What I Desire

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These words nearly made Magistrate Yang vomit blood.

Instant Karma really does come quickly. Before he entered the Daoist Temple, they mocked him as a barbarian, and now they've turned the tables on him by calling him a barbarian.

This "barbarian" status isn't a matter of whether or not one needs to abide by the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty. It's that you can't control this kind of foreign knight-errant. He just packs his bags and leaves. Where are you going to find him? To launch a nationwide manhunt for this, and even send the case to a vassal state, would not only be rejected by the authorities, but they would also beat you to death!

Qin Yi stepped on his chest, his smile tinged with coldness, "You and I both know that the so-called remnants of the Demonic Daoist path are utter nonsense. If you dare to arrest people again, it won't just be a matter of a slap. I am a cultivator; if I ever find you using such an excuse to oppress the villagers again, I'll take your dog's life with my flying sword!"

As he spoke, he snapped his fingers. Earth Fire and smoldered around Magistrate Yang.

The flames were controlled with remarkable stability, circling him just inches away, seemingly about to burn him, yet always maintaining their distance. As the flames flickered, Magistrate Yang's eyes rolled back in terror, and he cried out hastily, "No, no, I'll obey the Immortal's words!"

A faint smell of urine wafted over, and I was so frightened that I wet my pants.

A commotion arose nearby. Qin Yi turned his head and saw that the villagers had rushed forward and were beating Wang Yuanwai and his servants. Some of them were wailing and crying as they were being beaten, and he could vaguely hear cries of "Give me back my daughter's life!" There was more than one person doing this.

Qin Yi did not stop them, nor did Minghe and the Old Daoist Nun. Not long after, the Wang Yuanwai was beaten to death by the villagers, which showed just how much they hated him.

Some people broke down in tears.

Qin Yi then said, "The killer is Qin Yi; it has nothing to do with them."

Magistrate Yang hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, yes, this villain was a scoundrel who preyed on the villagers. It was good that he was killed."

Qin Yi snapped his fingers again, and the flames went out.

Magistrate Yang fled in a panic, fearing that the villagers would beat him to death.

The villagers clearly dared not, but stepped forward to thank Qin Yi, their expressions still showing considerable worry, fearing retaliation from the county magistrate.

Qin Yi secretly pondered whether he should secretly kill the magistrate as well, but then thought it might be better not to. Having witnessed true immortal techniques, the magistrate would naturally be terrified and likely wouldn't dare to act recklessly again. If he were killed and replaced by someone else, investigating the predecessor's death, the villagers might face an even more tragic situation.

Thinking of this, he sighed and turned to Minghe, saying, "If your sect has any influence here, please look after them. Consider it a favor that Qin Yi owes you."

Minghe stared at him for a long time before sighing, "I thought you had already transcended the world, but it's still like this..."

Qin Yi asked, "Is it because our paths have diverged?"

Before Minghe could speak, the Old Daoist Nun said sternly, "Cultivators should have self-restraint; worldly affairs should be left to the world. If one relies on one's cultivation to kill indiscriminately according to personal likes and dislikes, how is that different from a demon?"

Qin Yi paused for a moment, then shook his head and smiled, "I agree that there should be some restraint. For example, when I heard that Wang Yuanwai was a bully, I didn't plan to go to his mansion and run in and out seven times. I was afraid of making a mistake, wasn't I? But if such blatant bullying of men and women is happening right in front of us, and we can just stand by and do nothing... if the so-called restraint and rules have reached this point, then our hearts must be made of iron."

The Old Daoist Nun said indifferently, "Such things happen every moment in the world. When the time comes, someone will rise up and change the dynasty. This is the cycle of Heavenly Dao and the ultimate truth of humankind. It should not be arbitrarily influenced by you or me, cultivators."

Qin Yi nodded and said, "That's quite a high angle, and it makes a lot of sense. But are we really the Milky Way in the sky, looking down on the world from above, or are we just one person?"

The Old Daoist Nun said, "This is cultivation."

"Pfft..." Qin Yi burst out laughing, "You've cultivated your whole life and you're still only at the sixth level of the Phoenix Realm, not even as good as Dong Huazi, yet you dare to boast that this is cultivation!"

The Old Daoist Nun flew into a rage. "You rude brat!"

"See, this is what happens when your cultivation is insufficient," Qin Yi sneered. "If they were truly stars in the sky, would they be so enraged by my insult? You preach humanity, yet you look down on others with the superior perspective of the Heavenly Dao? It's just because you've gained a little cultivation that you think you're different from ordinary people, superior to everyone else!"

The Daoist Nun was so angry she was practically fuming.

Qin Yi scoffed, "What exactly are you here for? To exterminate the Corpse Demon! Qingxu was injured by us and is hiding inside. Who knows what might happen if you keep babbling on? And you actually have the nerve to lecture me on how cultivators should behave?"

Minghe, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up, "You two, stop arguing. A debate about the Dao cannot be resolved in a few words. There is still a strong sense of death deep within this place. Things are probably not that simple. We should go inside and investigate further."

Before he finished speaking, the Daoist priests around him, who had been immobilized, suddenly screamed in pain.

Minghe suddenly turned his head.

Her Body Immobilization Technique was supposed to prevent the opponent from making a sound.

But then they saw the Daoist priests' faces begin to fester, and unseen wisps of flesh and blood rapidly seeped into the ground, disappearing in the blink of an eye. In just a moment, the Daoist priests turned into rotting, lifeless zombies, all of them silent.

Minghe silently gazed at Taoist Qinghe's corpse and sighed, "He thought he could achieve immortality by practicing the Yin Corpse Arts, but in reality, he was just Corpse Puppet created by others without realizing it. How pitiful and lamentable."

The Old Daoist Nun immediately said, "Let's go inside!"

Minghe shook his head. "It's dangerous inside. Uncle-Master should stay outside and oversee things to prevent these Corpse Puppet from causing any trouble."

Without waiting for a reply, he walked directly into the inner hall.

Qin Yi naturally followed her. He realized that Humble Origins had already disappeared while they were arguing... Ming He was dealing with the Minghe Demon, so he felt that his task should be to keep an eye on that cunning fat rat, otherwise Minghe might get tricked.

Minghe glanced at him. "It's dangerous inside. You really want to come?"

Qin Yi then said, "With you protecting me, I can still go and take a look."

Minghe sighed, "You said you wanted to see my show, but I ended up watching one myself first. This act of chivalry..."

"What? Are you going to lecture me like that Old Daoist Nun?"

"No," Minghe said softly, "I won't do what you did, but when you did, I felt very at peace. Perhaps... my cultivation is not enough."

"Hmm... you're not quite the same as that Old Daoist Nun... I can see you're hesitant," Qin Yi said. "You'd stop for the sake of a hostage, and I've heard you swear never to kill. You have compassion, and it seems you're not as distant as you appear."

Minghe, "Immortal Dao should have compassion. Although we have transcended the mortal world, we are still born from it. If we truly regard mortals as ants, trampling on them at will and disregarding all living beings, we are not immortals, but demons. Therefore, I have come here to eliminate the Corpse Demon so that the living beings here may not suffer from drought."

Qin Yi smiled and said, "That's only right."

Minghe continued, "But in specific conflicts between people, cultivators really shouldn't interfere recklessly. If they rely on their cultivation to act according to their own likes and dislikes, they are extremely prone to falling into the demonic path. It's still best to resolve things according to the rules of the human world. For example... when I thought Li Qinglin was a fratricide, what if I had killed Li Qinglin?"

"Uh... you're right." Qin Yi sighed, "As I just said, I agree that rules are necessary, but I think that when it comes to the point where you all turn a blind eye, the essence of the matter is not what it seems."

"Oh? What's that?"

"It's because I'm afraid of getting entangled in worldly affairs and getting involved in karma, and I'm also afraid that too much human suffering will affect your transcendence," Qin Yi said earnestly. "That's the essence of it."

Minghe was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Yes, you're right."

"Do you know why I like Qing Jun?" Qin Yi suddenly asked.

Minghe shook her head.

"She rekindled my dream of being a chivalrous knight-errant," Qin Yi said with a smile. "I told her that since she couldn't leave, I would take care of it for her."

Minghe, "But as far as I know, she took a liking to you because of your otherworldly appearance."

"Perhaps so, so we filled in the gaps between us and became one," Qin Yi said. "To be an immortal in the world and a chivalrous knight in the world is my wish."