He Lan Tianxia

The old man smiled and said, "Whatever I want, I can do. But I believe you have your own reasons for keeping him here."

Murong Junlan humbly replied, "Actually, I don't know if keeping him was a mistake or not. Please enlighten me, sir."

The old man stroked his beard and sighed to himself, "There is nothing inherently wrong in the world; it is only the foolish who trouble themselves. With Your Highness's perspective, I have been worrying too much."

Murong Junlan asked worriedly, "Old man, do you have an antidote?"

The old man shook his head: "No."

The woman remained silent. She found these two men inexplicable, constantly saying she was sick, but they were the ones who were sick. The abbot was seriously ill, yet they didn't care, but she was perfectly healthy, and they kept saying she was sick. What, were all the people here sick? So she stopped listening to their nonsense and walked into the cave on her own.

After the woman left, the old man whispered, "Your Highness, there seems to be an unnamed power within the Princess Consort. Whether it is righteous or evil remains to be seen."

Murong Junlan didn't want to lie to the old man, but he also didn't want to reveal the secret of the Crimson Spirit Pearl. After all, the martial world was treacherous, and he didn't know whether the other person was friend or foe. So he could only agree, saying, "Old man, your eyesight is good." At this moment, Murong Junlan noticed a faint internal force circulating around him, especially noticeable where the abbot was lying. Murong Junlan knew the old man was no ordinary person, but he hadn't expected his skill to be so refined and pure. Just as he was about to speak, the abbot suddenly coughed. The old man quickly stopped his internal force and approached, his face filled with worry as he looked at the abbot, his anxiety evident. Suddenly, the old man reached out to touch the abbot's face. The instant he touched him, the abbot abruptly opened his bloodshot eyes, breathing heavily. The abbot moved his head slightly with difficulty, showing a look of resistance. The old man squeezed his eyes shut and reached out his hand.

The abbot was terrified. He tried with all his might but couldn't turn over; he only managed a slight twist before falling back to his original position. The old man's hand suddenly reached the abbot's face. The abbot shook his head violently, his eyes filled with resolute determination. The abbot paused for a moment, then with lightning speed, with a sharp "hiss," tore a piece of skin off his face.

"Whoa." The seasoned Murong Junlan was startled by this action. He wanted to reach out and stop him, but the abbot's face, which he then revealed, caused Murong Junlan to freeze for a moment. The face looked exactly like the old man's, only pale and colorless from years of wearing a mask, and even the expression was one of naivety and ignorance. Whether from pain or the revelation of his identity, two tears rolled down the abbot's cheeks.

"Life is of utmost importance." The old man took out a handful of powder from his sleeve, put it into a bowl of water next to him, stirred it with a spoon, and then presented it to the abbot, personally serving him the drink.

The abbot's complexion improved significantly after taking the medicine. He begged the old man to put the skin back on for him, but the old man refused outright.

"I've been so sorry for all these years," the old man said, holding the abbot's hand with a look of guilt.

“Amitabha, please don’t take it to heart.” The abbot’s face remained as calm as ever; he was so calm that he even forgot the pain of having his face ripped off.

"The two of you?" Murong Junlan couldn't help but ask.

The old man said painfully, "He is my twin brother. Because of me and the secret manual of the Vajra Formation at Anqiao Temple, he had to live in the treacherous Anqiao Temple, constantly fighting with the abbot. But I, on the other hand, hid at the foot of the mountain, living a leisurely life, working at sunrise and resting at sunset..."

The old man wanted to continue speaking when the woman came out from inside carrying a bowl of porridge.

Upon first glance at the abbot's handsome face, the woman couldn't help but exclaim, "So the abbot is a handsome man!"

Just as Murong Junlan was about to speak, the sound of fierce fighting suddenly came from outside the cave. The old man quickly called for Prince Murong to move the abbot to the inner cave, just in case the people outside rushed in.