Inner Demons

Chapter 136: The Grotto-Heaven's First Seat

More than ten days had passed, and the wilderness on the mountain had turned green again.

After a rain, the ash from the burnt vegetation became the best fertilizer. Tender shoots poked their heads out of the damp soil, and after seeing the sun and being blown by the wind, they grew wildly.

By the time the middle-aged man in the gray robe stood on the patch of land where Liu Ling had fallen, the grass was already high enough to cover the back of his feet.

The middle-aged man was just a middle-aged man, with an ordinary face. But his beard was black and glossy, soft and shiny, as if it had been meticulously groomed. The gray robe was also an ordinary gray robe, but apart from the overly smooth folds created by the drape of the cloth, there was not a single wrinkle.

Nor could one see any seams or stitches.

He stood there, first looking southwest towards Weicheng. It was a clear day, and the square city of Weicheng was clearly visible under the blue sky. Looking further into the distance, he saw a vast expanse of lush wilderness and the Wei River, which reflected the sunlight like a jade belt, and…

The boundless Dongting Lake, which could not be seen to its end even from here.

The middle-aged man looked for a while and sighed in a low voice—

“That old creature.”

Then he walked leisurely, and a cloud of gray mist rose from under his feet. After three steps, he was already standing on this gray cloud. Then, with his robes fluttering, he rode the wind and clouds away—straight towards Weicheng.On this day, Yue Yunzi, the First Seat of the Disciplinary Court of the Daoist Orthodoxy's Langya Grotto-Heaven and a Dao-achieving Master realm cultivator, arrived at Weicheng Prefecture.

Cultivator Yue Yunzi was already one hundred and thirty-two years old. His Dao-achieving Master realm was not the highest within the True Realm. Above it were the "Great Achievement Master realm" and the "Perfected Master realm."

But the reason it was him who came to Weicheng and not someone else was that before entering the Dao, he had spent forty-six years in the mortal world. He only began cultivating at the age of forty-six—before that, he was a mid-level official. Although the Celestial Heart Daoist Arts had washed away his worldly air, compared to the others in Langya Grotto-Heaven who had either started cultivating in childhood or were simply born in a Grotto-heaven, he was the one most skilled in worldly affairs.

Langya Grotto-Heaven, ranked ninth among the Eighteen Grotto-Heavens of the Daoist Lineage, did not lack treasures—many cultivators relied on Famed Scrolls, Treasure Scrolls, and even Precious Scrolls to pass their Tribulations, using the saved time to cultivate Daoist Arts.

And this time, Lingkongzi, the most talented and favored disciple in the Grotto-heaven, had fallen in Weicheng—so it could only be him who came to this bustling mortal world to handle the matter.

After all…

This Yue Yunzi was the most knowledgeable about the human heart.

At least, that's what the cultivators of Langya Grotto-Heaven thought.

Yue Yunzi, who entered Weicheng on a cloud, concealed his presence, and no one discovered this Immortal who descended from the sky.

He had already sent a message using his divine abilities, so when he arrived at the residence of the Shangqing Elixir Cauldron Sect, the servants had already prepared his accommodations. Yue Yunzi didn't seem to care about such worldly things and only summoned one person to immediately ask about the main business.

This person was Cong Yunzi’s closest servant at the Weicheng residence, named Qiuer. His real name was Qiu Yechi, and he was the son of a respectable family in the city. Because he wanted to learn Daoist Arts, he paid money to be sent to the Shangqing Elixir Cauldron Sect's residence. Who knew that he would learn little of the Daoist Arts, but because of his handsome looks, he was taken in by Cong Yunzi as a catamite.

This Qiuer was also smooth and tactful in his dealings. In three or four years, he had become Cong Yunzi's most beloved and closest person. When Cong Yunzi grew older and was less interested in bedroom matters, he truly treated him as his own nephew and taught him quite a few profound Daoist Arts. Now, Qiuer was an eighteen or nineteen-year-old youth with the Daoist name Mingqiuzi. When Cong Yunzi was not around, he was already a figure of authority in the residence.

When Yue Yunzi summoned him, this Qiuer recounted the events of the past few days truthfully—including finding Cong Yunzi’s body in the woods by the Wei River a few days ago.

Although he was sad while speaking, he did not lose his composure, and his speech was orderly, so Yue Yunzi did not dislike him.

So after Qiuer finished speaking, Yue Yunzi did not send him away—he stood obediently to the side.

The True Realm cultivator pondered for a moment and shook his head slightly. “This must be the work of that old creature.”

“That old creature has been cooped up in Dongting for two thousand years, he must have some ambiguous relationship with that Dragon's Son. To say they are like fire and water, I don’t believe it.”

“As soon as the Dragon's Son died, Ling'er's dharma body also vanished. And Cong Yunzi was killed…”

“An Illusory Realm Taoist priest had his head smashed, it must be the work of a demon.”

“Now the temple god positions around Weicheng are vacant—yet that old creature of Dongting doesn’t go to occupy them. He must be waiting for something.”

He paused for a moment.

“Waiting for that Bai Yunxin. That old creature probably thinks it was Bai Yunxin who killed the Dragon's Son.”

“Hmm… Although Ling’er is proud, she is not reckless. To suffer such a great calamity, there must have been a powerful force at play that was beyond her calculations—it must be that Bai Yunxin, the daughter of the Peng King.”

The cultivator stopped here, paused for a longer time, and then asked, “Have there been any other matters in the last few days?”

Even a clever person like Qiuer didn't know how to answer such a general question from an Immortal. But after thinking for a moment, he began to talk about some of the recent novelties in Weicheng, all the while observing his expression. After talking about a few things, he found that the Immortal's face showed neither joy nor sorrow, so he slowly became bolder and ended up talking for an hour.

When he really had nothing more to say, Yue Yunzi, who had been maintaining the same posture and whose breathing was almost imperceptible, finally opened his eyes.

“Worshipping a divine dragon?” His gaze turned to the window. “And there’s a golden statue?”

“Yes, I have seen it too,” Qiuer said. “They say a child on Bailuzhou claimed to be the Dragon Prince of the Vast Sea, and that his true form is Chiwen. He came to the mortal world to play for four years, and his time was up. So he informed his parents of his true identity. And that carpenter really did dig up a golden statue in his yard.”

“When I was looking for my master, I went there to see. They said an old Daoist had once predicted that the child would die, so a group of people went to find him and asked how to worship the golden statue. That old Daoist was also a money-lover. He collected some real gold and silver, then enshrined the golden statue in the Mountain God Temple on South Mountain, and appointed himself the Temple Keeper of the Divine Dragon Temple.”

“But that thing…” Qiuer frowned. “Immortal, I have also learned some arts. I can also distinguish the spiritual energy on that golden statue. There is spiritual energy, but…”

“It is not the spiritual energy of a Dragon's Son,” Yue Yunzi said calmly.

A look of appropriate surprise appeared on Qiuer’s face. “How did the Celestial Master know?!”

Yue Yunzi shook his head slightly, a faint, visible smile finally appearing on his face. “What Vast Sea? And what Dragon Prince?”

“It’s probably just some clever demon from this area who possessed that child’s body and used his mouth to speak this nonsense to deceive the ignorant mortals. That demon is also half-baked, and the mortals have no way of knowing. Therefore, the spiritual energy left on that golden statue must be that of the demon.”

Qiuer feigned a sudden realization. “The Celestial Master is wise! Then… this so-called Divine Dragon Cult is just a bunch of rabble—”

Yue Yunzi shook his head again. “Not so.”

“Just one thing. The Dragon's Son Chiwen does exist. He is this Wei River Dragon King—the Dragon's Son who was slain. The fact that the Wei River Dragon King’s true form is Chiwen is something even your master did not know. How did this demon find out? To say he just happened to guess it right—the dragon has nine sons, how could he have hit upon the one that happened to be in the Wei River?”

At this point, Qiuer was genuinely confused. So he could only stand there, quietly listening to the Celestial Master speak.

Yue Yunzi thought for another moment and smiled faintly. “This old creature.”

“This demon who has gathered the Divine Dragon Cult knows about Chiwen, and is absorbing incense and faith power right next to that old creature—a demon who can do this much will not be an idiot.”

“Since he’s not stupid, why did he fabricate such a story with obvious loopholes—what Vast Sea, what Dragon Prince, why?”

“It means someone is directing and condoning him. He deliberately said it this way, yet mentioned Chiwen. A mix of truth and falsehood, to arouse curiosity. Curiosity will lead to investigation and contact—to see what this Dragon's Son Chiwen is really like.”

Yue Yunzi let out a long breath. “This old creature is quite cunning. He directed someone to put on such a farce. But… hehe. These are all common tricks of the officialdom in the secular world, how could they deceive me.”

“He set up such a trap to lure that Bai Yunxin. When Bai Yunxin comes, what then?”

“He will still want to draw the people of my Daoist Orthodoxy into the trap.”

Qiuer had originally just been listening. But at this moment, he was truly drawn in. For a moment, he forgot his reverence and actually interrupted to ask, “So you’re saying someone directed a demon to fabricate such a lie with obvious loopholes to attract attention? But Celestial Master, what about drawing the people of the Daoist Orthodoxy into the trap?”

Yue Yunzi was not annoyed. He just smiled again. “Ling’er killed the Dragon's Son, so that old creature naturally wants revenge. But that old thing definitely doesn’t want to act himself—he just wants to watch others fight until both sides are weakened, so he can pick up the pieces.”

“I heard that the Dragon's Son died first that night, and then Ling’er fought with Bai Yunxin. I am not clear on the details. But if I wanted revenge… I wouldn’t want to get everything crystal clear either—kill them both, and there would be no mistake. This is the way demons do things.”

“Ling’er disappeared from here… it must be the work of that old creature. With this, he can draw me into this mess, to fight with that Bai Yunxin for him.”

“This old creature is very calculating… but I am no fool. I won’t rush, and I won’t fall into his trap. I’ll just watch his Divine Dragon Cult grow in power—and see how he cleans up the mess when he finally lures Bai Yunxin here?”

Qiuer thought about it seriously for a long time. He felt there was a loophole in the Celestial Master's reasoning. So he asked, “Celestial Master… how can you be sure that person is certain that the Celestial Master will definitely get involved? The Celestial Maiden's remains are important, but after all, they are just…”

Yue Yunzi glanced at him. “Remains? Who said Ling’er is dead?”

“She carries with her the Soul-Suppressing Bell bestowed upon her by the Book Saint. Even if the Black and White Yama Kings came in person, if they wanted to snatch her soul from that bell, they would have to ask if the Book Saint agrees!”

Hearing this, Qiuer was dumbfounded—the Celestial Master had actually been talking to him for so long, and had even told him such a secret!!

But he was only stunned for a short moment before he understood the Celestial Master's intentions.

In a flash of inspiration—he immediately fell to his knees, kowtowed three times firmly, and said with a trembling voice, "Celestial Master, you have told this disciple so much, you must have an intention—"

But he heard Yue Yunzi talking to himself, interrupting him. “Look at these few sentences he just exchanged with me. Is he usable? Although he has a bit of a foul air, he is intelligent. He will do as a temporary vessel. After all, he has some foundation, and he is not a member of our Daoist Orthodoxy.”

Qiuer was stunned for a moment and looked up at Yue Yunzi.

He saw that the Celestial Master was looking at the spot where he had just been standing, talking to the air.

Before he could figure out what this meant, he saw Yue Yunzi nod his head. "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Then he waved his hand lightly—

A gentle breeze stirred by his sleeve blew past, and Qiuer's soul left his body. Yue Yunzi then flicked his fingernails as if they were dirty… and his soul dissipated into smoke.

But the next moment, Qiuer's body quickly stood up again. What had happened in a flash of lightning just now seemed as if he had only been slightly dazed and had swayed for a moment.

This newborn "Qiuer" moved his limbs, walked a few steps in the room, and then said very naturally, "It's a pity that everyone at the Lingxu Sword Sect's residence in Weicheng is dead. Hmph, once this matter is settled, I have a score to settle with that Lingxu Sword Sect! I fought with the Spiritual Soul avatars of Li Chunfeng and his wife until we were both grievously injured, only to be killed by two Illusory Realm Sword Cultivators!"

“Two good-for-nothing incompetents… they actually let Li Chunfeng and his wife’s only son escape. When I think about it, I’m really, really…”

“Don’t be angry.” Yue Yunzi shook his head. “You were able to find them and injure their Spiritual Soul avatars, that is already a great achievement.”

“Think about it, you fought with Li Chunfeng’s avatar from a thousand li away, and were seriously injured and on the verge of death. You encountered those two Sword Cultivators from Lingxu Sword Sect, tricked them into thinking there was a Myriad Li Rivers and Mountains Scroll there, lured them into having evil intentions and killing you, taking the Talisman from your body, and sealing the Snow Mountain Qi Sea of Li Chunfeng’s only son for you—the entire plan was flawless, truly seamless.”

“That Talisman of yours was made by a Taoist priest of the Great Achievement Master realm. Sealing his Qi Sea, no one in this secular world can undo it. So what if he has temporarily escaped? We will find him one day.”

“There are traces of that child in Qinghe and the Ye Yuan forest. We already know his name is Li Yunxin, and he is handsome—the boy in the temple who was previously said to have fought with Ling’er and the Dragon's Son, wasn’t that him?”

“Since he is already dead, that Lucid Jade Slip is either in the hands of that old creature, or in the hands of Bai Yunxin. Or, in Ling’er’s hands. Now that you and I have come here, what is there that cannot be resolved?”

“With our intelligence, playing these demons in the palm of our hands is naturally as easy as turning over our hands—in this Wei River, is there anyone more skilled in strategy than you and I?”

Yue Yunzi persuaded him so earnestly and at such length, as if he were coaxing a willful child, with none of the cold demeanor of a Dao-achieving Master realm cultivator.

It was only after this persuasion that this "Qiuer" snorted and sat down at the table.

But after sitting for a while, he suddenly slapped the table and shrieked, “But I still can’t let that Lingxu Sword Sect off so easily!”

Yue Yunzi sighed. “Alright, alright. After we deal with the matter here, we will go find that Lingxu Sword Sect, okay?”

Only then did Qiuer snort again. But after sitting still for only a short while, he stood up. “I’m still not happy. I’m going out for some air—don’t you follow me!”

Yue Yunzi shook his head. “I won’t follow you. But do not go within one zhang of the Dongting water's edge. Other than that… there’s no one in this Wei River who can harm you.”

As he finished speaking, Qiuer had already slammed the door and gone straight into the courtyard.

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