Chapter 95

Yan Chixia's few words left the black-clothed man, Xiahou Jianke, speechless. In the end, he could only leave a harsh threat and turn to leave.

"Yan Chixia, I came to challenge you, not to listen to your reasoning. Today, my skills are inferior, but I will come back another day to seek your guidance!"

A side quest! Huanwu watched Xiahou Jianke's departing back through the window, a smile playing on his lips. He had claimed this reward! His shadow rose beneath his feet, and in the next moment, it swallowed him whole, making him disappear from the room.

Huanwu's mysterious disappearance frightened the new arrivals, who all cried out in alarm, immediately drawing Yan Chixia's attention: "Who's there? Come out!"

Yan Chixia held his sword by the hilt, cautiously approaching the east wing. Although he didn't sense any demonic aura, sometimes humans could be more dangerous than demons.

"Don't attack! We are innocent!" The two new arrivals, who had intended to exchange pleasantries with Yan Chixia, were startled by the sharp sword qi and retreated hastily, waving their hands to clarify their identities.

"Ordinary people?" Yan Chixia's brows furrowed as he scanned the room from the doorway, slightly puzzled. These people were dressed strangely, the men with short hair as if they had been punished, and some had tattoos. They looked like fugitives from the court, but with men, women, old, and young, they also resembled refugees.

Such peculiar attire made Yan Chixia uncertain about their identities, but after confirming they were harmless, he had a thought: "If you are just passing through, leave quickly."

"We... we are here to stay for the night," Liao Lei swallowed, mustering his courage to speak to Yan Chixia. "We have been traveling for a long time, and we are tired and hungry. We can only stay here for the night."

"If you're not afraid of death, you can stay, but don't disturb me." Yan Chixia sized up Liao Lei, shook his head, warned them, and then pushed open the door to the adjacent room and walked in.

That night!

The night was dark and the wind was high, with no light from the stars or moon. In the Lano Temple, there was almost no sound. In the north wing, through the bright window, one could see that the person inside had not yet gone to sleep.

Fang Sheng was engrossed in his studies, reading by the light of a lamp, occasionally making annotations in the hope of passing the child examination smoothly. A basin of cold water and a cloth were placed nearby. Whenever he felt drowsy, Fang Sheng would wash his face with the cold water to stay alert, looking particularly diligent.

The tedious study made Fang Sheng drowsy. Soon, he reached for the damp cloth again. At that moment, a cold wind blew in, and the wind chimes under the eaves suddenly rang, the door being blown open by the strong wind.

Fang Sheng instinctively looked toward the door and saw a graceful and alluring figure dancing wildly in the courtyard. Her arms, white as lotus roots, bloomed like flowers, her slender waist swayed like willow branches, and her face, filled with a charming smile, was beautiful and alluring.

The contrast between the desolate mountain, the dilapidated temple, the dark night, and the beautiful woman was a stark contrast, all of which stimulated Fang Sheng's eyes.

"Clack!" Fang Sheng's pen fell, making a crisp sound. The beautiful woman in the courtyard seemed to notice someone watching and stopped dancing, walking toward Fang Sheng's room.

"Excuse me, I disturbed your dance, Miss." Fang Sheng quickly stood up and bowed deeply to the woman.

The woman did not speak, but smiled foolishly, walking up to Fang Sheng. Fang Sheng, bending over, only saw a pair of delicate feet approaching, accompanied by a faint fragrance. A piece of white gauze, carrying the scent of the woman, floated onto Fang Sheng's head. He instinctively grabbed it, looked up, and the woman's bashful and alluring face made him lose control. He pulled her into his arms, and she did not get angry, just smiled at him, arousing a burning desire in him. He lifted her by the waist and carried her toward the bed, but stumbled and knocked the candle into the water basin.

The cold water slowly soaked the lampshade, the weak flame flickering, and then—

It went out!

...

In the middle of the night, Liao Zhong, one of the new arrivals, woke up from a deep sleep, feeling an urgent need to urinate. He got up, pushed open the door, and a cold wind blew in, making him shiver. He took a step out, looked at the dark shadows in the courtyard, and retreated, quickly nudging Liao Lei, who was sleeping beside him: "Hey, wake up, come with me to the toilet."

"Shut up, you're annoying." Liao Lei turned over and continued sleeping. "If you're scared, hold it in or wet your pants."

"Damn, you call yourself a brother with the same surname." Liao Zhong cursed, glanced at the door, and decided to go out and find a place to relieve himself, otherwise, he would become a laughingstock if he held it until morning.

Stepping on the creaking wooden floor, Liao Zhong slowly walked around the wing, eventually reaching a broken wall. Just as he was about to unzip his pants, a glint of light caught his eye.

What is that? Liao Zhong squinted, retied his pants, and walked step by step to the corner of the wall. He used his foot to clear away the weeds, revealing a bloody severed hand!

"Ah!" Liao Zhong instinctively gasped, his voice echoing clearly in the empty courtyard, making him quickly cover his mouth. His heart raced, his limbs went weak, and he panted heavily, swallowing repeatedly, trying to calm himself down, telling himself to stay calm, to stay calm!

Staring at the severed hand for a long time, Liao Zhong finally noticed that there seemed to be something on the fingers. A faint moonlight shone down, and Liao Zhong's eyes widened. He realized what it was—a diamond ring!

Greed took over, and Liao Zhong's eyes were fixed on the sparkling diamond ring, completely ignoring the fact that in this era, there was no technology to polish diamonds! His hands trembling, he slowly squatted down and reached for the bloody severed hand. The closer he got, the stronger the smell of blood, but it was nothing compared to the value of the ring worth millions.

Just as Liao Zhong touched the cold severed hand, the moonlight disappeared behind the clouds, and the courtyard fell into darkness.

...

About a mile east of the Lano Temple, there was a waterfall, and below the waterfall was a small pond. Due to its remote location, the fish in the pond were plump and delicious, which was a treat for Xiahou Jianke, who had followed Yan Chixia and was passing by.

That night, Xiahou Jianke sat by the pond, bare-chested, holding a cloth in his right hand, and repeatedly washed the blood from his left shoulder. After the blood was mostly cleaned, he took out a wound medicine from his bag, applied it to the wound, and bandaged it tightly, muttering, "Yan Chixia, next time I won't lose to you!"

"Plunk!" A splash of water was heard nearby, and Xiahou Jianke raised his head alertly, placing his hand on his sword, his eyes like lightning, staring at the pond.

"Who's there! Come out!" Xiahou Jianke shouted, "If you don't come out, don't blame me for being impolite!"

In the next moment, a scene of breathtaking beauty unfolded before Xiahou Jianke's eyes. In the deep valley and the clear pond, a fairy-like figure emerged from the water, her eyes as gentle as the flowing water, her eyebrows curved like willow leaves, her nose small and delicate, and her lips full and red. Her exquisite features combined to form a person who seemed to have stepped out of a legendary painting, making her appear even more ethereal.

Droplets of water rolled down her smooth skin, and the translucent gauze half-covered her, making her even more alluring.

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