Chapter 123 "You're looking at me...who are you thinking about?"...
A voice filled with shock and anger came from inside the bell: "Don't believe him! He's the one who murdered the people in the temple!"
Lian Sheng was startled. Before he could speak, the young man began to curse loudly at the large bell:
"It was you, you traitorous member of the demonic sect, who killed everyone! The abbot went to great lengths to lock you in this bell... Little monk, don't be fooled by him!"
"Nonsense! You're the demonic cult member! You killed everyone! It was you!"
"It's you! You're the murderer!"
"You treacherous cultists, stop spouting false accusations!"
The two started arguing, even though they were separated by a bell.
Finally, they all shouted in unison, "Little Master, who do you think is the real demon of the cult?"
Liansheng: "..."
Lian Sheng's hand, hidden in her sleeve, tightened. After a long pause, she said, "...I don't know. I...I'm leaving."
Lian Sheng turned to leave, when suddenly the young man's weary face flashed before her eyes:
"Young monk, where are you going? Don't monks believe in 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' and 'Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot'? Why are you turning a blind eye to the purgatory before your eyes?"
The young monk's voice was low, but every word was clear: "It is not me who should lay down the butcher's knife."
The young man paused, and in the blink of an eye, his honest face suddenly turned eccentric: "When did you find out?"
The young monk glanced down at the bloodstains on his sleeve: "You smell of blood."
Before the young man could speak, an increasingly urgent and powerful shout came from inside the giant bell:
"Little master, little master, now you know, right? Quickly release me and capture this demon!"
Lian Sheng took a step back instead, her face completely pale.
The smell of blood inside the bell was even stronger... and even the giant bell couldn't block it.
The young man laughed so hard he bent over as he saw Lian Sheng take a step back, and rang the bell: "Little bald monk, you've seen through me, still acting?"
After a moment of silence, the two inside the bell burst into laughter, creating an eerie and sinister atmosphere in the empty and desolate temple.
The large bell was easily lifted by a big hand, then casually thrown to the ground with a "boom," raising and lowering dust, revealing a pot-bellied monk with a cloth bag.
These two were none other than Monk Shichen and Qianfeng, two of the seven great assassins of the Demonic Sect who took pleasure in killing.
"This kid's really boring." Qianfeng spat on the ground, sizing up the skinny young monk while casually placing a hand on the bag-carrying monk. "This little monk, and Kong Wu still failed? Is this little monk even worth our effort?"
"The sect leader said this little brat is worthless, just kill him and be done with it. Once we catch that girl surnamed Jiang at Sun and Moon Fortress, that'll be really interesting. Everyone at the martial arts tournament witnessed that she learned the 'Longevity Mantra,' otherwise Kong Wu wouldn't have lost to a mere girl, right?"
Lian Sheng suddenly looked up: "What did you say? Are you talking about... Miss Ling'er?"
Qianfeng approached Liansheng with a carefree smile:
"There's no need for the dead to know."
--
Pei Xuan knew he was too late when he saw the scattered drops of blood splattered on the vermilion gate of the temple.
He spotted the boy next to Hong Zhong almost immediately; he was covered in blood, no longer breathing, and there was hardly a piece of healthy flesh left.
Even Pei Xuan wouldn't recognize him after being beaten like this; only the Buddhist beads he was tightly clutching in his hand revealed that he was Lian Sheng.
Unexpectedly, despite asking for directions along the way, he still arrived too late.
The Crown Prince, whom they had been searching for all along, ultimately... perhaps it was fate.
The young Taoist remained silent for a long time. After all, they had known each other for a while. He turned around to find a good place for him, but suddenly someone grabbed his clothes.
"Quick...quick, go save them..."
Pei Xuanfeng's eyes widened slightly as he turned to look—it was Liansheng who had grabbed his sleeve. Although the young man was soaked in blood, his eyes were almost terrifying.
"...Save Miss Jiang!"
Lian Sheng received the true teachings of Master Xu Fu. Although he didn't know a single move, he was well-versed in the "Longevity Manual" and gradually cultivated his internal strength.
This is probably why he has been able to survive until now, hiding and running away from the various demonic cults.
Master Xu Fu had actually kept this in mind.
He... also persevered until now with amazing willpower.
Pei Xuan's eyes trembled. He slowly bent down and took his hand. Each word was distinct:
"Okay, let's go save her together."
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Jiang Ling'er took Ji Yunshu on a horse ride through the long street, eating their way from one end to the other, but since they were wearing veils, they weren't quite satisfied.
She suddenly stopped her horse in front of the notice.
The area in front of the notice board was plastered with wanted posters of a young Taoist priest, surrounded by a crowd who chanted phrases like "Xiaoyaozi of the Lingxiao Sect" and "The Carefree Little Immortal"...
The notice offered a reward of five hundred taels of gold, but did not specify what it was for, which was very strange and attracted a crowd of onlookers.
Ji Yunshu watched Jiang Ling'er's retreating figure and tightened her grip on the reins.
After waiting for a while, he impatiently rode up to her and stood beside her. He thought she was looking at the notice, but he didn't expect her to be staring at a small black cat in the corner.
The little black cat was thin and bony, and looked really pitiful.
Ji Yunshu's tense shoulders relaxed imperceptibly. Looking at Jiang Ling'er's absent-minded expression, he suddenly said:
Do you like it?
Jiang Ling'er paused for a moment, then turned her head: "Didn't you hate cats and dogs the most?"
Ji Yunshu simply smiled and said, "If you like it, then keep it."
Jiang Ling'er's almond-shaped eyes suddenly lit up.
--
Jiang Ling'er brought the cat back and wouldn't let go. Ji Yunshu leaned against the door and window, watching her groom the cat, prepare its bath, and even when the cat scratched her, she didn't even blink, her long eyebrows slightly raised:
When did you start liking cats?
Jiang Ling'er paused upon hearing this, just as she was rubbing the soap on the kitten's ear, when the cat suddenly scratched her again.
It almost broke the skin; a bloody mark instantly appeared on the back of my hand.
Ji Yunshu's brows furrowed instantly. He took a wooden ladle in one hand and grabbed Jiang Ling'er's hand with the other to wash it.
Ji Yunshu frowned, intending to say a few words to her, but seeing Jiang Ling'er's gaze fixed on the kitten, she couldn't see anything special about this thin, rather fierce little black cat. After thinking for a moment, she simply said:
“I can find you an even better one. I’ve heard that in the Western Regions…”
"No, it's fine."
Jiang Ling'er brushed his hand away, not taking the minor injury to heart. Her fingertips, seemingly fierce but actually gentle, lightly rubbed the kitten's head, a small punishment as a warning.
Ji Yunshu truly hadn't expected her to suddenly take a liking to a stray cat, and knowing that once she made up her mind, she wouldn't change it, she could only say:
Have you decided what to name it?
Jiang Ling'er replied without hesitation, "Xiao Chu."
After she finished speaking, she was stunned. She didn't know why, but this "name" had just entered her mind.
Ji Yunshu didn't think too much about it. He knew Jiang Ling'er was lazy and only had a short attention span for everything. Xiao Chu, Xiao Chu, probably just meant the first kitten.
As he watched, he noticed that Jiang Ling'er's eyes were only on this stray cat, and he felt a pang of jealousy. Then, remembering that he had actually argued with a stray cat, he glanced at the cat in Jiang Ling'er's arms and couldn't help but chuckle self-deprecatingly.
"Little beast."
Seeing that Jiang Ling'er was still holding the kitten, Ji Yunshu snatched the kitten from her arms and walked straight outside to hand it over to a servant. Seeing that Jiang Ling'er was about to chase after her, he picked her up by the waist and said, "Alright, you've washed it and fed it. It's getting dark, shouldn't you rest?"
Not wanting to hear a refusal from her, Ji Yunshu buried his face in her neck, nibbling and biting. Jiang Ling'er was ticklish and tried to dodge left and right, but he held her waist tightly and she couldn't escape in time. Being ticklish, she was amused and giggled.
Why are you like a cat?
As soon as she finished speaking, Ji Yunshu paused, looked up at her, and her eyes darkened.
"You bathe the cat... how about I bathe you instead?"
Jiang Ling'er's long eyelashes fluttered, and looking into those beautiful peach blossom eyes in front of her, she felt her breath become hot.
Suddenly, she felt a light pinch on her waist. Ji Yunshu started tickling her waist, which was the part of her waist that she was most sensitive to!
Jiang Ling'er laughed and nestled into the soft brocade quilt, where Ji Yunshu got up and climbed on top of her. She was unbearably ticklish and quickly surrendered.
"Hahahaha... I haven't even washed up yet, Zichu, stop fooling around!"
Ji Yunshu suddenly stopped, and Jiang Ling'er was also stunned.
Ji Yunshu slowly stood up, her voice very soft: "Who are you calling?"
A pair of beautiful, dark eyes, strikingly black, stared intently at the person beneath her, uttering each word with deliberation:
"You're looking at me...who are you thinking about?"
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Meanwhile, in the backyard of Sun and Moon Fortress.
A disciple from Sun and Moon Fortress, seeing the defenseless, bruised and swollen young monk before him, finally felt a pang of pity and shook his head.
"Little monk, hurry up and leave after you've collected your alms!"
The young monk, his skin torn and bleeding, smiled, making him appear even more pitiful. He repeatedly clasped his hands together, saying, "Heaven has a benevolent heart; this humble monk will depart soon..."
The young monk followed the outer disciples to the kitchen. Passing by a deathly quiet and eerie courtyard, he couldn't help but ask:
"Why is this place...unguarded?"
The outer disciple shuddered in broad daylight at the thought of the old poison master's sinister aura: "...You'd better not ask too many questions!"
Not daring to linger any longer, they quickened their pace and led the little monk to the kitchen to get their food.
The little monk, clutching the steamed bun in his arms, was moved to tears and thanked him profusely before leaving.
--
It was midnight.
In a corner of a courtyard in Sun and Moon Fortress where no one dared approach, first a gleaming forehead appeared, then—
With a loud thud, a heavy object plummeted to the ground!
Fortunately, there were no disciples guarding the area due to the old poison master's intimidation. Lian Sheng grimaced, covered his mouth, rolled over, and got up on his own. Unlike Jiang Ling'er and Pei Xuan, who possessed martial arts skills, he was blind in the dark and could only grope his way forward.
He first tripped over the threshold, then stepped on something soft and fell to the ground.
The "thing" swam to his side, and filled with suspicion, he picked it up and took a closer look...
It was a snake that was flicking its tongue!
Lian Sheng screamed and threw away the snake. Turning her head, she bumped into something else. A huge object crashed down with a crisp cracking sound!
Almost simultaneously, in the brothel several hundred meters away, the old venomous man, who was indulging in sensual pleasures, suddenly raised his head like his beloved pet, his usually murky eyes flashing with a rare hint of anxiety:
"Oh no!"
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Author's Note: Almost finished!
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