Zhang Fugui, resident of Shangfang Vilge, January 3rd. Axed to death, struggled at the time of death. Earned 327 taels of silver. Faced sewn shut with red thread.

  Xu Zhongshan, resident of Shangfang Vilge, January 8th. Killed on the mountainside with an axe. Earned 112 taels of silver. Faced sewn shut with red thread.

  Wang Shou, resident of Shangfang Vilge, January 15th. Strangled with a rope. Earned 50 taels of silver. Faced sewn shut with red thread.

  ………

  Xu Erman, resident of Guan Yu Vilge, February 10th. Killed with a stone. Earned one tael of silver. Faced sewn shut with red thread.

  Guan Zhuzhu, resident of Guan Yu Vilge, February 18th. Killed with a branch. Earned 500 taels of silver. Faced sewn shut with red thread.

  …………..

  Li Tangzhong, resident of Guan Yu Vilge, April 7th. Killed with a stone axe. Earned 1,000 taels of silver. Faced sewn shut with red thread.

  Jing Hai gasped in horror. He didn’t know what he had just seen, but he could feel the overwhelming stench of blood from the ledger. The bloodstains on the pages were enough to almost shatter his sanity.

  “Who? Who killed these people?” Jing Zhong's voice was hoarse.

  "You three really followed me!" A familiar voice suddenly came from behind, but now it sounded cold.

  “Master...” Jing Ren called softly, his eyes widening in fear as he noticed that Xu Neng's gaze had turned terrifying—so terrifying that it made him feel a deep sense of dread.

  “You three are quite bold to disobey my orders!” Master Xu Neng gnced at the bck ledger in Jing Ren's hand and asked, “So, you′ve all seen it?”

  “Master, these…” Jing Ren swallowed hard, finally gathering the courage to speak, “These people died unnatural deaths. But how did they die?”

  "Ha ha..." Xu Neng ughed, his ugh dark and sinister. The compassionate, kind expression he once had was gone, repced by a sly, malevolent face. Jing Ren suddenly realized that he no longer recognized the person standing before him.

  Xu Neng admitted he was the killer.

  Xu Neng confessed that the victims were all pilgrims who had come to the temple to pray. To obtain their silver, he had ambushed and killed them midway.

  Master Xu Neng understood the principles of yin and yang and used his knowledge to pacify the "anger" of the vengeful spirits of the dead.

  Jing Ren, Jing Zhong, and Jing Hai understood now—Master Xu Neng was nothing more than a false, hypocritical man with a kind exterior but a wicked heart. They suddenly felt sick, realizing that they had always thought of him as a good person.

  "Why did you do this?" Jing Ren still couldn't believe what he was hearing.

  "The people of this world are driven by the pursuit of power and wealth, and I am no different. I am simply more interested in gold and silver," Xu Neng no longer hid his hypocritical nature, his voice cold as he spoke. At the same time, he raised his hand, and the rge sleeve of his robe flipped back, revealing a gleaming axe.

  Jing Ren, Jing Zhong, and Jing Hai realized their fate: they would soon become three more corpses in this pce. But they couldn't accept it. They were still children, not yet grown, and how could they just become the victims of someone's murderous hand—especially when that person had once been their beloved master? So, they fought back—an unprecedented resistance.

  Lao Fu paused again as he spoke, his eyes fixed on the old woman. Though he couldn't see her face clearly, he was certain that after hearing his words, her expression must have changed.

  "I remember there was a theater troupe that often stayed at the temple," Xu Mama suddenly interjected.

  "Yes, yes! I remember too! I used to secretly watch them rehearse," Kong Bei seemed to forget his earlier fear, his excitement returning.

  "The troupe often performed in the nearby vilges, and at night they would stay at the temple," Xu Mama continued, ignoring Kong Bei. "There was a very popur actress in that troupe. Everyone in the area loved watching her performances."

  "Yes, you're talking about Xue Qiuqiu, Lao Fu's wife," Kong Bei said as he gnced at Lao Fu. But suddenly, he froze. He wasn't looking at Lao Fu; neither was he looking at Xu Mama or Mo Bai. Suddenly, Kong Bei realized how foolish he was, not understanding the tangled connections between them all.

  "I suddenly feel like telling a story about the theater troupe," Xu Mama said with a smile.