"Never mind. I won't learn artifact refining. I’m already too busy with alchemy," Zhu Yanyi waved her hand, dismissing the idea without a second thought. "Besides, I actually do know some refining techniques. But I only use them to help disabled people, so my skills are quite specialized."
It was true. Zhu Yanyi could refine artifacts, but almost everything she made was for patients. She didn’t know how to make anything else. It was a strange phenomenon. Even though she had the ability, she only ever refined items related to medicine. She couldn’t make a single weapon or tool for killing.
However, Zhu Yanyi didn’t care about this. She learned many things just to pass the time. Once the time passed, it didn’t matter. Her real interest was medicine. She had no interest in anything else.
Yan Aohan knew this about her very well. "It’s fine. Not everyone needs to be an artifact refiner. Actually, you’re doing great. At least when you help your patients, you don’t need to ask others to make things for you, right?"
Zhu Yanyi nodded with a smile. Then she pointed to where the copper coin had disappeared. "When do you think the masked man will appear?"
Yan Aohan smiled gently. "If I’m not mistaken, he’s already here. He’s hiding in the dark, watching the courtyard of the Mountain God Temple. He wants to see if the children are real."
The children were there, but they were illusions. Moreover, they were created by Yan Aohan, a true god. So no matter how carefully the man watched, he couldn’t tell if the children were real or fake.
Zhu Yanyi swept her spiritual sense slightly. Sure enough, she found a masked man on a locust tree outside the temple. She was watching everything here.
"Do you think she will come in?" Zhu Yanyi asked.
Yan Aohan smiled faintly. "We’ll know soon. Besides, I’ve locked onto him. Even if he wants to escape, he needs a chance for that."
Hearing Yan Aohan’s words, Zhu Yanyi raised her eyebrows slightly, agreeing in her heart.
The masked man was very cautious. He observed the situation in the temple courtyard.
She was also curious. Why did Ming Chuanyunzi bring the children to this place? But thinking about her own abilities, she felt she could handle Ming Chuanyunzi. She frowned slightly and continued to watch carefully. Seeing the children playing together, she thought there shouldn’t be any traps. As long as she took these children away, she would earn merit again.
Thinking of the reward for his merit, he felt happier. He ignored the possible dangers ahead. Mainly, he was confident in himself. He believed no one could defeat him.
She still had to take the children. Looking around, seeing no unexpected situations, the masked man became bolder. She jumped over the wall into the courtyard. Then she took out a bag, opened it, and sucked all eighteen children inside.
Zhu Yanyi was about to go out, but Yan Aohan grabbed her and shook her head slightly. "Let’s go. Follow her and see who is behind her."
Yan Aohan was a being who had seen too much of the world. At a glance, he could see that this masked man didn’t have much power. In fact, the masked man was just a minor thug, a helper. This made Yan Aohan feel even more certain that the trap here was very deep.
Zhu Yanyi didn’t object to Yan Aohan’s words. She followed her.
As for the others, they stayed temporarily in the Mountain God Temple. It wasn’t good for too many people to go out.
Yan Aohan and Zhu Yanyi followed the masked man together.
It had to be said, this masked man was very alert. After walking a short distance, she changed her appearance. She turned into an old beggar woman. If Zhu Yanyi hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t have believed anyone could use such a transformation technique.
"Is this a transformation technique?" Zhu Yanyi asked Yan Aohan softly.
"No, it’s just a small illusion. It can deceive the eyes of ordinary mortals," Yan Aohan said with a smile, looking at Zhu Yanyi.
Zhu Yanyi smiled embarrassedly. Then she closed her eyes and opened them again. She saw that indeed, while she pretended to walk like an old woman, her true form was still the masked man. Zhu Yanyi wanted to laugh. It felt very funny.
Zhu Yanyi watched everything with a smile, saying nothing more.
The masked man first took a route through a busy area. After a while, he got on a bus. Then he got off at a remote place. After walking about a hundred meters, he transformed again, this time into a man selling mountain goods.
Seeing this, what more did Zhu Yanyi need to understand? Clearly, this man could escape so quickly because of this illusion. No wonder others couldn’t find her.
"This person is very cunning," Zhu Yanyi said seriously.
Yan Aohan hummed in agreement. She admitted this too. This person wasn’t just ordinary cunning. She constantly changed her route and appearance. If it weren’t for Yan Aohan and Zhu Yanyi, probably no one else could have seen through her.
Unknowingly, they arrived at a small hill. This hill was covered with many trees. Without hesitation, the masked man walked in.
Yan Aohan and Zhu Yanyi followed her in. They found that there was another temple here.
However, in this country, such temples were everywhere. Sometimes, you could even see a small shrine by the roadside. This was the faith of this country.
She turned around again to check her surroundings. Making sure no one was paying attention, she moved her body and transformed again. This time, she became a monk who had just returned from alms-gathering, wearing gray clothes and covered in dust.
"What an expert," Zhu Yanyi sighed.
Yan Aohan agreed. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have expected the final destination to be in this temple.
However, Yan Aohan noticed that there seemed to be no one else in this temple.
His spiritual sense followed the masked man inside. The man placed the bag on the offering table. Then he took out a red incense stick. It was truly red, from top to bottom. The whole stick was red, and especially bright, like fresh blood. It had an indescribable ferocity.
Zhu Yanyi, not far away, even felt a faint, indescribable smell of blood.
"This incense is strange. I smell a faint scent of blood," Zhu Yanyi said, looking at Yan Aohan.
Yan Aohan nodded. "I saw it. This incense is a secret recipe made from human bodies and flesh. It is an evil incense. It seems demons are behind these events."