Chapter Fourteen: The Jade Buddha Temple?!

After Tang Yu joined the party, they traveled for a long while and questioned many people before finally locating the Scarlet Ghost King.

By then, night had fallen.

“Anu, Yue Ru, why don’t we leave it for today? We can return to Baihe Village and rest for the night, then come back tomorrow.”

Looking at the pitch-black forest ahead, Zhao Ling’er spoke with extreme caution. Her master had told her that when venturing through the martial world, the most important thing was to remain steady!

Now that they had confirmed their enemies were the Skeleton General and the Scarlet Ghost King, it would be wiser to wait until noon, when the heat was strongest and the yang energy most abundant. What if something went wrong at night?

“Don’t be afraid. With Anu and Tang Yu Xiaobao here, we won’t let anything happen to you, Princess!”

With Tang Yu in the party, Anu’s courage had grown considerably. She strode into the forest at the head of the group, full of imposing confidence.

Ling’er, Yue Ru, and Tang Yu exchanged helpless glances before following closely behind her.

In the gloomy forest, strange cries could be heard faintly in the distance—part wolf howl, part ghostly wail. The four pressed tightly together and advanced with utmost caution.

“Awooo!”

Suddenly, a dense crowd appeared ahead. Their eyes were blood-red, their limbs stiff, as they surrounded the group.

Anu had already released her venomous insects to sense the surroundings. Now she frowned deeply. Something was wrong with these people. Blood still circulated within their bodies, but at a rate several times slower than that of ordinary humans.

“Princess, be careful! These people have been infected with corpse poison! They have no sense of touch and feel no pain. Their minds won’t return to normal until daybreak!”

“Then what should we do?”

Hearing that they could recover their senses, Ling’er hurriedly restrained the spiritual power gathering in her hands for the Thunder Spell and Falling Rock Spell. She was not a saint, but neither was she the sort of cold-blooded person who could stand by and watch countless civilians die before her eyes.

Besides, these people were none other than the villagers of Baihe Village!

“We can only defend ourselves and wait until dawn before looking for a way to cure them!” Anu thought for a moment, unable to find any immediate solution. She could only remind everyone to focus on defense. “Whatever you do, don’t let yourselves be scratched, or you’ll be infected with corpse poison too!”

“That won’t work. This place is open on all sides—we can’t hold them off! I’ve learned the Sword-Flight Technique. Let’s fly back to Baihe Village first!”

Lin Yue Ru watched as more and more villagers approached. They could neither kill them nor defend against them effectively. After some thought, it seemed the only option was to try the Sword-Flight Technique she had studied for a few days.

“Then hurry! We’ll buy you as much time as we can!”

Tang Yu swept his sword from side to side, blocking the grasping arms that reached toward them. On either side, Anu and Ling’er raised rain shields, doing everything they could to buy Yue Ru time.

The only reason their defensive formation had not yet collapsed was that these villagers were ordinary mortals. Had they possessed cultivation, the formation would have broken apart long ago!

“Mount Shu Sword-Flight Technique! Sword, arise!”

Lin Yue Ru cast her sword into the air, and spiritual power surged from her body into it. Moments later, the sword suddenly expanded several times in size, hovering before her.

“Everyone, get on!”

Lin Yue Ru leaped onto it first and formed a sword seal with her fingers. The instant Anu and Ling’er jumped aboard, she sent the sword shooting straight into the sky.

Once the three women had risen, Tang Yu gathered all his strength and swung his sword, releasing a wave of sword energy that forced the corpses back. Then he leaped forward and caught Anu’s small hand.

“Sword-Flight Technique!”

The great sword tore through the air, leaving behind a thousand half-transformed corpses shrieking on the ground.

…

After returning to Baihe Village, they finally found an empty house and spent the night there. When they rose the next morning, the four of them stared at the countless villagers returning from outside, cold sweat running down their backs.

Just as they had suspected—the corpses from the previous night had all been transformed from villagers!

“I heard that Baihe Village has managed to survive not only because of Doctor Han’s help, but also because of the Jade Buddha Temple…”

“The Jade Buddha Temple? Shouldn’t they have gone to the Suzhou authorities for help?”

Ling’er asked strangely.

With the current power of the Great Tang, temples and Taoist monasteries had long since fallen into disuse. The gods now worshiped were mostly deities such as Nüwa and the Three Sovereigns, those who had rendered great service to humanity.

A Buddhist temple—one capable of suppressing corpse poison, no less—immediately aroused Ling’er’s interest.

“Yes. They said they asked the authorities for help, but the officials ignored them… Oh, and they sought help from Suzhou, too.” Anu pursed her lips, clearly dissatisfied. “It seems your Great Tang is no different from Nan Zhao. The authorities are useless everywhere. When people need saving, we White Miao still have to do it ourselves!”

“Ling’er?”

Yue Ru looked at her teasingly. Ling’er was widely regarded as a candidate for the position of Great Tang Prime Minister. Anu’s words had struck her right in the face.

“Nonsense! They never went to the Suzhou government office at all! I’ve never heard anyone there mention Baihe Village!”

Zhao Ling’er flushed scarlet and shouted angrily at Anu. Ordinarily, Ling’er was as calm and composed as an official statue, rarely displaying any emotional fluctuations. Yue Ru often teased her for acting like an old man. This was the first time she had shown such a childish temper.

In a fury, Zhao Ling’er dragged Yue Ru toward the Jade Buddha Temple Anu had mentioned, defending the government office all the way.

“I want to see exactly what kind of Buddhist temple dares slander the officials of the Great Tang so recklessly!”

Behind them, Anu watched Tang Yu helplessly.

“Tang Yu Xiaobao, did I say something wrong? The Princess looks really angry…”

Anu did not understand Zhao Ling’er’s position in the Great Tang, but Tang Yu had heard plenty from his godfather. After all, Hao Yun had never concealed Ling’er’s existence from him.

It was only because the Moon Worship Sect had grown increasingly powerful over the years, leaving Shi Gonghu, the Holy Aunt, and the others nearly unable to hold on, that they had finally been forced to seek Ling’er’s help.

Otherwise, they truly would have preferred to let Ling’er spend more time studying in the Great Tang.

Seeing Anu’s bewildered expression, Tang Yu vigorously tousled her hair.

“It isn’t your fault, Anu. The Great Tang authorities are very capable, and the Princess is even serving an apprenticeship there. Someone lied to you, and that’s why the Princess is angry.”

“Hmph! Anu is going to beat that nasty liar to death!”

“No. The villagers are innocent. The one at fault is the Jade Buddha Temple, for misleading people. If you want revenge, then go with the Princess.”

Knowing Anu’s temperament all too well, Tang Yu did not waste any more time. He took her by the hand and hurried after Ling’er.

At the foot of Jade Buddha Mountain, the moment they entered the grounds of the Jade Buddha Temple, Ling’er stopped of her own accord.

“Ling’er?”

Yue Ru, Anu, and Tang Yu immediately gathered around her, each taking a defensive stance.

“Be careful. I have a bad feeling.”

Ling’er warily cast the Purifying Garment Spell, the Vajra Spell, and several other techniques that provided protection and dispelled abnormal conditions. Then she signaled for everyone to remain alert.

“Anu, use your insects to scout the temple ahead!”

Tang Yu’s expression changed. Seeing how cautious Ling’er had become, he hurriedly urged Anu to send her insects into the temple.

“All right! Scouting Venom!”

Anu waved her small hand, and a streak of invisible black light surged into the temple.

One second later, Anu’s body jerked violently, and blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

“Princess, retreat! It’s an ambush!”