The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

"Huh? This...this...you're not some monster in disguise, trying to trick me, Old Lu, are you? I won't open it!" Upon hearing Wang Zhenhuan's words, Master Lu's eyes widened, and he immediately turned his back to the door.

"You jest, sir. That day at Puji Temple, I gave you a few taels of silver so you and your brothers could go out for drinks. Does that prove anything?" Wang Zhenhuan said with a smile.

At the time, only the yamen runners, Wang Zhenhuan, Ao Shuang, and Master Lu were present. Now that the yamen runners have all gone home, the only person who could know about this must be Wang Zhenhuan himself.

Hearing Wang Zhenhuan say this, Master Lu's vigilance eased slightly. He hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath, removed the door lock, and whispered to the outside.

"When a person dies, the bird flies to the sky. If anything happens to me, Old Lu, young Taoist priest, you must remember to chant some scriptures for me!" After saying that, he suddenly opened the door and looked outside.

Wang Huanzhen and Ao Shuang were looking at him with smiles. Master Lu wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to face the room, saying, "You scared me to death! I thought I was being targeted by a monster. What brings you two Taoist priests to me, Old Lu, so late at night? Please come inside and sit down."

"We won't go in. The matter is urgent, so I'll keep it brief. I suspect that evil Taoist will launch a night attack tonight, but he is a cultivator with the Blue Qi cultivation level. My brother and I are afraid we won't be able to subdue him, so we've come to ask the Master for a talisman," Wang Zhenhuan explained, waving his hand.

"A talisman? Where would I get a talisman? Isn't drawing talismans your skill, Taoist priests? Why are you asking me, Old Lu, for a talisman? Oh, I know, you've come to ask for the talisman of Master Chonghe, right?" Master Lu was puzzled at first, but then he remembered Wang Zhenhuan's question earlier and suddenly realized.

"Indeed, since that talisman is a barrier, my brother and I plan to trap that evil spirit within it and then kill him. Otherwise, keeping him alive is also a problem; it's hard to guarantee that he won't continue to harm the people of Xiayi," Wang Zhenhuan explained.

"Hiss... Should we ask the master? Although the talisman is on me, it concerns the lives of everyone in the manor, and I, Old Lu, dare not make a decision on my own." Master Lu hesitated for a moment, then looked up and asked.

"Very well, don't go inside. Just confirm Lord Sun's thoughts outside. This is a matter of great importance, so please return as soon as possible, sir." Wang Huanzhen cupped his hands in greeting.

"Of course, you can rest assured when I, Old Lu, handle things." After saying this, Master Lu put on an outer garment and jogged towards the backyard, while Wang Zhenhuan and Ao Shuang continued to wait at the door.

It was already past midnight, and the entire mansion was quiet. Perhaps due to the snow, the night was overcast, and not a single ray of moonlight shone through, making the entire courtyard pitch black.

As night fell, the temperature plummeted. Even with their cultivation, the two found it difficult to withstand. Ao Shuang, in particular, kept stamping her feet at the door. The two waited there for what seemed like half an incense stick's time.

A quarter of an hour passed, and Master Lu still hadn't returned. Now Wang Zhen really started to feel something was wrong. Even if the master's room was far away, a quarter of an hour was enough time for him to go back and forth.

"Why hasn't the advisor returned yet? Could it be...?" Wang Zhenhuan glanced at Ao Shuang and asked.

Hearing Wang Zhenhuan's words, Ao Shuang also realized what was going on. The advisor had been gone for far too long. He frowned in thought, then replied, "We can't wait any longer. Let's go check the backyard."

"Well, why don't I go? Brother, you wait here. What if the clerk returns and doesn't see us? Wouldn't that be a wasted trip?" Wang Zhenhuan said after thinking for a moment.

Ao Shuang hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and refused: "No, let's go together, but not down there. Let's go on the roof. The advisor hasn't come back for so long, there's no way he might have run into trouble."

If you and I are separated, neither of us will be able to withstand that evil path. If we are divided and broken apart, I fear the lives of everyone in this entire household will be in danger.

Wang Zhen thought about it and realized Ao Shuang was right. Neither of them could defeat this evil cultivator; only by joining forces could they fight him. Separating now would be suicide. He nodded to Ao Shuang and then spoke.

"In that case, let's do as you say, brother. Let's go up on the roof and see what's going on in the backyard."

"Let's go!" Ao Shuang nodded, then gathered her strength and leaped onto the roof. Wang Zhenhuan followed closely behind, and the two of them walked backwards on the snow on the eaves after reaching the roof.

Soon they came to the backyard, which was not large. There were only two main rooms, where Lord Sun and his wife lived. The rooms were lit up at the moment, and three figures could be vaguely seen through the windows.

Wang Huanzhen and Ao Shuang, who were lying on the roof, listened intently and soon felt relieved. The three people inside were Lord Sun and his wife, as well as Master Lu, who had come to inquire. They just didn't know why they had been delayed for so long.

"Is it them?" Wang Zhenhuan asked, looking at Ao Shuang.

"Hmm, it should be nothing serious. Perhaps Lord Sun gave him a few more instructions." Ao Shuang nodded, and was about to come down from the roof with Wang Zhenhuan when she saw Master Lu come out of the house, carrying a silk pouch in his hand.

Right now!

Before the door could close, a figure suddenly leaped out from behind the courtyard wall. The figure was extremely fast, and reached out to strike Master Lu on the back with a palm.

Wang Zhenhuan was horrified and leaped off the roof. He was fast, but Ao Shuang was even faster; before he landed, Ao Shuang was already in front of Master Lu.

He grabbed Master Lu's shoulder with one hand and pulled him behind him, while his other hand reached out and met the palm of the figure in the darkness. Before Master Lu could react, he was pulled and stumbled.

Suddenly, Ao Shuang landed in the snowdrift in the courtyard. She exchanged a palm strike with the figure, producing a crisp cracking sound. The figure immediately took half a step back, while Ao Shuang took a step and a half back, standing in the courtyard, frowning as she stared at the person.

Wang Zhenhuan landed just then and quickly helped Master Lu up. He whispered, "Master, are you alright? Quickly go inside and hide. Don't come out if there's any noise!"

"I'm fine, please be careful, you two Taoist priests." Master Lu whispered to Wang Zhenhuan, then turned and ran back into the house. Lord Sun glanced at Wang Zhenhuan, nodded to him, and then closed the door.

In Wang Zhenhuan's hand was a brocade pouch, which Master Lu had secretly slipped into his hand when he got up. With this, Wang Zhenhuan felt much more at ease.

He stepped forward and came to Ao Shuang's side. Ao Shuang glanced at him, and Wang Zhenhuan nodded to her. Ao Shuang immediately understood, turned to look at the figure, and snorted coldly.

"Blessed are you! My brother spared your life, yet you show no remorse and dare to break into the imperial government office at night. Who gave you the audacity?"

"Hmph! With True Immortal Purple Qi absent, you two with only Red Qi cultivation think you can stop me? You dare ruin my opportunity? Tonight, I'll wipe out this entire yamen!"

The figure spoke in a ferocious tone, and before he finished speaking, he vanished from their sight!