Chapter 117: The Secluded Lives of Demonic Cultivators

When the “Sky Veil” suddenly appeared years ago, Elder Cheng of the Heavenly Demon Sect and his family had no time to retreat and were forced to remain on the side of the Daoist cultivators. Seeing enemies all around, Elder Cheng had no choice but to hide deep in the mountains. Generation after generation, they passed down their legacy until a village formed, inhabited solely by the Cheng family.

Thousands of years have passed, yet this group of demonic cultivators still thrives, a testament to how secretive their chosen refuge is.

Originally, Hong Jian and Lu Yanzhang had heard Old Jing recount his story of mistakenly entering the Cheng family village while imprisoned in the Vermilion Bird Prison. They instinctively assumed Jing Xiaoyun would lead them deep into the remote mountains. Unexpectedly, Jing Xiaoyun guided the two eastward on a flying artifact, reaching the seaside in less than half a day.

They then turned north, flying along the coastline for another half day before Jing Xiaoyun called for a landing.

This place belonged to the Eastern Qin Prefecture, dominated by vast rolling hills and occasional lakes, with farmlands cultivated along the shores. At this time, the weather had just warmed, and farmers could be seen everywhere, plowing fields with yellow oxen.

There were no famous mountains or great rivers nearby. Traveling southward for over two thousand li would bring one to the Dan Cliff Sect, while crossing the waters eastward would reach the Little Ying Isle. Though this distance might seem far to ordinary people, for cultivators it was merely an extra hour or two of travel. Despite its proximity to the sea, the spiritual energy here was mediocre. Unless one deliberately sought it out, few would cast their gaze upon this area.

As they approached closer to the Dan Cliff Sect, Hong Jian’s mood grew complicated.

Twenty years had passed like a blink. She had feared that by the time she saw the light of day again, the great sects would have undergone earth-shaking changes—especially Dan Cliff Sect and Little Ying Isle of the Leyou Sect—perhaps even swallowed by the Tutu Sect.

Fortunately, Dai Mingchi seemed content guarding the ancient spring atop the Red Wheel Peak, or perhaps wary of incurring the wrath of heaven and man, for these years he had taken no significant action.

On the road, Hong Jian inquired and Jing Xiaoyun searched the soul of Wen Xuejing; their information aligned. The current sect master of Dan Cliff Sect, Mu Fengshan, was intent on maintaining friendly ties with the Tutu Sect. Dai Mingchi frequently appeared around the Dan Cliff Five Peaks, and his elders often resided at the Red Wheel.

Years ago, the forthright sect master of Little Ying Isle, Leyou, fell ill with a strange disease that waxed and waned, leaving him unable to continue seeking trouble from Dai Mingchi on behalf of Sun Yougong and others.

Officially, Leyou’s illness was blamed on his unusual innate spiritual roots: the higher his cultivation, the fatter his body grew until his flesh could no longer bear it and threatened to collapse. Yet many privately speculated the Tutu Sect’s involvement.

Three years prior, Leyou ruthlessly killed an elder from his own sect who attempted to usurp his position. People then realized even a sick tiger was still a tiger, and the voices of sympathy vanished.

There was no news of the Xianyun Sect, let alone Jiang Yan and his brother Fang Zheng.

Hong Jian snapped back to reality. She must quickly resolve matters here, rescue Helian, and then pay a visit to Xianyun Sect.

Lu Yanzhang looked around curiously and said, “Hey, didn’t your grandfather and the others still personally work the fields? Xiaoyun, I heard from your father that you all live in the deep mountains.”

Jing Xiaoyun directed Lu Yanzhang to park the flying artifact in a secluded spot and explained, “Grandfather said my father was unreliable. Once he left the village, we moved here. I heard the village we used to live in was completely destroyed by Daoist cultivators. Otherwise, grandfather wouldn’t hate him so much.”

Lu Yanzhang clicked his tongue twice. “Good thing your grandfather is cautious. But this might not all be your father’s fault. That Ji Youyun’s strange arts are formidable. Your father might not say it, but he must know—Dan Cliff Sect’s Jing Baixi was similarly ensnared.”

He paused, then, feeling no need to defend Old Jing’s character, added with a wry smile, “But who knows? Your father… you know how he is.”

Jing Xiaoyun snorted, “Of course I know. What you said is true—doesn’t even my junior nephew perform soul searches? I’ll find a chance to tell grandfather that my father isn’t as bad as he thinks.”

Lu Yanzhang’s heart stirred. He glanced toward Hong Jian.

Hong Jian didn’t intend to hide anything from them but mentioning the “Great Calamity Classic” inevitably touched a painful nerve. She deftly changed the subject: “What should we do now?”

Lu Yanzhang chuckled, “That depends on Xiaoyun.”

Jing Xiaoyun said, “I had you land here because I wanted to discuss things first.” Hesitating, she bit her lip before continuing, “How about I tell you about grandfather and the others? So you have some idea. This matter is difficult—I honestly can’t think of any solution.”

Lu Yanzhang and Hong Jian immediately put on attentive expressions.

“My grandfather is very powerful, as you already know. Besides being formidable, he has a bad temper and loses it easily. If he has any redeeming quality, it’s that he’s somewhat reasonable. My great-granduncle isn’t reasonable at all—I can’t beat him and always get bullied. Most annoying is my great-great-uncle; he even deceives his own children. I have an uncle too, but he despises me. When my mother was alive, they always argued.”

Lu Yanzhang, hearing her disjointed speech, couldn’t help but interrupt, “Xiaoyun, how many people are there in your family altogether?”

Jing Xiaoyun counted on her fingers for a long time, then said, “More than forty, counting the old and young.”

“And how many are stronger than you?”

“About five or six.”

Lu Yanzhang took a cold breath. Such an inconspicuous rural place hiding five or six Nascent Soul experts—no wonder they dared to target the Demon Refining Prison.

Jing Xiaoyun continued, “The ones I mentioned are the strongest, followed by my uncles. But the uncles don’t meddle much and don’t harbor much resentment against you Daoists, so they’re somewhat easier to deal with.”

Seeing Lu Yanzhang and Hong Jian looking at her expectantly, she felt immense pressure and a headache coming on. “I’ll go back and check the situation first. I don’t know yet if my father or your friend Helian have been captured.”

Only Lu Yanzhang had seen Helian. He said, “It was too chaotic to get a good look. He’s tall and burly with a full beard.”

Jing Xiaoyun nodded, took the “Celestial Rainbow Radiance” from Hong Jian, and looking at the eager Lu Yanzhang, warned, “You two mustn’t wander off. Wait for me here. Don’t take my words lightly—the flora and fauna of the village are very perceptive. Even with this artifact, they can tell you’re strangers. If my grandfather and the others discover you, you won’t survive, and I’d be dragged down with you.”

Having admonished them, she left, her heart heavy.

Lu Yanzhang watched her small figure disappear into the mountains, worriedly saying to Hong Jian, “Do you think she can manage this?”

His concern was justified. Jing Xiaoyun’s absence stretched to seven or eight days without any news.

Restless, Lu Yanzhang paced within a few dozen yards, feeling as if grass was growing in his heart. Hong Jian focused entirely on cultivation, unwilling to be disturbed, so he tried to cultivate alongside her but found no peace. Afraid to stray too far, he wandered nearby, feeling the days unbearably long.

Seeing Hong Jian sitting in deep meditation like an old monk, Lu Yanzhang marveled, jumped up, waved his hands before her eyes, and called out, “Sis, you’re so calm! Cultivating at a time like this? Why do you like cultivating so much? Get up and watch—this is a demon cultivator’s territory. Should I sneak a look from afar?”

Hong Jian shook her head. “Wait until she returns. We know nothing about the Heavenly Demon Sect. Recklessly stirring them up would be suicide.”

Lu Yanzhang, equally uncertain and feeling uneasy, heard Hong Jian’s words and realized if he glanced from afar at a farmer, how would he know if they were planting crops or demonic plants? He cursed under his breath and settled down.

Two days later, Lu Yanzhang anxiously awaited Jing Xiaoyun’s return like watching stars and moon.

But Jing Xiaoyun’s face was pale and sullen. Upon meeting them, she mournfully said, “You two, quickly help me think of a plan. My grandfather and the others have moved again since returning. I finally found them, but at once grandfather scolded me harshly and lied that he couldn’t find my father. Luckily, I was clever and secretly used ‘Celestial Rainbow Radiance’ to look. They had captured my father, and my uncle personally tortured him three times a day.”

Hong Jian and Lu Yanzhang saw tears welling in her eyes, unsure how to comfort her.

Hong Jian asked, “Madam, are you sure the person they captured was your father? You didn’t see him yourself.”

Jing Xiaoyun insisted, “No, no, no mistake. I’m certain. I heard my uncle beating him and blaming my father for my mother’s death and betrayal. They said they’d torture him slowly.”

“Then rescue him, and while you’re at it, rescue Helian too. We’ll all run together,” Lu Yanzhang suggested.

Jing Xiaoyun wiped her tears, shaking her head repeatedly. “No, my uncle watches too closely. I haven’t found a chance all these days. Grandfather captured over a dozen Daoist cultivators this time, all locked up together and drugged into unconsciousness. I thought your friend might be among them, so I sneaked in to look, but honestly, I didn’t expect this.”

Lu Yanzhang’s heart leapt. “Did you see him?”

Jing Xiaoyun snorted unhappily. “Tall and burly with a full beard? Are you kidding me? Look at those dozen stinky men—they were just released from prison, dressed in rags, most with beards, many tall and burly. How would I know if Helian’s among them?”

Lu Yanzhang was dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected Jing Xiaoyun’s trip to yield nothing.

Sensing the situation worsening, Hong Jian asked, “What kind of drug did your grandfather give them? Even you can’t wake them?”

Jing Xiaoyun shook her head, “Only grandfather knows the antidote.”

Hong Jian and Lu Yanzhang exchanged a glance. This was terrible news. Even if Jing Xiaoyun could sneak Helian out, without the cure, waking him was pointless.