After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

Lin Zhixu seemed oblivious to his scrutiny, politely repeating his purpose before asking, "I heard someone crying inside just now, is something wrong? Do you need help?"

The man in white then came to his senses, loosened his grip, and tossed the child, who had been pressed against the altar, into his parents' arms. He straightened his clothes and put on a kind expression: "It's nothing, it's nothing. My family was just discussing something, and they were talking a little too loudly."

He smiled gently, not yet truly blinded by her beauty: "May I ask where you are from, young master? What brings you to this remote and impoverished place all alone?"

Lin Zhixu recited his prepared statement, "My surname is She, and my given name is Zhiyi. I am a wandering Taoist priest who travels around and just happened to pass by this place."

The man in white subtly released his divine sense, quickly probing his abilities.

The person in front of me did indeed have spiritual energy fluctuations, but they were extremely shallow, and his cultivation level was pitifully low. He was probably just a novice Taoist.

He was secretly relieved.

"So it's Master She. Please come in. We're discussing something right now, why don't you listen in?"

Lin Zhixu hesitated before asking, "Is this appropriate?"

All the villagers looked on with pity, and they all wanted to shake their heads to signal him not to agree and to leave quickly.

But because the man in white was there, they were afraid that speaking out would anger him and lead to their immediate death, so they dared not speak and felt extremely guilty.

The man in white smiled brightly: "Of course it's suitable. Master She looks like a resourceful person. With your help, my troubles will definitely be solved."

"Then I'll have to bother you." Lin Zhixu didn't refuse, and stepped over the threshold, seemingly unaware of the tense expressions on the faces of the villagers throughout the room.

The man in white led him to sit down at the offering table, poured him a bowl of turbid wine, and handed it to him. He then sat down himself and began to subtly probe for information: "Master She, you are so young, why did you come to such a remote place all by yourself? Aren't you afraid of encountering any wolves or tigers on the road?"

Lin Zhixu spoke calmly and unhurriedly: "Cultivators aren't that delicate. But why is everyone in this village resting so early? I didn't hear a single dog barking the whole way here; I thought I'd entered a deserted village."

The man in white remained calm: "People in the mountains are used to resting at sunset. These past few days, there's been some wild animal activity, so everyone stays indoors at night. It's naturally quiet here."

He quickly added, "Don't worry, Taoist priest. The wild animals have been driven away and won't harm you. You can rest here and leave tomorrow."

Lin Zhixu sneered inwardly. Leave? He could never leave.

He feigned a sigh of relief: "Then thank you very much, brother. To be honest, I sprained my ankle while traveling during the day, and I'm still a bit weak. I was worried about having to sleep in the open tonight."

As he spoke, he even rubbed his ankle with feigned seriousness.

The last vestige of doubt in the white-clad man's eyes dissipated.

What kind of waves could a Taoist priest with an injured foot and low cultivation level possibly stir up?

He couldn't help but glance at Lin Zhixu's face again.

The more I look at him, the more I realize that this young Taoist priest is truly blessed with good looks.

Blood must taste sweet.

He suddenly stopped rushing to make his move tonight; perhaps he could enjoy himself for a while before taking action.

"Master, are you hungry? I'll have someone get you something to eat." He gestured with his chin toward a woman beside him. "Go and heat up some of the best wine and food in the house."

The woman: "..." At least the wine and food were good, and it was a blessing that there was even excrement in the latrine to eat.

The man in white glared at him: "Hurry up and go!"

The woman shuddered, nearly tripping over her skirt as she stood up, and hurriedly went to the side room with her head down.

Before she left, she glanced at Lin Zhixu very quickly, her eyes filled with fear, yet also with a faint hint of pleading.

Lin Zhixu casually withdrew his gaze, looked at the man in white, and said with a faint smile, "Brother, you're too kind. May I ask how I should address you?"

The man in white smiled and said, "My surname is Bai, and everyone calls me Bai San. You can just call me Third Brother."

Lin Zhixu: "..." Shameless. It's one thing for a heretical cultivator to wear white robes, but to have the surname Bai (meaning "white") is utterly unprofessional!

Bai San: "Your name is She Zhiyi? That's an interesting name."

"It was my master who named me," Lin Zhixu lied without batting an eye. "He said I lacked good fortune in my life, and that having a name with auspicious connotations would make up for it."

Bai San was amused by this statement and shook his head with a smile: "You righteous cultivators are so particular."

When he laughed, his breath carried a very faint, sweet, fishy smell.

Lin Zhixu's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

Just when Bai San thought he could confuse him, he saw him suddenly gag.

Bai San's face stiffened: "What's wrong with you?"

Lin Zhixu covered his mouth and nose. "Sorry, your breath smells a bit bad. I can't stand it. Why don't you move away from me a little before you speak?"

Bai San's smile froze.

He slowly sat up straight, a dark rage flashing in his eyes.

He considered himself handsome and always kept himself clean, and no one had ever told him to his face that he had a foul mouth.

What's more, these words came from such a pretty little mouth.

Lin Zhixu seemed completely unaware of how hurtful his words were. He still frowned, covered his mouth and nose with one hand, and said sincerely, "Third Brother, I really didn't mean to offend you. It's just that your tone was too harsh."

"Even if you're from a mountain village, you can't be this unhygienic. Why don't you go rinse your mouth first, and then we can talk slowly."

Bai San's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

The villagers nearby wanted to laugh but dared not, keeping their heads down.

Bai San gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger, and said, "Master She is really joking."

Lin Zhixu looked puzzled, as if to say, "Why don't you understand?" "I'm not joking, I'm serious. Your breath really does smell awful. But it's alright, I have a breath freshening pill here that can get rid of bad breath. Do you want it…?"

Bai San, unable to bear it any longer, interrupted him: "Enough!"

He wasn't a good-tempered person to begin with.

If it weren't for that face, which prevented him from turning on the other person immediately, he would have bled the other person dry long ago.

Bai San tried to calm himself down and suppressed his anger.

A beautiful woman always gives him more patience.

He leaned back, moving half a foot away from Lin Zhixu. "Master, there might be something wrong with your nose. I happen to know some medical skills; I'll take a look at it for you later."

Lin Zhixu knew he couldn't provoke people, so he nodded with a smile.

He turned to look at the villagers huddled together, feigning confusion, and asked, "Third Brother, what's wrong with these people? Why are they all so crowded together, and why do they all look so pale, like they've seen a ghost? Are they afraid of you?"

Bai San's expression stiffened, then he forced a helpless smile: "Master She, you're overthinking it. I have some prestige in the village. Today, some villagers made a mistake, and I just lost my temper, punishing them to listen to a lecture here. Country folk are timid, and they tremble like this when they're frightened. I'm sorry you had to laugh at me, Master She."

As he spoke, he turned and glanced at the villagers, his eyes suddenly turning cold, but his tone remained calm and steady: "Alright, everyone disperse. Remember today's events, and we'll talk about it later after I've settled the Taoist priest in."

The villagers, as if granted a pardon, scrambled to their feet.

Many people took the opportunity to quickly send Lin Zhixu a grateful yet worried look as they walked out.

Lin Zhixu nodded slightly in response to them.