Standing at the foot of the mountain, Lan Hua pointed towards the dense forest in the distance, where a bright-coloured stone wall could be seen.
Climbing up the mountain path wasn’t particularly strenuous, but along the way, Xu Fei noticed that the stone steps beneath their feet were worn and dilapidated.
Eventually, the two arrived at the temple gate. Xu Fei looked up and saw that the plaque above, bearing the name “Golden Light Temple,” was old and faded, its once-gilded characters now dull.
“Cough… Lan Hua, why have you not returned alone this time?”
As soon as Xu Fei followed Lan Hua into the temple, he heard a weak voice from inside.
“Of course not, Master! I’ve brought back a senior who can save you!”
Lan Hua seemed overjoyed upon hearing her master’s voice. However, when she led Xu Fei into her master’s room, she was horrified by what she saw and let out a sharp scream.
“Heavens, Master! What’s happened to you… Let me help you up, Master. I’ll take you to the hospital!”
As soon as he entered the room, Xu Fei caught a faint but distinct smell of blood.
Once he stepped further inside, he noticed several pools of blood on the floor.
However, upon closer observation, Xu Fei saw that the old monk lying on the bed had no obvious external injuries. Instead, his complexion was pale, and there were traces of blood at the corner of his mouth, suggesting that his illness had caused him to vomit blood.
Lan Hua was beside herself with worry. She only knew that this senior before her might have the ability to retrieve the Jade Arhat; she had no idea that Xu Fei was actually a renowned healer.
“This humble monk greets you, fellow Daoist. I never imagined that my trivial matter would trouble you, all because of my disobedient disciple.”
The old monk was slowly helped up by Lan Hua. His demeanour was respectful, befitting that of a Buddhist monk.
“Master, don’t speak anymore. How did your condition suddenly worsen? Let me take you to the hospital!”
Lan Hua grew increasingly anxious, but to her surprise, the old monk refused outright to go to the hospital.
“Ah, at my age, if I were to meet the Buddha this way, it would be no great matter.”
“It’s just a pity that the Golden Light Temple’s lineage will end with me. I cannot rest in peace!”
“Master… Master, please don’t say such things. It’s all my fault for being useless, allowing that villain to poison you!”
Seeing her master’s stubborn refusal to go to the hospital, Lan Hua, in her deep guilt, blurted out the truth.
Hearing this, Xu Fei immediately placed his hand on the old abbot’s wrist. Releasing his internal energy, he sensed a strange liquid flowing through the old monk’s body.
It turned out that some time ago, while Lan Hua was away, a developer called Fuxing Real Estate had approached the old abbot.
They offered to buy the land at a high price and even promised to rebuild a temple elsewhere, also named Golden Mountain Temple.
However, these money-obsessed tycoons never expected their seemingly perfect plan to be flatly rejected.
“Get out! I would rather die here, my blood staining the ground, than let you lay a single finger on Golden Mountain Temple!”
Seeing that negotiations were impossible, Fuxing Real Estate waited until Lan Hua was away again and sent someone to feign an apology and reconciliation with the old abbot. In reality, they had poisoned his food.
The old abbot, advanced in age and unaware, fell victim to the poison. From then on, he lay weak and immobile in the temple.
