You've already caught the embroidered ball, and you still say it's not my husband?

Pearl carried Lu Xuan downstream...

Wanfu Temple is a small to medium-sized temple, not very large in area, located on a hillside by the Blackwater River.

Lu Xuan let Pearl wait quietly in the nearby waters, while he went ashore ahead of time, pretending to be a pilgrim going to a temple to burn incense, and climbed up the steps from the foot of the mountain.

With only a hundred or so stone steps, Lu Xuan quickly reached the top of the mountain and stood in front of the gate of Wanfu Temple.

In ancient times, people were generally devout Buddhists, and many temples were always bustling with worshippers. Strangely, Lu Xuan did not see any other worshippers on his way up the mountain, and when he looked into the temple gate, he did not see anyone else either.

The entire temple was quiet, ancient, and secluded.

"Please stop here, benefactor."

Two monks stood on either side of the gate, and they reached out to stop Lu Xuan.

"I have been a Buddhist since I was three years old. Today, I am passing through your esteemed place and only wish to offer incense to Buddha to pray for the safety of my entire family. I would be grateful if you two masters could grant me this request." Lu Xuan said with a sincere smile.

The monk guarding the gate remained expressionless: "You must pay for incense before entering the temple."

One of the monks made a V-sign, waving two fingers in front of Lu Xuan: "Benefactor, this is the amount."

"How much is this? Two coins?"

"It's two hundred coins."

"So expensive!"

Like most of the worshippers who went to Wanfu Temple to burn incense, Lu Xuan was startled.

You have to pay 200 coins for incense before you can enter the temple!

Aren't temples usually free to enter?

Even if a temple needs to operate, it is understandable to collect some incense money, but is two hundred coins too expensive?

Perhaps only wealthy gentry who are not short of money, or ordinary people who are extremely devout Buddhists, would go to Wanfu Temple to burn incense!

No wonder there are so few worshippers!

Is it that Buddha doesn't save the poor?

Or is there another reason, deliberately raising the bar for offering incense and reducing the number of worshippers?

If Wanfu Temple is truly a place rife with filth and corruption, then it is most likely the latter...

"Could you two masters please do me a favor and only charge me a hundred coins? I sincerely wish to enter your temple to offer incense and pray for blessings," Lu Xuan asked with an embarrassed smile.

The gatekeeper monk carefully sized up Lu Xuan, thinking to himself, "This young man doesn't seem to come from a poor family, so why is he being so hesitant?"

The monk said somewhat impatiently, "Rules are rules. Two hundred coins means two hundred coins. If you're not sincere, how can Buddha possibly bless you?"

Lu Xuan scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed: "What my two masters say makes sense; I was just being superficial."

He then pretended to be in pain and took out some loose silver coins to hand to the monk.

"Alright, you can go in now." The monk guarding the gate stuffed the loose silver into his pocket and nodded to let him through.

"Thank you, Masters."

Lu Xuan's face showed excitement mixed with a touch of heartache. He clasped his hands in thanks to the gatekeeper monk before entering the temple.

After Lu Xuan entered, the two gatekeeper monks, perhaps bored out of their minds, looked at Lu Xuan's back.

Lu Xuan was very young, looking no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. He would hesitate and feel the pinch even if he took out two hundred coins. He was probably the young master of a poor family who believed in Buddhism...

The two monks thought everything was normal and didn't suspect anything.

suddenly!

A gust of wind blew from the mountain, ruffling a corner of Lu Xuan's white robe and revealing the sword at his waist.

The sword was long and slender, without a scabbard, its blade entirely black, and the hilt was carved with several flying phoenixes…

"Jingluan Knife!"

The two monks' pupils suddenly contracted, and their expressions changed drastically.

They happened to see the Jingluan Blade that Lu Xuan was carrying at his waist and realized Lu Xuan's identity!

Lu Xuan is actually a member of the Demon Suppression Division!

They exchanged a glance and slowly closed the temple gate...

Lu Xuan entered the ancient and elegant Wanfu Temple. Before he had gone far, a group of monks wielding sticks suddenly jumped out. Two of them were the same monks who had been guarding the gate earlier. They surrounded Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan immediately adopted a look of fear and innocence: "Masters, what do you mean by this?"

The monks stared intently at Lu Xuan, who was feigning ignorance, without saying a word, but they gripped their sticks even tighter.

"Amitabha." An elderly monk in a kasaya, with a kind face and hands clasped together, walked out from the main hall.

He approached Lu Xuan unhurriedly, his previously slightly narrowed eyes suddenly snapping open, his face devoid of any trace of kindness.

Only scrutiny and sharp incision!

"Young benefactor, you're not here to offer incense at my temple, are you?!"

……

at the same time.

Bao Bulu galloped to Yunzhou City and, after making inquiries from various sources, found the Demon Suppression Division.

It had barely arrived at the Demon Suppression Bureau, and before it even stepped inside, it was arrested by the Demon Suppression Guards as a demonic beast attempting to break into prison or cause trouble.

Fortunately, it shouted loudly and promptly showed the captain's order given to it by Lu Xuan, otherwise it might have been locked up in jail.

The Demon Suppression Guard brought Bao Bulu to Commandant Nangong Yourong.

"My lord, I am here by express courier to inform you..." Bao Bulu said in one breath.

Upon hearing this, Nangong You Rong was first startled, then overjoyed.

"So those remnants of the Black Fiend Cult were hiding in Wanfu Temple in Zhaoyuan County!"

After arriving in Yunzhou to take up her post as a military commander, her primary task was to hunt down the remnants of the Black Fiend Cult. However, after investigating for more than half a year, she still had no leads. Unexpectedly, just when she was exhausted from her fruitless search, Bao Bulu brought her such good news!

The remnants of the Black Fiend Cult abduct young women to cultivate the Black Fiend Demonic Art. The mysterious old woman rowing the boat is one of the remnants of the Black Fiend Cult!

The Wanfu Temple in Zhaoyuan County is very likely the hideout of the remnants of the Black Fiends!

The good news came so suddenly that she felt like she had found it without any effort after searching high and low!

"You did a great job, little donkey!"

Nangong Yourong smiled and praised her, then asked, "Where is Commandant Lu? Why didn't he come with you?"

Normally, shouldn't Lu Xuan have ridden a donkey to inform the Demon Suppression Division? Why is it only Bao Bulu who rushed over in such a hurry?

"My master said... he'll go to Wanfu Temple to scout things out first..."

"What?!"

Nangong Yourong was instantly stunned, and the joy on her face vanished almost entirely.

The captains and several demon-suppressing guards around him also looked incredulous.

"This...this is too reckless!"

Although the main force of the Black Fiend Cult has been wiped out, the remaining remnants should not be underestimated.

For example, that old woman rowing the boat is the left protector of the Black Fiend Cult—the Yin Granny!

She has mastered the Black Fiend Demon Art to a high level, reaching the fourth rank, and has also learned the Puppet Blood Killing Technique... making her extremely difficult to deal with!

Not to mention the remnants of the Black Fiend Cult, such as the Right Protector and the Young Master of the Black Fiend Cult.

Lu Xuan dared to go to Wanfu Temple alone to deal with this group of vicious remnants of the Black Fiend Cult. What is this if not recklessness!

"Quickly, contact Captain Lu! Don't let him act rashly!"

Nangong Yourong, her face full of anxiety, called out to Bao Bulu.

Bao Bulu doesn't have a communication talisman, so how can he contact Lu Xuan?

It tried to call out into the heart lake: "Master, can you hear me? Commander Nangong warned you not to act recklessly..."

Perhaps because Yunzhou City was too far from Wanfu Temple, exceeding the scope of the contractual communication, it did not receive a reply from Lu Xuan.

"Reporting back to the Commandant, I can't contact my master, what should I do?" Bao Bulu said with a bitter face.

Nangong Yourong's face turned even paler.

Lu Xuan was a demon-suppressing captain she recruited by breaking with precedent. He was young but already had a fourth-rank cultivation level, stronger than her. He was undoubtedly a prodigy and the future pillar of the Demon-Suppressing Division!

but!

Even the most talented can perish before they have fully matured!

Especially those arrogant and impetuous young geniuses!

Previously, Lu Xuan had single-handedly slain the Blackwater River monster in the Water Marsh Village, and was indifferent to being promoted to the rank of Demon Suppression Captain. Now, he is venturing alone into the dragon's den and tiger's lair of Wanfu Temple...

"That was far too reckless!" Nangong Yourong sighed in regret. "Indeed, no genius is without arrogance..."

Judging from Lu Xuan's various behaviors, she believed that Lu Xuan must be a very proud person.

"Youth is wasted if you're not young," so it's understandable...

But a person only has one life!

What if Lu Xuan accidentally falls at Wanfu Temple?

Where is she supposed to find someone so young and with so much potential to replace her?

"No……"

When Bao Bulu heard Nangong Yourong say that about its master, it instinctively wanted to argue back.

But then he suddenly remembered that this was the Demon Suppression Division, and hurriedly changed his words from "No" to "Absolutely right".

"The Commandant is absolutely right, truly right! Don't be fooled by my master's outwardly refined and courteous demeanor; he is actually quite arrogant and aloof!"

"Your Excellency is truly astute! My master is indeed a proud and arrogant man!"