The lonely journey of the cold fairy

Chapter 10 Yuelao Temple

Bai Siyao suggested going to the Yue Lao Temple because it reminded her of something from the past.

There was once a servant girl in her household who prayed for love at Yue Lao Temple, but not long after, she fell ill. Later, it was said that the government destroyed a malevolent deity.

At that time, Bai Siyao was preoccupied with getting accepted into Danxia Palace and didn't pay much attention. But now, hearing about demonic creatures appearing in Qingyun City, she couldn't help but make the connection. Lady Liu had gone to the Yue Lao Temple to repay her vows, and Huo Chongxiao signaled to the two women, and the trio slipped into the temple amidst the crowd.

The Yue Lao Temple was extremely modest, with only a main hall. The statues, however, were quite new—an old man with a white beard, accompanied by a young boy and girl holding red strings.

Huo Chongxiao shook his head slightly, finding nothing unusual.

The three of them moved in sync, waiting for Lady Liu to finish her prayer and quietly followed her.

Yue Yunqiao whispered, "Senior Brother, why are there so many demonic creatures in Qingyun City? Doesn't that seem suspicious?"

Huo Chongxiao had already realized something was off. He pulled out the Demon Suppression Bottle, igniting the talisman paper inside with demonic energy. Sure enough, Lady Liu reacted. His face darkened, "It's the same source as last night's demonic creature."

Yue Yunqiao was stunned, "So we didn't resolve last night's issue at all?"

Huo Chongxiao nodded. He had thought it was just a minor task, but now realized he'd been deceived—the demonic creatures were no simple matter.

His first instinct was to request reinforcements from Bai Zhong'an. After all, they were fellow disciples and had a duty to support each other.

But then he hesitated, recalling the strange feeling he got from his senior brother last night. With demonic creatures in Qingyun City, the Bai family should be most affected, yet Bai Zhong'an seemed completely unconcerned.

Would it be wiser to be cautious? Huo Chongxiao questioned himself. But then, seeing Bai Siyao busy helping them, he felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of distrusting her family.

Before he could speak, Bai Siyao asked, "Huo Gongzi, don't you think something is strange about all this?"

Huo Chongxiao quietly sighed in relief. "What do you mean?"

Bai Siyao explained, "Although malevolent deities and demonic creatures share similarities, they are actually two different entities. Demonic creatures typically hunt proactively, seeking out what they desire to consume. In contrast, malevolent deities require offerings from their worshippers—they form contracts. Take Lady Liu, for example. She must first win her wager before the deity can claim its offering."

Yue Yunqiao was puzzled. "Then how could these two things share the same source?"

"Yes, they're clearly different. How could they be connected?" Bai Siyao questioned.

Huo Chongxiao murmured, "Because someone is behind this."

Yue Yunqiao was startled. "What do you mean? Someone's orchestrating it?"

Huo Chongxiao nodded. "It seems the demonic creatures in Qingyun City are being deliberately nurtured."

Yue Yunqiao was infuriated, "Unbelievable! If we hadn't arrived in time last night, an entire village of mortals would've been demonized. And this malevolent deity—once its influence spreads, how many will become sacrificial offerings? If left unchecked, the whole of Qingyun City will be doomed."