White Ape pondered this question for a long time before he finally understood.
At this moment, it stretched out its hand to pick up the scattered grapes on the ground. Only then did it step out of the courtyard.
The monk in the yard was stern and beardless, yet he exuded an air of majesty and holiness. Wielding a demon-subduing pestle, he formed a lotus seal with one hand and his furious eyes seemed to carry electricity. Dressed in monk's robes and clean shoes, he looked clean and untainted.
Having followed Lin Jin around, White Ape had seen much of the world. One look and he could tell this monk wasn't a simple character. The majestic aura emanating from him made White Ape feel uncomfortable.
This monk wasn't as simple as he seemed, but White Ape wasn't one to be trifled with either. However, White Ape was now sensible, especially after learning etiquette from Lin Jin. After sizing up the monk, White Ape knew that he didn't come with good intentions but still saluted. "Greetings, Master!"
Polite and cultured.
The monk was stunned. But having spent so many years subduing monsters, he had seen all kinds of cunning demons. He decided to take down this monkey demon first before deciding what to do next.
The monk had always been like this. With a swipe of his hand, the wind howled and an intimidating aura surged toward White Ape.
White Ape felt like a mountain was pressing down on him.
This time, White Ape couldn't hold it in anymore.
He had tried his best to control himself but the other party didn't even listen to him and attacked. White Ape listened to Master Lin and didn't want to make enemies. But since the other party had forced his hand, there was nothing he could do.
"Roar!"
White Ape let out an angry roar. His demonic energy surged and he swung his fist, forcing the other party to take a step back. Then, White Ape leaped out of the Qiao Manor.
Since he was going to attack, White Ape had to leave the Qiao Manor or the family would be implicated.
"Monster, you can't escape!"
The monk leaped up and gave chase. At the same time, he spoke in a thunderous voice, "I am Daluo Temple's Monk Zhi Yin. Today, I'm here to subdue a monster. Those who have nothing to do with this, leave immediately to avoid harming the innocent."
His thunderous voice could be heard throughout Reed City.
In an instant, everyone panicked. Even the elderly who had never encountered something like this before were so frightened that they hid in their homes.
The Qiao family was also in chaos.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know!"
"A monk barged in just now and said there was demonic energy in our manor. He was so aggressive and fast that we couldn't stop him."
"Quick, go and find Old Master."
When Qiao Feigong came out, the white ape and the monk were nowhere to be seen. It was obvious that they had left the city. Qiao Feigong was also scared out of his wits. Too many strange things had happened recently, and he hadn't been able to sleep well for the past few days.
But now, he couldn't do anything. He could only send someone to inquire about the situation and wait at home for news.
Qiao Feigong was puzzled as well. He had heard of the Daluo Temple before. It was located in the Grassy Continent, which was quite a distance away. Why would a monk come here?
Suddenly, a fog appeared around them. Qiao Feigong knew something was wrong. Just as he was about to speak, his pet beasts and servants collapsed to the ground.
Upon closer inspection, the people and beasts on the ground had all been hit by the crossbow bolts.
"This is bad!" Qiao Feigong had a bad feeling about this. Just then, a few beasts jumped down from the top of the wall and bit a few guards to death. Then, they surrounded Qiao Feigong and the rest of the Qiao family.
"Qiao Feigong, if you know what's good for you, hand over the Qiao Family's heirloom immediately. Otherwise, no one in the Qiao Family will be spared today. Live or die, it's your choice."
A voice rang out from the fog, and everyone in the Qiao Family immediately turned pale with fright.
Qiao Feigong now knew why he had been feeling uneasy all day. Now that the white ape left behind by Appraiser Lin had been lured away by the monk, the Qiao family was powerless to fight back.
Knowing that he couldn't protect his family heirloom today, Qiao Feigong sighed and said, "Let my family go. When I'm alone, I'll bring it back to you."
The person in the fog gave it some thought before agreeing.
Other than Qiao Feigong, the rest of the Qiao family was released. At the same time, three masked men walked out of the fog with murderous gazes.
"Lord Qiao, you mustn't go back on your word. If you lie to us, you know what will happen to you," one of them said menacingly. One of them said ferociously. However, as he spoke, he also looked around as if he was afraid of something.
Qiao Feigong thought about it and guessed that they were afraid that the white ape would return.
With this, Qiao Feigong was even more certain that the strange monk was lured here by these three men to deal with the white ape.
However, there was nothing the Qiao family could do now. All they could do was bring the three men to their ancestral house and retrieve their family heirloom, the wooden token.
To Qiao Feigong, although this item was left behind by his ancestor, it was useless. Moreover, because of this item, the Qiao family had always been targeted by thieves. Although they had Appraiser Lin's help, Qiao Feigong understood the situation. Appraiser Lin could help them for now but not forever. Why not hand it over? At least they would be able to live in peace.
However, Qiao Feigong was afraid that they would kill them after getting their hands on the token, so he said, "Listen up. Appraiser Lin will be back soon. Take the token and leave. But if you harm our family again, Appraiser Lin will avenge us."
Qiao Feigong was certain that these three men were in cahoots with the thieves from before.
Clearly, the thieves' accomplices were still in Reed City. They had been hiding until Appraiser Lin left, so they lured the white ape away and took the opportunity to strike.
In other words, these people were afraid of Appraiser Lin. Hence, the survival of the Qiao family depended on how much these thieves feared Appraiser Lin.
At this, fear flashed across the three thieves' eyes.
They were indeed members of the Demonic Appraisal Association. Previously, they had been hiding in the city so Lin Jin didn't manage to capture them all. Later, when they returned to Nine Crescent Lake's Turtle Island, they were horrified.
The massive island had been split into two and no one on the island was spared. To them, Appraiser Lin was an existence that they couldn't afford to provoke.
They had taken the risk out of desperation. If they managed to get their hands on the treasure, there was no need to kill anyone.
At this thought, the three men nodded and agreed to Qiao Feigong's request.
Only then did Qiao Feigong reluctantly hand the token over to them.
After getting their hands on the token, the three thieves immediately left without killing anyone. Seeing that the thieves had left, Qiao Feigong slumped to the ground. His eyes were dazed but at the same time, he was relieved.
When the Qiao family returned in fear, Qiao Feigong bawled his eyes out when he saw that his family was safe and sound. It was a heart-wrenching cry.
After handing over the family heirloom, Qiao Feigong felt that he had let his ancestors down. No matter how hard the Qiao family tried to persuade him, Qiao Feigong insisted on kneeling in front of the ancestral house and apologizing to his ancestors.
Qiao Feigong's son, Qiao Xing, knelt behind him as well, his eyes filled with humiliation and anger.
To the Qiao family's youngsters, losing their family heirloom after being forced by thieves was a great humiliation.
Qiao Feigong's second uncle knelt on the ground as well. With that, the entire Qiao family was kneeling in front of the ancestral house.
"Master, there's a young lady outside. She claims to be Appraiser Lin's disciple. She …" One of the Qiao family's servants came forward to report.
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