Inner Demons

Chapter 124: Catastrophe!

As they drew closer, they saw Cong Yunzi standing with his hands behind his back, speaking to a gatekeeping servant: "Wait? Do you know the connection between your master and me? If you dare to block me again, I'll kill you on the spot!"

But the young servant just kept smiling, not saying a word, seemingly unafraid, merely blocking the entrance to prevent him from passing.

Manager Ding didn't recognize Cong Yunzi, but he was a sociable person. He walked over, cupped his hands towards Cong Yunzi, and said with a smile, "Friend, don't be so anxious. Taoist Priest Li does have some rules here. Since you were invited, you must be a person of taste. Why argue with a servant boy? I think we should just..."

Cong Yunzi shot him a cold glance. "Get lost. What do you think you are."

With that said, he waved his large sleeve, and the gatekeeping servant was instantly sent flying four or five steps back, falling to the ground unable to get up. Cong Yunzi then strode directly through the gate.

At this turn of events, everyone looked at each other in dismay. Manager Ding's face flushed with anger, and he could only stammer, "This, this, this person, this, this..."

Li Yunxin patted his shoulder and quickly added fuel to the fire, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. Didn't you see he's wearing a Taoist robe? He's also a person cultivating for longevity. What if he beats us to death?"

Manager Ding, breathing heavily, stared at Cong Yunzi's back. "Pah. A person like this is worthy of cultivating for longevity! How can Taoist Priest Li have such a friend?"

Although they were angry, the dozen or so people outside the gate followed Cong Yunzi in.

Only Li Yunxin walked behind, and as he passed the young servant, he pulled him up.The servant was still smiling when he fell. Now that he was up, with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, the smile on his face remained unchanged.

Li Yunxin also smiled at him and followed the others.

Behind them, the sun sank west of the mountains, and night descended. Behind the gate was a stone-paved path. Along the path were small, waist-high stone lanterns, one every dozen steps. By some unknown method, the lanterns would light up as people passed by. Although they had seen it several times, everyone still marveled at it.

Beyond the lanterns on both sides were lawns, and beyond the lawns were rockeries, flowers, and towering trees.

This front courtyard was quite spacious and impressive, reminding Li Yunxin of the gardens in front of European castles. At the end of the path, which was now brightly lit, Li Yunxin could see the main hall of the front building through the gaps in the crowd.

The front hall was built in an ancient style, primarily using natural-colored wood. It had flying eaves and suspended corners, and the eight doors of the main hall were wide open. Inside was a spacious hall with a wooden floor and low tables—much like the layout of the second floor of the Qionghua Tower.

His eyesight was good, so he saw that a person was already seated in the main seat of the hall—facing south. He was gently stroking his beard with two fingers, smiling as he watched the crowd.

This must be... Taoist Priest Li.

Looking at his face, Li Yunxin could only tell that he was a handsome middle-aged man; his age was indiscernible. He smiled kindly, yet possessed a certain dignity. He wore an apricot-yellow Taoist robe and had his hair in a Taoist bun, fastened with a jade hairpin.

There was nothing particularly unusual about his attire.

By now, Cong Yunzi had already strode to the front of the hall. He went straight into the main hall and exclaimed, "Brother Li, it's a disaster!!"

Li Yunxin raised an eyebrow slightly. He had previously thought Cong Yunzi was just casually boasting about his friendship with Taoist Priest Li. He hadn't expected that, judging by the situation, the proud School cultivator truly regarded this secular Taoist priest as a real friend—and even subconsciously considered the other to be above him!

This Taoist Priest Li seemed to have some real skills—at the very least, the lanterns that lit up in sequence just now were not something rogue Taoist priests could easily learn.

Hearing Cong Yunzi's words, Taoist Priest Li showed not the slightest surprise. He continued to smile faintly and lowered his hand. "Brother, why be so alarmed? What disaster is it?"

His speaking voice was very pleasant. But... his speech was very slow. Every sentence was delivered unhurriedly, and upon entering one's ears, it made one's whole body feel drained of energy, just wanting to sit quietly and listen.

Cong Yunzi now displayed the "dignity" befitting a cultivator—completely disregarding the mortals behind him. He looked at the tables in the hall, then at the properly seated Taoist Priest Li. It seemed he was already used to him being this way and knew there was nothing he could do. So, after a moment's hesitation, he sighed, walked to a table, knelt down, and then said again, "Brother Li, Fairy Lingkong's dharma body... it's gone!"

"People from the Grotto-heaven will probably be here in a few days. How am I supposed to explain this!!"

Fairy, dharma body. These two words entered the ears of the crowd, and everyone was stunned. Although they didn't know the inside details of the recent events, they had all heard rumors of struggles between Immortals, Dragon Kings, and demons. Now, hearing such words, three people immediately stopped in their tracks.

After a moment's hesitation, they smiled nervously and cupped their hands towards Taoist Priest Li. "Taoist Priest... since you have an urgent matter here, it would be inconvenient for us to disturb you tonight..."

A smile still hung on Taoist Priest Li's face. He nodded slightly and said slowly, "Good, good, good. Go on, go on then."

The three men quickly turned to leave.

Cong Yunzi glared and shouted, "Don't you go looking for death!"

The three men trembled. "Yes, yes, yes!"

They hurried away in a small trot.

The remaining six, including Li Yunxin, were caught in a dilemma. These people probably didn't understand the severity of the situation—they weren't very sharp. They were also coveting Taoist Priest Li's banquet—they were quite fond of gluttony and physical pleasures.

Just as they hesitated, Taoist Priest Li smiled again. "My friends, why not take a seat? It's nothing major. Just a small trouble."

Cong Yunzi became anxious. "Brother Li, this is not a small matter! That is..."

Taoist Priest Li raised his hand to interrupt him, smiling and speaking slowly and methodically, "There is a way! Don't be anxious. First, let's attend to the proper business. Come, my friends, please be seated—ah. We have a new friend."

Hearing the host say this, the other five calmed down a bit. They avoided looking at Cong Yunzi and each found a seat.

After Li Yunxin also sat down, Manager Ding said, "To let the Taoist Priest know, we met this Brother Li on the road. This Brother Li comes from the Great Tang of the East, traveling the world to see beautiful landscapes and collect strange tales. Hearing that the Taoist Priest shares this interest, he came along."

The anxious Cong Yunzi had lost his usual cultivator's aloofness and composure today—or perhaps to some extent, he slightly acknowledged these people who were in the same room with him before Taoist Priest Li. He sneered, "What kind of godforsaken place is the Great Tang of the East? I've never heard of it."

But Li Yunxin paid him no mind. He was thinking about what the unfortunate Cong Yunzi had just said, while observing Taoist Priest Li.

This Taoist Priest Li... was very strange.

He was too calm and composed. He reminded Li Yunxin of certain people he had seen before who had undergone major "repairs" to their faces. He was smiling, but there was almost no subtle change in his expression. It was as if his face was stiff, a mask.

Right now, Taoist Priest Li smiled and turned to Li Yunxin, getting straight to the point. "My friend, what story have you brought for me? If your story is pleasant to hear, then tonight, you will be blessed."

He slowly raised his hand and pointed towards the mountain behind him. "In my middle hall, I have already prepared fine food and beautiful courtesans. If I like the story, you four may go up the mountain."

Cong Yunzi seemed to truly believe that this Taoist Priest Li had the divine ability to solve his problem. He temporarily suppressed his impatience, let out a breath, and returned to the state Li Yunxin had first seen him in—sitting next to Prefectural Governor Li Yaosi, his eyes slightly lowered, without sorrow or joy.

As for whether he was truly "without sorrow or joy," only he himself knew.

So Li Yunxin smiled and said, "Greetings, Taoist Priest. I happen to have a story that might amuse you."

"This story is called, Little Dragon's Son Looks for His Mother." (To be continued.)

***