Rebirth of a star general |LK|

125: The Moon (Part 1)

The Mid-Autumn Festival in the 62nd year of Qingyuan was the coldest one in Great Wei.

It had been raining since morning, and the dark clouds were heavy and persistent, indicating that the rain would likely continue throughout the day.

The Lianxue Mountains were a chaotic tangle of peaks and forests, with clouds and mist shrouding the landscape due to the rain, making the mountain paths treacherous.

The carriage moved slowly along the mountain trail.

Despite the challenging terrain, the Lianxue Mountains were always bustling because they were home to a spiritual temple called Yuhua Temple. The temple was famous for its strong incense, and it was believed that those who prayed here would have their wishes granted. While this claim was likely an exaggeration, Yuhua Temple had stood for a hundred years and was a genuine ancient temple. The officials and nobles in Shuojing often visited the temple to pray and recite scriptures during festivals, seeking good health, happiness, and success for their families.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and Bai Rong, the daughter-in-law of the Xiao family, glanced outside and softly said, "We're almost there. We'll reach Yuhua Temple in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

"Are you hungry?" Xiao Jing asked gently from her side.

Bai Rong shook her head and looked back at the carriage following them with some concern. "Jeongguk..."

Xiao Jing let out a soft sigh but didn't say anything.

The people of the Xiao family knew that the Second Young Master Xiao didn't like the Mid-Autumn Festival, and he even detested it.

The year Xiao Zhongwu died in battle was approaching the Mid-Autumn Festival. If he had still been alive at that time, he should have returned to celebrate the festival with his family. Unfortunately, he didn't make it to Mid-Autumn; he died in the Battle of Mingshui. The Xiao family's preparations for the Mid-Autumn Festival, which had been halted halfway, were never resumed.

It never continued.

After the deaths of the Xiao couple, Xiao Jing didn't spend Mid-Autumn in Shuojing every year. This year, it was the first time he celebrated Mid-Autumn in Shuojing since taking over command of the Nanfu Troops. The Xiao family still followed the rules established by Madam Xiao when she was alive, which included praying for blessings at Yuhua Temple on Mid-Autumn.

However, they hadn't expected the weather to be so terrible. Not only was there no sunshine, but it also kept raining.

As Bai Rong had pointed out, it took less than the time it took for an incense stick to burn for them to see the temple gate of Yuhua Temple. A monk, dressed in green robes, was clearing fallen leaves at the entrance of the temple. When he saw the Xiao family's carriage arriving, he put down his broom and welcomed them into the temple.

Due to the rain making the mountain path difficult to traverse, in previous years, Yuhua Temple would already be bustling at this time of day. But today, besides the Xiao family's carriage, there was only one other carriage parked outside the temple gate, belonging to an unknown young lady.

Xiao Jing followed them inside.

The sky was dark, and though it was only afternoon, it felt like evening. The group first had a vegetarian meal with the temple's monks before proceeding to the Buddhist hall to offer incense and pray for blessings.

Bai Rong and Xiao Jing went in first. When it was Xiao Jungkook's turn, the monk in the green robes reached out to stop him and said, "Esteemed guest, you cannot enter."