Chapter Thirty-Five: Calamity at White Chicken Ridge (Please keep reading!)

"Su Ye, are you really going to ignore the Bone Temple?" the little fox whispered.

"I'd like to do something about it, but unfortunately, I don't have the power," Su Ye sighed softly. From childhood, he'd been taught that subduing demons and evil spirits was his duty. In his previous life, he'd already sacrificed his own life for this cause; now, given a second chance, he would not hesitate to rid the world of monsters and ghosts if he had the strength.

But against evil cultivators as formidable as those from the Bone Temple, it was wiser not to provoke them now, lest he lose his life again.

"Enough, stop worrying so much. Focus on your cultivation and reach the Ninth Grade sooner—that way, you can better assist me!"

Su Ye weighed the noticeably plump little fox in his hands, then set it down and returned to his own room.

He had received many materials from Qu Zhang this time, and he intended to process them into Ninth Grade talismans.

The more talismans, the better. Even if he didn't have to face the two evil cultivators from the Bone Temple directly, having them for protection would greatly strengthen his ability to defend himself.

With the New Year approaching, Su Ye decided not to take the little fox to Yunquan Mountain for training; he would wait until after the holiday. Since arriving in this world, he'd been tirelessly working to preserve his life. Now that he finally had a moment of respite, he planned to rest for a few days.

Time passed slowly, and before he knew it, it was the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

"Young master, our silver was stolen—the guards escorting it back were all killed!"

As the year-end approached, Zhou Quan rushed to Su Ye with this news.

That batch of silver was earned from Su family's shops in other counties. Every year before the New Year, the Su family sent people to collect payments and escort the money back.

The guards chosen for this task were always skilled. After Su Ye took over, he trained them further and recruited more men, making this year's escort stronger than ever. Yet now, all of them were dead!

"When did you hear about this? Where did it happen?" Su Ye asked in a deep voice.

This was no ordinary banditry; there had to be cultivators involved. Otherwise, the Su family's guards would not have been slaughtered so thoroughly.

"I came straight to you as soon as I heard. It happened at White Rooster Ridge," Zhou Quan replied quickly.

"The Bone Temple!"

Su Ye's heart sank at the mention of White Rooster Ridge. He had learned about the Bone Temple from Qu Zhang; it was built near White Rooster Ridge, and the entire area was under its control. Only the Bone Temple had the power to wipe out the Su family's guards and seize their silver.

"Why would the Bone Temple suddenly target the Su family's caravan? Is it because I killed Zhao Huaisheng? Or was it a random act?"

Su Ye frowned slightly. Previously, he'd had no dealings with the Bone Temple except for killing Zhao Huaisheng, who was about to join them.

Yet considerable time had passed since Zhao Huaisheng's death, and the Bone Temple was now preoccupied with slaying the Ninth Grade demon flood dragon sealed at Fire Sun Mountain. They should have no reason to meddle in such trivial matters.

"In any case, the Bone Temple killed so many of my men; this cannot go unpunished!" Su Ye's face was grave. He recalled Qu Zhang's earlier proposal—perhaps fate itself was urging him to rid the world of this menace.

After some thought, Su Ye made a swift decision.

"Please, Uncle Zhou, see to the families of the deceased—give them extra compensation," Su Ye said softly.

With Zhou Quan handling the aftermath, Su Ye left Jin Hua County at once and hurried to the City God Temple.

All of Luoxing Mountain was under Qu Zhang's watch, so as soon as Su Ye appeared there, Qu Zhang sensed his arrival.

Their last conversation had ended unpleasantly, but now, seeing Su Ye come to Luoxing Mountain so suddenly, Qu Zhang sent his ghost officers to bring him to his residence.

"Brother Su, have you come to give me your final decision?" Qu Zhang poured a cup of hot tea for Su Ye and sighed softly. "I know I was asking too much, even..."

"I agree to deal with those evil cultivators from the Bone Temple," Su Ye said quickly.

A look of surprise crossed Qu Zhang's face. He had been prepared for Su Ye's refusal and hadn't expected such a reply.

"Su Ye, did something happen? Your attitude wasn't like this the other day," Qu Zhang said with a smile.

"Indeed, something happened. I just received word that my family's silver escort was annihilated at White Rooster Ridge," Su Ye said coldly.

"White Rooster Ridge? Was it the Bone Temple?" Qu Zhang probed.

"Nine chances out of ten. The guards were skilled, and only a cultivator could wipe them out in that area," Su Ye took a deep breath. "I agree to your request. After the New Year, I plan to visit Lanyin Mountain. Please, Brother Qu, tell me what I need to watch out for—and also about the Ning Caichen couple."

Su Ye had previously asked Qu Zhang about the Ning Caichen couple, but Qu Zhang had clearly been unwilling to discuss it. Now, with his planned visit to Lanyin Mountain, he needed to know more about them. If Qu Zhang remained reticent, he would seek information elsewhere.

"Ah, I didn't tell you about Ning Caichen and his wife before, and I feel guilty—it's hard to speak of," Qu Zhang sighed softly, his face reflecting memories. His voice grew gentle as he began to recount what had happened to Ning Caichen and his wife.

Ning Caichen was originally the young master of the Ning family in Jin Hua County, a man of talent and culture. Since childhood, he had been betrothed to Nie Xiaoqian, the daughter of the Nie family. Later, with the blessings of both families, they married happily.

Ning Caichen enjoyed making friends and admired immortals, becoming close with Qu Zhang and forming strong bonds with the monks of Lanruo Temple.

Later, the couple fell into the path of ghosts and destroyed Lanruo Temple, mainly because a centuries-old locust tree there had transformed into a monster.

The locust had listened to sermons from the monks for years, absorbing spiritual power. Upon becoming a monster, it instantly possessed Ninth Grade strength.

At the time, Lanruo Temple had three Ninth Grade monks, but when the locust demon emerged, it killed one right away.

After that, the monks were no match for the demon. Eventually, Abbot Huiji devised a method to slay it, but this plan required Nie Xiaoqian to sacrifice her life.