Inner Demons

Chapter 56: True Form

Li Yunxin's heart thumped.

When the Ninth Young Master mentioned that he was actually outside that night, Li Yunxin already had an ominous premonition. And now… it had indeed circled back to this matter.

But he understood that the Ninth Young Master was truly just finding it "fun" at this moment. Because the smile on his face was one of delight, and the light in his eyes was filled with intense curiosity.

This light was so vibrant. Li Yunxin understood that if he crossed the demon's will when he was at his most excited, this demon would surely fly into a rage. Or… flying into a rage might be overestimating himself. Perhaps the most reasonable reaction would be to turn cold, casually tear him in two, no longer interested in the "treasure," and then wrap himself in a cloud and leave!

This scoundrel…

Li Yunxin sighed inwardly, reached into his clothes, and took out the jade slip he kept close to his body: "This is it. A jade slip, if the Ninth Young Master likes it, please take a look."

After saying this, he was surprised.

The jade slip once again emitted a milky white glow. A second later, a light spot flickered, appearing. Then came the string of characters he had grown accustomed to.

His prediction was correct. This thing required demon power to activate.

For the past few days, he had been reading the things in the jade slip that were open to him. But the residual demon power in the jade slip, after all, only came from the short period of contact with the Ninth Young Master and Bai Yunxin, and it quickly ran out.Today… after being in contact with this great demon for so long, it finally activated again.

The Ninth Young Master had clearly never seen this thing before and was very pleased. He reached out and took it, looking at it from left to right, then fiddled with it a few times with his fingers.

Li Yunxin knew he couldn't open it. No one in this world could open it except him.

Sure enough, after fiddling with it a few times, he lost interest. He made a gesture to return it to him.

Li Yunxin restrained himself from showing even a hint of desire—he didn't know if the Ninth Young Master would become playful again, like a child, and say he wouldn't give it to him.

Mid-way through handing it back, the Ninth Young Master suddenly tilted his head: "Oh? This, how do you open it?"

"I have no idea." Li Yunxin shrugged, "I just keep it close as a treasure. Perhaps it will be useful."

"Is that so." The Ninth Young Master looked at Li Yunxin and smiled, "Then why are you keeping it? It's useless. Since... hmm, we're friends, I, little Jiu, am not a stingy person. Hmm, I'll give you something to exchange for this useless item of yours. In the future, we'll each keep our own, hmm, when I want to eat you, I'll remember we exchanged things..."

"I definitely won't eat you alive."

After he finished speaking, he casually put the Clear Jade Slip into his bosom, but his hand didn't come out. He rummaged for a while in his bosom, frowned slightly, and then suddenly pulled it out—

With a rustle, he pulled out a piece of leather armor.

Li Yunxin stared at his chest for a moment—it was spring, he was wearing thin clothes, where did he pull that thing out from?

He naturally knew about Sumeru mustard seeds and space storage bags, but they didn't exist in this world. Previously, when Bai Yunxin gave him a small sword, she also fumbled in her sleeve for a while, then pulled it out with a slight pull and force—that extremely sharp sword.

Could it be that such great demons possessed secret techniques he didn't know about?

He looked at the leather armor again; it was just a thin piece of armor. Sleeveless, it could be worn close to the body. So thin… it looked like a CT scan from his time. But another detail was… the Ninth Young Master pulled it out and casually scratched it a few times. He seemed to think something was stuck to it, and wasn't satisfied.

After scratching it a few times, the leather armor remained perfectly intact.

Li Yunxin subconsciously glanced at the stone table, which had a few marks scratched into it by his finger.

He sighed inwardly again, but put on a delighted expression and took it: "Thank you, Ninth Young Master. I will certainly keep it close. But you said you live nearby... where do you live?"

The Ninth Young Master's pupils suddenly contracted, staring at him: "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, you just told me—"

"You want to explore my residence?!" He interrupted Li Yunxin, his pupils completely narrowed to a thin line in his eyes, and he suddenly took a step forward. Li Yunxin truly didn't know which of his words, which tone, which glance had angered him. Or perhaps this great demon was simply unpredictable in his moods, without any pattern.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on his back. He held his breath, not letting himself appear too agitated, and said with a smile, "Ninth Young Master..."

Before he could finish, the Ninth Young Master suddenly turned his head sharply and stared directly northwest. After only a fleeting moment, he waved his sleeve, sending Li Yunxin flying into the wall, and then, enveloped in a cloud of mist, shot up into the sky!

The strong wind from the demon's departure rustled the bamboo leaves in the small courtyard for a while before finally dying down. It was only after a moment that Li Yunxin, leaning against the wall, slowly let out a groan—"You bastard…"

First, he gently moved his arms and legs, confirming that no bones were broken in his limbs. Then he slowly exhaled and inhaled, deeply exhaling and inhaling, confirming that his ribs weren't broken and wouldn't puncture his lungs. Then he closed his eyes and felt for a while before slowly getting up from the ground.

That damn lunatic…

Demons are just damn demons…

That last blow, anyone—any secular person, even someone whose true strength was equivalent to what he showed—would have been flattened against the wall and killed.

Fortunately, he was in the Transcendent Realm.

The Transcendent Realm for painters is different from that for Taoists and swordsmen. The common ground among the three is that their divine souls are already strong enough, and their understanding of their respective schools is deep enough, to shift their focus to discarding the seven emotions and six desires, rather than cultivating the divine soul itself.

From the Transcendent Realm onwards, the main task of cultivators is to overcome tribulations. This is because many profound techniques at and above this realm cannot be cultivated by those who are not "clear-minded." The Transcendent Realm is a watershed, and countless cultivators stop here. Only because various distractions cannot be eliminated, it is easy to suffer qi deviation when cultivating more profound techniques.

Taoists and swordsmen who cultivate to the Transcendent Realm already possess immense divine powers and might. Riding cranes into the sky and escaping with swords are hallmarks of Transcendent Realm cultivators—they can break free from the shackles of the earth. Furthermore, their various methods for combating humans and demons are also not to be underestimated in power.

At this stage, if a cultivator is well-prepared, undisturbed by others, and has the right timing and geographical advantage, it's not difficult for one person to wipe out a city.

But painters—referring, of course, to the painters of old, the Taoists of painting—when cultivating to the Transcendent Realm, could not compare to Taoists and swordsmen. If the two met in a narrow path and suddenly fought, five painters might not be able to defeat one Taoist or swordsman. Although the True Realm and Profound Realm might be different… those things, Li Yunxin no longer knew.

But even so, cultivators refine their divine souls and also temper their bodies. Li Yunxin couldn't exert the full power of the Transcendent Realm, but he possessed the foundation of the Transcendent Realm—a physique far stronger than ordinary people, or even ordinary cultivators.

Hence, that blow didn't kill him.

That Ninth Young Master, merely annoyed, had casually waved his hand.

If it had been someone else instead of Li Yunxin—one moment he would have accepted his thin armor, the next he would have been struck dead by him.

He stood up, took a few more steps, then slowly walked to the stone table and sat down, staring at the still-unconscious old Taoist priest.

But in reality, he wasn't looking at him, but rather organizing his thoughts.

The Clear Jade Slip was gone.

Well, there would always be a way to get it back. That wasn't the most pressing matter.

The Ninth Young Master knew where he was. Of course, he could run. But he had no doubt that the leather armor the Ninth Young Master gave him, like the sword Bai Yunxin gave him... he couldn't escape.

He had to get along with him.

The problem was that the time they spent together was too short. Even though he had tried his best last night, he still angered him at the last moment and was nearly killed.

What was the problem?

That lunatic clearly said he lived nearby and asked him to guess how he found this place.

He needed to understand him. He had to try to understand him first.

He had to know him inside and out…

This lunatic.

Li Yunxin stared at the old Taoist priest for a while, and then his eyebrows suddenly raised.

He thought of something.

…

…

When the old Taoist priest woke up, it was already bright.

Sleeping until dawn after getting drunk was probably because the Munan Spring was indeed good wine. His body was a little sore, as if he had fallen.

The window was half-open, and a faint mist had risen in the small courtyard. The fresh morning air, mixed with moisture and the scent of plants, was inhaled into his lungs, and the old Taoist priest felt refreshed all over. However, as this comfortable sensation passed and his mind became clearer…

The old Taoist priest's face suddenly crumpled.

He remembered that yesterday he had boasted that he would never leave this place…

Oh my goodness, bah! Drinking ruins things! He just blurted out something he hadn't thought through!

Thinking of this, he couldn't lie down anymore. He threw off the thin quilt, wiped his face, used his fingers to comb his hair, and then, with a worried expression, hurried towards the main house where Li Yunxin lived.

Upon entering, he saw Brother Xin eating his "sandwich." It was made with two slices of fried mantou, filled with vegetable leaves, braised meat, and eggs, eaten by hand.

Previously, the old Taoist priest was curious and asked about this way of eating and the name, wondering if there was any special meaning.

Brother Xin told him that "San Ming" referred to the three things in the middle: meat was braised meat; vegetables were vegetable leaves; and neither meat nor vegetable was eggs. These three items encompassed all common types of food that people usually ate, and it also took the meaning of "three"—three generates all things—eating these three was essentially eating all food under heaven, it was cultivating the mind and qi. Then, clamped with two slices of mantou was to consolidate the foundation—not letting the vital energy of these three foods escape.

Eating this was cultivation, and also achieving enlightenment, this was "San Ming."

And "Zhi," implied research and practice, further indicating that this was not merely eating, but also cultivation.

Combined, it was named "Sandwich."

The old Taoist priest was filled with respect, thinking, "Disciples of prominent sects are indeed different." He used to firmly refuse to eat like this, believing it was undignified and childish. But after hearing Li Yunxin's explanation, his mind was opened, and every morning he made "sandwiches" for both of them.

Brother Xin seemed very happy that he could do this…

But the old Taoist priest always felt there was a strange smile on his face.

Li Yunxin was eating that thing while rapidly flipping through a stack of pamphlets on the table.

The old Taoist priest glanced at them, then was surprised: "Brother Xin, what are you reading these temple records for?"

Li Yunxin didn't even lift his head: "Listen, I need to tell you something. Hold the door, don't get excited. Last night, that demon came to eat you. I told him you're my servant, and he didn't eat you. From now on, if he comes again, just play your role as my servant. Alright, close the door and don't panic outside—I have important business."

The old Taoist priest was stunned for a long time, hearing Li Yunxin speak to him at such a pace for the first time. He opened his mouth to ask, but then saw the dozen or so books stacked high on the other side of the table, realizing that Brother Xin hadn't slept all night. So he took a deep breath and slowly backed out of the door… letting the raging waves in his heart churn.

That demon, he actually came last night?!

Brother Xin… saved his life again…

Li Yunxin watched the old Taoist priest quietly retreat, then continued… looking at the temple records.

In the Great Qing Dynasty, there was such a thing as "temple records." Li Yunxin previously knew about "county records," but after coming here, he only heard of "temple records."

The Dragon King Temple in the Great Qing Dynasty was a rather strange entity—he couldn't find a similar "institution" or "organization" from his original world to compare it to.

As long as there's land, a temple can be built. Whether it's funded by popular donations from worshippers or by a single wealthy family, once the temple is built, it needs to be registered with the authorities, stating its purpose. Other temples had no particular restrictions, except for the Dragon King Temple—it had an obligation.

The temple master of a Dragon King Temple was required to record the rain conditions of the year.

It wasn't about recording every single day, but rather, in a year of great drought, on a certain month and day, how many people came to the temple to pray for rain, and when it rained—for such major events, the temple master had to record them.

Li Yunxin speculated that it was because the Great Qing Dynasty didn't have a "meteorological bureau." So some wise man had a sudden idea—alright, let the Dragon King Temple handle this.

After all, it was about praying for rain.

But besides that, these temple records also contained some other things. It was unknown when a certain temple master began recording how many people went missing before and after a certain rainfall… Once this started, it slowly became a habit, maintained by generations.

Li Yunxin spent an entire night reading the 142 years of records of this temple.

Then he closed the last book, rubbed his forehead with his fingers, and walked out the door.

The old Taoist priest was not there. He had probably gone to clean the front yard. These days, with the court case pending and being falsely accused, fewer pilgrims came to the front yard, so it had been neglected.

The mist had dispersed, and Li Yunxin sat on the stone steps in front of the house, basking in the sun for a while.

He felt that he knew the Ninth Young Master's true form.

Last night, the Ninth Young Master had already spoken clearly, but Li Yunxin was only concerned about the Clear Jade Slip, only remembered it, but didn't think deeply.

The Ninth Young Master said—"Before entering the door, did you see me? Haha, you did see me. It's just… hmm, that night I was also terribly bored, and still hiding from an annoying fellow."

He said that he saw him before entering the temple gate. And he, was hiding from someone.

On that rainy night when he was being chased by two swordsmen, before he fell into the temple, he did glance at the eaves of the temple—it was in that brief moment that Li Yunxin, using the flash of lightning, saw a corner of a flying eaves in the far distance. On the eaves, a dark green chiwen was perched, glancing at him through the heavy rain.

Ninth Young Master…

Not a demon.

He is a Chiwen.

The ninth son of the dragon.