City God Temple

Du Sanniang lightly snorted:

"I'm not so shameless as that. I just want to cooperate with him. Evil spirits are rampant in this world. More power means more lives saved."

Old Taoist Songhe glanced at her, seemingly lost in thought.

The group had barely sat down for a moment.

Qin Bo emerged from the woods, cradling the black cat.

"Solved?"

Chen Song stood up, looking at Qin Bo.

"Solved. I even shattered the coffin."

Qin Bo waved his hand, looking relaxed.

"Good. The only way to deal with the Red and White Twin Evils is to destroy the objects that sustain them, preventing new anomalies from appearing."

Chen Song nodded, impressed.

Du Sanniang scrutinized Qin Bo, a hint of a smile in her eyes:

"I didn't expect you to be so young yet so decisive. Speaking of which, the Red and White Twin Evils have been wreaking havoc here for a long time. The surrounding villages have suffered greatly. You've done a great service to the people."

Qin Bo smiled modestly:

"It's also thanks to Little Black Charcoal's help, or I wouldn't have succeeded so easily."

As he spoke, he gently stroked the black cat's head in his arms.

Little Black Charcoal comfortably narrowed its eyes, purring in its throat.

Old Taoist Songhe stroked his beard and said, "Since the matter here is settled, let's continue on our way."

"We must take advantage of the early daylight to reach the City God Temple outside Yunzhou City as soon as possible, or the night will bring great terror!"

The others nodded and continued their journey.

Finally, as dusk approached, they arrived at a remote village.

A lone old house stood in the middle of the forest.

Its eerie atmosphere hinted at anomalies.

"We're here. This is the City God Temple. Yunzhou City is only a few miles away, but the city gates are closed at night. We can't enter, so we'll have to spend the night here!"

Qin Bo surveyed the so-called City God Temple.

The temple gate was half-closed, the red paint on the door pivots peeling and revealing the rotten wood beneath.

One corner of the stone lion in front of the temple was missing, making it look dilapidated.

Weeds grew everywhere, as if no one had set foot here for a long time.

"Does this City God Temple look habitable, so desolate?"

Qin Bo couldn't help but ask.

Chen Song smiled and explained:

"Although the City God Temple is dilapidated, it's better than sleeping in the open air. Moreover, this place has some special power that can resist some evil spirits, making it relatively safe."

The group entered the City God Temple, which was filled with a musty smell.

In the main hall, the statue of the City God was covered in dust, its features somewhat blurred.

The murals on the walls on both sides were also incomplete due to the erosion of time, but one could vaguely make out scenes of demons being subdued.

Du Sanniang wrinkled her nose and took out a piece of cloth from her package.

She began to wipe the offering table, saying as she wiped, "When you're away from home, you have to make do. At least let's clean up a place to stay."

Qin Bo and Chen Song began searching for materials to make a fire.

Soon, the two returned to the main hall with a pile of dry firewood and started a fire in the corner.

The warm firelight gradually dispelled the cold and eeriness in the hall.

Little Black Charcoal wandered around the hall, occasionally pawing at the debris in the corners, making rustling sounds.

Qin Bo took off his package, which contained the dry food that Master Li had given them before they set off.

There were some flatbreads and jerky!

He laid them out and handed them to the others.

"Not bad, not a waste of my efforts to save them."

Old Taoist Songhe took the flatbread and jerky, a satisfied smile on his face.

Chen Song also took the food and took a bite of the jerky, saying, "Master Li is indeed generous, preparing enough dry food to last us for some time."

Du Sanniang gracefully picked up a flatbread, took a small bite, and nodded, "After traveling for so long, I am indeed a little hungry."

Qin Bo ate the flatbread while watching Little Black Charcoal messing around in the corner and called out:

"Little Black Charcoal, stop playing and come eat something."

Little Black Charcoal heard the call and trotted over with tiny steps.

Qin Bo took a small piece of jerky from his pack and handed it to it.

Little Black Charcoal happily hugged it with its paws and ate with relish.

Just then, everyone stopped eating.

They all looked up towards the temple gate.

A sound came from outside the door.

"Huff... Miss, come in quickly. Fortunately, this old one remembered there was a City God Temple here, or we might be in trouble tonight."

A middle-aged man in brocade robes walked in first, calling out to the outside.

He didn't notice Qin Bo and the others at all.

Immediately after, a young woman moved with light steps, entering the temple.

She wore a light pink silk skirt, her black hair was like a waterfall, and her face was exquisitely beautiful but with a hint of fatigue.

Behind her followed several men who looked like servants, carrying some luggage.

Qin Bo and the others watched this group warily, wondering what their intentions were.

The middle-aged man turned around and noticed Qin Bo and the others, his expression tightening.

Seeming to realize that they were people, he cupped his fist and said, "Everyone, I'm really sorry. We were in a hurry on the road, and it's already late at night, so we intruded rashly. Please forgive us."

Old Taoist Songhe sized them up and, seeing that they didn't seem like bad people, returned the greeting:

"It's fine. This City God Temple is unowned, and we are all travelers. Meeting is fate. But this place is a bit strange. How did you come here?"

The middle-aged man said with a wry smile:

"To be honest, we were originally going to Yunzhou City to visit relatives, but we got lost on the way, and it's impossible to enter Yunzhou City at night. In a panic, this old one remembered that there was a City God Temple here, so I brought the Miss here to take refuge for the night."

Du Sanniang glanced at the woman and said softly, "Miss, you don't look too good. Are you tired from the journey?"

The woman bowed slightly and said weakly, "Thank you for your concern, sister. I'm just a little tired from traveling all the way."

Du Sanniang looked back at the others, nodded, and Qin Bo was stunned, not understanding what she meant.

Then he saw Little Black Charcoal meowing at them a couple of times.

Only then did he understand.

They had been targeted; they had been tainted by the aura of the anomaly.

However, they remained calm.

Now that they had entered this City God Temple, it meant that the anomaly had not followed them for the time being.

Qin Bo was secretly vigilant, but on the surface, he pretended to be nonchalant.

He secretly observed the group, and found that while the middle-aged man was trying to remain calm, his eyes still revealed a hint of panic.

And beneath the woman's weak appearance, there seemed to be some hidden emotions.

Old Taoist Songhe also noticed the strangeness, and he inconspicuously hid a talisman in his sleeve, in case of emergency.

Chen Song gripped the long sword in his hand, seemingly resting, but in reality, he was always paying attention to the surrounding movements.

As time passed, the night grew deeper.

The City God Temple was silent, with only the occasional crackling sound of burning firewood.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew past, making Qin Bo feel a chill.