Facing everyone's gazes, Monk Yi Xin spoke mildly. "This underground palace originally belonged to Bai Ri Mansion."
At those words, more than half of the dozen-odd people around them had disbelief written plainly across their faces.
Monk Yi Xin turned a blind eye and said slowly:
"In truth, this underground palace had existed since the day this humble monk established the temple. It was built when Jin Huan first arrived in Juebi City and was struggling to establish himself. Later, when Bai Ri Mansion's influence waned, this place was left in a half-abandoned state. None of the monks in the temple knew of it until Bai Ri Mansion used this underground palace to monitor the temple's movements. Only then did we follow the vine to find the melon and discover its location."
After a brief pause, he continued, "At the time, Bai Ri Mansion stood at the height of its power, and our temple had no way to seek justice. We could only swallow our anger and spend a sum of money to purchase this underground palace. Fearing that Bai Ri Mansion was familiar with its layout and might use that knowledge against our temple, we repeatedly renovated it over the years. Compared to its original state, it is now utterly transformed. And, without concealing it, there are certain secrets of our temple within this underground palace. This humble monk must excuse himself from saying more."
Monk Yi Xin spoke with such detail that, though those present did not wholly believe him, they fell silent.
Shi Song turned and glanced toward He Qing high in the air, then nodded. "If Master's account is true, Bai Ri Mansion should have records concerning this. I'll send people to verify it at once. As for this place, why not have Master lead us