in the Buddhist Kingdom generally used thick earthen walls. Weathered by years of wind and sun, their edges had long since been worn smooth, looking like they could crumble at any moment.

In truth, the inner layers of these walls were laid with various arrays for stabilization and defense, ensuring they would stand for a thousand years.

A river ran through Kaihuang City, serving as its sole source of water. It was said to have been diverted there by the abbot, Master Duanchen.

Along the way, Lu Yang also saw many monks with shaved heads and bare shoulders and arms, their skin tanned from the sun. They walked while flipping through scriptures, evidently pious followers. Lu Yang couldn't help but worry about their eyesight.

Entering Kaihuang City, the contrast with Great Xia’s cities felt even starker. There were foreign beauties with golden hair and blue eyes, their figures alluring and their faces veiled; there were snake charmers who could make snakes dance to their tune; and there were fishmongers who placed their knives vertically on the chopping block, pressing fish against the blade to avoid personally killing them.

“Finally, no more sand.” Meng Jingzhou breathed a sigh of relief. The pervasive yellow sand was annoying. The city walls were equipped with sand-repelling arrays, keeping the sand at bay, which was a welcome relief.

But Lu Yang’s mental space was not so fortunate.

Within his mental space, yellow sand was everywhere, forming undulating dunes. A female immortal in golden, foreign attire hummed a melody as she danced, her bare feet leaving a trail of tiny footprints in the sand.

“Immortal Fairy, could you conjure less sand?” Lu Yang shouted at the top of his lungs. He was too far from the Everlasting Immortal Fairy; if he didn’t yell, she wouldn’t hear him.

It wasn’t easy for him to come all the way to the city. Although there was no more sand in the real world, his mental space was now full of it.

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy swayed her hips as she approached him. “This is what I call ‘do as the locals do.’ Look at you and that Meng boy. You’re dressed differently from the locals, so people keep staring at you. Look at me—I don’t attract attention.” 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Lu Yang had long noticed the odd looks from passersby. Just as Buddhist Kingdom monks drew attention when walking through Great Xia, he and Meng Jingzhou were Great Xia citizens and also stood out just as much on these streets. They had wanted to find a secluded spot to change into local attire, but had yet to find an appropriate opportunity.

Lu Yang glanced at the Everlasting Immortal Fairy, who was still dancing. He quickly lowered his head, his cheeks flushing. Immortal Fairy, with how you’re dressed, it’s hard not to attract attention. I don’t even know where to rest my eyes.

“Great masters, would you like to have a seat in our humble home?” An Hu and his companions were deeply grateful to Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou and wished to host them. Without their protection, we would have perished in the jaws of the sand wolves.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou politely declined An Hu’s kind gesture. After inquiring about the location of Kaihuang Temple, they set off to visit it.

“Elder brother, walk faster!”

When Lu Yang reached an intersection, a young girl suddenly ran toward him. Glancing back at her elder brother, she nearly collided with Lu Yang.

Before she could touch him, Lu Yang cast a spell. A gentle wind enveloped the young girl, steadying her so that she neither crashed into him nor fell.

“Sorry, sorry!” The young girl realized she had offended a cultivator and apologized profusely.

At the sight of this, her elder brother quickened his pace. “Sorry. It’s my fault for not keeping an eye on my little sister.”

“Be careful when walking.” Lu Yang didn’t take this incident to heart.

Watching Lu Yang’s and Meng Jingzhou’s retreating figures, the young boy’s eyes flickered with a tinge of wariness. “Great Xia citizens...”

“Strange. Why was that boy so wary of us? And why did he say ‘Great Xia citizens?’” Although Lu Yang was already far away, a Divine Transfiguration cultivator’s hearing was astonishing. The young boy’s murmurs streamed into his ears with perfect clarity.

“Maybe he has never seen Great Xia cultivators before, or maybe one hurt him in the past?” Meng Jingzhou shrugged casually. Neither of them thought much of the young boy.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou ambled across half of Kaihuang City, taking in the local customs and scenery. By the time they reached Kaihuang Temple, it was already evening.

Kaihuang Temple radiated a solemn dignity with red walls, gray tiles, and abundant incense offerings. The bronze censer at the entrance was filled with ash, with a few scattered incense sticks still smoldering.

“Benefactors, the temple is closed to visitors for the day. Please return tomorrow.” A little novice monk at the entrance politely blocked their way.

Lu Yang handed him the letter that Kaihuang Temple had sent him. “Please inform Master Duanchen of our arrival.”

Master Duanchen was Kaihuang Temple’s abbot.

“Alright.”

Before long, an elderly monk with a white beard hurried out of the temple, rapping the novice monk’s head as he walked. “You didn’t even recognize Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, yet you had the nerve to make me look at the letter?”

“Benefactor Lu, Benefactor Meng, your reputations precede you. This humble monk’s dharma name is Duanchen.” Master Duanchen pressed his palms together, his face wreathed in smiles. He had sent the invitation on a whim, never expecting that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou would actually come.

“So you are Master Duanchen.” The two pressed their palms together in return.

“Please enter, fellow Daoists.” Master Duanchen gestured for them to come inside the temple.

The monks following behind Master Duanchen were all eager to squeeze their way to the front to catch a glimpse of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou; the shorter ones stood on tiptoes.

“Benefactors, I didn’t expect you to arrive so early. If our hospitality falls short due to haste, please forgive us.” With the Buddha Bathing Festival still two months away, Master Duanchen had assumed that even if the two decided to come, they wouldn’t arrive this early.

But this is a good thing. Their early arrival gave Kaihuang Temple more time to spread the news that the two were attending the Buddha Bathing Festival. It will surely draw many unexpected cultivators and make the festival all the livelier.

“No matter, no matter. We were concerned that accidents on the road would delay us, so we set out early.”

“You jest, benefactors. With your cultivation levels, you could establish your own sects in Great Xia. What accidents could possibly befall you?”

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou smiled but said nothing.

Lu Yang steered the conversation away. “I heard Kaihuang City was originally called Erlitun and that it was through your esteemed temple’s persistent efforts that the city grew to its present size. Such a great merit is admirable.”

Master Duanchen waved his hand dismissively. “It’s not a great merit of mine. One of our former abbots happened to be the illegitimate son of an eminent monk from Xitian[1] Temple. That eminent monk wanted his illegitimate son to live well, so he secretly supported our temple over the years, helping us to reach our current scale. We owe it all to the blessings of those who came before.

“Later, when that eminent monk passed into parinirvana, he left behind many śarīra relics. The abbot at the time went to Xitian Temple to claim the relics and was never heard from again.

1. In Buddhism, Xitian refers to the Western Paradise—a blissful, peaceful realm. ☜