The carriage wheels rumbled.
The roads, muddy from the recent rain, caused the carriage to lurch and sway as the wheels rose and fell.
Baiyun Temple was now visible in the distance.
Zhu Ju lifted the carriage curtain, his eyes betraying his confusion.
Buddhism was far more revered than Daoism in Taiyuan Prefecture; the area around the Prefecture City was dotted with temples large and small.
Daoist temples, on the other hand, were few and seldom visited.
Yet now, several carriages—all belonging to wealthy families—were parked at the foot of the mountain where Baiyun Temple stood.
Before they could draw any closer, a man stepped forward to greet them.
"Are you Zhu Ju, Patriarch of the Zhu Family?"
"I am." Zhu Ju dismounted from the carriage, studying the man as his confusion grew:
"And you are…?"
The man appeared to be around thirty. With his handsome features and refined air, he looked like a scholar in his flowing robes.
