Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

There are two relatively famous temples in Xuzhou.

One is the Cui Fujun Temple located north of Xuzhou, and the other is the Dayunming Temple located in the Guanxiang area.

This year's Dragon Boat Festival temple fair was mainly held at the Cui Fujun Temple.

After all, the Cui Fujun Temple is not far from the commercial district of Xuzhou, with convenient transportation and a large flow of people.

Holidays that are not public holidays are bound to be relatively grand.

As Gao Yuan walked along the road, the streets were bustling with people, and the cries of vendors selling willow branches, sunflowers, and knotweed rose and fell. Every household had hung peach branches and mugwort.

Arriving at the entrance of Baibu Street near Cui Fujun Temple, the entire street is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations from the outside to the end.

The two were swept away by the bustling crowd.

From zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) to hairpins and small drum ornaments, there are so many items that it's dazzling, and the whole street is filled with the aroma of various snacks.

The temple fair was described as a place where "people thronged like a tide, laughter reached the clouds, stalls were overflowing with goods, and people sang and danced."

There's a wonton stall not far ahead.

Gao Yuan had just finished practicing his skills and was exhausted. When he saw someone getting up to pay the bill, he pulled Shi Tou down to sit down without waiting for the waiter to clear the table.

"Shopkeeper, two bowls of wontons, please."

"Alright, please wait a moment, gentlemen, it'll be right there!"

The shop owner was an elderly man who stood bent over in front of his stall, lifting the lid of the pot so that steam rose up, and then tossing the wontons into the hot soup. The young woman was helping to carry the bowls and do odd jobs.

"Hey! Hey!..."

At that moment, a loud gong was heard.

Gao Yuan stood up and looked around. He saw that the pedestrians at the street corner were in a commotion. They dispersed without anyone having to direct them, making way for each other.

Twenty or thirty burly men lined up in front and behind, using ropes to lift several large dragon boats slowly towards the Bian River.

"What a grand display..."

Not far from the dragon boat, there was a procession carrying a shrine.

There are two statues of gods on the shrine.

One is a local dragon god, while the other is veiled in white and cannot be seen clearly.

Gao Yuan knew that the Dragon Boat Festival temple fair did indeed have special customs of worshipping the Dragon God and Qu Yuan, including offering thanks to the gods, entertaining the gods, and praying to the gods.

The statue of the deity was carried by more than a dozen people, and compared to the dragon boat procession, it had dozens more people escorting and clearing the way.

Wherever he went, countless people bowed in reverence, and many even knelt down.

"May the Dragon King bless my entire family with good health and freedom from disaster. I am willing to burn incense and kowtow in gratitude every day."

"Burning mugwort and hanging calamus swords, I pray that the Dragon God will drive away the five poisons and protect my home from harm."

There were temple keepers dressed as temple keepers, carrying prayer boxes. Countless people rushed forward, throwing coins or cloth, ranging from a few coins to hundreds of coins. Poor families also offered rice, flour, and other real items.

In addition, His Majesty has his own deacons to collect the offerings thrown by the people.

"May the sacred fire shine brightly, and may the fire god cleanse away all impurities, protecting my family with peace and prosperity throughout the year..."

"Hmm, Vulcan?"

As the procession passed the wonton stall, cheers came from afar, and amidst the clamor, Gao Yuan heard a blessing different from those of the others.

The Dragon Boat Festival is usually about worshipping the Dragon God and Qu Yuan, so why is someone worshipping the Fire God?

"No, the statue is wrong..."

A gentle breeze stirred the white veil, faintly revealing another statue on the altar. Inside, there was nothing but a small shrine.

Inside the shrine was a fire altar, containing some kind of fuel, and burning with a blue flame.

The flame was small and wouldn't ignite the white veil of the shrine.

"Offering fire to the gods, a form of Zoroastrianism?"

Gao Yuan glanced at it once and then looked away.

"Good heavens, Xuzhou is the capital of a prefecture! Not to mention the government, the Beggars' Sect also has a fairly large branch here. Are we really going to cause trouble right under their noses?"

Gao Yuan had firsthand experience with the Zoroastrian style of doing things; they didn't seem like good people at all.

He hurriedly sat down, pretending to eat wontons, but actually thinking about how the Zoroastrians' plot to revolt in Teng County had been exposed, their garrison map had been lost, and the significance of their advance instead of retreating. His thoughts were racing.

Suddenly, his muscles tensed up, a subtle pressure, as if an invisible gaze was piercing through him.

He waited a few moments, until the patrol team had gone far away, and then looked in the direction of the restless crowd.

Among the procession were several people dressed in masquerade costumes, playing the roles of gods, Buddhas, ghosts, and monsters.

Their exaggerated appearance, with their masks and glaring eyes, was intended to intimidate the "plague demons" with their imposing presence.

Who's watching me?

Gao Yuan was restless, but a cool breeze emanated from the jade pendant on his chest, which calmed him down again.

is her?

As the procession entered the street corner, Gao Yuan noticed a person dressed as a deity or Buddha carrying a long sword.

A bronze ornament with cloud-shaped symbols is prominently inlaid at the end of the sword hilt.

—It was held by Tan Qing, a sorcerer of the Zoroastrian sect, in the Tengxian Mountain God Temple that day.

They've come to Xuzhou too?

Gao Yuan was terrified, wondering if Tan Qing had recognized him.

No, she didn't recognize herself.

The glance that swept over him was fleeting and contained no murderous intent.

Moreover, he was facing away from the honor guard at the time.

But... we must be careful, Fan Bailing is not in Xuzhou right now.

Gao Yuan frowned in thought, watching the procession disappear into the distance.

When Shi Tou looked up, he slapped a few copper coins on the table: "Shopkeeper, check please."

Then he turned and left with the stone.

The Zoroastrian cult's arrival in Xuzhou suggests there's something fishy going on behind the scenes. As long as Tan Qing and his group don't cause him trouble, he doesn't want to get involved at all.

Next, they avoided the parade procession and strolled around another street in the temple fair area.

The Xuzhou temple fair is very large, covering more than just one street. Although it's not as lively as the main street, there are still quite a few people.

Not only did people from the counties under Xuzhou's jurisdiction come, but there were also many江湖人士 (jianghu figures, people from the martial arts world) among them.

……

On the other side, in the street patrol team.

The man wearing a ghost mask taunted, "Tan Qing, what were you staring at the boy at the wonton stall for? Has your taste changed? Hehe."

Tan Qing, wearing a mask of gods and Buddhas, sneered: "Guo Jie, long time no see. I didn't expect you to still have such foul breath."

"It just looks somewhat familiar."

She stared intently, lost in thought, then her tone shifted, revealing a hint of schadenfreude.

"As for you, Master Guo, you almost had your martial arts crippled by the Dharma King when the map of Teng County was lost last time. If you make another mistake, you will be punished for both crimes, and you will have no choice but to atone with your death."

"You bastard!"

Guo Jie's gaze almost pierced through Tan Qing: "Stop trying to intimidate me with old grievances! You bear a share of the responsibility for what happened in Teng County..."

He deliberately dragged out the last syllable: "Unfortunately, unlike you, who has a wild man as a backer and can break the rules time and time again without any consequences."

Speaking of what happened last time, Guo Jie felt very aggrieved. They were assigned the mission together, but he was the only one who got the blame.

"you……"

Tan Qing was furious and secretly tried to insert a silver needle into his sleeve, but Guo Jie grabbed his pulse point.

"If you're so capable, go and say it to the Wheel Monk. What kind of nonsense is this, running wild here?"

With his vital point seized, Tan Qing had no choice but to put away the silver needles. A cold smile crept up his face behind his mask, but his peripheral vision was fixed on the gray-clad old man at the head of the procession.

The Golden Wheel Master is a subordinate of the Yan Dharma King, and is not part of her faction. He is known for his strict adherence to religious rules, and if he were to clash with Guo Jie, he would certainly not side with her.

Besides... her martial arts skills are indeed inferior to Guo Jie's, and if she doesn't use a sneak attack, she might suffer a loss.

"Fine, Guo, I'll let you be arrogant, but don't forget, you're currently a criminal under investigation. If anything goes wrong while you're with the Wheel Master... humph."

How could Guo Jie not hear the threat and mockery in her words?

Although both were in the Holy Church, they were the only two candidates to become the next Wheel Master of the Drywood Wheel. On the surface, neither could do anything to the other, but behind the scenes, they fought fiercely.

He didn't believe that no one was behind the leak of the layout plan last time.

"Tan Qing, Fan Bailing, how dare you ruin my plans..."

Thinking of this, he became even more furious, his eyes gleaming red.

……