Just as another verbal clash was about to erupt, the peerlessly beautiful mature woman seated in the sedan chair merely lifted her hand slightly, and all the noise instantly died down.
In the end, after leaving behind three thick sheepskin coats, the group departed in grand fashion.
Before leaving, the beautiful woman leaned sideways against the soft sedan chair, glanced back, and her gaze settled on Lu Yuan. A faint, elusive smile curved her lips.
"When you have time, come back to Fengtian City. Your Aunt Qin is always talking about you."
Her voice was soft and languid, as if it carried hooks, rippling gently through the chilly air.
Lu Yuan's heart stirred. He nodded somewhat awkwardly.
"Alright… alright…"
Only after the figures of that group completely disappeared at the end of the mountain path—
Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an could no longer wait and hurriedly wrapped the soft, warm sheepskin coats around themselves.
"Heh, damn, this is really warm!"
Xu Erxiao grinned broadly, his face blooming with joy after putting it on.
Beside him, Wang Cheng'an leaned closer with a curious expression and whispered,
"Brother Lu, who's Aunt Qin?"
Lu Yuan was just pulling the coat onto himself when he heard that. Before he could explain, Xu Erxiao beat him to it, shaking his head smugly as he spoke—
"Also a big—"
Before he could finish, there was a dull thump.
Xu Erxiao's backside took a solid kick from Lu Yuan.
Clutching his butt and baring his teeth, he hurriedly corrected himself,
"Also an extremely beautiful madam! Same tier as that big rouge horse just now!"
"She's loaded—those new side halls in our True Dragon Temple were all donated by Aunt Qin alone."
Wang Cheng'an had joined the temple late and knew nothing of these old matters. He listened with his mouth agape.
"My god… there's someone as good-looking as that big rouge horse?"
Xu Erxiao nodded repeatedly, spittle flying as he spoke,
"Of course! Just that Aunt Qin isn't as tall—only a bit over 1.7 meters, and her figure can't quite compare—"
Having just finished changing, Lu Yuan glanced sideways at Xu Erxiao, who was barely over 1.6 meters tall, and found it amusing.
"You're a one-six dwarf winter melon, and you've got the nerve to say Aunt Qin is 'only' 1.7 meters?"
Lu Yuan retorted while retying the cord around his waist.
Aunt Qin's height of 1.7 meters—in an era where most people barely had enough to eat—even on his past-life Earth, she would've been a tall, standout goddess.
And among this bunch of malnourished, generally short "goblins," she was even more striking—graceful and outstanding.
"So Aunt Qin's relationship with you is really good, huh, Brother Lu?"
Wang Cheng'an gossiped with an eager expression.
Xu Erxiao puffed out his chest proudly.
"Of course! Those new halls in our temple—Aunt Qin donated them entirely for Brother Lu's sake."
At this point, Xu Erxiao turned to Lu Yuan, curiosity written all over his face.
"Brother Lu, what's really going on between you and Aunt Qin? Why's your relationship so close?"
"Before, when our master sent you to handle her matter, didn't she look down on you? How'd it turn into this after you finished the job?"
Lu Yuan, now changed into fresh clothes, sat back down on the ground.
"Cultivate properly. Do your work seriously."
"Stop spouting nonsense. After eating, it's time to cultivate."
Once the senior brother spoke, Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an immediately fell silent.
The two had always obeyed Lu Yuan without question—almost to the point of worship.
Although by age, Lu Yuan was only one year older than Xu Erxiao and two years older than Wang Cheng'an,
his position as senior disciple among the dozens of True Dragon Temple disciples was unshakable—no one dared dispute it.
Of course, part of it came from their old master—who drank all day—treating Lu Yuan like his own son.
But more importantly, Lu Yuan himself was capable.
And above all…
He had a secret.
Lu Yuan possessed the [Demon-Slaying System]. At just nineteen years old, he had already touched the threshold of the Celestial Master realm.
In this world, reaching Celestial Master by thirty was enough to be called a peerless genius.
Time passed quietly in meditation.
From noon to five-thirty in the evening.
Winter days were short and nights long—the sun had long withdrawn its final rays, sinking behind the western mountains.
Below the mountain, Ningyuan Town gradually lit up—household lamps and roadside bonfires one after another, like stars scattered across the dark earth.
"Brother Lu… I'm hungry."
Wang Cheng'an clutched his rumbling stomach and opened his eyes pitifully.
Half-grown boys could eat a family into poverty.
Lu Yuan himself was no exception—he wished he could eat ten meals a day.
"I'm hungry too."
Xu Erxiao echoed immediately.
Lu Yuan stood up.
"I'll go down the mountain to buy some food. What do you want to eat?"
They had set up an altar and formations around the grave to deal with the zombie—someone had to stay behind.
If clueless passersby or something else messed with it, tonight's job would be ruined.
That was why Lu Yuan had been nervous earlier when the beautiful woman's group suddenly appeared.
If the other side had also been performing rituals here, the clashing formations could've led to unpredictable consequences.
Of course, logically speaking, no one should be climbing the mountain at this hour.
But rules were rules—Lu Yuan was meticulous in how he handled things.
"I want smoked-meat flatbread—with roast duck added!"
"I want lamb soup with extra spice—and a bottle of orange soda!"
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.
"Eat something dry. How am I supposed to carry lamb soup back up? After we finish the zombie, we'll go drink it."
As Lu Yuan spoke, Xu Erxiao started thinking again.
But before he could finish thinking, a voice sounded behind them—
"Daoist, may compassion be with you."
"Hm?"
Lu Yuan turned around and saw a group of black-clad guards approaching.
These were…
That peerless mature woman's people?
Lu Yuan quickly came back to his senses and slightly bowed.
"Boundless Heavenly Worthy of Blessed Life…"
The man at the front was Wang Fu—the same person who had delivered the sheepskin coats earlier.
Wang Fu waved his hand, and the group stepped forward carrying items.
He bowed slightly toward Lu Yuan.
"We slaughtered three sheep tonight. Madam was thinking of you, so she asked me to bring some lamb, lamb soup, and white-flour flatbreads."
Eh?
Lu Yuan froze as the group opened the food boxes.
By the last remaining twilight, Lu Yuan saw plate after plate and bowl after bowl of steaming dishes.
Thick baked flatbreads.Milky white lamb soup.Crystal-clear sliced boiled lamb.Fragrant roasted lamb ribs.
There was even a plate of cold mixed lamb offal with chili.
And two large bowls—one filled with fresh green cilantro, the other with chopped scallions—clearly for the lamb soup.
For a moment, Lu Yuan waved his hands repeatedly, trying to refuse.
"Ah, this… this is really too much…"
Taking food from an employer when working for them was fine.
But the problem was—he hadn't worked for that beautiful madam at all. How could he accept this?
Wang Fu, whose face rarely showed emotion, forced out a small smile.
"Madam said—you are Madam Song's nephew. Naturally, that makes you her good nephew as well."
"We're family. No need to be polite."
"We still have plenty over there. If it's not enough, Daoist can come over anytime. The two mountain heads aren't far apart."
At that point, Lu Yuan couldn't refuse anymore.
He wanted to pay, but Wang Fu had already set everything down, clasped his hands, and led his men away—clean and decisive, leaving Lu Yuan no chance.
That really left Lu Yuan feeling embarrassed.
He turned back—Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an were staring at the food boxes, eyes wide, drool nearly dripping onto the ground.
Lu Yuan smacked his lips helplessly.
"Alright, dig in."
"Stop staring. Eat—now you get your lamb soup."
With Lu Yuan's permission, Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an cheered, each grabbing a large bowl.
"Mm, that big slutty horse is actually pretty nice—"
Xu Erxiao had just scooped up a bowl of scalding lamb soup when—before he finished speaking—he got kicked again.
The bowl nearly spilled.
Lu Yuan stood there, hands on hips, glaring at him.
"Earlier you called her a 'big slutty horse,' and I didn't argue."
"Now you're wearing the sheepskin she gave you and drinking the lamb soup she sent—what should you call her?"
Xu Erxiao froze, then broke into a silly grin.
"Female Bodhisattva! A Female Bodhisattva!"
Lu Yuan shook his head helplessly.
To be fair, his True Dragon Temple disciples really did speak… like that sometimes.
No helping it—most of the disciples were recruited from poor families around Fengtian City.
Plus, that old master only drank and taught techniques—he ignored everything else.
In terms of refinement, they were nowhere near big temples like Wu Qing Temple.
Oh well. Slowly, over time.
Lu Yuan sat down and joined the feast.
The three of them swept through the food like a storm, finishing everything in no time.
They lay back comfortably, even unfastening the buttons of their sheepskin coats.
After freezing all day in this icy wilderness, a bowl of piping-hot lamb soup loaded with cilantro, scallions, and chili sent a warm current rushing from their stomachs through their limbs—sweat beaded all over their bodies.
"Pack up the bowls. I'll go return them."
After resting a bit, Lu Yuan stood and spoke to Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an.
They jumped up quickly, clattering as they packed all the bowls and utensils back into the two large food boxes.
Lu Yuan picked them up, thinking about what auspicious words he should say later, and walked toward the direction where Wang Fu's group had disappeared.
After walking a dozen meters and reaching the top of the hill, Lu Yuan lifted his gaze, searching for firelight on the opposite mountain—
Then suddenly stopped.
His entire body froze, as if struck by lightning.
Holy shit?!
[Type: Changgui][Cultivation: 137 years][Weaknesses: Thunder, Lightning, Fire][Danger Level: ★★★]
Five-Star Changgui?!
[Type: Hanging Ghost][Cultivation: 115 years][Weaknesses: Thunder, Lightning, Fire][Danger Level: ★★★]
Six-Star Hanging Ghost??
And…there's more?!
Staring at the opposite mountain where the firelight flickered—at the dense cluster of blood-red text filling his vision—
Lu Yuan felt completely dazed…