Fairy, help me cultivate.

After saying that, the boatman rowed away.

Chen Yao looked up at the mountain ridge that almost blocked out a large portion of the sunlight and felt a sense of gloom.

"You're scared just because a mere old mortal said a few words?"

He walked nonchalantly across the wooden dock and onto solid ground.

Lu Dan, however, was a cautious man: "Since he said that, it means there's something fishy about that beam. We might as well inquire about it."

Chen Yao felt the same way.

The freeloader sneered, "You look down on my skills?"

Lu Qing's attitude towards Chen Yao had changed somewhat, but because she couldn't stand his sleazy, freeloading manner, she couldn't help but sneer, "What kind of ability can someone who's so afraid of even a snake be?"

When his embezzlement was exposed, he lost face: "I made a strategic retreat back then, you know?"

Lu Qing glanced at her and sneered, "You don't understand. If you're so capable, I'll catch a snake for you to kill right now."

Feeling disgusted after getting something for free: "Little sister, how could you kill so easily?"

"Oh? I didn't realize that Fairy Bai had also entered the Buddhist order."

Lu Qing's words were cutting, making the freeloader so angry that he couldn't help but pinch her butt.

Lu Qing saw through her posture and was startled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She quickly hid behind Chen Yao.

"Young master! Look at her!"

This coquettish remark surprised both Chen Yao and Lu Dan. They hadn't expected that Lü Qing, in her haste, would reveal her trust and reliance on Chen Yao.

"Alright!" Chen Yao said, "Better safe than sorry, it's good to take a break."

He glanced at Baitiao and said, "What if there's some kind of snake demon on the beam?"

Upon hearing this, the freeloader's momentum faltered: "Fine..."

After everyone entered the inn and booked rooms, they rested.

Ling Hong was not happy because Chen Yao had arranged a room for her alone. She had initially used fear as an excuse, but this time it didn't work.

She knew she couldn't argue with her older brother, so she could only pout and obediently go back to her room.

A short while later, she heard tiptoeing footsteps in the corridor. She poked open the paper window of the door and saw Lu Dan sneaking towards Chen Yao's room.

Ling Hong was a little curious when Lu Dan reached out to knock on Chen Yao's door.

"Mother! It's getting late, why don't you go back to your room to sleep?"

Lu Qing's voice rang out in the corridor, followed by her heavy footsteps, which pulled the embarrassed Lu Dan back into the room.

A gloating smile spread across Ling Hong's face.

She went back to her little bed, played for a while, and then heard Lu Dan's furtive footsteps again.

Ling Hong jumped off the bed and then noticed that Lu Dan was about to push open Chen Yao's room, so she pretended to be drowsy and pushed the door open.

"Aunt Dan, what are you doing at my older brother's door?"

Lu Dan awkwardly withdrew her hand that was about to push the door open, and said with embarrassment and annoyance, "Why are you out in the middle of the night instead of sleeping properly?"

"I can't sleep, I want my big brother to hold me while I sleep..." Ling Hong pretended to be innocent. "Oh, I know, Aunt Dan can't sleep either, and wants her big brother to hold her, right?"

Lu Dan blushed instantly, not knowing how to answer.

Just then, a noisy commotion and crying suddenly came from downstairs.

Chapter 236 The Blind Guide and the Little Girl

Ling Hong took Lu Dan's hand and walked out of the corner to the second-floor railing. She looked down curiously, and a gust of wind blew by her side.

Chen Yao and Bai Piao were already leaning against the railing. They looked at each other and both noticed the strangeness in each other's eyes.

In the main hall, a group of people surrounded a blind Taoist priest and a beautiful little girl. The priest carried a red-lacquered peach wood sword on his back and had a string of paper bells hanging from his waist. But with every movement, the bells rang just like real bells.

The little girl huddled and cried, whether out of fear of the people who gathered around or the blind Taoist priest, it was hard to tell.

"Something's fishy?"

Chen Yao asked about getting something for free.

Bai Piao thought for a moment and said, "I'm just curious, why would one person pretend to be two?"

Hearing her say that, Lu Dan and Ling Hong were both curious: "What do you mean, one person pretending to be two?"

Bai Piao smiled but didn't answer: "Aren't we short of guides? They're pretty good."

Chen Yao looked at her and realized she wasn't joking, so she could only smile and say, "It's up to you."

Bai Piao glanced at Chen Yao in surprise, and even sensed a hint of doting in his eyes. She couldn't help but feel her cheeks burning, and she snorted: "You're playing with women in bed, and all you know how to do is order me around."

She darted down to the second floor, rescuing the Taoist priest from his predicament.

"My fellow business owners, tell me! I'm only in charge of teaching my own students. What business is it of theirs? Why won't they allow it? And why are they going to tie me up and take me to the authorities!"

The blind Taoist angrily drank the cup of tea that Lu Dan offered him, and continued to complain with spittle flying everywhere.

The little girl seemed very shy, so she sat behind his chair, only peeking out half her head to observe everyone.

Ling Hong was quite curious about her, circling around her and the Taoist priest, smiling at her.

Chen Yao observed for a long time without making a sound, but still couldn't tell which of the Taoist priest and the little girl was a fake.

But if she claims they are the same person, then there must be a reason behind it.

Upon hearing the Taoist priest talk about disciplining his disciples, he couldn't help but ask, "What did you just do?"

The Taoist priest suddenly paused, then smiled awkwardly, as if he had something difficult to say.

Bai Piao smirked, then slipped to the little girl's side and took her hand.

The little girl was so frightened that she shrank behind the Taoist priest.

"We won't hurt you, please sit down!"

Bai Piao gently pulled her onto the chair, and the little girl nervously clutched her clothes.

The moment Bai Piao pulled the little girl onto the chair, Chen Yao and Lu Dan both saw that her wrist, which was exposed through her sleeve, was covered with cuts of varying ages.

Lu Dan was instantly enraged and pointed at the Taoist's nose, yelling, "Is this what you call discipline? What you did was clearly cruelty and abuse!"

The Taoist priest blushed and remained silent, then stiffened his neck and said, "Gentlemen, if you can't stand my actions, we can simply part ways. Why bother?"

He stood up, waved to the little girl, and tried to leave.

"No!"

Lu Dan blocked his way: "You can't take this child with you!"

The Taoist priest raised an eyebrow, seemingly getting a little angry: "Oh ho! Why is everyone here today for my boy! This old Taoist may not be very talented, but I'm not easily intimidated! Boy, let's go!"

"Let's see if you can leave!"

Lu Qing suddenly stepped into the room, his sword "Qiangdu" drawn about a foot from its sheath.

The Taoist priest couldn't see it, but he was still startled by the cold light that rushed towards him and took a step back. Helplessly, he stamped his foot and said, "How about this, everyone ask this child whether she is willing to follow me or follow you."

Lu Dan glared at him before squatting down next to the little girl: "Child, tell your aunt, do you still want to stay with this old Taoist priest who's abusing you?"

The little girl stared at her for a while, then nodded.

Lu Dan paused for a moment, then asked, "Were you threatened by him? Don't worry, the older brothers and sisters in this house are all highly skilled cultivators, the Taoist priest won't do anything to you!"

The little girl looked at Bai Piao and Chen Yao, then shook her head and said, "No, Master didn't threaten me."

Now it was Lu Dan's turn to not know what to do.

Bai Piao patted her on the shoulder: "Alright. We were just testing whether this child is your true disciple. When you're traveling the world, you should stay away from trouble! Since he is, then there's nothing to worry about. Let's rest tonight, and tomorrow we'll head to Evil Water Ridge."

She slipped a silver ingot to the little girl.

The little girl looked at the Taoist priest, who nodded, and then she put it away.

"Gentlemen, there's no need to be so frightening! In this world, who doesn't have a way of disciplining their disciples? Look at those actors, they're really ruthless!"

After saying that, he took the little girl to find a waiter to book a room.

Lu Qing angrily sheathed her sword, stepped aside, and waited until the two were far away before saying, "That little girl was clearly terrified of being abused!"

"Qing'er, calm down!" Lu Dan comforted her daughter. "The White Fairy's method is the safest. This is a bustling town, and a conflict here would attract unnecessary attention. Let's go outside the town first."

Lu Qing suddenly realized, looked at the freeloader and snorted, "You're not entirely stupid."

"So? You admire your older sister, don't you!"

The freeloader leaned closer, trying to touch her buttocks, but Lü Qing bristled and slipped away.

With all this commotion, dawn had already broken, and Lu Dan and Chen Yao's good time was naturally ruined. After a short nap, they packed up and set off.

"According to the elders, this Evil Water Ridge was once a great mountain. Later, because the mountain god fell in love with a mortal woman at the foot of the mountain and violated the heavenly rules, the Heavenly Emperor stepped on it and turned it into a ridge."

As they left the town, the old Taoist priest, led by a little girl who held onto his robe, chatted eloquently.

Lü Qing hurriedly asked, "What about the mountain god and the woman?"

"Naturally, they were crushed to death."

Lu Qing said angrily, "This Heavenly Emperor is too unreasonable! Why should someone who is in love be trampled to death by him? He treats human life like dirt and is even more sinful!"

Bai Piao, with his arms crossed and head resting behind his head, swayed as he walked. Hearing her say that, he chuckled and said, "The old Taoist priest is talking nonsense, and you actually took it seriously."

Looking at the Evil Water Ridge, which appeared tall and somber as she approached, her voice lowered: "In this world, there are only evil spirits, demons, monsters, and hypocrites. Where are there any gods who can relieve suffering and save people from distress?"

Lu Qing was silent for a moment, then glared at her: "You spoil the mood!"

The old Taoist priest chuckled awkwardly, "The journey is long, so I'm just telling you some strange tales to pass the time. However, the mountain god temple on the beam that has already collapsed is real, but you need a special opportunity to see it."

"What do you mean?"

Lü Qing couldn't hide her curiosity.

"Some people have seen it, some haven't. The temple appears at unpredictable times, and whether it's a good or bad omen is hard to say. Of those who have seen it, some are happy, some are sad, some die, and some live. That's why we have this line of work, taking money to lead the way and trying to avoid the area around the mountain god temple to avoid running into ghosts."

"A ghost?" Ling Hong was a little scared and gripped Chen Yao's hand tightly.

Chen Yao squinted at the mountain ridge, feeling a chilling aura emanating from it. The closer he got to the top of the ridge, the more the vegetation and rocks resembled a faded painting.