Inner Demons

Chapter 162: The Demon in My Heart Share Comments

After saying all this, Li Yunxin narrowed his eyes slightly. “As for why those Black and White Yama Kings didn’t promptly claim Emperor Li’s soul… that is the strangest part of all.”

Everything he said was something Old Daoist Liu had never considered.

But Old Daoist Liu was not a foolish man, after all. After hearing him out and carefully sorting through the details, he understood.

He thought for a moment and asked, “But if that’s the case… why not manifest as saints?”

Li Yunxin knew what he meant.

He raised an eyebrow, poured a cup of lukewarm tea, took a sip, and then looked at Old Daoist Liu. “Because of those wretched Taoist priests and sword cultivators. The disciples of the Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect, those low-level ones, wandering all over the world—what do you think they’re doing?”

“When they see a demon that often manifests, they claim the demon is repeatedly appearing to wreak havoc on the human world, and then they slay it. And the demons themselves are no good things either; they love to cause trouble. So, if an ordinary person sees a demon in the wild—of course, they’d quickly cover their child’s eyes and mouth and flee in a hurry. They wouldn’t dare speak of it everywhere after returning home.”

“Firstly, they have no good impression of demons and consider it bad luck. Secondly, they’re afraid that talking about it all the time might actually attract a demon. You see how children who cry ‘ghost, ghost’ in the middle of the night are always scolded by adults? It’s the same principle.”

“As for the great demons that those low-level disciples can’t handle—well, there’s still the Daoist Orthodoxy. There are only about a hundred known great demons at or above the True Realm, scattered throughout the world. And they often fight amongst themselves.”

“But the Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect have hundreds of masters at or above the True Realm, and they work together with one heart. Which great demon would truly dare to repeatedly appear in the human world to recruit believers? Look at that Ghost Emperor; his cultivation was nearing that of the Two Saints, yet wasn't he brought down by five cultivators who sacrificed their lives?”“And what a fine mess that was. He escaped to Tongtian Lake and ran into Yazi.” As Li Yunxin spoke, he shook his head again, as if he found it both infuriating and amusing. “Two great demons in such a situation, instead of helping each other, they started fighting again and both ended up crippled—goddamn morons. Just look at the Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect!”

Old Daoist Liu quickly forced a smile and refilled Li Yunxin’s tea. “But the envoys of our Divine Dragon Cult, from what I’ve seen these past few days, are all very good. Not as ferocious as other demons.”

Li Yunxin shook his head and sighed, though it was unclear what he was sighing about.

He looked at the tea Old Daoist Liu had poured for him, and his gaze drifted to the dried sweet potatoes on the wooden tray.

The old Daoist thought for a moment… then reached out and picked up a slice. “Brother Xin, you can try this. Jinniang… uh, that Daoist friend of mine made it herself. It’s clean and chewy.”

Li Yunxin subconsciously reached out. But after just a motion, he quickly pulled his hand back.

He looked at the dried sweet potato again and said in a low voice, “Not hungry.”

It was the first time Old Daoist Liu had seen him lose his composure like this. His eyes flickered, and he put the dried sweet potato down.

Li Yunxin was silent for a moment. Then he asked, “Are you sleepy?”

Old Daoist Liu shook his head. “I am a cultivator of the Illusory Realm, after all. I don’t get tired easily.”

“Mm,” Li Yunxin grunted and fell silent for a while. Suddenly, he spoke again. “Sigh. Actually, the path of the Divine Dao and the path of Human Cultivators, if you ask if there are similarities? There are.”

“You talk about the Daoist Orthodoxy and the Sword Sect, why do they have to go through Transcending Tribulation? They cast aside emotions one by one, eventually turning themselves into strange, mentally ill-like beings. For example, they no longer see people as people… From a certain perspective, they’ve cultivated into something like demons.”

“But Old Liu, think about it again. An ordinary person who hasn’t had any unforgettable experiences, raised in a grand mansion their whole life. You couldn’t say they have high moral character, nor could you say they are utterly evil; they’re just an ordinary person. Then one day, you give them immense power. You open the door and say, ‘Go on.’”

“When that person walks into the marketplace, after a long time…”

“‘These clothes are beautiful, I want them. That beauty is gorgeous, I want her. This mansion is nice, I want it.’ This dazzling world, these beautiful lands, there are too many good things. An ordinary person would also be greedy and want things, but they can only work honestly, occasionally resorting to deceit and trickery, and only obtain things after great effort.”

“But when this person wants something… they can just reach out and take it. Because there’s almost no one in the world who can oppose them. But how can that be allowed? The world would fall into chaos. This matter, you want to restrain it with morals and rules? There will always be loopholes.”

“So why not just… sever emotions and abandon desires. Without those desires, and with only the single-minded pursuit of longevity, the world would be much better off. That’s why the Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect have to cultivate the heart, to go through Transcending Tribulation. It’s not just for the world, but also for themselves—if you have so many desires and can obtain them so easily, where would you find the mind to diligently improve?”

Li Yunxin looked at Old Daoist Liu, but his gaze slid over to the dried sweet potato again, then darted away as if electrocuted. “As for Yin Spirits? Demons? They absorb willpower and the power of faith, and they don't have so much nonsense to deal with. Below the realm of Supreme Indifference, they can’t be bothered to pass any tribulations. So you see, demons… what they call ‘acting on impulse’ is actually just willingly degenerating.”

“So many of those great demons, if they managed their affairs well, they might have gained more believers, more willpower, and become stronger themselves. But they have so many desires—wanting to eat people, getting annoyed with the neighbor next door, feeling tired and wanting to sleep for a year or two… and so on and so forth.”

“Demons have desires too, and they don’t know restraint. So how can they compete with the Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect?”

“Not to mention, stepping into the realm of Supreme Indifference like the Two Saints requires other things—on this point, it’s the same for both cultivators and demons. That’s why Emperor Li was at the peak of the Profound Realm, on the verge of the Two Saints… but could never reach the realm of the Two Saints.”

“The peak of the Profound Realm is a threshold; there are no shortcuts,” Li Yunxin sighed. “My parents told me that below the peak of the Profound Realm, if a demon’s willpower is strong enough, they can charge straight up. But once they reach that threshold… if a demon wants to cross it, they must go through Transcending Tribulation from the very beginning, step by step, just like a Human Cultivator.”

“It’s just that Human Cultivators have a legacy of ten thousand years; they begin severing emotions and abandoning desires almost from the Intent Realm, proceeding in an orderly fashion. But those demons… they’re already at the Profound Realm. How do you expect them to pass those tribulations? Huh? The Delusion Heart Tribulation? He wants the Grand Supreme Dao! How can he let go of it!”

“So if you ask me why those great demons don’t manifest as saints and gather large amounts of incense offerings? I think… they probably know this point as well.” Speaking up to here, Li Yunxin suddenly fell silent.

…And he was silent for a very long time.

Old Daoist Liu had been listening to him quietly. At this point, he sighed softly. He hesitantly reached out his hand, paused for a moment, and still patted Li Yunxin’s knee gently.

“Brother Xin, you… are you feeling troubled in your heart?”

“Talk to me about it.”

He knew that the Li Yunxin of tonight was vastly different from before.

The old Li Yunxin would also laugh and curse—words like “idiot” and “moron” were his common evaluations of others. But back then, other people’s affairs were other people’s affairs. Brother Xin stood on the shore, clean and untouched, commenting on them.

But tonight’s Brother Xin… although he spoke eloquently, Old Daoist Liu knew that he himself was also immersed in those emotions.

His loss of composure when reaching for the dried sweet potato just now was, in fact, indicative of him losing his composure from the very beginning of the night.

Brother Xin couldn't control his emotions well at this moment. Just as he had evaluated others before—this person was full of flaws.

The old Taoist priest sighed with mixed feelings in his heart. Because he realized that at a time like this… Brother Xin had come to find him.

He had entrusted his most vulnerable moment to him.

Li Yunxin turned his head. He stared at the bright white window paper for a while, then suddenly asked sullenly, “Then are you willing to part with that Daoist friend of yours?”

He had been passionate and eloquent when talking about demons, the Daoist Orthodoxy, and the Sword Sect. But now, he seemed to have suddenly lost all his spirit, and even his voice was a bit hoarse.

Old Daoist Liu hadn't expected him to ask this. But seeing his expression, it wasn't a joke.

So he thought about it seriously. “In this world, there are always gains and losses. Daoist friend Shi Kuizi took me in when I was in trouble, and I am grateful for her kindness. And… I admire her. But now, in this situation, at this time, between you and her…”

“If I leave her—to be shameless—she will be sad for a while, but she will eventually be fine. This thing called emotion, sigh. I, this old Daoist, am an experienced man… it can’t withstand the test of time. At first, the heart will ache, but as the days go by, it fades. In the end, there are still people who can’t let go. But even if they can’t let go, it’s just a single silken thread connecting their thoughts to that person. They know there is such a thread and such a person, but it’s no longer pulled so tight.”

“But on your side, Brother Xin, it would be very inconvenient without me. That’s a matter of life and death. I am…”

As he spoke, he heard a soft sound from outside the door.

Then came the sound of very light footsteps, and a very, very careful sound of a door closing.

Old Daoist Liu shot up and looked towards the door. But after looking for a moment, he slowly turned around and sat down again.

“Sigh. This is for the best,” he sighed. “This is for the best.”

Li Yunxin looked at him. “Tell me about what happened when you came here.”

Old Daoist Liu gave a bitter smile. He thought for a moment and slowly recounted the events of those days.

“Ah… ‘My real name is Liu Gongzan. In my early years, I was a bandit, with the nickname Ghost Calculator. I just killed a Head Constable and have nowhere to go. Do you dare to take me in?’” Li Yunxin said with a sigh and a smile. “So after you said that, she didn’t ask you anything and just took you in.”

“Actually, during those days, demons could have come to your door, or cultivators from the Daoist Orthodoxy could have come. Whoever came would have been a disaster. The two of you… that Shi Kuizi could barely be called Intent Realm; she’s just an ordinary person who has learned some martial arts for fitness—yet she took you in. And she could have died because of you, Old Liu.”

“The women of this world, why are there so many who are so affectionate and foolish?” Li Yunxin’s gaze lowered. “And the men of this world, why are we all so hard-hearted?”

Old Daoist Liu slowly frowned. “Brother Xin, you are…”

“I provoked a girl,” Li Yunxin said. “And now I don’t know what to feel in my heart.” (To be continued.)