“In order to guard against running into the Beheading Village, I brought some sacrificial meat with me when I came, but at dusk I offered it all to the little Daoist—ah, no, I mean, to the Patriarch himself.”

“So now I’m out of sacrificial meat, and with all the demons and ghosts running rampant at night, I don’t dare walk down the mountain after dark. I want to wait until noon tomorrow before leaving.”

Sacrificial meat...

Samuel immediately realized where the incense scent on those chicken, fish, and meat came from. It turned out that what David Carter gave him was sacrificial meat.

Sacrificial meat is an offering used by common folk to worship gods, honor ancestors, and pay respects to the dead. The most common types are chicken, fish, and pork.

Because these occasions also involve burning large amounts of incense, candles, and paper money, the meat often carries the scent of incense.

As he was lost in thought, David Carter asked again, “Little Master, did you just run into the Coin Eye in the temple?”

Samuel nodded.

David Carter immediately looked at him with great respect. He cupped his hands and praised, “Heroes emerge from the young! Little Master, your cultivation is truly impressive. I know very well how terrifying and dangerous the Coin Eye is—so many experts and heroes have fallen to it. I never expected you could face it head-on and come out unscathed.”

After this round of flattery, he began to blame himself: “This whole thing is my fault.”

“But I really didn’t know that gold bar was actually the Coin Eye in disguise. I thought Mr. Divine Mechanism had already gotten rid of the Coin Eye! How did it turn into a gold bar again? This is just too unexpected.”

Samuel said, “What’s so strange about that? There are plenty of unexpected things in this world.”

David Carter followed up, “Like what?”

Samuel glanced at him and said, “Like you thinking I’d give you a few examples.”

David Carter gave an awkward laugh. “Little Master, you’re so witty. But why would Mr. Divine Mechanism use the Coin Eye to harm your temple?”

Samuel flicked his long sleeves and said, “How would I know the answer? But whatever the answer is, that Mr. Divine Mechanism has gone too far.”

“Looks like I’ll have to leave the mountain and meet him in person!”

Chapter 008: The Daoist Leaves the Mountain

Hearing this, David Carter’s eyes lit up.

The reason he didn’t dare travel at night was because he was afraid of stepping onto the Beheading Mountain Road and being sent to the Beheading Village. If Samuel went with him, he wouldn’t be afraid anymore.

He had seen Samuel’s abilities firsthand.

Samuel had effortlessly removed the ghost pressing on his back, and then faced the Coin Eye head-on and walked away unharmed—what kind of cultivation was that?

He patted his backside and got up, ready to set off.

But then he saw Samuel had sat down in the spot he’d just cleared.

Seeing this, David Carter asked in confusion, “Little Master, aren’t you leaving the mountain?”

Samuel replied calmly, “We’ll talk about it when it’s light. There’s still the Coin Eye in the temple.”

Rumors don’t come from nowhere. Since there are stories about the Beheading Village on Cloudrise Mountain, there must be some truth to them.

Now that it was so dark, Samuel wasn’t about to take any risks.

Never mind that there are ghosts in this world—even if there weren’t, he’d still be afraid to walk at night!

Besides, the Coin Eye in the temple was still attracting ghosts nonstop. If he went out now, who knows what kind of spooks he’d run into? It was safer to hide here.

And besides, this rock was warm. Since he couldn’t spend the night in the temple or go down the mountain in the dark, sitting here overnight was the best option—hehe.

But David Carter misunderstood his intentions.

He saw Samuel sitting cross-legged facing the temple, leaning against a willow tree, and mentioning ‘daybreak’ and the ‘Coin Eye’. He thought Samuel was conserving his energy, preparing to deal with the Coin Eye after sunrise.

So he praised him again with a few more ‘heroes emerge from the young’, and wanted to sit down too, but the spot he’d cleared earlier was now taken by Samuel.

With no other choice, he had to find another rock to sit on.

In the night wind, the stone was icy cold.

His butt froze.

It was summer, and the night was short. After Samuel dozed off a few times, dawn appeared in the east.

A streak of red clouds first hung on the horizon. Birds in the mountains chirped crisply and took flight, their wings brushing the air, the fluttering sound blending with the rustling of leaves in the mountain wind—utterly pleasant to the ear.

The glow of dawn grew brighter, and the lush green peaks bathed in light gradually became clear.

Green trees, red flowers, white stones—the whole world looked brand new.

This was one of the few perks Samuel had enjoyed since crossing over. Watching the sunrise in the mountains was truly a beautiful thing.

He stretched lazily, taking in the mountain scenery, but frowned when he looked at the temple.

The old wooden doors of the temple were half open, the gatehouse low and gloomy, the walls uneven with jagged stones.

Thick clusters of climbing vines crept from the corners up to the top of the wall. When the mountain wind blew, the green leaves swayed, looking like countless little hands waving at him.

This thought made him a bit uneasy.

Overnight, the temple felt different to him.

Before, it was a simple, rustic little courtyard.

Now, it seemed like a lifeless, deserted, abandoned ruin.

As if no one had lived there for many years.

Seeing him sizing up the temple, David Carter tentatively asked, “Little Master, are you planning to deal with the Coin Eye now?”

Samuel nodded and said, “Blessings from the Supreme Celestial Lord, that’s right. Now that it’s daylight and the sun is up, there’s nothing to fear from the ghosts in the temple. I have to take care of them—otherwise, if we leave and they escape, who knows what trouble they’ll cause?”