A master of metaphysics is farming.

Chapter 149 Midnight Sounds

Upon entering the temple, Xiang He saw the person she disliked and silently rolled her eyes.

But he kept smiling, after all, there were many people here, and if he said something inappropriate, it would cause trouble.

He Sui'an stepped aside to shield her, while Xiang Ling smiled gently, "It's rare to meet outside. Would you two like to have a gathering in the inner palace?"

The sudden smile made the crow uneasy. It moved closer to Xiang He's neck, but dared not fly away, fearing that Xiang Ling would catch up with it when it was not paying attention.

Xiang Ling had already turned around. The two exchanged a glance and then followed, while Xing Ji went out the door to wait.

The local people were quite envious, as the person had been invited by the chief disciple of Longguang Temple. They believed that if the disciple asked for any wishes, they would surely be granted.

Listening to their whispered conversation, Xiang He couldn't help but feel a pang of regret; she thought, "This place is so far away, I'd rather not have it..."

The two followed Xiang Ling to the back hall, which was actually a side hall of the back hall, where the Taoist temple's miscellaneous items were stored.

With a single turn, he exuded a sharp aura, a peach wood sword appearing out of nowhere in his hand, which he pointed directly at the black crow on He's shoulder. He coldly said, "Knowing full well that this is a sacred place, you still brought this evil creature in! It's utterly absurd!"

Seeing his furious expression, Xiang He pouted, "Even Master Cihang has no objections, why are you so angry..."

The black crow shrank its neck, not daring to look. He Suian reached out and took it down, covering its eyes with his large hand.

"Besides, the fact that it was able to come in means it has no evil intentions, so why are you staring at it?"

"Nonsense!" Xiang Ling shouted angrily, his neck stiff. "Your cultivation is not shallow, yet you insist on aiding evil spirits. What exactly is your purpose in coming to the capital!"

"Please calm down, I really didn't mean anything by it..."

She does have an ulterior motive, but if they find out about it, it will only backfire.

Faced with Xiang Ling's anger, Xiang He couldn't muster any enthusiasm at all. "I just came to take a look today. If you mind, we can leave."

After saying this, Xiang He turned and left. Behind him, Xiang Ling was furious and drew his sword to stab him. He Sui'an grabbed the peach wood sword with his other hand and said, "Please, Daoist, have some self-respect."

Unable to move his hand, Xiang Ling frowned and said coldly, "You're a student taking the high school entrance exam this year, right? Associating with this evil Taoist will damage your reputation. You'd better think it over."

"Whether it's human or demon, I know better than you, Taoist priest." His sharp eyes were filled with coldness. "Words are meaningless. As a Taoist priest, you can't just spout nonsense. Farewell."

The two left without a second thought, and no one cared about his feelings. Xiang Ling felt utterly humiliated.

His Daoist resolve, built up over so many years, wavered today. He calmed himself and followed them out, wanting to see what these two were up to!

The two people, who had already returned to the main hall, immediately saw the old woman, who was kneeling on the prayer cushion, her hands clasped together and murmuring softly.

Xiang He walked over and knelt down to the side, clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and listened to what was being said.

"Heavenly Venerable One, please protect me! This believer suffers sleepless nights, and the nightmare I had is truly terrifying. I beg the Heavenly Venerable One to manifest your power and expel the evil spirits from my body. Heavenly Venerable One, please protect me..."

It seems that the noise she heard that night frightened her so much that she had nightmares every night, which is why she came to pray to the Heavenly Venerable for protection.

She kowtowed devoutly, picked up the basket beside her and stood up. Xiang He immediately stood up and walked beside her. "Sui'an, do you think I'm possessed? I heard shouts that night, and I've had nightmares every night."

Her seemingly casual remark immediately caught the old woman's attention. She turned to look at Xiang He in surprise, "Young lady, the shouting you mentioned at night... it couldn't be from Jia Hui Fang, could it?"

Xiang He covered her mouth and whispered, "How did you know, Auntie? Did you hear it too?"

As if they had found common ground, the old woman pulled Xiang He closer, glancing at He Suian, "Young lady, did you hear... a woman's voice?"

"Yes! That's exactly what I heard!"

"Right? It rained so hard that night, but I heard a woman screaming, like she was in a lot of pain... It gives me the creeps just thinking about it..."

"Didn't the old lady hear what she said that night? When we passed by to take shelter from the rain, I think I heard something... but I'm not sure."

The old woman's eyes widened. "Your husband heard that too?!"

"..."

Before Xiang He could say anything, the old woman continued whispering, "I knew I wasn't mistaken! There really was a voice, but I couldn't quite make out what it was saying..."

Xiang He looked troubled. "I can't quite remember either..."

Seeing her deep in thought, the old woman also frowned and smacked her lips, pondering the matter.

He Sui'an watched quietly from the side, a clear smile on his lips, his gaze lingering on her.

Only after the group stepped out the door did the old woman let out a soft "Ah," and then exclaimed, "I remember now! What she said... 'Save me'! That's right!"

Hearing her repeated affirmations, Xiang He frowned. "I remember those two words too. Surely no murder has happened there?"

The old woman's hand was tugged, and she looked at him mysteriously. "Don't talk nonsense. We'll pretend we don't know anything about this. I don't know what happened that night, but a lot of people said they didn't hear anything. It's quite mysterious..."

“Of course,” Xiang He chuckled and patted the old woman’s hand lightly. “Don’t worry, this matter can only be kept to yourself. Auntie, please don’t mention it to anyone else, lest…”

Before she could finish speaking, the old woman nodded repeatedly, "That's for sure! I don't want to cause any trouble."

"I think so too."

After the two stopped talking, the old woman seemed much more relaxed, and her worried expression faded considerably.

Little did she know that Xiang He was secretly forming a hand seal in front of her abdomen with her right hand, dispelling her recent bad luck.

With someone agreeing with her, she was able to resolve the issue and would no longer dwell on it, which made her feel much more at ease.

"Oh dear, I won't bother you two. My family still needs me to do the work. Young lady, we'll meet again someday."

Her lips twitched a few times, but Xiang He forced a smile, "Take care, Auntie..."

He Sui'an smiled but remained silent, though a hint of excitement flickered in his eyes.

After the old woman walked away, he looked down at the corner of the rice hut and said, "'Save me'? It seems something terrible happened inside, but I didn't sense any yin energy when I went there that day. It's really strange."

"look."

Startled for a moment, Xiang He looked up at the direction he was looking in, then turned her head to look. She saw a carriage parked not far away. There was no flag on it, and a maid got off the carriage first and respectfully pulled the curtain aside.

Xiang He stared intently as a woman dressed in white walked out. Her face was veiled, obscuring her features, but when she looked up, Xiang He recognized her as the woman from the future Junior Supervisor's Office.

Perhaps it was her intense gaze that made the woman notice and look up.

Their eyes met, and the other person paused for a moment, subconsciously focusing their gaze before quickly lowering their eyes as their eyelashes trembled.

Just a glance, a fleeting moment.

Xiang He narrowed his eyes, and when his gaze met hers as she lowered her eyes, he sensed a hint of an indescribable emotion.

"What's wrong?"

A soft voice sounded in her ear, bringing her thoughts back to reality.

He walked to the side with He Suian and watched the frail figure approach. "I feel like something's off."

The woman seemed not to have taken the glance she had just received to heart, and walked straight toward the treasure cauldron.

Beside the precious cauldron, Xiang Ling changed his previous expression, nodded gently to the woman, and then stepped aside to invite her in.

Before he took a step, a warning look appeared in his eyes.

Xiang He casually smiled, placed the black crow on his shoulder, and turned to leave.