Outside the East Hall stood two middle-aged women, and a woman in white was walking out from the hall. Her face was covered with a layer of white gauze, making her features indistinct.
The woman in white seemed to sense something, suddenly looking up.
Their eyes met, and both felt a chill in their hearts.
"She is also one of them," Zhao Sheng’s eyes flashed, and he suddenly walked towards her.
"Get out of the way!"
Halfway there, the two women stepped in front of him, one of them shouting harshly, "Move aside, don’t block my lady’s path."
Before Zhao Sheng could speak, the woman in white spoke up first, "Granny Sun, Granny Zhao, please step aside. This young master has no ill intentions."
Since the lady had spoken, the two women had no choice but to step aside, but they remained extremely vigilant, watching Zhao Sheng intently.
Zhao Sheng stepped forward, gestured toward the East Hall, and asked with a smile, "Dare to... go in and have a chat?"
"What is there to be afraid of?" The woman in white agreed without hesitation.
"Miss, you cannot be alone with this young man, it could harm your reputation," Granny Sun warned anxiously upon hearing this.
"Noisy!"
The woman in white’s voice suddenly turned cold, causing Granny Sun to shiver and show a fearful expression, clearly having suffered greatly before.
After speaking, the woman in white turned and walked towards the main hall.
Zhao Sheng smiled, stepped past the two women, and entered the temple doors in a few strides.
The woman in white walked to the incense table, turned to Zhao Sheng, and asked, "I am Gong Xueqing. May I know your name?"
Zhao Sheng cupped his hands in salute, "I am Zhao Gongzhu, a pleasure to meet you, Taoist Gong."
"Why did Taoist Zhao invite me here? What would you like to discuss?" The woman in white asked calmly, her voice gentle and smooth.
Zhao Sheng got straight to the point and said, "About the information you know, or other aspects of information. I am willing to exchange information of equal value."
The woman in white showed interest and nodded, "That sounds reasonable. Why don’t we trade one piece of information for another? Who goes first?"
"I’ll go first. I know the information of at least four fellow Daoists, including their identities and appearances. Would Taoist Gong like to trade?"
While speaking, Zhao Sheng’s gaze swept over the grand hall, taking in its furnishings.
The Divine Statue, incense table, offerings, drapes, and the Hell Creatures Painting on the walls... all seemed plete, not much different from secular temples.
To speak of special features, it was the Hell Creatures Painting on the walls, incredibly realistic, looking eerie and terrifying, the various ghosts and demons vividly lifelike.
mon mortals seeing this painting would likely feel dread, fearing the horrors of hell, while stirring their faith in King Yan.
It was evident that the painting on the wall was created by a master.
Upon hearing this, the woman in white expressed slight admiration, "Taoist, your methods are impressive. I, however, only know the identity of one fellow Daoist. Aside from the one we’re exchanging, I’m also curious about the identities of the other three. Can I exchange a secret for it?"
"Certainly," Zhao Sheng agreed immediately. After all, once "tomorrow" arrives, everyone’s memories would reset.
By such calculation, he would gain intelligence for free, winning without effort.
The woman in white was quite surprised, not expecting the person to be so agreeable, and said, "Taoist, you may not know, this small town hides many ancient immortal treasures—"
Before she could finish, Zhao Sheng suddenly interrupted her, "I know."
"Not only do I know, but I’ve also obtained a treasure from someone else before."
As he spoke, Zhao Sheng took out a fist-sized White Jade Cup from his sleeve, presenting it to her.
Upon seeing the immortal patterns on the cup, the woman in white’s expression changed slightly, leaving her speechless.
"Alright, I’ll exchange a secret for that. Taoist, do you know the ancient name of Mingxi Town? A thousand years ago, it was also known as—"
"As... Ming River Town!" Zhao Sheng interrupted again, "Later generations found the name too ominous, so it was changed to Mingxi Town. There was a related record in the town’s chronicle."
Seeing this, the woman in white’s gauze veil quivered slightly, seemingly a bit angry.
"Since Taoist knows everything, why bother trading with me."
"Didn’t Taoist Gong say you know the identity of one fellow Daoist? We can trade him instead. I’ll be at a slight loss, but I’ll just reveal the identities of all four people," Zhao Sheng said with a straightforward expression.
The woman in white was very surprised, somewhat disbelieving what he said.
With keen insight, he could see through her thoughts, so he cheerfully said, "There is a fellow Daoist named Nangong Wuliang, about forty years old, appearance..."
He quickly stated the identities and appearances of the middle-aged scholar, the stalwart boatman, the secluded young lady, and the brawny Su Heihu, not afraid of her reneging.
After listening in silence, the woman in white parted her lips softly, revealing someone’s appearance and background.
After Zhao Sheng listened, he scrutinized the woman in white from head to toe, momentarily speechless.
Seeing this, the woman in white’s heart tightened, secretly clutching something in her sleeve.
Luckily, Zhao Sheng did not make a move. Instead, he cupped his hands in salute, "Transaction plete, I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave."
After saying that, without watching her reaction, he swiftly turned and strode away, seemingly defenseless.
The woman in white hesitated repeatedly, not daring to make a move, because her natural spiritual awareness was astonishing, foreseeing that any action could invite disaster.
Once outside the East Hall, Zhao Sheng’s eyes flashed, ignoring the two women’s fierce gaze, striding towards the West Hall.
At that moment, faint sounds of bat emanated from the West Hall.
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Sheng crossed the plaza, stood before the West Hall doors, and took a step inside.
Suddenly, a flicker of Sword Light emerged from the side of the door, slashing towards his neck at an incredibly odd angle.
Zhao Sheng, as if foreseeing this, just happened to step back, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Simultaneously, a burst of white light flashed from his waist, as swift as a Meteor, striking a hand exposed outside the door.
The hand fell silently to the ground, acpanied by a snow-white, shiny Willow Leaf Saber clattering down.
The next second, Zhao Sheng twisted his wrist, sliding the long blade upwards along the severed arm, deftly like a spirit fish.
The attacker, in great terror, used all his strength to fall back, his back flat against the ground, the long blade sweeping past his nose, slicing the conical hat on his head in two.
Zhao Sheng felt slightly surprised, not expecting the opponent to react so swiftly, evading the Flowing Cloud Feathers move.
With a crash, thick smoke abruptly rose where the conical hat guest fell.
Under the cover of the smoke, the person quickly slithered backward along the ground, as agile as a loach.
Zhao Sheng’s eyes narrowed, swinging his hand to reverse the long blade, the tip pointing directly into the thick smoke, hurling it with force.
The long blade transformed into a white light, piercing through the smoke instantly, disappearing from sight.
Ah!
Suddenly, a scream resounded, followed by silence.
Zhao Sheng furrowed his brows, walked quickly over, waved his sleeve to disperse the smoke ahead, finding no one, only a large pool of blood left on the ground.
"Escaped? Interesting!"
Zhao Sheng muttered to himself, suddenly turning to look behind him, spotting a young woman staring at him wide-eyed, holding a three or four-year-old child in her arms.
His gaze fell on the child’s face, revealing an innocent and naive expression.
Zhao Sheng suddenly flashed a mysterious smile, ignoring the mother and daughter, instead approaching the mural under the hall wall, examining the paintings on the wall.
In front of him were eleven Hell Creatures Paintings, depicting sword peaks as far as the eye could see, countless little ghosts and grudging souls climbing the Sword Mountain, densely packed blades slicing them until covered in blood, with fearful and distorted faces, incessantly wailing and crying.
This Sword Mountain Hell Painting was lifelike, increasingly so, seemingly ing alive, with faint sounds of wails and pleas filling the air.
Zhao Sheng was shocked, quickly retreating several steps, voluntarily distancing himself from the painting.
From a distance, the eerie infectiousness of the painting greatly diminished, losing some realism.
"Such amazing skill!" Zhao Sheng drew a cold breath, increasingly sensing hidden secrets within these Hell Creatures Paintings.
Continuing, he explored all ten temples, viewing each Hell Map, growing more and more alarmed.
Meanwhile, two suspected "Immortal Ruins Guests" townspeople had also arrived at the Ten Kings Temple, caught in Zhao Sheng’s sight.
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