Inner Demons

Chapter 70: Knock, Knock, Knock

After she finished speaking, she stepped through the courtyard, walking over the scattered flesh and blood, but not a single speck adhered to the soles of her feet.

When she was almost at the courtyard gate, she turned back: "Are you two looking for me for something?"

Cong Yunzi moved his Adam's apple with difficulty: "Tomorrow, there will be a Treasure Blossom Assembly... The 'Painting of the Old Fisherman Angling'... will be there. We heard you..."

"Painting of the Old Fisherman Angling, you say." Liu Ling stopped and thought for a moment. "Delusion Heart Tribulation?"

"...Yes. We thought you must have already passed that tribulation, but this painting is after all by a secular Artificer... it's a new thing..."

"I'll go." Liu Ling didn't hesitate at all, turned around, and walked out of the courtyard.

...

...

Night fell, Weicheng Yunji Assembly Hall.

Weicheng's assembly hall was similar to a hotel, but it was government-run. Officials from all directions would stay here, and wealthy merchants also loved to come here. The scenery was good, the feng shui was good, the pavilions and buildings were good, and the singing girls and dancing girls were also good.Master Pei Juezi's lodging was in the Lakeside Villa. But it wasn't "a villa in the center of a lake," but rather "Miss Huxin's villa."

The beauty, weary from exertion, was now fast asleep, her naked shoulders, exposed beyond the silk quilt, gleaming silver in the moonlight from the window, flawlessly smooth. Even in sleep, her slightly parted, sandalwood-colored lips were still beautiful—Master Pei Juezi brushed his finger against the corner of her mouth, remembering those red lips and agile fragrant tongue from earlier, and his mind wandered again.

But he felt sorry for the beauty who had complained of fatigue earlier, so he just held and caressed her under the covers, thinking about where they should go next.

Coming out to wander was not his idea, but he had to make this trip. His Qin Family members all had to travel the world to gain experience before succeeding the Imperial Preceptor, so they could better serve His Imperial Majesty.

But in reality, serving that Majesty, where was "traveling the world" even necessary—"traveling the world's beauties" would suffice. After all, His Majesty spent most of the year in the inner palace... only needing entertainment.

Weicheng was indeed a great city of the current age, and it deserved the praise of being a place of excellent resources and heavenly treasures. Unfortunately, the beauties were slightly inferior. They didn't have the icy skin and jade bones of northern beauties, nor the charming cuteness of southern beauties.

But he heard that an immortal maiden had arrived in the city.

She was said to be an immortal maiden from a Grotto-heaven...

An Immortal.

As for cultivators, Pei Juezi wouldn't regard them as actual deities like those ignorant mortals. He wasn't a cultivator himself, but he came from a prominent family. He had not only met cultivators but had also conversed and befriended them.

No matter how high and mighty cultivators were, they still needed mortals for sustenance. The Emperor was the Son of Heaven to mortals; if the Emperor had affairs, cultivators always had to help. He had met cultivators from Schools, and he had met cultivators from Grotto-heavens once.

But he had never met a female cultivator from a Grotto-heaven, especially one who was said to be the Head Disciple of the Sect Master.

Even His Majesty hadn't met one.

He wondered if she was truly as beautiful as a heavenly immortal—but what did a heavenly immortal look like? No one had actually seen one, right?

Master Pei Juezi was still very young, only around twenty-four or twenty-five years old. So once his thoughts began to wander, they were truly difficult to stop.

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the unextinguished candle in the room flickering faintly.

Nor did he notice the faint "thud"—the sound of a guard falling.

After a quarter of an hour, he suddenly heard a "knock, knock, knock" sound.

The sound interrupted his thoughts. Pei Juezi frowned and turned, wondering what could cause a guard to disturb him at this hour. So he lowered his voice: "What's wrong?"

But no one answered him, and the "knock, knock, knock" continued. Pei Juezi raised his voice: "I heard you! What is it!"

Still no one answered him.

He grew angry, threw off the covers, and went to the bedside to find his outer robe, intending to open the door and scold whoever was knocking, no matter what the matter was.

But the moment his fingers touched the soft, smooth apricot-yellow silk outer robe, his movement suddenly stopped.

Since he was from a prominent family, an only child, and traveling alone, he naturally had some protective items on him.

For example, this "Ghost-Warding Talisman" that was hung on the door every night before bed, said to have been written by a School Manifestation Realm Taoist priest.

And the "Painting of the Two Lords Suppressing Ghosts" left by his grandfather, Master Daomeizi, also hung on the door.

At this moment... the "Painting of the Two Lords Suppressing Ghosts" had already caught fire. The eerie green flames were almost completely burning this priceless painting in the secular world. The Black and White Yama Kings in the painting had twisted and strange expressions, flickering slowly in the flames.

And above it, the "Ghost-Warding Talisman," originally written with cinnabar on a golden plate. At this moment, the talismanic script written by the Manifestation Realm Taoist priest... was radiating a mad, red light!

Pei Juezi's eyes widened instantly, and he felt his head being struck by an unknown force with a buzzing sound.

Two breaths later, he began to gasp wildly, grabbing his outer robe and quickly putting it on.

Then, dragging his trembling legs, he tried several times before finally blowing out the four candles in the room. Once the room darkened, he could more clearly see the blood-red runes, and...

A giant figure outside the door.

He stared at the figure for a while, then sat on the ground, reciting the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness several times, before finally having the strength to stand up again and grope for his brush on the table. The brush handle was covered with intricate incantations, and its tip even faintly glowed in the night—this was both a brush and a Dharma Artifact. In fact, he had over a dozen more such brushes, all different, in a treasure pouch at the other end of the room. But he truly lacked the courage to cross the dark room again.

He recited the scripture more than ten times, but the "knock, knock, knock" did not stop.

The huge figure outside the door patiently knocked on the door, occasionally lowering its head to look—as if checking why the person inside hadn't opened the door yet.

Every time it knocked, the red glow of the runes trembled.

And grew dimmer and dimmer.

Pei Juezi gathered some courage, finally able to stand up again and walk a step away from the door, using the brush to poke at the oil paper pasted on the window frame. The oil paper of the Yunji Assembly Hall was of excellent quality; his first poke did not break it. This single act almost exhausted all his courage, making him so flustered he nearly cried. But he still gritted his teeth and poked hard again.

It finally broke.

But with too much force and trembling hands, he tore a long, ragged opening.

Pei Juezi hastily retreated two or three steps, but forced himself not to fall.

He was indeed almost scared to death; this was the first time he had witnessed such a situation. Even the "Painting of the Two Lords Suppressing Ghosts" left by his grandfather and the "Ghost-Warding Talisman" of a Daoist Orthodoxy master couldn't withstand the demonic power of the thing outside the door... he knew he had absolutely no other choice!

But he also knew that if he wanted to save his life tonight, he had to first clearly see what that thing outside the door actually was!

The shadow stopped. After a moment, it slowly lowered its head, moving closer to the broken opening.

Pei Juezi gasped, almost fainting. But he managed to hold on and see clearly.

It was a huge ghost with a face like an old melon peel, eyes like copper bells, a blood-red mouth, and hands like eagle claws, staring at him through the crack. The great ghost saw him, then cackled, its voice like a booming bell: "Why do you not open the door, my lord?"

Pei Juezi gritted his teeth and took a deep breath, then, recalling his memories, said, "A Ghost King passing by should indeed be welcomed. But the house is humble, and there are no Three Sacrificial Animals..."

Before he could finish speaking, the great ghost became enraged and began to pound on the door with its claws, simply saying, "Why do you not open the door, my lord? Why do you not open the door?"