Chapter 10
Chapter 10: The Yue Lao Temple
Bai Meng Jin suggested they visit the Yue Lao Temple.
Not because she cared about red threads or lovers’ fates, but because she remembered a story from years ago. A girl from the clan had gone to pray for a good match. Not long after, she fell violently ill. Later, Bai Meng Jin had overheard that the authorities wiped out an “evil god” somewhere in the city.
Back then, she’d only had one thing on her mind—the Cinnabar Cloud Palace’s disciple recruitment. She hadn’t paid the rumor much attention.
Now, with Devil Creatures appearing one after another in Azure Cloud City, the memory snapped into place like a hidden hinge. A temple. An evil god. A string of illnesses and strange luck.
It was too neat to be coincidence.
The Yue Lao Temple itself was barely more than a shell: one shabby main hall, peeling paint, incense ash ground into the stone. But the statue inside was brand new, as if someone had replaced it in a hurry—a white-bearded old man with a serene smile, flanked by a boy and a girl attendant who held up a bright red thread.
Huo Chong Xiao studied the hall in silence, then shook his head slightly. He didn’t sense anything unusual.
They didn’t linger.
After Madam Liu finished repaying her vow, the three of them fell into step behind her, keeping far enough back to look like passersby.
Only when they reached a quieter street did Yue Yun Qiao whisper, “Senior Brother… why are there so many Devil Creatures in Azure Cloud City? Is something wrong?”
Huo Chong Xiao’s gaze sharpened. He had already felt the wrongness, but he wanted proof.
He took out the Demon-Suppressing Bottle, drew out the thin strand of devil qi sealed inside, and used it to ignite a talisman.
Madam Liu flinched as if something had stung her. Her shoulders went rigid. For an instant, a ripple of black flickered over her.
Huo Chong Xiao’s face darkened. “Same source as last night’s Devil Creature.”
Yue Yun Qiao sucked in a breath. “Then… we didn’t solve last night’s problem at all?”
Huo Chong Xiao nodded once.
He’d thought it would be a small task, a simple clean-up for two disciples on their first outing. Instead, they’d been toyed with. Whatever was hiding here was no ordinary Devil Creature.
His first instinct was to ask for help—Senior Brother Bai Chong An, a fellow disciple, a senior to him in the sect. They had a duty to look after one another.
But the memory of last night made his hand hesitate.
Something about Senior Brother Bai felt… off.
Azure Cloud City was crawling with Devil Creatures. The Bai Family should have been the first to be affected. Yet Bai Chong An had shown no urgency at all, no concern, no trace of alarm.
Was that carelessness?
Or was it something worse?
Huo Chong Xiao asked himself the question—and felt guilt bite at the edges. Bai Meng Jin had been running around with them all day, trusting them, while he kept one eye on her family as if they were enemies.
Before he could decide what to say, Bai Meng Jin spoke first.
“Young Master Huo,” she said softly, “don’t you think something is strange?”
Huo Chong Xiao let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “How so?”
Bai Meng Jin’s gaze flicked toward Madam Liu’s retreating back. “Evil gods and Devil Creatures look similar to mortals, but they’re not the same thing.
“Devil Creatures hunt. They feed. They go for whatever looks ‘tasty,’ and they don’t need anyone’s permission.
“An evil god is different. It needs worship. Offerings. It makes a pact—granting a wish first, then collecting tribute afterward. Like Madam Liu. It let her win money before it demanded anything from her.”
Yue Yun Qiao frowned, trying to follow. “But if they’re different… how can they share the same source?”
Bai Meng Jin’s expression turned sharper. “Exactly. If they’re different, how can they share the same source?”
Huo Chong Xiao’s voice dropped. “Because someone is behind it.”
Yue Yun Qiao stiffened. “You mean… someone is pulling the strings?”
Huo Chong Xiao nodded. “These Devil Creatures aren’t appearing naturally. Someone is raising them.”
Yue Yun Qiao’s anger flared hot and immediate. “Outrageous! If we hadn’t arrived in time last night, everyone on that farm would’ve been corrupted. And if that evil god’s faith spreads… how many people will become sacrifices? In the long run, Azure Cloud City will be finished.”
“This is already beyond what we can handle,” Huo Chong Xiao said, measuring his limits without pride or shame. “We need to contact the patrol elder immediately.”
By the rules of the Cinnabar Cloud Palace, elders rotated through regions to keep disciples safe on mission.
Yue Yun Qiao hesitated. “Should we tell Senior Brother Bai?”
“Not yet.” Huo Chong Xiao’s eyes flicked toward Bai Meng Jin, then back to the street. “Senior Brother Bai is the strongest cultivator in Azure Cloud City. If someone is causing trouble here, they’ll be watching him. If we alert them, they’ll tighten their net.”
Bai Meng Jin nodded as if it were obvious. “Even though Great-Uncle rarely leaves the house, every faction in the city comes to pay respects. He’s always under someone’s eyes.”
Seeing she didn’t object, Huo Chong Xiao finally felt a sliver of tension ease.
They returned to the Yue Lao Temple and quietly questioned the locals—careful, patient, listening more than they spoke.
Madam Liu was one thread. They’d already confirmed her connection to last night’s Devil Creature.
Then there was Zeng Old Three. His house, too, carried that same faint black qi.
Then a third.
A fourth.
A fifth.
Huo Chong Xiao unfolded a map of Azure Cloud City and marked each location with a dot.
By the time he stopped, the dots weren’t scattered—they formed a web, wide enough to make the skin crawl.
“There are so many,” Yue Yun Qiao whispered, stunned.
Huo Chong Xiao’s expression had turned grim enough to cut. Azure Cloud City was leaking like a sieve.
He didn’t believe for a second that Senior Brother Bai had noticed nothing.
And Bai Meng Jin? Judging by the way she was treated at home, she likely knew none of this. Yet she’d saved Yue Yun Qiao earlier without hesitation.
Should he trust her?
Huo Chong Xiao weighed the question until it became too heavy to hold.
In the end, he chose the safest compromise. “We go back first. Don’t alarm anyone. We wait for the elders and deal with it when help arrives.”
He had his junior sister with him. He couldn’t gamble with her life.
Bai Meng Jin seemed pleased—quietly, as if she approved of his caution.
He was still green, but he wasn’t reckless. He was dependable.
So they set the matter aside for the moment, kept their faces calm, and wandered the streets like ordinary visitors until the sun dipped low. By the time they returned to the Bai Manor, the sky was already bleeding into dusk.
Bai Meng Xing had just gotten out of class. He lounged in the main hall with a bowl of ice cream, spoon in hand, as if the world owed him sweetness.
The moment he saw Bai Meng Jin, his eyes lit with malice. “You brat! You skipped school today. I’m telling Father—he’ll beat you to death!”
Bai Meng Jin immediately slipped behind Yue Yun Qiao, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I… I asked for leave.”
Yue Yun Qiao stepped forward, blocking Bai Meng Xing’s line of sight. “Junior Sister Meng Jin took us out. Senior Brother Bai asked her to. If you have a problem, go ask your Great-Uncle.”
Bai Meng Xing was a troublemaker, but he wasn’t suicidal. Cinnabar Cloud Palace guests were untouchable—and Great-Uncle’s name was a guillotine hanging in the air.
He swallowed his rage and shot Bai Meng Jin a look so sharp it could’ve drawn blood.
Why wasn’t he the one chosen?
He was the eldest son. The heir.
But Bai Meng Jin tilted her head and asked, almost gently, “Brother… why is your left hand wrapped? Are you hurt?”
The moment she noticed, Bai Meng Xing’s face flushed scarlet.
He’d planned it perfectly. He’d intended to hand in Bai Meng Jin’s talismans as his own homework. But yesterday she’d snatched them back. In a panic, he’d drawn his own—crooked lines, uneven ink, a disaster.
Master had scolded him as expected. Worse—Master had beaten his hand until it swelled.
“It’s all your fault,” Bai Meng Xing muttered, eyes glittering. “Just you wait.”
Yue Yun Qiao watched him go, her brows knit tight. The Bai Family’s household discipline was a mess.
And Senior Brother Bai… he had returned to run the family, yet he allowed this?
If his own path to immortality was hopeless, the least he could do was raise the juniors properly.
At the entrance to the Clear Lotus Courtyard, Yue Yun Qiao softened and turned back to Bai Meng Jin. “Once the patrol elder arrives, Senior Brother and I will recommend you for the sect. With your foundation, passing the test won’t be hard. And once you’re in, no one will dare bully you again.”
Bai Meng Jin’s eyes warmed. “Thank you, Senior Sister Yue.”
It was sincere.
In all these years, not many people had been kind to her. Yue Yun Qiao was one of the rare few.
…
The Withered Leaf Cottage.
“They’re back,” Guan Mo Wen reported.
Bai Chong An sat by the window, a lone chessboard before him. He played against himself with slow, unhurried hands, as if the world outside could not intrude.
“Nothing happened?” he asked without looking up.
For a heartbeat, Guan Mo Wen didn’t know how to answer.
Bai Chong An paused, then finally lifted his gaze. “What? There’s a problem?”
“They’ve been to the Yue Lao Temple,” Guan Mo Wen said.
Bai Chong An’s brows drew together.
Guan Mo Wen spoke quickly, as if smoothing wrinkles in cloth. “But visiting the Yue Lao Temple doesn’t necessarily mean anything. It’s famous. Many people go there just to look around.”
Bai Chong An nodded and placed a chess piece.
Then his hand froze.
“What is it, Patron?” Guan Mo Wen asked.
Bai Chong An opened his palm. A faint glimmer of spiritual light flickered there, trembling like a breath held too long.
“The Message Talisman,” he said slowly. His voice turned cold. “It seems… it’s been discovered.”