Unaware of the spring grass dreams at the pond, the phoenix trees in front of the steps have already begun to sound autumn's arrival.
After returning to his small courtyard that day, he recounted the plan discussed with Yungshou Zhenren and others to lure the thieves into the cave, the "poisoning" date, and the location of the high-level members, including Yungshou Zhenren, in the rear courtyard of Xuanzhen Temple.
He wrote this using coded language and placed it back in the rock crevice at Guanyun Platform on the east side of the dense forest.
Three days later, he received a message from Daoist Guanzhi, inscribed with the agreed-upon code in the rock crevice, indicating his acknowledgment of the matter and that he would act according to the plan.
Time flew by, and as the ninth day of September approached, everyone in Xuanzhen Temple, led by the three masters, became busy once again.
The Jingzao Hall was responsible for the main officiants and auxiliary priests for the grand ritual ceremony, making lists of the lay practitioners attending the ceremony, checking the inventory of ritual implements and banners in the storeroom, and calculating the expenses for the event.
The Wufang Hall recalled all the patrolling priests and Taoists sent to surrounding counties to maintain order within Xuanzhen Temple and the Qingkong Mountain area.
Conversely, the Fuyuan Hall sent out priests and Taoists to surrounding counties to inform lay practitioners and benefactors that Xuanzhen Temple would hold the grand ritual ceremony for the Chongyang Festival, welcoming all visitors and recording the participants in the incense offering, with the first offering being of utmost importance.
The Shuwu Hall began arranging for priests, Taoist boys, and fire keepers to clean the temple courtyard, wipe the halls, and sweep the stone steps up the mountain, repainting and repairing the altars for the true lords and celestial beings.
The ceremony department, including the Chuanjing Hall, Shuwu Hall, and Fuyuan Hall, had been discussing for many days, intensely preparing a series of sacrificial rites around the Chongyang Festival.
From the first to the ninth of September, the ceremonies would cover the descent of the Nine Emperors of the Big Dipper; that day was also the birthday celebration for the Central Marshal, Emperor Fengdu, the Doumu Yuanjun, and other great deities.
These ceremonies would open the temple gates wide to welcome devotees from all directions. Although not everyone could attend the grand event, it was essential not to dampen their enthusiasm for the Tao. Therefore, the preparations were quite complicated.
In summary, Xuanzhen Temple did not harbor idle people, and matters regarding incense offerings could not stop; everyone was busy in a flurry.
Of course, this was part of the temple's regular customs over the years, so it was not unusual in the surrounding counties.
Bai Yichen, especially, bore an even heavier burden during this period due to accompanying Master Guanzhi in managing the grand ritual ceremony.
In addition to his daily martial arts practice, he was extremely busy, hardly having a moment's rest.
That night.
In the main hall of Xuanzhen, all the Taoists were present. Suddenly, Yungshou Zhenren, rarely appearing, announced loudly:
"Tomorrow is the grand ritual ceremony for the Chongyang Festival, and many lay practitioners and devotees will come up the mountain to witness the ceremony and seek blessings. You all bear the responsibility and must work diligently; do not become arrogant, lax, or indifferent. Do you understand?"
The crowd of Taoists responded in unison.
…
On the ninth day of September, the Chongyang Festival, suitable for: climbing high and inserting dogwood, admiring chrysanthemums and basking in the autumn sun, and honoring ancestors; forbidden: breaking ground for renovations, nighttime excursions, and returning late.
The ancient temple was filled with the sounds of incense and music, and the melodious tunes echoed to the skies;
As the smoke cleared, people began to awaken, and the moon hung high in the deep courtyard, leaving an empty space.
The blessings of the day still lingered in the air, with Daoist robes seeming to appear before one's eyes, but by night, the festivities had ended, leaving behind a silence that transformed into tranquility at this moment.
Bai Yichen looked up from a distance; the front courtyard of Xuanzhen Temple was dark, and no one was left. Only the cold moon hung high, its clear light spilling over the empty halls and pavilions, and a chill wind brushed past, leaving only coldness.
This was because Yungshou Zhenren and the three masters had discussed and decided to send all the Taoists, Taoist boys, and lay practitioners who had not yet reached the perfected acquired realm to hide in two secret cellars within Xuanzhen Temple.
Indeed, some arrangements had been made in the temple's front courtyard.
After everyone entered, they were instructed to lock the entrance from inside the cellar, making it very difficult to open from the outside.
Even for innate experts, it would require considerable effort to break through the stone door of the cellar.
However, if it were someone from Xuanzhen Temple, there was an agreed-upon code, and the prepared Taoists inside would naturally open the door.
Having been passed down for hundreds of years, Xuanzhen Temple naturally had several escape passages and cellars, and those two cellars could each follow an escape route, allowing exit from Qingkong Mountain in two directions.
In the event of unforeseen circumstances, the Taoists and Taoist boys could retreat and not be sacrificed needlessly in battles beyond their capabilities.
As for the lay practitioners and devotees during the day, they were also sent away by the temple, citing that there were internal rituals needing to be held at night, making it inconvenient for outsiders to remain.
Otherwise, under normal circumstances, after the grand ceremony, there would often be a number of lay practitioners temporarily residing in Xuanzhen Temple, choosing to observe fasting and chant scriptures for a month to demonstrate their devotion to the Dao.
This time, however, many lay practitioners expressed some dissatisfaction. Fortunately, Xuanzhen Temple had maintained its reputation and influence in the region for many years, and with some priests accompanying them, they were ultimately persuaded to leave.
Of course, this could also be considered a clever strategy.
At this time, Bai Yichen naturally neither entered the cellar nor left with those lay practitioners.
Instead, he chose to stay with Yungshou Zhenren and the others, waiting in the feng shui formation in that courtyard.
Of course, he positioned himself slightly behind them.
Originally, according to the wishes of Yungshou Zhenren and the others, they intended for Bai Yichen to act as a backup, waiting with others in the cellar or outside the temple until the situation settled down.
However, with Bai Yichen's own schemes mixed in, he was naturally unwilling to miss this opportunity.
Thus, after being persuaded multiple times by Master Guanzhi, he resolutely chose to face this unknown battle head-on.
Perhaps due to Xuanzhen Temple having investigated his background, Yungshou Zhenren had developed a bit more trust in Bai Yichen.
After giving him a warning, he advised him to ensure his own safety should he see that the battle was not going well.
The other masters in the temple, while amazed at his martial prowess, were also moved by his calm demeanor and righteous stance.
Master Guanzhi even directly stated that he should be ranked among the disciples.
This could also be seen as Bai Yichen campaigning for himself in advance.
To put it bluntly, what Bai Yichen was doing naturally involved significant risk.
After all, regardless of his formidable strength or experience in his previous life, he currently only possessed the strength of an acquired realm practitioner.
Especially in a battle dominated by innate experts, an ordinary acquired realm person typically wouldn't have much of a chance.
Fortunately, he had made ample preparations by leveraging his previous life's experiences and calculating the weaknesses of the Heishi assassins.
He set a small goal.
His task tonight was at least to eliminate the leader of the Heishi's Qingzhou branch, who knew his undercover identity!
Moreover, there might still be a turn of events. Earlier, he sensed two equally formidable auras while in Yungshou Zhenren's courtyard. It was almost certain that two innate experts had arrived.
This was also within Bai Yichen's expectations. After all, Yungshou Zhenren was the head of a prominent righteous sect and had been navigating the martial world for decades.
Ultimately, there were a few reliable individuals he could rely on, or perhaps some favors owed that could come in handy.
As for other matters, he could only hope:
"Do not forget where you began, and do not seek the end."
Given countless opportunities for a do-over, why not take a chance?
Moreover, in his first life, when he was still unaware of the existence of reincarnation, he was willing to engage in such perilous work with assassin organizations; how could he hesitate now?
"They're here…" A clear voice echoed in the courtyard.