Chapter 3

A Shiheng had always been curious as to why he, the youngest and lowest in seniority in the Linglong Temple, would take over as the head of the temple.

Outsiders couldn't understand, but Yu Qing himself was well aware that the succession of the Linglong Temple was shrouded in secrecy, passed down only to inner disciples, also known as true disciples.

After the headmaster passed away, only two inner disciples remained in the Linglong Temple: one was Yu Qing himself, and the other was his young uncle who was traveling and had not yet returned.

The distinction between inner and outer disciples in the Linglong Temple lay in whether they had cultivated a certain technique, named *Guanyin*.

The technique was divided into two cultivation methods: "Guanyin" and "Yin." Yu Qing cultivated the "Guanyin" method, which focused on enhancing his observational skills.

When a person walks, dust rises from their feet.

When a hand swings, it can create wind.

When the wind blows, it can determine the shape and direction of smoke.

If a bowl of water is placed on the ground, and the surface of the water suddenly ripples without any wind, it could be due to a heavy object falling nearby or the vibrations caused by someone walking by.

The "Guanyin" method involves observing subtle details to interpret and deduce the cause and effect of certain movements.

The "Yin" method, on the other hand, focuses on enhancing one's hearing. For example, by lying on the ground and listening to the sounds transmitted through the earth, one can determine how many people have passed by in an unseen location.

The young uncle who was traveling cultivated the "Yin" method.

This meant that by observing the subtle changes in the smoke, Yu Qing could deduce certain movements within a certain range.

For instance, the subtle changes in the steam on the stove alerted him to an abnormal presence, indicating that something ominous had infiltrated the courtyard.

It was this confidence that allowed Yu Qing, who was protecting A Shiheng, to separate from his charge and cook in the kitchen.

Without hesitation, Yu Qing suddenly stood up and quickly left the kitchen, heading straight for the study where a single lamp was lit. He knocked on the door.

A Shiheng, who was reading a book by the lamp, looked up, and the smile that had just appeared on his face instantly vanished. He read the abnormality from Yu Qing's distant and indifferent expression.

The two had grown up together since childhood. In the area around Jiupochun, they were the only ones of similar age who could play together on equal terms, so they understood each other very well.

Yu Qing walked directly to the desk and said calmly, "The food is ready, let's go and try it." His gaze deliberately lingered on the sword on the desk, which he had casually placed there earlier.

A Shiheng smiled faintly, put down the book, and got up from the desk. He casually picked up the sword and walked out of the study with Yu Qing.

When they arrived at the kitchen, they lifted the lid of the pot. The spirit rice had turned into translucent purple grains, like small purple crystals, looking very beautiful, and the fragrance was still faint.

Taking advantage of the noise from the stove, Yu Qing whispered to the person beside him, "What we feared has come. The thing Pu Dianli mentioned has really arrived."

A Shiheng was slightly startled and whispered back, "It shouldn't be! We quietly entered the city and stayed here, so there shouldn't be anyone following us. If they found us so accurately, could it be that someone betrayed us?"

"No one betrayed us, I'm a bit embarrassed," Yu Qing said, slightly lifting his chin and sniffing, indicating the contents of the pot with his nose, while picking up the ladle to serve the cooked spirit rice into a bowl.

A Shiheng instantly understood. The thing that had come was probably sensitive to the smell of the spirit rice, and Yu Qing had been negligent, not expecting that there would really be a monster in the city, and the smell of the spirit rice had attracted it.

He was initially worried, but seeing that Yu Qing was still concerned about the food at this moment and didn't take the thing too seriously, he felt reassured.

However, he was still a bit nervous, as he had never seen a monster before. The surroundings were quiet, and he didn't know how Yu Qing knew a monster had come. Just as he was about to look around, Yu Qing casually brought the ladle to his mouth, with sticky rice on the edge of the ladle.

"Don't look up," Yu Qing warned in a low voice, then said casually, "Come, try the taste."

A Shiheng was inwardly alarmed and, subconsciously feeling something above his head, obediently opened his mouth to eat the rice on the ladle.

Indeed, something was above his head, or rather, something was above both of their heads.

A long snake had crawled into the kitchen at some point and was hanging from the beam, slowly lowering and transforming its upper body.

The upper body bulged into the shape of a woman's upper body, the snake's head turned into a woman's face, the snake scales were still visible, the eyes had vertical pupils, the hair spread out like small snakes, and the mouth revealed sharp fangs, with a red tongue flicking out. The black scaly body had irregular patches of dark yellow scales, and two arms silently extended from the sides, turning into ten sharp claws that quietly reached for A Shiheng and Yu Qing's necks.

Just as the claws were about to touch their heads, and A Shiheng could faintly smell a foul odor, Yu Qing suddenly flipped the plate on the stove to cover the bowl of spirit rice and swung the ladle upward with a swift motion.

Bang! The ladle handle broke, and the ladle embedded itself in the monster's head.

Yu Qing casually threw the broken handle and, while moving, used his finger to flick the sword out of A Shiheng's hand and grabbed it, slashing it through the air.

Puff, blood spurted, and a dirty head fell from above, landing in the hot pot and rolling around.

Seeing the head fall, A Shiheng was startled and then saw the half-human shape hanging in the air, which quickly deflated back to the shape of a snake, but without a head, blood dripping.

With the sword still spinning in his hand, Yu Qing turned and slashed at the wall next to the stove.

Bang! The wall broke, and a block fell. A Shiheng's jaw tightened, and in the light of the kitchen, he saw a half-human snake monster, looking like a dirty bald man, with its claws outstretched, about to break through the wall to attack. A diagonal cut from shoulder to rib was visible, and the shoulder was slowly separating.

Yu Qing waved his hand and said, "Go!"

A cold light shot out and pierced through the roof, shattering a few tiles.

After a moment of silence, A Shiheng saw more blood dripping from the roof.

Suddenly, there were two loud bangs. First, the snake monster behind the broken wall fell in two pieces, and then a hole appeared in the roof, and a large snake fell, landing and writhing on the ground, its head pierced by a sword.

Yu Qing, holding the large bowl, walked over to pull out the sword, shook off the blood, and threw it.

Swish! A Shiheng felt a jolt in his hand, looked down, and saw the sword back in its sheath. He looked at Yu Qing, who was grinning at him, and then at the three large snakes, one lying dead outside, one hanging from the beam, and one lying dead on the ground.

Dust and debris fell, and A Shiheng's throat moved, still feeling the aftereffects of the encounter. The foul smell made him want to vomit.

"There are no more, at least for now. I didn't mean to scare you; I wanted to resolve it quickly to avoid too much noise and drawing unwanted attention. Actually, there's no need to be afraid. These three snakes are not fully transformed, so their strength is limited and not much of a threat. Let's go, what are you standing there for?" Yu Qing indicated the bowl of spirit rice, as if to say, "Didn't you want to try it? You can enjoy it now."

A Shiheng wanted to leave, but this was his first time experiencing such a scene, and he was indeed scared, his legs trembling and unable to move. However, he didn't want Yu Qing to help him, not wanting to be laughed at and wanting to save face. He said, "It's my first time seeing a snake monster, a rare opportunity to broaden my horizons."

"If you want to stay and look, I'll go outside and check if anyone was disturbed. After eating, we need to find Pu Dianli to deal with the aftermath." Yu Qing left with the bowl.

Outside in the courtyard, he headed for the door, intending to check the outside, when a loud bang came from the kitchen, and half of it collapsed.

Yu Qing turned around in shock, seeing that A Shiheng had not come out, almost scared out of his wits, and darted over.

Rushing into the collapsed kitchen, he waved his sleeves to clear the dust and grabbed a piece of wood from the stove to light it, as the lamp had been extinguished.

Yu Qing stood there in shock, the bowl he had been holding fell to the ground, the spirit rice scattered, and he frantically moved the debris, hearing A Shiheng's painful breathing from underneath.

After clearing the debris, Yu Qing squatted next to the fallen A Shiheng and said in a trembling voice, "Bookworm, bear with it."

A Shiheng, in pain, smiled weakly and nodded. He was covered in dust, and a fallen beam had crushed his arm, blood seeping out.

With a muffled groan, the beam was lifted off, and Yu Qing's eyes were filled with bitterness, staring at the crushed elbow, which was flattened.

Regaining his composure, he quickly used his fingers to stop the bleeding and reduce A Shiheng's pain. He took out a pill and made A Shiheng swallow it, then used two pieces of wood from the fallen tiles to splint the broken arm and bind it. He then carefully lifted A Shiheng and carried him away from the bloodstained place.

Yu Qing no longer cared if they had disturbed the neighbors. They couldn't stay here, and he needed to take A Shiheng to a suitable place for treatment, heading straight for the door.

A Shiheng, nearly unconscious, still held Yu Qing's sword in one hand, noticing Yu Qing's intention to leave, he tapped Yu Qing's chest with the hilt and said with difficulty, "The backpack, it has important items, can't be abandoned."

Yu Qing stopped, quickly returned to the study, picked up A Shiheng's backpack, and put the sword in it. With the backpack on his back and A Shiheng in his arms, he ran to the wall and jumped over it in one leap.