The sudden appearance of Li Wangyi and Little Qianjun took the Guo siblings, Wei Lun, and the demon by surprise. Even the peach blossom demon stared at them in astonishment.
"Young Master Li! Little Qianjun! Run!" Wei Lun shouted suddenly.
The demon, however, had already locked its sights on them. It let out a sinister, cackling laugh. "I caught the scent of your delicious, spirit-borne aura while I was on the mountain path. I was planning to swallow you up once I was done with this flower demon."
"I never expected you to deliver yourselves to my doorstep—and with a Confucian scholar in tow, no less! Heavens, you are truly generous today."
"It seems today is indeed the auspicious day for me to ascend to the status of a Great Demon. Hahaha..."
The demon finished its laughter, its gaze turning wicked and cruel as it fixed on Little Qianjun and Li Wangyi, a sinister grin curling its lips.
The Guo siblings and Wei Lun instantly flashed forward, placing themselves in between the pair and the creature, their blades drawn.
Guo Hengbei spoke up, "Young Master Li, take Little Qianjun and leave quickly. We will hold this demon back. Do not forget to send a letter to Hanshan to summon our masters to come down and slay this fiend."
The three demon hunters were already prepared to fight to the death. It was their way of ensuring the safety of the innocents while simultaneously securing reinforcements capable of finishing off the monster. Sensing that Li Wangyi and the girl in the emerald dress must have significant backgrounds and that their masters were the only hope of defeating the demon, the peach blossom demon steeled itself against the agony of its fracturing core, struggling to summon a peach-wood sword for a final, desperate stand.
Yet, Li Wangyi seemed oblivious to their plight. He did not leave; instead, he looked at the demon, then back at the peach blossom demon, as if confused by the situation. Beside him, Little Qianjun blinked her large eyes, looking at them with childlike curiosity.
Guo Nanjun, growing impatient, opened her mouth to urge them on, but was stopped by the scholar’s lazy, calm voice: "According to the *Huainan Records*, in the fifth year of the Great Wei’s Tianbao era, a Taoist nun arrived from the Middle Earth Divine Continent by crossing the sea. While passing through Hengzhou, she saw that the eight counties surrounding Yuyang were choked with miasma and malice."
"Fearing the rise of demons and suffering for the common people, she buried the peach blossom hairpin she had worn since her secular life at the peak of Xiufeng Ridge, using it as a seal to suppress the rot."
"Three years later, the hairpin grew with the earth's energy, transforming into peach wood. For every tree that grew, the miasma in the eight counties diminished. It has been over three hundred years since then."
The peach blossom demon’s face changed dramatically upon hearing this.
The demon mused aloud, "If not for you, scholar, I truly would not have known the origin of this peach blossom demon."
The Guo siblings and Wei Lun were stunned, though they remained puzzled. Why would Li Wangyi reveal the peach blossom demon’s true nature? The origins of demons, spirits, and ghosts were their greatest secrets; once exposed, it could lead to grave disaster.
Ignoring their reactions, Li Wangyi turned to the demon. "And according to *Spring Lanterns and Locked Memories*, in the fourth year of the Great Wei’s Zhengde era—over fifty years ago—a wealthy man in Zi County, Hengzhou, held a wedding for his daughter. His son, resentful over the lavish dowry, fell into demonic ways."
"That very night, while the guests were drinking in celebration, the demon revealed its fangs, opened its blood-stained maw, and devoured his sister, his father, and hundreds of guests before fleeing. It was later hunted by the blade-wielders of the Hengzhou Demon-Slaying Bureau. As a type of heart-demon capable of consuming souls and wearing their skin as a disguise, it escaped and vanished without a trace."
This time, it was the Guo siblings and Wei Lun who looked shocked, while the demon itself turned pale with terror. Its true origins had been laid bare.
"How do you know..." the demon hissed, its eyes turning icy.
Li Wangyi replied casually, "Nothing much. I’ve just read a few idle books."
The demon’s gaze grew darker and more malevolent. It took a step forward, black mist coiling around it, its aura turning violent. The Guo siblings and Wei Lun stepped forward again, shielding Li Wangyi and Little Qianjun even more tightly.
Guo Hengbei shouted, "Young Master Li, since you know the demon's nature, defeating it will be easier! Leave now, send word to the Academy or the Demon-Slaying Bureau in Hengzhou. It won't be long before this monster is brought to justice!"
Li Wangyi was deeply moved by the sight of the demon-hunting squad, standing their ground with a death-defying resolve. After a moment of thought, he decided to be forthright. "Master Guo, now that its origins have been exposed, this demon is nothing to fear."
"Though it is of the Fifth Realm and appears ferocious, in my eyes, it is merely a target waiting to be struck down. I don't even need to intervene—Little Qianjun can dispose of it herself."
"Huh?" Little Qianjun stood frozen. She was that powerful?
Li Wangyi patted her head with a light chuckle. "Little Qian'er, bring out the zither!"
"Okay!"
Little Qianjun instantly transformed into a diligent little attendant. With a wave of her small hand, an ancient, solemn-looking zither appeared before her. Li Wangyi gave a light flick of his long sleeves, and the instrument settled onto a flat rock.
The Guo siblings, Wei Lun, the peach blossom demon, and even the monster itself were at a loss as to what he intended to do with a zither.
Li Wangyi said nonchalantly, "This zither is named 'Canghai Dragon Chant.' It was crafted two thousand five hundred years ago by a great master of music, who used the discarded tendons of an ancient dragon from the vast sea for strings, and the abandoned nest of a phoenix from Mount Kun for the body."
"Its sound is high and clear, like the roar of a dragon or the cry of a phoenix, imbued with a holy, righteous energy that can shatter all filth."
"This demon was born of a heart filled with inner rot and has grown by consuming the flesh and souls of thousands. Though it appears formidable, the thousands of remnants of those souls remain trapped within its body, gnawing at its essence every day, driven only by the need for vengeance."
"So long as we use the melody of the Canghai zither as a conduit, the demon will be consumed by its own backlash, leading its form to crumble and its soul to scatter into nothingness."
Could it be true? Could the demon really be destroyed so easily? The Guo siblings, Wei Lun, and the peach blossom demon were filled with skeptical wonder. The demon itself was caught between belief and doubt. It knew its own state—thousands of souls indeed remained trapped within—but it couldn't believe a mere zither could truly destroy it.
Li Wangyi ignored the demon’s skepticism and turned to Little Qianjun. "Little Qian'er, do you remember the finger techniques I taught you?"
Whenever they rested on their journey, Li Wangyi would occasionally teach her to play the zither for fun. While she was too small to play full compositions, learning a few fingerings and plucking a few notes was easy for her.
She nodded. "Mm, I remember them all."
"Very well. I shall name the notes, and you shall play."
Understanding him, Little Qianjun floated over to the zither.
"The first note: Crane Dances in the Empty Courtyard!"
The 'Crane Dances' was a technique in the fifty-four fingerings of the zither, known as the 'Tuó'—plucking outward with the thumb. Little Qianjun followed his lead, pushing her thumb forward against the sixth string.
*Dong—*
A clear, resonant note rang out. The others merely thought it sounded pleasant, but the demon’s expression shifted, its entire body trembling as black mist churned violently.
It was actually working! The Guo siblings and Wei Lun beamed with joy.
"The second note: Crane Cries in the Shade!"
This was the 'Mǒ' technique—plucking inward with the index finger. Little Qianjun followed suit.
The demon dared not let her continue. It transformed into a ball of black mist and lunged toward them. The Guo siblings and Wei Lun were prepared. Guo Hengbei’s blade slashed, Wei Lun’s steel moved like the wind, and Guo Nanjun’s nine flying knives sealed the perimeter. The moment the mist neared, it was battered back, revealing the demon's true form once more.
By then, the second note had fully resonated. The demon, enraged and desperate to kill the hunters, trembled violently. Phantom silhouettes of spirits began to flicker within its body.
"The third note: Shangyang Dances!"
This was the 'Dǎ' technique—plucking inward with the ring finger.
"Ah! I will kill you all!" the demon roared. Its body surged in size, becoming a towering giant, rushing toward the hunters and the two behind them with ferocious, chaotic power.
The peach blossom demon, seeing this, pushed its core to the brink to join the defense, but Guo Hengbei laughed aloud, "Lady Peach Blossom, rest! This monster is at the end of its rope; you need not waste your strength."
Sure enough, a moment later, the demon was beaten back once more by the trio. Though their wounds had worsened and blood dripped from their lips, their expressions were filled with exhilaration.
"The fourth note: Wind Carries Light Clouds!"
...
"The fifth note: Cold Crow Pecks at Snow!"
...
"The sixth note: Kite Soars!"
...
"The seventh note: Egret Bathes in the Vortex!"
As Li Wangyi called the seventh note—the 'Gǔn'—Little Qianjun’s small hand swept across the strings from the seventh down to the second, then snapped back from the first to the sixth.
Accompanied by a flurry of high-pitched, soaring notes, the demon collapsed with a thunderous roar. Thousands of lingering souls poured forth from its body, fighting to consume its flesh and spirit.
In a heartbeat, the monster dissolved into dust, its soul scattered to the winds.
The demon was no more.