I locked eyes with Sun Zhuo for a long time until all the young monks had left, and the Temple of Deities and Officials was left with only us two.
"I almost got killed," I said casually.
"Oh? It seems that the Niutu Village is not without danger. Xian Shen, you should accompany me to Jianyang." Sun Zhuo replied mysteriously.
"The Niutu Village is indeed dangerous, and more dangerously, the people of Guikan and Tian Shou Daoist Temple are always by your side. You indeed have means."
"Regardless of all your calculations, you didn't foresee them facing the perils of Niutu Village, giving me an opportunity for my own cultivation journey," I said, shaking my head.
Sun Zhuo remained silent for a moment before responding, "I don't understand what you mean by Xian Shen, but it's only natural that the Guikan and Tian Shou Daoist Temple want to pursue you. It's common for the righteous path to be targeted by evil and demonic forces. Particularly when your status is not ordinary, they only want to kill you and then be done with it, just like how I was treated in Jianyang."
"Lying too much, don't you feel your life is vague? Can you still distinguish what is real and what is false?" I asked Sun Zhuo.
"I never lie," Sun Zhuo said, his words resounding with certainty.
"Actually, I was about to die. The cicada is caught by the ant, the oriole is chased by the eagle, and the hunter is watching everything. The third elder of Tian Shou Daoist Temple captured me alive. Do you know why she didn't kill me immediately? When she wanted to kill me, it was already too late."
I sighed lightly and said, "Because she thinks I am better than you and more suitable to be a part of Tian Shou Daoist Temple."
"Naturally, I didn't agree, and she wanted to take extreme measures. That's when Mingjing Trueman arrived. I have to say, your deceit is skillful; it kept him sincerely loyal to you. He waited for me on the way back. Since I hadn't returned, it drew his attention, so he came looking for me proactively. As a result, he scared away the third elder and allowed me to escape with my life."
Sun Zhuo's eyes abruptly widened to an extreme extent, and bloodshot veins appeared one by one.
"Don't worry, I won't take your position."
"You also won't die mysteriously as she said, outside the Four Rules Mountain."
"I will defeat you in a straightforward manner."
After speaking, I took off the mask on my face, smiled slightly at Sun Zhuo, and then put it back on. Turning around, I walked away in the distance.
I went to the gate of the mountain.
Because I felt that He Youlan might come.
Sure enough, from a distance, I saw a figure in red, and it was He Youlan.
Stopping in front of him, I bowed.
"What do you think of the scenery at Four Rules Mountain?"
He Youlan actually guessed what I had done.
"Excellent," I replied.
"That's good. I estimate that it should be about time when Zheng Ren returns," He Youlan said with a casual smile.
The time afterwards was just waiting quietly.
By noon, a disciple brought us food and drinks.
Later, a group of elders arrived and divided into two factions. Some elders advised He Youlan not to remain at the mountain gate. Since I had completed my cultivation journey and had the qualifications for the succession ceremony, I should start learning Taoist spells and techniques, pointing out any areas that needed improvement and giving good guidance.
The other group remained silent, siding with He Youlan.
Elder Seven remained silent and stood on the side of the persuasion.
The elders gathered, and the disciples slowly gathered, creating an extremely formidable scene.
He Youlan did not speak, just standing quietly, so most people remained silent.
By about three or four o'clock, when the sun was not as blinding, a figure slowly appeared in front of the mountain gate.
It was actually Mingjing Zhenren, Zheng Ren!
Zheng Ren had a cloth bag in his hand.
When Zheng Ren entered the mountain gate, his figure slightly stiffened, and under the wind, the mask was faintly revealed, showing his ugly face below.
After that, his gaze fell on me, and I felt as if my qi had been locked in place, unable to move an inch.
"Haha, Elder Great actually deigned to entrust his personal belongings to the Young Master Xian Shen, which is quite surprising. However, why are so many disciples gathered inside the mountain, all stopped at the mountain gate?" Zheng Ren's words were calm and composed.
"It is naturally waiting for the true person to return, and I want to ask for a clarification on behalf of the young master," He Youlan said indifferently, with no favorable or unfavorable expressions.
"Oh? Did the Young Master Xian Shen suffer any injustice?"
"Although I have pressing matters at hand and won't be at the temple for the next few days, no one should dare to be so audacious. Elder Great, you can say whatever you like."
Zheng Ren walked forward and stopped in front of me and He Youlan.
"The young master has completed his cultivation journey in Niutu Village, and the cause of this is written by my disciples. The young master has also brought back a Yin-Yang master's corpse, as well as his son, a child's corpse that turned into a ghost."
He Youlan said calmly, "This journey was sufficiently perilous; the village no longer exists."
"I personally believe in the Young Master Xian Shen; otherwise, I wouldn't have used this cultivation journey to test him. After all, he is a disciple left behind by our teacher; he has to follow the rules." Zheng Ren answered.
"That's right. As a disciple left behind by our master, we should protect him even more. However, as soon as he stepped into Niutu Village, high-ranking practitioners from both Tian Shou Daoist Temple and Guikan followed him. Among the monks, there was a elder-level figure, and among the Guikan practitioners, there was an assistant leader. This was an astonishing sight; even facing our group of old bones, they could entangle us for quite some time."
He Youlan's voice became extremely cold and harsh.
"Niu Tu Village and Sihua Mountain are only three hundred miles apart. How could someone from Guikan and Tian Shou Daoist Temple conspire to reveal the Young Master's whereabouts on the mountain?!"
His words were not directed at Zheng Ren but addressed all the disciples around him.
The scene became extremely tumultuous!
Zheng Ren's body suddenly stiffened.
A surge of killing intent radiated from his body as well.
I was well aware that Zheng Ren could not be as corrupt as Sun Zhuo. If there were problems within the Four Rules Mountain, it would also be his trouble.
"I will investigate this matter thoroughly. That's why Elder Great is waiting for me here," Zheng Ren nodded, his voice exceptionally serious.
"Not only that," He Youlan said quietly, "The Young Master Xian Shen is exceptionally clever, using the force of others to his advantage and causing the deaths of several people in Niutu Village, thereby establishing a major merit. However, when he left the village, he encountered a elder from Tian Shou Daoist Temple who insisted on wiping him out!"
"In the midst of death, the Young Master Xian Shen said that a high-ranking master suddenly approached, scared off the elder, allowing him to escape with his life."
"Third Brother, you shouldn't have left the mountain gate. In such a crucial moment, you weren't sitting in the mountain gate responsibly, and the hands of Tian Shou Daoist Temple have already reached in!"
Zheng Ren suddenly remained silent.
He took a deep breath and then inhaled heavily, "I will investigate this thoroughly!"
"I've investigated it thoroughly. There's one person with suspicious behavior in the mountain gate," He Youlan said, with his hands behind his back and each word pronounced distinctly. "When the Young Master returned with severe injuries, I let him rest in one place, telling people that he was in another hall, while I waited in another hall."
"I wanted to see who couldn't contain their excitement. To my surprise, Sun Zhuo came in the middle of the night! He was acting suspiciously, sneaking a peek without revealing himself."
"Third Brother, what do you think of this matter!?"
My expression changed, but because of the mask, no one else noticed.
He actually dug such a huge pit for Sun Zhuo?
