Chapter 319 - 268: Entering the Mountains

Just as Han Yuan guessed.

In the latter half of the night, the once chaotic and disorderly Ping’an Town suddenly grew quiet again.

It was as if an invisible hand had silently smoothed the turbulent, surging tides.

Seeing this, Han Yuan went straight back to his room to sleep.

"I thought there’d be a good show to watch, but it’s over just like that."

Ding Zihu also muttered to himself before returning to his own room.

As for the Orange Cat, the creature had been sleeping on the eaves from start to finish, as if nothing happening outside had anything to do with it.

...

Ping’an Town seemed chaotic, but for it to have stood for so many years, there was naturally a power controlling it from the shadows.

That power was none other than the Mountain King Temple!

In fact, anyone who had spent a decent amount of time in the Ten Thousand Mountains knew.

The influence of the Mountain King Temple in the Ten Thousand Mountains was not to be underestimated.

Many tribes revered the Mountain King as their faith, giving the temple considerable influence.

Beyond that, the Mountain King Temple itself had several thousand fanatical followers who performed their Cultivation in the temple day and night. They were known as the Mountain Ghost Soldiers.

And the Temple Priest who managed the Mountain King Temple was a man of unfathomable power.

This was the real reason Ping’an Town had been able to operate for so long.

At this moment, the Mountain King Temple was brightly lit.

Many burly men with ferocious tattoos covering their faces held torches, guarding every corner of the Mountain King Temple.

These were the Mountain Ghost Soldiers.

Just then, a strong figure wearing a ghost-faced mask approached the Mountain King Temple, leading a large group of people.

But before he could enter the temple, he was blocked by one of the tattooed men.

Not only the man’s face, but his hands and neck were also covered in bizarre tattoos, making him look exceptionally terrifying.

"Leader Zhou, you are the only one who may enter."

The tattooed man said flatly.

"Fine. I know your rules."

This burly, ghost-masked figure was none other than the great leader of the Ghost King Bandits, Zhou Shentai.

Hearing this, he didn’t say much. He waved for his subordinates to stay put and followed the tattooed man into the Mountain King Temple alone.

Past the entrance of the Mountain King Temple was the main hall, where the statue of the Mountain King was enshrined. Behind it lay a dense sprawl of countless other halls and buildings.

The tattooed man led Zhou Shentai to the front of a dark, secluded side hall.

He said nothing, merely gesturing for Zhou Shentai to enter on his own.

Zhou Shentai didn’t ask any questions and stepped directly into the side hall.

Deep within the side hall, an old man sat cross-legged on a prayer mat. His face was covered in age spots, and he exuded an aura so decrepit it was like the stench of a corpse. He watched impassively as Zhou Shentai walked in.

"Greetings, Temple Priest."

Zhou Shentai was actually the first to offer a salute.

The old man said flatly, "Leader Zhou, you have broken the rules of our Ping’an Town this time."

Zhou Shentai had long expected to be called to account. He said in a low voice, "My only son is dead. The killer was wounded by my men and is currently hiding somewhere in Ping’an Town. I must find him."

After hearing the whole story, the old man didn’t say much, only stating flatly, "That is no reason to break the rules of our Ping’an Town."

"Temple Priest, what do you want?"

Zhou Shentai said bluntly.

"This matter ends here."

"You Ghost King Bandits are not to investigate any further, no matter how many of your people died tonight."

"As for the losses incurred by the various businesses in Ping’an Town tonight, your Ghost King Bandits will be responsible for the compensation."

The old man said softly.

Zhou Shentai was silent for a moment before finally nodding in agreement.

He didn’t have the courage to openly defy the Temple Priest.

"Leave."

The Temple Priest didn’t seem to want to say another word to Zhou Shentai.

Zhou Shentai clasped his fist in a salute and left.

Not long after, the tattooed man returned.

"Temple Priest, Zhou Shentai’s son is dead. I fear he won’t let this go so easily."

The tattooed man said in a low voice.

"No matter... as long as he doesn’t cause trouble in Ping’an Town."

The Temple Priest said faintly.

"This subordinate understands!"

The tattooed man clasped his fist and left.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhou Shentai left the Mountain King Temple and quickly arrived at the square outside.

"Big Brother, what did the Temple Priest say?"

The Third Leader, who wore a Red Ghost Mask, stepped forward and asked.

He had been the one escorting Zhou Shentai’s son, only for the boy to be assassinated on the road.

This made him feel too ashamed to face Zhou Shentai.

"What else could he say? He won’t let us conduct a massive search within Ping’an Town."

"How about this... you take some men and watch the outskirts of town first. Intercept anyone suspicious who tries to leave."

"I’ll take a few people and continue the search inside Ping’an Town."

"The assassin took a palm strike from you. He couldn’t have gotten far."

Zhou Shentai remained relatively calm.

Just now, the Temple Priest had only told him not to cause a disturbance in Ping’an Town; he hadn’t ordered him to leave outright.

There were still some loopholes to exploit.

"Big Brother, let me stay behind too," the Third Leader said in a low voice.

"No need... you go out first."

"Listen to me!"

Zhou Shentai said, shaking his head.

Hearing this, the Third Leader had no choice but to take the majority of their men and leave first.

Meanwhile, Zhou Shentai took a few trusted subordinates and quietly went underground in Ping’an Town, continuing to seek information on the whereabouts of his son’s killer.

「The next day.」

Han Yuan returned to the main street of Ping’an Town and found it was clearly more desolate than before.

The faint, lingering smell of blood hung in the air.

Most shops were open for business as usual, but a few showed clear signs of having been smashed and ransacked.

The people on the street were noticeably more savage than before, not letting anyone get close to them easily.

Under these circumstances, Han Yuan still couldn’t find any specific information about the Middle Spiritual Land.

The situation was the same for Ding Zihu.

「Two days later.」

After discussing it, the two of them decided not to waste any more time. They left Ping’an Town and chose to enter the Ten Thousand Mountains.