A white lion, larger than any ordinary lion, appeared at the end of the street. Seated firmly on its back was an equally burly monk, also shirtless. But his bare torso was covered with many colorful tattoos. Furthermore, they had nothing to do with Buddhism, but illustrations of ferocious beasts.

As for his face, it was full of flesh, and there was not a trace of compassion.

Chen Chao said softly, “One of the three great sects of the north, this man is the abbot of the Lone Temple, nicknamed the Wild Monk. But tell me, does he look anything like a monk to you?”

Xie Nandu did not say anything.

Chen Chao continued, “Earlier, news came from the Divine Capital, this fellow and the Sect Master of the Green Algae Sect were sworn brothers. After learning that the Green Algae Sect was wiped out by us, he killed the prefect of Yang Prefecture a few days ago.”

Chen Chao shook his head. “Bullying a scholar with no strength to truss a chicken, this guy isn’t far from death.”

Originally, Chen Chao had planned to send Xie Nandu off first and then circle back to deal with this fellow. But now that Xie Nandu had come with him here, he did not mind making a move sooner.

Xie Nandu asked, “Killing someone in broad daylight?”

Chen Chao said, “That was the plan. But since you’re here, shall we wait a little?”

Xie Nandu glanced at Chen Chao. His recent conduct had begun to take on a domineering air.

This was true in his dealings with the noble families of the court, and equally so with the foreign lands.

Chen Chao said softly, “Actually, the effect is the same. As long as I’m alive, most things are manageable.”

Without even realizing it, this young man had already taken the heavy weight of Great Liang onto his shoulders.

Xie Nandu shook her head. “When doing things, you need to alternate between tight and loose. Right now, the way you’re acting is like a bowstring pulled taut – if the bow snaps, it’ll be very troublesome.”

Chen Chao thought for a moment, then nodded. “Makes sense.”

“But that man still has to die.”

Xie Nandu looked at Chen Chao and said, “After all, he killed an official of Great Liang. That is unforgivable.”

When Chen Chao smiled this time, it came from the heart. This girl, everything she did and said, truly resonated with his heart.

This feeling was wonderful.

……

……

Aunt Gan and her group were arranged to stay in a guesthouse beside the tree tower. Unlike those itinerant cultivators who wandered about freely, Blue Moon Mountain had the authority to participate in a meeting organized for these itinerant cultivators.

The content of the meeting was actually quite simple – nothing more than a discussion on how the cultivation resources in the north would be distributed. Because the resources were scarce, every meeting inevitably devolved into fierce disputes.

But in truth, fighting over it here was meaningless. The allocation of cultivation resources always depended on whether one’s sect had powerful cultivators holding the fort. Without strength, one had no say, so what was the point?

Last year, Blue Moon Mountain had managed to secure a small portion of land, just enough to cover the everyday expenses of its mountain’s cultivators. But the good times did not last long. That winter, the Great Beyond Realm ancestor on the mountain passed away in meditation during the deep cold. Although the news had not spread, Aunt Gan still felt like she had no confidence.

Because of that, she did not really want to attend this meeting. But for the sake of the sect’s cultivators, she had no choice.

At the moment, she was leaning against the railing, feeling thoroughly exhausted in both body and mind.

Before long, a Blue Moon Mountain cultivator came to remind her it was about time to leave.

Aunt Gan tidied her hair and nodded.

Over at the tree tower.

Many major itinerant sects had already arrived for the meeting, and even the arrangement of the chairs was meticulously planned.

The three frontmost seats were, of course, reserved for the Three Great Sects: Tri-Pure Mountain, Cloudglow Cave, and Lonely Monastery.

The rest of the seats were arranged according to the size of each sect.

Blue Moon Mountain was in the second row, somewhere in the middle.

After Aunt Gan took her seat, only the three sect leaders with the most authority had yet to arrive.

Aunt Gan stared at the seat marked for Cloudglow Cave, her gaze complicated.

She had received a note earlier at the foot of the mountain, stating clearly that the killer was He Hu of Cloudglow Cave. As for who had been killed, Aunt Gan already had a strong guess – it could only be her husband.

As for whether the information was true, she still needed to verify it herself.

Not long after, Ying Chaozong, He Hu, and Wild Monk, arrived one after another and took their seats. Then someone stepped forward and unfolded a large map at the front.

The map marked various cultivation resources in the Xinliu Prefecture. There were rare spirit stone mines, wild herb gardens, and the like, but not many.

In fact, even when all those resources were added together, they probably did not compare to what an average second-rate sect in the foreign lands might own.

And yet, even for this meager bit of cultivation resources, these itinerant cultivators still had to fight over them.

Hence, comparing people only makes one angry.

As usual, the resources allotted to the three major sects: Tri-Pure Mountain, Cloudglow Cave, and Lonely Monastery, remained unchanged. The rest barely shifted either. It had only been a year,and very little had changed.

But when it came time to speak of Blue Moon Mountain’s share, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. “Hold on a moment!”

Aunt Gan turned her head and saw a middle-aged daoist currently looking at Aunt Gan with narrowed eyes. He said with a faint smile, “Fellow Daoist Gan, how has the old matriarch of your mountain been lately? This penniless daoist has been thinking of paying a visit.”

Aunt Gan frowned. “And what business is that of yours, Fellow Daoist? Our matriarch is devoted to cultivation and doesn’t meet outsiders.”

The middle-aged daoist smiled. “Is it that she won’t receive outsiders, or that she can’t anymore?”

“What do you mean by that?!”

Aunt Gan’s voice turned cold. “Fellow Daoist, you’d better watch your mouth!”

“Gan Caocao, at this point, why are you still being stubborn? Do you think no one knows that your Blue Moon Mountain’s old matriarch has already passed away?! To think you still have the face to come here. What, do you want to claim those resources as your own?”

The middle-aged daoist sneered, “Hand it over yourself, this penniless daoist has no interest in wasting my breath.”

Aunt Gan’s face darkened, “Fellow daoist’s one-sided words, I’m afraid…”

Before she finished speaking…

A female cultivator from Blue Moon Mountain stepped forward. She did not dare look at Aunt Gan and just bowed her head and said, “The old matriarch did indeed pass away in the middle of winter last year.”

Aunt Gan looked at the young woman, trembling with anger.

The middle-aged daoist sneered, “Gan Caocao. Are you really that naive, thinking everything can be covered up?”

Aunt Gan fell silent.

Things had come to this.

But soon, she suddenly lifted her head and said, “That stone mine originally belonged to Blue Moon Mountain. Before this, no outsiders had discovered it!”

The middle-aged daoist looked at her with a cold sneer.

How naive. The things you discover are yours?

Without strength, don’t say the stone mine you found, even the clothes on your body can be taken off just because someone says so.

Ying Chaozong suddenly said, “If that’s the case, then it should indeed be redistributed.”

The moment he spoke, voices of approval broke out one after another. After all, there were many monks but little meat; if you get a share, then I lose mine.

The reasoning was very simple.

Aunt Gan trembled with rage but could not say a word.

“Continue. Your Father has other matters to attend to later.”

Wild Monk suddenly spoke, casting a glance at Aunt Gan with no emotion in his eyes. Though he did not strictly follow the rules and precepts of the monastery, he truly had no interest in women.

He Hu suddenly spoke telepathically, “Gan Caocao, I can help you with this matter.”

Aunt Gan looked suspiciously at He Hu who was dressed like a middle-aged scholar. He continued telepathically, “As long as you agree to become my Dao companion, I will protect Blue Moon Mountain’s belongings.”

Aunt Gan’s eyes sharpened instantly. Almost in that moment, she was already certain that He Hu before her was the murderer of her husband.

A woman’s intuition was often very accurate.

He Hu calmly continued telepathically, “This matter is serious. Think carefully for yourself. My feelings for you are sincere. When I met you, you already had a Dao companion, so I hid these feelings in my heart.”

“Now you are alone, why can’t you start anew?”

He Hu spoke slowly, his voice measured.

Aunt Gan gave no answer, only her fists gradually clenched tighter.

What could be more painful in this world than knowing the person before you is your enemy, yet still having to lower your head to him?

Probably nothing.

Aunt Gan desperately wanted to curse out loud, but her reason told her that if she spoke now, she might truly drag Blue Moon Mountain into eternal damnation.

She lifted her head and took a long breath.

She had long considered Blue Moon Mountain her home.

At this moment, Aunt Gan’s heart was in turmoil.

Finally, she walked out of the great hall in a daze. At the doorway, she struggled to speak telepathically, “I agree.”

Then she left the hall, forcing back the bitterness, walked far away, found a quiet spot, slowly crouched down, and began to silently shed tears.

All the bitterness and grievances of these years finally broke free now.

Under someone else’s roof, one had no choice but to lower their head.

But this time, it was not just lowering the head.

The last time she remembered crying was when she saw her short-lived husband’s corpse.

But she had long forgotten how many years had passed.

At this moment, she thought, maybe there was no one in the world suffering more than herself?

“Aunt Gan?”

Suddenly, a voice sounded right next to her ear.

Aunt Gan sharply looked up and saw a young man and a woman standing before her.

She recognized the man but had never seen the woman.

The young man smiled at her and asked, “Were you bullied?”

Aunt Gan felt even sadder because this young man before her really looked so much like her deceased husband.

She probably recalled that first time many years ago when she met her husband.

Back then, he was also this young, and he always smiled when he spoke.

Then, the young man said something that completely stunned Aunt Gan on the spot.

“You were bullied huh… Can you tell me about it? I’m the kind of person who hates injustice the most.”

Many years ago, her husband said exactly the same.

Aunt Gan was somewhat dazed, as if at this moment her husband was standing right before her.

It seemed like he had come back.

Even if only for an instant.

Aunt Gan’s tears could no longer be held back.

Her face was drenched in tears.