At the foot of the mountain, on the narrow path below…0

It had already been dusk when Xu Mu reached the mountain base. After he climbed up, spent time at the temple, and then descended again, night had fully fallen.0

Leading his donkey down the path in the dim evening light, Xu Mu felt a pang of frustration.0

It wasn’t so much the thought of traveling home in the dark—he still had nearly a hundred li to go and would likely have to sleep under the open sky, enduring the chill of the night dew—but rather his worry over not having been able to bring back the temple owner. While his mother’s behavior was disturbing, what concerned him most as a son was her well-being.0

What if, one day, those ghosts called her to follow them? Or worse, harmed her or someone in the family?0

“Sigh...”0

He could only hope that the temple owner of Leiqing Temple would recover soon. After all, for hundreds of li around, he was known for his talents, albeit with a reputation for greed.0

Or maybe that gentleman surnamed Song …0

The man had carried himself with an uncommon grace, saying he’d come from Yizhou—a journey long enough to suggest he truly had some...0