I'm Ximen Qing, living in a ghost story!

Squeak!

Lifting the golden throne of Buddha in the main hall, a putrid and foul stench wafts out.

Ximen Qing pinched his nose, held up his torch and shone it down. What he could see was a field of naked women.

Then came countless numb eyes, which made his scalp tingle.

Ximen Qing turned and handed the torch to the servants beside him, instructing them to pull the woman out from below. Only then did he turn around and kick the novice monk who had informed on him.

"Isn't it true that your Wutai sect engages in consensual sperm donation with female pilgrims? What is this all about?"

The novice monk, kicked away, crawled back to Ximen Qing's feet, sobbing, "This...this is also for the purpose of granting a child! Some distinguished guests don't have health problems with the men in their households, but rather the women have hidden ailments. In such cases, even the abbot cannot perform a blessing to grant a child, so they can only deceive everyone. These women are either bought from the countryside or come voluntarily..."

Before the young novice monk could finish speaking, several women who had been pulled up rushed forward, kicked him away, and tore at him relentlessly, causing blood and flesh to fly everywhere.

"You're lying! We're just merchants passing through; you robbed us!"

Ximen Qing did not stop them, but simply watched quietly.

Only after the young monk had his throat bitten open and died did the servants drag him away.

The women in the cellar were clean and filthy, but most of them had blank expressions and would assume a certain position when they encountered a man.

Most of these postures are from yoga and tantric Buddhism. These monks really "revere Buddhism and uphold righteousness"!

Only these few who were tearing at the young novice monks had bright, alert eyes, indicating that they had only recently been captured.

He found some monk's robes and draped them over the women, then pointed to the woman who had just spoken and asked, "Do you know if there used to be a strange tree in this temple?"

"Tree? Hero, I do not know."

The woman shook her head.

However, several dazed women nearby, upon hearing the word "tree," seemed to react as if to a shock, and began to scream and run wildly through the hall.

"No burying! No going under the tree! No!"

They can't catch them no matter what!

Under the tree?

Ximen Qing stroked his chin.

Looking at the monks who were still alive, he squatted down, revealing his white teeth, and asked, "Do you know where people are buried in the temple?"

The monks were trembling with fear and dared not speak.

Ximen Qing beckoned, and the servants beside him instantly stepped forward, grinning maliciously as they grabbed a monk and slit his throat with a knife.

The crowd of people present was so frightened that they started to panic.

"I'll give you three breaths to tell me the answer, and you'll live! If not, then go see Buddha; even crying counts as time!"

"One! Two..."

"Hero! Don't kill! This humble monk might know! If these women become unhealthy and unable to give birth, they will be cremated and their ashes buried in the abbot's meditation room, where a tree is planted!"

"Oh?"

Ximen Qing got up, and Qing Songzi, who had been resting with his eyes closed and not participating in the interrogation, also opened his eyes.

The two of them rushed towards the meditation room at the same time.

Pushing it open, I indeed saw a peach tree.

Qing Songzi stepped forward, frowned, muttered incantations, and pointed his sword finger at the tree trunk with a faint light, but there was no reaction.

"How could it be a peach tree?"

Qingsongzi murmured.

Peach wood is used to ward off evil spirits, so how could it possibly be the true form of a demon from the netherworld? That doesn't make sense!

"Could it be that the monk is lying to us?" Ximen Qing frowned.

"I don't know, but if what he said is true, there should be ashes." Qing Songzi squatted down.

Ximen Qing's eyes lit up.

Yes, you can consult spirits if you have ashes!

"Pine tree, help me!"

Ximen Qing pointed to the ground, Qing Songzi nodded, and the peach wood sword in his hand flew out, causing the ground to explode.

Sure enough, the tree was surrounded by a dense array of pottery jars, but many of them had already been blown open.

The ashes exploded and scattered in the wind, indicating that the soul had also dissipated.

Ximen Qing picked out a few intact ones.

Set up the altar and incense sticks, and begin the ritual.

Qing Songzi did not approve of his actions; the yin energy fluctuations within these urns were negligible.

There's absolutely no way there could be any clues.

However, such a discovery is enough to prove that Lanruo Temple is indeed unclean. Even if there was no private communication with the underworld, it still violated a major taboo of the righteous path!

However, just as Qing Songzi was lost in thought, several blurry figures suddenly appeared on the incense table in front of Ximen Qing.

Ximen Qing ignored Qingsong, who was staring wide-eyed and questioning his existence.

Do you really think Gongsun Sheng's specialty is some low-level magic?

Unless you've been completely oblivious, you'd better obediently jump out and answer the questions!

The female ghosts were somewhat dazed, but Ximen Qing still managed to get some information out of them.

They were indeed the "predecessors" of those women locked in the cellar.

After those women died, their ashes were burned and buried under a tree. They would then become girls under the "Grandma's" command, and would have to entertain guests even after death.

"Grandma?"

Ximen Qing looked at Qingsong excitedly, and sure enough!

However, that was all the female ghosts knew. Their ashes had been buried under the peach tree for several days, and they were almost killed by the peach wood.

"The one who disposed of the body and covered it up was definitely Monk Yuantong!"

Qingsongzi got up anxiously.

If Lanruo Temple is indeed colluding with Youming, then wouldn't it be fraught with danger to join forces with Monk Yuantong to attack Daoist Guyun of the Chishen Sect?

"Master Ximen, I must inform my master. Since Yuantong was prepared, the demon is definitely no longer at Lanruo Temple! We must ask Judge Yan for help with this matter. Please take care of it, Master!"

At this moment, Ximen Qing had finished asking his questions, and the female ghosts automatically performed the ritual to help him pass on to the afterlife, adding to his remaining soul points.

He looked at Qingsong and said, "This matter is easy. I will set off after descending the mountain, but the journey to Iron City Mountain is fraught with danger, Fellow Daoist Qingsong..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qing Songzi waved his hand: "How could anyone in the world not rush to the rescue upon hearing that their master is in trouble? I'll borrow a fast horse from Master Ximen and take my leave now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed out of the mountain gate.

Only Ximen Qing remained standing there, looking at the eerie Lanruo Temple.

Did we fail because we couldn't find the Tree Demon Granny?

It doesn’t count either!

because--

[Soul Points: 24]

A bountiful harvest of Soul Points!

He has never fought such a rich battle before!

Calm your excited emotions.

Ximen Qing turned and walked out of the meditation room. Where the Tree Demon Granny was, and the other secrets of Lanruo Temple, were no longer important.

Monk Yuantong was indeed meticulous in his work, but unfortunately, he overlooked the variable of Ximen Qing.

If Qing Songzi had come alone, he certainly wouldn't have found any clues.

"Young master, as you instructed, we have taken away all the horses and carriages from the temple, as well as a lot of valuable gold, silver and jade artifacts."

"Alright! Let's go down the mountain! You take these horses and carts and meet up with my father outside the east city wall. I'll take these women to the county seat."

Ximen Qing looked at the dozens of women behind him, dressed in monks' robes and with vacant eyes, and sighed.

"And what about the monks?"

Ximen Qing looked up.

"Kill them!"

After saying that, he turned to look at the Lanruo Temple, took the torch from the servant beside him, and threw it around.

The raging fire drives away evil and burns away all sins.

Huh? So Lanruo Temple became an abandoned temple. Was it my doing?

Ximen Qing suddenly froze, then smiled slightly and waved to the crowd behind him.

That's not bad either!