Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 60 Is she pretty?

Jinniu Lake was bigger than they had imagined.

Standing by the lake, the water stretches out in a vast expanse, seemingly without end.

Willows sway gently along the lake, and painted boats shuttle back and forth. In the distance, you can see a small island in the middle of the lake, with pavilions and towers hidden among the green trees.

"This is Golden Bull Lake?" Li Tang's eyes lit up. "It's so big!"

"I heard that a golden ox once appeared in the lake," Jiang Xun said. "Later, the golden ox flew away, leaving only the lake."

What does a Taurus look like?

"How would I know?" Jiang Xun laughed. "I've never seen it before."

The two walked along the lake for a while, and Li Tang was attracted by a stall selling masks.

The stall was covered with all kinds of masks, some fierce and menacing, some kind and benevolent, and a few with painted faces.

"This one's pretty." Li Tang picked up a white fox mask, held it up to her face, and turned to ask Jiang Xun, "What do you think?"

Jiang Xun glanced at it, and his heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

The white fox mask covered the upper half of her face, revealing only her eyes, which held an indescribable liveliness as they moved.

"It's alright." He looked away. "Buy it if you like."

Li Tang grinned and bought a mask, then held it in his hand and played with it.

After walking for a while, Jiang Xun pointed to the west side of the lake: "There's a mountain over there, see it?"

Li Tang looked in the direction he was pointing, and sure enough, there was a small hill on the west side of the lake. It was not high, but it was lush and green, and the eaves of a temple could be vaguely seen on the top of the hill.

"That must be Wu Mountain," Jiang Xun recalled the information he had gathered yesterday. "There's a City God Temple on the mountain, which is said to be quite efficacious."

"Let's go hiking!" Li Tang said without hesitation, pulling him along.

The mountain wasn't high, only about fifty or sixty zhang (approximately 33-40 meters), and stone steps had been built leading directly to the top. However, the stone steps were steep and narrow, making it difficult for two people to walk side by side.

Jiang Xun walked in front, and Li Tang followed behind.

After walking for a while, Li Tang suddenly said, "Jiang Xun."

"Um?"

The way you looked at me just now was a little strange.

Jiang Xun stumbled and almost lost his footing.

He steadied himself and said without turning his head, "What's so strange? I was just checking if the mask looked good."

"Really?" Li Tang's voice held a hint of mischief. "Then why are your ears red?"

Jiang Xun subconsciously touched his ear—it really was a little hot.

"It's hot," he mumbled. "From climbing the mountain."

Li Tang chuckled softly from behind and didn't press the matter further.

After walking for a while, the stone steps gradually became gentler, and a flat area appeared in front of us.

In the middle stands a temple with green tiles and red walls, surrounded by the smoke of incense.

Several old pine trees stand in front of the temple, their branches gnarled and twisted, clearly indicating their age.

There were several stalls set up at the entrance of the temple, selling incense and candles, snacks, and fortune telling.

Jiang Xun was about to walk into the temple when he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Several people dressed in martial arts attire stood beside the stone steps in front of the temple.

The leader was a man in his early twenties, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, with a long sword at his waist, and a hint of arrogance between his brows.

Several attendants followed behind him, all of whom were armed.

The group of people were focused on a certain direction at the foot of the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, there is a continuous stretch of houses, with white walls and black tiles, standing side by side, covering a very large area.

One of the houses, with its layered, bluish-gray roof ridges, was nestled in the dense shade of several old locust trees.

Deep within the courtyard, a tall tower can be faintly seen, its upturned eaves gleaming with a cool, bluish light in the afternoon sun.

"That's the Meng residence." An old man with a stall nearby saw Jiang Xun looking at it intently and took the initiative to speak. "It's the residence of the great scholar Meng."

Jiang Xun nodded, then glanced at the group of martial arts practitioners.

Their eyes were fixed on that tall tower.

"Let's go," Li Tang tugged at Jiang Xun, "Let's go inside the temple and take a look."

The City God Temple is not large, with two courtyards.

The front hall enshrines the City God, whose statue is majestic, with judges and little devils standing on either side.

Incense smoke curled from the altar, and several believers were kowtowing and making wishes.

Li Tang also lit incense, closed his eyes and made a wish for a long time, looking very devout.

Jiang Xun stood to the side watching, but in his mind he was thinking about those few martial arts figures from earlier.

What are they staring at in the Meng residence?

"What did you wish for?" Li Tang opened her eyes and asked curiously when she saw him lost in thought.

"I didn't promise," Jiang Xun said, coming back to his senses. "I don't believe in that."

He had struggled in the streets since childhood, praying to God countless times, but God never paid him any attention.

Later he realized that it's better to rely on yourself than on others, and better to clench your fist than to pray to God.

Li Tang pursed her lips and said nothing more.

The two walked out of the back hall and came to the hillside behind the temple.

The view here is better; from this vantage point, the entire city of Qiantang can be seen.

The houses with white walls and black tiles stand side by side, and the waterways are crisscrossed, with countless boats shuttling back and forth.

The Meng residence in the distance was now visible even more clearly.

The tall tower stood at the very back of the courtyard, much higher than the surrounding rooftops. It was made entirely of blue bricks, with an octagonal body and upturned eaves on each level.

The tower is surrounded by walls, and several dark figures can be vaguely seen moving back and forth beneath it.

"There are guards." Jiang Xun narrowed his eyes. "Quite a few."

Li Tang followed his gaze and frowned: "What treasure is Master Meng hiding that requires so many people to watch over him?"

Jiang Xun didn't respond to her, but instead observed her closely.

Suddenly, a thought struck Li Tang, and she blurted out, "Do you think the Dragon Crystal might be hidden inside the tower?"

"Possibly," Jiang Xun said, his gaze still fixed on the tower, "but not necessarily."

Li Tang was already excited and tugged at his sleeve: "Aren't we going to the Meng residence tonight? Let's go take a look."

The two stood on the hillside for a while, preparing to descend the mountain, when suddenly a commotion arose from the other end of the mountain path, interspersed with the sounds of clashing swords.

Jiang Xun's heart tightened, and he pulled Li Tang closer out of curiosity.

A large crowd gathered in the open space in front of the temple.

In the very center of the circle, a young man dressed in black stood with his hands behind his back, his face expressionless.

Three people were lying at his feet, groaning and unable to get up.

There were seven or eight men standing nearby, each with a knife or sword, all looking wary, and none of them dared to step forward.

"Hey kid from the North, don't be so arrogant!" a middle-aged man shouted from the crowd. "This is the Great Yong, not your Northern Territory!"

The young man in black glanced at him but didn't say a word. His gaze was as if he were looking at a noisy ant.

Enraged by the look in his eyes, the middle-aged man roared and lunged forward with his knife.

A flash of light, and it slashed straight at the opponent's face—

Then there is no more.

No one saw how the young man in black made his move. There was a loud clang, and the middle-aged man's knife flew into the air. He was sent flying backward and crashed into the crowd, knocking over two more people.

The audience was silent.

The young man in black patted off non-existent dust from his sleeves, turned around, and left.

The crowd automatically parted to make way, and no one dared to stop them.

Jiang Xun stood by the mountain path, instinctively shielding Li Tang behind him. His back was tense, but his gaze remained relatively calm as he watched the young man in black approach.

The footsteps were neither hurried nor slow.

As they passed each other, the person suddenly stopped.

Jiang Xun felt a gaze fall on him—very faint, yet seemingly heavy, slowly sweeping over him from top to bottom.

He didn't flinch; he raised his head and met those eyes.

Those were extremely cold eyes, with jet-black pupils that seemed bottomless.

You can't tell if they're happy or angry, or what they're thinking.

The two looked at each other for a moment, neither of them speaking.

Then the young man in black withdrew his gaze and continued walking down the mountain expressionlessly.

After the person had walked away, Li Tang asked in a low voice, "Who was that person? He had such a big presence."

Jiang Xun shook his head: "I don't know, but he's definitely not simple." He paused, then added, "He exudes a murderous aura, the kind that comes from someone who has actually killed someone."

Li Tang subconsciously glanced back, but the young man in black had already disappeared around the corner.

"Let's go," Jiang Xun said, "Don't look anymore."

The two walked down the mountain path.

When we reached the halfway point of the mountain, a few more people came up in front of us.

Three men and one woman, all carrying weapons, clearly belonged to the martial arts world.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a full beard, carrying a broadsword on his back, and he was chatting enthusiastically with his companion.

"...I heard that the Fairy of Mirror Lake has also come."

"That's right, someone saw her walking on the street yesterday."

"That face, tsk tsk, no wonder she's called the most beautiful woman in the martial arts world—"

The group chatted and laughed as they passed by Jiang Xun and his companion.

Li Tang paused, and after those people had gone far away, she suddenly turned around and looked at Jiang Xun.

Have you ever seen the Fairy of Mirror Lake?

"Never seen it before."

"Is she pretty?"

"have no idea."

……