He Lan Tianxia

The princess was abducted by those monks, and so was Guard Jiang; this was somewhat beyond Murong Junlan's expectations. During his initial visit to Anqiao Temple, Murong Junlan had indeed underestimated these monks. He had easily returned from Anqiao Temple without encountering any formidable opponents. How could they have suddenly become so powerful? Could it be that the abbot deliberately lured him into a trap?

They'd fallen into a trap! Murong Junlan recalled the details of their encounter with the old man. He felt as if they were all pawns in the abbot's game, and that the abbot's real target was the old man. The old man had been living at the foot of the mountain, seemingly untouchable by the abbot, who didn't even dare to harm the boy, Xiao Yezi. Suddenly, news came from the mountain that the abbot had fainted, prompting the old man to urgently send Xiao Yezi up to investigate. This suggested a very unusual relationship between the old man and the abbot, and that the abbot desperately wanted the old man to come up the mountain. Therefore, he dealt with the abbot first, then forced the old man to join the abbot's scheme. So, was the old man's capture half-willing?

For the first time, Murong Junlan was completely bewildered. He didn't want to speculate anymore, so he decided to take the rest of the men up the mountain to rescue Jiang He. Just as Murong Junlan and his group reached the halfway point up the mountain, flames suddenly shot up from the three outhouses and burst into flames, making Murong Junlan feel the abbot's ruthlessness once again.

Everyone present was a martial artist with excellent lightness skills, so they quickly arrived at the gate of Anqiao Temple. The temple gates were tightly shut, giving it an unapproachable air. Murong Junlan told Luo Xie and the innkeeper to find some thatch and build a small shelter for the pale-faced scholar, with the innkeeper looking after him. He, however, led Luo Xie, Ling Yi, and the old pine tree spirit, leaping over the wall and barging inside.

The temple was very quiet, so quiet that not a single monk could be found. The main hall was filled with the scent of incense, but it was deserted. I walked through several side halls but didn't see a single person.

Could there be a hidden cave? Murong Junlan was worried about Xiao Yezi, after all, the abbot's condition was not optimistic, and Xiao Yezi was just a child. However, he did not dare to rush over, so he could only look for the monks while slowly approaching the Xieyang Cave where Xiao Yezi and the abbot were.

"Stop." In a flash, a monk's staff came flying across, and the abbot's cold voice rang in her ears, "Those who want to save you had better not move."

"Why should I believe you?" Murong Junlan took a step forward.

"You give it a try." With a shout of "Hey!", Jiang He, bound hand and foot, was pushed out by several monks.

So this is where they were hiding. Murong Junlan remained calm, glancing at Jiang He, then at the abbot, and asked, "What are the conditions?"

"Change the abbot's body." The abbot didn't hide anything.

Seeing that Murong Junlan did not express his opinion, the abbot introduced a second temptation and loudly ordered inside, "Bring it out."

As expected, the person wheeled out, bound hand and foot, was the princess, her mouth stuffed with an extra piece of cloth compared to Jiang He's. Murong Junlan felt a pang of pain in his heart, but his face remained calm and expressionless.

The woman was overjoyed to see Murong Junlan, but seeing that Murong Junlan remained unmoved, her joyful expression froze instantly.

"Two living people are enough to exchange for the abbot's corpse, aren't they?" the abbot said coldly.

“Sure,” Murong Junlan readily agreed.

A fleeting expression crossed the abbot's face: "Where?"

"Down the mountain," Murong Junlan replied instantly. "If nothing unexpected happens, you should have burned it all down."

"Don't try to fool me." The abbot grew irritated, his knuckles clenching his staff so tightly they cracked. He wasn't sure if Murong Junlan was telling the truth, but he had already sent people to search those outhouses several times. The reports were astonishing: in less than half an hour, the place had been burned to the ground, and most strangely, green grass had sprouted from the scorching hot ground...