Inner Demons

Chapter 126: Lord of Dongting

The entire Junshan was already enveloped in the colors of the night. But now, the beauty of the Purple Micro Palace became apparent. It wasn't about the magnificence of the architecture, but the ingenuity of its design.

Along the steep cliff of Junshan, a wooden plank road snaked its way up.

The plank road had handrails, and under the handrails hung flower bud-shaped lanterns. These too would light up in sequence as people passed by...

It looked like a golden dragon coiled around the mountainside.

But Ding, Zhao, and Sun were no longer enthusiastically explaining its marvels to Li Yunxin. Although the three of them were mortals, being businessmen, they were not stupid. They had already realized that this "Li Xunhuan" was no ordinary person. By now, even though they were on their way to the middle hall because of him, their hearts were filled with anxiety. They were terrified that this "Brother Li" would cause some other strange incident when they reached the middle hall.

At the end of the plank road, there was a flat area that had been carved out of the mountainside. It was paved with white marble, engraved with patterns, and was much more exquisite than the front hall. Although the middle hall was also made of natural-colored wood, the naturalness was cleverly executed. The combination of various types of wood actually created a colorful and magnificent feeling.

Moreover, half of this middle hall was embedded in the mountain.

Taoist Priest Li did not greet the guests behind him and walked straight into the hall. The middle hall also had a large hall with eight open doors, but there were no tables, only rattan cushions for people to kneel on.

He went straight to the main seat and sat down before speaking with a faint smile, "My friends, please be seated. Today, I have a joyous matter to announce."

Cong Yunzi sat down with his head held high, looking at Li Yunxin with a slight upward tilt of his head. He even smiled at him, looking to be in an excellent mood.Li Yunxin couldn't be bothered with him and sat down facing him. After the other three had also taken their seats, he asked, "What good news?"

Taoist Priest Li stroked his beard and smiled. "I have recently taken a new concubine."

As he spoke, he glanced at Cong Yunzi. "However, she is a new bride, so it is inconvenient for her to meet you all. So I will greet you all on her behalf."

He clapped his hands lightly. "Therefore, today's banquet will be exceptionally lavish. My friends, you are in for a treat."

After saying this, he clapped his hands again.

Six fair and soft-looking young maids came forward with smiles. They each walked to one of the six men, but their hands were empty. They first knelt sideways in front of them, then untied their clothes... leaning on the floor with their arms...

They became white, soft, and fragrant tables of flesh.

Now, Li Yunxin knew the source of the strange sense of shame in the words of Ding, Zhao, and Sun back in the teahouse.

In this era, it was not shameful for men to be fond of women or to dally with them. But like this... it would be considered "debauched" anywhere. This Taoist Priest Li... was quite a player.

But an old hand like him had seen much grander scenes, so he remained expressionless, clapping his hands in praise. "The Taoist Priest is truly a man of wonders."

Taoist Priest Li said nothing and clapped his hands again.

Then, another six young servants, carrying trays, walked up to the flesh tables, placed the trays down, and retreated.

When Ding, Zhao, and Sun saw the plates, their eyes went straight—as if in that instant, they had completely forgotten their previous worries and troubles, thinking only of the delicacies on the plates.

But the problem was, although they were not from families that dined with bells and chimes, they were not impoverished either. Weicheng was the largest city in the Qing Kingdom; what kind of food or entertainment could not be found there?

Why would they show such an expression... for a plate of food?

Li Yunxin looked at Cong Yunzi again. He found that although Cong Yunzi's expression was calm, many subtle signs indicated that he too was extremely expectant.

There's a problem.

The taste of food is unlikely to conquer a normal person so completely—let alone a cultivator.

Perhaps there are other methods... "immortal arts."

Immortal arts that could even ensnare an Illusory Realm cultivator.

Heh heh...

He let out a soft breath and looked at the wooden tray.

In fact, there were only ten slices of meat inside. They looked quite good, the surface was roasted to a slight crisp and golden brown, and they were thinly sliced. The tender, slightly reddish meat still had some sinews, suggesting that upon entering the mouth, it would be crisp, tender, and fragrant. It would be a fine taste.

Taoist Priest Li smiled faintly. "Today's meat is prepared plainly."

"The ingredients were originally rich in fat and cream. First, they were slowly steamed in a steamer made of shade-grown tear bamboo from the fifth month over a low fire."

"Then, they were thinly sliced with a white jade knife and air-dried in the shade on this Junshan."

"Tonight, they are roasted again and served for your enjoyment—esteemed guests, please partake."

After Taoist Priest Li said this, he first picked up a slice with two fingers, placed it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly. Then he looked at Li Yunxin.

The other four had all picked up a slice of meat with expressions of cherish and reverence, savoring it carefully yet greedily.

Only Li Yunxin stared at the meat for a while, picked it up, brought it to his nose to smell it, and then put it down again.

Taoist Priest Li stared at him with a smile. "Friend, do you not wish to eat? Is it not to your liking?"

Cong Yunzi raised his head and laughed mockingly. "This man, heh heh... is just a crude and uninteresting person. How could he appreciate the subtlety of such a delicacy? This thing, was originally..."

Li Yunxin smiled at him. "Shut up, idiot."

Cong Yunzi's eyes widened again. He was stunned for a moment and was about to erupt, but Li Yunxin had already turned to Taoist Priest Li and smiled faintly. "Although this meat of yours is delicious, Taoist Priest, it would be a bit of a pity to eat it now."

Cong Yunzi was about to make another relentless taunt, but Taoist Priest Li said "Yi?" instead. "Then, my esteemed guest, tell me, where is the pity?"

Li Yunxin shook his head gently and slowly reached out to tap the edge of the plate.

Then he bowed his head slightly, as if pondering how to say it.

But in fact... in those three breaths of time, his mind was racing at a speed it had never reached in his fifteen years!

—Damn it.

I originally wanted to catch a small grass snake to play with.

But it seems... I've stepped into a snake pit...

After Taoist Priest Li had commented on the meat on the wooden tray, a clap of thunder went through Li Yunxin's mind.

The same clap of thunder, three months ago, in that ruined temple.

Young Master Nine, while putting the Sword Cultivator's severed limb into his mouth, said—

"People with guts, who are rich in fat and cream, cannot be eaten like this. They must be slowly steamed over a low fire, then thinly sliced, and air-dried. On a cloudy day, they are served as a side dish with wine."

From the moment he saw the boatman at the ferry, he knew that this Taoist Priest Li was not human.

He was almost a carbon copy of the servants around Lady Hong that night.

The strange beings beside Lady Hong with their sharp noses, black round eyes, and bluish-black faces, weren't they shrimp soldiers!

The broad, armored ones, weren't they crab generals!

And the boatman he saw at the ferry today... was a spitting image of a large green shrimp!

And seeing the smiles on the faces of the servants around this "Taoist Priest Li," and the smile on this Taoist Priest Li's face...

Definitely not human.

And he knew the meat before him—perhaps Cong Yunzi and the others were not familiar with it, but he was—it was human flesh.

Both of them ate human flesh, and their methods were largely similar, but Taoist Priest Li's was more refined.

He had originally followed Ding, Zhao, and Sun to meet this Taoist Priest Li for the sake of the mysterious Lord of Dongting.

Li Yunxin had been pondering why the Dragon's Son never mentioned the Lord of Dongting.

Perhaps he was his subordinate—an arrogant Dragon's Son like him would be too lazy to talk about such things.

But since the legend of the Lord of Dongting existed three thousand years ago, and Junshan was named after him, the Lord of Dongting must also be a powerful demon, not a "subordinate" of the Dragon's Son.

So, friend or foe, friend or foe?

Li Yunxin tapped the edge of the wooden tray three times, slowly raised his head, and chuckled lightly.

—Liu Ling could kill the Dragon's Son, and Bai Yunxin seemed to be able to as well. If the Lord of Dongting is a three-thousand-year-old demon, does he have the strength to kill the Dragon's Son?

If they were enemies, would it be possible for them to coexist so "peacefully"? Would they have a common understanding of how to eat human flesh?

If they were enemies, once the Dragon's Son was dead, why didn't the Lord of Dongting quickly occupy the temple that had previously been dedicated to the Dragon's Son?

But as far as he knew, he hadn't. In these past few days, apart from this Three Rivers' Mouth Dragon King Temple, the divine seats in all other temples were vacant.

A great demon wouldn't be afraid of others competing with him for incense offerings. The reason for holding back must be for another purpose.

For example, to lure the snake out of its hole.

If a powerful demon had killed the Dragon's Son, they would surely be curious about who had occupied the now vacant Three Rivers' Mouth Dragon King Temple, wondering if there were any remaining remnants of the Dragon's Son, and would come to see.

Once they came to see, what then?

Kill them.

Avenge him.

Ah... it seems that the Lord of Dongting believes that among those who killed the Dragon's Son... there was a demon.

So, they are friends.

The Lord of Dongting is the Dragon's Son's friend. At least, he considers himself the Dragon's Son's friend, a friend whom the Dragon's Son, for some reason, was unwilling to mention.

Earlier, Li Yunxin had deliberately told the story of "Little Dragon's Son Looks for His Mother." Although the expression on the Lord of Dongting's face was stiff and he couldn't fully read his thoughts, he knew that this story did not displease him. Instead, it made him associate it with another strange emotion, but a positive one.

The Lord of Dongting is not the Dragon's Son's enemy—Taoist Priest Li does not dislike the Dragon's Son.

Taoist Priest Li's way of eating human flesh is largely similar to the Dragon's Son's—perhaps they had even discussed this method.

Taoist Priest Li, within the Dragon's Son's sphere of influence, possesses such a traveling palace, with a style even grander than the Dragon's Son's—and the Dragon's Son actually allowed him to exist like this.

Taoist Priest Li's servants are strikingly similar to Lady Hong's servants. Lady Hong is the Lord of Dongting's daughter.

Taoist Priest Li is the Lord of Dongting.

—Li Yunxin raised his head and smiled.

"Because a good friend of mine once said that meat prepared in this way should be eaten with wine on a cloudy day."

"And now it is a moonlit night, and there is no wine."

"Moreover, thinking of that friend and seeing this delicacy now... I can no longer swallow my food."

As soon as these words were spoken, Taoist Priest Li fell silent for a moment. A smile still hung on his face, but if he were human, his expression would probably be quite different right now.

He stared, his eyes wide, looking straight at Li Yunxin. Even Cong Yunzi and the three mortals sensed that something was wrong.

But before he could speak again, Li Yunxin had already stood up, strode to the center of the hall, and stood directly in front of Taoist Priest Li.

The expression on his face became solemn and respectful, without a trace of a smile. Facing Taoist Priest Li, he cupped his hands, bowed deeply, and said in a mournful voice—

"Please, Lord of Dongting, avenge my sworn friend!"

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