"But something is indeed off about this. Why would this maid target my little friend Jiang and his brother?" Song Tianyang looked at the heroic woman with puzzlement, finally unable to help but ask, "Miss, if I remember correctly, she has been with you for quite some time, hasn't she?"

"It's been two years. I saw her plight at the border market and spent money to redeem her, otherwise, she would have been sold to those Southern barbarians..." After a pause, the heroic woman's tone faltered, then she seemed to suddenly realize something, "Southern barbarians? Could she be..."

Song Tianyang also took a deep breath, a look of understanding appearing on his face, "No wonder, that explains it. Miss, you've been targeted by the Southern barbarians. This maid is a spy they planted by your side, which is why she has martial skills. She's been hiding incredibly well, even managing to deceive your guards."

"Your identity is noble, and the esteemed figure in your household holds great power and commands the military. The Southern barbarians have always wanted to move north, but they've been wary of the 30,000 Black Cloud Iron Cavalry under your Ye family's command. You are the thorn in their side, the dagger in their heart."

Song Tianyang spoke more and more fluently, while Ye Qiutang's face became increasingly gloomy, even showing a hint of lingering fear. Despite all her precautions, she never expected these Southern barbarians to be so relentless, actually planting a spy right by her side.

Jiang Cheng had originally intended to muddy the waters and drag the leading Ye Qiutang and Song Tianyang into cooperation with him, but who would have thought these two were so good at filling in the blanks? He only gave them a starting point, and they had already conjured up a grand spy drama.

But this was advantageous to Jiang Cheng. He nodded with feigned depth, "So that's how it is. No wonder they wanted to attack me and my brother. It seems their goals are far-reaching, and they're worried that we two will spoil their plans."

After a moment, Jiang Cheng looked at Ye Qiutang and said sarcastically, "Miss Ye, to put it bluntly, my brother and I are collateral damage because of you."

"I apologize. I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and give you an explanation afterwards."

What truly alarmed and even frightened Ye Qiutang was Jiang Cheng's previous sentence. He used the word "they" three times in that sentence, "They..." Ye Qiutang was in turmoil, "Are you saying that besides Lu Zhu, there are other spies lurking around us?"

"Ah, that's not what I meant. I was just saying it casually, but who can say for sure? But I think since the disguised Lu Zhu was willing to take the risk to attack us, it means our presence has seriously hindered the plans of these Southern barbarians. If anyone else among you tries to harm us next, no matter who that person is, they must be a Southern barbarian spy."

Jiang Cheng stared at Ye Qiutang as he spoke, but secretly observed Song Tianyang out of the corner of his eye. After all, the other party was the leader of a sect, with experience and knowledge far exceeding that of a pampered young lady like Ye Qiutang. Jiang Cheng was worried that he would hear a flaw in his words.

But he soon realized that he had been overthinking it. After hearing his words, Song Tianyang nodded very seriously, "Miss, little friend Jiang is absolutely right!"

"Southern barbarian spies are everywhere. Lu Zhu is alone and weak. Based on our previous experience, I think there's probably more than just her lurking around us," Song Tianyang analyzed with great seriousness.

Entering this ghost temple was already a near-death experience, and now Southern barbarian spies had emerged out of nowhere. Ye Qiutang's mind was in chaos, and she had no time to scrutinize any possible loopholes in Jiang Cheng's words.

A loud bang interrupted the three's thoughts. The door of the Merit Hall was kicked open, and the door panel, broken in two, directly crushed a monk underneath, who didn't even have time to cry out.

The next second, a huge figure stepped in, crushing the monk underneath the door panel, breaking his bones.

Even though they were already mentally prepared, the three were still deeply shocked when they saw the Guan Erye ghost dragging his long saber. The rotten, blackened ghost face looked around, constantly dripping with pus.

The sudden appearance of the Guan Erye ghost also stunned the monks who were indulging in their wicked pleasures. The Guan Erye ghost swung his saber, and the wooden table filled with wine and meat was shattered. Three monks were unable to dodge and were cut in half at the waist.

The remaining monks then seemed to wake up from their drunken stupor and scattered like birds and beasts, their previous lewd and ugly behavior completely gone.

For a time, screams, wails, and women's shrieks, along with the sounds of overturned and shattered tables, chairs, wine bowls, all mixed together.

A woman lying on the ground was a little slow to react. Before she could get up, she was chopped in half with a single blow, her upper body flying into the air, showering down a rain of blood.

Jiang Cheng's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that this Guan Erye ghost was not a good thing either. Not only did he kill some of them last night, but he was also merciless in his attacks on these women. With each swing of his saber, the Guan Erye-dressed ghost was like a ruthless machine, frantically reaping all the lives within the Merit Hall.

Except for Monk Huicong.

Amidst the chaos, Jiang Cheng suddenly thought of Monk Huicong, but looking around, there was chaos everywhere, and some surviving monks were smashing through the windows, scrambling to escape.

"Quickly find Monk Huicong, this is an opportunity!" Taking advantage of the chaos, Song Tianyang opened the window, so they could see more clearly.

But all around were white-robed monks, and some were already dead, their white bodies lying in pools of blood, a somewhat jarring scene.

"There!"

Suddenly, someone shouted in the distance. Jiang Cheng and the others turned around sharply and saw a familiar figure among the chaotic monks who were rushing out.

It was the middle-aged man with a saber that Ye Qiutang had brought with her. But with this shout, some monks also noticed the presence of Jiang Cheng and the others, these outsiders.

Jiang Cheng and the others rushed over quickly, joined up with Fatty and the others, and then the group chased after Monk Huicong's figure.

Behind them, they were also being pursued by others, led by their old acquaintance, Monk Huide.

At this moment, Monk Huide was in a disheveled state, his neat clothes torn during his escape. Some of them were even carrying clubs.

Jiang Cheng glanced over hastily and felt that the unusually burly monks looked familiar. It turned out that they were the two martial monks who had been guarding the gate outside the Merit Hall during the day.

"Catch them! Don't let them escape!"

Jiang Cheng and his group went to chase Monk Huicong, Monk Huide led people to chase after Jiang Cheng and the others, while the Guan Erye ghost, striding forward, was rampaging and attacking indiscriminately, making the scene even more chaotic.

"Running like this won't work, we need to find someone to lure away the pursuers!" Song Tianyang saw the situation and realized that the Guan Erye ghost following behind not only showed no signs of being shaken off, but was actually becoming more and more frantic.

"We'll go after the person, you guys handle the remaining pursuers!"

Tonight, everything had gone completely haywire. Since they had already broken ties with the monks in the temple, Jiang Cheng would never give up until he caught Monk Huicong.