Chapter 29: An Eye-Opening Experience

The outpost of the Hanging Temple was established against the backdrop of the Southern Wilderness mountains.

"Clang! Clang!"

More than twenty travel-worn young ascetics, with sturdy legs and square heads, worked with muscular exertion. Using white qi to fell trees, they were sweating profusely as they hurried to build a temporary camp.

Chen Xuan cast his gaze around, cautiously observing the environment and the people within the camp.

"The camp is completely empty... these monks from the Hanging Temple must have just arrived today."

Not far away, a dozen or so qi practitioners dressed in various styles—including Taoists, martial artists, and wandering knights—were present. They were likely "unlucky wretches" like Chen Xuan, who had encountered Yan Yushu and been "invited" here.

What piqued Chen Xuan’s curiosity was that these people were sitting in groups of two or three around the camp, chatting and laughing, looking entirely content, as if they had forgotten all about home. They did no work at all, acting as if they were the masters of the house.

A sweat-drenched young ascetic walked over to them with a dark expression, demanding that they contribute to the construction of the camp.

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd grew rowdy, as if a powder keg had been ignited. A burly man flew into a rage, rushed forward, grabbed the monk by the throat, glared at him, and unleashed a torrent of abuse.

"What? My old man came to the Southern Wilderness to carve out a future, and after being snatched up halfway by you out-of-town baldies, you want me to work as a carpenter? Do you really think I’m that easy to bully?"

A middle-aged Taoist with the air of an immortal also refused to be outdone; he rolled up his sleeves, seized one of the monk’s arms, and pinned it behind his back.

"I have cultivated my heart and nature for over thirty years. Do you think I would be deceived by some little girl? My Daoist heart is as firm as iron!"

More people surged forward, surrounding the young ascetic, beating and berating him. Chen Xuan watched, dumbstruck, feeling as if he were observing a poorly acted stage play.

The young monk’s cassock was torn to shreds, yet he did not fight back, merely holding his head high as he argued.

"Fellow Daoists, this camp is being built for you to live in! Have you no shame?"

How could they, as ascetics, need a camp? They were accustomed to eating the wind and drinking the dew; they could sleep in the snow just as easily.

"You little bald donkey, you dare talk back? It was you people who cried and begged for us to stay in this godforsaken place, and now you want me to sleep on the ground tonight? Do you really think my fists are made of dough?"

The burly man, in a fit of pique, struck the monk’s shaven head twice with a thud that sounded like iron hitting iron.

"Where is today’s precious tea broth? Get to brewing it! Stingy as all get-out—you baldies don't know how to work, do you? Get lost!"

The middle-aged Taoist was equally sharp-tongued and did not yield an inch, landing a few blows that left the monk covered in blood and fleeing in a panic. The other qi practitioners continued to curse, and any monk who passed by was certain to be verbally abused or even beaten.

"..."

Chen Xuan stood there, stunned. This scene was completely different from what he had imagined. The Hanging Temple clearly held the dominant position, and these qi practitioners were the ones under guard, yet the reality was the exact opposite: these practitioners were the ones scolding, ordering around, and insulting the silent, stoic ascetics.

"Eh? Another lucky fellow has arrived?"

The group caught sight of Chen Xuan and burst into laughter, filling the camp with a cheerful atmosphere.

"Fellow Daoist, you ran into that little girl too? Haha, the moment you arrive in the Southern Wilderness, you get such a stroke of luck—monks to serve you every day and free precious tea broth to drink. This trip is worth it!"

"..."

Chen Xuan twitched the corner of his mouth... how was this considered a stroke of luck?

They were all qi practitioners from the Red Crow City region who had gathered due to Yan Yushu. After a few casual exchanges, Chen Xuan quickly grasped the situation.

Yan Yushu was malicious; starting from the territory of the Hanging Temple, she had fled across several vast city regions, heading all the way to the Southern Wilderness of Red Crow City, deliberately choosing routes where qi practitioners frequented.

"I heard that the little girl even took a stroll through Red Crow City, purposefully passing through the territory of a major cultivation clan to cross paths with some high-born disciples..."

The middle-aged Taoist told Chen Xuan that the Hanging Temple was currently being roasted over a fire. If they ignored these people, they feared that some practitioners might truly be bewitched and cause trouble from behind. But if they tried to manage them, the scope was simply too large, and since some possessed deep backgrounds, it would require massive amounts of energy and resources.

Chen Xuan finally realized that his encounter with Yan Yushu was no accident. She must have seen him in the river, specifically passed by him, and feigned a look of innocence and pity... Everyone was just a fish she was farming!

"How could the Hanging Temple let her run for so long? Are there no great masters taking action?" Chen Xuan asked, confused. He knew some of the secrets of the Hanging Temple; it was a formidable hidden sect.

"Our Red Crow City isn't a pushover. How could we let outsiders run wild? The Lord of Red Crow City blocked the border directly. Qingya-zi, the head of the Green Deer Mountain sect, is even blackmailing them, demanding an exorbitant toll for safe passage; if they don't pay, he threatens to cause chaos and snatch Yan Yushu himself. They simply won't let the great masters of the Hanging Temple pass through easily."

The middle-aged Taoist explained, then added secretively:

"You came late, so you don't know—last night, a great master from the Hanging Temple didn't want to be blackmailed, so he tried to sneak through, but haha, he was caught by the Green Deer Mountain masters who were lying in wait and 'invited' to debate the scriptures..."

"It is hard for a qi practitioner to accomplish one thing, but it is far too easy to ruin one..."

A dragon crossing the river cannot suppress the local snake, and shameless local snakes were everywhere. Even as strong as the Hanging Temple was, if they wanted to cross the border to arrest someone, they had to swallow their pride.

*'A great master from Green Deer Mountain came to the Southern Wilderness last night!'*

Chen Xuan felt a chill run down his spine, and goosebumps rose on his skin. Who was it? Did this great master already know what he had done?

He stood in the center of the camp, feeling a coldness in his heart, but he quickly steadied himself. The world was vast, and he had not left any tracks. Even if the opponent was a great master, finding him would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. There was no need to worry too much.

...

In the afternoon, as Chen Xuan was looking for someone in the camp who understood ancient seal script, he suddenly saw a large wave of qi practitioners appearing outside, numbering in the dozens.

He looked on in astonishment, realizing he recognized nearly half of them.

"The qi practitioners from Little River Village... they really show up for any excitement."

It wasn't just the practitioners; he even saw a small black dot cautiously circling in the distant sky—it was the silhouette of the Bronze Horse.

"Grandpa Fire-Stick, these big monks look so strange. Could they be from the legendary Hanging Temple?"

Chu Qingling, bright and lively, rolled her peach-blossom eyes and peered around, chattering incessantly. Her sickly cousin followed behind, carrying a bamboo basket and coughing every few steps.

Chu Fire-Stick poked half his head out of the bamboo basket. "I suppose so, a hidden sect from the outer territories... Eh? That ascetic didn't fight back even after being beaten? He really has a good temper... Who? Qingling, who did you say? Little Wang is here too? Hey! Little Wang! Brother Little Wang!"

Chen Xuan walked out of the camp at the sound of his name and greeted the three of them.

Chu Fire-Stick asked impatiently, "Brother Little Wang, why are you here? What is happening?"

Chen Xuan briefly explained the situation, then sighed, "A disaster from the sky. Now I'm trapped here, told that my fate is 'rotten,' and I have to prove my innocence..."

"There’s such a good thing!"

Chu Fire-Stick immediately perked up, shouting, "Brother Little Wang, wait for me! My fate is already rotten! I’m going to find that Yan Yushu in the Southern Wilderness right now to prove my innocence with you. I want to drink that precious tea broth made from the Land-Bound Treasure Tree!"

Chen Xuan hurriedly asked, "Aren't you going to wait for your old friends from Red Crow City?"

Chu Fire-Stick had been severely injured and was relying on his red qi to hold onto his last three breaths. He had originally planned to wait for some old friends from Red Crow City to arrive before entering the Southern Wilderness to seek fortune and achieve a rebirth.

Chu Fire-Stick squinted at Chen Xuan and said, "The natural treasures of the Southern Wilderness have long been claimed by ghosts and demons—which one doesn't have an owner behind it? You have to risk your life to fight for them. But now that this safe fortune has fallen from the sky, Little Wang, you must know that if you refuse heaven’s gift, you will surely face divine retribution."

He had no mood to chat with Chen Xuan anymore, feeling the urgency of the situation; if he were a step too slow, Yan Yushu might run off, and he would never see the fairy’s face.

It wasn't just him. Once the other qi practitioners from Little River Village understood the situation, their eyes glowed with greed, and they headed toward the Southern Wilderness mountains like hungry wolves.

"They aren't just unafraid of falling into Yan Yushu's trap; they are trying to profit from it and fleece the Hanging Temple."

Chen Xuan was dumbfounded, feeling he had learned something new. The Hanging Temple’s pursuit of the Six Desires Heaven had actually created such a grand event.

In the distance, some ascetics who were not allowed to enter the Southern Wilderness to pursue Yan Yushu because their young minds were not yet settled, gnashed their teeth.

"These qi practitioners outside the temple have low character; they all want to blackmail us. I really want to 'liberate' them..."

"They are blinded by greed. How can they resist the power of the Six Desires Heaven? Their fates are going to rot!"

"Stop complaining, everyone, and get back to work..."

In the distance, a large pot was set up. An elderly monk with white eyebrows took out a bag of tea leaves that shimmered with golden light and began to brew the precious, highly-valued tea broth.

Chen Xuan walked over and began to ask him for guidance on the ancient seal script.