All the powerful demons had entered the temple—not just Bai Ling, but also a snow demon and a five-tailed fox.
Bai Ling could be ruled out as a suspect. As for the other two, Hong Ning also found it unlikely.
First, Zheng Ke had only met his demise after moving into the temple, meaning the culprit must have already been inside. Additionally, Zheng Ke had visited Tian He Temple multiple times before, but only when he officially took residence and removed the objects marked with the character “Buddha” did he encounter misfortune.
This suggested that the creature was unable to manifest during the day and was afraid of Buddhist influence—its cultivation could not be too advanced.
By contrast, He Lan Xue and Lu Jiu could move about freely within the temple. If either of them had wanted to kill, they wouldn’t have needed such specific conditions.
Lying in bed, Hong Ning thought over the matter for half the day before deciding to take Bai Ling to the pond for another look.
* * *
Bai Ling was already standing outside her door.
Hong Ning was surprised. “What are you doing here?”
Bai Ling didn’t answer.
Was he worried that Lu Jiu would come looking for trouble?
Hong Ning quickly understood his reasoning, and a warm feeling welled up in her chest. “Let’s go check the pond again.”
As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard gate, they saw someone waiting outside.
Bai Ling completely ignored the person and simply walked ahead.
“Bai Ling!” He Lan Xue stepped in front of him.
“Move.”
“Senior Brother, I’ll be over there. Call me if you need me,” Hong Ning quickly found an excuse to slip away before Bai Ling could say anything.
She felt a little guilty, but she really didn’t want to get involved in this mess—nor could she afford to. He Lan Xue was too unhinged—capable of anything. Whatever was between them, it was their own business, and it was best for Bai Ling to deal with it himself.
“Move,” Bai Ling repeated, clearly irritated.
“Do you like her?”
“She is my junior sister. Stop making a scene.”
Hearing his explanation, He Lan Xue’s tone softened. “Don’t be angry. I just…”
Hong Ning sighed in relief and quickened her pace. Bai Ling understood the dangers of this situation—if he let her misunderstand, who knew if she would make Hong Ning end up like Xiao Ke?
Turning a corner, the pond came into view ahead.
Suddenly, something caught her foot, nearly making her stumble.
Looking down, she saw a white figure sprawled on the ground.
Immediately, she stepped back to avoid making eye contact. At the same time, she opened her mouth to call for help.
A languid voice interrupted.
“Carry me over there.”
Hearing that it wasn’t Lu Jiu’s voice, Hong Ning let out a long sigh of relief. “Who are you?”
The person lying on the ground had fairly decent features, but what stood out the most were his unusually long ears. His half-narrowed eyes glowed with an eerie red light.
A rabbit demon?
Hong Ning immediately felt more at ease. This demon had not yet fully shed its original form, meaning its cultivation couldn’t be too advanced. Could it be that he was the one causing trouble recently?
The rabbit demon was dissatisfied with her reaction. “Hey, are you just going to stand there in a daze?”
Hong Ning sighed. “Where do you want me to carry you?”
Seeing that she wasn’t afraid, the rabbit demon seemed slightly surprised. After a moment’s hesitation, he pointed toward the other side of the pond. “I live outside the temple. Just carry me over there first.”
“Alright.”
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