Ruined Temple

Chapter 4: The Ruined Temple

Night deepened.

The bright moon finally escaped the clouds, casting a silvery-gray glow upon the earth, making Mount Qi seem shrouded in a gray veil.

On the mountain stood a ruined temple, abandoned for many years, overgrown by large trees that concealed it.

The courtyard walls were mottled and incomplete, and the roof had a large hole through which moonlight shone upon a stone statue in the main hall.

The statue was headless, its hands broken off and lost somewhere.

Its entire body was marked by the passage of time.

The surroundings were chaotic, the doors and windows were dilapidated, and weeds grew through the cracks in the stone bricks on the ground. Occasionally, the wind blew in, seeming to sway and nod, and the air was filled with the scent of grass and decaying wood.

This place, which once gathered incense from the human world, had now become desolate and lonely. Tonight, however, it held a bit more life.

Lu Zhaojin followed Zhang Mang to this location.

Inside the ruined temple, Lu Jinlin was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he saw a woman dressed in a dark blue, wrist-bound, fitted outfit. She leaned against the wall in a dim corner, her head bowed, her hair covering her face. It was unknown whether she was alive or dead.

Zhang Mang secretly glanced at the woman. She had indeed been holding on by sheer force. He cursed Elder Gu for his foolishness internally. If not for his insistence that the bigger picture was more important, how could he have missed such a golden opportunity?

Lu Zhaojin noticed the woman's right hand, which was gripping a sword. He had no intention of approaching to confirm. He raised his iron sword and pointed it at Zhang Mang. "Where is my father?"

Zhang Mang flinched, quickly explaining, "Listen to me, this woman is the daughter of the Mount Qi County Magistrate. Although we don't know why she's injured, her wounds are extremely severe. If she doesn't receive timely treatment, her life may be in danger."

Lu Zhaojin frowned slightly. "What does that have to do with me?"

Zhang Mang's voice grew a little louder. "Her father is the County Magistrate."

He continued, "My men found this place with hunting dogs. She was here at the time. Although we don't know how long she's been here, she was clearly here before us. She might have seen Chief Escort Lu and know which way he went..."

Now that his life was in Lu Zhaojin's hands, he dared not say the rest.

Lu Zhaojin understood but didn't care.

Because Zhang Mang deserved to die.

From the moment the Zhang family set out to slaughter the Sihai Escort Agency, the two families were locked in an irreconcilable feud. Whether or not Lu Jinlin was found, Zhang Mang would not leave alive.

Clearly, Zhang Mang had not grasped this yet, believing there was still a sliver of hope.

Lu Zhaojin didn't kill him immediately because he still had some use. "In that case, you'd best make sure she's still alive."

Zhang Mang watched as Lu Zhaojin sheathed his sword. He hastily walked towards the corner where Zhao Nuanyu was hiding, desperately hoping she was still alive, otherwise, he would be in trouble.

His expression was contorted with hatred.

He detested Lu Zhaojin. If he could escape, he would definitely have his father kill him. No, he would capture Lu Zhaojin alive.

He wanted to make Lu Zhaojin "wish he could die but be unable to."

Zhang Mang fantasized as he squatted down and reached out to check Zhao Nuanyu's breathing.

But the lowered head suddenly lifted, startling him so much that his soul almost flew out of his body. His pupils contracted, and when he met her icy eyes, he was even more terrified and chilled.

A cold glint flashed. Zhang Mang quickly retreated, dodging a fatal sword strike. However, his outstretched palm was severed at the wrist, and blood splattered from the wound onto the woman's pale face and the mottled, incomplete wall behind her.

Intense pain surged through his mind. Zhang Mang stared in horror at the severed right wrist, screaming in shock. As if startled, he stumbled around the ruined temple, his ultimate goal being to escape in the chaos.

Lu Zhaojin did not pursue him, because Zhang Mang wouldn't get far.

Footsteps could be heard from outside. It was likely many people gathered outside. He wasn't sure if they were looking for him or the woman.

Lu Zhaojin met the woman's gaze, realizing she had indeed been feigning unconsciousness.

At such close range, it was difficult to retreat unscathed.

Moreover, this was partly because the woman was injured.

Otherwise, that sword strike just now could have easily taken Zhang Mang's life.

That's why Lu Zhaojin had Zhang Mang confirm, rather than doing it himself.

The woman suddenly spoke, "Those people are looking for me, but they are not my people."

Lu Zhaojin looked at the woman, unsure of her intentions, and remained silent.

The woman asked, "Did you see through my act of feigning unconsciousness?"

Lu Zhaojin did not conceal it. "Your sword-gripping hand was too tight."

The woman understood. "My father used to say the same thing... My name is Zhao Nuanyu, and my father is the Mount Qi County Magistrate."

Lu Zhaojin nodded. "I know."

Zhao Nuanyu suddenly said seriously, "Then, young hero, are you willing to make a deal?"

Lu Zhaojin did not immediately agree just because her father was the County Magistrate. "Tell me."

Zhao Nuanyu said, "I fell into misfortune here today because I was framed by the Moon Wolf Gang. If you are willing to help me escape, Nuanyu will repay you generously, whether it be gold, silver, treasures, martial arts manuals, or even a beauty. As long as the request is not too excessive, I can satisfy it."

Lu Zhaojin's eyebrows twitched slightly as he carefully considered.

The martial arts manuals she mentioned were indeed something he was currently lacking.

He didn't have much silver on him to begin with, and even if he reached Mount Qi County, he might not be able to buy any cultivation manuals.

However, he didn't yet know the Moon Wolf Gang's strength or if the risk was worth it.

Lu Zhaojin asked, "What about the Moon Wolf Gang?"

Seeing Lu Zhaojin's interest, Zhao Nuanyu felt a sense of relief. "The members of the Moon Wolf Gang are just a disorganized rabble, mostly at the early Ninth Rank in cultivation. They're nothing to fear..."

She hesitated slightly before continuing, "However, their three gang leaders are quite strong. The two deputy leaders are at the middle and late Eighth Rank respectively, and the main leader... is at the early Seventh Rank."

Seeing Lu Zhaojin about to speak, she quickly added, regardless of whether he would refuse or agree, "But, that main leader was rumored to be in seclusion years ago and still hasn't emerged."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaojin felt there was room for negotiation.

She looked into Lu Zhaojin's eyes. "Of course, if you're unwilling, I won't force you. I only hope that if you have the chance in the future, you can go to Mount Qi County and tell my father where I died and who was responsible."

Suddenly, a loud and rough voice echoed from the doorway, "No one leaves here alive."

They both turned to look.

A middle-aged man with a full beard appeared at the entrance.

His face was coarse and fleshy, one arm bare, and he carried a large saber on his shoulder. Fierce light gleamed in his tiger-like eyes as he looked at Lu Zhaojin and the others.

Two gang members in gray short shirts followed behind him, a wolf's head howling at the moon embroidered on the chest of their clothes.

Zhang Mang seemed to know him and walked up to the middle-aged man. He took a belt, untied from someone, and wrapped it around the severed end of his own wrist.

He looked at Lu Zhaojin with eyes that seemed to wish he could devour his flesh and blood, bone and marrow. His remaining hand pointed at Lu Zhaojin, "Gang Leader Mu, that brat is the one who caused me to lose my hand. But don't kill him, just leave him alive. I want to make him wish for death."

Mu Kui glanced at him without speaking and then turned to Zhao Nuanyu with a laugh. "Zhao Nuanyu, that slash from your uncle must have hurt quite a bit, right?"

Zhao Nuanyu pushed herself up from the ground, leaning against the wall. She walked out of the dark corner and into the moonlight.

Her somewhat heroic face appeared in everyone's sight. She had a high ponytail and wore a sapphire blue fitted jacket with wrist guards.

However.

A large area on her left shoulder was stained red with blood.

This was clearly the saber wound Mu Kui had mentioned.

Zhao Nuanyu looked at Mu Kui with icy eyes. If looks could kill, she would have died tens of thousands of times. "Mu Kui, is your Moon Wolf Gang really going to take things this far?"

Mu Kui sneered, "My Moon Wolf Gang and your father were getting along fine. But now your father insists on being stubborn and interfering in the Moon Wolf Gang's affairs, so my Moon Wolf Gang has no choice but to make him understand the consequences of meddling."

Zhao Nuanyu said coldly, "You're not giving the common people a way to live. As the Mount Qi County Magistrate, he naturally had to intervene. He definitely had to."

Mu Kui laughed heartily, as if hearing a hilarious joke. "Ridiculous. If he had to intervene, why didn't he before?"

He taunted, "Perhaps some wind blew from above, and he's preparing to use my Moon Wolf Gang as a stepping stone for his achievements?"

Zhao Nuanyu remained silent.

Mu Kui snorted, raised his saber, and pointed the tip at Zhao Nuanyu. "Don't worry, your uncle won't kill you. I'll just break your limbs, let my brothers have some fun first, and then cut off your head. I'll kindly let that Magistrate Zhao have one last look at his daughter."

Despite Mu Kui's plumpness, he moved like a small mountain, but he wasn't slow. With three large strides, he closed in on Zhao Nuanyu and swung his saber. However, his target wasn't Zhao Nuanyu, but Lu Zhaojin.