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Chapter 10 On the Way Back to the Capital City

Word came from capital again, reminding Xu Linghe to return home as soon as possible. This was Xu Yinchang’s ultimatum. As he looked at the beautiful scenery in front of him, Xu Linghe could not help but feel disappointed as he recalled the events of a few months ago. This sea of flowers was his little woman’s favorite place.

There was still no news of Jiang Wuyou. He had once visited Wind City at night and asked the small ghosts there but these tiny souls of the netherworld evaded his questions. He also visited the residence of the Queen of Wind City but found it empty. He could not find a trace of this woman throughout the entire netherworld, as though Jiang Wuyou had disappeared from this world. Nonetheless, Xu Linghe did not give up hope.

It looked increasingly likely that he would not visit Jiangnan this year. Xu Linghe and Di Li sat in the spacious carriage while the King of Jiangdu, Di Qing, lounged on a soft couch. Xu Linghe felt more reassured to know that they were accompanied the whole way by a confidant of the King of Jiangdu. Di Qing was extremely lively the entire journey and most praised the virtues of various maidens. Xu Linghe knew that they were only empty words. After he probed a few times, Di Qing deftly changed the topic. Xu Linghe knew that brotherly friendship was nothing in front of personal interests. This was the true nature of men. If one knew how to meet their desires, one could solve any problem in the world.

“Brother Di, should we stay at this place tonight?”

Xu Linghe pointed at the inn in the distance and asked the King of Jiangdu, Di Qing, for his opinion. Di Qing raised the curtains and looked around. He heaved a sigh of relief when he caught sight of his surroundings. An inn was indeed hard to come by in such a rural and poor area.

This inn was considered the most luxurious inn in the city. It had three levels and the guestrooms and gambling den were located on both sides. The innkeeper ran out to receive Xu Linghe and his entourage the moment they entered. Di Li liked the look of the innkeeper and rewarded him with two taels of silver. Di Qing frowned at his sister’s generosity and when he saw her in his friend’s arms, Di Qing knew that his sister liked Xu Linghe. Unfortunately, Xu Linghe was in love with someone else. Although Di Qing had yet to meet the person who had caught Xu Linghe’s eye, he knew that she must have been someone extraordinary for Xu Linghe to take notice of her.

Xu Linghe asked for three guestrooms. They would have to proceed even more cautiously in such a remote area. Di Qing and Xu Linghe were well-traveled and knew how dangerous the Jianghu world could be. Di Li was not as insightful as both men and stamped her feet as she flatly refused to live in the guestroom. Finally, it was decided that Di Li would stay in the most luxurious suite in the inn and Di Qing could only give in to his pampered sister. The innkeeper was delighted with the number of silver taels he received and thought, “I must have encountered the God of Fortune today for the money to keep rolling in; I have never even seen a single cent in the past years.”

Xu Linghe selected a guestroom that was located near the gambling den while Di Qing and Di Li’s rooms were located side by side. After dinner, Di Li wanted to retire for the night and so, Di Qing accompanied her back to her quarters. He only left when he saw that she had fallen into a deep sleep, then he saw Xu Linghe in the distance. When Di Qing approached him, Xu Linghe dragged Di Qing to the backyard where there was a large stable.

They heard faint sounds of neighing as they approached. Di Qing held his nose and refused to draw closer. Xu Linghe proceeded with extreme caution and when he saw that the King of Jiangdu was not used to the stench of horse manure, he entered the stable alone. He only relaxed when he saw Lie Huo munching on feed inside.

He could not pinpoint the cause of it, but the Demonic Qi in this inn was extremely dense and the entire inn was filled with it. Xu Linghe unleashed his Spirit Power in an attempt to verify this. As his Spirit Power came into contact with the other guests, Xu Linghe saw that they were actually demons. He was concerned that Di Qing might overreact and so he caused Di Li to retire to bed earlier.

These mountain demons fed on the souls of men and he was worried that they would also prey on livestock. He only relaxed when he saw Lie Huo—this was Shenzong’s mount and a dragon horse of the Heaven Realm. It looked no different compared to an ordinary horse but when it met with danger, it could stretch its huge wings to soar in the air with the ability to travel thousands of kilometers in a day, this ability put his own sacred beasts to shame. Lie Huo was safe and sound.

Xu Linghe’s gaze followed the dim lighting. He was no longer looking at the horse but noticed that its fur had been moving. A centipede crawled out from its fur and took on human form with a burst of green smoke. Xu Linghe was about to use his dharma power when the stomach of a black horse in the corner burst open with a flash of light and a black head emerged from it. After its body emerged, Xu Linghe saw that it was a cricket. The cricket continued to transform under the spirit light to turn into the innkeeper. This inn seemed to be a hotbed of demons. It seemed as though something big was about to rock the three realms.

Xu Linghe’s Grandmaster had informed him that an evil god would return to the three realms every 500 years and the Human Realm would experience calamities. Could the demons in the inn be preparing for the resurrection of Chidi? These shape-shifting demons would require at least another 1,000 years of cultivation but someone had placed a curse on them and turned them into soul-sucking puppets. Why would the person behind this choose such a remote place to open an inn? If they were after human souls, the most suitable place of operation should be the capital city where there were so many humans that no one would blink an eye if a few went missing. The person behind this was under taboo and dared not recklessly suck human blood, or its life could be in critical condition and needed to be supported by vast amounts of vital essence. Thus, these demons with a bit of foundation had been captured to prolong his life.

These demons were merely junior demons, so Xu Linghe wondered who could be receiving the souls that they sucked. He flicked his spiritual finger and the innkeeper only realized that there was an intruder in the stable after he was held captive by Xu Linghe’s spiritual power.

“You probably did not think you would run into me here, right?”

“Who are you?”

“I’m just a passing guest at the inn and came out for a stroll when I encountered demons.”

He emphasized the word ‘demon’ and piled on his Spirit Power. The demon was not cowed and slammed out a fist at Xu Linghe. Xu Linghe’s Spirit Power held the demon tightly and with a sudden crash, the Spirit Power dragged the demon out of the stable toward the gambling den in the west. Xu Linghe followed closely behind and discovered that it was surprisingly difficult to find a path to the gambling den and several paths led to dead ends. Xu Linghe unleashed his Spirit Power to move a tunnel but he saw shadows of demons everywhere his Spirit Power passed. Could these junior demons be planning to ambush the inn tonight? Xu Linghe increased his pace.

He saw that the gambling den was brightly lit and the light threw shadows of the gamblers on the paper windows. He could see that they held silver taels in their hands. The large gambling den was surprisingly quiet and its door was half-closed. A dim ray of light slipped through the crack of the door and Xu Linghe was about to use his spiritual finger to push open the door when vines slithered from above the door and interwove tightly amongst themselves. As though they were able to see, they deftly evaded his attacks and slithered as wildly as spiritual snakes, blocking Xu Linghe’s path. He heard chewing sounds from the gambling den and increased the intensity of his Spirit Power. The injured vines slowly retreated and only the bloodstains on the wall were proof that he did not imagine the situation earlier.

Xu Linghe entered the gambling den to see gamblers who gambled as though their life depended on it. There were no signs of violence in this area as if the demons earlier had just been a figment of his imagination. He searched the area and could not find anything suspicious. He did not think that these demons had given up attacking humans out of compassion. If a demon soul wanted to take on human form, it had to feast on human souls. Humans were regarded as a high-class species throughout the entire three realms for they had senses of smell, sight and even the seven emotions and six desires.

These demon souls both envied and revered humans and they were so frail. All they had to do was to feast on souls to take on human form and the demons that had cultivated for a thousand years could then form their own thoughts and desires.

Xu Linghe inched around the gamblers and looked warily around his surroundings with every few steps he took. He was about to leave when the light on the candles suddenly went out and strong winds blustered. The winds easily destroyed the paper windows and through those destroyed windows, Xu Linghe saw floating demons charging toward the gambling den. He used his spiritual finger to cast a spell that sealed the windows. When those demons crashed against the spiritual barrier, they were instantly destroyed.

Xu Linghe’s fists were tightly clenched and he gathered his Spirit Power to attack the demons. He saw the demons fleeing everywhere under the light of the fire and as they fled, his dark blue light struck these demons like lightning and his Spirit Power caused fires to ignite everywhere it passed. Xu Linghe only recalled his Spirit Power after these monsters had disappeared and the dark blue light entered his palm.

The night quietened and the gambling den was pitch black. When Xu Linghe lit the candle, his arm was scratched by a sharp claw. The scent of blood filled the gambling den. This demon had peeked at him for a long time, planning to throw the fatal blow when his guard was down. Unfortunately, it missed its cue and Xu Linghe unleashed his dark blue power. Once the Spirit Power charged toward the demon, Xu Linghe saw that it was a fox spirit. The fox spirit bared its sharp fangs and its claws that were drenched with blood grew larger. Its furry body was suspended in vital essence. After it scratched Xu Linghe, several crossbeams had broken and dust clouds created as they loomed toward him. Xu Linghe created a formation when he saw that the fox spirit was trying to make its escape and trapped both its feet. The fox spirit struggled out of its constraints and attacked with its sharp claws. Xu Linghe evaded the attack and gently swept out with his Spirit Power. This creature was naturally crafty and if he did not avoid its attack in time earlier, its sharp claws would have pierced through his heart.

“Evil creature, are you not going to surrender?”

“One day, Chidi would suck your blood dry.”

The fox spirit let out a cold laugh. Xu Linghe moved like lightning to catch hold of the fox spirit’s tail. Purple blood flowed from the injured fox spirit. It was surprising that a fox as frail as this had insisted on sucking human souls. Xu Linghe activated his Spirit Power and as the dark ray of light charged toward the fox spirit, a black figure flashed past in the Spirit Power. Xu Linghe recognized this demon as Hong Yu, the Wolf King, who had engaged in a vicious battle with him a few months earlier. This Wolf King seemed to have become extremely frail in the few months since they had last met and there were a few strands of white hair amidst his dark hair. Was this truly the Wolf King who had awed the three realms?

Xu Linghe clapped his palms together and Spirit Power flowed like the river toward his fingers. The Wolf King flung this fox aside. This fox had only been a burden and if not for the fact that Ni Shang was obedient, he would have eaten her Inner Elixer a long time ago. Despite her fair beauty, this fox was merely a pawn to him.

The Wolf King did not show any compassion when he flung her onto the ground. She landed heavily onto the ground and once again, her injured paw throbbed in pain. Purple blood flowed along her furry coat and her amber fox eyes glittered under the candlelight, full of tears. She felt extremely miserable as she gazed at this cold-hearted man. It had all turned out to be a one-sided crush on her part, this man had never loved her. He had thrown her roughly onto the ground without any tenderness. His gaze was filled with irritation, annoyance, and contempt and trampled on the love she had for him. He abandoned her for Phantom and married that girl from Wind City while keeping her in the dark but was ultimately seriously injured by Phantom.

“I, Ni Shang was the one beside you when you were down on your luck. Yet, when I brought you to this remote land, you made me get involved in such filthy businesses. I almost lost my life because of you, but you took control of my primordial spirit and injured me. This is the destiny of a pawn and this shows how ungrateful the men of the world are!” The fox spirit was suddenly enraged and glared hatefully at the man in front of her and suddenly attacked him, scratching his face. Xu Linghe was baffled. “What is wrong with this fox spirit?”

As the fox spirit continued to attack him, the Wolf King also retaliated viciously. After they exchanged a few blows, the Wolf King overcame the fox spirit. He knew the fox spirit wanted to die and slammed out impatiently with his palm, sending her flying out of the gambling den.

The fire spirit floated in the night sky and the fires sparked wildly as they surrounded Xu Linghe’s whole body. Spirit power wove through his arms like intertwining vines and a large fire net shrouded the sky in the distance.

The Wolf King’s ice saber struggled in the fire net and the scorching fire net caused his ice saber to release steam. The Wolf King increased the intensity of his Spirit Power and his sleeves billowed as he created strong winds. The fire spirit was not afraid of wind and only burned brighter. The fire charged against the direction of the wind toward the Wolf King and as Xu Linghe chanted a spell, his divine consciousness controlled the fire spirit. The fire net circled above the Wolf King and his chest had stained his clothes.

Xu Linghe’s eyes had been tightly shut but he suddenly opened them and rode the wind to land on the dragon’s back. He held the fire net in his hands and threw it toward the Wolf King. The fire net unfurled in the wind and coupled with the help of the fire spirit and sacred beast, the Wolf King was forced to retreat into the ruins. The fire spirit used the wind to charge into the Wolf King’s hiding place.

Flustered, the Wolf King summoned his heavenly beast. Suddenly, lightning and thunder rumbled across the sky and heavy rain rained down. The fire spirit continued to burn brighter and the large dragon flicked its tail, breaking down the remaining walls. As the Wolf King’s heavenly beast opened its huge mouth, Xu Linghe’s large dragon lept up from the flood and brought Xu Linghe into the heavens, evading the attack of the torrential rain. The fire spirit in the flood charged at the Wolf King with the force of a wildfire and when the heavenly beast saw that its master was surrounded by the fire spirit, it used its last spurt of energy to guard the Wolf King.

Xu Linghe gently stepped on the dragon’s back and reeled in the net that shrouded the Wolf King. The spiritual barrier gradually weakened as the flames attacked it. After the flames tore the spiritual barrier apart, it released a strong air blast which threw Xu Linghe many meters away. His mythical beast had also been injured and floated in mid-air while the fire spirit was unable to hold out and tunneled into the ground. The Wolf King had disappeared instantaneously.

Silence returned after the torrential rain stopped. The rain had almost destroyed the entire building and it was flattened to the ground. The entire gambling den had collapsed and the bodies of the dead gamblers were buried in the rubble. Xu Linghe chanted an incantation as he performed the last rites for the dead, then unleashed his Spirit Power to search for corpses in the mud. He hoped that these dead gamblers would become virtuous men in their next life and as his spiritual finger brushed past the dead, an unnamed tombstone fell onto the grave.

Tears fell from Ni Shang’s eyes. The vicious Wolf King had not appreciated her past kindness and that blow earlier had almost cost her life. The blood had already dried and its scent was gradually fading. She tried to wipe the bloodstains on her clothes but she was just too weak at the moment. The inn was completely quiet and she guessed that the Soul Separating Herb had already taken effect. She looked at the inn and realized that there was something odd about the third floor. Someone had already laid out a spiritual barrier beforehand. Could it be that man? Ni Shang’s lips curled into a smile at the thought of the man from the gambling den. It looked like she would have a place to stay tonight. That man would probably not expect her to be here. Once again, a cold smile played on her lips.

She tried to figure out how to break past the spiritual barrier. Her finger was thrown back just as she was about to tunnel through and after a few attempts, she discovered that her blood was not repelled by the spiritual barrier. She bit her finger and as purple blood flowed into the spiritual barrier, it suddenly became as fine as mist. After the mist had dispersed, Ni Shang flew up the stairs. The corridors were unlit and every room was shut tightly.

Ni Shang softly trod across the area, loitering outside the door for a moment before she entered. She did not discover anything peculiar after she entered. “Isn’t this room his room? To hell with it then.” Ni Shang was not afraid. Even if she died now, it would only be her predestined fate. There was nowhere to run.

A man lay within the room. Ni Shang carefully observed his movement and only relaxed when she heard soft snores. The man on the bed was Di Qing, the King of Jiangdu. He had woken up the moment she loitered outside his door. He assumed that the woman would attack him after she entered so furtively but nothing happened. He was even more surprised when she headed toward the washroom. “Which girl can be so bold?” Di Qing followed closely behind. He wanted to see what she was up to. When he drew closer, he was surprised to see that the woman had fallen asleep. Her head lolled to one side and her hair was extremely messy with one strand soaked in water. Her front robes were already soaked and had opened slightly. The first thing Di Qing thought of was ‘beautiful and voluptuous’. Her long hair covered her face and Di Qing looked closely at her, trying to determine if she was pretending to sleep. The woman curled up in her sleep but suddenly screamed when Di Qing picked her up. Di Qing was so stunned that he dropped her and her head knocked hard against the floor. After she awakened, she looked at Di Qing and finally realized that she had fallen asleep earlier.

“Husband.”

Ni Shang’s heart beat wildly while Di Qing’s face hardened. He wanted to see what this woman was up to, sneaking into his room in the middle of the night without heed for her modesty.

It had rained the whole night and after a night of unrest, Xu Linghe rose early and washed up. He heard hurried footsteps in the yard and quickly went downstairs. The battle last night had destroyed much of the inn and there were only tall graves where the gambling den had been in the west. Lie Huo neighed and Xu Linghe entered the carriage. When he lifted the curtains, he saw that an unknown woman had joined his entourage. He could tell with one glance that the woman was afraid of him. Di Qing wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders. The appearance of such a beautiful woman in this remote place could only mean that she was a demon or a prostitute. It seemed as though this was premeditated and Xu Linghe reminded himself to be more wary of her and that a fierce battle probably lay ahead of him.