"Ah?"

The white-clothed girl was startled for a moment and timidly asked, "Isn't this a bit too expensive?"

"Hehe."

Squad Leader Liu chuckled and said, "Little girl, don't think it's expensive. You're lucky to have met us, we do things with some principles and limits. In this desolate wilderness, if you encountered bad people, they could kill you and take your silver, and no one would see it!"

The white-clothed girl seemed frightened and stammered, "How, how could no one, there are others in the temple."

Squad Leader Liu sneered, glanced over Chen Tang and the other two, and said indifferently, "Unless someone is blind, they wouldn't meddle and bring trouble upon themselves."

One person threatened, "Heh! If you run into the Wushan Village bandits, they'll not only rob you but also violate and murder you!"

The white-clothed girl shivered in fear, her face turned more pale, and she trembled, "If I run into them, I'd rather dash myself to death than be humiliated."

"Haha, little girl, you are too naive!"

Another person chuckled maliciously, "I've heard that Wushan Village has a leader called the Ghoul who doesn't even spare female corpses. Even if you die, you won't escape his clutches!"

The white-clothed girl was too scared to speak, only wide-eyed with terror on her face.

Squad Leader Liu smiled slightly and said, "Little girl, he's not lying to you. You can go out and ask around. Wushan Village has ten leaders, known as the Ten Ghosts of Wushan, and the Ghoul is one of them."

The white-clothed girl quickly asked, "Big brother, if I give you three hundred silver taels, can you protect me?"

"Of course."

Squad Leader Liu said indifferently, "With our brothers here, from here to Qingcheng County, no one can harm you. The three hundred taels are not only for this meal but also your life-saving money. Looking at it this way, isn't it worth it?"

"Okay, okay."

The white-clothed girl nodded repeatedly, carefully taking out three hundred silver notes from her bosom, trembling slightly as she handed them to Squad Leader Liu, her eyes filled with fear and a bit of heartache.

Squad Leader Liu's face beamed with joy.

Heh, three hundred taels in hand!

Unexpectedly, this trip brought unexpected gains.

"What a big talk."

Just then, a voice suddenly came from outside the ruined temple.

Immediately, four people appeared on horseback at the temple's entrance.

The four dismounted and walked in.

Three of them wore official uniforms: one Chief Constable and two constables.

Another person was slender, his face pale in the firelight, his eye sockets deeply sunken, lips purple-blue, looking eerie!

At this moment, Chen Tang's ears perked up.

Someone's coming!

And quite a few at that; judging by the sounds, possibly dozens!

At the same time, the black-clothed youth standing in the northwest corner seemed to sense something and also looked outside.

The straw-hat man in the northeast corner continued to sleep soundly, seemingly unbothered by the flashes of lightning, the raging winds, and the temple's voices.

The recently heard dozens of people were slowly approaching the ruined temple.

The thunderous rain could well cover their footsteps.

"Chief Zhuang."

Squad Leader Liu, seeing him, quickly got up and greeted with clasped fists.

"You recognize me?"

Chief Zhuang raised his eyebrows slightly, sizing up Squad Leader Liu.

This Squad Leader Liu chuckled and said, "I am Liu Jisong of the Beifeng Gang, recently promoted to Squad Leader, and haven't had the chance to visit Chief Zhuang yet."

As he spoke, Liu Jisong was eyeing the pale-faced man.

Judging by the voice, the earlier words weren't spoken by Chief Zhuang.

The other two constables likely weren't qualified to say them either.

So, those words were most likely spoken by this man!

Who is this man and what's his background?

Liu Jisong, with a smile, clasped his fists and asked, "This brother looks unfamiliar; may I know your name?"

The slender man asked, "You just said you'd protect this girl, right?"

Liu Jisong pondered, "Having taken her money, I must ensure her safety."

"What if you run into the Ghoul of Wushan Village?"

The slender man's sunken eyes revealed a dim gaze, questioning slowly.

Liu Jisong glanced at Chief Zhuang beside him and said solemnly, "Not to mention that we won't encounter them, but even if we do, with me and Chief Zhuang here, we can prevent him from being a ghost!"

"Hehehehe."

The slender man suddenly laughed, sounding like a night owl, extremely piercing.

Liu Jisong seemed to realize something, his face suddenly changed!

Could this man be...

With this thought, Liu Jisong broke into a cold sweat, his scalp numb with fear.

He instinctively looked at Chief Zhuang.

Chief Zhuang had a faint smile, with a hint of mockery in his eyes.

Liu Jisong hadn't immediately reacted because he saw this person with Chief Zhuang and didn't think much of it.

But the strange tone of this man's words, coupled with Chief Zhuang's current expression, gave Liu Jisong a rough idea, leaving him secretly bemoaning.

They had encountered people from Wushan Village.

Moreover, the people from Wushan Village were with the government constable.

If this person really is the Ghoul, one of the Ten Ghosts of Wushan, their situation could be dire!

"Squad Leader Liu must have guessed it, right?"

The slender man asked faintly.

"What do you mean?"

Liu Jisong forced himself to calm down, feigning ignorance, "This temple is too small. Since Chief Zhuang and the others are here, we will cede the place for Chief Zhuang and the others to rest."

"Chief Zhuang, Mr. Liu takes his leave."

After speaking, Liu Jisong led the men out.

Although his few brothers weren't clear about what had happened, they sensed something was off and quickly stood up, following Liu Jisong in silence.

"You took three hundred taels of silver notes from her, claiming you'd protect her, yet now you're trying to escape alone?"

At that moment, a voice echoed in the ruined temple; it was the black-clad youth speaking.

Liu Jisong's face turned grim. Hesitating, he took out the three hundred taels of silver notes from his pocket and tossed them to the girl in white, saying, "I'll return it to her then."

The black-clad youth snorted lightly, "You think that returning it will allow you to leave here alive?"

Liu Jisong's face changed abruptly, instinctively looking towards the emaciated man and Chief Zhuang.

The emaciated man glanced at Chief Zhuang and said blandly, "Looks like Chief Zhuang is about to achieve a great merit as many Wushan Village people are here."

"Where are they?"

Liu Jisong asked hastily.

"It's you."

Chief Zhuang said with a smile.

"I, I'm not."

"It's not important; chop off a head, and if I say it is, it will be."

Chief Zhuang's smile never faded.

This has become a common tactic for the Government Office.

In the desolate wilderness, they find lone Jianghu individuals, chop off their heads, say they are bandits from Wushan Village, and report back to the Government Office.

The townspeople don't know who the bandits are from Wushan Village, so when they see the officials returning with heads, they mostly cheer and applaud.

The emaciated man glanced at the girl in white and said, "This woman belongs to me, and the rest in the temple are your credit."

"Agreed."

Chief Zhuang nodded.

Without a word, Liu Jisong suddenly dashed towards the door, not caring about his brothers.

The few brothers from the Beifeng Gang hesitated for a moment, then scattered and fled outside.

The emaciated man and Chief Zhuang remained unmoved.

Outside, the clash of weapons rang out.

Several cries abruptly ceased.

Not long after, a few people walked into the ruined temple, carrying the blood-soaked heads of Liu Jisong and others, and tossed them to the ground.

They all bowed to the emaciated man before exiting the temple.

One head rolled a bit and ended up in front of the girl in white.

"Ah!"

The girl in white screamed, nearly fainting from fright.

Upon hearing this, a trace of excitement appeared in the hollow eyes of the emaciated man.

"Young lady, come with me."

The emaciated man squatted down, his gaze lustfully roaming over the white-clad girl, smiling as he spoke.

"Who... who are you?"

The girl in white asked tremblingly.

The black-clad youth emerged from the northwest corner, took position with his spear in front of the girl in white, and calmly said, "He is the Ghoul, one of the Ten Ghosts of Wushan, also the Seventh Leader of Wushan Village!"

"Well, a true young hero."

The Seventh Leader praised, licking his lips with excitement, "In fact, male corpses do just as well for me."

The black-clad youth remained stoic, eyes cold, "You cultivate the 'Corpse Transformation Technique,' which requires devouring the corpse Qi emanating from dead bodies, using it to transform your body and cleanse your marrow."

"But corpse Qi is toxic, and you haven't found a way to counter it. Though powerful, it harms others and yourself; even if I don't kill you, you won't live long!"

The Seventh Leader's face darkened.

This black-clad youth had some discernment, able to identify the origin of his cultivation technique!

Elsewhere.

Chief Zhuang gestured to the two constables behind him, signaling them to finish off the two people in the temple corner.

Whish!

The black-clad youth swung his spear, sweeping towards the two constables, attempting to block them.

"Clang!"

Chief Zhuang struck with his blade, fiercely slashing at the shaft of the black-clad youth's spear!

"Let go!"

The black-clad youth snorted coldly, twisting his wrist, causing the spear to vibrate and emit a buzzing sound.

Chief Zhuang felt an overwhelming force, his palm searing with pain, and his grip on the long blade loosened, sending it flying!

Thud! Thud!

The two constables were swept in the chest by the black-clad youth's spear.

In an instant, their bones shattered, their chests collapsed, and they spurted blood, falling dead!

"Seventh Leader, this lad has great strength!"

Chief Zhuang retreated repeatedly, his arm trembling, exclaiming in shock.

"Seems like he's at Sixth Grade!"

The Seventh Leader squinted slightly, leaping towards the black-clad youth, his fingers bent, palm discreetly shrouded in a wisp of black mist!

The black-clad youth forced back Chief Zhuang, killed two constables, and shouted, "Gentlemen, we won't get out unless we kill these Wushan Village bandits today!"

His words were clearly directed at Chen Tang and the man in the straw hat.

The straw hat man seemed oblivious, still asleep.

If it weren't for his heavy breathing, one would think he was dead.

Dozens of people swarmed in from outside.

These people were all from Wushan Village!

Some swarmed towards the black-clad youth, while others charged at Chen Tang and the straw hat man in the temple corner!

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