They rented out a three-story restaurant nearby. Li Weiyi originally wanted to order more food, but the white-robed lay practitioner politely declined, saying that a bowl of plain noodles for each person would suffice. Nearly a hundred children filled the three floors of the restaurant.

Even though they were only eating plain noodles, they were all extremely happy. Though they were rice people, they too had emotions like joy and sorrow. Li Weiyi and Zhao Zhizhuo were already starving.

Since everyone else was eating vegetarian food, how could they indulge in meat? So, they each ordered a bowl of plain noodles and sat by the window on the second floor, sharing the meal with the white-robed lay practitioner.

After taking a sip of the hot noodle soup, Li Weiyi humbly asked, "Lay Practitioner, what kind of Buddha is this Amitabha Buddha you mentioned?" The white-robed lay practitioner put down her bowl and chopsticks, sat up straight, and solemnly replied, "Amitabha is the Buddha of Infinite Light and Infinite Life. He represents light, longevity, and space.

He is the ruler of the Pure Land Buddha Kingdom, a realm far beyond our reach."

"His light can illuminate the darkest realms."

"His life is eternal and boundless."

"The Pure Land world formed in his palm is the most vast living realm in existence. His power is immeasurable, and his divine abilities are limitless."

The Amitabha of this world bore many similarities to the one from Earth's myths and legends. After that, the white-robed lay practitioner quietly ate her noodles. When eating noodles, most people don’t look very graceful.

But she, though her appearance was ordinary, had a serene and pleasing way of eating. She neither chewed slowly with affectation nor wolfed down her food like a beast. There was a certain tranquility in her manner that was captivating.

Li Weiyi watched her for a while, forgetting what he had intended to ask next. After finishing her soup, she wiped the corners of her mouth and smiled gently at Li Weiyi, who had been staring at her, and thanked him. A moment later, the white-robed lay practitioner gathered all the rice people children outside the restaurant.

As she was about to leave, she looked up at Li Weiyi, who was still watching her from the second floor, and said in the same gentle tone, "I originally planned to make a quick deal to earn some money to support the children. But since you treated me to noodles today, I won’t kill you! Maybe another day!"

Li Weiyi, who had been immersed in her warm and infectious smile, suddenly felt as if he had been thrown from a sunny mountaintop into a dark, icy abyss. The chill almost froze him solid.

It turned out that she had been waiting for him by the moat earlier, or perhaps she had been planning to go to his residence to kill him. Zhao Zhizhuo wasn’t faring much better. His face pale, he slapped his forehead and said, "I should have been more alert.

In Li Prefecture, aside from Coffin Mountain, where are there any Buddhist cultivators? She must be from the Five Burial Temple... an assassin..." The word "assassin" was whispered so softly it was almost inaudible.

Xu Fodu of Coffin Mountain, one of the three great bandit leaders of the southern region, was a behemoth that even the Nine Li Tribe had to pay tribute to annually. With a hundred thousand Buddha-bandits under his command, who in the seven southern prefectures wouldn’t fear him?

Zhao Zhizhuo stared at the retreating figure of the white-robed woman and whispered, "The Five Burial Temple is the most terrifying assassin organization in the underground black market of Nine Li City. It’s said that Coffin Mountain backs them. I couldn’t sense any trace of spiritual power from her.

Her cultivation level must far surpass ours."

"Thankfully, we were generous today, or we’d be in serious trouble!"

Li Weiyi’s expression changed several times. He quickly stood up and called out from a distance, "Next time you’re seeking alms, come find me again. I’ll treat you to noodles... as much as you want..."

The white-robed lay practitioner, who had already reached the bridge by the gate, glanced back at the second floor, smiled, and then led the group of children into the city. At the city gate, as expected, she was stopped by four soldiers from the city defense camp.

"Pfft!"

In the next moment, the four soldiers were sliced in half by a red kasaya. Blood gushed out, seeping through the wooden planks of the bridge and dripping into the moat. A nearly two-meter-tall monk with a thick beard put the red kasaya back on and respectfully bowed to the white-robed lay practitioner.

"Uncle-Master, I was delayed and should have been here half an hour ago to meet you at the gate."

"It’s fine. I didn’t wait long—just the time it took to eat a bowl of noodles."

The white-robed lay practitioner and the red-robed monk led the nearly hundred rice people children into Nine Li City with great confidence.

"Uncle-Master, something big has happened in Burial Immortal Town. The news spread on a small scale last night, but by this morning, it couldn’t be contained. Many powerful figures have already left the city to head there," the monk reported in a low voice.

"Boom!"

A large group of city defense soldiers arrived, but when they saw the face of the red-robed monk and met his cold gaze, the officer leading them, riding a fire fox beast, lowered his head, not daring to meet his eyes. In the end, the soldiers simply collected the bodies. ... Li Weiyi had lost all appetite for noodles.

"Someone must have placed an order with the Five Burial Temple. It’s either Yang Yun or the Longlin Gang."

"The month isn’t even up yet. How dare they?"

Zhao Zhizhuo quickly thought things over and then stood up.

"I’ll head into the city now. No matter what, I need to figure out what’s going on. I’ll be back before dark."

After parting ways with Zhao Zhizhuo, Li Weiyi returned to his residence. In the front yard, under the old poplar tree, Cai Yutong, wearing a veil and dressed in light clothing, was communicating with an armored spider using her spiritual power. She was directing it to stand up and sit down with a single finger, as if training a dog.

Her talent in the spiritual path was extraordinary. She had grasped spiritual light in three days, opened her third eye spiritual realm in ten days, learned insect language in twenty-two days, and tamed her first armored spider, officially becoming a beast tamer. As for Li Weiyi, he still hadn’t produced even a single spark of spiritual light.

According to the spiritual predecessors, he was too restless, his mind cluttered with too many thoughts, which was why the "spiritual flash" hadn’t come yet.

"Senior Brother, tell everyone to pack up quickly. We need to enter the city before the gates close at nightfall."

Li Weiyi didn’t know how many people the Longlin Gang or Yang Yun had targeted, nor did he know if the assassins would kill indiscriminately. For now, he could only take everyone to the Cang Li Tribe’s school to seek refuge. But he was worried they might be ambushed on the way.

If someone like Yao Zhengsheng, one of the top hundred martial artists, were to attack, the consequences would be dire. Zhao Zhizhuo would definitely go find Li Songlin or Cang Li. If the Cang Li Tribe could send a group of experts to escort them, it would be much safer!

Everyone quickly realized the gravity of the situation and immediately began packing their belongings. Time passed, and soon all the luggage was loaded onto the carriages. Li Weiyi sat on the courtyard wall, channeling his spiritual power to his eyes, ears, and nose, heightening his senses to their peak.

Soon, he caught the scent of Shi Chuanyu, the banner leader of the Longlin Gang, in the wind. He couldn’t see or hear him, but he was definitely nearby. A moment later, he caught a glimpse of Yao Zhengsheng’s figure flashing by on the second floor of the Moon Embracing Pavilion across the street.

There were also several unusually light footsteps mixed in with the crowd on the street. Fortunately, Zhao Meng, sitting in the courtyard, still had a deterrent presence. As the sun set in the west, Zhao Zhizhuo finally returned with a group of white-clad cavalry—twenty riders from the young clan leader Cang Li’s personal guard.

Though their cultivation levels weren’t particularly high, their presence carried symbolic weight. Not just anyone would dare to attack them. Zhao Zhizhuo’s expression was grim and worried.

"After entering the city, I first went to the tribal school, but no one was there. Then I went to the clan residence and met with the young clan leader. I learned that something major had happened last night, shaking the entire upper echelon of Nine Li City. The clan leader had already left the city."

"The Five Burial Temple’s assassination notice was issued this morning and quickly spread to all the cities in Li Prefecture. The reward was a Five Seas Pill. This is likely Yang Yun’s doing. Only he has such fast information."

Li Weiyi asked, "Was there no bounty on anyone else?" Zhao Zhizhuo shook his head.

"In my opinion, compared to the Longlin Gang’s losses, Yang Yun is more concerned about the fourth young lady’s attitude toward you."

With this information, Li Weiyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"That’s good. The reward is only a Five Seas Pill. I thought the Yang Clan had issued a kill order when even the white-robed lay practitioner showed up. Do you think she’s really that powerful?"

Zhao Zhizhuo’s expression turned serious.

"Brother Li, you have to trust my judgment. I’ve reached the peak of the Five Seas Realm before. For me to misjudge her, that white-robed lay practitioner is definitely no ordinary person."

"Don’t overthink it. In Yang Yun’s eyes, you’re only at the Seven Springs level. Offering a Five Seas Pill as a reward is already a high honor."

"The appearance of the white-robed lay practitioner was purely coincidental. She’s clearly not normal—one moment compassionate, the next ready to kill. You treated her to a bowl of noodles, and she decided not to kill you. There’s definitely something off about her!"

Zhao Meng asked, "So, are we going into the city or not?" Zhao Zhizhuo replied, "Let’s all go to the tribal school first to take shelter. Something big has happened in Burial Immortal Town, and even the young clan leader had to rush there immediately.

With both the clan leader and the young clan leader gone, staying in the outskirts is too dangerous."

"What happened in Burial Immortal Town?"

Li Weiyi’s mind raced, recalling the strange events he had encountered there a month ago. Zhao Zhizhuo shook his head, indicating that the young clan leader hadn’t provided any details. Li Weiyi saw everyone off at the residence, then suddenly grabbed Zhao Zhizhuo’s hand and said solemnly, "Old Zhao, I’m entrusting all my companions to you.

Take good care of them for me." Zhao Zhizhuo frowned.

"You’re not coming with us?"

Li Weiyi glanced toward the Moon Embracing Pavilion and the backyard, then forced a relaxed smile.

"I have a feeling they won’t let me enter the city. If I go to the tribal school, they won’t have a chance to make their move."

"Li Weiyi, you said it yourself—we live and die together," Zhao Meng said.

Cai Yutong, though unaware of the details, also turned back with Zhao Meng. Li Weiyi hardened his heart.

"The Five Seas Pill is too tempting for them. If I travel with you, it won’t do any of us any good. I’ll bring the killing to you, and you’ll become a burden, making it impossible for me to escape."

"Senior Brother, Senior Sister, wait for me to return. When I do, we’ll no longer fear anyone."

With that, Li Weiyi dashed off at top speed along the route he had already planned in his mind, rushing toward the Sui River like a shadow. Almost instantly, figures from the surrounding streets shot after him like arrows. Some weaved through the crowd, others raced across rooftops.

A golden carriage pulled by silver-horned deer charged down the street, aiming to intercept him. Li Weiyi had already discussed with Coffin Elder that once Zhao Zhizhuo recovered to the Eight Springs level, he would send Zhao Meng, Cai Yutong, and the others to the Nine Li Tribe’s school.

Only then could he focus on heading to the Cang King’s Tomb to take the faster path to becoming a Hidden Deity. Today’s sudden events had forced him to advance all his plans. Now, the setting sun was as red as blood.

Now, the night and the killing intent were closing in.

(End of Chapter)