Zhao Jingyou finished reciting the precepts word by word, his sharp gaze locked firmly on Yan Linhao as his tone abruptly deepened: "Allow me to ask, Senior Brother, is there anything wrong with what Junior Brother has said?"
Yan Linhao remained just as he always did, keeping his mouth shut. He had long since given up all hope on this junior brother of his. Although he knew what Zhao Jingyou was going to say, he could not disobey their master's will and had no choice but to bite the bullet and carry it out.
Seeing that he could get no response from the senior brother, Zhao Jingyou shifted his gaze to Xue Xiaodong and said with a blank expression: "Fifth Senior Brother, Junior Brother here hasn't, said anything wrong, right?"
Terrified that he would get beaten again if he didn't answer, Xue Xiaodong forced out a smile that looked uglier than crying and timidly chimed in: "What Junior Brother says is naturally correct."
Zhao Jingyou let out a cold snort: "Hmph, since Junior Brother is not wrong, then I ask you, doesn't this mission violate the first precept? Why must we break the precepts? You can kill anyone else, and Junior Brother will not stop you, but you must absolutely not lay a hand on Miss Wu. If you do otherwise, Junior Brother will—"
Before Zhao Jingyou could finish, Yan Linhao interrupted him: "Whatever needs to be said can be said later. Right now, it is time to make our move."
No one knew when their car had stopped, but it was now blocking the middle of the roadway, cutting off the path ahead for Chen Xuan'an and Wu Jiahui. Unflustered, Wu Jiahui reduced her speed, bringing the car to a smooth and steady halt.
The car doors opened, and five murderous-looking monks stepped out. Their overwhelming presence was staggering, and in a daze, Chen Xuan'an felt as though he saw the Grim Reaper beckoning to him.
Struggling to turn his head toward the completely calm Wu Jiahui beside him, Chen Xuan'an took a deep breath, forcing himself to steady his mind, and asked, "Are we sure about this? Maybe we should just leave first. There will be plenty of chances later."
Wu Jiahui neither agreed nor refused. Looking at Chen Xuan'an, she said calmly, "No matter what they say next, you are not to speak a single word."
Chen Xuan'an nodded without speaking. He stared blankly at her as an elusive smile appeared on her delicate face, followed by a completely harmless expression as she asked, "What is the meaning of this, esteemed monks? Is it possible that this humble girl has somehow offended you? If so, this humble girl offers her apologies here and now, and another day I shall certainly bring a generous gift to your door to beg for forgiveness."
As the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling person. Furthermore, the old monk Yan Linhao had no wish to offend Yayue Pavilion; as long as Wu Jiahui did not interfere, there was no need to make enemies with them. Weighing the stakes, Yan Linhao brought his hands together and said unhurriedly, "Amitabha. The female benefactor exaggerates. We harbor no grievances against the female benefactor; it is simply that we happened to notice this car in the city limits brimming with a dense yin aura, indicating that an extremely powerful ghost must be lurking inside. Concerned for the female benefactor's safety, we resorted to this desperate measure and disturbed you. We hope the female benefactor will forgive us."
Wu Jiahui feigned astonishment and said worriedly, "Oh, so you esteemed monks were worried about this humble girl's safety! It seems my perspective was too narrow. But where is this ghost you speak of? Forgive my clumsy eyes and lacking strength, for I cannot see where this spirit is hiding. I must trouble you esteemed monks to take action and assist us—this humble girl would be endlessly grateful."
Zhao Jingyou opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Yan Linhao gave Chen Xuan'an a meaningful look, a trace of imperceptible murderous intent flashing through his eyes. Though he tried his utmost to conceal it, Wu Jiahui caught it all. Yet she pretended not to notice, smiling as she waited for Yan Linhao to spout his nonsense.
"Then this monk must thank the female benefactor for your profound understanding," Yan Linhao said with a smile. Then his expression shifted, and staring fiercely at Chen Xuan'an, he barked, "Hmph! Audacious evil spirit! In broad daylight, you dare to harm others? I advise you to surrender obediently, and this monk will ensure you enter the cycle of reincarnation once more. If you remain obstinately blind, do not blame this monk for scattering your soul so that you shall never be reincarnated!"
Chen Xuan'an could not help marveling inwardly; this bald donkey changed his face faster than turning the page of a book. Before he could ask what the bald donkey meant by this—
Hearing this, Wu Jiahui's expression darkened. Giving Yan Linhao an ice-cold stare, she seized the initiative and interrogated him, "What do you mean by that, esteemed monk? Are you implying that this friend of mine is the powerful ghost you speak of? Untalented though I may be, I am not stupid. To slander my friend—if you cannot explain yourself clearly, do not blame my Yayue Pavilion for coming to your door to demand accountability. I wonder if the esteemed monk will be able to withstand the wrath of Yayue Pavilion when that time comes."
Yan Linhao felt a tightening in his chest. As for that mysterious master of Yayue Pavilion, let alone him, even the abbot of Tianfo Temple had to treat them with three parts fear. When he left, his master had given him repeated instructions: unless it was absolutely unavoidable, they must not make an enemy of Yayue Pavilion, provided Wu Jiahui did not interfere in this matter.
To avoid offending this pampered young miss and to keep her from interfering—unless it came down to a final, unavoidable falling out—their master had merely ordered them to kill this brat. Left with no choice, Yan Linhao had to lower his pride and hurriedly explain: "The female benefactor misunderstands. Your friend is naturally not a ghost; rather, this ghost used some unknown method to replace the female benefactor's friend, and even managed to deceive the female benefactor. But please rest assured, since I was able to detect him, I am naturally capable of dealing with this ghost. Furthermore, this monk promises to interrogate him and find out where the female benefactor's real friend is."
Chen Xuan'an muttered curses inside his mind. *What the hell, when did I become a ghost? This bald donkey truly speaks no good of dogs, making up sheer nonsense out of thin air! If Wu Jiahui hadn't warned him to stay silent, with his foul temper, he would have already cursed the man out and greeted his ancestors down to the eighteenth generation.*
Wu Jiahui's face remained dark, and she asked with displeasure, "Is the esteemed monk saying that this humble girl is completely useless? So incompetent that I didn't even know my own friend had been swapped, hmm?"
Yan Linhao felt incomparably stifled. When had he ever said that? If even Wu Jiahui—a Tier 5 Martial Artist—was considered useless, then there were no geniuses left in this world. People always said Zhao Jingyou was a genius, but Wu Jiahui had just turned eighteen, while the former was already past twenty. Glaring at his other restless junior brothers, Yan Linhao forced a flattering smile.
"The female benefactor exaggerates. This monk has no such intention at all. It's simply that this ghost is a ghost general whose strength is equivalent to Tier 6. It is completely normal for someone of the female benefactor's Tier 5 Martial Artist strength not to detect it. Had it not been for the magical treasure given to me by my master, even I might not have been able to discover it."
Yan Linhao sneered inwardly. For a worldly-inexperienced young girl like Wu Jiahui to figure out his fabrications was nothing more than wishful thinking. There was no ghost; he had made the whole thing up on the spot. Seeing that Wu Jiahui was young, he had improvised in a vain attempt to deceive her into handing me over to them. That way, if Yayue Pavilion ever came looking to settle accounts, she would be left holding the bag.
The bald donkey was still daydreaming here, thinking he could fool Wu Jiahui and avoid offending Yayue Pavilion. In truth, they had offended Yayue Pavilion beyond all redemption right from the start; even if they stopped now, Yayue Pavilion would never let them off.
Yan Linhao smiled faintly at Wu Jiahui, believing she would obediently walk away. But Wu Jiahui's next words left him utterly humiliated and awkward.
"Hmph! Bald donkey, you think you can fool me into leaving with just a few words? You must be out of your mind. Also, who told you this young lady is still Tier 5? Ridiculous! I've seen plenty of self-righteous people, but this is the first time I've ever seen someone as stupid as you."
Yan Linhao was struck speechless by Wu Jiahui's retort, feeling his face burn as if slapped. Hearing Wu Jiahui say she was no longer Tier 5, a jolt of shock went through his heart. Regaining his composure, he stared fiercely at Wu Jiahui, casting aside his previous gentle persona and speaking with murderous intent: "It seems this monk underestimated you. No matter—hmph, wicked woman, you had a road to heaven, but you refused to walk it, and instead crashed straight through the gates of hell with nowhere to go! Since it has come to this, this monk doesn't mind sending you down to hell first. Junior brothers, attack!"
Just as they were about to move, two cars screeched to a halt right behind them. With a piercing *screeech*, the vehicles stopped steady, and seven figures in black rushed out with swords drawn, blocking the path of the monks.
One of them stopped right in front of Wu Jiahui, cupped his fists, and said, "Miss."
Wu Jiahui gave a slight nod. "Protect him. The rest of you hold them off. Leave that old bald donkey to me."
The subordinate replied respectfully, "Understood." He then walked straight to my side, stood tall with his sword drawn, and stared quietly at the opponents opposite them.
Yan Linhao looked at the group, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly. Xue Xiaodong glanced at Chen Xuan'an, his expression grave as he asked, "Senior Brother, what do we do? Do we fight or not?"
The rest of them were also waiting for Yan Linhao's command; only Zhao Jingyou looked at Wu Jiahui with a complex expression, his thoughts unreadable.
With a pale face, Yan Linhao looked at the people who had appeared. He knew that completing the mission today was likely impossible. Everyone on the opposite side was universally at the Peak of Tier 5. If they fought, they certainly couldn't win; if they didn't fight and just went back, they couldn't justify it either, and might even face punishment. Driven into a corner, they had no choice but to bite the bullet. Yan Linhao took a deep breath and said with resolute firmness, "Attack!"