Inner Demons

Chapter 13: Brocade Robes at Night Journey

Old Daoist Liu didn't really care what his cheap apprentice was doing. He was currently busy chanting, "What to do, what to do?"

Li Yunxin, sitting beside him, lightly poked him with his finger: "Master."

Old Daoist Liu, with a troubled expression, glanced at him: "Oh, my apprentice. I'm too busy to take care of myself right now. If you have any other ideas..."

"Do you know the 'Brocade Robes at Night Journey Painting'?"

"Huh?"

"The 'Brocade Robes at Night Journey Painting' - Great Chu Emperor Weilie Xiang Yu, in the early days of his uprising, was defeated at Gaixia and lost his beloved wife. After twelve years of diligent rule, he led his army to break the enemy capital and establish dominance over the land. Unfortunately, everyone he cared about had already died by then, and he had a grand dynasty but no one to share it with. So, on a snowy night, he wore the Cloud Brocade Golden Dragon Robe and rode alone for three hundred miles to Gaixia to mourn his deceased wife - surely you know that painting made by a master of the Dao of Painting?"

Li Yunxin spoke so clearly and plainly, as if he were discussing something calmly by a clear stream on a beautiful afternoon. But this state, at this moment, was simply too strange.

Old Daoist Liu stared at him blankly for a while before opening his mouth: "You... you... how do you know..."

"I told you before that I quite like the promising profession of Artificer, so it's no big deal that I know about this painting. Now, look over there. Yes, over there, squint your eyes and use the firelight to see the marks I made with my feet when I walked back and forth just now."

Old Daoist Liu was filled with surprise, not understanding how this young man had suddenly become a different person at this moment. But he still instinctively squinted in the direction Li Yunxin quietly pointed.Although he wasn't one of those highly skilled cultivators from renowned sects, since he prided himself as one of Luocheng's "Five Great Masters" in the painting world, he understood what he should. So, after looking for a while with the firelight, Old Daoist Liu's eyes widened slightly.

He turned to look at Li Yunxin, his voice becoming stammering: "This... this... what exactly are you..."

"Hmm, you all like to ask what kind of person I am." Li Yunxin patted his arm, signaling him to relax a bit, "But let's not discuss that for now. So, you've seen that I've drawn the 'Brocade Robes at Night Journey Painting' over there. But it's not finished yet. The Brocade Robes at Night Journey Painting is a Meticulous Style Painting. I've used the Expressive Style Painting method to sketch a few strokes, bringing out its essence."

"Understood, understood, understood..." Old Daoist Liu broke free from his slightly dazed state. He realized that he might have hit the jackpot. Being kidnapped by six strong men certainly didn't count as hitting the jackpot, but this unfortunate incident was... simply insignificant compared to the young man in front of him.

Artificers categorize paintings into Meticulous Style Painting and Expressive Style Painting. Meticulous Style Painting is detailed and exquisite, with every single hair visible, making the scenery in the painting lifelike. Expressive Style Painting is characterized by bold and free brushstrokes, vibrant colors, and emphasizes a sense of charm and intent.

Among ordinary people, Meticulous Style Painting and Expressive Style Painting have no inherent superiority. But for an Artificer, one can depict a beautiful woman of sixteen in a Meticulous Style Painting, making her lifelike, yet might not be able to capture her charm in an Expressive Style Painting.

But this young man in front of him... with just a few strokes using the Expressive Style Painting technique... captured the essence of that famous masterpiece!

Just by looking at these few strokes, one could feel the smooth and unobstructed flow - the person who made the strokes used Spiritual Soul as guidance, planning out the spiritual energy trajectories on the "painting scroll." All that remained was to activate the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi with the Qi Sea within the body to infuse it into these trajectories when the painting was finished, and a painting that only an Intent Realm master could create would be complete!

Old Daoist Liu had also had the fortune to see a masterpiece by a master once. Every stroke in that painting was highly significant - much like a Taoist priest's Talisman, which guided the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the painting stroke by stroke.

It was said that an Intent Realm Artificer's paintings could evoke emotions, but in essence, it was still about using brush and ink to create something similar to a Talisman - whether you did it well depended on the subtlety of your cultivation and technique!

But this young man's few strokes...

Old Daoist Liu felt that it might be even more ingenious than the masterpiece he had seen that day...

...Who exactly is this person?

He quickly grabbed Li Yunxin's hand: "I was blind and did not recognize Mount Tai. All those words about taking you as a disciple earlier, alas, they were not serious! Young Master, you are so accomplished at such a young age, I don't know where your esteemed household is..."

"Don't worry, listen to me first." Li Yunxin gently pushed his hand away, "I have a problem with my body, I can't 'dot the eyes'."

The so-called "dotting the eyes of the dragon" refers to the crucial final stroke after a painting is completed. This stroke guides the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into the trajectories outlined by the brushwork within the painting. As for where and how to dot, only the Artificer themselves knows. But Li Yunxin's Qi Sea was sealed, so he couldn't perform this final step.

"I can't dot the eyes, so you do it." Li Yunxin pointed towards the other bonfire, next to the high-cheekboned, thin-browed swordsman, "Right there, one stroke is missing - Emperor Weilie's sword in the painting."

Old Daoist Liu opened his mouth, then recoiled his neck: "Um... I say, honored one, my cultivation is shallow..."

"Aren't you one of Luocheng's five great Intent Realm masters?"

"Just a joke, a joke, how can I compare to you..."

"Actually, it's already enough."

"I'm afraid I'll mess up your important business..."

"I'm not afraid."

"Honored one, why make things difficult for this humble Daoist..."

"Do you want to die?" Li Yunxin stared at him and said.

"...Uh." The two had been speaking one after another, pressing on, but at this sentence, Old Daoist Liu's remaining words were caught in his throat.

"This is not a game right now, and I'm not playing around with you. They really want to kill people." Li Yunxin's expression became serious, no longer as relaxed as before, "They are just waiting for someone or something right now. Once they decide to kill, no one here will escape. I won't escape, and you won't either. So doing this now is to save yourself. If you succeed, there will be the gratitude of that group of people over there - I don't know how well your Dongxuan Sect is doing in Luocheng, but it certainly won't be better than them. So, whether you want your own life and their favor depends on whether you go and make that stroke."

Old Daoist Liu had lived for decades, but he had never experienced such a dangerous situation. Seeing this originally unremarkable young man transform into a mysterious person with profound cultivation made his throat dry and his legs weak. The bonfire crackled not far away, and further away, six swordsmen were whispering about something, occasionally turning their heads to glance this way.

"Honored one, you... but how do I go?" Old Daoist Liu felt a little cold, but sweat was starting to seep out. He wiped his forehead, "Besides, this 'Brocade Robes at Night Journey Painting'... it doesn't seem very useful right now."

"You'll know when the time comes." Li Yunxin patted his shoulder, "Go. You'll have to go sooner or later, you know that yourself."

Old Daoist Liu certainly knew. Having lived to this age, no matter how timid he was, he could distinguish between urgency and importance. Anyone who wasn't incorrigibly cowardly would reach out and grasp hope if there was any. Moreover, he felt that this young man was deeply hidden - perhaps he could solve the problem himself but, being playful, wanted to "play a game."

While saying this to himself, he swayed to his feet. After three deep breaths, he had fully entered his state.

His usual state when trying to fool those wealthy landowners in Luocheng.

As the night wind began to blow, his tattered Daoist robe rustled loudly, and the two bonfires dimmed slightly. Old Daoist Liu's appearance was not bad to begin with. Although he couldn't be described as imposing or exceptionally handsome, he certainly possessed a certain demeanor. At this moment, his face was stern due to nervousness, and he walked a few steps towards the swordsmen silently, making the six of them alert.

"What are you doing? Go back!"

"Gentlemen heroes, please listen to me for a moment." Old Daoist Liu said, "I am Hunyuanzi of the Dongxuan Sect."

After saying this, he took two more steps forward: "I have a slight reputation in the martial arts world. Today's matter, let this old Daoist discuss it with you heroes—"

The swordsman with high cheekbones and narrow eyes frowned slightly: "Dongxuan Sect?"

He carefully looked at Old Daoist Liu: "Daoist Orthodoxy Dongxuan Sect?"

Old Daoist Liu stroked his beard and smiled: "Hehe, though not quite, it's not far off. This humble Daoist's Dongxuan Sect is the Dongxuan Sect within Luocheng. We also practice the Orthodox Xuanmen Teachings passed down by the Supreme Celestials—"

Upon hearing this, the swordsman snorted, both annoyed and amused: "So it's just some martial arts scum. Take another step, and I'll break your leg."

At this moment, Old Daoist Liu was only two steps away from the spot where the "eyes" were to be dotted. He bit the bullet and continued: "All Daoist sects under heaven are one family, after all. Back then, I—"

At this point, a sharp whistling sound suddenly broke through the air. The forest, already dim, was illuminated only by the dim yellow light of two bonfires, but in such a dense forest, it seemed to be absorbed by the surrounding mist and wild land. Accompanying the whistling sound, a bright streak of light appeared.

A thin sword plunged into the ground beside Old Daoist Liu. The hilt still trembled, emitting a buzzing sound.

A large cloud of earth and dead leaves splattered, and Old Daoist Liu, startled by this, shivered and sat down on the ground with a thud. This happened to be precisely the spot where the "eyes" were to be dotted.

The swordsman glanced at him contemptuously and snorted coldly: "Get lost!"

Old Daoist Liu looked at the sword, then scrambled on the ground with his hands and feet for a while, and ran back to the bonfire in a disheveled state.

The people from the security agency had no mind to mock or ridicule this disgraced "master and apprentice" at the moment - their attention was focused on the sword that had flown from who knows where.

The sword's style was identical to those held by the swordsmen, clearly not a reinforcement. A piece of paper was threaded onto the sword, with tiny calligraphy written on it, obviously a "Flying Sword Message."

Whether it was pigeon post or dart post, these were common methods used by martial artists, and a flying sword was not particularly rare. But what was terrifying was that no one saw the person who threw this sword. At least from the perspective of the security agency's people, this level of skill had reached an unimaginably high point.

"It's done." Li Yunxin smiled in the flickering firelight and patted Old Daoist Liu's arm, "You have to put on a show. I guarantee you'll like it."