"Serves you right for being a busybody. Don't even think about getting away today!" Pingshan Jun's triumphant voice boomed from his tiger's maw.
"How about we strike a deal? I can offer you something you won't be able to refuse—definitely better than whatever they're paying you," Yun Que said.
"You're just a penniless martial artist. What could you possibly have to offer?" Pingshan Jun scoffed.
"What I'm offering is a life: your life!"
Yun Que's voice grew lower and colder as he commanded, "Power of the demon... Blood Pupil!"
On the surface of the curved-to-extreme blade, all the blood-red veins converged into a single point, coalescing into a pool of crimson right in the middle of the steel.
The crimson pool wriggled incessantly like a living thing until it suddenly split open, revealing a vertical blood-red eye!
The moment the vertical eye inside the blade blinked open, horror immediately flashed across Pingshan Jun's massive tiger eyes.
Without the slightest hesitation, the tiger demon opened its wide jaws and blew out a gust of foul wind, blasting Yun Que backward out of its mouth.
Yun Que flew backward, righted himself after a few spins, and landed steadily on his feet.
The moment he stood firm, his long blade slashed downward.
*Whoosh!*
A streak of blood-red blade Qi tore through the darkness, heading straight for Pingshan Jun.
Having just landed, Pingshan Jun had no time to defend and was struck by the blade Qi on its right hind leg.
*Crack!*
Amidst a crisp shattering sound, the stone scales on the tiger's leg splintered apart. The blade Qi cleaved a massive wound, cutting even half the bone away!
*Awooo!*
Pingshan Jun let out a miserable howl, sent flying a dozen zhang by the force of the blade Qi as it crashed through a section of courtyard wall.
An explosion of air pressure burst beneath Yun Que's feet. His body shot forward like a sharp arrow, his long blade sweeping downward in a blood-red semicircle.
"Awooo! Stop! Stop!"
Pingshan Jun's roar of a tiger instantly morphed into a human voice.
With his left eye glowing crimson and his hand gripping the long blade, Yun Que sneered, "You say stop just like that? Where's my face supposed to go?"
The blade light didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second as it chopped toward the tiger's head.
Panicking, the tiger demon rolled away to dodge, simultaneously shifting into human form.
Even in human form, its head remained that of a tiger.
As a Rank Seven demon, Pingshan Jun could not fully transform into human appearance; only its torso resembled a human's.
Having shrunk in size, Pingshan Jun narrowly dodged Yun Que's slash.
"That Rank Seven toad in Black Wind Cave really was killed by you!"
Pingshan Jun's tiger eyes were filled with terror as it stared at the long blade in Yun Que's hand, roaring frantically, "I'm out! I'm not taking this job anymore! Go wherever you want to go, just pretend I don't exist! We'll mind our own business, and we can still be good neighbors from now on!"
More than Yun Que's crimson left eye, Pingshan Jun feared the blood-red vertical pupil on the blade!
The vertical eye on the blade felt like a living creature, giving off the chilling sensation that it wanted to burst right out of the steel.
Yun Que didn't strike again. Instead, he gripped the hilt tightly, staring down Pingshan Jun as a fierce murderous aura rolled off him in waves.
"We can stop fighting, but you're going to tell me who is behind this plot to ambush the Princess."
Pingshan Jun sneered, putting on a tough front. "If this king fights you to the death, you won't walk away unscathed either! At worst, we'll go down together! A man—or a demon—has to have honor. Even if I, Pingshan Jun, die, I will never reveal who the employer is! That's the code!"
While spouting such righteous rhetoric, one of its tiger paws kept twitching, writing something on the ground.
Mu Qingyao stepped closer and took a look. There were three words written there:
*Red Lotus Cult!*
Pingshan Jun proved with practical actions what it meant to say one thing and do another.
"What bounty did you take?" Yun Que asked curtly.
"They only gave me a deposit—two Blood Slaughter Pills. The real grand payoff is waiting once I bring back Princess Lingyun's head!" Pingshan Jun said.
"Blood Slaughter Pills, huh? Good stuff. Give me one," Yun Que said.
"In your dreams! Both Blood Slaughter Pills are hidden in Floating Duckweed Mountain. I'd rather throw them away than give them to you! As soon as I get back, I'm going to throw one right on the summit, exactly two paces away from that crooked-neck old tree next to the big blue boulder. Right beside the stone there are three little trees, and blue wild flowers are blooming under those little trees."
Pingshan Jun's grand declarations sounded passionate and stirring, but the more Mu Qingyao listened, the weirder it felt.
It was detailing the exact location to discard the pills with such microscopic precision—how was this any different from just handing them over?
"How did you figure out I would take the route through Little Stone Village?" Yun Que asked.
"Who cares which way you take? I just had to block both ends. Taking Wuji Town would only be more perilous for you! Let me give you some advice: I've dropped this job, and you'd better drop it too, or Green Fox Mountain will genuinely become your grave," Pingshan Jun mocked.
"Rest assured, before I die, I'll definitely drag you down with me," Yun Que sneered.
"Don't you go cursing me! This king will live for all eternity, immortal! If you've got the guts, let's go another round! Think I'm scared of you? Not fighting? Fine, if we're not fighting, I'm out of here..."
Dropping those harsh words, Pingshan Jun limped away in a frantic escape.
Yun Que didn't give chase.
He knew Pingshan Jun's nature all too well.
The moment Pingshan Jun decided there was danger, it would abandon the mission and never look back. There was no need to worry about it setting another ambush further along the road.
The old demon of Floating Duckweed Mountain had lived for many years; it saw through certain matters much more clearly than humans did.
If they really fought to the death, Pingshan Jun wouldn't make it out of Little Stone Village today, but the price Yun Que would pay wouldn't be small either.
After all, the other party was a genuine Rank Seven demon.
Killing Pingshan Jun wouldn't net Yun Que much benefit, and it wasn't proportional to the price he'd have to pay.
Especially since the terror of that price was something only Yun Que knew. Unless it was an absolute last resort, he really didn't want to endure it.
The courtyard grew quiet.
As Yun Que's left eye returned to normal, the blood-red vertical pupil mark on the blade faded as well. The crimson glow receded and vanished, restoring the blade to its original black.
Mu Qingyao kept her brows knitted, quietly watching Yun Que.
She had witnessed the transformation of the long blade.
More than the Red Lotus Cult lurking behind the scenes, what truly amazed Mu Qingyao was the vertical eye on Yun Que's blade.
It looked remarkably similar to the vertical eye on the underground murals!
Without saying a word, Yun Que dragged his exhausted body into the room.
Clutching his blade, he fell straight over onto the bed.
Mu Qingyao silently sat down to the side, the mercury-like moonlight spilling across her peerlessly beautiful face, making her look like a painting of a beauty under the moon.
"A Rank Eight Martial Artist could never contend with a Rank Seven demon. You aren't an ordinary martial artist. You and the martial artist on the mural are the same kind of person."
After a long while, Mu Qingyao's voice gently echoed in the room.
"Curiosity kills the cat. Just guessing in your heart is enough, why say it out loud?"
Yun Que's voice was cold. "Aren't you afraid I'll silence you?"
Hearing Yun Que's indifferent tone, the corners of Mu Qingyao's lips gradually curled into a smile.
"You might be a man who loves money, and you might be a man who clings to life, but you are definitely not a man devoid of emotion. When Village Chief Chen's daughter drowned in the well, you could have stayed out of it. Yet, knowing full well that your enemies possessed a power beyond your match, you chose to avenge her."
"Dabbling in debts of human affection is the hardest to repay. I killed those three culprits and avenged Sister Xiuer, so now I don't owe anyone a thing in this lifetime," Yun Que said.
"The mortal world is a net; once you step inside, it's hard to extricate yourself. Entanglements are like the wind, seeping into every pore. Humans are not made of wood or stone—how could we be without emotion?" Mu Qingyao said.
"My mother told me that emotions are redundant. With emotions come flaws, so I chose to cast them aside and become a lowly coroner who recognizes only money, not feelings," Yun Que said.
"You do have emotions. You cared for that kind Sister Xiuer," Mu Qingyao said.
"Yeah. I even fantasized about marrying Sister Xiuer one day, inheriting Village Chief Chen's vast family fortune, and living a pampered life where I'd never have to lift a finger. Too bad she died, and the last thing I cared about is gone too."
"You still have things you care about. I know there are still things you like," Mu Qingyao said.
"The Princess excels at probing people's hearts, but you guessed wrong this time. There's nothing left in this world that I care about. You wouldn't happen to be implying that I like *you*, would you? My apologies, but this humble commoner is far too lowly to climb such a high branch. I have no such thoughts."
"Even if you don't like me, at least you like my body. Otherwise, how could you have stared so intently when I was bathing?"
A heavy awkwardness hung thick in the dim little room.
A moment later, Yun Que's slightly exasperated voice broke the silence.
"When faced with the threat of being silenced, normal people would desperately say nice things. But you? You just had to add another bargaining chip. I am a proud man of seven feet—when did I ever peek at you taking a bath? Watch it or I'll go to the yamen and sue you for slander!"
The smile at the corners of Mu Qingyao's lips deepened just a fraction.
"When the light is bright, the body of a blade will reflect the scenery behind it. I've been able to read characters since I was one year old; could I possibly fail to understand such a simple principle? Besides, you looked twice."
Yun Que's expression became wonderfully colorful, taking quite a while to return to normal.
"A real man admits what he does. Fine, I looked! So what?!" Yun Que used overbearing rudeness to mask his embarrassment.
"Was it nice?"
Mu Qingyao softly asked those three words, and Yun Que deflated like a punctured ball, unable to answer for a moment.
If he said it was nice, he would lose the upper hand; if he said it wasn't, he would be going against his own conscience.
This question had genuinely cornered Yun Que.
"The mortal world is a net, and you're already caught in it. I also happen to cherish my life. Now that I know your weakness, I'm going to exploit it to the absolute limit. Yun Que, as long as you escort me safely back to the Imperial City, you won't just get to look your fill—you can even touch. But only once."
Yun Que sat bolt upright, staring straight at the young Princess.
In the moonlight, Princess Lingyun looked breathtakingly beautiful, her purity laced with a sacred aura that made one afraid to profane her.
To say he wasn't moved by such a unique reward would be a lie.
"You're a noble Princess!" Yun Que sucked in a sharp breath and said.
"Only the living are princesses. Dead ones are nothing more than corpses," Mu Qingyao said softly.
"Your money is too hard to earn. I have to deal with a Pingshan Jun for two hundred taels of silver, and if I want to take any liberties with you, I have to risk my life. I'm not an idiot." Yun Que chuckled. "With two hundred taels, I could fondle women in the brothels of Baiyu City for half a month."
"There are countless courtesans in this world, but there is only one Princess Lingyun," Mu Qingyao said.
"Gold, silver, a future, beauty... The Princess has spared no expense to rope me in. Too bad I'm a coward who clings to life, so I'll have to disappoint the Princess. Once we reach Baiyu City, we'll go our separate ways and cut all ties."
"I am not disappointed. Refusing to take risks is the correct choice; fleeing from misfortune is how one lives a long life. Yun Que, have you ever heard of the Red Lotus Cult?" Mu Qingyao asked.
"Never heard of it. Maybe some backwater cult sprang up out of nowhere. With this clue, the Princess can follow the vine to unearth the real mastermind behind the scenes."
"Difficult. This is my first time hearing of such a sect as well," Mu Qingyao shook her head slowly.
"With the Princess's methods, you'll uncover the truth sooner or later. I won't get mixed up in this."
Resting a little, Yun Que headed for the door and muttered, "I'm hungry. I'll go look for something to eat."
He searched the courtyard.
The village chief's family kept a few dogs, but no other livestock.
Those dogs were all paralyzed on the ground, pissing and shatting themselves in terror from Pingshan Jun's demonic aura.
Returning to the room, Yun Que said, "Let's go. We can't stay here long."
The two of them slipped away from Little Stone Village under the cover of night.
Avoiding the main road, they plunged into the roadside mountain forest, making their way toward Baiyu City via a narrow footpath.
Walking through the silent forest, Mu Qingyao murmured softly, "You aren't hungry. The village chief's house definitely had food; you must have been looking for eggs. I don't understand why you insisted on eating eggs."
"Probing people's minds isn't scary. What's scary is that you always manage to guess right. A woman like you will have a really hard time getting married in the future," Yun Que said.
"If I cannot find someone who captures my heart, I would rather remain unmarried for the rest of my life," Mu Qingyao replied.
"I wonder what kind of man the Princess intends to choose for her beloved."
"My beloved could be despicable and shameless, selfish and self-serving, or even someone content to idle his life away. But he must be a man daring enough to fight the heavens and the earth, a man who will not lower his head even if the gods and buddhas of the entire sky press down upon him," Mu Qingyao said with yearning in her voice.
"Rest assured, Princess. With standards like those, you're never getting married in this lifetime," Yun Que retorted.
"To walk alone through life and witness all the splendor of the world—is that not a fine thing?"
"In this world, no matter how splendid it is, it's something only rich lords get to look at. Poor commoners don't see splendor; they only see the bottom of an empty rice jar and soup without a drop of oil. The world has splendor, but it has even more suffering."
By midnight,
Yun Que found an open clearing in the forest and spread out the wolf skin from his pack on the ground.
"This should be safe enough. No one will find us. Let's get some sleep."
Yun Que dropped his head and fell asleep immediately. His fierce battle with Pingshan Jun had consumed far too much energy; he had no choice but to rest.
Mu Qingyao sat upon the wolf skin, gazing up at the starry sky.
"Yun Que, how about we trade our respective secrets? Actually, I do possess cultivation, I just can't use it right now. I'll tell you my secret, and you tell me the secret inside that blade. A fair trade. What do you say?"
"I have no interest in knowing other people's secrets. You're not tired, but I am. We have to get an early start tomorrow."
With that, Yun Que fell into a deep sleep.
Mu Qingyao sat alone for a long while. She too had endured an exhausting day, and casting aside her lingering thoughts, she lay down in her clothes beside Yun Que.
That night, Princess Lingyun had a terrifying nightmare.
She dreamed that the brown bear pursuing her by day had turned into a terrifying monster, its speed growing faster and faster until it swallowed her whole.
*Clack, clack-clack.*
Before the horizon had even begun to whiten, a strange wooden clapper sound echoed through the forest.
Yun Que snapped his eyes wide open, a flash of cold sharpness sweeping through his gaze.
This was a desolate, uninhabited mountain forest—neither Little Stone Village nor Cangshi Town. A night watchman had no business being here!
*Clack, clack-clack.*
The clapper sound grew closer and closer!
Mu Qingyao awoke from her nightmare as well, staring with Yun Que toward the depths of the forest.
*Clack, clack-clack...*
*Rustle, rustle...*
The eerie clapper sound, accompanied by the patter of light footsteps, drew near from afar.
A strange procession appeared within the forest.
There were four people in the front and four in the back, and in the middle was a small, bright red sedan chair, resembling a wedding procession.
Everyone was dressed entirely in red with lotus-shaped masks over their faces.
The two people at the very front of the procession each carried a massive red lantern, with lotus patterns painted on their surfaces.
The most bizarre thing of all was that the small sedan chair had no bearers—it was floating under its own power!
"The red candle shall never extinguish!"
"The lotus throne shall endure forever!"
Chanted the procession in unison, sounding bone-chillingly eerie in the wilderness.
"The Red Lotus Cult..."
Mu Qingyao muttered under her breath, her pretty eyes filled with dread.
The fact that the enemy could pinpoint their location so accurately demonstrated just how formidable their methods were.
The newcomers were undoubtedly powerful enemies!
Having witnessed the terrifying might of Pingshan Jun, Mu Qingyao held almost no hope left of returning to the Tianqi Imperial City alive.
She had thought that reaching Baiyu City and linking up with the imperial garrison would give her a glimmer of survival, but now she realized the enemy never intended to let her walk into Baiyu City alive at all.
Yun Que muttered helplessly, "If I'd known two hundred taels were this hard to earn, nothing could have made me take this job."
Knowing that Yun Que had expended a massive amount of energy fighting Pingshan Jun, and that his current combat strength was likely down to less than half, Mu Qingyao whispered, "If the situation is hopeless, just run first. Don't worry about me."
"Complaining is complaining, business is business. Rest assured, before we reach Baiyu City, I guarantee you'll stay alive."
With that, Yun Que grabbed his scabbard and stood in front of Mu Qingyao, facing the bizarre procession closing in on them with a calm expression.
The procession stopped in front of the two, and a shrill voice rang out from inside the sedan chair.
"The Red Lotus Cult propagates its Dao. All unrelated persons, step aside."
Griping his blade with a smile on his face, Yun Que said, "Wretched mountains and turbulent waters breed unruly scoundrels, and desolate hills spawn little demons. You preach your Dao, I walk my path—what's this about stepping aside? Is this mountain your family's? Is the Dajin Dynasty your family's too?"
"Hehehehe... What a sharp-tongued young man."
The small sedan chair slowly lowered to the ground, and a hunchbacked young man stepped out.
He was very tall; even with his hunchback, he towered over ordinary people. His long face was utterly bloodless and stark white, and he wore a white robe. At a glance, he looked like a grim reaper coming to claim a soul.
"Just speaking the truth," Yun Que said.
"This seat loves people who speak the truth. I'll give you a chance: vanish from my sight within ten breaths, or you will die a very miserable death," the hunchbacked man said in a shrill voice.
"Vanish it is then, scared of you? Let's go."
Yun Que grabbed Mu Qingyao and started to walk away.
"You can only go by yourself. Princess Lingyun must stay. After all, she is the person our Master values the most," the hunchbacked man cackled.
"Who even is your Master? Daring to target a Princess," Yun Que stopped in his tracks and asked.
"Enter our Red Lotus Holy Cult, and naturally you will be able to behold our Master's magnificent demeanor," the hunchbacked man said.
"I have no interest in your Red Lotus Cult. Who on earth are you, and how did you track us down?" Yun Que asked.
"This seat is a Protector of the Red Lotus Cult, Zuo Bai. Princess Lingyun is like a beacon in the dark night, guiding the way through the void. This is fate; she is destined to enter the Red Lotus and become that undying red candle," the hunchbacked man said.
"Cut the crap and talk some sense," Yun Que said.
"Heh, direct enough. Good! I'll tell you then: Princess Lingyun possesses a psychic constitution, also known as the Profound Yin Body. Her soul is extremely unique, possessing supreme Yin power. She can perceive spiritual entities, and at the same time, she is watched by them. As long as one follows the guidance of the spirits' gazes, finding the Princess herself is trivial," the hunchbacked man explained.
"A beacon in the dark night, alright. Shouldn't have traveled at night," Yun Que sighed.
Mu Qingyao's constitution made her far too conspicuous in the dead of night. If she wanted to leave no trace, she would have to slaughter every single spiritual entity encountered along the way.
Otherwise, any spirits that spotted Mu Qingyao would linger, gazing longingly in the direction she had departed.
"Ten breaths are up, little fellow. Time for you to die."
With a shrill laugh, the hunchbacked man raised his left hand, and a startling wave of freezing cold suddenly burst from his palm!
The chilling air hurtled straight toward Yun Que, coalescing mid-flight into an ice-crystal flying sword!
The moment the hunchbacked man unleashed his aura, Mu Qingyao gasped softly:
"A Daoist cultivator! Rank Seven Inanition Realm!"
All Daoist cultivators were divided into nine ranks.
The Daoist sects were no exception.
The Ninth Rank of the Daoist sects was the Qi Condensation Realm, the Eighth Rank was the Illumination Realm, and the Seventh Rank was the Inanition Realm.
A Rank Seven Inanition cultivator possessed combat power equal to a Rank Seven Spirit-Refining Martial Artist, matching Pingshan Jun, the Rank Seven tiger demon, blow for blow.
Princess Lingyun's previous elderly bodyguard had only been in the Eighth Rank Illumination Realm—far too weak compared to a Rank Seven Inanition cultivator.