Chapter 68

Xiaoye?

At the moment I heard that title, I recalled something.

That time, I went with Li Qingying to Wufu Town's theater to look for something, I was bitten by a yellow-skinned weasel, I was poisoned with deadly poison, in a half-awake half-asleep state, I heard Li Qingying tell Liu Junyan that the item was taken from Xiaoye, but Xiaoye warned Liu Junyan to use it carefully.

I don't know what Xiaoye gave Liu Junyan that time, but afterward Liu Junyan had the chance to accompany me out for a day.

That was the day Liu Junyan helped me retrieve Feng Wu.

So Xiaoye's relationship with Liu Junyan must be good.

Since it's good, then…… I stared at the Golden Scale in Xiaoye's hand, lifted my leg and wanted to step forward to ask for it.

The Golden Scale originally belonged to Liu Junyan, so Xiaoye surely wouldn't keep it for himself.

But as soon as I moved, Li Qingying grabbed me, she shook her head at me, signaling me not to act rashly.

Her complexion was poor, her eyes full of awe.

She really feared Xiaoye.

"Are you Xiao Jiu?" Xiaoye suddenly spoke.

His voice was pleasant to hear, bright and mellow, a very standard baritone, his tone carried strong tension, and it was not as oppressive as imagined.

"Yes." I nodded, then asked: "Was it Liu Junyan who invited you to save us?"

Besides that possibility, I couldn't think of any other situation.

Xiaoye arrived just in time.

If he hadn't appeared suddenly, today I would have been torn apart by those dirty things in the water.

Even if I escaped that calamity, I couldn't escape the black snake's demonic claws.

By the way, what about the black snake?

Xiaoye grunted, took a few steps forward, and passed the Golden Scale toward me.

I quickly reached out to catch it and thanked him.

"Xiao Jiu." Xiaoye said, "Treat Old Seven well."

Having said that, he disappeared.

Coming and leaving without a trace shows how profound his Xiūwéi is.

Holding the Golden Scale, I felt somewhat excited and also somewhat helpless.

Why does everyone keep telling me to treat Liu Junyan well?

Li Qingying is, and Xiaoye is as well.

Between Liu Junyan and me, I am the disadvantaged party, alright?

I also fear that one day Liu Junyan will return to the Linghai Dragon Palace and abandon me!

Li Qingying beside me seemed not to have come to her senses: "Xiaoye actually gave you the Golden Scale? When did he become so agreeable?"

I didn't understand: "Is he usually hard to get along with?"

"Of course!" Li Qingying blurted out, "He..."

The words were on her lips, but Li Qingying choked them back, her gaze sweeping over the little monks lying haphazardly on the ground, and she tightly shut her mouth.

Just then, Jin Wuya exclaimed: "Look, why is there no water down here?"

I and Li Qingying immediately looked toward Jin Wuya, also startled.

Just now I was clearly dragged into the water, that water nearly submerged my neck, and even now I'm still wet, but right now there isn't a drop of water down there, it's dried up like a deep-dug tunnel.

Scattered across the ground were many white bones, the bones covered in cracks, no trace of yin evil aura remained.

No way!

At this moment I seemed to be able to somewhat empathize with Li Qingying.

Xiaoye was here only for a short while!

But in that short while, the black snake disappeared!

The female ghosts that grabbed me turned to ash, and even the corpses were covered in cracks, crumbling at a touch.

Jiyu Si's water source, which had never been cut off even during the sixty-plus years of continuous drought, has dried up!

Just what is Xiaoye's background? How can he be so powerful!

He's so powerful it's somewhat... eerie.

Jin Wuya and I jumped down, following the passageway upward, constantly stepping on Skeletal Remains, all the way to the hot springs area.

Climbing up from the hot springs side, we were already standing in the inner courtyard.

Jin Wuya and I didn't say anything to each other, but tacitly began to search the inner courtyard.

Not long after, we found a spirit tablet in the hidden compartment of Master Yin Xuan's meditation room.

That spirit tablet was being offered, with incense and offerings before it abundant.

When I saw who was enshrined on the tablet, I was stunned again.

Master Yin Xuan actually enshrined…… Title: Second Master Liu of Wangting Mountain!

Initially, Dou Jinsuo told me that the events in Wufu Town were closely related to a person called Second Master Liu.

Title: Second Master Liu…… that black snake was actually Title: Second Master Liu!

I turned and ran forward.

Li Qingying didn't go down the passageway with us, but stayed ahead to guard the scene.

I ran over and stopped right beside Master Yin Xuan.

Master Yin Xuan lay flat on the ground, eyes wide open, his whole body covered in livor mortis, emitting a foul corpse stench from within.

He was dead.

But the corpse's state didn't look like someone who had just died; it resembled someone who had been dead for a long time.

The Second Master Liu of Wangting Mountain was enshrined by Master Yin Xuan; I originally wanted to get some information about Second Master Liu from his mouth, but unfortunately, he died.

That's right.

He could live to be ninety-six years old, all thanks to Second Master Liu.

I touched the Golden Scale in my pocket, and everything became clear.

The black snake that previously appeared in Jiyu Si was not Second Master Liu's physical body, but his spirit essence.

He existed by attaching himself to Master Yin Xuan's body.

Once he left, Master Yin Xuan could no longer survive.

Bang!

A muffled thud startled us.

I looked up and saw that the former abbot's corpse, which had been half-burned, had now turned into a pool of corpse fluid.

And the six-petal lotus beneath him had completely shattered into fragments.

Rumble!

Thunder rumbled continuously overhead, the wind picked up, and it looked like a storm was imminent.

Jin Wuya let out a bitter laugh and said: "More than sixty years ago, Jiyu Si created a formation array using the former abbot's mummified body to pray for rain, but now the array has broken, and instead it's raining—truly ironic."

Exactly!

This formation array of Jiyu Si was never meant for praying for rain.

The great drought back then was likely related to the black snake cultivating in the hot spring beneath Jiyu Si.

The black snake gradually bewitched Master Yin Xuan, leading to all these later events.

Li Qingying asked: "The black snake has fled, Master Yin Xuan is dead—what should we do with these injured little monks?"

A total mess.

"Call the police," Jin Wuya said, "The mastermind is dead, but the accomplice is still alive. Over the years, who knows how many girls have died in Jiyu Si? We definitely need to investigate thoroughly."

He said that while already making the call.

I, meanwhile, walked over to the five girls nearby.

Their five souls had been sucked out; even if they still clung to a breath, they wouldn't live much longer.

However, the formation array ultimately failed to activate, so the five girls' souls should still be present—we just don't know where they have drifted to.

We need to summon their souls.

After thinking it over, I called Master Hui Quan, explained the situation here, and asked him to come help summon the souls and perform the crossing-over ritual.

Jin Wuya had already reported to the police; hearing my and Master Hui Quan's words, he hurriedly said: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, also please ask the Master to help perform the crossing-over ritual for my master as well."

Master Hui Quan was very pleased; these were his specialties, so he immediately agreed.

All three of us were wounded, with Li Qingying's injuries the worst; she had been gritting her teeth and pushing through.

Jin Wuya said: "You go down the mountain first to tend to your wounds; I'll stay behind to handle the aftermath, and we'll keep in touch later."

I didn't stand on ceremony with Jin Wuya either, and helped Li Qingying down the mountain.

I don't have a driver's license, so Li Qingying had to drive.

As the car drove smoothly along the road, I finally couldn't help but ask: "Sister Qingying, can you tell me about Xiaoye?"