The moment Kong Wu left, Liu Jinghe said to the middle-aged man from earlier, "Uncle Gu, you've been traveling all day. You should rest for a while too."
Liu Gu shook his head. "It's nothing. This is a ruined temple deep in the mountains, so we still need to stay on our guard. Miss, you should rest first. We'll take turns resting later."
Liu Jinghe sighed after hearing this and said softly, "It's all because of my health. I could have come by myself, really. I'm sorry for making you accompany me on this journey, Uncle Gu."
"Miss, you're being too serious. The old master saved my life. If I can cure your strange illness this time, it won't matter even if I lose my life doing so."
Liu Jinghe sounded somewhat melancholy. "Uncle Gu, you've traveled far and wide for so many years and seen much of the world. Can this strange illness of mine really be cured this time?"
"It definitely can!" Liu Gu nodded seriously. "That master from before was a genuine cultivator. Someone so high above us wouldn't necessarily deceive ordinary mortals like us."
"The Fox Immortal?"
Liu Jinghe murmured softly, her thoughts returning to a month ago.
That day, someone dressed as a wandering Daoist knocked on the gates of Liu Manor.
With only the words, "I can avert the calamity threatening your daughter's life!" he gained an audience with the head of the Liu Household.
The head of the Liu Household—the father of Liu Jinghe—had started out as a peddler. Over twenty years, he had amassed quite a fortune and eventually settled down in Zhushui County.
He had fathered only one daughter at the age of forty, and he treasured Liu Jinghe beyond measure.
Yet for some unknown reason, Liu Jinghe's health had deteriorated steadily since a year ago, and countless physicians had been unable to determine the cause.
As they watched their daughter grow weaker by the day, the Liu Household had no solution at all.
Now that a wandering Daoist had said such a thing, the family head met him with the thought of treating a dying horse as though it were still alive.
As a result, the Daoist's expression changed drastically the moment he saw Liu Jinghe, and with a wave of his hand, a talisman flew out.
The talisman shimmered with golden light as it stuck to Liu Jinghe, and her complexion instantly improved considerably.
Seeing this, the old master, who had traveled to many places as a merchant, immediately realized that the Daoist was a cultivator.
He hurriedly bowed deeply and begged him to save Liu Jinghe.
The Daoist's expression was grim. After pondering for a long while, he finally explained the situation.
According to him, Liu Jinghe had caught the eye of a Fox Immortal. His talisman could only work for three days. After that, there were only two ways to resolve the problem completely.
The first was to kill the Fox Immortal.
However, according to the Daoist, the Fox Immortal's cultivation was profound. Even he could not deal with it.
The second was to prepare many offerings, seek out the other party, and offer them up personally, begging it to spare Liu Jinghe.
After saying this, the old Daoist left.
Over the following month, the old master thought long and hard before finally deciding to try what the Daoist had suggested.
Thus, he ordered people to purchase many precious medicinal ingredients and had his adopted son take Liu Jinghe on the road.
Looking at the worried Liu Jinghe, Liu Gu touched his chest.
A talisman that the Liu Household had bought at the cost of its entire fortune rested there.
If they truly could not come to an agreement, then they would have no choice but to strike ruthlessly.
However, beings like those monsters were not things ordinary mortals like them could deal with.
Regardless, his life had been given to him by the old master. Even if he had to stake his life, he would cure the miss's strange illness.
With that thought, Liu Gu turned around and was about to say something to the few guards below.
But the moment he turned around, his brows drew tightly together and his pupils contracted.
"Where's Fifth?"
Only after he said this did the others realize that one of the three guards who had been stationed in various corners had somehow vanished.
One guard looked around and said instinctively, "He was just here. Did he go out to relieve himself?"
It was one possible explanation.
Yet for some reason, Liu Gu's heart was pounding with panic.
"You stay here and keep watch. I'll go out and take a look."
After saying this, Liu Gu walked out.
He circled the ruined temple, and his expression gradually darkened.
There was no trace of anything.
He returned to the ruined temple and said in a low voice, "Stay sharp. Something's wrong with this place."
In an ancient temple amid the barren mountains, one of their companions had suddenly disappeared.
Remembering the strange rumors she had heard in the past, Liu Jinghe instinctively moved closer to Xiao Tao, only to find that Xiao Tao's hands were ice-cold and her body was trembling.
The guards had followed the Liu Household's caravans to many places under Liu Gu's leadership. Even in the face of such a terrifying scene, they still composed themselves, held their positions, and warily scanned their surroundings.
Drip!
The sound of dripping water caught Liu Jinghe's attention.
Rain was pouring outside, and it seemed that this dilapidated temple, long neglected and in disrepair, had begun to leak as well.
Thinking this, she instinctively raised her head, shifting her gaze upward.
In the next moment, her already pale complexion turned even whiter. Her pupils trembled violently, and she instinctively stretched out a quivering finger toward the roof.
She wanted to say something, but boundless fear left her breathless. Even when she opened her mouth, she could not utter a word.
Not far away, Liu Gu keenly noticed what was happening.
Clang~
Almost instantly, he drew the long saber at his waist and swiftly stepped in front of Liu Jinghe. Only then did he raise his head and look toward the roof.
Even this seasoned man, who had traveled far and wide for many years, was stunned for a moment by what he saw.
A gigantic python, pitch-black from head to tail, was coiled around the roof beam.
Its jaws were spread wide like a blood-filled cavern, with a pair of human legs dangling from its mouth.
As its body writhed, the person was swallowed bit by bit. Soon, only the soles of his shoes remained visible.
"Flying Locust Stone!!!"
Liu Gu shouted and pulled out an object from his waist, hurling it fiercely.
The other two guards reacted extremely quickly. Almost at the instant Liu Gu shouted, they made the exact same move.
The three Flying Locust Stones struck the giant python's head and shattered on impact.
But the python did not react in the slightest. Its pitch-black eyes calmly watched the people below.
Seeing that the Flying Locust Stones had no effect, Liu Gu's heart sank.
A python as thick as a water barrel was definitely no ordinary mountain beast.
This python could already be considered a monster.
"Go!"
Pulling Liu Jinghe up, Liu Gu shielded her behind him and slowly moved toward the doorway.
Yet before he could reach the entrance, a black shadow swooped down from above.
Liu Gu instinctively raised his long saber to protect his chest, but he was still sent flying by a tremendous force.
Hiss, hiss!
Not far in front of Liu Jinghe, the pitch-black python flicked its tongue, while the bulging lump of flesh at its neck slowly moved toward the middle of its body.
In such a short time, it had completely swallowed the missing guard.
It was obvious that, like Kong Wu, this creature was not yet full.
"Ha!"
The two guards raised their long sabers and hacked viciously at the python's body.
But when the sabers struck its body, they sent sparks flying and left only a white mark on its black scales.
The thick snake body whipped around, flinging both guards away.
Then the enormous snake head slowly stretched toward Liu Jinghe.
Frightened by this sight, Liu Jinghe and the maid Xiao Tao found their legs go weak and collapsed to the ground.
Just as the giant snake opened its jaws wide, intending to swallow Liu Jinghe whole, a streak of golden light flew from behind and struck the snake's head head-on.
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