Inner Demons

Chapter 186: Three Benefits with One Action

At this point, the Purple Talisman just happened to burn out. A piece of Talisman paper, whose secular value could be worth all the commercial properties in Weicheng, turned into flying ash. Yue Yunzi stared at the flying ash for a full quarter of an hour—

Only then did he hear Li Yunxin finally get to the point.

"...If you are not sincere, it will not work; if your heart is sincere, it will work. There are already tens of thousands of people here today. But the people who will benefit the most from the rain are the farmers, not you people in the city. Since those people are not here, how can the Dragon King bring down the sweet rain—"

San Hua, on the side, snorted sarcastically. "Hmph, that's right... oh, Three Sacrificial Animals—"

Li Yunxin quickly interrupted her. "By noon today, if the farmers outside Weicheng come into the city and sincerely worship the true god of our cult, the Wei River Dragon King, then there will be a torrential rain before sunset today—and from now on, this Wei River area will be blessed with good weather—"

After he said this, the people below the stage finally came to their senses.

The people who were squeezed in the front were all bold and early risers who wanted to get some benefits. Now that they heard Li Yunxin say this, someone finally couldn't help but raise his head and shout to the stage, "Ah, after all this, are you going to perform a ritual to pray for rain?"

When he said this, the crowd around him all suddenly understood and became excited.

Everywhere has a Dragon King Temple, and they occasionally pray for rain.

However, praying for rain is very different from believers voluntarily coming to worship the "Dragon King."That requires a sacrifice.

Not fruits or Three Sacrificial Animals, but a human sacrifice.

Human sacrifice has been strictly forbidden by the court, but it is still rampant in various places. This is because, many times, it is indeed very effective.

Cultivators and Yin Spirits all know why.

A Yin Spirit that occupies the incense of an area will not often display its power—Li Yunxin had told Old Daoist Liu about the reason before. If you often display your power and grant every wish, you might cause people to resent you if you fail even once. This is called "the human heart is never satisfied." Only by occasionally giving those ignorant people a taste of sweetness will they worship you carefully.

But most Yin Spirits like human flesh and blood. Humans are the spirits of all things. Even Yin Spirits who have successfully cultivated have to take human form to progress, so they have an innate obsession with human flesh and blood. Only those who are afraid of being eliminated will secretly eat it. The ones who are timid just endure it—only great demons above the True Realm are not very afraid.

But the Daoist Orthodoxy doesn't really care about the matter of sacrifice. Some wandering cultivators will, but the Daoist Orthodoxy and the court don't really oppose it. This is because it is a "tradition"—this kind of thing has existed since the beginning of humanity, and it is rooted in people's hearts. Sometimes, forcefully managing it will make the ignorant people unhappy.

The government does not encourage or oppose it. Some local officials who are staunch believers will even take prisoners who have been sentenced to death and approved by the court to be used as human sacrifices when the local area is in a severe drought.

For the condemned prisoner, this is a benefit—their life, which was going to be lost anyway, is taken in this way, and their family will also receive compensation.

Weicheng is an open-minded place, and they haven't heard of "sacrifice" for a hundred years.

When this question was asked, everyone became excited. "Praying for rain with a dead person" sounded terrible, but everyone believed that this would not happen to them. They all felt that Weicheng was a rich and prosperous place, and at least in broad daylight, no one would be forcibly dragged onto the stage and killed.

They would definitely take people from the government prison—since they were taking condemned prisoners, they deserved to die.

But this was not in Li Yunxin's plan.

He wasn't afraid to kill people, but he didn't like to kill for no reason. It would dirty his clothes and offend some people.

He just smiled slightly. "Rain needs to be prayed for. But—"

"A human sacrifice is also needed," another voice interjected, interrupting him. This voice was also loud and could be heard by everyone. And the tone was gentle and warm, making people feel comfortable and at ease.

The corners of Yue Yunzi's mouth held an ambiguous smile as he floated over, each step covering several zhang, and he quickly arrived at Li Yunxin's side. This divine ability of shrinking the ground was exactly what the people wanted. The crowd below gasped, saying that another immortal had arrived.

Li Yunxin stopped talking.

Yue Yunzi looked at him carefully, then at the dragon girl, and turned to face the crowd. "A human sacrifice is needed. But not now."

"I am the Head Seat of the Vinaya Hall of Langya Grotto-heaven, Enlightened Master Yue Yunzi—" he said this and quickly realized he had made a mistake.

"Immortal" was already the most incredible existence in the minds of these people—they also considered an Illusory Realm cultivator to be an immortal.

As for Grotto-heaven, Discipline Hall, Enlightened Master... what the hell were those? People knew there was a Grotto-heaven, just as they knew there was a Celestial Court. But they didn't know what kind of minor gods the heads of the departments in the Celestial Court were.

So they looked at each other and asked a few questions—"What is the Discipline Hall?" and "Is an Enlightened Master not as powerful as an immortal?" and then they just looked at him with a blank expression.

Yue Yunzi sighed. "I am a true immortal of the Grotto-heaven."

This time, he finally heard the people's gasps and exclamations in unison.

"...I have also come here to bring blessings to this land and to slay demons," he said, emphasizing the last four words. He glanced at Li Yunxin, then said again, "Praying for rain to benefit the people is a good thing. Now that the Divine Dragon Cult Master wants to pray for rain, I will help him. I will write a prayer and announce it to the heavens and the earth, and ask for a torrential rain."

"It's just that in this Weicheng area, demons were causing chaos before, and the heavens and the people are angry!"

Yue Yunzi slowed his tone and said in a deep voice, "That's why there has been a great drought for more than a month. If you want to pray for rain, an ordinary sacrifice won't be enough. You need to use an evil demon with magic power as a sacrifice to get a blessing for yourselves. But for now—"

He turned to look at Li Yunxin. "Let this Divine Dragon Cult Master first show his divine power. After he shows his divine power... hehe. I, the Daoist priest, will then sacrifice to the Dragon King for you!"

His words were easy to understand, and the people below the stage understood. They then realized that not only would someone perform a ritual to bring rain, but someone would also perform a ritual to catch and slay a demon. This was a truly exciting event. The crowd immediately became a frenzy of joy, whispering to each other that they had come to the right place today and finally had a good show to watch. They only wished they could call their mothers, wives, and children to come and watch with them.

It turned back into the lively market from before.

Yue Yunzi looked down at the crowd from the high platform. He turned around, and his robes fluttered, truly like an immortal.

He walked slowly to Li Yunxin's side and looked at him calmly. "You are even smarter than I thought."

Li Yunxin raised an eyebrow and lightly tapped the fan in his palm twice. "What amazing thing do you know now?"

"Not much. But..." When Yue Yunzi said this, he suddenly laughed at himself.

"I thought you were Lord Tongtian before, so I said a lot of things to you. After that, I thought you and Lord Tongtian had worked together to create this situation. Although I was a little disappointed, seeing your age, I also thought you were a genius." He snorted. "But now I know that you, a mere child... are just another sharp-tongued, bold daredevil. But... a daredevil who cultivates the Dao of Painting."

Li Yunxin's action of tapping his palm with his fan paused slightly. But he quickly covered it up with a smile.

All of this was seen by Yue Yunzi.

He walked even closer to Li Yunxin and placed his hand on his shoulder.

To the people below the stage, it looked like an immortal was talking to the Divine Dragon Cult Master, and this was just an intimate gesture. But in reality, Yue Yunzi's hand only lightly touched Li Yunxin's shoulder before he withdrew it and stood side by side with him.

Yue Yunzi stood with him and looked at the crowd below, saying in a leisurely tone, "The Daoist Orthodoxy governs the world, and many things must be taken care of."

"For example, a big city like Weicheng. Its influence is not limited to one prefecture or one province. When something happens in Weicheng—an entire street is destroyed, demons and cultivators display their power in public and cause so many deaths, the Daoist Orthodoxy has a responsibility to handle it."

He slightly turned his face to look at Li Yunxin. "There has to be an explanation."

"Otherwise, why do you think that after two months, the court has not sent a chief official, and no one else has pursued this matter? It's because this kind of thing should be handled by the Daoist Orthodoxy. I am here to handle this matter.

"The Lucid Jade Slip. Lingkongzi. One is a thing, one is a person. They are just points. The influence of the incident is the surface. Do you think I came for the Lucid Jade Slip? For Lingkongzi? No. I just came for the incident itself. I have come, and there must be an explanation."

"You thought that impersonating Lord Tongtian and luring me into your trap was an interesting thing, hmm?" Yue Yunzi laughed softly. "When I was your age, I also loved walking on cliffs and among ferocious beasts. At that time, I was a famous Wandering Hero."

"I loved that feeling—life and death on the line, but still under my control."

"However, when I did that back then—when I walked on cliffs, I had an iron chain around my waist. When I walked among ferocious beasts, their teeth had been pulled out. I was sure that they could not harm me. But you—"

Yue Yunzi looked at Li Yunxin, his gaze like two arrows. "You are using some tricks that you think are clever to deceive an Enlightened Master... Don't you know that you are asking for death?"

"When I thought you were the Second Dragon Son Yazi and Lord Tongtian, I said a lot of things to you. Do you think they were true?" Yue Yunzi looked at him. He sneered and turned his head away again. "I am the Head Seat of the Vinaya Hall of Langya Grotto-heaven. Even if I wanted to plot and get something, how could I conspire with a demon? Have that Yazi sleep on my bed? What a joke. Since I can get both power and the great achievement of killing a Dragon's Son, why would I not want it?"

"But... you are not Yazi. That female demon next to you is not Yazi either. Although I don't know what method you used to create the dragon aura, you still don't seem to realize one thing."

"You have already put yourself in the position I left for the Dragon's Son Yazi in my plan. The real Yazi might be able to fight like a trapped beast. But you..."

Yue Yunzi looked at him mockingly. "Do you still find it interesting to walk on cliffs and among ferocious beasts? You were too smart for your own good and provoked someone you shouldn't have."

"Now I really want to see you—how you will summon a torrential rain. Hmm, a Yin Spirit with some divine power can sprinkle some rain from the sky. I have seen this before—the so-called 'Dragon Kings' worshipped in remote, rural areas and in small rivers are mostly like this. But now, listen carefully."

Yue Yunzi turned sideways and said to Li Yunxin seriously, "I promised them a torrential rain, so I need a torrential rain."

"I also told them that I would kill a demon and sacrifice it to the Dragon King."

"If you can't bring this rain, then you are that demon. I will not kill you immediately. I will make you suffer all the pain in this world—so you can properly ask yourself..."

"How dare you deceive a Master?"

Li Yunxin's expression changed uncertainly, as if he was trying to suppress some feeling.

After a long while, he let out a light breath, took a small step back to distance himself from Yue Yunzi, and blinked. "Why are you so angry?"

Yue Yunzi just looked at him, with no sadness or joy on his face.

Li Yunxin sighed. "Okay, I admit I shouldn't have kept lying to you before, it was very hurtful. And I shouldn't have argued with you in the red corridor just now. How about it?"

After saying this, he looked at Yue Yunzi's expression again.

The other party remained unmoved and silent, just staring at him.

However, the people below the stage saw that the two immortals on the stage were taking their time and just talking, and they were getting a little impatient. It was already noon. The sky was already overcast and muggy, and with so many people gathered together, it was even hotter.

They really wanted—a downpour to come immediately. Even a light drizzle would be enough to cool them down.

So the people below the stage slowly started to whisper to each other—one person would not dare to ask two "immortals" to do something. But a group of people, or ten thousand people, was different. The collective consciousness swept them up, and their wishes finally came together in a unified voice...

They began to demand that the Divine Dragon Cult Master quickly bring down the sweet rain to relieve their heat.

Both Li Yunxin and Yue Yunzi heard this sound.

Li Yunxin sighed heavily again. "How about this—since everyone is so demanding, then... if I can really bring a torrential rain, let's not be so stiff with each other and have a good talk, okay?"

Yue Yunzi smiled meaningfully. "Since you are not a Dragon's Son, and that demon is not a Dragon's Son, how can you bring a torrential rain?"

"I have my own way." Li Yunxin spread his hands. "So, is it settled?"

"Good," Yue Yunzi smiled even more happily. "Then it's settled."

Li Yunxin immediately turned around and said in a clear voice, "Then, I will give you a rain!"

When he said this, he reached into his sleeve and took out a magic brush.

Then his sleeves surged as if they were suddenly filled with a fierce wind. The magic brush in his hand seemed to weigh a thousand pounds at this moment. Every inch it moved in the air, he had to use all his strength. It was as if this stroke was pulling the fate and spiritual energy of the entire Weicheng, and even the entire Wei River, to—

"So, you are going to use the entire Painting Formation laid out outside the city, plus the power of faith of these people and those people outside the city... to 'paint' a rain from somewhere else?"

Yue Yunzi suddenly spoke from behind him.

His voice was cold, as if it had been carved out with a knife. "Repairing bridges, paving roads, and digging irrigation canals—using this to cover up a Painting Formation. A good plan."

"But why do you think I told you to kill those thirty-six cultivators?"

"Do you really think... it was just to give me an excuse to gain power in the Daoist Orthodoxy?"