After leaving Master Ning An's room, he led the way out of the back door of the Daoist temple, which opened onto a lush grove.
When they came across a small mound of earth, Master Ning An bowed to them and said, "This is the tomb of Daoist Taiping, Zhang Sheng."
Lin Jiaojiao examined the tomb before her. Clearly, it had been tended for a long time, as the grass atop the mound was sparse. Oddly enough, there was a locust tree growing behind the tomb!
The tree's growth was lush and unusual. Its green leaves swayed in the breeze, and its branches grew towards the tomb of Zhang Sheng.
More bizarre was the location of the tree—it seemed to have been planted precisely to shield the tomb from wind and rain.
Alternatively, the locust tree might have grown there on its own.
She looked at Master Ning An and asked, "Did this locust tree grow on its own? Why wasn't it uprooted?"
