The temple is truly dilapidated, with half the roof gone. You can see the sky when you look up. Inside the temple, there's only a faded statue of the Buddha, and the altar has long been turned into firewood. The only things that remain are the main beams and four pillars; otherwise, the temple would have collapsed ages ago.

Mosquitos, spiders, and rats had already made this place their home. Seeing so many people arrive, they scattered in all directions, scurrying past everyone's feet. Wang Meimei and several other female heroes jumped in fright.

The Zhang brothers had already lit torches, driving away the indigenous people from the ruined temple. Then they found a dry place for their son to rest and gnaw on their rations. Snake Elder simply flicked his sleeves, and several emerald green snakes swiftly descended, chasing after the mice, clearly intending to have a feast.

Wang Meimei seemed to be afraid of snakes, pulling Xiao Shu's arm and dragging him to sit far away from the snake.

Ripple, gazing at the dilapidated temple with its gaping roof, resolutely drove her carriage inside. She stopped it beside one of the collapsed walls and led both horses and her white dragon to graze in the nearby forest.

"Bailong, take good care of them and let them graze peacefully. Don't run around, or you might get caught."

Ripples tugged on Bai Long's ears and whispered a warning.

Bai Long moved his ears, snorted, and disdainfully nudged the ripples with his hindquarters. Then, he walked deeper into the woods with his two younger brothers.

"Hmph! To actually dare to despise your clothes, food and parents, what a reversal of heaven!"

Ripples crossed her arms and glared at the three horses, but all she got in return was Bailong lazily swishing its tail. She stomped her foot in frustration before turning and entering the temple.

Liàn Yī skillfully built a fire with her nimble hands and then helped Wáng Zhēn Zhēn down from the carriage. She buried sweet potatoes and potatoes in the fire, and used a branch to roast three flatbreads, asking Wáng Yào Zǔ to watch the heat as she flipped them. She boiled a pot of water, brewed hot tea, and brought it to Wáng Zhēn Zhēn.

After the flatbread was roasted and emitted a fragrant aroma, Liansheng directed Wang Yaizu to take out a jar of lard paste from the carriage. He split the bread open, filled it with the lard paste, and handed it to Wang Zhenzhen. She made one for herself, and Wang Yaizu ate his own. After a moment, the three of them were enjoying their hot meal.

The aroma of savory pie crust mixed with the spicy flavor of cured meat sauce made even those who were used to eating hardtack swallow their drool. Wang Meimei's eyes widened as she looked at it, feeling that the steamed buns in her mouth were bland and tasteless.

After Lian Yi ate half the pastry, she felt that more and more eyes were looking at them. She could only wave to Wang Mei Mei.

Wang Meimei had been waiting for a long time. Seeing the beckoning ripples, she immediately walked over in three big steps and two small ones.

"Meimei, this is the preserved meat sauce I bought in Huai'rou County. You give everyone a share, eat it with pancakes or steamed buns. The meat sauce tastes good."

"Have you divided everything?"

It's all over now, anyway we'll be in Wujiang County by tomorrow morning.

Ripple said generously.

“On behalf of everyone, I thank Ripple Lady!”

Wang Meimei bowed her hands and, taking the jar of lard sauce with her, went to Lao She's side.

Shes Lao was tending the fire and glanced at the lard paste, his nose twitched, then he scooped some out and stuffed it into his steamed bun. Next came Zhang's brothers from the Wuji Men, they went around in a circle and finished a can of meat paste as well.

Lian Yi glanced at Snake Elder, then sent a voice transmission to Wang Zhenzhen who was sipping tea quietly:

"Aunt Zhen, this snake charmer is likely skilled in poisons. That's why Wang Meimei immediately showed him the meat sauce to get his opinion. Only after he confirmed it was safe did they eat."

"Someone like Snake Lao, a seasoned veteran, is very cautious. The fact that he's willing to eat our meat sauce is already a sign of respect for us."

After nightfall, Lian Yi and Wang Zhen Zhen didn't have to stand watch because they contributed the preserved meat sauce. They slept directly in the carriage, while Wang Yaozu slept on a pile of hay. At least he had a blanket and was by the fire, which wasn't bad.

The first half of the night was calm, but in the second half, sounds of fighting and running came from outside the dilapidated temple. Everyone woke up one after another. Ripples had excellent hearing and had already heard the sounds coming from two miles away. It seemed like a group of people were chasing three.

It's common for people in the Jianghu to encounter such things, so everyone remained calm. They first extinguished the fire and then each held their weapons, hiding in the shadows of the ruined temple, quietly observing the situation.

"Hou Yong, you better hand over the treasure map! Otherwise, there's only one way out: death!"

"Bah! Giving myself up is a dead end!"

The man at the front spoke in a cold voice.

At this point, he was gasping for breath, his body covered in cuts, leaving a trail of blood wherever he ran. He hadn't even had time to staunch the bleeding. Before breaking free from his pursuers, four of them had already died. Now, there were only three of them left, and their enemies were still relentlessly chasing them.

The three words "Treasure Map" immediately caught the attention of everyone in the dilapidated temple. They didn't need anyone to speak, they instinctively linked this discovery with the rumors circulating in the martial arts world. A surge of excitement ran through them, it was truly an unexpected find.

As the three fugitives passed a dilapidated temple, someone could no longer contain themselves and jumped out, intercepting both the pursuers and those fleeing.

Seeing someone take the lead, others rushed out of the ruined temple one after another, immediately surrounding both sides.

"What do you mean? Trying to cut me off?"

Those who had previously pursued Hou Yong immediately turned cold and said.

"What's cutting in, it's just that I can't stand bullying the weak."

"Hmph! You dare interfere with the affairs of Duanjian Mountain?!"

The man in the lead immediately drew out a large flag.

Xiao Shu's eyes lit up, and she immediately strode forward, bowing respectfully:

“I am Jade Fan, Xiao Shu. My friends and I happened to pass by here and saw you chasing after these three. I stand here to ask for clarification. What have they done to offend your Broken Sword Mountain?”

"I advise you to mind your own business, it's none of your concern."

The man at the front was extremely arrogant, wanting to put people down with his words. But the next moment, he covered his neck and collapsed to the ground. The people behind him were shocked and immediately retreated, but it was too late, they all fell to the ground one after another.

After a struggle for a while, <<>>'s face began to turn purple, clearly poisoned. Moments later, they fell silent.

The old snake finally stood up, waved his sleeves, and several emerald green snakes instantly returned to his sleeves.

"Master Xiao, for someone who doesn't know how to respect others, why should we be polite? We only end up fueling his arrogance."

A dead person is nothing in the eyes of an old snake. He doesn't even care about Broken Sword Mountain.

Those who pursued him were dead, but Hou Yong felt no relief. Instead, his nerves were stretched tighter than ever. He gripped the knife in his hand, stared coldly at the people around him, and spoke slowly:

"Thank you all for your help, Hou Yong is deeply grateful."

"Since you are thanking us, lend us a look at the treasure map in your hands so that we can broaden our horizons."

Bearded and gruff, Xiong Zigeng spoke.

He was well-versed in martial arts, with bulging muscles all over his body. His palms were as big as fans and just looking at them made you feel like they would hurt to be hit by. Plus, he had a booming voice that commanded respect.

"It's impossible!"

Hou Yong's refusal was crisp and decisive. As soon as he spoke, he scattered a bag of white powder and instantly vanished from before everyone's eyes.

(Editor in charge：divergent series novels)