Inner Demons

Chapter 57: Haunted

Although Li Yunxin was already mentally prepared for matters concerning "demons" in this world, deriving this fact still filled him with intense surprise and a sense of incongruity.

The dragon has nine sons, each different.

This saying implies that dragons, by nature, are lustful. Wherever they go, if they feel attracted to something and find it appealing, they'll copulate with it—with various animals, producing nine different-looking sons.

The problem is, legends about dragons, phoenixes, and various famous demons and ghosts existed in his previous world a very, very long time ago. So long ago that it was unclear whether those mythical creatures truly existed in ancient times, or if they were fabricated and embellished by people.

Therefore, upon arriving in this world and hearing that such things existed, he could accept it. Perhaps it was because two different planes or dimensions, due to some rules, had produced those divine and extraordinary creatures.

However… the concept of "the dragon having nine sons" was definitely fabricated.

Although the saying about the dragon's nine sons had a long history, its precise record appeared in a dynasty called "Ming." The emperor, curious about which nine sons the dragon had, asked his ministers. The ministers had also heard of the saying but were equally unclear. So, based on their vague impressions, and after some imagination, they cobbled together a few specific "dragon sons." Then, this story gradually spread and became widely known.

But something fabricated in his previous world now truly existed.

Li Yunxin found it a bit difficult to understand. He also vaguely felt that something wasn't quite right. But these subtle feelings of incongruity were quickly replaced by another concern.

The dragon has nine sons…That means, if he saw one demon—there are still eight more.

Another point is that the power of faith can make demons stronger. Since in this world, everyone knows about "the dragon having nine sons" and even their images are everywhere…

Then they must be exceptionally powerful.

…What kind of being would Bai Yunxin be, who could even frighten such a powerful Ninth Young Master?

No, no, no… something's wrong. There shouldn't be things that can grow infinitely powerful in this world.

If this world were to become prosperous in the future… billions of people, all knowing about the dragon having nine sons, to what extent would they become powerful?

A stable real world…

Such a situation shouldn't arise.

Or perhaps…

This world is on the path to collapse… halfway there.

He sighed. World collapse and destruction? That wasn't something he could control. That would at least be… a thousand years from now, right? But the technology tree of this world seemed to have branched off in the wrong direction—at this rate, it would probably linger at this technological level for a long time.

Li Yunxin stood up, took a clean set of clothes from the clothesline on the west side of the courtyard, went back into the room to change, and then walked to the front courtyard.

The old Taoist priest was chatting with a middle-aged woman, his hands behind his back, eyes slightly narrowed, stroking his beard, adopting the demeanor of an immortal master—he seemed to have somewhat composed himself, no longer as distraught as before.

Li Yunxin nodded to him: "Master, I'm going out for a bit."

The old Taoist priest looked at his eyes, knowing he was going to the Qiao family's house, and quickly gave him a meaningful look, saying, "Brother Xin, come here. There's an interesting story, you should listen too."

When the woman saw Li Yunxin, her eyes narrowed into slits, and she smiled happily. Everyone liked a handsome child, and she had an unmarried niece. So she waved him over: "Come, come, Granny will tell you."

At her age, in Li Yunxin's former world, she would probably want people to call her "Big Sister." But here, she could indeed call herself "Granny." Li Yunxin knew the old Taoist priest wouldn't stop him just because "it's interesting," so he smiled kindly: "Granny, please tell me, what's so interesting?"

The woman smiled as she sized up Li Yunxin, then lowered her voice: "You two, you must be careful these days!"

After blurting out that sentence, she pointed towards the Qiao family's house across the way, lowering her voice even more, as if afraid of being overheard by something formidable: "It's haunted!"

"Oh my!" Li Yunxin exclaimed in surprise, "How terrifying."

The woman was extremely satisfied with his reaction, and then continued: "Granny knows now that you two have been wronged. That big and small Qiao family must not be good people. Didn't that official die unexpectedly while interrogating you? And then the big and small Qiao family died in court, hmm? Oh dear, this is karma!"

"What karma? It must be vengeful spirits seeking retribution!" The woman's face showed a focused and excited expression, her eyes gleaming with the passionate light unique to middle-aged women when someone listens attentively: "All us neighbors say, the old Taoist and the young Taoist—you, young Taoist, you're so handsome—how could you be the kind of people who harm others!"

"How could people who harm others possibly worship this Great Heavenly Venerable Jiawen and Dragon Lady Xiwana! So, you see, those three people, saying someone died in the mansion, it must have been that wastrel Qiao Jiaming trying to plot for the family fortune, beating his loyal servants to death! Tsk tsk, how did he kill them? They say he strangled them to death with white silk, and after they died, he wasn't satisfied, so he cut off their heads and blamed it on that old servant… Tsk tsk, how could he have done such a thing…"

Li Yunxin and the old Taoist priest exchanged glances.

This woman truly wasted her talent by not being a scriptwriter.

After she finished narrating a series of events as if she had witnessed them herself, she asked the old Taoist priest, without a change in expression or a beat of her heart: "Tell me, isn't that right?"

The old Taoist nodded: "Hmm... If you put it that way, then..."

But the woman had no intention of hearing his opinion and continued speaking on her own: "So, the vengeful spirits have come for retribution!"

"In that Qiao family mansion, every night, there's women laughing!"

Li Yunxin thought for a moment: "Granny, the Qiao family also has a daughter, right?"

"Qiao Jiaxin," possessed by a cat demon, was still in the mansion. Previously, Li Yunxin had visited her several times at night, simply telling the cat demon not to cause too much trouble and spoil his plans.

The cat demon was very obedient. Although she found it a bit strange, he didn't take it to heart. Earlier, when he encountered Yu Meng and was on his way back to the city, this cat demon had been exceptionally well-behaved, and he had gradually grown accustomed to it.

These past few days, being focused on preparing for the "final blow" in the public court, he hadn't gone to see the cat demon anymore. He should have properly explained things to her last night, but then the Ninth Young Master came…

Was there something wrong over there?

The woman listened to his words, then widened her eyes: "Isn't that right! They say there's still a girl—also a pitiful person—but guess what? Those living next door to her recently heard a group of women laughing! The voices were eerie and definitely not human!"