Chapter 114: No One Is Born Evil

Standing at the entrance of the ancient Baolian Temple, I took a deep breath and pushed open the massive gate with a firm step, yet I did not walk inside immediately. Instead, I used the moonlight outside to peer into the darkness within.

“Since you’ve come all this way, are you still afraid to enter?”

A shiver ran through me—this voice was unmistakably that of the young woman from the phone.

I kicked Xiao Bei sharply in the backside. “Go in!”

He leaned forward and dashed inside for a few steps. I hurried after him, staying close behind, grabbing his neck to prevent him from fleeing. At the same time, I drew a dagger from my back waist and pressed its blade against his neck from the side.

“Stop pretending and come out.”

Peering over Xiao Bei’s shoulder, I scanned the emptiness ahead. There was no one—only endless darkness.

Suddenly, a cold breeze whispered past my ear. I shuddered and turned my head sharply. My breath caught in my throat.

Before me stood an old, wrinkled face, eyes squinting as it gazed at me—so close I could almost feel the chill. It made my scalp tingle.

I pushed Xiao Bei a couple of steps inside and then spun around with him.

It was an old woman, her left ear adorned with a tiny skull earring, and a small stud piercing her brow.

“Jiang Huai? So you’re actually this timid,” she said.

Her voice jolted me—it was the same youthful, tender voice of that young woman on the phone, strangely emanating from such an aged figure.

Could this old woman’s voice never age?

“Surprising to find you’re an old demon now. Old enough to be ashamed, yet still targeting young girls,” I sneered coldly, showing no mercy.

She didn’t seem angered; instead, a smile crept up at the corners of her mouth, her eyes nearly closed as if amused.

Just as I was about to speak, Xiao Bei, whose neck I still held, suddenly struggled.

I furrowed my brows. “Trying to run?”

Without hesitation, I struck his temple with the dagger’s handle.

Already weak, the blow sent him collapsing to the ground.

Pressing my foot against his face, I glanced at the old woman and demanded, “Where is Yu Nie?”

“Little Jiang Huai, you’re still too young. Didn’t Jiang Shan teach you never to show mercy when facing someone from the Golden Cicada Society?” She reached up to brush her graying hair.

Another person connected to my grandfather.

Curiosity stirred within me. What past had my grandfather shared with the Golden Cicada Society? When he left, he begged me not to utter his name, yet everyone I met seemed familiar with him.

Beneath my foot, Xiao Bei clawed at my pant leg, trembling violently. He tried to speak but could only emit faint whimpers, his eyes brimming with sheer terror.

Suddenly, I recalled Chen Hu’s earlier tale about his own experiences.

Connecting the dots with Xiao Bei’s terrified demeanor, it was clear this old woman wasn’t here to save anyone—she came to kill, to silence!

The old woman smiled slyly and reached out her hand. My expression hardened, and I kicked Xiao Bei aside.

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

Three steel spikes, thinner than a finger, embedded themselves deeply into the ground where Xiao Bei had just lain.

I’d walked right into a trap.

“Hehe…” the old woman chuckled eerily. “If Jiang Shan were here, he wouldn’t even bother with me.”

I glared at her and immediately stepped in front of Xiao Bei. “With me here, you won’t kill him today. You’ll be staying right here yourself.”

“Hahaha!” The old woman laughed as if I’d just told the world’s biggest joke. “Even Jiang Shan wouldn’t dare speak so arrogantly to me. You? Then let this old crone play with you.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than a surge of black mist burst forth, enveloping her figure.

In the blink of an eye, the black cloud dissipated, and the old woman vanished.

I swiftly gripped my blade, eyes scanning every shadow.

I steadied my breath, determined not to miss a single detail.

Then, from behind me, Xiao Bei, still on the ground, let out a strangled cry.

Turning around, I saw a steel spike piercing his arm.

Before I could react to the old woman’s disappearance, I hastily pulled Xiao Bei up and started running.

But after just a few steps, something seized Xiao Bei’s other arm.

I turned to see a mass of black mist gripping it tightly.

I pulled one arm; the mist pulled back.

Xiao Bei’s eyes widened in terror as he shook his head desperately. In that moment, I saw the raw will to live burning within him.

I took a deep breath, clipped the dagger to my waist, and drew a worn-out curse talisman from my pocket.

“Swift as the law commands! Break the curse! Disperse!”

The talisman flared into flame, and I slapped the fiery symbol into the black mist.

But the flames vanished like a stone sinking into the sea.

The mist churned, then suddenly a ghostly green flame shot forth, striking Xiao Bei squarely.

“Bang!”

The fire engulfed him from head to toe, instantly scorching every strand of hair on his head.

“Save... me…”

Good or evil, when faced with life and death, every soul instinctively strives to survive.

Perhaps in that moment, Xiao Bei truly regretted his choices.

Regret for seeking me out alone, regret for not resisting when brought here, and regret for clinging to false hopes in the Golden Cicada Society’s leadership.

Maybe even regret for ever learning the dark arts instead of following the righteous path and joining the Golden Cicada Society properly.

There is no cure for regret in this world; fate has already been sealed.

The flames spread rapidly—if I didn’t let go, the ghost fire would crawl up my hand and consume me entirely.

I had dealt with many crises before, but never felt so powerless as today.

Xiao Bei deserved his fate, but he shouldn’t die here and now.

Suddenly, a hand emerged from the black mist—wrinkled yet adorned with manicured nails.

Ignoring the eerie green flames enveloping Xiao Bei, it grasped him and pulled him back into the mist!