Zheng'er...

Zheng'er... run!

Blood tears streamed from the dark red eyes of the woman in palace attire.

Autumn rain dampened the dark corridors of Ganlu Palace.

On the woman's porcelain-white skin, fine, blood-red lines cracked.

With a soft "plop," blood and flesh splattered everywhere.

The whole world was teetering on the brink of collapse, submerged in blood.

…

A mountain breeze blew by, causing the oil lamp on the stone wall to flicker.

Despite the bright sunshine outside, the secret passage hidden deep within the mountain remained cold and damp.

Inside a spacious karst cave deep within the mountain.

The black cloak on Dao Ci's body had been removed.

The blood-stained white monk's robe had long been discarded.

As he sat on the bluestone in meditation with his eyes closed, Qi Su stood in front of him with her arms crossed, her eyes scanning him inch by inch like X-rays.

Qingyan asked softly, "Benefactor, is my senior brother alright? He just now..."

It's my senior brother's secret that he can't see blood; I can't tell him.

The young woman beside him had a frosty expression on her face, completely different from her usual delicate and pretentious demeanor.

She gave a cold laugh.

"Of course he'll be fine. Someone with a twisted mind like him wouldn't show it even if he were stimulated. He won't die. You, little master, should worry about yourself instead."

Qingyan: "What do I have to worry about?"

Qi Su's gaze fell on the back of his hand.

There had been bloodstains there before, but after being hastily wiped away, only a few faint traces remained.

Qi Su laughed: "There's nothing to worry about. It's just that a bug has crawled into your body. In a few days, you'll explode like that monk before, becoming the brightest star in the night sky."

Qingyan's expression finally changed.

He witnessed firsthand how miserable his senior brother was after being afflicted by the insect curse.

The situation was urgent at the time, and there wasn't time to think much. Looking back now—

All forms and appearances are illusions, illusions!

But the areas on the back of my hands and neck where the blood had been were starting to itch.

Qingyan: "Benefactor, what should we do? You must have a solution. I'm not the only one infected by this blood worm! By the way, is my senior brother alright?"

What could possibly be wrong with him?

"He has an insect ancestor on him; what can these little insects do to him?"

Qi Su rummaged through the bundle on her back.

There's only one small jar of wine left.

The term "Gu worm" sounds eerie and unpredictable, inspiring fear in those who hear of it.

In reality, once you grasp its true nature, dealing with it is not difficult.

It's nothing more than using fire, salt, vinegar, and wine.

This is also why Qi Su was carrying a bundle on her back.

She handed the wine jar to Qingyan.

"Soak a clean cotton cloth in the wine and wipe it on the wound. Go find more wine as soon as possible, and bathe in it every day for the next ten days. Drink no less than two jin (1 kg) of wine every day."

“But we Buddhists forbid alcohol, and there is no alcohol stored in the temple.”

Qi Su looked at the black-clad men who had been closely guarding Dao Ci ever since they entered the cave.

You are monks, but they are not monks, are they?

"Monks can't drink, but eunuchs can. If there's none on the mountain, there's always plenty down below. As for you monks breaking your vows by drinking, what business is it of mine?"

.

Dao Ci opened his eyes.

His expression appeared normal, but his lips were pale and colorless.

Despite his weakness, he already displayed his former cold and solemn majesty.

"Go," he ordered the guards beside him.

One person stood up in response and disappeared into the cave in the blink of an eye.

Qi Su took a few steps toward Dao Ci, but was stopped by someone when she was about to get close to him.

Qi Su coldly scanned the surroundings.

For some reason, the people whose gaze swept over her, even though they hadn't done anything, felt inexplicably guilty.

Qi Su said expressionlessly, "Now you know to stop me? Where were you before? At least you should have made a few more body doubles."

A double? The man in black didn't speak, but his eyes showed doubt.

You idiot, don't you even know what a Stand is?

Why not bring more monks in white robes to confuse the situation?

Qi Su: "In the entire Huatan Temple, your Zen Master is the most eye-catching. White robe, shiny bald head. If you don't have a stunt double, you could at least do a disguise! Are you afraid others won't be able to catch him?"

...The experience of being pointed at in the face and scolded is quite novel.

The Black Bird Guard did not explain that their master had originally planned something else, but the plan was disrupted.

After Qi Su finished scolding, he lowered his head and said:

“The young lady is right to scold us; we will learn from this experience.”

Hmph, you'd better take heed.

Qi Su turned her gaze to Dao Ci.

"I want to have my pulse checked," she said matter-of-factly.

Dao Ci looked up at her.

Those dark eyes had regained their usual coldness.

Even though he was sitting cross-legged on the bluestone, and his position was lower than hers, when he looked over, Qi Su had the illusion that he was scrutinizing her.

Xuan Niao had already secretly arranged things for today, and the monks of Hua Tan Temple all obeyed his orders.

According to the previous plan, he would sacrifice himself to appease the tiger before the worst situation occurred, thus quelling all the troubles.

You have to give to receive. To give is to gain.

This is the path he is destined to take.

However, things went slightly wrong because of the sudden fire.

"This humble monk is now free of any ailments. Thank you, benefactor."

His deep voice was still pleasant to listen to, though it sounded slightly weaker.

Qi Su: "No need for thanks. You still remember our promise, right?"

Dao Ci's cold, dark eyes fell on her face.

"nature."

Qi Su nodded, "Great, we're going to be family soon anyway, so there's no need to be so polite."

She turned and walked outside.

Qingyan raised his voice and asked, "Where are you going, benefactor? It's chaotic outside, you should hide for a while."

Qi Su waved her hand but didn't turn around.

"I'm going to clean up the bugs outside. I'll come find you when I'm done."

.

The sun was past noon, and the warm sunlight made people squint slightly.

The Qin merchant walked around the small tea room outside the Sutra Repository with his hands behind his back.

Large patches of bloodstains remained on the ground and were not cleaned up.

But at this moment, no one cares about this.

The girl in simple clothes raised her hand and pulled back the red bee that was buzzing above her head.

She gently stroked the bamboo tube.

“You see, insects are much more reliable than people. It was your people who lost him.”

Qin Shang touched his nose. "That's true."

There was a secret passage in the tea room, but it had been blocked off with large stones.

The person was indeed lost.

Ayan: "The payment should still be the same."

Qin Shang smiled and said, "Your Highness, don't worry. Even if the monk runs away, the temple is still there."

He turned around and asked Jingrou.

Where is Eunuch Wang now?

Jingrou: "Inside the meditation room, we watched from the sidelines. During the chaos earlier, his men were still taking advantage of the situation to prevent us from getting close to Daoci."

The Qin merchant exclaimed, "This gentleman has remarkable composure. However, we've had our fill of the show; it's time for him to take the stage."

…

Half an hour later, the bell of Huatan Temple resounded.

He struck the door one hundred and eight times, the sound echoing throughout all the peaks of Qingyun Mountain.

All the monks were gathered in front of the main hall.

The Qin merchant moved a chair and placed it outside the Buddhist hall.

Eunuch Wang, supporting the young eunuch's hand, sat down in the chair with a sullen face.

Jing Rou, dressed in embroidered robes and a black owl-patterned uniform, announced loudly with a cold expression.

"—Lord Wang has ordered that the Buddhist sermon at the altar is not yet finished."

“If Master Daoci does not return to the temple before sunset, half of the monks will be executed.”

"If they do not return to the temple by sunset by tomorrow, the other half of the monks will be executed."