Chapter 136: Sanwu Daoist Temple

“You don’t want to eliminate it, sir?” Daoist Qingyuan asked, his face full of disbelief.

Though he didn’t know the full extent of Gu Ning’an’s abilities, this man in the green robe had exuded an air of transcendence and otherworldly grace from the very beginning.

How could someone with such a bearing stand by and watch as a wild deity caused trouble, even letting it escape?

Gu Ning’an waved his hand dismissively. “No rush. The mud statue here isn’t the Bat God’s true form. Letting it leave with its incense offerings is part of the plan to root it out completely.”

Hearing this, Daoist Qingyuan exhaled in relief. “Then we should hurry while the Bat God’s aura hasn’t fully dissipated!”

“Mm, let’s go,” Gu Ning’an said, striding unhurriedly out of the Bat God Temple.

Outside, the devotees had naturally heard the commotion from within.

Though they didn’t fully understand what had happened, their fear and hatred toward the two intruders who had barged into the temple were palpable.

If the Bat God hadn’t fled, they might have attacked in unison to demonstrate their loyalty to the deity.

As Gu Ning’an’s calm gaze swept over them, the crowd lowered their heads, too intimidated to meet his eyes.

After studying them for a moment, Gu Ning’an said nothing and did nothing, leading Daoist Qingyuan away at a brisk pace.

Only after they had gone a long distance did the devotees dare to speak.

“Who are those people? Even the Bat God couldn’t deal with them! Could they be some kind of powerful evil spirits?”

“Nonsense! They’re definitely not evil spirits. I’ve seen that Daoist before—he’s from the Sanwu Daoist Temple, just a lowly Daoist back then. Now that his master is gone, he’s become the temple’s abbot. He even told me once that the Bat God was an evil deity and that I shouldn’t worship it!”

“Evil deity, my foot! The Bat God has helped us so much—how could it be an evil deity? And even if it were, so what? My life’s been so miserable, and I’ve never seen any lofty immortal bestow me with gold or make my life better!”

“Exactly! Without the Bat God, my family would have died out long ago. I just hope the Bat God managed to escape… Even if the statue’s gone, we can just make a new one!”

“Yes, yes! As long as we rebuild the statue with sincerity, the Bat God will surely remember our devotion and grant us even more blessings!”

Pfft! Pfft!

Two loud sounds broke the chatter, and a strong stench filled the air near the “pregnant” woman.

Her husband pinched his nose and scolded, “Wife, what did you eat? Those farts are so loud and so foul!”

Blushing, the woman stroked her belly and was about to respond when her expression suddenly changed. “Where’s my child? My child!”

The crowd immediately turned their eyes toward her belly.

What they saw left them stunned—her round, pregnant belly had flattened completely after those two “thunderous farts”!

Her loose clothes hung slack, making the scene even more bizarre.

The burly man rushed forward, frantically feeling his wife’s abdomen. “The baby! Where’s the baby? Wife, are you feeling unwell?”

The woman was gasping for air, her eyes bloodshot, her face flushed. Just as the man prepared to carry her to see a doctor, her body tilted slightly, and another loud fart escaped.

The nauseating stench forced the crowd to step back, gagging, as the woman, now visibly relieved, rubbed her belly. “It doesn’t hurt anymore… but where’s my baby?”

“Why does that fart smell like incense?” an old woman muttered, wrinkling her nose. “Could it be that you were never pregnant at all and just had a belly full of gas?”

Whoosh!

The old woman’s offhand comment made everyone snap back to reality!

The burly man swallowed hard and said, “So you mean to say that the request for a child was a lie? The Bat God tricked us?”

“He stuffed a bunch of gas into my wife’s belly and pretended it was a child?”

For a moment, everyone fell silent. Even though they had witnessed the bizarre scene with their own eyes, they were reluctant to accept the truth that the Bat God had indeed deceived them.

“Mr. Gu, are you sure we can still find the Bat God?”

Daoist Qingyuan couldn’t help but ask.

Since he and Gu Ning’an had left the old forest near the Bat God’s temple, Gu Ning’an had been walking at a slow pace.

Rather than chasing after an evil god, it seemed as though he was strolling through the forest, enjoying the scenery.

Earlier, when the Bat God had just fled, Daoist Qingyuan had been able to sense its lingering aura. But now, he couldn’t even find a trace of it.

Gu Ning’an pointed at the old mountain temple and smiled. “We’re almost there.”

“Almost there?” Daoist Qingyuan frowned. “You mean the Bat God has hidden itself in my temple?”

“Impossible.”

“Though the Sanwu Daoist Temple isn’t famous, it does have some history. My master set up a great evil-exorcising formation here! Any evil spirit entering would be unable to hide!”

“I remember once, a City God from a neighboring county was chasing an evil spirit that passed over our temple. That slippery spirit was completely destroyed by the formation, leaving it disoriented and lifeless!”

“At that time, the City God praised the formation highly.”

“If the formation were activated, I’d be able to sense it, but right now, there’s no sign of it… I’m afraid the Bat God couldn’t have hidden in our temple.”

Gu Ning’an glanced at him and calmly replied, “Let’s take a look. If we can’t find it, we’ll just consider it a chance to tour your temple.”

“…Fine,” Daoist Qingyuan said, his mood mixed.

In his mind, he thought that Gu Ning’an must have lacked the ability to stop the Bat God earlier, which was why he hadn’t taken action.

Now, claiming that he could find it, Daoist Qingyuan suspected it was simply a matter of face.

If they were to deal with the Bat God, they would have to find another way.

“Mr. Gu, please come this way.” After adjusting his mindset, Daoist Qingyuan’s troubled expression lightened a little.

Gu Ning’an nodded and followed him up a slightly slanted hill. Before long, they arrived in front of the “Sanwu Daoist Temple.”

The temple was surrounded by earthen walls, and a dusty plaque hung above the main entrance, reading “Sanwu Daoist Temple.”

The words on the plaque were fairly well done, and according to Daoist Qingyuan, they were written by his master.

Passing through the old wooden door and into the temple, they found a three-legged cauldron in the courtyard. The cauldron contained only some incense ash, clearly showing that it had been a long time since anyone had come to offer their respects.

“Daoist Qingyuan, who does your temple honor?” Gu Ning’an asked, pointing in the direction of the main hall.

Daoist Qingyuan smiled. “In our Sanwu Daoist Temple, we honor our founder, the Sanwu Daoist.¹”

“Actually, the wooden carving I hold is also of the Sanwu Daoist.”

“The Sanwu Daoist… I haven’t heard of him before. Don’t different Daoist temples honor different founders? Or do they all honor the Sanwu Daoist?”

“Of course, they are different. The Sanwu Daoist is unique to our Sanwu Temple.”

As they were speaking, Gu Ning’an and Daoist Qingyuan entered the main hall.

On the altar in the main hall stood a statue of a stern-faced deity!

The statue was made of a bronze-colored material, similar to the arhats in the temple, but its appearance resembled that of a City God.