Sheathing the Hidden Hatred Flute, Shi Yu swept her gaze across the temple. Qingzhou and Mo Tong had already slain the remaining evil cultivators, leaving a thick scent of blood lingering in the air.
“...”
Overwhelmed by their narrow escape, the members of the caravan stared blankly at Shi Yu's group, unsure how to react.
After a long moment, Su Guanying took a deep breath, gave a bitter laugh, and stepped forward to bow deeply. “You truly hid your capabilities well. Had you not been here today, I fear my Su Clan caravan would have been doomed.”
The caravan was already deeply indebted to Shi Yu for saving their Sand Camels earlier, and having now brushed so closely with death, lingering fear churned in Su Guanying's heart.
Ninth Uncle walked over as well, bowing deeply in gratitude. “I was blind not to recognize your true greatness earlier. To travel alongside you has truly been our caravan's blessing.”
His expression was dead serious as he spoke, devoid of any empty flattery. Ninth Uncle knew full well that without Shi Yu and her companions, the caravan’s strength alone would have seen them slaughtered to the last person by those seven Foundation Establishment Realm villains. At best, they might have dragged one or two down with them to the grave.
Shi Yu quickly helped them up and offered a soft smile, addressing the matter of concealing their strength. “When traveling abroad, we kept our abilities hidden to avoid unwanted attention. I hope Miss Su will not fault us for it.”
“How could I!” Su Guanying stood straight, pursing her lips into a smile as glimmers of tears welled in her eyes. “I understand completely.”
Ninth Uncle let out a long breath, shaking his head with a look of deep shame. “I simply never imagined that though you young sirs are so young, your cultivation bases are so formidable. It truly makes me feel ashamed.”
The rest of the crowd gradually snapped back to reality, and voices of gratitude erupted one after another. “I thought disaster had struck today and we were surely finished, yet who would have thought... This feeling of surviving against all odds is truly terrifyingly thrilling!”
“Thankfully, Young Master Shi and the others possess such supreme strength, bringing these wicked men to justice!”
“We shall never forget your immense kindness as long as we live!”
The caravan members were all straightforward and honest folk. As they spoke, their emotional expressions and sincere gazes were deeply moving.
Meanwhile, the other accompanying cultivators shrank back like frightened quail, not daring to utter a single word.
Previously, believing Shi Yu and her group were merely at the sixth or seventh layer of the Qi Refining Realm, they had looked down on them due to their own higher cultivation, repeatedly mocking them and causing deep offense.
Just moments ago in the temple, they had begged the villains for mercy, earning the furious glares of the caravan members. Now, all they could do was huddle in the corner, trying their best to stay unnoticed and minimize their presence, lest public outrage cause them to be thrown out of the small temple to lose their lives.
Catching sight of them out of the corners of their eyes, the others treated them with cold contempt, not even bothering to vent their anger on them and opting to ignore them entirely.
Afterward, the people who had been driven toward the edge of the temple and almost pushed outside the golden curtain of Buddhist light returned to the interior. They quietly cleaned up the severed limbs and bloodstains covering the floor. Tactfully, none of them touched the corpses of the villains. Preserving their lives was already an unexpected blessing; they harbored not the slightest desire for the bandits' belongings, intending to wait until Shi Yu and her group finished collecting the loot before disposing of the bodies.
To everyone's surprise, the one who stepped forward to loot the corpses was the youngest child.
Ji Yu trotted over happily, his nimble hands accurately reaching for the storage bags and other items on the corpses.
He seemed to possess some unique secret technique, effortlessly uncovering items that ordinary people would miss. For instance, among the hair of one villain was hidden a small, pill-like bead that emitted no spiritual Qi fluctuations whatsoever. Yet somehow knowing it was there, Ji Yu flicked his fingers and popped the bead out of the topknot.
Whether hidden under fingernails or in secret pockets within their lapels, without even seeming to search thoroughly, Ji Yu simply swept a palm casually across them, and the hidden items were effortlessly exposed and retrieved into his hand. The caravan members watched in dumbfounded disbelief, exchanging stunned glances.
In mere moments, every single valuable on the seven villains was stripped clean, leaving absolutely nothing behind.
Such a clean, highly efficient looting technique left even Shi Yu marveling in admiration. She thought to herself that the boy truly lived up to having such an unfathomable master—this skill he had learned was remarkably practical.
Returning to Shi Yu's side with a chuckle, Ji Yu handed all the items to her, winking playfully as if presenting treasures to claim a reward. “Brother, everything is right here.”
“Well done.” Shi Yu affectionately tapped his forehead, causing the boy to beam with even greater delight.
Glancing over the items, Shi Yu felt a wave of satisfaction.
The villains were all Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators of vicious temperaments. While traveling through the ancient desert, they had committed countless slaughters like today's. Thanks to their considerable strength, they had succeeded repeatedly, amassing substantial fortunes.
Among the pile of storage bags and space rings, just a rough glance revealed at least four to five thousand medium-grade spirit stones. Common items such as medicinal pills and spirit talismans were plentiful, along with various odd artifacts, spiritual materials, and techniques—all worth a fortune, with many that would prove quite useful.
There was one particular item among them that caught Shi Yu's interest. She withdrew it and placed it in her palm to inspect closely.
It was an ordinary-looking clay Buddha statue, no larger than an infant's fist. Holding it yielded no mystic light or spiritual Qi fluctuations; it resembled nothing more than a crude statue sculpted by a mortal.
She tried channeling spiritual Qi into it. After a few breaths, the clay Buddha statue suddenly gleamed with a golden coating, and its originally rough face transformed into exquisite detail, revealing a solemn expression of compassion.
Though petite and delicate, it exuded an immensely sacred and majestic aura. As if endowed with life, the statue vibrated gently in Shi Yu's palm, radiating a powerful aura of Buddhist light that gradually brought peace to one's mind amidst the howling of empty spirits in the night.
Shi Yu's eyes lit up. Without a doubt, this Buddha statue was the treasure that had radiated golden light earlier, allowing those villains to traverse the ancient desert at night without fear of being harassed by empty spirits.
Nearby, Su Guanying and the others marveled even further. “A Buddhist treasure like this is truly rare. Congratulations, Young Master Shi.”
Shi Yu nodded and smiled. “This is truly help delivered when needed most.”
Their destination was the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts in the depths of the ancient desert. Though they were uncertain of the exact conditions inside, possessing this item would surely make their journey much safer. If they were to encounter another sandstorm blocking their path like today, where they nearly failed to reach a temple in time, they could rely on it to dispel empty spirits and secure temporary safety.
However... As soon as Shi Yu stopped channeling spiritual Qi into it, the Buddha statue immediately withdrew its golden light, returning to its rough, clay appearance.
Sensing the expenditure, she secretly clicked her tongue in surprise. In just those few brief breaths, a full tenth of her internal spiritual Qi had been consumed. It seemed using this Buddha statue for extended periods was unrealistic. Nevertheless, being able to rely on it for a chance of survival in moments of crisis was already extraordinarily precious.
After putting away the treasure, the corpses of the villains were burned to ashes. The interior of the temple was cleared by the crowd, and as the night wind blew through, the metallic scent of blood gradually dissipated, restoring the former tranquility.
Shi Yu looked around, noticing that the ordeal had left everyone looking weary, and said, “There are still several hours before dawn. Everyone, continue resting.”
The crowd voiced their agreement and sat back down to rest.
Rate on N.U.
