Inner Demons

Chapter 104: Immortal Caresses My Head

He was under the tree opposite the peddler, so he raised his voice and waved: "Hey, you, give me a bowl—bring it over to me!"

Hearing his words, the peddler sized him up again, frowned: "Come get it yourself."

Then ignored him.

Turned out to be one with quite a temper.

The few people surrounding him all knew his identity. Seeing this new peddler offend him without knowing his status, they were all thinking about what means he would use to teach him a lesson.

But surprisingly found that Li Yunxin just smiled good-naturedly and didn't speak anymore. Then picked up the brush, spread out the paper on the table...

Painted a "Lantern Festival Painting"—a freehand painting of young boys and girls releasing river lanterns by the water during the Lantern Festival.

At this time, the afterglow of the sunset was almost disappearing from the horizon, and shopkeepers had come out to light lamps.

Li Yunxin threw away the brush, stood up, pinched this painting with wet ink using two fingers, walked to the river, and stood firm.

Then raised his voice: "Whoever sends me a bowl of sour soup to eat, I'll perform a magic trick, okay?" Hearing these words, the servants of wealthy families who had been waiting for an opportunity nearby immediately snatched a bowl of sour soup from the peddler's stall and trotted to send it to Li Yunxin.

Li Yunxin casually took a bowl, tilted his head, boldly ate it all in one breath, then lifted the painting with one hand and slowly pressed the bowl against the painting with the other.

Pressed it on, then continued to push inside—there seemed to be a bottomless pit in that painting, sucking the porcelain bowl in!

Seeing this move, everyone was dumbfounded.

The peddler also saw this scene, first stunned, then yelled: "How did you make my bowl disappear?"

Someone in the crowd grew impatient: "Just a broken bowl, this young master will compensate you in a while!"

So the peddler fell silent, also leaning forward to watch Li Yunxin's trick intently.

Li Yunxin held the painting with both hands, displayed it front and back—sharp-eyed ones close by screamed in surprise.

The bowl just now appeared in the painting!

In the painting, young boys and girls were releasing lotus lanterns by the river. Now among the lotus lanterns in the water flow, a colorful porcelain bowl appeared, particularly eye-catching!

Seeing this move, the crowd cheered loudly, thinking it was wonderful!

But heard Li Yunxin say smilingly again: "Received a friend's favor and ate sour soup noodles—a drop of water in grace should be repaid with a gushing spring. Now, I'll treat you all to eat."

After speaking, he shook the painting, making a rattling sound.

Everyone hurriedly looked at the ground in front of him, to see if another bowl would miraculously appear. But after looking for a long time, there was nothing. Just as they were slightly disappointed, another sharp-eyed one pointed to the Willow River behind Li Yunxin: "Look look look!"

The sky had darkened, and the Willow River was also dark.

But in this dim river channel... a lit lotus lantern floated down with the current.

First one, then two, three, four...

In just two or three breaths, the Willow River was lit up by countless pink lotus lanterns emitting soft light. The Willow River became breathtakingly beautiful on such an evening—the soft light reflecting the water color and sky color, also illuminating the faces of people by the river.

People were first shocked by this sudden beautiful scenery, then shocked by Li Yunxin's means—wasn't this exactly the scene in his painting?!

After extreme astonishment, they remembered that Li Yunxin had pressed a bowl into that river earlier, and recalled he said he wanted to treat people to sour soup noodles. So they hurriedly looked into the dark places in that river water—indeed seeing bowls of steaming sour soup noodles floating among the lotus lanterns!

One person walked to the river and reached out carefully to fish—suspecting it was an illusion.

But actually caught one.

Then tasted a small mouthful under everyone's gaze, stunned slightly, then face full of surprise: "It's real!!"

Everyone had eaten sour soup noodles. But sour soup noodles floating in river water like this, conjured by someone... no one had eaten!

Immediately swarmed to the riverbank to fish for those porcelain bowls.

Even the sour soup peddler ran over seeing this, planning to eat a bowl to take advantage—so many bowls, if he fished them all up, wouldn't fear bowls breaking in the future!

The old beggar squinted, looking at the mass of soft light by the river, but dared not follow down.

Li Yunxin stood under the willow tree, hands behind his back watching those people run down the riverbank, his profile illuminated by candlelight. He watched those people fight for a while, sighed slightly, and walked to the old beggar sitting under another tree.

He handed the painting in his hand to him: "You keep it. But this isn't something you can hold onto. Someone will come to buy it from you in a while; ask for however much you want."

The old beggar barely saw what he did just now, and recognized his voice. Thus surprised and flustered, dared not accept: "Ah... ah, Immortal, you..."

“What Immortal, just a magic trick.” He stuffed the painting into the old beggar's hand, not caring about wrinkling it. Squinted slightly again, looking at those people under the riverbank, "All like this. All only see what is easy to see. A bowl of sour soup noodles, a little money, a little power. Other things, ah... no time to look at. But I like you. You know what you want, what living is for."

He withdrew his gaze, looked at the old beggar again.

The beggar sat on the ground at this time, trying to smooth out the painting paper crumpled by Li Yunxin. But he couldn't see clearly after all, movements heavy—people staring at that painting in the dark nearby felt their hearts tremble... must not tear that painting!

Li Yunxin smiled, walked slowly behind him again.

Pressed both hands on his shoulders, suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered: "In this world, are there any lingering attachments?"

The old beggar was stunned, said after a long while: "...Huh? What attachments... just me alone."

Li Yunxin asked again: "Tired of this world?"

The old man was stunned for a while longer before saying: "...Sigh. Lived enough too. Just waiting for Heaven to take me someday."

Li Yunxin straightened his waist, asked again: "What about human hearts?"

The old man was silent for much, much longer, before saying: "Human hearts, ah... human hearts are sinister. But... there are always some good things."

Li Yunxin smiled slightly in the river full of lights. Then he let out a light breath, untied the old beggar's loose messy hair bun, and slowly combed it with ten slender fingers.

And in such an evening, in the waning lights, while combing his hair, recited a poem in a low voice.

“In the heavens, White Jade Capital.

Twelve towers, five cities.

Immortal caresses my head.

Hair bound to receive longevity.”

After reciting these four lines, he had combed a Daoist bun for this old Daoist.

The old beggar didn't understand, dared not move. While Li Yunxin looked at his gray hair, silent for a while...

Asked him—

“Do you wish for Eternal Life.”

This voice was very light and low. But the old man happened to catch this sentence in the warm night wind, amidst human voices.

After a moment of sluggishness, this beggar was blessed with sudden insight, trembling voice: "I wish..."

Before he finished, Li Yunxin lifted him up, pushed fiercely on his back, pushing him into an alley: "Then this painting is your fortune—think about it, whether you still want to sell!"

After saying this, he flung his wide sleeves, strode away from Changmen Street like the wind.