“It’s this way!”
Gui Yin wove through the overhanging foliage as he tried to keep track of A-Qi. He frowned slightly when his sleeve snagged the underbrush for the fifth time. He paused for a moment to tug his sleeve away.
“Miss A-Qi, could you slow down please? Isn’t there an easier path you could take us through?”
A-Qi turned around irritably. “No, this is the only way! Is it my fault that you’re this slow?”
Gui Yin frowned with a hint of displeasure, but he followed the young woman anyway. The further away they walked from the village, the more impatient Gui Yin became. He slowed to a stop and let out a sigh.
The young woman stopped as well. “Lord Immortal, how come you’ve stopped? If you don’t hurry, my master is going to die!”
“How much further away is your hideout?” Gui Yin asked.
The young woman stilled. Her expression quickly became ugly. “W-what are you talking about?”
Gui Yin called out Shui Meng. The qin appeared through what seemed to be a flurry of fluorescent white petals. “First of all, Miss A-Qi doesn’t call me ‘Lord Immortal’. Second of all, your disguise is far too cheap. She’s a lovely young woman with flawless skin and mochi cheeks. You can’t even meet half of her beauty. Third of all, there’s no way that Doctor Zheng would have discriminated against Er-ye.”
The monster disguised as A-Qi gained a twisted expression. “What do you mean?”
“Doctor Zheng is known for his benevolence. He heals anyone and everyone. There have been many stories and cases of people from foreign descent who have gone to him for medical aid because regular doctors would look down on them. Even the homeless and penniless regularly seek Doctor Zheng for help,” Gui Yin explained.
Gui Yin used the back of his fingers to stroke down the qin. “And there’s one more thing you didn’t take into account.”
The creature that had been talked into idiocy stared at Gui Yin blankly. “What’s that?”
“I’m just not as stupid as you think.”
The loud twang of the qin disrupted the silence in the forest. “A-Qi” bounced back, just narrowly avoiding the flash of fluorescent blue. The face of the lovely girl began to morph and distort until her teeth sharpened and her jaw unhinged.
Gui Yin showed an expression of displeasure and sent out another attack.
The second sound blade nicked off some of the monster’s hair. The slender fingers extended and formed claws. Eventually, the pale skin sprouted tufts of fur that lined its cheeks and back. The clothes on the back of the monster ripped, exposing a more animal-like figure than a humanoid one. The monster lunged forward, slashing through the air.
Gui Yin quickly flipped his qin and blocked the attack. The monster fell back, but Gui Yin pushed forward. He flipped his qin around and shoved it through the air, like one might a spear. The monster’s eyes widened. They hurriedly dodged to the left, but in that split second, Gui Yin arrived behind them.
The fan in Gui Yin’s hand was the same one that he saw when he woke up at his bedside. Only now, it was infused with spiritual energy and had reawakened.
This was Gui Qinle’s second natal weapon—Fenghua (风华).
The monster became alarmed at the appearance of a second weapon. They managed to back away from Gui Yin and jab at him. Gui Yin blocked the claws with Fenghua, while Shui Meng careened back to his side. With his right hand, he strummed a few strings. Wisps of silver formed in the air and sent themselves towards the monster, swiftly wrapping around it.
The monster yowled in pain and struggled to no avail. The silver ropes tightened around the monster as Gui Yin landed back on the ground.
Shui Meng vanished in a flurry of white petals, just as it came, leaving Gui Yin with Fenghua.
Despite the monster’s screaming, Gui Yin paused.
It seemed that he could use and summon Lord Immortal Ninglan’s weapons with ease.
He looked down at his hand and flexed his fingers. There was surprisingly no repercussion.
If he remembered correctly, normally in these types of novels, if someone uses another’s natal weapon, there would be some kind of rebound effect on their cultivation. However, Gui Yin felt perfectly fine.
Was it because his soul compatibility with this body was just high? Turning his attention back to the writhing monster, Gui Yin bent down towards it.
It was fine to catch it, but now what was he supposed to do?
He felt a slight headache coming on. So, he could remember how to fight, he could remember how to draw up an illusion array, but he couldn’t remember what to do with a monster after he caught it?
At this point, the monster had screamed their throat hoarse. They glared at Gui Yin with a heaving chest. “What’s wrong, you stinky Daoist? If you’re going to kill me, just do it now! When you do, I’ll come back and haunt you!”
Gui Yin shook his head. “I don’t think I should be killing you.”
“You…you don’t think?” the monster stared at him, stunned.
“No, not killing. There’s…goodness, what was it I was supposed to do?” Gui Yin tapped Fenghua against his forehead.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Extermination was the last step when it came to how cultivators dealt with evil entities. Extermination after…purification? Was that what it was?
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Gui Yin felt a bit embarrassed. He loudly cleared his throat. “Hey, if you know what cultivators do so well, then you tell me. Aside from extermination, what other method is there?”
The monster really felt now that they had run into a pickle. It was fine if they were cleanly dealt with by a cultivator, but how come they met the end of their fate with a psycho like this guy?
“You should just let me go.”
“…I’m not stupid.”
“It sure doesn’t seem that way,” the monster retorted.
Gui Yin wanted to argue, but he felt Fenghua vibrate in his hand.
Information spilled through his mind the same way code would be downloaded into a computer. For a moment, Gui Yin was left in surprise. However, he quickly recovered. He drew an incantation in the air with his folding fan.
First step was purification, second step was entrapment, and the third step was extermination.
The step for purification was often used for wandering spirits or freshly corrupted monsters or ghosts. Still, all steps had to be run through, in case the demonic or resentful energy that kept the monster or ghost on this earth was actually not as bad as it seemed. Entrapment meant suppression. Suppression meant trapping the evil entity in hopes that doing so will dissipate the demonic or resentful energy itself. If these two steps didn’t work, then it became extermination.
For aggressive and malicious entities, entrapment was usually the method used. For wicked entities, extermination was often used. For demonic entities, most cultivators in this world were unable to handle such beings, thus they would be sealed elsewhere.
In the face of an aggressive ranked monster, Gui Yin chose to purify and then entrap it.
The process took less than half an hour. Gui Yin let out a soft sigh and patted the elegantly embroidered Entity Trapping Pouch with a gleeful look.
“Look at this. What a successful first try,” Gui Yin said proudly.
Although he was technically by himself, he could feel the silent judgement coming from Fenghua and Shui Meng.
Gui Yin lightly cleared his throat and pretended as if he hadn’t noticed anything.
With a wave of his sleeve, the scenery around them cleared again. He turned and he was just outside the gates of the village. The entire illusion dispersed, leaving only Gui Yin and reality once more.
Hurried footsteps stopped just behind him. When Gui Yin turned, he was faced with a concerned Gui Linghuo and Qin Siyi.
“Shizun, are you okay?” Gui Linghuo asked.
“I’m fine. Of course, I’m fine. Why? What’s wrong?”
“You took too long s-so…so we thought,” Qin Siyi glanced at Gui Linghuo.
Gui Yin glanced between his two disciples. He lightly cleared his throat. “I’m fine. Don’t think too much about what your Ye-shishu said before we left. He likes nagging, so he over exaggerated some things to make you watch me closer.”
The two children looked unconvinced, but when they were faced with Gui Yin’s carefree expression, there was nothing they could say in return.
Gui Yin fanned himself and slowly turned around to hide a relieved sigh. No matter how much they worried, Gui Yin would never admit that he had forgotten how to deal with a monster. He had too much pride for that.
When morning came, Gui Yin informed the village head that the monster had been captured and stored away.
“We also set up arrays around the village. Often times, once a monster has vacated its territory, others may come to take it away. If anything else happens, please use this to signal to Yunjing Pavilion that you are in need of our help,” Gui Yin said as he handed over a small mirror to Village Head Jiu.
The village head smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Lord Ninglan.”
“It’s our job,” Gui Yin replied. He turned to his disciples. “Since we’re out here, let’s take a tour of the south to see what else we can help with.”
“Does Lord Immortal need any supplies for the road?” the village head asked.
Gui Yin politely shook his head. “None at all. We’ll be fine.”
The village head appeared troubled. “Then…alright. I wish you a safe journey.”
“Thank you, Village Head Jiu,” Gui Yin said. He glanced at the young woman behind the village head. He held her gaze for a while before turning and hopping onto the front of the carriage.
The demon beasts pulled from the village, leaving behind a small cloud of dust as they road.
Gui Linghuo and Qin Siyi poked their heads out from the front of the carriage.
“Shizun, why did you keep looking at the young woman? Did you think she was pretty?” Qin Siyi asked.
Gui Yin glanced back at his disciple in slight disapproval. “That’s not the only reason people can take a second look at a person.”
“Then, why?” Gui Linghuo asked, with an equal amount of curiosity.
“She seems like a strong girl. I sensed that she also had an affinity for cultivation. I’m sure she knows it herself, but she doesn’t seem interested. I found that interesting, so I took a few more glances,” Gui Yin said.
“She doesn’t seem interested?” Qin Siyi stared at the back of Gui Yin’s head blankly. “Maybe she really doesn’t know! Shizun, you should have asked her.”
“This isn’t something you can just ‘not know’,” Gui Yin said. “Both of you realize that too, don’t you? Even before you started cultivating, you’d notice things out of the corners of your eyes that others can’t see. Or you can hear the voices of the winds and the trees.”
Gui Linghuo appeared surprised. “I did notice that, but I always thought that it was just…”
“Just a trick of the wind or the light,” Qin Siyi nodded in agreement.
Gui Yin shook his head. “No, that means you’re more in tune with the world than normal mortals. It’s a sign that you have an affinity for cultivation. That’s why sects accept disciples as young as the age of four, so they can hone their skills earlier. That young woman is much older than either of you. She must be used to seeing ghosts or hearing spirits, but she chose not to go to a sect. It’s most likely because she doesn’t want to leave her village behind. She’s the only person suitable to inherit that position, after all.”
“But that’s such a waste,” Qin Siyi mumbled.
“You may think so, but some people choose different paths in lives,” Gui Yin said. “You two came with me when you were young, but you must have had something you wanted to accomplish here. Otherwise, you would have left by now, wouldn’t you?”
Gui Linghuo and Qin Siyi fell into their own thoughts.
“I…wanted to be stronger, so that what happened to my home wouldn’t happen again,” Gui Linghuo said.
Qin Siyi hummed. “I just wanted shelter. I was always envious of the older kids who were part of sects.”
Gui Yin nodded. “You see? You two have your own goals and that young woman does as well. It might be that she can’t bear to leave her grandfather and her village, or it could just be that pursuing immortality doesn’t suit her tastes. Either way, it’s not up to you or I to judge whether she made the right decision or not.”
The children fell silent.
For a while, it was just the grunting of the demon beasts and the rattling of the wheels, over the dirt road.
“Shizun, why did you decide to become a cultivator?”
Gui Yin glanced over his shoulder. “Me?”
“Mn,” Gui Linghuo nodded. “Shizun is not only a cultivator, but also one who is venerated throughout the continent. This disciple is curious as to why you chose to become a cultivator.”
“Chose…is probably not the right word,” Gui Yin said. “Rather than saying I chose it, I suppose I have to say that it was fated.”
Gui Yin fell silent for a moment. “I had parents, but they never cared for me. It was always me who cared for them and my younger siblings. One day, my shizun stopped by the city I lived in. He saw that I had an affinity for cultivation and that I had no attachments to this world, so he asked if I would join him.”
“No attachments?” Gui Linghuo frowned. “But your family was still alive, weren’t they?”
Gui Yin smiled. “Sometimes the family you are born into isn’t your family.”
Qin Siyi nodded. Her gaze darkened slightly. “My parents abandoned me.”
Gui Linghuo looked between Gui Yin and Qin Siyi. One had a family that treated him as an outsider, while the other had parents who were still alive but had abandoned her. He lowered his gaze. As someone who had his family forcefully taken away from him, Gui Linghuo couldn’t imagine what it was like to feel abandoned by the people who were supposed to be the closest to you.
“But we’re family now,” Qin Siyi said.
Gui Linghuo glanced at her.
Qin Siyi smiled shyly. “Da-shixiong is like my older brother and Shizun is like my father.”
Gui Yin chuckled. “What about your shimei?”
Qin Siyi’s smile disappeared. “She’s the feral neighborhood dog.”
“If she heard you say that, she would be sad,” Gui Yin said.
“Yeah, you’re her favorite,” Gui Linghuo smirked.
Qin Siyi shuddered and shook her head. “No thanks. I reject her affection. I can’t afford the affections of Zhengzhou Shan Sect’s young miss.”
Gui Linghuo sighed. “Whoever marries her in the future is sure to have a handful.”
“You two shouldn’t speak like that about your shimei. She’s still young. She has a lot of time to grow,” Gui Yin said. “Besides, you two will be beside her, won’t you? I’m sure you two will be a fine influence on her.”
Gui Linghuo and Qin Siyi puffed up proudly. Of course, they would!
That night, they chose to stay outside in the woods.
Gui Yin set out some blankets and pillows for Gui Linghuo and Qin Siyi to sleep while he tended to the fire as the children began to drift off. He prodded the flames in silence. They could travel around the south for the next two weeks before heading back to retrieve Shan Yu. It didn’t make any sense to return all the way to the sect for another mission.
Gui Yin threw in one more stick before laying down on his makeshift bed. He looked up at the sky, past the foliage of the trees.
He wondered what the time disparity was between here and the twenty-first century. Was reality there a minute compared to here? Or was it several centuries?
The thought was just something entertaining at first, but suddenly paralyzed him.
He didn’t know when he would be returning to the twenty-first century or if he even would. But if he did, he was scared of what type of world he would return to. Would it be the same as when he left? Or would he be tossed into a completely different world again? What happened to his body in that universe? Was he still asleep, or did something else take it over? And, if he really could leave, what would happen to Lord Immortal Ninglan? Would he return, or…
Gui Yin sat up.
He glanced at the fire and scooted closer. His entire body felt cold and he suddenly felt very restless. He rubbed at his arms in an attempt to warm up, but the chill was psychological. Even when he was this close to the fire, nothing helped to do away with the uncomfortableness.
He glanced at Gui Linghuo and Qin Siyi, who were peacefully sleeping in the corner, and then to the demonic beasts that were shuffling and grunting as they tried to find a comfortable spot to sleep in.
After a moment, Gui Yin stood. He sat down beside the beasts and gently pet them.
One of the beasts stirred. It opened one eye to look at Gui Yin. As if sensing his discomfort, it moved closer and placed its head on Gui Yin’s lap. The other one, who was already half asleep, lazily swished its tail in his direction.
Gui Yin calmed down after feeling the soft texture beneath his palm. He leaned down and hugged the head of the beast a little closer. Its hot breath brushed the back of his hand, bringing him back down to reality.
“Thank you,” Gui Yin whispered.
The beast snorted and turned to get into a more comfortable spot.
Gui Yin smiled. He brought his blankets over and rested against the stomach of the beast. The warmth beneath him kept him grounded. He decided he would reward the beasts with a few large meals during their travels.
Thanks to the demonic beasts, Gui Yin managed to sleep the night away comfortably. He shook himself from his dark thoughts and splashed water onto his face as the morning sun shone down on him.
Who cared about the future? The present was what was concrete. The people he met and the life he lived right now was what was real. Nothing else should matter.
“Shizun!”
Gui Yin looked up.
“Look, Da-shixiong caught this large fish!” Qin Siyi happily ran over. “Let’s eat it for breakfast.”
Gui Linghuo hovered behind Qin Siyi embarrassedly. “I’ll catch another one. I don’t think only one is enough.”
“Alright,” Gui Yin rubbed Gui Linghuo’s head. “For breakfast, we’ll eat the fish that Linghuo catches.”
Once breakfast was concluded, Gui Yin and his disciples continued on their journey. They first stopped by a nearby town to gather enough food for their remaining two weeks of travels.
As they were waiting for the waiter to bring out the buns they ordered, Gui Yin turned to Gui Linghuo and Qin Siyi.
“In the future, you both will leave the sect and travel to broaden your horizons. You won’t necessarily have the information given by our sect anymore. In that case, do you know the best places to gather information on supernatural sightings?”
Gui Linghuo looked around. “Isn’t it at restaurants, taverns, and tea houses?”
“Precisely,” Gui Yin smiled.
Qin Siyi opened her mouth to ask a question when a loud bang interrupted her words.
Gui Yin glanced between little protagonists beside him and then towards the direction of the sound.
What was this setup? Wasn’t this precisely the world telling him that the next mission they had to attend to was here?
Gui Yin forgot his job but not the flowers alshaxbsjdb …mood tbh…
also they’re family, your honor :’> im including the weapons and the beasties with that cause i love them as well (๑˃ᴗ˂)
💖💖
lol just imagine getting caught by a cultivator and having to be anxious about your incoming “death”
Thanks for the chapter C.C
dang tried to make the eyes look like they were looking in a direction, but now they just look like the CC for the subtitles on Yt