Gaoyang's temperament was frank and straightforward, akin to that of a heroine. Upon learning what had happened to Jiang Liu, she naturally filled with rage toward Esquire Zhang of Jinshan Village.
Regardless of her relationship with Jiang Liu, even if Jiang Liu had been a complete stranger, she would not have stood idly by if she had known about the incident.
Jiang Liu was not surprised by Gaoyang's reaction. After all, they had known each other for many days and had spent some time together. He had some understanding of her heroic nature.
It wasn't just Gaoyang who felt angry, Jiang Liu himself was irritated as well.
The thought of the unkind rich man brought to Jiang Liu's mind the phrase: "Wealth does not breed benevolence." He reflexively thought of this term regarding Esquire Zhang from the village below the mountain.
At the same time, he also recalled the incident from a few days ago when Senior Brother Xuanwu had descended the mountain to help the Zhang family's resentful spirit. Could it be that his family's haunting was not a mere accident?
Could it be that he had done something that violated the natural order?
After all, there's a common saying: "Those who have done no wrong do not fear ghosts knocking at their door."
"Jiang Liu, let's go down the mountain," Gaoyang declared with righteous indignation, seemingly eager to right wrongs. She grabbed Jiang Liu and headed down the mountain.
"Wait, let's talk about this later..." However, as Gaoyang was pulling him down the mountain, Jiang Liu shook his head and spoke.
"What, are you chickening out? If you are, I, this heroine, will go by myself," Gaoyang turned to look at Jiang Liu with a displeased expression.
"It doesn't seem right to do this in broad daylight. I'll be leaving the monastic life soon, but if I just leave like this, won't it affect the other people in the temple?" Jiang Liu analyzed as he looked at Gaoyang.
If one is to act on something, they should consider the consequences. Would he, who acts on impulse, involve the temple in his actions? Jiang Liu could not do such a thing.
Sure enough, after listening to Jiang Liu's analysis, Gaoyang hesitated for a moment and then nodded slightly.
Through her interactions with Jiang Liu over these days, Gaoyang also knew that Jinshan Temple was just a rundown little monastery. Such vengeful actions under the light of day could indeed have a negative impact on Jinshan Temple.
"Alright then, we'll go tonight," she nodded, forcibly suppressing her eagerness to deliver justice.
They spent the afternoon together, chatting and slaying monsters, and time passed quickly.
Unlike before, when it was Gaoyang taking the lead and Jiang Liu merely assisting, that afternoon with an ebony stick in hand and the power of the Arhat Fist to boost him, Jiang Liu was not weak when he made his move.
With a thrust of his stick, even a piece of green rock would crack open. The power to split stones and break tablets seemed to be no weaker than what Senior Brother Xuankong had demonstrated that night.
"Jiang Liu, you truly are a martial arts prodigy!" Gaoyang, who had been with Jiang Liu for several days and deeply felt the improvement in his strength, spoke with a look of surprise on her face.
"It's alright…" Jiang Liu smiled modestly, but there was a secret joy in his heart.
The Arhat Fist combined with the ebony stick offered a significant boost to his attack power. Looking at attack power alone, he was already more than a match for any ordinary demon.
"It's getting late. Let's meet at the foot of the mountain when the hour of Wu and Hai overlap," Jiang Liu said as he looked at the sky.
The overlap of Wu and Hai would be around 9 p.m. modern time.
For ancient times without much in the way of entertainment, people would have mostly been asleep by this time.
"Alright," Gaoyang nodded in agreement and then turned to leave.
Watching Gaoyang's figure disappear into the distance, Jiang Liu also folded back to Jinshan Temple.
But upon entering the temple, Jiang Liu did not rush to the kitchen to cook, instead, he sought out Senior Abbot Faming, and at the same time, Senior Brother Xuankong was unexpectedly also present.
Fortunately, Senior Brother Xuankong was the protective martial monk of the temple, and it was indeed necessary to inform him of the matter.
"Liu'er, what's the matter?" Senior Abbot Faming, still with his kind and benevolent expression, glanced unobtrusively at Jiang Liu's ebony stick and asked with a smile.
"Abbot, there has been an incident," Jiang Liu did not beat around the bush, briefly and succinctly recounting his encounter with bandits in the back mountain earlier that day.
"Esquire Zhang's nature is so vicious? To seek your Salt Refining Technique, he actually colluded with bandits to kidnap you?" Abbot Faming's face darkened slightly, his eyebrows knitting together.
"Hmph!" Senior Brother Xuankong did not speak, but let out a cold snort, clearly expressing his stance.
Although Jinshan Temple was merely a dilapidated small temple, it was not a place that could be bullied at will.
What's more, he was the protective martial monk of the temple, yet Jiang Liu had almost fallen victim to someone's scheme; Xuankong naturally felt he had neglected his duty.
"Abbot, I have no other intention in saying this, I just want everyone to be more vigilant. Those bandits might come to seek revenge," Jiang Liu followed up his recount of the assault with a reminder.
"Seek revenge? Liu'er, those bandits who attacked you, they…"
Abbot Faming and Senior Brother Xuankong initially thought Jiang Liu had simply been lucky to escape from the bandits, but upon hearing "seek revenge," both were startled, realizing something.
"During my resistance, I went too far and accidentally killed a few of them," Jiang Liu scratched his head, speaking somewhat awkwardly and embarrassedly.
"You, a Novice Monk, how could you have overcome those fierce bandits?" Abbot Faming asked, looking at Jiang Liu in astonishment.
Just a fifteen-year-old boy, who had lived in the temple since childhood, Faming thought he knew him well, yet Jiang Liu had unexpectedly slain several fierce bandits, which was shocking.
Facing the Abbot's query, Jiang Liu hesitated slightly and glanced at Senior Brother Xuankong before stretching out his hands.
A golden glow swirled between Jiang Liu's palms, a sign of the Arhat Fist being deployed: "Abbot, please forgive me. I previously spied on Senior Brother Xuankong practicing martial arts and secretly learned some."
Watching the golden glow between Jiang Liu's palms, Abbot Faming was taken aback. The bright radiance indicated that the Arhat Fist had been trained to a highly profound level.
Although not a martial monk, Abbot Faming had a keen eye, and judging from the brightness of the glow, Jiang Liu's secretly learned Arhat Fist appeared to even surpass that of Xuankong?
How long had he secretly learned it to achieve such success? Could he be a martial prodigy?
Faming's heart was secretly shaken and amazed, while Senior Brother Xuankong's eyes widened, looking at Jiang Liu's hands, then back to Jiang Liu's slightly youthful face, with an expression as if he had seen a ghost.
Abbot Faming might have thought that Jiang Liu had been secretly learning the Arhat Fist for some time, but Xuankong was very aware that he had only passed on the Arhat Fist to him secretly for a mere few days, hadn't he?