"What a shameless monk." The ghostly woman cursed softly. Even as a ghost, she valued her reputation.
But the monks of the Jingang Temple were truly shameless.
"Eradicating evil must be done thoroughly. Being of the same kind as ghostly creatures, they should naturally be eradicated. This poor monk acts on behalf of the heavens, and face is merely a personal obsession," said Kongxiang Monk as he continued to walk forward. Under the pressure of the Buddhist light, the female ghost cultivators let out agonizing screams.
"You wretched bald monk, you'll face the consequences." Knowing her chances for survival were slim, the ghostly woman, being nothing more than a ghostly creature, had nothing to linger for.
"Amitabha Buddha." The monk clasped his hands together, ignoring the ghostly woman's words, intent on exterminating them all.
Li Fan stared at the monk, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. At the center of his brow, a Sword Intent surged.
"Master, since you're from the Buddhist Holy Land, bullying some women and juniors like this is rather disgraceful." Just then, another voice echoed. On the rooftop at the back of the street, a figure appeared at some unknown time.
The Wuxiang Monk looked up, seeing a tall figure draped in a loose robe standing quietly there, exuding an invisible pressure.
"Demon!" The Wuxiang Monk's eyes sparkled with sharpness, staring at the tall figure. Li Fan also turned to look at the newcomer, sensing a strong aura of a Great Demon.
The visitor was indeed a demon, but appeared no different from a human.
The figure stepped down, and with barely visible movements, appeared on the battlefield, standing in front of the ghostly woman, facing the Wuxiang Monk.
"Mr. Liu."
At this moment, Cao Gong stepped forward, speaking to the newcomer, "Sir, are you related to these ghostly creatures?"
The man nodded in agreement.
A trace of a smile appeared in Cao Gong's eyes, as he said, "Mr. Liu, you put me in a difficult position. Does the Manor Master know about this?"
"Naturally, he's aware of it." The man's eyes swept over Cao Gong, those eyes like a fierce beast, making Cao Gong uneasy. Yet seeing the opportunity for official promotion ahead, he naturally couldn't back down.
"So, the Manor Master intends to protect them?" Cao Gong asked.
"Yes," the man replied.
"Mr. Liu..." the ghostly woman beside looked at the newcomer, feeling a bit guilty.
"Very well, in that case, I'll have to report to the court." Cao Gong was secretly delighted.
The ambush tonight indeed yielded significant results, a great achievement.
"Does County Captain Cao know him?" the Wuxiang Monk asked.
"I do," Cao Gong nodded, "Mr. Liu has been in Lin'an City for many years, recorded as a Great Demon, but long since indistinguishable from our human cultivators. I didn't expect today..."
"Hypocrite," the ghostly woman looked at Cao Gong with some disgust.
"Since it's a demon, this poor monk can only offer my teachings." As the monk's words fell, with a loud clang, the might of the Buddhist bell spread out, enveloping the area with a terrifying pressure.
Mr. Liu took a step forward, and in an instant, monstrous demon energy surged, blocking out the sky, forming a terrifying barrier to contend with the resplendent Buddhist light.
The two moved without notice, instantly confronting each other with a palm strike. A violent gust of wind swept forth, both of their bodies sliding back, the bluestone beneath their feet cracking apart.
The Wuxiang Monk looked at the other, then turned towards a young monk beside him and said, "Wuxin, let's go."
The young monk glanced at Li Fan, his eyes still filled with killing intent, but he followed the Wuxiang Monk away, disappearing into the darkness.
"Senior Liu, farewell." Cao Gong lightly bowed, leading his men to withdraw.
As Chen Li left, he also glanced at Li Fan, carrying a hint of resentment.
The sound of horse hooves rang out as Cao Gong and the Demon Suppression Army departed. After they left, the ghostly woman looked at the tall middle-aged man and said, "Mr. Liu, did I implicate the manor?"
Recently, in Lin'an City, demonic disturbances have occurred frequently, with rumors harmful to the manor, blaming the events on the manor. There were even vile rumors about the Manor Master. She came out to investigate the truth, only to be ambushed and implicate the manor instead.
"No worries, they were targeting the manor from the beginning, it's not related to you," Mr. Liu said indifferently.
Li Fan quietly listened, Fulong Manor?
While attending the Demon Slaying Summit hosted by the Chen family, he had heard some rumors.
Now it seems that the Demon Slaying Summit was indeed a conspiracy, and those rumors were intentionally spread by someone with an agenda.
But most people in the world remain unaware of the truth. Once rumors spread, they quickly believe it to be true.
Mr. Liu's gaze shifted towards Li Fan, scrutinizing him. Li Fan felt slightly uncomfortable being stared at, asking, "Do you have any advice, sir?"
Mr. Liu revealed a faint smile, saying, "Feel free to visit the manor as a guest when you have time."
"Fulong Manor?" Li Fan asked.
"Yes," Mr. Liu nodded.
"I've heard the Manor Master is a Great Demon Jiao Long?" Li Fan asked out of curiosity.
"Yes," Mr. Liu continued nodding.
"With a hundred maidens serving?" Li Fan asked again, such treatment was enviable...
Mr. Liu smiled at him, saying, "Yes."
"Really?" Li Fan's expression turned strange.
"Indeed," Mr. Liu replied.
"I'll surely visit when I have a chance," Li Fan responded.
"Anytime," Mr. Liu said.
"One more question," Li Fan looked at him and asked, "Is the manor related to Li Mountain?"
Mr. Liu looked at Li Fan with deep meaning and nodded.
Not only is it related to Li Mountain, but it's also related to you!
Of course, he didn't say that.
"Things are chaotic outside, you should go back and rest early," Mr. Liu advised.
"Alright," the ghostly woman nodded, then Mr. Liu turned around and left.
After he left, the ghostly woman said to Li Fan, "Thank you, Young Master, for your assistance."
"You're welcome, Immortal," Li Fan replied, "It's not entirely for you."
"No need to be so polite, Young Master. If you don't mind, just call me Sister Xiu," the ghostly woman said.
"Alright," Li Fan nodded, looking towards Qi, who was still guarding her father's body. The ghostly woman also looked that way, saying, "This kind of thing has been happening constantly in Lin'an City lately."
"Sister Xiu, you mentioned investigating the truth earlier. Did you uncover anything?" Li Fan asked.
"Is there even a need to investigate?" The ghostly woman's voice turned colder, filled with ghostly energy as her eyes turned icy. "The people of Lin'an City suffer, but the government doesn't hunt down demons. Instead, they focus on Fulong Manor. This whole thing was aimed at the manor from the start. The one behind it is most likely the government itself."
"The government?" Li Fan said. It sounded incredible that the government would conspire behind the scenes, causing demonic chaos to harm the people, but Li Fan felt that this probably was the truth.
The rumors he'd heard before seemed to target not only Fulong Manor but also Li Mountain; otherwise, how would the Chen family and Cao Gong dare have such audacity?
"Yes," the ghostly woman said angrily, "The government's duty should be to guard the land, hunting demons. Now, they conspire with demons for their own gain, pitying the people of Lin'an City."
Li Fan thought of the Chen family's Demon Slaying Summit. If the government and the Chen family conspired with demons, then those who attended the summit were sacrificial offerings... and the women who were abducted.
So, did that old Daoist call them pitiful?
The martial artists hoping to cling to influential families became their doom?
"How does Sister Xiu know the Manor Master of Fulong Manor?" Li Fan asked.
"My name is Han Xiu, and I was from Lin'an County. Our family of three ran a small business in the county, but we caught the eye of the Wang family in Lin'an County. I refused their advances, and they ruined our business. My husband went to the county office to file a complaint, but was labeled a troublemaker, thrown into jail, and eventually died wronged in prison. I was also dishonored by the Wang family, and to make matters worse, they wouldn't even spare my young child."
The ghostly woman spoke with intense resentment, continuing, "After I died, driven by strong grievances, I became a ghost, yet still couldn't escape being hunted and captured by them, until I stumbled into Fulong Manor, where they dared not venture."
"Mr. Liu understood the events and allowed me to stay at the manor, teaching me the cultivation method for ghostly creatures. Later, I learned Fulong Manor was a well-known forbidden place in Lin'an County, where the government dared not enter, and many sought refuge there."
Li Fan looked at the surviving female ghost cultivators around and was slightly surprised that Fulong Manor became a haven for ghosts.
Just as humans have good and evil, so do demons and ghosts.
So, were the rumors that Fulong Manor had a hundred maidens serving really about female ghosts?
"I always heard the Manor Master of Fulong Manor was a Great Demon Jiao Long, licentious, who abducted many women to the manor, and no one dared to intervene," Li Hongyi sighed beside him.
"The word 'official' has two mouths. The Manor Master never concerns himself with external affairs and naturally disdains explanations. Those women were saved by the Manor Master," the ghostly woman replied, "The people of Lin'an City have never even seen the Manor Master, and even if they did, they wouldn't recognize him."
"In the recent Chen family's Demon Slaying Summit, the women were abducted. Do you know where they were taken?" Li Hongyi asked.
"You could go check the City God Temple," the ghostly woman said.
"City God Temple?" Li Hongyi showed a look of surprise.
Li Fan looked at Li Hongyi and heard him say, "The Da Li Dynasty's court enshrined the Ghost God, building temples for him everywhere, where the people offer incense and prayers. Lin'an City once had a highly respected man, who, after his death, was requested by several influential families in Lin'an City for court enshrinement, becoming this City God."
Li Fan listened to all this in silence. If all of this were true, the people of Lin'an City were truly pitiful.
Beneath the bright daylight, who knows how many filthy dealings lie hidden?
He looked toward Qi, then said to Li Hongyi, "Take care of Qi. I'll be back in a bit."
"Where are you going?" Li Hongyi looked at Li Fan with her bright eyes and asked.
"To kill someone," Li Fan replied before turning and leaving.
"But you've been injured," Li Hongyi said, looking at Li Fan, whose figure exuded a sharp aura, brimming with killing intent.
"No worries, it's just a matter of one sword, I'll be back soon," Li Fan's voice came, his figure vanishing into the darkness.
Li Hongyi looked at that white-clad figure, as if a sharp sword unsheathed.