Han stood outside the ancient Shan Shui Temple, his expression shifting between gloom and resolve.
Taking one last look at the temple, he turned on his heel and left without hesitation. Moments later, wooden fragments from a shattered string of prayer beads, a supposed "blessed artifact" gifted by Abbot Neng Wu, drifted in the wind.
"Even if these beads were consecrated," Han thought darkly, "they’d be imbued with nothing but wicked energy."
He strode back to the Taibai Martial Arts School, his pace quick and his mind heavy.
"Junior brother, what happened to you?" Bai Ruoyue, noticing Han’s troubled demeanor, raised an eyebrow. "Don’t tell me you got mugged again?"
Han rubbed his temples. "Senior Sister, I went to Shan Shui Temple."
Her smile faded. "And?"
"There’s something seriously wrong with that place."
"You mean the gods they claim to worship—the Mountain God and Dragon Lord?" Bai Ruoyue chuckled. "That’s par for the course here in Heiyun Town. If you’re going to honor gods, it has to be those two. Worshiping anything else is forbidden."
"Why, though? Isn’t that why there weren’t any temples or shrines here before?"
"Exactly," Bai Ruoyue nodded. "But the monks at Shan Shui Temple don’t seem to care about divine orthodoxy. They arrived six years ago, got government approval, and started their temple. If you ask me, they’re probably just drifters playing at being monks."
Han’s eyes narrowed. "More outsiders..."
First Huang Shireng, now these monks—why were so many outsiders flocking to Heiyun Town?
"Do you think the Mountain God and Dragon Lord have ever truly manifested?" Han pressed.
"Who knows? There are stories of miracles, sure, but no one’s ever seen them in person. And let’s be real, gods don’t intervene lightly. Whatever’s happening at Shan Shui Temple, I doubt it has anything to do with divine intervention."
Han hesitated before lowering his voice. "Senior Sister, those monks... they’re not good people. I believe the so-called 'blessings' at that temple come from something far darker."
"What do you mean?" Bai Ruoyue asked, her tone suddenly serious.
Han took a deep breath and laid out his suspicions. "I think they’re exploiting the guise of divine blessings to prey on women. They’re using this whole 'miracle child' act as a cover for their crimes."
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"What?" Bai Ruoyue’s expression turned grim. "How did you come to that conclusion? Do you have proof?"
Han recounted everything he had seen with the Vision Talisman—the swirling pink clouds of lustful energy in the temple’s rear courtyard, the lingering traces of that same energy in the auras of women who had stayed overnight, and the patterns he had observed in their so-called "blessings."
"Pink energy of lust..." Bai Ruoyue murmured, deep in thought. "I’ve heard of life energy manifesting in visible forms, but my father never explained it in detail. Junior Brother, how were you able to see such things?"
Han scratched his head, feigning ignorance. "Honestly, I don’t know. It just happened."
"Just happened?" Bai Ruoyue raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Han shrugged. "After leaving the temple empty-handed, I was determined to figure out if there were any practitioners of Daoist arts inside. The next thing I knew, I could see their auras."
In truth, Han was well aware that his newfound ability stemmed from the Vision Talisman he had used earlier. But he wasn’t about to reveal that. This world was full of people with natural gifts—those born with double pupils or a third eye in their forehead, for example. Compared to them, his "innate" ability to see auras wasn’t so strange.
"Could it be you’ve awakened some special talent?" Bai Ruoyue asked skeptically. "If that’s the case, can you see my aura?"
"I could try," Han replied, squinting at her theatrically. After a long moment, he declared, "Your aura is blood-red, accompanied by visions of a heavenly ox splitting the sky and a sea-dragon overturning the ocean. Senior Sister, you’re destined for greatness—a sovereign among mortals!"
Bai Ruoyue beamed. "I knew it!"
Han blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Everything you just said matches the secret techniques of our Taibai Martial School," she explained proudly. "The ox represents the 'Sky-Cleaving Ox Strength,' and the dragon refers to the 'Sea-Overturning Dragon Force.' Those are our school’s advanced skills."
"...What?" Han was dumbfounded.
"You must be right about my 'sovereign destiny,' too," Bai Ruoyue added, puffing out her chest confidently.
Han resisted the urge to facepalm. He’d made up the "heavenly ox" and "sea-dragon" on a whim, but apparently, they were real techniques. Was Bai Ruoyue’s family even human?
"Anyway," Bai Ruoyue said, regaining her serious demeanor, "if your ability is real, then Shan Shui Temple is indeed suspicious. But without concrete evidence, we can’t make any accusations."
"Why not report them to the authorities?" Han suggested.
She shook her head. "You think it’s that easy to establish a temple? Those monks wouldn’t have succeeded without influential backers. If we go through official channels, the most likely outcome is that they get tipped off and cover their tracks."
"So, what’s the plan?"
"We’ll investigate ourselves—tonight," Bai Ruoyue said firmly.
She gathered the others and explained the situation. The group agreed on the need for action, though all wore solemn expressions.
"Those monks are weak martial artists," Bai Ruoyue assessed. "The strongest among them is only at the Meridians Stage—manageable. The abbot, though, is an enigma and could pose a challenge. To ensure our success, I’ll seek help from a trusted expert."
"And who’s going to infiltrate the temple?" someone asked.
Han spoke up. "The couples seeking blessings stay in a separate area from regular visitors. Whoever goes in will need to pose as part of a pair."
The group exchanged uneasy glances.
"We can’t risk sending Xiao Yuer," Bai Ruoyue said, referring to their youngest member, a girl named Shen Yu. "It’s too dangerous for her."
The others nodded in agreement. If a woman couldn’t go, then the only option left was...
The men.