Lin Fei sped up on his horse, which could cover 200 kilometers a day. However, he didn't rush on his journey. Instead, he moved at a leisurely pace as if he was waiting for something.

"Boom."

A thunderclap sounded out of nowhere.

Lin Fei looked up at the sky. Unbeknownst to him, dark clouds had gathered in the sky, even the sky had suddenly darkened.

Lin Fei looked around. There were mountains on all sides, with only one official road. Looking up the official road towards the mountain, there was a dilapidated temple halfway up the mountain.

"This is an excellent place to lay low. The sky is getting dark, and there's a heavy downpour. Let's stay here."

Lin Fei's eyes were deep, with a profound meaning. He didn't want to continue and he would wait here. So, Lin Fei led his horse and slowly walked towards the dilapidated temple on the mountainside. Soon, a man and a horse arrived at the dilapidated temple halfway up the mountain.

At this moment, the sky was pouring rain.

There were candles burning inside the temple. Lin Fei went in and saw about a dozen people inside the temple. There were men and women. The men were dressed as guards. The women seemed to be maids, and there appeared to be a madam and a lady among them. These people didn't look like a merchant group, but they were carrying a lot of things. Large and small packages, it looked like they were moving.

Lin Fei didn't pay attention to these people or greet them either. He just found a clean corner, then he sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes to rest, and waited quietly.

However, Lin Fei's arrival at the temple aroused the vigilance of the people inside.

"Madam, this man seems a bit strange."

"Strange? Judging by his appearance, he should be a wandering traveler, just coming to the temple to take shelter from the rain."

"Yes, just a wandering traveler, Uncle Liu, you don't need to be too nervous."

Both the lady and the maids shook their heads. How many wandering travelers had they encountered on this journey? They all dressed like this. It was normal to come to the temple to take shelter from the rain.

Uncle Liu, a bearded, burly guard, said solemnly, "Miss, it's pouring rain outside. But look at this man, is there any trace of rain on his clothes or shoes?"

"Hmm?"

At this moment, the lady looked carefully at Lin Fei. Indeed, as Uncle Liu said, there was not a single trace of rain on Lin Fei's clothes. In such heavy rain, even with an umbrella and raincoat, it would be impossible to have no wet traces on the body.

"Let me think... when this man came here just now, maybe it wasn't raining outside yet?"

The lady thought for a moment. It seemed that she couldn't remember whether it was raining when Lin Fei arrived at the temple.

Uncle Liu didn't say anything else. He was a guard. All he needed to do was to be secretly vigilant and ensure the safety of the lady and a smooth arrival in Chang City.

The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier and there were howling winds. The temple was drafty and leaking and rainwater splashed in from all sides. The lady and other women huddled in a corner where there was no rain leakage.

It was getting late. The guards and women started eating their dry rations. They stared at Lin Fei for a long time, but they didn't see him eating anything.

After hesitating, the lady said to a maid, "This wandering traveler may not have brought any rations. Xiao Ya, give him a portion of our rations."

"We shouldn't provoke strangers while we're away from home. Especially since this man is quite peculiar, we should avoid him if possible," Guard Liu hurriedly spoke, trying to stop the maid from giving food to Lin Fei.

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"It's just some rations, it's fine. Xiao Ya, bring the rations to that young man."

The lady didn't change her mind. She watched Xiao Ya walk over, then turned to Guard Liu, "Guard Liu, it's true that we shouldn't provoke strangers while we're away from home. But what if this person is, as you say, a remarkable individual? My father sent us to Chang City, saying there might be an evil cultivator targeting us. If there's a remarkable person, maybe they could help us fend off the evil cultivator because of this ration. If he's just an ordinary traveler, it's just some rations, no big deal."

Guard Liu's eyes widened and seemed that he understood her point. So, he nodded, "You're quite thoughtful."

However, when Xiao Ya brought the rations to Lin Fei, he didn't even open his eyes. There was no response. Xiao Ya had no choice but to put down the rations and report back.

"Miss, he didn't respond," The maid said.

"We should be cautious about everything when we're away from home. Maybe he's worried that there's something wrong with the rations. But we've already given them to him, whether he eats them or not is up to him."

The lady didn't insist.

The rain outside was getting heavier.

"Boom!"

A thunderclap shook the sky. Accompanied by lightning, a figure seemed to appear faintly outside the temple.

"Who's out there?" Guard Liu immediately stood up. Everyone was startled.

"Hehe, you guys ran away pretty fast. Zhou Yuan is quite vigilant, sending his family to Chang City. If you had really made it to Chang City, I wouldn't dare to attack you there, that would indeed be troublesome. But this heavy rain came just in time to trap you here."

From outside the temple, a sharp, piercing voice gradually approached. Following that, everyone saw a black-robed Taoist, step by step, walking into the temple from the outside. Moreover, this Taoist seemed unaffected by the pouring rain. There seemed to be a layer of white light around him, keeping the rainwater away from his body.

After entering the temple, there was not even a trace of rainwater on him. Seeing this scene, the guards and women turned pale. Guard Liu's voice trembled as he shouted, "Qi Cultivator, you're an evil Qi Cultivator!"

"Whoosh."

Guard Liu drew his saber. However, holding the sharp saber in his hand didn't make him feel safe at all. He was just a mere acquired martial artist. What chance did he have against a Qi Cultivator?

"Mere martial artist."

The black-robed Daoist flicked his finger. A flash of blood-red light appeared in an instant. In the next moment, the guard Liu widened his eyes. An unknown wound appeared on his neck and blood spurted out instantly.

With a "thud," Guard Liu fell to the ground. None could see how the black-robed Daoist attacked.

"Ah..."

The women in the temple screamed in fear. However, the numerous guards didn't dare to approach the black-robed Daoist.

"Hehe, capturing you will surely make Zhou Yuan reconsider. Will he choose the magical artifact or his family? Being a mere mortal, keeping the magical artifact he accidentally obtained will only bring disaster."

The black-robed Daoist sneered, ready to make his move. At this moment, everyone's eyes turned to Lin Fei. However, Lin Fei remained motionless. Disappointment filled their hearts.

"Mother, it seems we cannot escape this fate. Who knows what torture we'll endure at the hands of this demonic Daoist. Mother, I'll go first!"

She fiercely pulled out a dagger she carried with her, preparing to end her life.

"Boom."

At that moment, thunder and lightning flashed outside. The black-robed Daoist seemed to sense something.

"Whoosh."

He abruptly turned his head, looking towards the broken temple's entrance.

"Who?"

The black-robed Daoist stared intently at the temple's exterior. Now, two more figures appeared outside the broken temple. Two gray-robed Daoists stood mid-air outside the temple. Step by step, they seemed to "float" into the temple.

...

The black-robed Daoist became extremely cautious, speaking in a deep voice, "Have you two also come for Zhou Yuan's family? Unfortunately, they've already fallen into my hands. You two should just leave."

The black-robed Daoist carefully pondered. The news of Zhou Yuan accidentally obtaining a magical artifact hadn't spread and he had only found out by chance. If it weren't for the difficulty of making a move in Chang City, would he have gone through all this trouble to capture Zhou Yuan's family? Now that he had captured Zhou Yuan's family, the black-robed Daoist had no intention of giving up.

However, the two gray-robed Daoists didn't respond. Instead, they glanced at the black-robed Daoist. Then, one of the gray-robed Daoists extended his hand, pointing at the black-robed Daoist.

"Rogue cultivators like you are definitely demonic beings, deserving death!"

"You..."

The black-robed Daoist's face changed dramatically. His spiritual power surged, ready to cast a spell, but it was too late.

"Splash."

The next moment, the black-robed Daoist's eyes widened, his body trembling. Then, his corpse fell straight to the ground.

Dead!

He couldn't even withstand a single attack. The guards and women became even more desperate. The black-robed Daoist was already powerful. Now, two stronger gray-robed Daoists had arrived. What hope did they have?

However, the two gray-robed Daoists didn't even glance at the guards and women. Instead, they slightly bowed to the corner of the temple, saying, "He Mountain Dao's He Yuanzi and He Qingzi pay respect to Layman Lin!"

The lady and the women in the temple were taken aback. They looked at Lin Fei in the distance with surprise.

"These two Daoists aren't here for us?"

Regardless of what the women and guards thought, The gray-robed Daoists' gazes were fixed on Lin Fei.

Lin Fei opened his eyes and looked at the two Daoists with a calm gaze.

"You're too slow, I've been waiting for a long time!"