Chapter 778: This Is Only a Few Months

Lu Shan Jun, on the other hand, felt that Bei Mu was somewhat debased, or perhaps all demons were. For a long time, his attitude towards Bei Mu had been one of disdain and contempt, initially veiled but now completely unconcealed.

Yet, Bei Mu's demeanor towards Lu Shan Jun had considerably improved. Even though Lu Shan Jun knew this was due to reverence for strength, he still couldn't help but feel contempt. Of course, Lu Wu, his external persona in the Heavenly Revelation Alliance, was outwardly arrogant, cold, and even cruel, which was a disguise that aligned with some aspects of his own nature.

He never expected Bei Mu to now show a hint of genuine sincerity towards Lu Shan Jun. While a demon's words are not to be trusted, Ji Yuan's teachings had made Lu Shan Jun understand that such intuitive feelings are quite profound, even if the catalyst was Lu Shan Jun's power.

Lu Shan Jun merely gave Bei Mu's affairs a passing thought; his mind was primarily focused on the Heavenly Revelation Alliance's current directive for them to go to Tianyuzhou. However, since Bei Mu had mentioned it, Lu Shan Jun decided to ask after a moment.

"When do we set off?"

Bei Mu cheerfully tugged his fishing rod, glanced at the hook that had just surfaced from below the cliff, then cast it back into the sea.

"No hurry. We'll leave after I've finished fishing. That's a tough assignment; we might even die."

Lu Shan Jun grimaced. He knew that despite being favored by some within the Heavenly Revelation Alliance, his access to information was still limited.

"Stop being so cryptic with me. I, Lu, am confident in reaching the pinnacle of cultivation. Although I sometimes can't stand you, you, Bei Mu, are indeed a leader among demons. Since you said we would work together to succeed in the future, then tell me what you know!"

Hearing Lu Wu speak this way, Bei Mu's eyes lit up. He turned to look at the arrogant demon.

"Excellent, excellent! You're right. We truly need to discuss this Tianyuzhou matter!"

Saying this, Bei Mu stuck his fishing rod into the ground and moved closer to Lu Shan Jun, sitting down cross-legged.

"Actually, it's not just us going to Tianyuzhou; many people are going. This operation is massive, so much so that it seems utterly unreasonable to me. The rewards and punishments are also ridiculously exaggerated. The crucial thing is, I think this whole endeavor is impossible to achieve and completely goes against the Heavenly Revelation Alliance's long-standing principles."

"Impossible to achieve? What is it?" Lu Shan Jun asked with a frown.

Bei Mu scoffed coldly and replied in a low voice.

"Some of the lower-ranking members don't know the full situation, they just think it's about stirring up trouble. But from what I know, the purpose this time..."

After listening to Bei Mu's extensive whispering, Lu Shan Jun felt a tremor of astonishment in his heart, but on his face, he merely squinted and nodded.

"Oh... I see."

"Lu Wu, can't you react a little more strongly? This time, it could severely cripple our Heavenly Revelation Alliance, and we might even die!"

"Are you more afraid of the Heavenly Revelation Alliance being severely crippled, or of dying?"

Bei Mu grimaced. "Of course, I'm more afraid of dying!"

"Me too!"

The two exchanged smiles. One continued fishing, the other continued meditating, though both seemed lost in thought. However, by the time they departed three days later, one had still not managed to catch a fish without using any magic, and the other had not been able to directly leave to send a message to Ji Yuan.

Long after Lu Shan Jun and Bei Mu had departed, a few strands of hair drifted away on the wind.

Another three days passed. Ji Yuan, who was sitting quietly reading at the entrance of a temple's monastic cell, casually reached out and caught three strands of hair carried by the wind. They seemed like fine downy hairs, but as soon as he touched them, Ji Yuan knew they belonged to Lu Shan Jun.

Because Lu Shan Jun had used almost no magical power for fear of being discovered by Bei Mu, the information on the hairs was scarce and somewhat fragmented. However, Ji Yuan had already had his suspicions, and Lu Shan Jun's message merely helped confirm some of them.

"But, I didn't expect it to be the Heavenly Revelation Alliance..."

Ji Yuan pinched his fingers, and the three downy hairs in his hand turned to dust and vanished. He gently patted his knee, his gaze still on the book, while his mind pondered continuously.

Ji Yuan had known about the Heavenly Revelation Alliance for a long time, but he hadn't expected them to be the instigators this time. Yet, this went against the Alliance's usual cautious principles. After all, the righteous path was powerful, and humanity's prosperity was a significant trend. Even when the Heavenly Revelation Alliance had previously contemplated establishing a Heavenly Palace, they hadn't intended to exterminate humanity, but rather to leverage the celestial forces for their own ends.

So, it was indeed because of that "chess piece" that the Heavenly Revelation Alliance had changed its modus operandi.

However, knowing definitively that the Heavenly Revelation Alliance was primarily responsible was still beneficial to Ji Yuan. Firstly, it meant he wouldn't be completely in the dark. Secondly, while the Heavenly Revelation Alliance's foundation was formidable, he, Ji, had also planted a few "undercover agents" who might be able to help at a crucial moment.

Just then, the area in front of the temple became unusually lively, breaking the tranquility of the place and causing the old monk's chanting and the birdsong inside and outside the courtyard to momentarily cease.

At the temple's front gate, several individuals who looked like house servants were walking in, clustered around a small child who was bouncing as he walked.

"Dong dong dong... Is anyone in the temple? Dong dong..."

A servant stepped forward and knocked on the door, shouting once. As he knocked a second time, the door was already open, so he simply pushed it wide with a "creak" and peered inside. He saw fallen leaves swirling in the wind across the vast temple courtyard, and the entire scene appeared desolate.

"Uh, young master, could we have made a mistake?"

The "young master" the servant referred to was a beautiful little boy, seemingly only two or three years old, yet he walked very steadily, even able to bounce quite high, with excellent balance and no falls. His chubby body was dressed in light blue clothing, and the red string of his bib was clearly visible around his neck.

"No mistake, this is it!"

The child's voice was tender. He pointed towards the temple interior and then walked in first, with the six servants quickly following. However, though these servants deferred to the child, they all maintained a two-step distance from him, seemingly reluctant to get too close, let alone carry him.

With two servants in front, two behind, and one on each side, they constantly encircled the child. After this group entered the temple, a young monk hurried out from inside. Seeing the group, he scratched his head.

"Good patrons, what brings you to Nichen Temple?"

The child in the center stared at the young monk for a moment. For some reason, the monk felt a chill. The child's gaze was too sharp, and combined with his small body, the contrast seemed eerie.

"This is a temple. I heard temples like people to offer incense. Can't we come to offer incense?"

Hearing such a young child speak while all his servants remained silent, the monk muttered internally about how strange this was, then put his palms together and bowed in Buddhist fashion.

"Namo Damingwang Buddha. You haven't brought any incense or candles. How can you offer incense? Nichen Temple does not sell these."

The child immediately looked at one of the servants. "Go buy some outside."

"Yes, yes!" The servant immediately turned and left.

The child then smiled at the monk. "Is that alright now? Since there are no incense and candles yet, can I look around the temple?"

"Uh..." The monk couldn't think of any counter-arguments, so he reluctantly agreed. "If you wish to look around, you are certainly welcome. This humble monk will accompany you."

"Are you afraid we'll steal something?"

"Uh, hehe, certainly not!"

The child snorted and began to wander around the temple on his own. He first went to a large Buddha hall, where he saw an old monk and another young monk sitting on prayer mats. The young monk curiously stood up and asked his junior brother something, while the old monk remained seated with his eyes closed, silently chanting throughout.

The child stepped into the main hall, ignoring the two talking young monks. His gaze swept around the hall, over the old Damingwang Buddha statue, into every corner, and finally lingered for a moment on the old monk's shiny head before he walked out of the hall. The servants and the two monks all followed him out.

Only after they left did the old monk slowly open his eyes. He looked at the departing child and silently recited a Buddha's name. "Namo Damingwang Buddha!"

The child led the group around the temple. The more they watched him, the more the two monks felt that the child was clearly looking for something, not just visiting to offer incense.

When they reached the backyard with several old trees, the child was staring at the treetops. Just then, the servant who had gone to buy incense and candles returned.

"Young master, young master, the incense and candles are back, they're back!" The servant returned panting, clearly not daring to waste time on the way. This place was remote, with no incense shops nearby, so it was impressive he had returned so quickly.

"Young patron, since you have the incense and candles, shouldn't you go offer them now?"

"Hmph!" The child looked coldly at the servant who had brought the incense and candles back. Upon meeting his gaze, the servant's face turned pale, and his body trembled. His hand shook, and the basket of incense and candles he was carrying fell to the ground, scattering the bundle of incense sticks and a few candles.

"Oh dear, incense and candles dropped to the ground are covered in dust. My teacher says this is disrespectful and cannot be used for offerings. Go buy some more."

"Ah?"

"Hurry up!"

"Yes, yes!" The servant wiped sweat from his brow with his sleeve, daring not to say more. He ran back the way he came, not even bothering to pick up the basket from the ground.

The two monks exchanged bewildered glances, not knowing what to say. The senior monk was about to speak when the child suddenly pointed a short distance away.

"What's over there? I want to go look over there!"

"No!" The two monks exclaimed in unison. Then the senior monk spoke. "Young patron, you are welcome to visit any part of our temple, but that area is a guest quarter, where guests of the temple reside. Our master said not to disturb their peace."

The child grimaced and walked straight towards that area. "Your master told you two, not me."

"Hey, young patron!" The two monks tried to stop him but were blocked by the servants.

In front of the monastic cell in that courtyard, Ji Yuan gently stroked the small paper crane on his shoulder. The crane spread its wings and preened its feathers.

"He can see you? And he tried to chase and catch you?"

The small paper crane folded one of its spread wings, nodded at Ji Yuan, and then pointed its other wing towards the courtyard gate.

Ji Yuan had already heard the child's voice and knew who he was.

"It's only been a few months..."