Chapter 109: The Enchantress

“Third Senior Brother, if we leak this information, it will cause trouble. In my opinion, we might as well go all the way and kill this Taoist. If anything goes wrong, it’s just his bad luck.”

“Seventh Junior Brother! Don’t cause unnecessary trouble.”

Seeing that Third Senior Brother was truly angry, Seventh Junior Brother reluctantly gave up, went to tie the horses, and followed Third Senior Brother into the temple. Inside, they saw the Taoist tending a fire to cook porridge, with an old donkey lying nearby, lazily warming itself. The donkey didn’t even raise an eyelid when the two entered.

What made them uneasy was that at first they hadn’t noticed a figure leaning against the corner of the wall, wearing a bamboo hat. The person was short in stature, but radiated a fierce aura like a wild beast, ready to pounce on prey at any moment.

The two stopped in their tracks, gripping their knife handles tightly. For a moment, apart from the crackling fire, the temple fell into a heavy silence.

In the tense standoff, Yi Fan shook his head and tapped on a clay pot, complaining, “Gentlemen, if you intend to stay overnight, come inside quickly and secure the door to keep out the wind and rain; don’t let the fire go out.”

The two exchanged uncertain glances, unable to guess Yi Fan’s identity. After a moment’s hesitation, Third Senior Brother Lin Zhenjiang cupped his hands and said, “I am Lin Zhenjiang, this is my junior brother Zhang Zilin. May I ask, Taoist, from which sacred place do you hail?”

“I am but a humble wanderer, roaming the mountains and rivers, a carefree recluse,” Yi Fan replied with a light laugh. He gestured toward a pile of dry grass nearby. “This broken temple is small and cannot hold two fires. If you don’t mind, please sit and share some simple porridge.”

Seeing Yi Fan unwilling to reveal his name or origins, Lin Zhenjiang did not press further. The martial world is vast; why pry too much? As long as they kept to themselves, there was no harm. Besides, they hadn’t disclosed their sect either. With a carefree laugh, they sat down. “Then we shall trouble the Taoist.”

The night was long and the rain unceasing. After the porridge, Yi Fan sat cross-legged on the dry grass beside the fire, seemingly meditating. However, the two brothers grew increasingly anxious as time passed.

In the late hours, Seventh Junior Brother Zhang Zilin could no longer contain his worry. He glanced at Yi Fan and whispered, “Third Senior Brother, why haven’t our eldest brothers arrived? Could something have happened?”

“Don’t speak nonsense. It’s still early; dawn is some hours away. Let’s wait a little longer.”

Despite his words, Lin Zhenjiang’s heart was restless. He glanced at the meditating Yi Fan, then at the old donkey sleeping nearby, and the bamboo-hatted figure unmoving against the wall. Clenching his knife handle tightly, he forced himself to calm down.

After stoking the fire with several pieces of dry wood, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from outside. In moments, they reached the temple door. The two sprang to their feet and closed the door behind them. Outside stood five or six straw-cloaked horsemen, hands resting on the hilts of their swords, spreading out in formation.

“It’s Junior Brother Zhenjiang. Stand down from alert.”

The temple door was opened. Seeing a familiar face, the leader waved, and the others dismounted, greeting each other. As they prepared to enter, Lin Zhenjiang stopped them and briefly explained the situation inside.

The leader pondered for a moment, removed his bamboo hat to reveal a square face, and said, “Third Junior Brother and I will enter first. The others stand guard outside.”

Inside the temple, Yi Fan still sat with eyes closed, as if truly asleep. This immediately put the two on high alert. With all the noise outside, any ordinary person would have reacted, but this Taoist remained motionless. It was either supreme confidence or a ruse.

The bamboo-hatted figure by the wall exuded a deadly aura like a beast, yet showed no movement, making the scene even more extraordinary.

After hesitation, the square-faced man cupped his hands without a word and turned to leave. At the door, he said, “Since this Taoist refuses to open his eyes, we won’t be rude guests. It’s almost dawn; let’s set off.”

“Eldest Senior Brother, what about Eighth Junior Brother? Didn’t he say he’d wait here in this broken temple to relay the message?”

A woman stepped forward, her voice tinged with anxiety.

The square-faced man thought for a moment. “Eighth Junior Brother must have encountered some trouble and couldn’t escape in time. Remember, he’s unlike us; he’s a soldier and cannot leave the camp at will.”

“I don’t believe it. Eighth Junior Brother said he would wait here for a reason. I want to go in and find out if that Taoist is deliberately hiding something.”

The woman flung off her bamboo hat, her face flushed with anger, and tried to rush inside. The square-faced man grabbed her arm. “Sister Qian, our brothers—more than ten of us—came down the mountain to execute that corrupt official and avenge Elder Qian. Don’t act rashly.”

Before he could finish, the woman slipped away and ran in. Following her, they saw her draw a sword and point it at the Taoist. “Villain, tell me where my Eighth Junior Brother is! Or I’ll kill you.”

“Sister, don’t be reckless.”

The square-faced man looked helpless and bowed to Yi Fan. “Taoist, my sister is hot-tempered. The Eighth Junior Brother is her betrothed. With trouble brewing, she’s lost her composure. Please forgive her. If you truly know anything about my Eighth Junior Brother, I’d be deeply grateful if you’d share. I’ll reward you handsomely.”

Yi Fan opened his eyes, glanced at the figure by the wall rising and motioning for it to sit, then said to the square-faced man, “I have been here for half a month and have not seen anyone else.”

“Liar! I’ll kill you!”

The woman didn’t believe him and charged with her sword raised, only to have the square-faced man seize the blade and press her shoulder down forcefully. “Sister Qian, calm down first.”

He then apologized to Yi Fan and led the woman outside.

Yi Fan shook his head helplessly. Even the square-faced eldest senior brother and the two who came earlier were rational and dignified, with ample experience in the martial world. But this woman was clearly a novice—spoiled and unrestrained after leaving the mountain, utterly foolish.

He could hear their conversation outside clearly—it was just the usual grudges of the martial world.

Though the world had not completely fallen into chaos, disorder was beginning to surface. In peaceful times, no martial artist would dare assassinate government officials. Even the boldest acts were rare accidents. The imperial court was no pushover.

Several days later, a mounted man arrived and bowed to Yi Fan. “Taoist, has anyone else visited in these past days?”

“Yes, they’ve left.”

Seeing the man dressed in military uniform, Yi Fan realized he must be the Eighth Junior Brother the woman mentioned on that rainy night. Looking at the repaired broken temple, Yi Fan sensed he could no longer stay here. Several days of unexplained disturbances and entanglement in martial world grudges foretold troubled times ahead.

The soldier’s anxiety deepened at Yi Fan’s reply. He bowed again. “Please, Taoist, do me a favor. If they come again, tell them not to seek vengeance. That corrupt official has a demon’s aid. Ordinary men cannot approach.”

He took a pouch from his waist and placed it on the ground. “There are over fifty taels of silver inside. Consider it payment for your message delivery. I have urgent matters and cannot stay to talk. If fate allows, I shall invite you for a drink someday.”

With that, he mounted his horse and quickly departed.

A demon’s aid?

Yi Fan frowned. The situation was indeed far from peaceful. Surely some cultivator had fallen into the mortal world. He wondered if this was connected to the destruction of Linshan Temple.

Even if not, he had to investigate. In all this time here, he had encountered only a few fellow travelers, all drifting through on their journeys.