121: Chapter 121 The White Lotus Sect Reappears

Mr. Know-It-All's figure had long since vanished into the crowd, as if he had never appeared.

On the table, the untouched bowl of tea rippled in the wind.

Hong Shao and Qing Luo remained in a tense, guarded stance. They looked at the empty seat and then at Chen Fan, their small faces filled with lingering fear.

This Jianghu was far more terrifying than they had imagined.

A seemingly harmless scholar could stir up monstrous waves with just a few words.

Chen Fan did not move.

His fingertips lightly brushed against the rough rim of the bowl.

Daoist Priest Qingxuan.

A Third-Grade Great Grandmaster.

These few words were like five invisible mountains, weighing heavily on his heart.

A Sixth-Grade Peak was an unreachable existence in the eyes of ordinary Martial Artists. But before a Third-Grade Great Grandmaster, how was it any different from an ant?

He could die.

If he died, it would merely be changing bodies and starting a new life.

But what about Hong Shao and Qing Luo?

If they died, it would be a true death.

A sense of heaviness he had never felt before enveloped him.

He could disregard his own life, but he couldn't let those around him be dragged down.

"Master Luo..."

Qing Luo's voice trembled slightly, breaking the dead silence.

Chen Fan looked up, his eyes visible through the mask remaining calm.

He stood up and placed a few copper coins on the table.

"Let's go."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a reassuring strength.

The sisters' racing hearts inexplicably settled. They asked no more questions, silently following him as they led their horses back onto the official road heading north.

The road remained flat.

The scenery remained beautiful.

Jiangzhou truly lived up to its reputation as one of the Great Shang's wealthiest prefectures; as far as the eye could see, there were crisscrossing paths and the sounds of bustling life.

In the towns they passed, the commoners were well-dressed, their faces flushed with the contentment of living in peace. Children chased each other through streets and alleys, showing no signs of the gloom of troubled times.

This prosperous scene formed a stark and absurd contrast to the living hell of Shu Province, where corpses of the starved littered the ground and people exchanged children to eat.

Chen Fan watched all of this in silence from horseback.

It turned out that peace and chaos were separated only by a provincial border.

Hong Shao and Qing Luo's moods also gradually calmed from their initial tension and fear. Captivated by the prosperity, they chattered about the roadside snacks or which shop's rouge and powder looked more enticing.

Chen Fan did not interrupt them.

He simply pushed his perception to its limit.

Every rustle of grass and every unusual breath within a hundred meters could not escape his ears.

Every passerby and every carriage that went by was broken down into countless details in his eyes.

Their breathing, their gait, and the weapons at their waists.

The Huai Party, the Shadow Hounds.

These words were like invisible poisonous thorns lurking in the dark, ready to strike a fatal blow at any moment.

He had to ensure he could make the most correct reaction the instant danger arrived.

Such high vigilance was extremely draining on the mind.

As evening approached and the sky darkened, an old temple hidden in the mountain forests appeared ahead.

With its blue tiles and red walls, it exuded a peaceful and serene aura under the glow of the setting sun.

"We'll rest here tonight," Chen Fan said, pulling on the reins.

Inns were crowded and eyes were everywhere; they were nowhere near as quiet as this secluded place.

The sisters had no objections.

The three of them tied their horses to a tree outside the mountain gate and climbed the steps.

The temple wasn't large, but the incense offerings seemed quite plentiful. From time to time, pilgrims descending the mountain passed them, chanting Buddhist prayers.

A Welcoming Monk came out to meet them, pressing his palms together.

"Three benefactors, it is late. Do you wish to stay the night?"

Chen Fan nodded and handed over a silver ingot as a donation.

The Welcoming Monk did not refuse. His smile widened as he led the three through the main hall to a row of meditation rooms in the backyard specifically for pilgrims to rest.

The room was very simple, with only a wooden bed and a table, but it was kept extremely clean.

Dinner was vegetarian food provided by the temple: a bowl of white porridge, a plate of green vegetables, and a few pieces of tofu.

Though plain, it had a unique flavor after such a high-tension day.

Having traveled all day, the sisters were exhausted. After a quick wash, they went to sleep early.

Chen Fan, however, wasn't sleepy at all.

He sat cross-legged on the bed with his eyes closed. His breathing was long and steady, but his ears caught every sound inside and outside the temple.

The sound of the wind, the chirping of insects, the sleep-talking of monks.

Everything, it seemed, was normal.

But the more normal it seemed, the less he dared to relax the tight string in his heart.

Just then, a low conversation drifted faintly from the neighboring meditation room.

Those staying there seemed to be two traveling merchants.

"Old Li, have you heard? That demoness from the White Lotus Sect has appeared in Huai Prefecture again!"

"Which demoness?"

"Who else! It's that Saintess Su Xin! I heard that a few days ago, outside Huai Prefecture City, she killed a troop of three hundred government soldiers all by herself with a single sword!"

The other voice gasped.

"My goodness! Three hundred people! Is she even human? This White Lotus Sect is truly lawless!"

"You're telling me! However, the version I heard was a bit different. They say that troop was the private army of the Huai Prefecture Magistrate. Usually, they burn, kill, and loot, committing every evil imaginable. They were about to slaughter a village when they ran into the Saintess."

"Oh? Is that so? Then that means this demoness... actually killed bad people?"

"Who knows. But I heard that after killing them, the Saintess left a white lotus mark at the village entrance, saying she was eliminating evil for the people and acting on behalf of Heaven. Now, the poor folk in Huai Prefecture almost consider her a living Bodhisattva!"

"Tsk tsk, these times are becoming harder and harder to understand. Officials and bandits are indistinguishable, and it's difficult to tell good from evil..."

The conversation gradually quieted down.

Chen Fan slowly opened his eyes.

Beneath the mask, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Su Xin.

That crazy woman actually came to Huai Prefecture too?

Furthermore, her actions were becoming increasingly high-profile and brazen.

A thought emerged from the depths of his heart without warning.

Mr. Know-It-All said that the Huai Party's ally in the Jianghu was Daoist Priest Qingxuan of the Righteous Alliance.

And Su Xin's White Lotus Sect was a rebel sect decreed by the imperial court, a demonic evil that everyone in the righteous Martial Forest sought to eliminate.

Now, Su Xin was on a killing spree in the Huai Party's territory.

Could there be... some connection between these two things?

Chen Fan's fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on his knee.