With a gentle sweep of the Fly-Whisk, a gust blew into the ruined temple's main hall, dispelling the spell. All those asleep awoke, and those who had been drugged returned to normal.
The four martial artists reacted swiftly, joining forces at once to drive back the Bare-Chested Scholar. Behind the shrine, those enjoying the pleasures of flesh cried out in shock and screamed, for they had discovered that their lovely lady possessed an extra appendage—one that outclassed their own.
The entire hall erupted into chaos. The traveling merchants drew iron rulers, while the martial heroes leveled spears and unsheathed swords, watching the man and woman before them warily.
The man was naturally the handsome scholar, and the woman the lovely lady. The young traveling merchant demanded angrily:
"Who... who exactly are you?"
The scholar smiled without answering, while the woman stretched languidly. Their skin began peeling away like wax, a scalp-prickling, horrifying sight. In an instant, they transformed into two monks, one in black and one in white.
Like intertwined yin and yang, the two monks became two rays of light and swiftly fused into one. A handsome monk in white stepped from the light, untouched by a speck of dust, radiant as the bright moon. His aura was holy, his purity so absolute that it seemed almost uncanny.
The scholar behind the statue likewise became a sheet of human skin. He had been a Cat Demon in disguise, with snowy-white fur, and padded over to the white-robed monk.
"Amitabha. This humble monk is Wuhua. Greetings, benefactors."
Having witnessed this scene firsthand, everyone was terrified. They realized that the Daoist had been right: they had encountered something unholy.
The traveling merchants were frightened, and the martial artists braced as though facing a formidable enemy. The young merchant and martial traveler