When Ruyi rushed over and pulled Feng Rugu up from the corridor, Feng Rugu lost his balance and fell into his arms.

Feng Rugu grinned at Ruyi carelessly, "Oops."

Ruyi's face was as cold as frost, his thin lips pressed together until they turned white. His hand gripping Feng Rugu's right wrist was trembling slightly, and the wooden bead in his mouth had been bitten, leaving a crack.

Feng Rugu seemed unaware of what he was angry about, "What's wrong? So your name isn't Little Hongchen?"

Then he muttered to himself, "Could Master have lied to me?"

Upon hearing the word "Master", Ruyi's expression softened for a moment, and the murderous aura around him diminished sharply.

"Seems I wasn't mistaken." Feng Rugu took a step forward, "Based on my seniority, there should be no issue with me calling you Little Hongchen. I didn't expect Master to have such a strong reaction, showing such deep affection. Feng Er is truly flattered by the honor."

Only then did Ruyi realize his emotions had gotten out of control just now, and he had actually grabbed Feng Rugu's hand. He immediately let go.

However, Feng Rugu refused to let him off. With his hands behind his back, he approached Ruyi step by step, his voice carrying a bit of morning hoarseness, perfectly suited for teasing, "The Surangama Sutra says, 'You love my heart, I cherish your beauty. Thus, due to these conditions, we have been bound together for hundreds of thousands of kalpas.' Although Feng Er deeply loves freedom, if Master Ruyi is willing to be the lock, Feng Er wouldn't mind being bound for a lifetime..."

With each step he took, Ruyi was forced back a step.

In the end, Ruyi was forced to the edge of the corridor. He stumbled and nearly missed a step on the stairs.

Seeing him lose his composure, Feng Rugu laughed loudly as if he had achieved his goal.

Ruyi's snow-like face was tinged with a hint of embarrassed anger, making the red mole on his earlobe appear even more vivid.

Without a word, he turned and left.

Feng Rugu watched his back until he completely disappeared into the greenery, only then bringing his hands from behind his back to the front.

Jing Sanchai's voice suddenly rang out from behind, "You're going to great lengths for him."

Without turning his head, Feng Rugu asked, "When did you wake up?"

Jing Sanchai leaned against the window, his hair uncombed, the corners of his eyes still carrying a hint of hangover redness, "When he had you pinned down."

Feng Rugu said, "Eavesdropping makes your ears rot."

Jing Sanchai retorted, "Seducing a monk to break his precepts brings heavenly lightning."

Feng Rugu protested, "Heaven and earth be my witness, I didn't."

As Jing Sanchai leaped out the window while propping himself up on the windowsill, he exposed him, "Heaven and earth may be your witness, but not your conscience. You have no conscience at all."

He looked in the direction where Ruyi had disappeared, "You really care about him a lot. Why?"

Feng Rugu said, "What makes you say that? I just enjoy watching the little monk lose his composure."

Jing Sanchai said, "Enough. We've known each other since your master picked you up. You don't need to play coy with me... Just now, you didn't want him to speak, right?"

Jing Sanchai continued, "I've traveled the jianghu path. While I may not be knowledgeable about everything, I've seen a lot. That bald donkey is from Hanshan Temple. As far as I know, Hanshan Temple has always had strict rules and likes to make revisions to them. Until last year, there were a total of 1,835 temple rules. One of them states that breaking a vow of silence during a silent meditation retreat is disrespectful to Buddha and ruins the Way, requiring self-punishment of ten lashes. You were clearly afraid he would break his vow by speaking just now, so you kept interrupting him. Am I right?"

Feng Rugu yawned lazily, "Ah, is that so?"

Jing Sanchai was silent for a while, his expression showing he was deliberating whether he should beat this person who was playing dumb to death. "I was too drunk last night and forgot to ask you... Is he that person?"

"Which person?"

Jing Sanchai's face twisted for a moment, but he still held back his anger, "The one you mentioned at that time, the one you said you wouldn't die because you promised him to stay alive and return to this world to take home..."

Feng Rugu said lazily, "I forgot."

Seeing that he was unresponsive, Jing Sanchai got so angry that he jumped up and reached out to hit him, "Stop playing dumb with me!"

Feng Rugu raised his arm to block, but it seemed like he had touched a sore spot and suddenly gasped.

Jing Sanchai's anger immediately dissipated, "What's wrong?"

Feng Rugu rolled up his sleeve, revealing a large red area on his right wrist, with faint white finger marks.

Jing Sanchai's expression changed slightly, "...He hurt you?"

Feng Rugu blew on his wrist, unconcerned, "He wouldn't dare. Have you forgotten? I've always been fragile since I was young. I bruise easily from falling or bumping into things."

This was indeed true. Feng Rugu was skilled with a sword, but at the same time, he was also a complete glass cannon.

Jing Sanchai spat at him, "A sword cultivator, so delicate, and you still have the face to brag."

Feng Rugu said, "Why can't I brag? I was born a young master, with a delicate body. Someone like you wouldn't understand."

Jing Sanchai said, "...You really aren't afraid I'll beat you to death."

Feng Rugu pulled down his sleeve, covering his wrist, and smiled, "No, I haven't paid back my debt to you yet."

...

On the other side, Ruyi walked hurriedly until he reached a secluded place, where he finally steadied his steps and closed his eyes to calm his mind.

When he first heard the words "Little Hongchen", Ruyi was so startled that he really thought it was his adoptive father calling him. His mind was in chaos for a moment, and he rushed over to look, only to be left with a heart full of disappointment.

But that relaxed and lazy tone reminded Ruyi of when he was still young.

—His adoptive father, drunk, tapped Ruyi's head with chopsticks and laughed as he made up lyrics using the name Ruyi had chosen for himself, "Wandering the mortal world, laughing at the mortal world, drunken eyes have seen all the people past and present." The next day, he woke up feeling thirsty, hugging his pillow and refusing to get up, whining about his headache, calling "Little Hongchen" with every sentence, asking him to pour water.

Just now, Lord Yunzhong's tone was indeed somewhat similar to how his adoptive father used to call him.

But when Ruyi thought about it, he found it ridiculous.

How could he not recognize his adoptive father's face?

Perhaps it was because he missed him too much that he mistook the person he should never have mistaken.

...

Jing Sanchai could tell that Feng Rugu had a deep connection with the monk called Ruyi.

But since he deliberately concealed it, it wasn't appropriate for him to say too much.

After settling the young demon cultivators, they were about to leave.

Jing Sanchai asked Feng Rugu, "Where do you plan to go next?"

Feng Rugu said, "To Mizhi Mountain."

"Mizhi Mountain? That's not bad." Jing Sanchai said casually, "If you go at this time, you should be able to catch a lively event."

"What event?"

Jing Sanchai sighed deeply: "Their triennial ritual to reward the gods is starting in these two days. I heard it's on an extremely large scale and shrouded in mystery. I've always wanted to go witness it, but I've been too busy lately. Now with you bringing me more trouble, it looks like I'll have to wait another three years."

... Reward the gods?

Even Luo Fuchun detected something was amiss from those words and exchanged a glance with Sang Luojiu.

After that black-robed man killed sixteen people, he placed a zelkova leaf under the tree where Lady Wen's head was hung.

Mount Mizhi, where the monks of Hanshan Temple were found dead, happened to be the only place among the sixteen murder sites that had zelkova trees. And now, a suspicious grand event was about to take place there.

It seemed... the black-robed man was intentionally guiding their next moves?

Sang Luojiu asked Feng Rugu in a low voice, "Master, are we still going?"

Feng Rugu, holding his smoking pipe in his left hand with the mouthpiece between his lips, didn't answer Sang Luojiu's question. Instead, he turned to Ruyi and said, "Monk, I have a terrible headache. You decide if we should go or not."

Sang Luojiu wasn't sure why his master was seeking Ruyi's opinion, but he still turned to Ruyi: "...Master Ruyi?"

Ruyi had been standing silently to the side. When called upon, he simply nodded slightly.

Go.

That was where the disciples of Hanshan Temple had died for no reason. Since the clues left by the murderer were intentionally pointing there, as a monk guarding the temple, he had no excuse not to go.

...Although when he heard the words "reward the gods", an irrepressible sense of annoyance and agitation rose in his heart.

This feeling, like a cold snake, had coiled around Ruyi's heart as soon as they arrived at the ancient city of Shuisheng at the foot of Mount Mizhi and heard the suona music for the ritual dance.

He showed no outward signs, but the evil thoughts not permitted by Buddha surged in his mind.

Ruyi detested all deities, to the point that when he first entered the Buddha hall and heard the chanting, he felt unbearably irritated.

The reason traced back to a few years ago, when he was just born.

Twenty-three years ago, he was born in a remote mountain village.

The day he was born crying was also the day his mother bled to death.

His father had died inexplicably when his mother had just become pregnant. As soon as he was born, he took his mother away too.

Such an ill-fated birth should have been detested, but his arrival didn't bring misfortune. Instead, he became the hope of the whole family.

His maternal grandfather wrapped his body, still covered in blood, filth and umbilical cord, in swaddling and took him to the village priest, presenting the birth chart written by a fortune-teller.

The priest touched his forehead, laughed approvingly, then took him inside and cleansed him with holy water.

From then on, he never saw any of his relatives again, including his grandfather.

He had no name, only a code, "One".

Because he was born as food for the gods, like livestock in a cage, no one had the spare time to name a chicken or pig.