Candlelight glowed inside the room, casting three silhouettes against the window. Faint voices drifted out. After a while, the conversation died down, someone blew out the candle, and soon only the steady, even sound of breathing remained.
The shadow guard assigned to watch them listened carefully for a moment before cautiously landing on the roof and lifting a tile to peer inside. Sure enough, all three occupants were asleep. Reassured, he found a concealed corner, settled there with his sword in his arms, and kept watch.
Hidden in the darkness, Xiao Chunhe curled his lips, took out a little charm incense, and blew it toward him. The shadow guard’s head immediately drooped, a smile spreading over his face as he entered a pleasant dream.
Xiao Chunhe formed seals with both hands. A thread of true qi sank into the shadow guard’s brow. Xiao Chunhe closed his eyes as well and entered the man’s dream.
Yue Jingming looked at Ye Shijiu beside him. “Can you learn this?”
Ye Shijiu tilted his head and watched for a while, then copied Xiao Chunhe’s hand seals. A stream of true qi shot straight toward the shadow guard’s brow. Yue Jingming reacted instantly, snapping out a strand of his own true qi and scattering Ye Shijiu’s before it struck.
Ye Shijiu looked at him in confusion. He opened his mouth and, astonishingly, produced a faint sound. “Wha… t?”
Yue Jingming’s expression became complicated. He took Ye Shijiu’s wrist and carefully checked his pulse. His meridians were strong, and his dantian overflowed with rich true qi. Even someone of exceptional talent would normally need years of hard cultivation to reach such a state, yet Ye Shijiu had gone from knowing nothing at all to this in only a few short days.
Xiao Chunhe had only opened one of his meridians, yet Ye Shijiu had grasped the method from that alone and opened all the rest himself. His true qi even carried traces of both Yue Jingming’s No-Thought One-Mind Art and Xiao Chunhe’s half-demon cultivation methods, and he had somehow improved on their shortcomings by himself.
Whether in natural talent or comprehension, the boy was frighteningly gifted.
At the same time, Yue Jingming keenly recognized the danger. Ye Shijiu was cultivating by himself with every breath he took. His future achievements were impossible to measure, and even attaining the Dao and ascending might not be beyond him. Precisely because of that, such extraordinary bones and aptitude would inevitably attract countless covetous eyes.
Ye Shijiu still had no idea what Yue Jingming was thinking. Copying his movements, he used his free hand to feel Yue Jingming’s pulse, frowned thoughtfully, then immediately began imitating the No-Thought One-Mind Art as well.
Yue Jingming said, “…”
The Great Way might make no distinctions, but teachings could not be casually passed on. The boy was stealing his art right in front of him. Had it been anyone else, Yue Jingming would certainly have disciplined them. Yet this deaf and mute child not only learned it, but proudly demonstrated what he had learned, staring at Yue Jingming with bright, shining eyes.
Yue Jingming moved his hand away. “The No-Thought One-Mind Art is more than this. It is rooted in the Zushan Sect’s Taixu Heart Method. Without that foundation, you have only learned the surface. If you are interested, I can teach you from the beginning.”
Ye Shijiu nodded vigorously, then excitedly pointed to the Clear Breeze Sword in Yue Jingming’s hand. He even mimed two of Yue Jingming’s favorite sword moves with his bare hands, making it clear with his eyes that he wanted to learn those too.
“Your martial foundation is too weak. Learning swordsmanship now could send you down the wrong path.” Yue Jingming paused, then considered Ye Shijiu’s comprehension and decided a few months might be enough after all. “Once you learn the heart method, I will teach you swordsmanship.”
Ye Shijiu happily cupped his hands and bowed.
“But one thing: unless your life is in danger, you must never display your abilities in front of others.” Yue Jingming looked at him gravely. “And until your foundation is completely secure, you must not learn the heart methods of other schools.”
Ye Shijiu was like a piece of uncarved jade. If he began by randomly mixing miscellaneous arts, it would only harm him. But if he first established a firm foundation and later integrated the martial arts and cultivation methods of other traditions, then his future achievements… Such a prodigy appeared perhaps once in a thousand years. He truly should not be left to drift through the mortal world and amount to nothing.
The promising little disciple was extremely obedient. He nodded hard and looked up at Yue Jingming with a broad smile.
Yue Jingming patted his head. “Cultivate well. Perhaps soon you will be able to hear and speak.”
The moment Xiao Chunhe opened his eyes, he saw Yue Jingming patting Ye Shijiu’s head. “Hm?”
Ye Shijiu excitedly ran over and threw his arms around Xiao Chunhe, babbling a jumble of sounds that no one could understand, though his delight was obvious.
“All right, all right, I know.” Xiao Chunhe knocked lightly on his head, then looked at Yue Jingming. “What’s gotten into him?”
“He is thanking you for opening his meridians,” Yue Jingming said.
“You’re welcome.” Xiao Chunhe smiled. “Tell him to cultivate properly and offer me his yuan core in filial gratitude when the time comes.”
Ye Shijiu smiled, turned around without hesitation, and silently hid behind Yue Jingming.
“Hiss. Can he hear now?” Xiao Chunhe asked thoughtfully.
“Not quite yet.” Yue Jingming said, “Do you know where Cen Shuang is?”
Xiao Chunhe nodded. “Follow me.”
*
Music from strings and winds tangled through the air. The banquet hall of the princely residence blazed with opulence while dancing girls moved to the melody. Zhou Ran lounged in the seat of honor with women in both arms, staring at Liang Yun through drunken eyes. “Xiuheng, keep drinking!”
Liang Yun pushed away a dancing girl clinging to him and shook his head hard. “No, no, I’m done. Your Highness’s wine is too strong. I truly can’t take any more…”
“This is nothing. I have a jar of Immortal’s Intoxication bestowed by Imperial Brother. I almost never show it to anyone. Tomorrow—tomorrow you absolutely must taste it.” Zhou Ran saw him swaying and a calculating gleam flashed through his drunken eyes. “But Brother Xiuheng, what treasure are you planning to present to Imperial Brother?”
On the roof, Xiao Chunhe’s steps halted.
Immortal’s Intoxication?
“This… the treasure…” Liang Yun babbled incoherently, lifted the wine pot as he stood, and staggered toward Zhou Ran. “Come on, have another cup with me and I’ll tell you!”
Outside the lively hall, several dark figures flashed past at high speed without anyone noticing.
Inside a guest room, the sleeping man’s eyes snapped open.
A long sword tore through the air. Cen Shuang rolled violently from the bed and hit the floor. Another slash followed. He retreated in alarm and raised a hand. The sword hanging on the wall flew into his grasp. The blades collided with a clear metallic hum.
“Yue Jingming!” Cen Shuang’s eyes flew up, shock unmistakable in his voice. “How did you get in?”
Layer upon layer of strict formations guarded the residence inside and out. Unless Zhou Ran personally brought someone through the gates, no outsider should have been able to enter.
Yue Jingming did not answer. His sword techniques only grew fiercer, every strike aimed at a vital point. Cen Shuang struggled more and more to defend himself and retreated step by step, yet still found breath to mock him. “Yue Jingming, I hear you cultivate the Zushan Sect’s secret No-Thought One-Mind Art. Aren’t you supposed to look beyond life and death and disregard the mortal world? Yet your sword is overflowing with killing intent. You’ve truly declined!”
The Clear Breeze Sword was already at his throat. Cen Shuang held it off with all his strength and gave him an eerie smile. “Do you know why your master refused to let you descend the mountain? For people like you who cultivate No-Thought One-Mind, seclusion in the mountains is one thing. But the moment an unshakable attachment takes root, there is only a road to death ahead.”
“Enough noise.” Veins stood out on the back of Yue Jingming’s hand as the Clear Breeze Sword plunged straight through Cen Shuang’s throat.
Cen Shuang jerked his head backward. Head and neck tore almost completely apart, hot blood spraying everywhere, with only a thin strip of flesh and skin still connecting them. Then he reached up and pressed his head back into place as flesh around the wound began regenerating madly.
“Do you know why you can’t kill me?” Cen Shuang tilted his neck as though looking through Yue Jingming’s eyes and into the depths of his heart. “Yue Jingming, ever since you descended the mountain, you have failed to distinguish truth from falsehood or right from wrong. You’ve even grown attached to this mortal world. That No-Thought One-Mind Art of yours must have become nothing but decoration long ago. Killing intent is still intent, Daoist Yue… Senior Brother Yue!”
Yue Jingming’s expression tightened.
An old memory surfaced. It must have been at a competition long ago. A youth dressed in white stood with a sword, smiling as he cupped his hands toward Yue Jingming. “Cen Changsheng of Cangyang Mountain. Senior Brother Yue, please instruct me!”
“You are Cen Changsheng?” Yue Jingming frowned.
Elio’s Notes: Changsheng (长生) literally means “long life” or “immortality,” a pointed name in a chapter centered on Cen Shuang’s desperate refusal to die.
A savage look flashed across Cen Shuang’s face. His sword thrust straight at Yue Jingming’s brow. “What Cen Changsheng? You have the wrong person!”
Yue Jingming turned his wrist and poured surging true qi into the Clear Breeze Sword. The No-Thought One-Mind Art moved through him without the slightest obstruction. Cen Shuang’s sword snapped apart segment by segment and fell to the floor.
“If one can achieve no-thought only while secluded in the mountains, then that no-thought is itself merely an appearance. True No-Thought One-Mind means ten thousand thoughts may stir, yet pass like wind without leaving a trace.” Yue Jingming looked at him calmly. “As Cangyangzi’s final disciple, how did you come to coexist with a demon?”
“I did not!” Cen Shuang roared and tried to charge him, but the true qi of No-Thought One-Mind bound him firmly in place, leaving him unable to move.
“You think this is enough to kill me? Keep dreaming!” Cen Shuang glared viciously. “Wait until your true qi runs dry—”
“Well, hello~” A teasing voice sounded as paper figures rained from the sky.
Each paper figure was almost lifelike. Blood had been used to dot its eyes, and every one brimmed with true qi. They landed densely across Cen Shuang’s body, chattering in shrill little voices. “Come out, come out.”
“Undying Demon, demon undying, dwelling in human flesh, waking with human mind.”
“A human life lasts no more than a hundred years; a paper person can live ten thousand!”
“Come out, come out.”
Cen Shuang’s pale-green eyes began trembling violently. The demon hidden inside seemed to catch the scent of blood on the paper figures and gradually grew excited. A quivering voice came from within him. “Immortal bones… the scent of immortal bones… I want eternal life… I want to become immortal… I don’t want to die…”
On the roof, Ye Shijiu was still folding paper figures as fast as he could, continually dotting their eyes with blood from his finger before tossing them into the room.
More and more paper figures crawled over Cen Shuang. He roared and struggled to escape, but Yue Jingming’s No-Thought One-Mind held him firmly in place.
Xiao Chunhe flicked his fan. “I was wondering how you could still refuse to die after I ate those eyes of yours that could bring the dead back to life. So there really is such a thing as an Undying Demon. Unfortunately for you, you’re still human. It has only been consuming your lifespan all this time. Once your years run out, it will abandon you and find another host.”
The Undying Demon greedily inhaled the scent of blood on the paper figures’ faces and began forcing its way out through Cen Shuang’s eyes. Cen Shuang clapped both hands over them. “No, no! I don’t want to die! Why should I have to die? Why should I have to die!”
Yue Jingming looked at Xiao Chunhe. “How do you know so much about it?”
From somewhere, Xiao Chunhe produced the Myriad Demons Scroll and snapped it open. The previously indistinct demon over Zhongzhou had now taken clear form. Beside it floated a line of small characters: Undying Demon. Parasitizes the human eye and feeds on human lifespan. Its host may be killed a hundred times without dying; when the lifespan is exhausted, the human dies.
“It started heating up the moment we entered the residence.” Xiao Chunhe shook the Myriad Demons Scroll. “You didn’t look?”
“No,” Yue Jingming said.
Xiao Chunhe stared. “Then how did you come up with this plan?”
Yue Jingming answered honestly, “I only guessed there was a demon inside him. Shijiu’s blood attracts demons, so I decided to try.”
“Impressive.” Xiao Chunhe cupped his hands. “What do we do with Cen Shuang?”
“This man’s crimes are countless. Death is no more than he deserves,” Yue Jingming said.
The Undying Demon had already crawled out of Cen Shuang’s eye. The pair of eyes that had belonged to Song Shiqi rapidly shriveled. Cen Shuang clutched his face. “No… Yue Jingming! You can’t do this to me! You consort with demons just the same. What right do you have to stand above me and pass judgment?!”
The swarm of paper figures leapt onto the Undying Demon and pinned it down. Cen Shuang suddenly arched his back and screamed with every shred of his strength. “Zhou Ran—Zhou Ran—ZHOU RAN!!!”
In the banquet hall, Zhou Ran, who had been drinking and making merry, jerked his head up. A violent pain ripped through his eyes, and two lines of bloody tears ran down his face.
Drunk and swaying, Liang Yun reached for his shoulder. “Hahaha, you got grape juice on your face.”
“Get lost!” Zhou Ran shoved him away, seized the long sword hidden beneath the table, and rushed out of the banquet hall.
Liang Yun drunkenly climbed to his feet, but his eyes were completely clear. “Damn. Something didn’t happen on Brother Yue’s side, did it?”
Countless shadow guards dropped into the courtyard from every direction. Zhou Ran shouted, “Activate every formation! Not even a fly is to leave!”
Liang Yun hurried after him. “What happened?”
Zhou Ran spun around and glared viciously. “It has to be the people you brought in! Men, seize him!”
Several long blades instantly pressed against Liang Yun’s neck. He stretched it away from the steel and widened his eyes. “Huh?”
Elsewhere, Yue Jingming’s sword was just about to pierce Cen Shuang’s heart when Xiao Chunhe stopped him. “Wait!”
The instant he spoke, a formation glowing green appeared inside the room. With it as the center, layer after layer of formations unfolded and swallowed the entire residence. Countless arrow boxes emerged from the walls, rows of long arrows tipped with deadly poison aiming straight at Xiao Chunhe and Yue Jingming.
“Haha… hahahaha!” Cen Shuang covered his eyes and began laughing. “So what if you lured the Undying Demon out of me? However you drew it out, you had better put it back the same way. Otherwise, you’ll kill even more people!”
Almost at the same moment, the door was kicked open and Zhou Ran strode in with a crowd behind him. He searched frantically for Cen Shuang. Only when he saw the man was still alive did he visibly relax, then pile a false smile onto his face. “Senior Brother is unharmed. Good.”
Yue Jingming and Xiao Chunhe exchanged a glance and were just about to move when Zhou Ran said, “Bring him in!”
Liang Yun, tied up from head to toe, was shoved into the room. He looked miserably at Yue Jingming and Xiao Chunhe and silently mouthed, What happened?
Yue Jingming gave the slightest shake of his head.
“Liang Yun, I treated you as a guest, and you stabbed me in the back.” Zhou Ran smiled without warmth. “For the Empress Dowager’s sake, I won’t kill you.”
Liang Yun snapped, “What do you mean, stabbed you in the back?”
“Stop pretending. You came here because of Cen Shuang, didn’t you?” Zhou Ran’s gaze shifted to Yue Jingming and Xiao Chunhe. “Gentlemen, I can overlook everything that happened today. I will hand Liang Yun back to you, and you will release Cen Shuang. What do you say?”
The sword in Yue Jingming’s hand remained pressed immovably against Cen Shuang’s heart. Zhou Ran’s expression changed slightly.
Xiao Chunhe’s eyes rolled. He flicked his fan and asked, “Who is Liang Yun? What would we want him for?”
Liang Yun said, “Huh?!”