Just as Lin Beichen had just stepped out of the Daoist Temple's gate, down the mountain, Yunxi, Chen Fangzhi, and Zhou Hualong, dressed casually, leisurely headed toward the Daoist Temple at the mountain's peak. On their way, the three of them exchanged only a few words, and before long they arrived at the solemn and imposing Daoist Temple.
Standing in front of the gate, Yunxi showed a grave expression, bowed deeply, and expressed genuine respect towards the Daoist Temple gate. This scene made Chen Fangzhi and Zhou Hualong beside him shake their heads, thinking: Yunxi seems genuinely moved by the Daoist's words.
After Yunxi finished bowing, he led the two men to the Daoist Temple gate and gently knocked on the door. "Daoist Liaoran, Yunxi is here to visit." However, there was silence inside, with no response.
Chen Fangzhi jokingly said, "Is the Daoist afraid you'll wreck his Daoist Temple, so he ran away?" Yunxi's face darkened at these words, and he glared at Chen Fangzhi.
"The Daoist should still be inside the temple," Yunxi muttered, recalling that during his last visit, the Daoist had told him that he foresaw his return and thus came back from his travels specifically. Now that he had brought people to visit, how could the Daoist not be there?
To resolve the confusion, Yunxi pushed open the Daoist Temple gate, leading two special forces soldiers inside. The Daoist Temple was unusually quiet, even the chirping of birds outside seemed to be isolated. In the courtyard, there was no one; the Daoist was indeed absent.
Yunxi was puzzled, could the Daoist have possibly not foreseen his visit? At this moment, Zhou Hualong entered the temple hall and discovered a stack of yellow paper on the altar table before the Three Purities statues. He stepped forward, moved the incense burner aside, picked up the papers for a look, and his face immediately changed.
"Come and see!" Zhou Hualong shouted. Upon hearing this, Yunxi and Chen Fangzhi rushed over, and Zhou Hualong handed the papers to Yunxi, saying gravely, "The Daoist left us a letter."
Yunxi unfolded the paper to find it written: "I, Liaoran the Daoist, performed a divination today and glimpsed heavenly secrets, this hexagram being an omen of great misfortune. As you head to the land of Yun Province, you must act with utmost caution. This matter is of grave significance; negligence could result in disaster."
"In the letter, the Daoist mentioned that this matter is closely tied to two individuals surnamed Sun and Wang, who will be key to unraveling the predicament. Surprisingly, these two key figures are among us," Yunxi carefully read through the Daoist's note, his expression gradually turning somber.
The Daoist's note revealed that they might encounter peril soon, and he specifically left behind some life-preserving advice for them. However, Yunxi and his companions had not received any tasks from Ren Sunxin, leaving them baffled by the sudden warning.
After reading the note, Chen Fangzhi exclaimed in surprise, "The Daoist seemed to foresee our arrival, his words seem profound. He even prepared talisman paper for us; is something truly about to happen?"
Zhou Hualong glanced at Chen Fangzhi with disapproval, refuting, "How can you believe so easily? The Daoist's words are vague, mentioning we need to go to Yun Province, how is that possible? What relationship do we have with Yun Province?"
Yunxi noticed the ink on the note was still fresh, speculating that the Daoist might not have gone far. However, this detail did not convince Zhou Hualong, who deemed it a mere coincidence and dismissed the Daoist's warning.
Despite the cryptic nature of the Daoist's message, Yunxi deep down completely believed the Daoist's words. He carefully put away the talisman paper, considering it a gesture of goodwill from the Daoist. Meanwhile, Zhou Hualong and Chen Fangzhi regarded this as part of the deceitful tricks used by Daoists.
The three of them descended the mountain carrying their individual thoughts, hastening back to the garrison district to avoid being discovered in unauthorized action by Captain Geng Huiyu.
At the same time, in the Yanjing City Garrison District, Lin Beichen also rushed back with his master's instructions. He headed straight to the recruits' training ground, finding Xia Luyao and the other instructors who were busy.
Xia Luyao was surprised to see Lin Beichen return so quickly. Upon learning that Lin Beichen's master agreed to impart a martial art technique, she showed a delighted smile. The other instructors also felt happy, looking forward to integrating the newly learned martial arts into the military boxing, enhancing their close combat capabilities.
However, Lin Beichen's next words left everyone present stunned. With a serious expression, he conveyed his master's warning: "My master performed a divination today, indicating you should be extra careful while executing tasks recently. The hexagram shows great misfortune, suggesting you might encounter danger."
After speaking, Lin Beichen handed Xia Luyao a brocade bag, advising her to open it if she sensed anything amiss during a task; it might help them avoid a calamity. Although Xia Luyao didn't believe much in divination, she accepted the brocade bag, intending to carry it during the task just in case.
The brocade bag claimed to help people survive danger and save lives? Xia Luyao scoffed at this notion, not believing such things. Furthermore, upon knowing Lin Beichen was a Daoist apprentice, her impression of him had significantly diminished.
After she led the instructors away, Lin Beichen stood alone in the center of the training ground, watching their retreating figures and shook his head with a faint smile. He had already conveyed his master's warning; whether they believed it was now up to them. It would be best if they believed; if not, Lin Beichen couldn't force them. With this thought, he moved towards the dining hall.
Time flew by, and afternoon arrived in a flash. Lin Beichen, as usual, joined the recruits at the training ground. However, this time, he did not practice the Taiyi Five Elements Fist but chose to sit in meditation for cultivation. Having mastered the Taiyi Five Elements Fist to an extraordinary level, his focus now was to cultivate the Supreme Nine Revolutions Qi Cultivation Technique. Meditation was one of the methods to cultivate this technique; although progress might be slow, Lin Beichen had patience and time.