Inner Demons

Chapter 96: Not a Single One Left

When Old Daoist Liu returned home, he saw Brother Xin staring blankly into a bronze mirror.

A bronze mirror... was a rare item for Old Daoist Liu. As a man, he didn't need to groom himself, so he naturally had no use for it. Moreover, it was a bronze mirror—the one Brother Xin was looking into was not palm-sized, but as large as an earthenware basin.

Such a large object was worth a considerable sum.

The old Daoist had now learned to pay attention to small details like Brother Xin and noticed some fine white powder around the engraved border of the bronze mirror. He knew it wasn't newly bought. And at this time, there was no place to buy one either.

Oh dear...

So late, Brother Xin must have borrowed this bronze mirror from some young lady.

Oh dear, Brother Xin...

The old Daoist had drunk some wine tonight, but in moderation, so he was only slightly more excited than usual. But he had just seen Brother Xin cause so much trouble, and he himself had things on his mind. So he was somewhat taciturn.

He entered the room and watched him for a while, then picked up a stool by the door and sat down. He occasionally glanced at Li Yunxin while picking at the lint balls on his sleeve. After his sleeve, he picked at the ones on his collar.

But Li Yunxin kept staring blankly into the mirror, ignoring him.The old Daoist sighed inwardly, feeling somewhat sleepy, and quietly got up, intending to return to his room.

At that moment, he suddenly heard Li Yunxin, as if talking to himself, or perhaps asking him, "Am I very handsome?"

The old Daoist was momentarily stunned, but he understood what "handsome" meant. Like Brother Xin's usual expressions, "cool" or "handsome"—he knew they meant good things.

So he said, "Yes. Brother Xin is very handsome."

Li Yunxin sighed faintly: "Yes. I think so too. So a young man like me, so handsome, humorous, understanding, and promising, shouldn't die young—I'm only fourteen, can I use the word 'young'?"

"Eh! Brother Xin, why do you say such things!" Old Daoist Liu, like most people of this era, quickly spat several times, "How can you say such things carelessly!"

Li Yunxin only smiled and looked at himself in the bronze mirror again. The old Daoist pondered for a while, then sat down again and whispered, "Brother Xin, I, this old Daoist, have no great abilities. You've been looking after me these days. I don't know what you said to that Immortal from Langya Grotto-Heaven, or what your plans are."

"But if it's something not so good... Brother Xin. This tribulation... can we get through it?"

Li Yunxin didn't answer him immediately, but was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Old Liu. Tell me, for example, you are a Temple Keeper. Now, someone comes to ask you how to do carpentry—how to build a large bird that can fly in the air using wood. But... you actually told him, and even gave him a detailed plan of how to saw the wood, how to make the mechanisms, and how to assemble it... What does this mean?"

Li Yunxin's words always held great importance for Old Daoist Liu. He felt that this question—although he didn't know what it related to—he could help Brother Xin ponder it, so he fell into deep thought.

After thinking carefully for a while, he tentatively began: "According to common sense... I, a Temple Keeper, wouldn't know carpentry, let alone mechanisms. But if I explained everything one by one... then this method definitely wasn't my idea. Perhaps someone told me this method, or perhaps I saw someone do it... Hmm, Brother Xin, is that the reasoning?"

"Of course it is," Li Yunxin said, looking at himself in the bronze mirror and muttering softly, "How could a leader of the underworld have the leisure to research that... the Spiritual Power guidance in the painting is explained so clearly, like a grandmaster. But when you ask a few basic questions, they can't answer... it would be a ghost if that method was his idea."

He stared at himself for a while longer, then suddenly laughed.

This smile was truly heartfelt, as if all his previous melancholy and gloom had been swept away, having understood the crucial point.

"Awesome," he said, standing up from the mirror and stretching.

"No wonder the Two Saints were so arrogant... I never heard of them causing a big ruckus in Senluo Hall. So that person, was it because of this?"

"Ha. Men... indeed need to be hard on themselves."

Old Daoist Liu didn't know what Li Yunxin had figured out to make him so happy. But he always liked this state of Li Yunxin—always confident, as if he could solve anything.

So he also felt his mood improve. Feeling better, he tentatively asked about other matters: "Brother Xin, there's something else... about my fellow Daoists—"

"Ah, them. I know what you want to ask," Li Yunxin walked lightly two steps in the room, his tone becoming cheerful again, "You're a truly good person, truly afraid they'll get into trouble using my paintings?"

"Haha. You people, you still need to learn something more—too simple, sometimes naive!" He waved his hand strangely, "I'm here as a senior person to pass on some experience to you—the example might be inappropriate, but the sentiment is sound."

"For example, Old Liu, you got into a conflict with Qiao Duanhong from the Qiao Family across the street, you have a grudge. Let's exclude the isolated cases of you being a pervert or mentally ill, and just say you're a normal person—would you, because Qiao Duanhong fed a few stray dogs by the roadside, go one by one and beat them all to death?"

"Ah..." Old Daoist Liu opened his mouth, as if to say no, but couldn't.

Li Yunxin spread his hand: "I knew it, the example isn't appropriate. I'm not scolding you. Besides, heaven and earth are ruthless and treat all things as straw dogs—people and dogs are actually not that different. I'm just saying—can you understand what I mean?"

"...Yes." Old Daoist Liu nodded.

"What about them? Did they all go home?"

"...They found an inn in the city and booked it," Old Daoist Liu sighed, "They're all waiting for you, Brother Xin."

"Look at you, sighing again. Do you think I'm too overbearing?"

"Alas..."

Li Yunxin laughed heartily and walked out the door with his hands behind his back. In the courtyard, the moonlight was like water, and the bamboo shadows swayed. He spread his hands: "Look, what a beautiful scene. Originally, I could have eaten meat, drunk wine, acted cool, and lived a leisurely and carefree life in this small villa, but there are just so many idiots who won't let me rest."

"That Young Master Nine, is he sick? He said I was interesting and wanted to come see me often. Who the hell cares if he comes."

"That Lingkongzi is also a madwoman. She also said I was interesting and wanted to take me back to the mountains. I'm afraid of being sliced up, damn it."

"And another idiot, never mind, he doesn't seem like a good person anyway—oh, he's not actually a person."

"You say I'm in the Manifestation Realm—awesome—I could originally go anywhere in the world. But no, ha, just because I have a humble background, they all came knocking."

"Now I hide and still get found."

"Because they're awesome. Daoist Orthodoxy, Sword Sect, so great. I'm weak, you see."

"So now I'm not happy either. And when I'm not happy, you know, people die." Li Yunxin turned around and looked at Old Daoist Liu, "You watch. In a few days, these idiots."

"Will all die."

"Not a single one left."