"Hmph, looks like Brother Lu is completely absorbed too~"
Beside him, Wang Cheng'an watched Lu Yuan, who was gripping the monocular telescope and refusing to let go, grinning widely as he chuckled.
Xu Erxiao, meanwhile, wore an expression as if it were only natural.
"With a woman like that, even immortals would be tempted. Who wouldn't want to look a few more times?"
He took a savage bite of the dry rations in his hand, yet his gaze remained hazy as he smacked his lips and said,
"Ah… tell me, with our miserable lives day after day, when will we ever get to marry such a wild, sultry beauty, huh~"
"She's already this shameless out in the open—if she were at home, on the kang bed, swinging that fat ass around, she'd fling a man's soul right out of his body…"
Wang Cheng'an shot Xu Erxiao a sidelong glance, took a bite of his own rations, and mumbled,
"Once you become a Grand Celestial Master, women like that—won't you have as many as you want?"
Hearing this, Xu Erxiao instantly deflated like a punctured balloon and sighed.
"How many ghosts would I have to catch to become a Grand Celestial Master…"
He shook his head, utterly discouraged.
"In this lifetime, I've got no hope at all…"
"If I could just hold in my mouth and savor the fragrant spit she spits out… this whole life would be worth it…"
Lu Yuan took back the monocular telescope, returned it to Wang Cheng'an with a speechless expression, then looked at Xu Erxiao and said helplessly,
"Show a bit of backbone, will you? Stop talking such filthy nonsense…"
Wang Cheng'an had just taken the telescope back, still wanting another look, but Lu Yuan had already stuffed the last bite of smoked meat flatbread into his mouth and said in a low voice,
"Enough looking. They're coming up."
About the time it takes to burn a stick of incense later, that group began climbing the mountain in great numbers.
Lu Yuan and the other two had long finished eating. They stood beside a dead tree, quietly waiting.
Soon, more than a dozen disciples from Wu Qing Temple, dressed in white Daoist robes, arrived first.
Lu Yuan slightly bent forward and clasped his fists toward the leading young Daoist, who appeared to be around his own age.
"Daoist, may compassion be with you."
The young Daoist glanced at the three of them, his gaze lingering briefly on their coarse, washed-out cloth robes, a barely noticeable trace of disdain flashing in his eyes.
He casually returned the salute.
"Junior brother, compassion."
Lu Yuan's brow twitched almost imperceptibly, but his expression remained calm as he continued,
"May I ask, Daoist, is your esteemed visit a wandering inspection, or is there some destined affair at hand?"
Wu Qing Temple—the number one Daoist temple beyond the pass—appearing in such desolate wilderness was definitely not for a mere zombie.
Lu Yuan's thoughts raced. Tonight, his target was only Old Master Xu. He did not want unnecessary complications.
With heavy snow about to seal the mountains, Daoists had to hurry to earn enough provisions for winter. Their schedules were packed—delay a single day, and everything afterward would fall apart.
However, the young Daoist merely glanced at him again and walked straight past without even bothering to reply.
Before Lu Yuan could react, Xu Erxiao's fiery temper exploded. He jumped up and cursed loudly:
"Bah! We call you Daoist and you really think you're someone important?!"
"My senior brother talks to you—are your ears grown on your ass or what?!"
Xu Erxiao's shout was both filthy and loud. The dozen Wu Qing Temple disciples behind them all turned to look, faces full of contempt.
Which temple's disciples were this vulgar? Completely lacking in discipline!
The leading young man froze, his face turning alternately green and white as he was about to turn back—
When a crisp, sharp female voice spoke first.
"Hey! You country bumpkins are really crude!"
A sweet-looking young girl stepped out from the crowd, hands on her hips, almond eyes wide.
"My senior brother didn't bother with you because you're not worthy! What are you people, anyway? Why should my senior brother pay attention to you?!"
Wang Cheng'an stiffened his neck and shot back angrily,
"What are we? Go ask around Fengti City—who hasn't heard of my Brother Lu's name, the 'White-Robed Little Daoist'!"
The girl reacted exaggeratedly, spat on the ground with a loud "ptui," and sneered,
"Ptui! White-robed, black-robed—what kind of trash temple is True Dragon Temple anyway? Never even heard of it!"
She pointed at the yellowish, worn robes on Lu Yuan and the others, mocking openly,
"With clothes this ragged—how long since you washed them? White-robed Daoist? No shame at all!"
Lu Yuan stood between the two sides, his face darkening.
He had only asked one question—how did he end up getting dragged into being insulted entirely?
Just as the argument was about to truly ignite, a mature woman's sultry, bone-melting voice drifted over.
It carried a strange power, instantly easing the tense atmosphere.
"Is this the White-Robed Little Daoist of True Dragon Temple… Daoist Lu Yuan?"
Hm?
As the voice fell, the sedan chair had arrived nearby.
The stunning, voluptuous mature woman they had seen earlier through the monocular telescope now stood before them.
The cheap telescope Wang Cheng'an bought from the Russians at the border market had been blurry.
Now, with the woman less than three meters away, Lu Yuan finally saw her clearly.
This woman…
The word "seductive" had seeped straight into her bones.
Her features and figure were flawless, beyond mortal perfection.
But most deadly was the natural allure she radiated—every smile hooked straight into a man's heart.
No exaggeration—if she so much as fluttered her eyes at you, a man with weak willpower would probably wet himself on the spot.
Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an beside him were already breathing heavily.
Even the Wu Qing Temple Daoists ahead had flushed faces and thickened breaths.
Still, Lu Yuan was a man who had worn out several rounds of Little White Bird 3.0TB—he had some resistance.
But judging by her tone, she seemed to know him.
Yet no matter how he searched his memories, he couldn't recall meeting such a stunning woman.
A woman like this—see her once, and you'd never forget.
"I am Lu Yuan of True Dragon Temple. May I ask who you are, madam?"
The beautiful woman's phoenix eyes sparkled when he acknowledged her, and she laughed coquettishly,
"Song Meiqin. Do you remember? Earlier this year, you went to her home to deal with her dead husband."
"After you left, Meiqin couldn't stop praising you to me—said you were unmatched above and below the heavens…"
Lu Yuan suddenly understood.
"So you're Aunt Qin's friend."
The woman nodded lightly, glanced over the Wu Qing Temple disciples, then looked back at Lu Yuan with curiosity.
"What happened just now? It sounded like you were arguing?"
Lu Yuan didn't hide anything.
"Madam, we're here tonight to catch something filthy. Seeing your group, we worried our affairs might clash, so I wanted to ask."
He smiled helplessly.
"Turns out the Wu Qing Temple friends don't think much of small sects like ours and didn't want to talk. My brother here has a sharp tongue, so a few words were exchanged. Sorry to disturb you."
The woman paused, then glanced at the surrounding graves and nodded in understanding.
"We're just passing through. Our destination is the next mountain."
Lu Yuan relaxed.
"That's good. Just a small misunderstanding—sorry to trouble you."
She smiled and waved her hand.
"Meiqin said Daoist Lu is capable and well-spoken. Seeing you today, it's indeed true."
Lu Yuan scratched his head shyly.
"Aunt Qin flatters people too easily."
The woman smiled meaningfully.
"She never praises people lightly."
"We grew up together—this is the first time I've heard her praise a man like this. Daoist, you must truly be exceptional."
She then asked softly,
"What business do you have tonight? How long will it take?"
"Our activities might be loud—we don't want to interfere."
Lu Yuan pointed toward Old Master Xu's grave.
"A zombie. It comes out at ten. If things go smoothly, it'll be handled by ten-thirty."
The Wu Qing Temple disciples stirred immediately, some pulling out compasses.
The young girl ran to the grave, sniffed, checked her compass, and shouted disdainfully,
"Tch! Playing tricks—there's no zombie here at all!"
Lu Yuan ignored her and asked the woman,
"Madam, how long will your affair take?"
"We work after midnight."
Lu Yuan nodded—now completely reassured.
Just as he was about to exchange polite farewells, the woman suddenly said reproachfully,
"It's so cold, and the mountains will be sealed by snow soon. You're dressed so lightly—how can your bodies endure it?"
She instructed gently,
"Wang Fu, fetch three sheepskin coats for these young Daoists."
A middle-aged man beside the sedan acknowledged and left.
Lu Yuan was stunned and about to refuse, but the woman waved him off with a smile.
"Just a few clothes—no need to be polite."
Her eyes glimmered teasingly.
"If the little Daoist catches a cold tonight, wouldn't Meiqin be heartbroken?"
That tone…
Before Lu Yuan could respond, she covered her mouth and laughed.
"Actually, I originally wanted to ask you to handle my matter too."
"But once Meiqin heard, she absolutely refused—said it was too dangerous and feared you'd suffer. She insisted on stopping me."
Oh?
There was such a thing?
Though Lu Yuan didn't know what she meant, he couldn't let True Dragon Temple lose face.
"Madam, Aunt Qin is kind-hearted. Next time, if there's anything, come directly to True Dragon Temple."
"If others can handle it, so can we."
As he finished, the young girl snorted angrily,
"Hmph! Just boasting to cheat people of money. Why don't you try handling our affair then?!"