Chapter 650: High Efficiency

"I was too tired last night and didn't get a chance to ask, Miss Peacock, why are you being targeted by assassins?" Meng Jingzhou, a righteous and courageous man, inquired.

Peacock pondered for a moment. These three had saved her life last night, so she trusted them. There was no harm in telling them. "It's not convenient to talk here. How about we go back to the room?" she suggested.

The five of them—three men and two women—went to Peacock's room.

Peacock poured tea for the four of them. Setting down the teapot, she slowly began, "This story starts after my master left the Daoist temple."

"The Daoist temple my master presided over was called Mountain and River Temple. There were only two of us there: my master and me."

"In his youth, my master accumulated many romantic entanglements and was often sought out by his former lovers. Over time, seeing that my cultivation had matured and I could protect myself, he used the excuse of traveling the world and left the temple to avoid his debts."

"After my master left, his former lovers came to the temple much less frequently. The temple became deserted, with only me remaining."

"Then, one day, while I was meditating in my room, I heard a loud crash in the courtyard. I ran out to see a blood-soaked man who had crashed into the yard."

"The man was handsome, but his injuries were severe, and his clothes were soaked in blood."

"Without thinking twice, I carried him into the house, cut open his clothes, and treated his wounds."

"The man slept for about a week. I don't know what cultivation technique he practiced, but his wounds gradually healed."

"After he woke up, he was taciturn and didn't even say thank you. He just lingered at the temple and wouldn't leave. I couldn't very well throw him out, so I just let him stay."

"Another month passed, and the man's injuries fully recovered. Suddenly, he grabbed my wrist and declared that he had fallen in love with me and wanted me to go with him."

"I didn't even know his name or identity, and his attitude was very forceful. His grip on my wrist was painful. After I broke free, I immediately refused."

"The man curled his lips into a cold smile. He said that no one had ever dared to defy his orders since he was a child, and I was the first. He then added that anyone he set his eyes on would either become his or become a dead person. If I didn't go with him, he would send an endless stream of assassins to hunt me down. After that, he left."

"I wasn't sure if he was just blustering, but I felt a sinister aura about his words and was terrified. So, I packed my bags that very night, thinking that if I came to a bustling city, the assassins he sent wouldn't dare to pursue me."

"That's how I ended up in Spring River City, and it's here that I met my younger sister and the three young heroes."

"So arrogant?" Meng Jingzhou raised an eyebrow. Even he, the esteemed Saint Son of the Heavenly Court Sect, and the mischievous Young Sect Master beside him weren't like that.

"Don't worry, Miss Peacock," Meng Jingzhou assured her, "with us here, no assassin will be able to harm you!"

"Amitabha, so that's what happened."

"It seems last night's assassin was just the first. More assassins will likely attempt to kill Benefactress Peacock in the future."

Shi Chan took out a string of sandalwood prayer beads from his sleeve and presented them to Peacock. "These prayer beads have been blessed by my vow power and can withstand the attacks of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator for a quarter of an hour. At the same time, I will also sense any danger. Please accept them, Benefactress Peacock, for your safety."

"Na-Nascent Soul stage?"

Peacock was dumbfounded. How many spirit stones would that be worth? Even if she sold herself, she couldn't afford something so expensive.

"I... I can't afford it."

Shi Chan smiled faintly and placed the beads in Peacock's hand. "The Buddha said that saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda. This humble monk will be repaid without you having to give anything. I only hope that in the future, you refrain from evil deeds and perform more good deeds. That will be repayment enough for this humble monk."

"Then thank you very much, Master."

Peacock treasured the beads, wrapping them in a handkerchief and carefully tucking them into her bosom.

"This is the second time I've received a favor from Buddhism," Peacock said, smiling happily.

"Second time?"

"The first time was a story our mother told us, from before my sister and I were born. I was very young when I got separated from my family, so my memories aren't very deep."

"Sister, you probably remember it more clearly than I do, right?"

Fuling gently hummed in affirmation and recounted, "Initially, Father and Mother couldn't conceive a child for a long time. They happened to hear that there was a high monk at Guilin Temple who was skilled at prayers for conception. So, Mother went to Guilin Temple and found that monk, Master Yuxin."

"After she returned, Mother indeed became pregnant."

"Mother always said that our births were a Buddhist blessing, a gift from the Buddha, and that in the future, we should do good deeds and accumulate virtue to repay the Buddha's grace."

"After my elder sister went missing, Mother also went to Guilin Temple to search for Master Yuxin, but unfortunately, by then, Master Yuxin had already passed away."

Lu Yang's expression was odd. Master Yuxin's method for conceiving children seemed to work so quickly; was it a legitimate method?

Lu Yang turned his head and asked Shi Chan, "Have you heard of Guilin Temple or Master Yuxin?"

Shi Chan gently shook his head. "There are countless temples in the world, and this humble monk cannot know all of them. As for Master Yuxin, I have not heard of him either. Perhaps he was a reclusive high monk."

*Knock, knock, knock.*

Peacock's room door was knocked on.

"Is Miss Peacock in?"

Peacock immediately grew wary, staring intently at the door, a strong sense of danger clinging to her heart.

"Who is it?"

"From the Yamen."

Peacock was perplexed and grew even more vigilant. Why would the Yamen be looking for her? She had already reported everything she knew when she filed the case last night.

Lu Yang frowned. He used his divine sense to observe that it was indeed constables outside the door, at least they were wearing constables' uniforms.

Moreover, their cultivation was not low—they were at the Golden Core stage—and there was a faint scent of blood on them, indicating they had clearly just killed someone.

Lu Yang gave a subtle look, signaling that it was fine with them present, and she should just open the door.

Peacock boldly opened the door to reveal three unfamiliar constables.

The constables were also surprised to see three men and two women in Miss Peacock's room. *Why are there so many people?*

"Which of you two is Miss Peacock?" the lead constable asked, unable to distinguish between Fuling and Peacock.

"I am. What can I do for you?" Miss Peacock replied calmly.

"This involves Miss Peacock's privacy, so we'd like to ask you to step outside, please."

Peacock became even more vigilant and firmly shook her head. "Everyone here is trustworthy. You can speak here."

The lead constable hesitated for a moment, then decided to respect Peacock's wishes.

"It's like this: based on the reason you were targeted by assassins, which you reported last night, and the employer identified by the assassin, we reported this situation overnight. We've already used these clues to identify the man who wants to kill you."

"The Prefect believes this is a major problem and ordered us to act immediately."

"Just now, in a joint operation across various cities, we raided this man's stronghold and arrested him. A total of three Soul Transformation stage cultivators, fifteen Nascent Soul stage cultivators, and numerous Golden Core stage cultivators participated in this operation, and I was one of them."

"We wanted to confirm with you, Miss Peacock, if this is the person?"

As he spoke, the constable took a paper from his embrace. The man depicted on the paper was handsome, with a hint of sinister charm.

Peacock: "..."

*Your Yamen is quite efficient.*