Who gave you permission to travel through time with Earth?

Li Chao, went to Beijing.

As September approached, the world was bleak and desolate. Large swathes of fiery red maple forests were planted on the open ground outside the capital city. When the wind blew, the maple leaves covered the ground and streams, leaving no room for any other color in the eyes.

Leaving through the south gate, one is greeted by this sea of ​​fiery red maple trees. Merchants in the past often had to pass through this scenery before they could officially leave the capital and enter the chaotic and unpredictable world of the south.

Nestled among the maple trees, a single inn guards the passageway. The four-story log cabin is a charming spot, nestled against the mountain and beside the water, with a stream dyed red by the maple leaves flowing behind it.

A few tea tables and stalls were set up in front of the inn. For just a couple of extra coins, you could buy brown sugar tea with dried longan. Drinking a bowl of this in late autumn would warm you up from the inside out several times over...

"..."

As for why he was talking nonsense, it was because that was all Fang Jin's impression of the capital city, nothing more. For nearly two weeks after the Buddhist persecution, he had been forced to stay in this inn outside the city.

The commander guarding the city refused him entry, without saying who had instructed him to do so. He simply stated that the laws of Dali clearly stipulated that troops entering the capital must be stationed twenty li outside the city and were not allowed to enter the city without an imperial edict.

Fang Jin almost burst out laughing. The entire Jinxiu Army was wiped out, leaving only one survivor. Could he, a single person, be considered an entire army? And must he also obey military orders that were aimed at a million-strong army?

...Well, to be honest, it sounds pretty good when you say it like that, so Fang Jin chose to accept it.

At this moment, Fang Jin was sitting at the outermost tea table, drinking brown sugar tea, picking a few peanuts, peeling them and stuffing them into his mouth, looking idly in the direction of the capital, quite leisurely for the first time.

The shopkeepers next door served them carefully, doing only small things like adding water and food, but they did it with extra care, not daring to slack off in the slightest...

This wasn't because of Fang Jin's status as a centurion, but because their shop was a shady business. Familiar customers knew that if they spent a couple more coins to order dried longan, the shopkeeper wouldn't poison it or use any other tricks.

Conversely, there are those naive youngsters who don't know the rules and wander around freely. Even though the capital is just around the corner, shopkeepers dare to drug them and make them into human flesh buns, and they've been doing this for many years.

But by sheer coincidence, they ran into Fang Jin this time. The latter had drunk several bowls of wine that day because he was in a bad mood. Logically speaking, the dosage was enough to incapacitate an elephant, but he still had a burning gaze and remained expressionless.

"...Master...Master!"

This is a fucking master! Even if he's a master with very little experience in the martial arts world... he's still a master! The boss immediately brought his whole family to Fang Jin, who was a little confused, and they all knelt down to explain the reason.

"..."

Fang Jin subconsciously took two more sips. He had thought the shopkeeper was generous and had added some rice wine with alcohol content, which made him feel a little lightheaded... Turns out it was a sleeping potion.

Fang Jin was actually quite satisfied... She felt that there had to be similar classic scenes for this trip to the martial arts world to be considered complete and enjoyable.

Aside from this unexpected incident, the past two weeks have been peaceful. He's been drinking tea, chatting, and admiring the maple leaves and seascape, occasionally sampling the sleeping potions from this shady shop, and casually buying a dozen packets as a liquor addict.

After all, not only did he not issue any orders, but no one in the capital even sent him a message. This included his own family, surnamed Fang. It was as if the entire Li Dynasty had forgotten that he even existed.

It was quite obvious that the matter of Buddhism could not be faded away so easily. Many forces had witnessed the existence of the poisonous miasma and the Buddhist nun that day, and the Zhou family of the Li Dynasty would definitely not be able to suppress the spread of such news.

Therefore, Fang Jin could only try to find out some information on his own.

"Master... we still haven't received any intelligence from inside the palace today. Most of the people who use the south gate route are just wandering merchants and peddlers. Their identity documents can't even get them into the inner city, let alone gather any information."

"Ordinary people are also ignorant. They only know that the Jinxiu Army suffered a defeat and most of its soldiers died. But their knowledge and understanding of Buddhist statues and Buddhism are probably not even rumors."

Beside him, the innkeeper spoke in a low voice while pouring tea, his hand gripping the teapot handle trembling slightly, clearly ashamed of his negligence... probably.

He was Fang Jin's source of information. Being able to work at a human skin shop right at the heart of the capital meant he must have some useful connections both inside and outside the city, so getting basic information shouldn't be a problem.

...In this respect, Fang Jin is quite experienced.

"...I see."

"Anything else?"

As she spoke, Fang Jin stuck a small clump of flesh-like substance to the bottom of the silver coin and slammed it heavily on the table. The shopkeeper immediately beamed and shoved the silver coin into his pocket, his hand holding the teapot handle becoming much steadier.

Those are Blood Demon petals... torn off pieces of flesh. This consumable item, obtained from the Beast Dungeon, has a powerful healing effect on living beings. At this moment, Fang Jin is using it as a sweet treat to win people's hearts.

After all, martial artists in this world have been training their muscles and bones and honing their inner energy since childhood. In addition, they inevitably get into disputes with others when they travel the martial arts world, so they all have hidden injuries in their bodies to varying degrees.

Not only do hidden injuries cause pain, but they are also a major obstacle to refining Qi and breaking through barriers. Therefore, these "flesh Ganoderma lucidum" that can heal hidden injuries are undoubtedly a precious medicine more valuable than gold in their eyes.

"Of course, of course there are more."

Having received both the stick and the sweet treat, the boss immediately displayed remarkable professionalism, even speaking with a touch of pride, exchanging stacks of sugared tea and peanuts.

"Since we can't get any information from these noblemen, let's try a different approach. Let's contact their servants and attendants, and also inquire about the accountants and stewards in charge of money and provisions. There's always a way to get around that."

"The result was... nothing at all. Even the residence of a third-rank official showed no signs of abnormality. He continued to eat and drink as usual, showing no signs of preparation or tension for two weeks."

This wasn't because the innkeeper was being lazy. The fact that the reactions of the officials in the capital to the suppression of Buddhism were exactly the same as those of ordinary people was enough to explain the situation. Clearly, the inside information was being kept very well hidden by the Zhou family.

"Furthermore... the mansions of several important figures have been completely abandoned, their servants dismissed and their families gone. Yesterday, a group of death row inmates were secretly beheaded at Caishikou... and all of them were covered and collected in sacks."

"..."

"The high-ranking officials from the capital who accompanied the delegation that day...were all executed by the Zhou family? Is the Li Dynasty royal family really going to such lengths to block the spread of the news, even resorting to such ruthless measures?"

Fang Jin couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. This was somewhat unexpected. Li Chao's actions were nothing more than self-deception. After all, the matter of the nunnery had been seen by too many people, and it was only a matter of time before it spread.

Even with their rampant killings and disruptions, the most they can do is postpone the complete uproar in the martial arts world towards Buddhism for a few days.

"...What do they need these mere few days for?"