On the way, after learning about Mu Qingyao's arrival in Dashitou Village, Yun Que grew quite interested in that brown bear.
Bear paws were a delicacy, after all, and bear hide could fetch a tidy sum of silver.
Unfortunately, there was no sign of the brown bear along the road.
Yun Que's hunt for the bear left Mu Qingyao deep in thought.
She had been treated as prey by the brown bear, yet the brown bear was now being treated as prey by Yun Que.
"Cutting through the knot swiftly is the best strategy to break this deadlock. You've saved me once again; how am I supposed to repay you?" Mu Qingyao asked.
"It was a done deal, so let's skip the polite pleasantries. It's all included in those two hundred taels of silver. You'd better not be lying about the value of that moon jade; if it's not worth two hundred taels, I'll be coming after you for the balance," Yun Que replied.
"Rest assured, it's worth more, not less."
Mu Qingyao smiled, then fell into deep thought.
"That Soul Nurturing Platform looked very much like a lotus platform, with red candles burning upon it... As long as the red candles do not go out, the lotus platform remains forever. The assassin at the inn in Cangshi Town might have some connection with the Taoist nun who built that Soul Nurturing Platform."
Mu Qingyao wrung her memory trying to place this rather uncommon identity of a Taoist nun, but among the people she knew, no such figure existed.
As for the hidden mastermind behind the scenes, Mu Qingyao harbored an intense hatred, yet with not a single trace to follow, she had no inkling of their identity.
Lost in thought the entire journey, Mu Qingyao finally snapped out of her revery when a village materialized before her eyes.
Little Stone Village had arrived.
The hour was late, and most households in the village had already extinguished their lamps and fallen asleep.
Unlike towns and cities where lanterns burned every night, the families here turned in very early.
Only a single household at the entrance of the village still had a candle burning.
The large black dog at the village entrance barked furiously at the strangers, but the moment Yun Que's footsteps drew near, it instantly tucked its tail between its legs and bolted.
The courtyard of the first house at the village entrance was relatively large, comprising several rooms.
Yun Que strode right up and knocked on the door.
The person who opened the door was a withered, scrawny little old man. Seeing two unfamiliar young people standing outside, he smiled and asked, "Are the two of you looking for a place to stay the night? I am the village head of Little Stone Village. I happen to have two empty rooms in my house, and staying for the night is very cheap—just leave a few copper coins. Meals, however, are charged separately."
"No need for food, we just want a place to sleep. I've been walking all day and need a proper rest," Yun Que said as he strode right in.
Mu Qingyao paused before crossing the threshold.
She turned her head to look at the pitch-black village and frowned slightly.
This courtyard was very clean, free of any ghostly presence, yet Mu Qingyao couldn't shake an underlying sense of unease.
Everyone in the entire Little Stone Village was already asleep.
Yet only the village head's house was lit up, as if deliberately waiting for guests to arrive.
Especially the village head's smile—it was so stiff it looked like he was wearing a mask, lacking any natural warmth.
Chapter 16: A Peculiar Hobby
The village head's house in Little Stone Village boasted five large tiled rooms.
The central main room was occupied by the village head and his wife, the two rooms in the back were for their son and daughter, leaving the east and west wing rooms vacant.
The two wing rooms were quite far apart.
The scrawny village head let Yun Que and Mu Qingyao choose their own quarters.
Mu Qingyao chose the east wing room, while Yun Que moved into the west wing.
As she passed through the courtyard, Mu Qingyao heard the sound of water coming from the main house, prompting her to glance over.
"My old woman is a clean freak; she has to bathe every night before she can sleep. Are you two sure you don't want anything to eat? I've got some ready-made side dishes and wine here, just need to heat them up," the village head offered warmly.
Yun Que directly refused, declining all food and even water.
"Very well then, you two get some early rest. This old fellow needs to go to sleep as well." The scrawny village head worn a fake smile as he bid them goodnight and left.
"Just two rooms, no need to squeeze into one bed. Get some sleep early; we'll start bright and early tomorrow, and a single day's journey will get us to Baiyu City."
Yawning, Yun Que walked toward the west wing room.
Standing at the doorway of the east wing room, Mu Qingyao watched from afar until the light in Yun Que's room went out before she stepped inside.
Staring at the oil lamp on the table, the young princess fell into a long silence.
Everything here was normal and peaceful.
There was no sign of any danger.
Yet a thread of unease lingered persistently in Mu Qingyao's heart.
She had a strange premonition.
This peaceful Little Stone Village seemed even more perilous than Big Stone Village.
Mu Qingyao couldn't pinpoint the source of the danger, but she trusted Yun Que's judgment, so she blew out the candle and lay down fully clothed.
The night grew deeper, the moonlight cold and clear.
Mu Qingyao never fell asleep; she faced inward, her back to the door, lost in her thoughts.
At the dead of night, Mu Qingyao heard a faint rustling sound at the door.
It was as if something had entered the room.
Mu Qingyao's body instantly tensed up, and she feigned deep sleep.
There was no further movement in the room.
After a long while, the door opened without a sound, and a gust of cold wind swept inside.
The wind carried a faint, coppery scent of blood.
Under the moonlight, a tall shadow appeared on the wall.
It was not the shadow of a human.
It possessed a massive head, its jaw opened wide in the shadow with two sharp tusks resembling daggers!
Staring at the terrifying silhouette on the wall, Mu Qingyao could only think of a single word.
Demon!
The terrifying demonic shadow slowly approached the bed.
Mu Qingyao could smell the intense, coppery stench of blood hovering right behind her.
The young princess did not make a rash move.
She knew that no matter how she tried to run, it was impossible to escape the clutches of a demonic beast.
"Not sleeping so late at night, and you're already having a midnight snack?"
The voice that suddenly sounded in the room caused the demonic shadow on the wall to freeze.
The candle was lit.
It illuminated Yun Que's mocking, half-smiling face.
Mu Qingyao flipped herself up, nimbly darting to Yun Que's side.
By now, she understood.
The first time the door made a sound earlier, it had been Yun Que; he had been waiting here ahead of time.
Only now did Mu Qingyao lay eyes on the true appearance of the demonic shadow.
Before them stood a towering, fierce-eyed tiger with a tuft of white hair on its forehead that resembled a third eye, looking incomparably ferocious.
Discovering Yun Que in the room, the fierce tiger was clearly startled and spoke in human words.
"Why did you come over? I didn't even use my ghost-minions, you shouldn't have figured it out!"
Hearing that voice, Mu Qingyao instantly recognized the culprit.
Pingshan Jun!
Yun Que chuckled and said, "Not bad, old timer. You've gotten smarter; you even know how to bribe the village head and set up a special trap. What a pity you still left a flaw."
"Nonsense! This time I thought of every single flaw and set it up seamlessly! You just wanted to take advantage of the young lady while she was asleep, and stumbled across me by sheer coincidence!" Pingshan Jun roared furiously.
"How did you know I would take Little Stone Village instead of heading to Wuji Town?" Yun Que asked with genuine curiosity.
Setting off from Cangshi Town, there were two routes leading to the Tianqi Imperial City. Yun Que had chosen this one, yet Pingshan Jun had managed to set an ambush in Little Stone Village with such pinpoint accuracy—this was truly puzzling.
"If you want to know, trade it for my flaw. Tell me first how you found me!" Pingshan Jun demanded.
"A tiger demon that happens to love taking baths—your flaw was far too obvious. One glance and the whole thing was blown," Yun Que said.
"You damned bastard, you peeked!" Pingshan Jun bellowed in rage.
To ensure nothing went wrong, it had coerced the village head's family into playing along and disguised itself as the village head's wife bathing in the room, believing Yun Que would never discover it. Who could have imagined he'd seen the whole thing.
"Living is boring enough as it is. If I don't find myself a hobby, what's the point of living? Am I right?" Yun Que said.
"That village head's wife is built like a brick outhouse, and you even peek at an old hag?! Are you sick in the head?" Pingshan Jun cursed.
"Got any medicine for it?" Yun Que retorted. "Your turn. How did you figure out I'd take this route?"
"Go ask King Yama! You won't be protecting this little girl today, Yun Que. If you know what's good for you, get lost right now, and we'll mind our own business from here on out. If you insist on meddling in this muddy water, then I have no choice but to send the two of you off to the Western Paradise together!" Pingshan Jun said coldly.
"My body's been a bit run down lately. I hear that part of a tiger is great for soaking in wine and boosting vitality. A Rank Seven tiger demon's should be even better," Yun Que smiled.
"Since you're so eager to die, this king will grant your wish!"
Pingshan Jun let out a low roar, arched its tiger frame, and lunged forward!
The speed of a Rank Seven tiger demon was terrifyingly fast, especially in such a confined space where dodge was nearly impossible.
Yun Que didn't dodge.
He drew his saber straight out!
The light in the room was dim, yet it clearly reflected a crimson hue upon the blade.
It was a long saber with an entirely pitch-black exterior, its sharpness not immediately apparent, but it looked exceptionally heavy.
Mu Qingyao had never imagined that Yun Que's saber wasn't actually black at all.
It was blood-red!
It was just that the layer of blood-crimson was so intense, appearing like countless coagulated layers of fresh blood, that it was dyed a dark, glossy black.
Yun Que slashed the moment he drew, without the slightest hesitation.
The hacking blade cleaved through the air with a sharp shriek, the surrounding atmosphere seemingly sliced apart by the long saber.
Yun Que's strike was a horizontal sweep.
It collided directly with the pouncing tiger's front paws.
Bang!!
Amidst the dull thud, Yun Que was sent flying backward, smashing the wooden door into splinters.
The strength of a Rank Seven tiger demon was no trifling matter; a single swipe of those claws was enough to shatter a giant boulder to pieces.
Yet Pingshan Jun fared no better.
Its massive tiger frame was sent rolling backward by the immense force contained within the blade, crashing straight through a wall and tumbling out into the courtyard.
The once-sturdy tiled room now had two walls completely open to the elements.
Mu Qingyao only felt a ringing in her ears, temporarily losing her sense of hearing.
Without panicking, she rushed out of the doorway, intending to check on Yun Que's injuries.
Mu Qingyao was well aware of a Rank Seven tiger demon's combat prowess.
If cultivators of the Taoist or Confucian schools used their physical bodies to parry a tiger demon's claw strike head-on, at best their meridians would snap, and at worst they would drop dead on the spot!
Before Mu Qingyao could reach him, Yun Que had already picked himself up, patted the dust off his clothes, and stood there completely unscathed.
Mu Qingyao let out a long breath, instinctively covering her chest.
A martial artist's physical constitution was simply far too formidable compared to practitioners of other systems.
Yet Mu Qingyao remained deeply worried.
After all, Yun Que was merely a Rank Eight Martial Artist, whereas the tiger demon opposite him was Rank Seven!
The gap between major realms was enough to plunge Yun Que into an absolute disadvantage in this battle, making it terribly easy for him to be killed on the spot.
Mu Qingyao locked her delicate brows, her pretty face etched with worry.
With a stern expression, Yun Que said, "That old demon doesn't look like it's going to let up. Step back."
Mu Qingyao immediately retreated a few paces, standing against the courtyard wall to observe the battle calmly.
Pingshan Jun's offensive was ferocious.
Its sharp claws and fangs were fatal weapons; its descent-from-the-mountain style of pouncing meant that taking even a glancing blow would result in either death or severe injury.
What was terrifying wasn't just its claws and fangs—even the tiger's massive physique was extremely hazardous.
To be slammed by it meant broken bones and shattered tendons.
Especially the tail, which was like a steel whip; a single flick and sweep could generate a terrifying sonic boom, wielding a force no less than ten thousand catties!
If Pingshan Jun's offensive resembled a tiger descending the mountain, then Yun Que's counterattack was like a dragon entering the sea.
His long saber was whirled into a howling gale, its moves wide open and unrestrained, almost entirely devoid of defense. Every single blow met the tiger demon head-on, exuding the heroic daring of a man holding a pass against ten thousand foes.
Watching Yun Que's figure, Mu Qingyao felt her blood race.
It was the exhilarating thrill of flesh connecting with flesh!
A close-quarters brutal brawl that could only ever be witnessed from a martial artist!
Using purely physical might to shake demonic beasts head-on!
Mu Qingyao had witnessed Taoist practitioners riding flying swords and casually laying out formations, and she had also seen Confucian masters scattering beans to form soldiers and commanding reality with their words; every cultivation system in the world possessed its own marvels.
Yet a martial artist's combat was the simplest, most direct, and most soul-stirring of all!
The brutal battle in the courtyard lasted for the span of a full incense stick.
The other rooms of the village head's house remained tightly shut, not a single soul daring to come out and inspect the situation.
Gradually, Mu Qingyao's small hands instinctively clenched tighter, her face shadowed with anxiety.
Yun Que's offensive was undeniably fierce.
Yet the terrifying might of a Rank Seven tiger demon was simply too dreadful; a Rank Eight Martial Artist was no match for it.
Yun Que was clearly losing ground.
Especially when Pingshan Jun unleashed its innate divine power, causing Mu Qingyao's heart to instantly plunge to rock bottom.
The massive tiger demon reared its head and roared to the heavens, its entire coat of fur undulating until the strands fused together, forming thick, stone-like scales.
Under the moonlight, the tiger's layer of scale-armor radiated the cold, metallic sheen of steel.
It was as if it had donned a suit of heavy armor!
"White-browed Stone-scaled Tiger!"
Mu Qingyao gasped softly.
She had never laid eyes on this particular species of demonic beast, but the erudite Princess Lingyun had read through every single text introducing demonic beasts.
The White-browed Stone-scaled Tiger was renowned for its astonishing innate talent, capable of condensing stone scales across its body. Its defensive power rivaled heavy plate armor, making it difficult even for the magic-tool flying swords of Taoist cultivators to pierce through.
A Rank Seven tiger demon that was already swift and ferocious, coupled with defensive stone scales that were virtually impenetrable, was bound to stand in an invincible position!
Against such a formidable member of the demon clan, Mu Qingyao truly could not fathom any method to secure victory.
After displaying its innate power, Pingshan Jun's speed surged explosively as well. Absorbing a blow from Yun Que head-on, the tiger pivoted its body and swung its steel-whip tail directly, blasting Yun Que flying.
Had it not been for a martial artist's formidable physique, that single strike would have snapped an ordinary person clean in two!
With a deafening crash, Yun Que slammed into the courtyard wall right beside Mu Qingyao, collapsing half of it into rubble.
Yun Que vaulted back up from the rubble almost immediately, covered in dust with blood at the corner of his mouth.
"Hand me over, and you might still survive. One person dying is better than two," Mu Qingyao said calmly.
Wiping the blood from his mouth with his left hand, Yun Que flashed a bizarre smile and said, "The bargains I strike are never abandoned halfway. Looks like I'll have to get serious. If a situation arises later that defies understanding and control, Your Ladyship just needs to remember one thing: stay as far away from me as you can, and don't come near!"
Chapter 17: Pingshan Jun's Insincere Words
Yun Que's parting admonition left Mu Qingyao's delicate brows tightly knit.
She didn't quite grasp what he meant.
Why wasn't he telling her to stay away from the tiger demon, but rather to get as far from Yun Que himself as possible?
There was no time to ask further, as the tiger demon opposite them had already lunged to the kill once again.
Yun Que showed no weakness, lifting his saber to meet the charge.
Before unleashing his strike, Yun Que used his left hand—stained with his own blood—to rapidly stroke down the length of the blade.
Hum...
Beneath the night sky, the ringing vibration of the blade chimed out.
The long saber, suffused with a layer of blood-red radiance, seemed to leap back to life in that very instant!
The blood-light on the blade grew denser and brighter, eventually converging into streams of scarlet runes that constantly flowed across the metal.
A moonlit night, a blood saber, and a demon hunter!
At that moment, the black-robed youth was like a biting cold gale, howling as he charged toward the tiger demon.
In their renewed clash, Yun Que instantly reversed his previous disadvantage.
With every heavy downward slash, several flakes of Pingshan Jun's stone scales were sheared away.
The tiger demon's heavy armor of stone scales lost its intended defensive capability under Yun Que's blade.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Executing five consecutive rapid slashes, Yun Que leveraged his momentum to spin into the air, using his waist to drive the long saber like a spinning top as he swept past the tiger demon's body, leaving dozens of blade-arcs in his wake.
In the distance, Mu Qingyao's eyes lit up brightly.
Fine form!
Princess Lingyun knew her stuff.
She could clearly distinguish the strengths and weaknesses among martial artists.
In Mu Qingyao's eyes, Yun Que's combat prowess at this moment had already reached the absolute peak attainable by a Rank Eight Martial Artist.
Especially that long saber.
It actually carried a terrifyingly ferocious murderous aura, even more savage than the tiger demon itself.
It made one feel as though it wasn't a weapon at all, but a living, ferocious beast!
Having had a scale armorplate sliced open, Pingshan Jun flew into a towering rage. Before Yun Que could even land, it whipped its body around and snapped its jaws shut in a biting lunge.
The agility of the feline family was astonishingly high, often capable of executing nimble pounces that humans could never imitate.
This spinning counter-bite was akin to a returning spear thrust, designed to catch an opponent completely off guard.
Yun Que could not dodge it.
With no footing beneath him, his body had no leverage in midair.
Martial artists who relied purely on physical strength lacked the ability to execute instantaneous movement or substitutions like other cultivation systems.
Facing the perilous trap of the counter-bite, Yun Que brought his saber horizontal, channeling all his strength to strike at the beast's incoming fangs.
If there was no footing, he would just have to make his own!
Seeing that Yun Que still had a countermeasure in such a desperate plight, Mu Qingyao felt a surge of unadulterated admiration.
For a martial artist to maintain such composure and responsiveness amidst a life-or-death brawl meant they had long since experienced hundreds of battles!
By Mu Qingyao's estimation, Yun Que's combat experience had reached an unquantifiably terrifying degree!
Just as the young princess was about to let out a breath of relief, she abruptly tightened her fists in reflex.
Pingshan Jun, executing its spinning bite, seemed to have anticipated Yun Que's move. A flash of light rippled across its entire body as its tiger head suddenly expanded to more than three times its original size!
Its blood-red maw transformed into a cavernous tunnel, swallowing Yun Que's entire body straight into it in a single gulp.
The moment it hit the ground, Pingshan Jun's tiger frame also grew to three times its previous size, leveling with the roof!
This was the true demonic physique of a Rank Seven tiger demon!
To better do battle with Yun Que, the old demon Pingshan Jun had deliberately constrained its physical form.
After all, the consequence of possessing an overly massive body was a corresponding sluggishness.
Using its true demonic physique to swallow an ordinary person was easy, but swallowing an agile martial artist like Yun Que was relatively difficult.
A martial artist's nimbleness was no less than that of the demon clan, and their speed was blindingly fast.
It was very difficult for bulky demonic entities to swallow a swift martial artist in the first strike.
Therefore, Pingshan Jun had kept a card up its sleeve, revealing its true form at the most opportune moment to deal Yun Que a fatal blow!
Yun Que had indeed been swallowed.
Yet Pingshan Jun's jaws could not close completely.
Stepping on the tiger's teeth, Yun Que half-crouched inside the massive maw, sharp fangs looming directly above his head!
Jammed between the jaws was Yun Que's saber.
The tip of the blade pressed against the upper fangs while the hilt braced against the lower fangs, propping open a space just large enough to shelter Yun Que inside the tiger's mouth.
Discovering that it couldn't snap its jaws shut, Pingshan Jun let out a muffled roar and clamped down with all its might.
The bite force of an ordinary tiger was already astonishing enough to crush bones.
The bite force of a Rank Seven tiger demon was far more terrifying; even a massive boulder placed inside would be bitten right through in a single snap.
Yet Yun Que's blade simply refused to break!
The blood-red long saber bent to an extreme angle, looking as though it were about to fracture at any second, forcing Yun Que to hunch his body down to avoid being impaled by the fangs.
Faced with such a critical crisis, Mu Qingyao was burning with anxiety, yet utterly powerless to help.
The young princess could only watch helplessly as Yun Que's figure was gradually swallowed up inch by inch.
Inside the tiger's mouth, a cold smile gradually bloomed across Yun Que's lowered face.
Right at the center of his left eye, a speck of blood-red suddenly appeared!
Then that needle-point crimson bloomed like boiling water spilling outward, instantly flooding his entire eye!
"You're actually playing for keeps, aren't you, Pingshan Jun? What kind of benefits did they give you to make you come kill the princess?" Yun Que asked coldly.
"Naturally, benefits I couldn't possibly refuse!"