Inner Demons

Chapter 18: Lady Sanhua

Li Yunxin glanced at Qiao Jiaxin, making sure she was truly... dead.

The girl lay in the grass, her lifeless posture not beautiful, her eyes open.

He sighed, shaking his head slightly. Girls in ancient times were certainly not as good-looking as in his time – at least overall. Natural beauty was always good, but it also meant they weren't as fair, didn't smell as fragrant, their hair wasn't as smooth, and how could they hide the acne on their faces?

But this Miss Qiao would be considered a pretty girl even in modern times, and Li Yunxin had a very good impression of her. He didn't expect her to die in less than a day of knowing her.

Indeed, modern civilization and a society ruled by law were better.

At least people wouldn't die so casually.

But he only lamented for a moment. He had done many things in his previous life and had seen many dead people. Since he could accept things like transmigration and demons, he could certainly accept a few deaths.

Therefore, he quickly averted his gaze and looked at the swordsman: "I'm afraid I'd scare you to death if I told you."

The swordsman was startled and frowned. He had indeed realized that the White-robed Youth before him was extraordinary.

Neither the son of a merchant nor the son of an official could maintain a normal expression after seeing such a death, without even a hint of sadness or distress. Moreover, he had previously displayed unusual abilities – he was definitely not a mere mundane person.Then... perhaps it really was related to those "immortals."

Their "Six Ghosts of the River" were once chased by Black Saber Ying Jueran like homeless dogs, and only turned their fortunes around after encountering that immortal. Therefore, they understood very well what kind of people not to provoke – the "Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and Seventy-Two Schools" were once distant, ethereal clouds to them, but now they knew how terrifying anyone connected to those people could be.

And the youth's previous actions, his current reaction, plus that extremely arrogant remark, made the swordsman realize that he might have encountered a difficult character.

He couldn't kill him.

But if he didn't kill him, he had already offended him. What if this youth held a grudge later and truly belonged to a Grotto-heaven or School...

How could minor characters like them bear that?

They were just casually robbing people on the roadside, how did they encounter such an unprovoked disaster?

The swordsman's thoughts raced for a few seconds, and Li Yunxin had already understood his intentions.

So he decided to take a risky move again. He hadn't summoned Young Master Nine before because he was afraid he would kill innocent people. Now that Qiao Jiaxin was dead, and those "innocent people" might have been slaughtered by the other swordsmen, he had nothing to worry about.

Before the swordsman changed his mind and made a decision, Li Yunxin held the portrait of Young Master Nine in his sleeve with his fingers. With just a light tap, Young Master Nine's illusion would suddenly appear, and then the ferocious demon would probably arrive soon.

But at this moment, an angry scolding voice echoed through the forest. The voice seemed to come from all directions, startling the birds roosting in the branches, making them flutter up into the sky –

"What audacious madman dares to act wildly in this Empress's palace?!"

Li Yunxin and the swordsman were both stunned simultaneously.

One second later, Li Yunxin bolted towards a clump of bushes to the north.

According to his parents, Artificers were the most sensitive group of cultivators to spiritual energy in the world. Li Yunxin deeply believed this. For example, when that voice rang out, he simultaneously felt a kind of familiar spiritual energy.

This spiritual energy had also appeared when the Female Ghost had manifested earlier.

The Female Ghost's manifestation disrupted the simple Painting Formation he and the old Daoist had set up, but Li Yunxin believed that the owner of this spiritual energy had no ill intentions and wanted to save him.

The last time it scared the six swordsmen, this time it bought him time again.

The source of the spiritual energy was behind the northern bushes. He didn't know if that entity was human, ghost, demon, or immortal, but he knew that at least for now, it had no intention of killing him.

When he had stopped and told Qiao Jiaxin, "Something feels off," he was referring to this – at that time, he was certain he had seen the same tree twice in a row.

A Ghost Wall.

It was probably this entity that didn't want him to leave the forest. It might need him to do something for it.

Li Yunxin could probably guess.

He rushed into the clump of bushes, and after running for more than ten steps, he found an open space before him. In the middle of the clearing stood a dilapidated small temple, tilted and half-collapsed. The reason it hadn't turned into a pile of rubble was that the other half was supported by an old tree, thick enough for one person to embrace. This tree had probably grown out of the temple itself, having endured countless years, and now served as half a beam.

A long, long time ago, this forest was probably inhabited, and the temple's incense offerings were probably quite abundant. Because even after so many years, this clearing remained wide. Perhaps some other treatment was done to the ground before the stone slabs were laid, so little grass grew, creating an open space surrounded by towering trees.

Clear moonlight spilled from the sky, and Li Yunxin saw the remnant plaque, with only one corner still hanging on the doorframe –

Temple of Lady Sanhua.

What kind of a bizarre name was that? It didn't sound like a proper deity.

It seemed more like a long, long time ago, foolish commoners built a temple for some clever, supernatural creature and worshipped it as a true immortal.

But Li Yunxin only glanced at it before rushing into the doorway, which no longer had a door.

The shrine within the temple was still there, and a clay idol stood upon it. However, its surface had weathered and peeled, making its features indiscernible. Yet, from the faint outline, the clay sculpture originally enshrined on this shrine seemed to be a humanoid mountain god or earth god.

"Another temple," Li Yunxin stopped, sighing.

To an ordinary person, he had fallen into a dead end. But Li Yunxin knew that this was probably his only chance of salvation, other than summoning Young Master Nine.

Because on this seemingly dilapidated clay idol, there was surprisingly active spiritual energy.

He no longer worried about the swordsman who might follow closely, but instead calmed down, put his hands behind his back, circled the clay sculpture, and shook his head slightly: "What exactly are you? Why are you helping me?"

Then the ethereal female voice from before echoed in the ruined temple again: "Because this deity is fated with you. Why do you not kneel when you see this deity? Did you bring any Three Sacrificial Animals? Hmm? Oh, you didn't bring any..."

"Three Sacrificial Animals... Didn't bring any Three Sacrificial Animals, huh? Nothing at all? Huh?"

"Oh my... hmm... hmph. Why do you not kneel when you see this deity? Hmm? Are you a Taoist priest? Hmm? Painting Daoist?"

Li Yunxin frowned slightly. He felt that this thing seemed more complex than he had initially thought.

This thing knew the term "Painting Daoist."

He himself knew this term, his parents knew it, and among the remaining people, probably few remembered it.

Kangcangzi and Chisongzi knew it. But they seemed to be from the Sword Sect.

And this one here... was probably a demon.