Inner Demons

However, the man in black did not immediately respond to their words. Instead, he looked down at the two girls in the grass, and slightly lifted his chin toward them.

“I heard that your family was annihilated because they helped Li Yunxin. Is that true?”

Wusu and Lili exchanged glances, slightly stunned.

But they only took a very short moment to consider how to answer this question. Wusu pulled Lili and slowly stood up.

“Our family helped the Divine Dragon Cult with many things before, and the Divine Dragon Cult Master is called Li Yunxin,” she said cautiously, carefully observing the man in black’s expression.

Then the man smiled.

“The fighting skills of you two girls are quite respectable,” the man in black said casually. “Are you disciples of Nie Sanniang?”

Wusu and Lili were surprised again, exchanging glances, suddenly feeling both a surge of strength and a loss of strength in their hearts.

“Yes.”

“What Eight Tigers of the Wei River, Six Ghosts of the River. They sound intimidating, but what are they really,” he sternly shouted at them. “I’m in a bad mood today and don’t want to kill anyone. Get out now!”

The name Eight Tigers of the Wei River, in the ears of a true expert, certainly sounded like small fry. However, to the common people of the mortal world, it was notorious. At least in the Weicheng area, everyone knew that these were eight vicious people with considerable martial arts skills who were ruthless enough to strike hard.

Such people, traveling the martial world and hearing the tone of the man in black, were inwardly unconvinced, but also knew the other party might have a background. But they thought of Yu Meng in the house, whose life was worth a thousand taels of silver.

So they were not very afraid.

The burly man snorted coldly: “So you know the Six Ghosts of the River! Do you know that the Six Ghosts of the River are the master who taught our Eight Tigers of the Wei River? In the past, my brothers might have given you face. But today, even if you announce your name, we won't back down. If you want to protect him, let your hands do the talking!”

The man in black suddenly laughed loudly and said some baffling words: “A fine challenge. Lately, I’ve been meeting strange people and suffering grievances. Now even riff-raff like you dare to disregard me.”

“However, since I have already chased the Six Ghosts of the River out of the Wei River, it would be wrong to exterminate your Eight Tigers of the Wei River, lest those in the martial world say I’m not righteous enough. Since you dare to challenge me, leave your tool of the trade behind!”

As he finished these sentences, the burly man’s expression changed. He listened to each sentence, becoming more and more uneasy and horrified. By the time he realized something was terribly wrong, he already saw the man in black leap up from the rooftop, a Black Saber chopping down with overwhelming force, and

Drawing a saber-light in the air!!

This saber-light terrified the burly man. He threw away the short knife in his hand and turned to flee, shouting in horror, “Damn it, it’s Black Saber Ying Jueran!!”

However, no matter how fast he ran, he was not faster than the saber-light. As soon as the burly man’s voice faded, the next moment, a flash of blood shot up beside him!

Ying Jueran said he would take his tool of the trade, and he meant taking his arm. The Six Ghosts of the River were skilled with swords, and also taught the Eight Tigers of the Wei River a third-rate saber technique, which the eight tigers practiced into a fourth-rate one. But now, he probably wouldn't even be able to use a fourth-rate saber technique. He groaned and fell straight into the weeds.

But his seven brothers were quite loyal. They stopped fleeing, turned back, and held their sabers, looking at Ying Jueran, with a stance of living and dying together.

The burly man whose arm was severed also forced himself to stay conscious. He clutched the wound on his right shoulder with one large hand, staring with wide eyes, blue veins bulging on his forehead, watching Ying Jueran.

Ying Jueran walked up to them and smiled coldly.

“You have a bit of loyalty. But I said I would take your tool of the trade, and I only took your tool of the trade. Go back and tell your backer. I cannot manage the affairs of cultivators. But for the affairs of the martial world in this river region, my Black Saber still carries weight. I will protect Yu Meng. If there are any other brothers in the martial world who don't understand, feel free to come and ask my Black Saber!”

The burly man was already too much in pain to speak, holding on only by the instinct to survive. His seven brothers did not dare to speak, terrified that saying the wrong thing would result in the same fate for themselves.

Li Yunxin might have been surprised by this scene, but Old Daoist Liu might have taken it for granted.

Because in the eyes of cultivators, no matter how formidable a secular martial artist was, the matter could almost be resolved with a single Talisman.

But in the eyes of secular people like Old Daoist Liu, and martial world people like the Eight Tigers of the Wei River, the difference was enormous.

It’s like people won’t bother to distinguish the types and ranks of ants on the side of the road. However, among those in the martial world,

An expert like Black Saber Ying Jueran is already a terrifyingly formidable martial force. The fact that he could draw out a saber-light is the most baffling thing, the closest thing to the divine Daoist Arts in secular martial arts. As for the Eight Tigers of the Wei River and their ilk, they were not even considered third-rate, merely having some martial arts skill and ferocity, which earned them a fearsome reputation in the Weicheng area.

Yet, today they realized that they had provoked the Black Saber, who had already made a name for himself in the Weicheng Prefecture and the river region, a formidable power for people like them in the martial world. They and their backer knew that the Taoist priests of the Daoist Orthodoxy did not care whether the Yu Family’s bloodline survived or not. The things they were doing now were merely kicking a man while he was down, not for the sake of the Daoist Orthodoxy, but for the affairs of the secular marketplace.

But now, the man kicked while he was down had allied himself with a giant alligator that was quite terrifying to them as martial artists. Only those in the martial world truly understood the weight carried by those in the martial world.

Seeing that Ying Jueran had nothing further to say, the seven brothers frantically helped the burly man, who was almost passed out from the pain, and fled like rabbits.

It was then that Wusu and Lili finally regained their senses.

The sisters also killed people, but they were not truly people of the martial world. They were disciples of the assassin Nie Sanniang, whom Yu Qi had found for them, and were not taught according to the rules of the martial world like other disciples.

Thus, Lili, in her haste, blurted out, “Why didn’t you kill them?!”

Wusu quickly pulled her.

But Ying Jueran had already turned around, smiled profoundly, and pressed down the brim of his black bamboo hat again, revealing only his chin: “Little girl, there are countless people in the martial world, how can one kill them all. Your Young Master is the Escort Agency Guild Dragon Head, he should also understand this principle.”

“Some things are fine just by talking, no need for bloodshed. Some things, even with bloodshed, don't necessarily require a life. Once you take a life, everyone has relatives, old friends, uncles, and brothers. If things escalate, even a person like Lord Lu Jiao, who can kill ten people with one sword, can he guard against poison put in his inn meal?”

“Injuring but not killing them today means they will owe me a favor when they go back. In the future, for other matters, that’s another path open. The martial world is not carved out by killing; it’s walked out. The fiercest killers are also the fastest to die.”

Lili was not completely convinced by his words. But she was not an unreasonable girl either. She knew that at a time like this, a person like him was not for her to argue with. So she shut her mouth, pursed her lips, and said, “We still thank you very much.”

Ying Jueran smiled. As he was about to speak again, he heard the door open.

Yu Meng, hugging his luxurious sword, appeared at the doorway.

The Yu Family Young Master had dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was messy, looking haggard. But his eyes were very bright. It was like the light forced out by a gravely ill patient burning the last vestiges of their life force at the point of death.

He looked at Wusu and Lili, then at Ying Jueran. After a long pause, he said one sentence: “Thank you.”

Ying Jueran raised his eyebrows, holding his Black Saber, and looked at Yu Meng: “I’ve long heard that Young Master Yu Family is very capable. Seeing you today, you don’t seem to be hurt. Why did you let two little girls protect you, hiding yourself in the room?”

Wusu bit her lip: “Great Hero Ying, it’s only natural for our Young Master to react this way after going through such an ordeal. Young Master initially didn’t want to go on living. It was my sister and I who drugged him and secretly brought him out. The effects of the medicine haven't worn off, and he isn't feeling well…”

Ying Jueran heard the little girl fiercely protecting her master, and a hint of a sneering smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: “None of those are excuses. The Martial Way requires moving forward without hesitation, being unstoppable; that is the true path. The more a moment like this arises, the more one must face life and death directly. If you don't find enlightenment in life and death, how can you achieve divine mastery!”

“I won’t draw my sword anymore.”

Ying Jueran was speaking with fervor when he suddenly heard Yu Meng speak in a low voice. Although his voice was low, it was very powerful. It did not sound like the disheartened words of a person who had lost all hope, but rather like a firm declaration of his resolve in a low tone.

Ying Jueran was startled. He saw Yu Meng leaning against the door frame, gripping the sword in his arms tighter. He looked at Wusu and Lili, then back at him: “Your Martial Way is not my Martial Way.”

“From today until the day I die, I will only prepare for one sword stroke. If that sword stroke cannot kill my enemy, it will kill me.”

All three were stunned. Wusu and Lili exchanged glances, not knowing what to say. Ying Jueran, however, thought for a moment, used the hilt of his saber to push his bamboo hat up, and looked at Yu Meng seriously: “Concealing the sword, huh. I heard that ancient swordsmen used this method. But either the person was crippled by the concealment, or they were concealed to death.”

“But these things are only secular martial arts after all,” Ying Jueran sighed. “Since Dragon Head Yu has such a determination for revenge, why not learn Daoist Arts? No matter how high your skill is, it cannot compare to Daoist Arts or Sword Techniques. I heard that strange things happened to Dragon Head Yu when he was young…”

“Daoist Arts, Sword Techniques, are useless to me,” Yu Meng said, looking at Ying Jueran. “I can’t cultivate them either. Who are you?”

Ying Jueran frowned, not quite understanding what the other party meant by “Daoist Arts and Sword Techniques are useless to me”—did he mean he couldn't cultivate them, or was it like that night?

That night in the alley, he and Meng’e saw Li Yunxin’s four demons kill two Taoist priests, and seemed to have heard similar statements, something about not being subject to restrictions. He didn't fully understand it then, and now, hearing Yu Meng’s words, he still didn't completely understand.

But the other party clearly didn't want to continue the topic about his own privacy and asked who he was.

Ying Jueran did not press the issue, smiling slightly: “Dragon Head Yu should have heard my name. I am Black Saber Ying Jueran, a person of the martial world, active in the river region.”

“I’m not asking that,” Yu Meng’s tone was slow, just like his usual speech. But his slowness then was due to laziness; his slowness now was due to solemnity. “I am Yu Meng, the Dragon Head of the Great Qing Dynasty Escort Agency Guild, but I am also someone who assisted the demon Li Yunxin and offended the Daoist Orthodoxy. Who are you?”

Ying Jueran understood.

He thought for a moment, and a complex expression appeared on his face: “That is why I am saving you.”

“I have met Li Yunxin twice. Those two times, ah…” He paused again, thinking for a moment, but still didn't know how to phrase it. “He is indeed a demon.”

If he wasn't a demon, why would he, based on just two not-so-friendly encounters, truly bring the first batch of people from Heizhai Fort to Weicheng?!

“But he promised me some things, and now I need to find him,” Ying Jueran subconsciously licked his dry lips. “But he’s gone missing, and I don't know where he went. There are many rumors in the city, and none of them sound true. Then I learned about your family’s situation. Since your family helped him create such a huge scene in the city, you should know where he is.”

Ying Jueran frowned. It was as if the sunlight passing through his bamboo hat shone on his eyes, forcing him to do this: “I need an explanation. My people are still waiting.”

Yu Meng took a deep breath, looked at Wusu and Lili: “You two go and sleep for a while. Black Saber Brother and I have something to discuss.”

Yu Meng rarely spoke in such a formal tone. The young sisters thought that perhaps their Young Master had changed his nature after experiencing a major upheaval. They didn't know if this change was for the better or worse, but they certainly needed rest. After so many things happened, they needed a good rest before they could continue to shoulder the responsibility of caring for their young master.

So Wusu looked at Yu Meng: “Young Master, you mustn’t…”

“I’ll wait until you wake up,” Yu Meng said. “We’ll settle accounts when you wake up. Why did you put in so much medicine? My brain still hurts.”

Wusu and Lili finally felt a little like crying. But they quickly bit their lips and held it back, walking quickly into the room.

“Great Hero Ying, please follow me.” The door was closed, and Yu Meng led Ying Jueran to walk toward the distance. He hugged his sword, and sweat beaded on his forehead from the heat. “The first time I met Li Yunxin was…”

The two walked from the doorway to a ruined pavilion in the abandoned garden. Half of the pavilion had collapsed, but the other half still provided shade. Along the way, Yu Meng used brief words to narrate what Li Yunxin was like when he first met him, but he spoke not the version he "originally believed," but the one he learned later, the version of "encountering a villain."

Then he spoke about the events when he saw Li Yunxin as the Divine Dragon Cult Master in the city. After saying all this, he stood under the pavilion and asked Ying Jueran: “Great Hero Ying, what was he like when you saw him?”

Ying Jueran looked at him in surprise.

He had heard of the Yu Family Young Master’s reputation for being generous. But just as famous as his "generosity" was his "childlike innocence," or perhaps, foolishness.

But seeing him now, he found that his speech was clear and organized, and had nothing to do with being "foolish."

“I’m not foolish,” Yu Meng felt his gaze. “It's just that only the poor need to think things through. I used to be a rich man. Rich and powerful. But I am not anymore.”

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