"We’ve already reached Nanshan Temple?"

The Yanran Mountain Range is rich in Spiritual Qi.

Besides the Cave Abyss Sect, one of the Six Major Sects, there are also the Ziyang Sect and Xuanmiao Gate, as well as a host of nameless small Sects and small temples.

Nanshan Temple is one of the more memorable ones for local Cultivators.

It serves as a landmark, telling Cultivators exploring the mountain range: if you go south from here, you will be leaving the Yanran Mountain Range.

Small temples like this are not much different from Loose Cultivators banding together.

There are usually only ten to twenty people in a temple, and at most, no more than a hundred.

The Abbot’s Realm ranges from the Late Stage of Qi Refining to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Nanshan Temple has declined over generations, and in this generation, it seems there is only one Cultivator at the Peak of the Qi Refinement Stage serving as Abbot.

That Abbot seems to be named Lu, Lu Yuan... When Song Yan was an Outer Sect Disciple, he took on many Sect missions.

Some of these were commissions from surrounding small Sects and temples that, due to a lack of Cultivators, sought help from the Cave Abyss Sect.

For example, collecting the fur of low-level Demon Beasts, Spiritual Plants for refining low-level Medicinal Pills, and even trivial tasks like helping to find lost Disciples.

During one mission handover, Song Yan met this Abbot Lu.

He was kind and benevolent, treating the Disciples in his temple almost like his own children.

He even offered a cup of Spiritual Tea to Song Yan, an Outer Sect Disciple who was unnoticed in the Sect.

Therefore, he left a very deep impression on Song Yan.

Cultivators from large Sects naturally benefit from having a powerful backing, making many things more convenient.

But small temples like this are different; with a dozen or so Cultivators banding together for warmth, a shortage of various Spiritual resources is very common.

The Cultivation World is tumultuous; without capital, all human affairs are sorrowful.

"I’ve walked too far..."

Song Yan turned around and headed northeast.

The warm spring sun cast dappled light through the forest, and after not walking far, he passed through a thicket of trees.

Suddenly, he heard the faint sound of gasping mixed with the gurgling of a clear stream.

He followed the sound.

A shaded path, a clear stream over stones.

A young girl was curled up on a bluestone by the stream, her robes and skirt pulled up to her knees, revealing a pale, slender calf.

She was biting a strip of cloth, scooping up stream water, and wiping the wounds on her ankle and calf.

Water droplets mixed with blood, spreading a light red hue in the stream.

Her fair face was dotted with freckles.

Her clothes were worn, but Song Yan found her very familiar.

"Ju Luyi?"

He, of course, still remembered this strange girl who, in order to sew him a Daoist robe, got lost in the mountains and was delayed for half a year.

For some reason, Song Yan’s voice startled her, making her body tremble violently, and the cloth strip fell into the stream, quickly carried away.

She hastily pulled down her skirt, covering the wounds on her legs, and tried to stand up.

"Hiss––"

But because her movements were too Urgent (hasty), she aggravated her injuries and gasped again.

However, the girl did not delay and quickly stepped down from the bluestone.

"Senior... Senior Song."

She had originally intended to call Song Yan Fellow Daoist, but seeing his Daoist robe, he was already an Inner Sect Disciple, so she changed her address.

Song Yan instinctively wanted to use some Spiritual Qi to heal her, as that would be the fastest way.

But then he thought that it would require her to lift her skirt, which might be inappropriate for a woman.

He took out a bottle of ordinary Medicinal Pills for healing from his qiankun bag and threw it to her: "Ordinary healing Medicinal Pills, not worth much."

Although he hadn’t had much contact with this girl, he understood her temperament.

"Thank you... Thank you, Senior Song."

Song Yan nodded: "You... what are you doing here?"

"Are you lost again?"

"No, I’m not."

The girl lowered her head, mistakenly thinking Song Yan was mocking her for her "great achievement" of sewing a Daoist robe for half a year previously.

"I came here to deliver custom-made Daoist robes."

She slightly raised her face, her eyes full of stubbornness.

But whether from shame or anger, her originally fair little face was now flushed red.

Her freckles had turned crimson.

"Delivering Daoist robes?"

Song Yan was stunned, thinking, did someone really ask her to make Daoist robes?

"Yes, Abbot Lu, the Senior from Nanshan Temple, asked us to sew a batch of new Daoist robes for the Disciples in the temple..."

"But he didn’t have that many Spirit Stones."

"So I voluntarily took on the job at a low price."

"Abbot Lu paid the Spirit Stones and left; he seemed to be going to find some Spiritual items for his Disciples’ Cultivation."

As she spoke, there was a hint of envy in Ju Luyi’s eyes, but she hid it well.

"He just asked me to make the Daoist robes and deliver them to the temple."

At this point, the girl paused and said no more.

"..."

Song Yan looked at her calmly, saying nothing.

If everything had gone smoothly, why would she be injured? There was probably a hidden reason.

However, he was not the type of person who liked to meddle in other people’s private affairs.

"Do you need me to escort you back to the Sect?"

"No, thank you for the trouble."

The girl bowed, her steps trembling, and she prepared to sit back by the stream.

"When it gets dark, I still need to go up the mountain."

"Up the mountain?" Song Yan looked puzzled: "Which mountain..."

"Tainan Mountain."

Tainan Mountain is the Peak where Nanshan Temple is located.

Still going up the mountain?

Now he was genuinely interested. Going up the mountain was one thing, but why wait until dark?

Song Yan keenly sensed something unusual. He slightly raised his head and glanced in the direction of Nanshan Temple.

"Tell me."

Hearing this, Ju Luyi looked up at him.

She met a pair of clear eyes.

"What happened at Nanshan Temple?"

Song Yan’s features were delicate, and his tone was gentle, yet the girl felt a sense of unquestionable authority.

The words hidden in her heart slowly came out.

"Nan... Nanshan Temple was targeted for revenge."

The girl’s words were startling.

"When I arrived at the temple, all the male Disciples had already been killed, and a few female Disciples... were still alive."

"I... I was discovered by those three people and stumbled down the mountain, escaping."

"..."

Song Yan’s face was unperturbed, but his heart was filled with surprise.

He couldn’t help but ask: "What about Abbot Lu?"

"Listening to their conversation..."

"Abbot Lu seemed to have been killed while searching for Spiritual items outside."

"..."

Nanshan Temple... was destroyed just like that?

He sighed lightly.

At first, it seemed unbelievable, but upon closer thought, it was perfectly normal.

It was regrettable.

At this moment, within the borders of Chu, countless small temples and small Sects like this were heading towards destruction.

The strong prey on the weak, an unchanging truth since ancient times.

"If three opponents could wipe out the entire temple... how did you escape?"

Ju Luyi’s Cultivation Realm was only at the third level of Qi Refining.

The opponents were at least in the Middle Stage or Late Stage of Qi Refining.

"Those three were then..."

"They were then..."

The girl seemed to find it difficult to speak, only pausing.

"...The Cultivators who attacked had unstable magical power, and I also used a Spiritual Artifact to resist slightly, so I only suffered some injuries to my legs and feet."

Song Yan understood.

He nodded: "However, according to what you said, these people are extremely vicious, so why didn’t they come down the mountain to pursue you?"

"..."

The girl was startled.

Then she smiled, but there was a hint of self-mockery in her smile.

"Heh..."

"Xiao Ju..."

"Xiao Ju is ugly, with dark spots on her face, a sign of misfortune and disaster."

"Penniless, thin, and short, no man would have ill intentions towards Xiao Ju."

For her.

Strength and luck were certainly enviable.

But weakness and misfortune could also be exploited.