470: Stone Buddha

Tang Huanhuan was on duty today, responsible for patrolling the west side of the city. As she and her colleagues walked to this spot, they saw a window open on the central pleasure boat, revealing a figure that felt incredibly familiar but whose identity she couldn't recall, so she stopped to ponder.

Xu Sanyan recognized Tang Huanhuan, and a smile appeared on his face. He and Third Sister truly had a special connection; they met wherever they went. It seemed Third Sister was doing well, even wearing official robes, which meant she had turned over a new leaf and completely shed her bandit identity.

Although he recognized her, Xu Sanyan had no intention of acknowledging her. A good horse doesn't eat old grass, let alone her feet, which smelled terrible.

Bang—

The wooden window closed, cutting off their view.

The next day at noon,

Xu Sanyan walked off the pleasure boat, with Xia Zhi following beside him, still seemingly reluctant to leave. Miss Yue'er, wrapped in thin gauze, leaned against the wooden frame, waving goodbye. She ultimately couldn't escape Xu Sanyan's clutches last night.

Working in such a place, there was no one unwilling to sell; it just depended on whether the price you paid was high enough. Clearly, Xu Sanyan was very willing to spend money, especially since Second Young Master Yuan was paying his bills.

Xia Zhi had indulged in revelry last night, causing his steps to be somewhat unsteady today. Looking at Xu Sanyan, who was still energetic beside him, Xia Zhi's eyes were filled with envy. As expected of a Disciple of the Five Great Sects, his physical fitness was excellent; he could play like that and be perfectly fine.

"Brother Xu, if you have nowhere to stay, why not come and stay at my home for a few days? I can at least fulfill my duties as a host."

Xia Zhi didn't know that Second Young Master Yuan had paid the bill; they had simply enjoyed themselves for free.

Xu Sanyan thought for a moment but still shook his head and refused, "Forget it. We'll meet again if fate allows."

Xia Zhi felt deep regret and didn't try to persuade him further, "Brother Xu, if you have any instructions, you can send someone to the Xia Manor to find me."

"Alright."

No sooner had he spoken than he heard a commotion in the distance. Xu Sanyan turned to look and felt a sudden glare, squinting his eyes to see clearly. A group of bald monks had their smooth heads reflecting the sunlight, making them extremely dazzling.

"Tsk… How do they maintain that?" Xu Sanyan was curious.

This group of monks was carrying a sedan chair without a roof. On the sedan was a Buddha statue covered with red cloth. The red cloth only covered the upper body, revealing the lower limbs sitting cross-legged below.

The group walked straight towards the West Gate of the capital. The surrounding common people all looked on, as such a sight was truly rare. They wondered why they were carrying a Buddha statue.

Xu Sanyan's heart skipped a beat, and a tingling sensation spread throughout his body. An inexplicable sense of crisis enveloped him; he felt danger from that Buddha statue.

Suddenly, the Buddha statue's head beneath the red cloth slowly turned, its head actually turning to face Xu Sanyan. Although there was a layer of red cloth, Xu Sanyan knew that thing was looking at him!

A living thing?!

Xu Sanyan's pupils suddenly contracted, his face filled with awe. He hadn't felt any signs of life from that Buddha statue!

The group of monks didn't stop, entering the capital directly. Only when they had gone far did Xu Sanyan slightly relax. He had felt an unparalleled pressure from that Buddha statue.

"Are these… Senior Monks from Tianyi Fumo Temple? Why are they carrying a stone statue?" Xia Zhi watched them leave, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

Xu Sanyan looked at his expression, his eyes slightly narrowing. "Did you notice anything unusual about that Buddha statue just now?"

Xia Zhi said strangely, "No, it's just a Buddha statue."

Xu Sanyan slowly nodded. He probably hadn't seen the Buddha statue turn its head.

Not just Xia Zhi, but probably all the common people hadn't seen it.

"A while ago, I heard my father say that the disaster in Luan Yun Mountain is getting worse. The Emperor has invited the Five Great Sects to discuss strategies for quelling the chaos. Brother Xu, you've also come for this matter, right?"

"Mm… that's right." Xu Sanyan had just learned this news.

"Alas, it's a troubled time. First, there's the disaster in Luan Yun Mountain, then the Demonic Path villains causing trouble, and now even the Mist Sea has had an incident."

Xia Zhi's tone was resentful. "The most hateful are those Demonic Path villains. The common people are already suffering so much, yet he takes advantage of the chaos to do evil. Don't think he's rampant for a while; he'll definitely die a horrible death sooner or later!"

Xu Sanyan agreed deeply. "Indeed, good and evil will eventually be repaid. It's not that it won't be repaid, but that the time hasn't come. Brother Xia, just wait and see."

"What Brother Xu said is very true."

The two chatted for a while before parting ways. Xu Sanyan wandered around, but his mind kept replaying that scene from earlier.

With his current strength and Realm, what kind of thing could give him such a deep sense of crisis?

Aside from those five Saints… there was probably nothing else.

…

After Tang Huanhuan returned home from her shift, her mind kept dwelling on the figure she saw yesterday. That face, with a slight smile on its lips but no emotion in its eyes, slowly overlapped with a certain shadow in her memory.

"Gulp~"

Tang Huanhuan tilted her head back and gulped down a large mouthful of wine, shaking her head vigorously. She casually kicked off her boots and collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, wondering what she was pondering.

"Creak—"

The wooden door opened, and Yang Qiyuan stepped inside. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she stopped, her nose twitching a few times. She waved her hand to fan the air and then opened the window.

A pungent smell permeated the room. Yang Qiyuan didn't know how she could tolerate it, nor did she understand why a cultivator would have smelly feet.

While sighing helplessly, she placed Tang Huanhuan's dark boots outside the door and then pulled off the socks on her feet, whose color was indistinguishable.

Tang Huanhuan came back to her senses, lifted her head to look at Yang Qiyuan, and her lips moved, "Yesterday, I think I saw…"

"Hmm?"

Yang Qiyuan rolled up her sleeves, holding the smelly socks between two fingers as she walked towards the door. Hearing her words, she stopped and looked back at her.

"Nothing… I must have seen wrong."

"Mm."

The two women lived as if they were a couple, with Yang Qiyuan responsible for managing the household and Tang Huanhuan for working outside. However, this kind of life was destined not to last, as they were not true Dao Companions. Yang Qiyuan said in a muffled voice,

"I'm preparing to leave. Revered Master and the Senior Martial Uncles have all come to the capital. I'll come find you again after this matter is resolved."

Tang Huanhuan turned over and slowly nodded, "Okay."

Then she said heavily, "If you really see that person… it's best to stay far away and not acknowledge him."

"Why?"

Yang Qiyuan naturally understood who she meant by 'that person'.

Tang Huanhuan didn't know how to explain. She and Xu Sanyan had met in their humble beginnings and had been together for a long time. She understood his heart best. That person could not tolerate anyone else in his heart besides himself. He was an extremely selfish and cruel Devil Head, and he was good at disguising himself; treacherous and cunning couldn't even describe one ten-thousandth of him.

Although Tang Huanhuan admitted she wasn't a good person either, she was far from him in comparison. At the very least, she couldn't be completely heartless and unfeeling.

"It's all for your own good. Just trust me." Tang Huanhuan didn't want to mention the past, so she could only be vague.

Yang Qiyuan's eyelids drooped, and she didn't know if she had listened.

She always felt that her husband wasn't that kind of person. He treated people gently and didn't judge by appearance. Even when her appearance was so ugly back then, her husband treated her the same after they married. Why had such a big change occurred after such a short time apart?

Yang Qiyuan guessed he must have had some hidden difficulties.