Watching those bandit-looking men walking toward him, Master Han's heart tensed.

Master Han turned to look at the several guards beside him, only to discover that those hired guards had long since moved far away. Moreover, they had all closed their eyes, pretending to sleep, looking completely unconcerned.

"What are you doing? I paid money to hire you!" Master Han said angrily.

"Master Han, don't say that. You hired them for how much money? Why would they risk their lives for you?" the scarred man said with a smile. "Relax, we're not bad people. We just want to play with your wife and them."

"You, you mustn't act recklessly. Let me tell you, I'm a court-appointed scholar, about to take office in Liangsha County! You dare touch me? Aren't you afraid of the court's suppression?"

"The court?"

The scarred man was first stunned, then burst into loud laughter.

"What court! Look at what the kingdom has become now! It's precisely you damn officials who've made the common people unable to make a living. Otherwise, why would we become mountain bandits? And now the kingdom has uprisings everywhere, they can't control us!

You officials still have to hire people to escort you, how ridiculous!"

Han Zi furrowed his brow, "The court is indeed gravely ill now, but we scholars will surely support the state. I, Han, will definitely ensure everyone can afford to eat!"

"Go to hell! If we believed you damn officials, I would have starved to death long ago. You dog official, you'd better worry about yourself first."

The scarred man impatiently raised his long blade, about to chop down on Han Zi's head but just at this moment, the young girl in monk's robes stood before them.

The scarred man stopped his blade in time and looked at the female monk before him, "Female monk, what do you mean? You want to stick your nose in this?"

"Please, everyone, do not commit evil. It's not too late to lay down your blade now." Wangxin clasped her hands together in a bow and said earnestly.

"Lay down the blade? You monks always have your set speeches!" The scarred man smiled. "I won't argue with you monks. You monk, get lost quickly!"

"Amitabha."

Wangxin chanted a Buddhist invocation.

"Cause and effect in this world follow like shadows. When an evil thought arises, karmic bonds begin. Harming others for selfish desires will ultimately lead to falling into the sea of suffering and reincarnation.

The Buddha is merciful and often says, 'Do no evil, practice all good.'

When a kind thought arises, countless blessings are born. When an evil thought arises, immeasurable troubles arrive.

If the donor commits evil deeds, not only will it damage your present pure heart, but it will also plant bitter fruit for the next life.

Like lighting a lamp in a dark room, you can see your own sins. Why not turn back while you still can?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Zhang San looked at Wangxin. "Will you move or not? My boss is kindly letting you off. Don't be ungrateful, or we'll make you drink with us too! Don't think we're really afraid of your temple!"

"A monk drinking? Hahaha, that might actually work!"

"And a female monk at that!"

"And so beautiful!"

"That would definitely have a special flavor!"

The other bandits also joined in the jeering.

Hearing their words one after another, Wangxin neither spoke nor became angry. She simply stood in front of them, motionless.

"Female monk, I'm giving you face by not touching you, but if you don't know what's good for you, then don't blame me!" The scarred man looked at Wangxin, his heart also itching.

To be honest, he was very tempted, especially when this female monk stood before him and he could clearly see her appearance. He increasingly felt she was unlike anything in the mortal world.

"I hope all the donors will not commit more evil deeds," Wangxin continued to speak, her eyes extremely pure.

"So much nonsense!" The scarred man shook his head and was about to push Wangxin aside.

Although he didn't dare touch her, if he just tied her up on the side and made her get lost, the temple behind her wouldn't come looking for trouble with him.

But just as his hand reached out, before it even touched the corner of Wangxin's robe, a blood-red blade light flashed. The scarred man's hand fell to the ground, fresh blood spraying out, yet not a drop stained Wangxin.

"Ahhh!!! My hand! My hand!"

The scarred man let out a miserable scream and hastily retreated, tightly gripping his arm.

Everyone turned to look, only to see that the man who had been resting with his eyes closed was now holding a long blade and slowly standing up.

Unlike his previous calm demeanor, the aura this man now emanated filled everyone with terror.

They wanted to flee but discovered they couldn't move at all.

Xiao Mo walked toward them step by step. The cold sweat everyone broke out in had already soaked their backs.

Especially the scarred man, he couldn't understand at all.

Hadn't the spirit-testing stone shown that he wasn't at Foundation Building realm?

But this man's realm was ten thousand times more terrifying than any Foundation Building cultivator he had ever seen!

"Could it be..."

The scarred man looked at Xiao Mo in shock, as if understanding something.

Could this man actually be a Golden Core realm immortal?

How could a legendary Golden Core immortal appear in this rundown temple...

"Immortal, spare our lives, immortal, spare our lives..."

When Xiao Mo approached, everyone's legs went weak. They lost their support all at once and suddenly knelt on the ground.

"Do not commit many evil deeds, commit more good deeds. Understand?"

Xiao Mo looked at them, released the blood baleful qi pressing on them, and said lightly but in Xiao Mo's tone, there didn't seem to be any intention of urging goodness at all.

"We understand, immortal, we understand!"

Everyone hastily kowtowed, their foreheads already breaking open, fresh blood staining the broken stones.

"We will definitely wash our hands of this in the future, do more good deeds, not do evil deeds. We beg the immortal to spare us!"

Hearing their words, Wangxin lowered her eyes and gently pressed her lips together.

"Wangxin, it seems I've won," Xiao Mo said to the young girl beside him. "This time, I persuaded them to turn to goodness."

"..." Wangxin still lowered her head without speaking.

"Do you know why they didn't listen to a single word of those great principles you spoke, but they remember every plain word I said in their hearts and dare not violate them in the slightest?"

Xiao Mo turned around, looked at the Buddha statue sitting in the rundown temple, and continued speaking.

"You wholeheartedly cultivate Buddhism. Your understanding of Buddhist principles surpasses tens of thousands of people in the world and is far higher than mine. But do you know why all Buddha statues have kind faces and benevolent eyes, while the guardian Weituo on both sides all have fierce and menacing expressions?"

Wangxin raised her head, her eyes looking directly at Xiao Mo.

"Very simple!"

The instant Xiao Mo's words fell, his long blade unsheathed. With one slash, blood-red blade light swept across the entire temple.

All the bandits exploded into blood mist, leaving nothing behind.

A bolt of lightning tore through the night sky, illuminating the merciful Buddha and reflecting against the fierce and menacing guardian Weituo.

In the rumbling thunder, Xiao Mo's icy words reverberated through the rundown temple, seeming ten thousand times heavier than even the thunder.

"When a three-year-old child holds a gold brick in a chaotic world, all in the world are demons."

"When the smiling Maitreya stands beside the guardian Weituo, all demons become saints!"