Jinyue was right, there really is an old mountain lord temple on the back mountain of Wuji Sect.
And beneath the mountain god temple, a demonic altar is hidden.
Every full moon, Gu Wanglan would perform sacrifices on this altar.
This is the truth behind Gu Wanglan being the villain.
He was originally a righteous cultivator, but he went astray in his cultivation and became tainted by evil teachings.
According to the prophecy of an evil cult expert, Gu Wanglan first massacred a snow village on the northern border, capturing the local guardian deity, the Nine-Colored Deer, and imprisoning it in the dungeon of the mountain god temple.
Later, Gu Wanglan also massacred a village on the western border, pretending to be a "life-saving benefactor" and bringing the chosen one, Chen Jianxin, back to Wuji Sect.
In the game, both the Nine-Colored Deer and Chen Jianxin were Gu Wanglan's sacrificial offerings.
By sacrificing them, Gu Wanglan could inherit the divine power of the Nine-Colored Deer and Chen Jianxin's innate holy sword physique.
The only difference was that the Nine-Colored Deer was imprisoned, while Chen Jianxin was allowed to roam freely in Wuji Sect.
The rumored deer cry was actually coming from the imprisoned Nine-Colored Deer.
Now, Gu Wanglan hasn't made a move on the Nine-Colored Deer and Chen Jianxin only because the full moon night hasn't arrived yet. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left survivors after massacring the villages.
So, the analysis of the events becomes very clear at this point.
The rumor about the mountain god temple being haunted isn't as mysterious as Jinyue made it out to be. It's just one of the main storylines involving the boss in the original plot.
There's undoubtedly an element of Jinyue exaggerating to scare Yino.
After all, as someone also from an evil cult background, the Pleasure Demon, there's probably no one in this world who understands the truth behind these so-called "haunting" rumors better than her, except for Yino.
In essence, both Yino and Jinyue actually have the script, and their common enemy is the main character Chen Jianxin.
But now, the situation has taken an unexpected turn...
These two villains with the script, instead of going after Chen Jianxin, are actually fighting among themselves in this quiet forest late at night.
"So, Senior Sister came to the back mountain just to investigate the truth behind the rumors?"
Yino took a deep breath with a suspicious gaze as he stared at Jinyue.
Just as Jinyue didn't understand why he would appear here, Yino now couldn't figure out what the back mountain rumors had to do with her.
Could it be that Jinyue also planned to loot the mountain lord temple and then frame Chen Jianxin?
If it's really such a coincidence, it could only be described as a meeting of minds between villains.
This is not a joke.
In fact, when Yino came to the back mountain tonight, he had really considered looting the treasures from the mountain temple, rescuing the Nine-Colored Deer in passing, and then leaving clues to frame either Chen Jianxin or Jinyue for the theft.
However, this plan had two problems.
First, the mountain lord temple was fraught with dangers, posing a great risk to Yino.
Second, the temple was deeply hidden and could only be found by following the deer's cry, but Yino hadn't heard any deer cry despite wandering in the mountains for half a day.
Later, Yino temporarily gave up on the idea.
He just didn't expect that when he encountered Jinyue in the forest, her suspicious behavior would also point towards the mountain temple!
"Yes!"
"But, Brother Yino, aren't you afraid at all?"
The pink-haired girl blinked, her alluring eyes curiously looking at Yino.
She had deliberately exaggerated the deer's cry as a baby's wail, just to scare Yino and make him afraid and retreat.
But now, Yino didn't seem scared at all, and was unexpectedly calm.
"Senior Sister, you know."
"I believe in what I see, so I'm not afraid of ghosts—"
Yino began to explain seriously.
Jinyue was about to make a sarcastic comment, but before she could speak, a deer's cry echoed from the depths of the bamboo forest in the distance.
This deer's cry was miserable and sorrowful, like the cry of a young cub, with a soul-piercing power that affected any living being. In an instant, it made Yino and Jinyue freeze on the spot, cold sweat breaking out on their foreheads.
After a moment of fear, Jinyue and Yino couldn't help but widen their eyes simultaneously.
The look in their eyes was not of fear, but of surprise and greed at discovering a treasure.
"It really does sound like a baby crying!"
Jinyue said with a pretend look of surprise.
-What kind of luck is this, we actually encountered it!-
Yino narrowed his cold eyes, a drop of cold sweat sliding down his forehead, his heart racing with both suspicion and excitement.
The suspicion was directed at Jinyue, while the excitement was because he actually had a complete guide to skipping class at the mountain lord temple in his mind!
If he could find the temple from the main storyline, Yino could clean out the entire temple in one night!
This mountain temple was originally a map that could only be unlocked and looted after the main character defeated Gu Wanglan in the storyline—even without counting the Nine-Colored Deer, the treasures hidden below were not few!
But the biggest problem now was that Jinyue also seemed enthusiastic about the mountain lord temple.
The good news was that Yino might be able to use Jinyue to scout the path.
The bad news was that with Jinyue here, Yino couldn't openly loot.
This was a question worth weighing the pros and cons!
"Brother Yino, this temple is too dangerous, maybe you should go back."
After hearing the deer's cry, Jinyue suddenly had a change of heart.
If she had known they would really hear the deer's cry, she wouldn't have kept Yino by her side.
Compared to the secrets Yino might be hiding, the mountain temple that presented itself now was more valuable!
"But..."
Yino shrugged, saying quite innocently: "I'm lost, I can't get out of this secret realm on my own."
"Oh, that's right..."
Jinyue's lips twitched as she remembered this problem.
She wanted to go to the temple alone, but if she sent Yino out of the secret realm now, she couldn't be sure she'd still be able to hear the deer's cry when she came back.
This deer's cry was very mystical, who knows when they'd hear it again!
"If Senior Sister is really curious about the mountain temple, why don't I accompany you to take a look?"
Yino smiled gently, speaking obediently.
As a boy who had just turned sixteen, he could easily display a puppy-like demeanor in front of his senior sister.
Now the positions had reversed, it was no longer Yino wanting to shake off Jinyue, but Jinyue wanting to shake off Yino.
When Yino wanted to run earlier, Jinyue was suspicious and insisted on holding onto him.
Now, knowing that the mountain temple had good things, Yino was not letting go of Jinyue's support!
"Alright, alright then."
Jinyue's lips twitched, not expecting this to backfire on her.
-But thinking carefully, bringing Yino along to the mountain temple might not necessarily be a bad thing-
Although she couldn't act recklessly like at the Grand Tutor's Mansion due to the existence of the jade pendant, if they really encountered any unforeseen circumstances at the mountain god temple, Yino's jade pendant could still summon Yuyan to save the day!
The difference lay in how Jinyue should make her choices next!
After a brief discussion, the two packed up and began exploring in the direction of the deer's cry.
As they went deeper, the atmosphere and environment of the surrounding bamboo forest gradually became more gloomy and desolate.
In the misty night, Yino could already vaguely see the outline of the mountain temple.
The sorrowful deer's cry also became clearer.
At some point, Yino suddenly stopped in his tracks and took the initiative to hold Jinyue's small hand.
"Hmm?"
Jinyue turned back in surprise, about to rebuke Yino for taking liberties, but before she could speak, she saw a pale, uneasy expression on the young man's face.
Yino took a deep breath and said somewhat pitifully: "Senior Sister, you know that I'm just a mortal who has just joined Wuji Sect, I don't have much fighting power..."
"When we get to the mountain temple later, if we encounter any danger, can Senior Sister walk in front to protect me?"
Upon hearing this, Jinyue was left speechless.
She felt some strange uneasy rising in her heart. She couldn't refuse to hold Yino's hand, and she also couldn't refuse Yino's proposal, either emotionally or rationally.
This time, it was Jinyue's turn to be caught in a dilemma.
"Of, of course."
She pursed her lips, smiled awkwardly, and held Yino's jade hand even tighter.
Yino nodded and followed closely behind.
With the last sorrowful deer's cry, Yino and Jinyue finally entered the mountain temple one after another.
...
...
...
*Tick, tick, tick...*
At the top of Ranmo Peak, the white-robed woman sat in front of a stone platform, holding an old chess manual and playing chess alone.
As time passed second by second, the curve of her willow-like eyebrows deepened.
Although she was playing chess, her thoughts were not on the chessboard at all. In her mind, she kept vaguely recalling the scene of Yino laughing and talking with a pink-haired girl during the day.
Finally, as the last chess piece was placed, Yuyan anxiously clenched her fists.
"Staying out all night on the first day of coming down the mountain..."
"Yino, you really have some nerve."