Zhu Chao was very unlucky. He was the first victim of those two imposters.
That day, he had just finished robbing a wealthy family's tomb. As he emerged from the tomb, it suddenly started to rain. There's a saying that each autumn rain brings a new wave of cold, and exhausted from his lengthy labor in a place with thin air, running back to the city through the rain from the wilderness was a bit too much for him.
So, Zhu Chao thought to find a place to take shelter from the rain and to recount his "harvest" in a brighter spot.
In ancient times, what was there a lot of? Temples.
Du Muyun—"In the Southern Dynasty, there were four hundred and eighty temples, countless towers and pavilions amidst the mist and rain."
Buddhism flourished during the Southern Dynasty with numerous temples. By the Ming Dynasty, the emperor favored Daoism more, which meant there were plenty of "ruined temples."
Zhu Chao aimed for one such decrepit temple at this point.
