Chapter 17: Don't Make Things Difficult for My Companion
"What mission is he on?"
Chen Xuan asked subconsciously. After all, Leng Li was not only his junior martial brother but also crucial to his money-making scheme. He couldn't just stand by and watch him die.
Commander Liu didn't hide anything. "He was sent to Lanruo Temple to retrieve the ashes and ghost of some big shot's daughter."
"Lanruo Temple?"
When Chen Xuan spoke these three words, a movie he had seen in his previous life, "A Chinese Ghost Story," involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
This world was completely different from the ancient world of his past, yet it had some similarities—everyone spoke the same language as ancient China in his previous life.
The clothing was also similar to ancient costumes, but the difference was that in this world, gods and demons coexisted.
There were no dynastic changes, only the rise and fall of sects. The Jin Kingdom he was in was just one of the domains under a certain Holy Sect.
Commander Liu said, "That's right. Leng Li went to Lanruo Temple, one of the four great taboos of Dongyang Prefecture, and he went all alone."
"I wonder what kind of monsters and ghosts are in Lanruo Temple?"
Chen Xuan asked curiously.
Commander Liu said slowly, "There's a tree demon in Lanruo Temple at the peak of the Heavenly Esssence realm, known as Granny Huai. Logically speaking, with Leng Li's early-stage Heavenly Esssence realm strength, even if he couldn't defeat Granny Huai, he should still be able to escape from Lanruo Temple. But now he's sent a distress signal, which means something unexpected must have happened."
Liu Yunmeng muttered beside him, "Could it be that some great devil is hiding in Lanruo Temple?"
When Elder Zhong and Director Xiao heard the words "great devil," they subconsciously glanced at Chen Xuan. After all, he was the strongest expert present, and they wondered what he would choose.
Chen Xuan said with a resolute expression: "Whatever is in Lanruo Temple, if they want to touch my junior martial brother, they must ask my sword first! Let's go!"
...
As the evening sun set.
In Beiguo County, on the official road.
A luxurious four-wheeled carriage pulled by three Wind-Chasing Horses galloped rapidly.
Inside the carriage, Chen Xuan, Zhao Youqian, and Liu Yunmeng were gathered around a table, savoring fine Maojian tea.
The carriage was reinforced with a formation array, so even though they were traveling at high speed, there was no bumpiness inside.
"Whoa..."
The carriage suddenly stopped, and the coachman's voice rang out: "Immortal Master Chen, we've arrived in Beiguo County. However, I don't know the way to Lanruo Temple. Let me get down and ask someone for directions."
"Go ahead."
The one driving them for the three was a cultivator from the Ascension Bureau. When Chen Xuan set out, he didn't have Director Xiao and the others follow him; he just requested a carriage and a coachman.
After quite a while, the cultivator returned to the carriage.
Zhao Youqian asked casually, "Xiao Wang, why did asking for directions take so long?"
Xiao Wang said: "In the eyes of ordinary people, Lanruo Temple is like a death warrant. As soon as I opened my mouth, people ran away. In the end, I had to grab someone randomly and show my Ascension Bureau token to get directions."
Chen Xuan muttered to himself, "So Lanruo Temple is quite a dangerous place."
Zhao Youqian said with a dismissive look: "What dangerous place? It's just a dilapidated temple where a tree demon rules with a bunch of female ghosts. If it weren't for Granny Huai's lover having some capabilities, it would have been eradicated by the Ascension Bureau long ago. With you, Brother Chen, here, Lanruo Temple is nothing to worry about."
"That's what you say, but Granny Huai has been able to dominate Lanruo Temple for so long. Her escape methods must be extraordinary. If we alert her, we might not be able to save our second junior martial brother," Chen Xuan said seriously.
"You make a good point. We need to use our wits," Zhao Youqian glanced at Chen Xuan. "Brother Chen, have you come up with a plan?"
"I have. How about we disguise ourselves, lure out those female ghosts and Granny Huai, and then capture them all in one go?" Chen Xuan said with a serious expression.
Zhao Youqian clapped his hands in approval: "Great plan! What should we disguise ourselves as this time?"
Chen Xuan smiled: "You and I are both handsome, so of course, we'll be scholars. But this time, you'll be the main attacker, and I'll provide support. I won't make a move until Granny Huai attacks herself."
"Brilliant! It's settled!"
Zhao Youqian was already imagining himself slaughtering his way through Lanruo Temple at night, which would give him more bragging rights later.
Liu Yunmeng, who was beside them, was stunned. Why was Chen Xuan so powerful yet so cautious in his actions? Was this how the world's top experts operated?
After arriving at the Ascension Bureau in Beiguo County, Chen Xuan changed his outfit into a white robe with a blue hat, carrying an old box on his back. He looked exactly like a scholar, except what was inside wasn't books but a three-foot green sword.
"Lady Liu, do I look like a scholar in this outfit?"
After changing his attire, Chen Xuan immediately asked Liu Yunmeng for her opinion. After all, whether a man is handsome needs the affirmation of a goddess.
"You do, Young Master. In this outfit, not only would girls be captivated, even female ghosts would be mesmerized by you."
When Liu Yunmeng said this, her eyes sparkled with admiration. She even wished that Chen Xuan was just an ordinary mortal.
"I feel relieved now that you say so."
After speaking, Chen Xuan left the room and happened to meet Zhao Youqian, who was dressed in a green robe. When they saw each other, they politely bowed with refined manners: "Brother, please!"
The two of them held lanterns as they walked along the mountain path. Along the way, they could hear the calls of various wild beasts, but none of them approached, apparently intimidated by the aura of the cultivator, Zhao Youqian.
After walking for a few hours, Chen Xuan finally saw a dilapidated temple. Looking closely, he saw the three large characters "Lanruo Temple" carved on it. They hadn't come to the wrong place.
After Chen Xuan and Zhao Youqian entered the temple, they built a fire and quietly waited for the appearance of the female ghosts.
Not long after the two entered Lanruo Temple, several gazes in the darkness turned toward them.
A blue-clad female ghost said seductively: "Such a handsome scholar. He's mine tonight. As for that annoying one, you can deal with him."
"On what grounds?"
The other female ghosts said indignantly beside her.
The blue-clad ghost said with a straight face: "Because I'm your second sister!"
"Second sister, we've let you have plenty of men before. It should be our turn this time," a yellow-clad female ghost said discontentedly.
The second sister said unhappily: "Are you all trying to rebel?"
"We wouldn't dare."
The female ghosts immediately softened.
Only the yellow-clad ghost snorted coldly: "Hmph! You always rely on being the second sister to bully us. This time, I won't listen. I'm going to find Big Sister to settle this!"
"Eighth sister, wait!"
The second sister immediately stopped the yellow-clad ghost.
"If Big Sister finds out, there'll be nothing left for us. How about we all go together this time?"
Eighth sister looked at Chen Xuan's handsome face and said worriedly: "Can his body handle it?"
"Can't we just each take a little less?" the second sister said very seriously.
"Fine!"
After the female ghosts reached an agreement, a pleasant laughter echoed through the temple.
"Giggle..."
When Chen Xuan and Zhao Youqian heard this laughter, they both showed meaningful smiles. They were finally here.
Following the laughter, a group of beautiful women in long flowing skirts entered the temple. Each of them had a flower-like smile, and their eyes radiated an alluring charm.
If an ordinary man saw this scene, they would probably try their luck even knowing it was dangerous. As the saying goes, "To die under the peony is a romantic death." If they only lost some yang energy, it would be a huge gain.
After seeing the group of female ghosts enter and walk toward Chen Xuan, Zhao Youqian couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. He slapped his thigh hard: "Don't make things difficult for my companion! Whatever you want, come at me! I can take it all!"
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