Inner Demons

Chapter 69: The First Precept

Pu Nanzi subconsciously glanced towards the house.

Cong Yunzi waved his hand: "Hey! Don't overthink it. A master like her would surely know these tricks. It definitely wasn't her. What I mean is—have you heard about the situation in the city outskirts recently?"

Pu Nanzi felt he couldn't keep up with the old Daoist's train of thought: "City outskirts? What's going on?"

"There have been quite a few farm cattle dying in the households on the city outskirts recently, all dying suddenly at night."

Pu Nanzi rolled his eyes: "I couldn't care less about those filthy people's affairs."

Cong Yunzi still smiled meaningfully: "Friend, you are not as discerning as I am. Seeing the small to know the great—those mortals are like dust scattered on the ground. Though humble, they are extremely useful. They have been maimed and harmed. You can see the marks."

"I heard that Chisongzi and Kangcangzi separated from you after coming down the mountain. A few months later, they died in Qinghe County."

"Those days, there were also farmers in that area who claimed to have been eaten by wild beasts."

"I have already investigated and found that your senior brother Huainanzi died in the wild forest outside Weicheng. Don't worry—his body was already unrecognizable, and I had someone dispose of it."

"But his neck was bitten off, and his head was missing. Your senior brother Huainanzi had almost entered the Illusory Realm. What kind of being could bite off his head? Hmm, don't worry, there's more—""Probably after your senior brother died, that short-lived Li Yaosi's family also had a great demon arrive. Also in these few days, the farm cattle outside the city died one after another—the cheap price of beef in the city these days is due to this reason."

"The first family whose cow died, fearing the government would investigate their private slaughter of cattle, lied and claimed it was bitten to death by a wild beast. It was only after more and more deaths that they couldn't keep it a secret."

"And Li Yaosi, died inexplicably." Cong Yunzi's tone turned cold. "It's a demon. A rare great demon. And not just one."

"You've only been in Weicheng for a few months, so you're not fully aware of many situations. But I've been in Weicheng for some years."

"Near Weicheng... there is indeed a great demon."

Pu Nanzi's eyes widened: "Ah?"

"Don't panic," Cong Yunzi waved his hand. "This demon is quite well-behaved; it only occasionally eats a few people near Weicheng each year, not many. It mostly eats people outside—since that's the case, I don't interfere."

"But looking at this time, Li Yaosi died suddenly, and the farm cattle outside the city also died one after another. This is not the work of that demon. It should be another one. I guess... a new soul-devouring demon has arrived and had a dispute with the original great demon."

Pu Nanzi heard the old Daoist say these things for the first time. In his astonishment, he frowned and thought for a moment, feeling that this explanation, though somewhat bizarre, was barely plausible.

He looked at Cong Yunzi: "You say there's a great demon near Weicheng, do you mean... the Wei River Dragon King?!"

"Alas. Those mountain gods and river gods, indeed many are transformed demons. But since they have been enshrined in temples and given divine names, most of them are benevolent. Otherwise, so many senior masters walking among mortals would have long since eliminated them." Cong Yunzi shook his head. "Two Saints also said that they protect the people of a region, which is a merit, so there's no need to interfere."

"As for this Wei River Dragon King... it's a real dragon."

Pu Nanzi was surprised again: "A real dragon?"

Cong Yunzi smiled: "Since you came to Weicheng, have you not yet visited the Three Rivers' Mouth Dragon King Temple?"

"You'll know as soon as you go. There's real spiritual energy in the clay sculptures there. Not the spiritual energy of a demon, but dragon qi."

"...How do you know it's dragon qi?"

"Have you forgotten what my Shangqing Elixir Cauldron Sect does? We primarily cultivate external alchemy. In our sect, there is a dragon exuviae. It is said to be a piece of dragon scale shed by a divine dragon two thousand years ago, collected by our sect's patriarch. I only had the opportunity to see that dragon exuviae thirty years after entering the sect, and thus recognized dragon qi. Later, I grew tired of cultivation and came to Weicheng, and by chance went to that temple at Three Rivers' Mouth... only then did I realize that the Wei River Dragon King, enshrined as a deity, must be a true dragon."

"—Since it is a true dragon, how could such divine beings like divine dragons, qilin, roc, and phoenix harm people?"

Pu Nanzi opened his mouth: "Then... why doesn't this Wei River Dragon King control that demon?"

Cong Yunzi sighed: "Since it is a divine dragon, how can it truly stay in just this one place, the Wei River? It must be traveling everywhere, bringing clouds and rain? How would it have time to deal with those demons?"

"Then... this Lingkongzi's purpose in coming this time is to..."

"Exterminate demons." Two words suddenly came from inside the house, answering Pu Nanzi's question.

Then the door opened, and Liu Ling walked out.

Cong Yunzi and Pu Nanzi were dumbfounded, realizing that their self-proclaimed whispered conversation...

Must have been heard.

"You, you, you..." Pu Nanzi's face changed rapidly, but he just stood there stammering. As an Illusory Realm cultivator facing a Manifestation Realm peak Daoist Orthodoxy master, he truly didn't know how to react.

Liu Ling closed her eyes and inhaled the pervasive fragrance of flowers in the courtyard, then exhaled: "I don't have the mind to bother with your affairs."

Upon hearing this, Pu Nanzi felt as if he had been granted a great pardon, and his expression softened: "Thank, thank you, fellow Daoist... hmm, Immortal Maiden..."

But Liu Ling's words were not finished: "When this matter is resolved, you return to Lingxu Sword Sect and apologize to your Sect Master."

Pu Nanzi's expression changed again: "Immortal Maiden... this..."

Liu Ling looked at his face and nodded slightly: "Hmm. So, your Lingxu Sword Sect isn't rotten to the core yet. I was thinking that if you had responded casually just now, I would have had to go to your Lingxu Sword Sect to reason with them."

Pu Nanzi stepped back two paces, looking at Liu Ling, and whispered, "Fellow Daoist Lingkongzi, I respect you as a Manifestation Realm cultivator, which is why I'm being courteous. But you belong to Daoist Orthodoxy, and I belong to Sword Sect, we are fundamentally not—"

"Regardless of Daoist Orthodoxy or Sword Sect, there is always one unchanging precept." Liu Ling looked seriously at Pu Nanzi. Although her voice was unhurried and not loud, it easily interrupted the other party's words. "Do not lightly harm mortal lives. Secular mortals are the foundation of cultivators. Destroying one's own foundation is to be an enemy of Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect."

"I had heard about the things in this Weicheng before. That's why I want to eliminate demons. Do you think it's only demons?"

Pu Nanzi and Cong Yunzi... were both stunned.

There is indeed this precept.

But it's like how the secular emperor also says he wants to be diligent in governing and love the people... who truly takes it seriously?

It's also true that one shouldn't casually kill lives—but killing for the sake of Transcending Tribulation... how can that be considered "lightly harming"?

Although it's unreasonable, haven't there been fewer cultivators who do this? This has already become an unwritten rule. Great figures like Grotto-heaven Sect Masters and School Masters, out of righteousness, would always punish disciples who did this and were truly caught. But no one would be like Liu Ling, actually using the "First Precept" to make a point.

Unless, it was to pick a fight.

Pu Nanzi frowned: "Fellow Daoist Lingkongzi, has someone from my Lingxu Sword Sect... offended you? You don't have to use this matter to make an issue. I still have some say in the sect—"

"Stubborn and unyielding." Liu Ling sighed softly.

Pu Nanzi didn't hear clearly and frowned again: "Hmm?"

This was the last sound he made.

With a bang—Pu Nanzi's body was evenly scattered over half the courtyard.

Just like Qiao Jiaming.

Cong Yunzi was splattered with blood and flesh all over his face. He didn't even see how Liu Ling made her move!

It took more than ten breaths for him to finally exhale tremblingly: "Mercy... mercy..."

Liu Ling looked at him: "Why beg me? You haven't lightly harmed any lives."

Cong Yunzi blinked with difficulty. He heard Liu Ling ask him—

"The First Precept, it forbids lightly harming mortal lives, right?"

Cong Yunzi nodded.

"Pu Nanzi massacred people to overcome his killing tribulation, violating the First Precept, so he deserved to die, right?"

Cong Yunzi could only nod.

"Then tell me, why is it so difficult to be reasonable?"

"The precepts are written very clearly, what's so hard to understand?"

Cong Yunzi was stunned for another ten breaths before asking, "You truly killed him because of... the First Precept?"

"Then what did you think?"

The old Daoist's expression changed a dozen times, before he finally managed not to shout, but still couldn't help but ask: "But you also killed a mortal today—"

"So I am reasoning with you."

"Not you reasoning with me."