“Here he comes.”

The old man in the bamboo hat’s face darkened, and he gripped the brown bamboo cane that served as his walking stick.

Xiao Shusheng took out an iron-ribbed folding fan from his sleeve and opened it with a “snap,” holding it in front of him with narrowed eyes.

Ruan Tian and Ruan Di exchanged a look and silently retreated into the shadows of the dilapidated temple.

The enchanting woman leaned against the burly man, still wearing a charming smile, but her hand swept across her waist, removing the soft sword that served as her belt.

“My lady envoys, I’m here to protect you!”

Wu Hu shouted loudly, crossing his hands in front of him and striking a vigilant pose. “Protecting our lady envoys! Brothers, type ‘protect’ in the public chat!”

“If you’re protecting us, why are you standing behind us?”

The envoy took a deep breath, resisting the urge to draw her sword and chop this guy, staring intently at the entrance of the dilapidated temple.

Tap, tap, tap.

The sound of footsteps grew closer, and a figure appeared in the moonlight.

It was a Daoist.

He was wearing a black crane cloak, of average appearance, with short hair, simple cloth shoes, a copper coin sword in his right hand, and a copper bell in his left.

His limbs were thin, his hands so skinny they were like skin and bones,

But his torso was bloated and fat, extremely uncoordinated.

Jingle, jangle.

The Daoist shook the copper bell and strolled to the entrance of the dilapidated temple, leaning against the door frame. In a hoarse, strange voice, he said with a smile, “Everyone’s here, have you eaten?”

No one answered. Xiao Shusheng sized him up and asked with a smile, “Are you Ximen Daoist?”

“Ximen Zi.”

The Daoist shook his head and corrected, “You have to add a ‘Zi’.”

Xiao Shusheng didn’t care and said calmly, “We have no grievances with Daoist Ximen Zi. Why must you pursue us so relentlessly, to the point of extermination?”

“Xiao Shusheng, originally named Huang Chao, born in Kawasaki County, was originally a frustrated and impoverished scholar who repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. He admired and pursued the Qianjin of the Song family in Kawasaki, but to no avail. Out of love turned to hate, he poisoned and murdered the entire Song family, more than twenty people. After that, he became a bandit, devising strategies for bandits and mountain thieves everywhere, acting as a dog-headed strategist, harming countless people.”

The short-haired Daoist’s gaze swept past the scholar and focused on the old man in the bamboo hat. “Yun He Weng, originally named Jia Fei, a military household in Tonghe County, coveted the wife of his subordinate when he was young, harmed and murdered his subordinate, trying to take his wife, seize his wealth, and occupy his grain. After failing, he was wanted by the Wu De Guard and joined the White Lotus Sect.”

The short-haired Daoist shook his head, his gaze lingering in the shadows of the dilapidated temple.

“Ruan Tian and Ruan Di, born in Jinshan County, brothers born of the same mother, were once maritime merchant guards, but they murdered their employer at sea, seized their wealth, and then colluded with Japanese pirates, colluding with foreign enemies, and looting villages.”

The Daoist sighed and looked at the enchanting woman and the burly man, saying in a low voice, “Yi Ye Qing, Xiao Fu Mang, bandits from the Nanling Mountains, cruel and merciless. Burning, killing, looting, killing like hemp.

Once, they encountered a pregnant woman and bet on whether she was carrying a boy or a girl. Xiao Fu Mang said it was a boy, Yi Ye Qing said it was a girl, and if they didn’t believe it, they would open it up to see,

So they kicked the woman down, killed her, and took out the baby to verify the gender.”

“Haha.”

The enchanting woman shook the soft sword in her hand, extended a slender index finger, wiped the bright red lipstick on her lips, her eyes filled with charm, and said delicately, “Daoist, you heard this story from those people we let escape, right?

Let me remind you, the child in that woman’s belly was a boy.

My man guessed right.

So I threw the child into the tree, hugged my man, and told him I’d sleep with him tonight.”

With that, the enchanting woman wrapped her arms around the burly man’s waist and rubbed against the latter’s chest coquettishly.

The short-haired Daoist exhaled a long breath and nodded. “Since everyone’s here, then we can begin. Supreme Thearch’s decree, deliver your orphaned souls, all ghosts and demons, all four births receive grace…”

The Daoist began to chant a mantra,

The Rebirth Mantra.

“You don’t know what’s good for you. There are nine of us, and you’re just one.”

Ruan Tian roared fiercely, though he was actually timid inside. “Heaven has a path, but you don’t take it; hell has no door, but you barge in! Take this!”

He shouted loudly, but his body was retreating rapidly, and with a flip of his hand, he threw three short darts, flying towards the short-haired Daoist’s face in a triangular formation.

Clang—

The Daoist waved his copper coin sword, using skillful force to deflect the three short darts, chanting scriptures without stopping, and kicked off the ground with his toes, rushing towards the old man in the bamboo hat at the front.

“Well done!”

A gleam flashed in the eyes of the old man in the bamboo hat. He stepped forward, the tips of his straw sandals scraping against the thick layer of dust on the bricks of the dilapidated temple. The bamboo cane whistled sharply as it swept through the air.

The copper coin sword collided with the brown bamboo cane.

The expression on the old man in the bamboo hat’s face changed rapidly, from ferocity to confusion, to fear, and then to despair.

A vast force was transmitted along the brown bamboo cane. The solid muscles hidden under the old man in the bamboo hat’s coat did not play any role at all.

The whole person flew out horizontally,

Like a small boat in a tsunami, he crashed heavily into the pillars of the dilapidated temple.

Thump!

He slowly slid down the pillar, his eyes wide open, his neck twisted and broken into a bizarre arc.

Underneath his heavy raincoat, hidden weapons fell out with a clatter.

In just one move, Yun He Weng died on the spot.

Not good!

Xiao Shusheng’s heart jolted violently. He knew very well that Yun He Weng looked thin and small, but his muscles were strong and his external training was extremely superb.

To be able to kill Yun He Weng in one move… what is the origin of this Daoist?!

In a flash of lightning, the short-haired Daoist kicked off the ground again. The copper bell shook incessantly, and the copper coin sword slashed towards Xiao Shusheng in a simple and unadorned manner.

All of this happened too quickly. Xiao Shusheng had to take half a step back and wave the horizontally placed fan surface from bottom to top, raising the thick dust on the ground and condensing it into a large net of dust in the air, covering the Daoist.