Chapter 77: The Old Lord's Observation

  The old temple of Laojun under the cover of night is deep and mysterious, although it was built on the top of a mountain ridge, it still has a three-part layout with a front yard, main hall and backyard, and its building scale is not small.

  The majestic main hall still maintains a few points of majesty, the ancient trees that pierce the sky planted in the middle of the front yard, the tall and large stone monuments covered with withered branches and vines... all show off its former glory.

  The Taoist temple now looks very shabby, and the majestic atmosphere of the past has turned into a gloomy and depressing one!

  There was a faint sound of laughter and shouting coming from the brightly lit great hall, but the bandit sentry responsible for keeping watch outside wasn't so lucky. He sat leaning against a stone monument in front of him, warming himself by a small fire.

  The autumn night in the deep mountains is icy and damp, being a sentry is absolutely a miserable job.

  The bandit muttered to himself, tossing the hastily gnawed roast meat to the guard dog beside him: "What rotten meat, cheap for you, little beast!"

  He wiped his greasy mouth, just about to pick up the wine gourd at his feet, when he suddenly felt all the hairs on his body stand on end, a sense of extreme danger surging up in his heart.

  No good!

  The bandit instinctively wanted to open his mouth and shout a warning, but a powerful hand flashed out from the darkness behind the stone monument, grasping his throat!

  The guard dog lying beside him, gnawing on a meaty bone, suddenly perked up its ears. Before it could let out a bark, a silver sword flashed by and the entire head of the dog was neatly chopped off.

  Wow!

  Accompanied by a faint cracking sound of bones shattering, the bandit's head suddenly dropped down.

  Qin Yun walked out of the darkness, his pitch-black eyes gleaming with an icy light that sent shivers down one's spine, as if he were a death god from hell!

  He sheathed his long sword and quickly arranged the bandits' corpses to make it seem as if they were sleeping soundly.

  The beheaded mountain dog was dragged behind the stone monument and hidden, leaving a large amount of dog blood on the ground, which was a bit troublesome. However, by pushing the entire pile of bonfire over to cover it up, not many traces could be seen.

  In less than half a cup of tea's time, Qin Yun finished dealing with them without alarming the bandits in the Daoist temple.

  The bonfire with added firewood burned even more vigorously, and the murderous intent in Qin Yun's eyes quickly dissipated, restoring its original clarity.

  He exorcised the spirit possession, and his true self-consciousness regained control of the body.

  The spiritual possession is indeed useful and practical. If it were Qin Yun himself who took action just now, he would absolutely be unable to do it so cleanly and efficiently. There might even have been a possibility of startling the enemy.

  However, this small divine ability also has a great limitation. Firstly, the true energy required to maintain the spiritual state is too large, and if a fierce battle breaks out next, he needs to have enough power as support.

  Secondly, possession can only be used as an auxiliary ability. Dealing with one or two small roles is not a problem, but when facing strong enemies, the lack of wisdom and spiritual consciousness control will be a fatal flaw.

  In comparison, Qin Yun still believed more in his own strength and abilities when it came to fighting.

  Under cover of darkness, he approached the great hall with extreme caution.

  First, he explored the surrounding terrain, and finally Qin Yun hid in the corner of the outer side of the main hall, peeking inside through a broken window.

  The situation inside shocked Qin Yun greatly!

  The main hall of the old temple is very spacious, with four corners having large wooden pillars supporting the dome. Although it has been through the baptism of time and the vicissitudes of life, the surface vermilion paint is still bright as new.

  Three Taoist deities facing south are still there, but their golden bodies have long since faded and lost their luster, with peeling and damage marks everywhere, undoubtedly it has been a long time without incense.

  In front of the idol, three large chairs covered with animal hides were placed, on which sat a black-faced burly man, a middle-aged man in a green robe and a beautiful young woman.

  What shocked Qin Yun was that the beautiful woman sitting in the middle seat was actually someone he knew.

  It turned out to be Xie Wanqing, Qin Xiaoyue's concubine!

  What is she doing here!

  Qin Yun suddenly felt a bad premonition in his heart, and he vaguely sensed that he had fallen into a huge conspiracy trap.

  Behind Xie Wanqing, two robust warriors stood on either side, each holding a large sword with a solemn expression, their aura revealing at least the strength of the Seventh or Eighth Heaven of Qi Refining!

  The big man with a dark face sitting on the left side of Xie Wanqing was much weaker, and he was also flattering Xie Wanqing, as if he were his subordinate.

  Qin Yun guessed that he was very likely to be the leader of the Green Wolf Thief.

  As for the man in the green shirt on the right, Qin Yun couldn't see what kind of strength or background he had, and it was possible that he was just an ordinary harmless person.

  In the great hall, there were twenty or thirty bandits. They sat in twos and threes around crude wooden tables, drinking wine and eating meat, laughing loudly as they chatted. Several of the minor leaders had women serving them.

  These women were obviously kidnapped from good families, and under the lustful power of the bandits, they did not dare to resist, each forcing a smile with a terrified and fearful expression.

  Although the voice inside was very noisy, Qin Yun still heard the conversation between Xie Wanqing and the black-faced bandit leader.

  "Qing Lang, this matter is settled. There's a place for you at the Guest Pavilion of the Muyang Dao...". Xie Wanqing said calmly: "Your subordinates can also be arranged to work in the Qin family's subordinate manor, anyway, they won't be treated unfairly!"

  The bandit leader, called Qing Lang, grinned and patted his chest, saying: "Don't worry, Miss Xie, I'll sell my life to the young master. As long as that little brat comes up the mountain, I guarantee he won't leave!"

  "Hmph!" Xie Wanqing disdainfully glanced at the opponent: "If it's up to you bunch of subordinates, I think it's you who won't be returning. Don't look down on this kid just because he's only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, wiping out a group of good-for-nothing Black Wind Thieves like you is as easy as can be!"

  The wolf's chest that had puffed out immediately caved in, and he smiled awkwardly: "That's also the case, it would require your personal intervention!"

  By this time, Qin Yun had completely understood.

  This time's designated task was a complete setup, a trap specifically set by Qin Xiaoyue for him.

  This gang of green wolf thieves indeed existed, but before Qin Yun arrived in Lincheng, they had definitely been subdued by Xie Wanqing, waiting for him to kill his way up Qingfeng Ridge.

  Two masters of the Seventh Heaven Realm, plus a group of desperate bandits, and Xie Wanqing was no pushover either. Once Qin Yun fell into their encirclement, he had almost no chance of escaping alive.

  At that time, Qin Yun died in battle on Qingfeng Ridge, and the blame was also borne by Qing Lang. No one would have thought of linking it to Qin Xiaoyue, the young master of the Qin family.

  As for this group of thieves who have been blinded by greed, it would be a strange thing if they were to be recruited by the Qin family after the fact. They will inevitably be silenced completely.

  Having thought through the causes and consequences, Qin Yun was truly frightened out of his wits.

  If it weren't for his good fortune in meeting Chen Li, and taking the shortcut through the back mountain to Laojun Temple, he would probably have fallen into the killing trap set by the other side sooner or later.

  He can only say that in this mysterious world there is still justice and righteousness, and God does not want to see evil people succeed.

  But at the same time as he was congratulating himself on not falling into the trap, a towering rage erupted in Qin Yun's heart.

  Since entering the Qin family in Qianchao, he has always adhered to the principle of being low-key and tolerant. Several times when he made a big show, it was also forced by circumstances, and he never thought of deliberately offending anyone.

  But previously there were Qin Wenbing and Qin Jun, now there are Qin Xiaoyue and Xie Wanqing. These direct descendants of the family, for a little personal grievance, dared to lay hands on their own kind.

  The Qin family can also sacrifice collateral relatives like Qin Yun for their own interests, using them as cannon fodder and abandoning them ruthlessly.

  Where is justice? Where is reason?

  Is this what the Qins have been advocating for - that their family members are connected by blood and united in heart?

  At this moment, Qin Yun was extremely disappointed with his own family background.

  Xie Wanqing stretched her waist and instructed, "I'll go rest first, you guys keep a close eye tonight, don't let that little brat sneak in, tomorrow we'll send some more scouts to Lin City."

  Her seductive and charming appearance made the green wolf next to her stare, its mouth wide open and its Adam's apple moving up and down, as if it wanted to pounce on her and swallow her in one bite.

  Those thieves in the temple are even more unbearable, drooling with desire, their ugly faces fully exposed, completely forgetting their own identities.

  Xie Wanqing didn't mind, smiled complacently and got up to leave gracefully.

  Two attendants coldly glanced at the dazed bandits and followed Xie Wanqing to the backyard.

  As Xie Wanqing disappeared behind the statue with a swaying waist, one of the thieves couldn't help but swallow his saliva and muttered: "If I could do her once, I'd be willing to live ten years less!"

  The person next to him heard it and burst out laughing.

  Seeing this scene, Qin Yun's heart moved slightly as he quickly and quietly disappeared into the darkness outside the main hall.

  He didn't leave Lao Jun Temple, but instead sneaked to the back of the main hall, where there was a door that led directly to the residence in the backyard.

  Although it was a very dangerous move, Qin Yun's mind was extremely calm, his footsteps moved swiftly and lightly, in no way inferior to the state of Tong Ling attachment.

  In his dantian, the true energy is continuously gathered and compressed with each step forward, using the technique of restraint to cover and conceal it, forming a subtle balance.

  This seemingly self-contradictory approach caused the Nine Yang True Qi, which was originally fierce and violent, to become even more turbulent and ferocious. Yet, not a single spark of flame escaped, making it truly miraculous!

  The back door of the grand hall opened wide, and Xie Wanqing was the first to step over the threshold, followed by two warriors who walked out at a distance of one step.

  The three of them did not notice that the person they were trying to deal with had quietly appeared less than ten steps away!

  It's just at this moment!

  In the darkness, Qin Yun's eyes suddenly opened and shot out a terrifying light, like a ferocious beast ready to pounce on its prey!

  Clang!

  The Azure Sword was instantly drawn from its scabbard, its silver body flashing like lightning as it soared high into the darkness.

  In the next instant, the sword blade transformed into a fiery red flame that slashed down fiercely, a sharp and intense crimson sword aura burst forth like a roaring dragon, charging towards the warrior!

  Blaze breaks through iron walls!

  The most powerful all-out sword style of the Blazing Flame Sword Technique!