184: Returning to the old place

The rainy night, with its light drizzle, added a touch of mystery to the moonlight, making the play of light and shadow appear somewhat dreamlike. Against the backdrop of the rain and the night, the dilapidated temple seemed even more eerie.

Moonlight spilled into the ruined temple, revealing two figures—a man and a woman. The man wore a set of cyan martial attire and a golden hair crown, his hair ribbons dancing in the wind. The weak candlelight flickered in the breeze, and a fleeting glimpse revealed his face: sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, exceptionally handsome. The woman wore a pink and white gauze dress, her face stunningly beautiful, seemingly possessing the power to captivate souls. However, her eyes were incredibly pure, as if no schemes could enter her heart. It was this Fusion of seductive and pure temperaments that made her even more charming.

These two figures were Gu Yuchuan and Hu Mingxin, who had chosen to travel to the capital alone. They only needed to reach the Imperial City within a month. Their first stop was this Chaoyang City, firstly to pay respects to the souls of the Hu Family, and secondly to identify their enemies.

From the perspective of vested interests, whoever the current City God belonged to, there was a high probability that they were the ones who killed them. Starting the investigation from this angle would make things much easier.

Originally, they had planned to go and pay their respects at night, but the sudden rain made them stop. Since there happened to be a dilapidated City God Temple nearby, they took shelter from the rain here. Inside this City God Temple, Gu Yuchuan could sense that Hu Mingxin's mood was very poor, and even her breathing had become hurried.

“You are feeling distressed,” Gu Yuchuan’s voice was low, but in this night filled only with the sound of drizzling rain, it was quite audible. At the very least, the Cultivator Hu Mingxin, who was at the Fifth Level of Qi Refining, could hear it.

She nodded, her voice sounding somewhat unnatural: “Yes, Young Master, I am very distressed.”

Her heart was a whirlwind of mixed emotions, all kinds of feelings intertwined and weighing down on her, making it hard to breathe.

They were currently traveling through the human world, not the Yao Race territory. To avoid unnecessary trouble and conflict while outside, he had asked Hu Mingxin to call him Young Master for convenience.

Gu Yuchuan’s voice was low but firm, and his tone became a bit more solemn: “Hu Mingxin, let me remind you, with your current Heart-Nature and shrewdness, you are far from being able to seek revenge. For instance, if you were by the Imperial Grandson’s side and suddenly saw your enemy chatting happily with him, could you restrain your emotions?”

Hu Mingxin’s eyes dimmed slightly, her brows furrowed tightly, and she lowered her head a little: “Thank you for the guidance, Young Master. I will steady myself. Rest assured, after this memorial, I will never let such emotions show again until I have achieved my revenge. Only then can I truly be myself again.”

A trace of imperceptible heartache appeared in Gu Yuchuan’s eyes. It wasn’t that Gu Yuchuan liked her; rather, it was her resilient nature that he held in high regard.

“Take a good rest. It’s unlucky to pay respects on a rainy night. Tomorrow morning, after we pay respects to your family, we will enter the city to the new City God Temple and identify your enemy.”

After saying this, he cast a spell to conjure two prayer mats on the ground. He sat down first and began to meditate. Hu Mingxin also sat cross-legged, but she clearly hadn't entered a meditative state; her heart was still restless.

The rain outside grew heavier, accompanied by several claps of thunder and flashes of lightning. With such noisy surroundings, Gu Yuchuan was unable to continue his meditation. He simply opened his eyes and immediately noticed a sound outside.

About a thousand meters away, an old man and a young girl were heading toward them. The old man was at the Eighth Layer of Foundation Establishment, while the girl was only at the First Level of Qi Refining. The old man’s injuries were very severe. In Gu Yuchuan’s view, if a Third-Tier Medicinal Pill or a Golden Core Stage Cultivator didn't use their magic power to heal him, he most likely wouldn't survive the night.

He cursed inwardly, feeling it was a hassle. These two people seemed to be passing by this ruined temple and would likely come inside. After all, with one heavily injured and the other a mere mortal body at the First Level of Qi Refining, the increasing rain was causing them no small amount of trouble.

He simply stood up, and Hu Mingxin stood up as well. She knew that something must have happened. Not long after, two disheveled figures appeared in the heavy rain. They were the pair Gu Yuchuan had discovered with his Divine Sense. Although Gu Yuchuan himself didn't want to deal with them, this ruined temple wasn't his Flood Dragon Palace, and he wasn't the owner here. Everyone was just taking shelter from the rain, so he had no reason to drive them away. When away from home, showing convenience to others was also a way of accumulating merit and doing good.

The two of them entered tremblingly. Gu Yuchuan smelled a lot of blood. The scent was very chaotic, not just the old man's blood, but many other scents as well. It seemed the old man had killed many people to get here. Indeed, since he was so heavily injured, there must have been an intense battle.

The old man bowed tremblingly to them: “Thank you, Young Master and Young Miss. My lady and I will disturb you for the night, borrowing your fire to keep warm.”

His attitude was very good, which prevented Gu Yuchuan from saying anything to refuse.

After the young girl helped the old man lie down, tears began to fall to the ground. She forced herself to stifle her sobs, but her body still swayed involuntarily with each hiccup. Clearly, they had a story, but Gu Yuchuan didn't care. What did the love, hatred, and grievances of the Human Race have to do with him?

However, gradually, Gu Yuchuan still heard some useful information. For example, they were both from the Wang Family of the capital. This woman was the legitimate Young Miss of the Wang family. Their Wang family, due to being framed by the Marquis of Champion, had seen its members either killed or exiled, leaving only this old servant to bring the Young Miss here. However, their status as a noble family hadn't been stripped away. The young girl before him, Wang Ruolan, was now the head of the Wang Family. However, her Aptitude was too poor, and the downfall of the Wang Family was already a foregone conclusion.

The old man’s injuries were too severe, and he could die at any moment. Once he died, Wang Ruolan’s own survival would likely be an issue. A Cultivator at the First Level of Qi Refining was too weak, not to mention she still had enemies. Surviving would be extremely difficult.

However, at this moment, Gu Yuchuan felt a bit of interest. This slight shift in emotion was immediately noticed by the old man.

“This Fellow Daoist, I wonder if this old man can make a deal with you?”

His voice was intermittent, and the look of ruin on his face had increased. Clearly, his lamp was running out of oil, and he could die at any moment.

Gu Yuchuan slowly approached them. He could sense that Wang Ruolan had become nervous, her entire body tensed up.

“A deal? What do you think you have that could move me? Speak.”