This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

"Hmph, brat, you just wait, I'm going to take you as my servant."

After stomping her foot hard, Chen Miao's lips curled into a sly smile. The little fox watched her departing figure, a mischievous glint in her eye.

As for Xiao Xingchen, he couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the request of a lunatic. Seeing that the sky was darkening and the stars were beginning to appear on the horizon, his eyes lit up.

Whether he can live a wonderful life in another world depends on tonight. While he was circling around, he discovered a path leading into the mountains behind the temple. As long as he follows this path, he will disappear silently into the Cangshan Mountains. However, the area is heavily guarded, which puzzles Xiao Xingchen.

Therefore, he specifically kept a comfortable bodysuit, as the long robes of ancient times were a burden for someone trying to escape.

Everything is ready except for the east wind, and he already has a clue what that east wind is.

In the silent temple's side rooms, under the cover of night, many of the guests who had stayed overnight had already emerged from their rooms and gathered together to share their various experiences and observations.

This was a godsend for Xiao Xingchen, who desperately wanted to understand this world, and he immediately went to meet him.

At this moment, in the courtyard outside the side room, seven or eight people were already sitting together. When he returned, he saw Chen Haoran, who had now toned down his aristocratic airs and was dressed in simple cloth, sitting to one side. Beside him, a beautiful woman was attending to him; this must be Chen Miao's mother. Although Chen Miao was stunningly beautiful, her mother's appearance was rather ordinary.

However, none of that mattered. Xiao Xingchen went to a stone bench next to the crowd and focused intently on them.

In the very center, a man was recounting his experiences. He was a merchant who had traveled to many places across the country, and he had already told many stories before Xiao Xingchen arrived.

"Have any of you heard the rumor about the Silent Temple?"

"Wu Ye, the Silent Temple is a sacred temple of the Great Qian Dynasty. Who in the world doesn't know it? There are countless rumors about it. I just don't know which one you want to talk about?"

Wu Ye, the merchant, looked at everyone, shook his head, and continued,

“What everyone already knows is obviously meaningless. I once went to the Burning City in the Western Regions, and you would never guess that there was also a Silent Temple there,”

"What? Impossible! The Silent Temple is the only one of its kind in the world. How could there possibly be one in the Western Regions? You've gone too far with this joke. If certain people find out, you'll..."

One person made a gesture of touching his neck, signaling him to shut up immediately.

“Wang Shan is right, Brother Wu. It’s best to say as little as possible, or you might bring trouble upon yourself.”

Another scholar, fanning himself with a paper fan, chimed in.

Xiao Xingchen noticed that as Wu Ye finished speaking, Chen Haoran's eyes lit up, seemingly intrigued by the rumor.

“Hey, I’m not trying to criticize you, but you’re all cowards. This world is so vast, and beyond the Great Qian there are countless mountains and rivers, and countless kingdoms, let alone a temple. Let me tell you, the Silent Temple we’re in now isn’t the real Silent Temple.”

"Impossible. The Silent Temple has been famous for a hundred years. How could you say it's fake?"

Both Wang Shan and the scholar were skeptical, which ignited Wu Ye's competitive spirit.

"I won't lie to you, the real Silent Temple never enshrines Buddha. I happened to pass through Burning City, and the Silent Temple there was called the Little Silent Temple. You would never guess what it enshrines."

"If it's not a Buddha statue, then what is it?" Everyone showed curiosity, even Xiao Xingchen's interest was piqued.

"Demon," Wu Ye uttered softly, as if saying that word brought him a great sense of relief.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Offering sacrifices to demons? Do you even know what that means?"

“I really didn’t see wrong. I only glanced at it from afar and was shocked. It was a creature with a pig’s head and a human body, a mouth three feet long, a fat body, and a blackish-gray body. Sharp tusks protruded from its mouth, and there was a tuft of sideburns on the back of its head. I heard from the locals that it was a pig demon.”

Xiao Xingchen trembled and stared at Wu Ye in disbelief. A familiar image appeared in his mind: Zhu Bajie. Wasn't this person talking about Zhu Bajie?

He was somewhat shocked. Was it just a coincidence? But why did this person speak so much like Pigsy from Journey to the West?

Perhaps he was overthinking it; he calmed himself and continued listening.

Everyone around thought Wu Ye had gone mad, and no matter how he explained, no one believed him. Amidst the endless argument, Chen Haoran suddenly interjected.

"May I ask, Brother Wu, are there any special local customs or traditions regarding the pig demon worshipped?"

Surrounded and helpless, Wu Ye's eyes lit up upon hearing this. He quickly withdrew from the crowd and walked towards Chen Haoran, looking at him hopefully.

"Brother, what's your surname? Do you believe what I'm saying?"

"Whether you believe it or not is not important. We're just sharing our experiences under the cover of night. I'm quite interested in the Little Silent Temple you mentioned. Do you have any other information about this temple?"

Chen Haoran asked with a smile. Seeing his extraordinary demeanor, the others stopped arguing with Wu Ye and turned to tease him.

"Wu Ye, this gentleman is clearly a person of great importance. Don't you dare to court death!"

"Yes, it's fine if you tell us, but do you know the consequences if you offend someone important?"

. . .

Wu Ye indeed hesitated. Theories of demons and evil spirits had always been a taboo in the Great Qian Dynasty; spreading them carelessly would have serious consequences.

“Brother Wu, you’re overthinking it. We’re just chatting, nothing to take seriously. I’m just listening to the story, so you don’t need to mind. I’m very interested in what you’re saying. If possible, we can talk in detail in private.”

For some reason, Xiao Xingchen sensed that Chen Haoran seemed quite interested in this thing that resembled Zhu Bajie. Seeing Wu Ye nod and follow Chen Haoran into the side room, Xiao Xingchen's interest was completely piqued.

Who is Chen Haoran? Others might not know, but he knows it all too well. Aside from his Chen family background, he's a genius scholar. Someone like him would probably despise anything related to demons and evil spirits, yet now he's actually actively courting him. This made Xiao Xingchen suspicious. He also wanted to know what Wu Ye would say.

Thinking of this, he stood up and followed, ignoring the strange looks from others.