The mountain wind blew, stirring up the dust on the ground, and the last trace of the wolf demon's existence vanished without a trace.

The grass was deathly silent.

The thugs seemed to be frozen in place, remaining motionless in various terrified poses.

That bald gang leader's mouth was so wide open it could fit an egg, and he didn't even notice the drool dripping down his chin.

Yu Luo turned her head, her cool gaze sweeping indifferently over the rustling grass.

She was too lazy to even walk over.

He simply raised his hand slightly and beckoned in that direction with his finger.

"come over."

The voice wasn't loud, but it snapped several disoriented thugs out of their daze.

"Thump!"

The bald leader was the first to kneel down and tumble out of the bushes.

The others were also terrified and rushed to catch up, fearing that if they were a step behind, they would turn to ashes like that wolf demon.

Several people wept uncontrollably, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Please spare me, immortal! Please spare me, immortal!"

"We were blind to your greatness! We're not human! We're beasts!"

The bald leader slapped himself repeatedly while crying and wailing, his voice distorted.

Yu Luo looked at them, her expression completely unmoved.

"Who sent you?"

The bald leader was startled and dared not hide anything, so he told everything out loud.

"It's...it's Manager Wang from Wang's Restaurant!"

"Seeing that your ice business is doing well, he became jealous and spent fifty taels of silver to send us to steal your secret recipe!"

"He's the one who contacted that wolf demon! He said we should let the wolf demon eat you, and then we'd go back to him to get the remaining fifty taels!"

After listening, Yu Luo's face remained expressionless; she simply gave a faint "Oh."

This single word sent the hearts of the thugs plummeting to the bottom, making them tremble even more violently.

Yu Luo looked at them and suddenly asked.

Do you want to live?

The group nodded frantically, as if they had grasped at a straw.

"Yes! Yes! I'd do anything for you!"

Yu Luo's lips curled into a cryptic smile.

"Alright then."

"Go back and tell Manager Wang that I'm dead, and ask him to give you the rest of the silver."

"Then, you can take your revenge however you want."

"I don't want to see him in Qingzhou City anymore."

The thugs were stunned.

Is this even possible?

Does this mean the immortals tacitly approved their revenge against Manager Wang?

The bald leader reacted the fastest, immediately kowtowing to express his gratitude.

"Thank you for your guidance, Immortal! Thank you for your mercy, Immortal!"

"We guarantee! We will make sure Manager Wang gets what he deserves! We will absolutely not trouble the immortals!"

After saying this, the group felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They scrambled and helped each other up, and ran away faster than rabbits.

Watching their disappearing figures, Yu Luo withdrew her gaze and turned to walk back towards the fork in the road she had come from.

Just as I reached the intersection, several figures suddenly sprang out of the bushes beside me.

Grandmother, mother, and horseman Angkor just happened to return.

"An'er!"

Grandmother grabbed her and searched her all over, tears streaming down her face.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt? And... what about the demon?"

Her mother and sister-in-law rushed over and hugged her, crying together.

Her two little nieces clung tightly to her sleeves, their faces pale, as if she would disappear if they let go.

Yu Luo felt a warmth in her heart and gently patted the back of her grandmother's hand.

“I’m fine, Grandmother.”

"That wolf demon has already been destroyed by the divine power sent by the Mountain Goddess."

Her tone was calm, carrying a calming power.

Everyone was relieved and wept with joy.

The horseman Angkor kowtowed several times towards the direction of the barren mountain, chanting "May the mountain goddess protect us."

Once back on the carriage, the atmosphere inside finally eased.

Grandmother and mother were still muttering with lingering fear, while their two nieces clung tightly to her, seemingly finding the greatest sense of security.

Yu Luo leaned against the car wall, lowered her eyes, and looked at her empty palms.

What exactly happened just now?

That golden light seemed to be an instinctive part of her body, appearing and disappearing at will.

The power of mountain god believers?

But she knew very well that she had no real faith in the mountain goddess she had never met.

Even upon hearing this name, what wells up in my heart is not awe, but a strange sense of familiarity and peace.

It's like hearing a title that's related to you, but one you've long forgotten.

She kept this doubt deep in her heart.

The carriage rumbled along, speeding towards the capital.

…

Shortly after Yu Luo and his group left.

A streak of cyan sword light silently pierced through the clouds and hovered above the mountain valley.

Wang Wan, dressed in green, stood on a flying sword, her brows slightly furrowed.

As a cultivator, she was extremely sensitive to fluctuations in the spiritual energy of the world.

Just now, while she was patrolling the territory of Qingzhou to investigate traces of demons and monsters, she suddenly sensed a faint yet incredibly pure fluctuation of divine power.

"Um?"

She made a hand seal and sensed for a moment, then her figure flashed and she landed silently on the mountain path.

A trace of the purified aura of evil spirits still lingered in the air.

On the ground, there was a small, almost invisible clump of gray ash.

Wang Wan squatted down and gently smeared her finger on the ground.

A wisp of golden light, thinner than a strand of hair, emanated from the dust on the ground, lingered around her fingertips, and then dissipated.

Wang Wan's pupils contracted slightly.

"This is the divine power of the Mountain Goddess!"

She was all too familiar with this aura! It was exactly the same as the aura emanating from the statue on the desolate mountain!

She suddenly stood up and looked around.

"Hasn't the Empress always been sitting in the desolate mountains, protecting all living beings?"

"Why are traces of His divine power left here?"