Human Hearts

Seeking the Dao in the Mortal World!

When Zhang Madam knocked on Li Qinglin's door, Li Qinglin was sitting cross-legged on the bed cultivating. Hearing the knock, he showed no expression and simply said, "Please come in."

The door opened, and a fragrant breeze filled the room. Zhang Madam entered gracefully, carrying a pot of wine, and softly asked, "Please forgive the simple hospitality of this humble village home."

Li Qinglin opened his eyes and said, "Madam's guest room is clean and exquisite, there is no lack of hospitality. I thank Madam for taking me in."

The madam put down the wine tray, took the pot, and poured the wine, saying softly, "There's not much to entertain distinguished guests in the countryside. The night is deep and cold, why not have a cup of warm wine?"

Li Qinglin looked at her without speaking.

Unless he was a block of wood, anyone could see that the intention to seduce was already as clear as could be. Moreover, Li Qinglin was waiting for her anyway.

Seeing that Li Qinglin didn't respond, Zhang Madam raised the cup and took a small sip herself, chuckling softly, "The wine is just the right temperature." As she spoke, she gracefully moved to the side of the bed and handed the cup she had just sipped from to Li Qinglin, "Can the young master drink?"

Li Qinglin took the wine and revealed a hint of a smile, "The wine is fragrant, and Madam is also fragrant. How could I not drink?"

Zhang Madam's expression became even more alluring, her eyes seeming to drip with water, "Does the young master want it to be even more fragrant?"

Li Qinglin looked at her dressed in mourning white and sighed, "It's just that Madam is like this now... it makes one feel uneasy."

"What does that matter? The deceased are gone, people always have to look to the future." Zhang Madam said seductively, "Besides, isn't this mourning attire even more interesting?"

"It is indeed more interesting." Li Qinglin smiled faintly, "I didn't expect such charm in this farmstead."

Zhang Madam smiled sweetly, "It seems the young master is either rich or noble, and well-traveled..."

Li Qinglin chuckled, "Madam's charm is indeed superior to the common and vulgar women in my home. How about returning to the capital with me? I guarantee Madam will enjoy endless wealth and prosperity, far better than being in this mountain farmstead, where there isn't even a decent hairpin."

The madam sighed softly, "Lihuo City... I am ill-fated, I fear I have no chance to enjoy wealth. If the young master is interested, just accompany me for one night and leave some memories..."

Li Qinglin didn't know that his sister and Qin Yi had already overheard very valuable information. From his perspective, he had actually gotten the answer he wanted.

The setting of a flirtatious widow in a rural farmstead is not that of a chaste woman in mourning. Such a person, if they could climb the high branches of the capital and enjoy prosperity, would most likely be impatient. Even if there was a reason not to go, they would definitely hesitate before responding. But this woman refused without a second thought.

If it wasn't because she coveted something she managed on this farmstead, it was because she was afraid that her unspeakable secrets would not be hidden from the "political review" of the noble families in the capital.

Even if the strange events in the manor were not her doing, they were definitely related.

"Since that's the case, I naturally can't bear to refuse Madam's kind offer." Li Qinglin finally tilted his head back and drank the wine in the cup.

Seeing him drink, a hint of joy appeared in the madam's eyes.

At this moment, the Daoist Nun outside had already reached the exterior of this guest room, still standing on the roof of the opposite house. Seeing this situation, the Daoist Nun secretly shook her head.

Such a strong death aura, no amount of perfume can cover it up. This woman is either a demon or a monster. Li Qinglin seems to have some depth, but he actually dares to casually drink the wine she handed him.

She couldn't tell that Li Qinglin was testing her, and she always felt that this person was beyond saving, a typical case of being captivated by beauty.

It's really strange... She looked at the tortoise shell in her hand. This divination had started as soon as she saw Li Qinglin. Dragons fight in the wilderness, their blood is black and yellow. Why does Li Qinglin have this hexagram? Isn't he no longer on the battlefield?

Inside the room, Li Qinglin's eyes began to become hazy, revealing a lecherous expression. He reached out to embrace the madam's waist. The Daoist Nun sighed and had no more desire to deduce and divine. No matter what the prince did, she couldn't ignore a demon harming people.

Just as she was about to step in to help, a sudden change occurred in the room.

The madam was originally sitting in Li Qinglin's arms with a smiling expression, extending her slender hand to untie his belt. As her hand brushed past the jade pendant on his waist, the jade pendant suddenly emitted an extremely strong five-colored glow. Within the glow, there seemed to be a terrifying burning sensation, which went straight through her hand and spread throughout her body.

"Ah!" The madam sprang up as if electrocuted, clutching her head in pain. She stumbled and bumped into a chair in the room, knocking over the wine pot and cups onto the floor, still holding her head and wailing.

This was the sound Qin Yi and the others heard.

"This jade pendant..." The Daoist Nun was stunned for a moment, then stopped her attack and watched with cold eyes.

A commotion broke out in the manor. The Young Master rushed over with a group of manor guards. Qin Yi and Li Qingjun took advantage of the chaos to break free from the other guards and directly rushed into the room.

The first sight upon entering the room almost made Li Qingjun vomit.

The beautiful face of the Zhang Madam had begun to fester, as if a layer of human skin was starting to peel off, revealing dense maggots crawling out from her face, utterly disgusting.

The rosy glow on Li Qinglin's body also began to recede, calming down under everyone's gaze.

A huge Corpse Worm slowly detached itself from the entire human skin and darted out the window, disappearing in an instant.

Behind them, the Young Master and a group of manor guards watched, dumbfounded.

Thinking of the previous tenderness and affection, and thinking of how many times they had been intimate with this demon without knowing it, almost everyone present simultaneously bent over and vomited.

A Corpse Worm Demon, this was the true form of the Zhang Madam, merely wearing a delicate human skin.

"Corpse Worm Demon," Liu Su said in Qin Yi's sea of consciousness. "It's just wearing a human skin, not even fully transformed. It grows by draining people's essence and vitality. That's why this Young Master looks like he's overindulged in wine and women; in reality, his essence has been hollowed out."

After the fact... Qin Yi, combining what he saw in the mourning hall, could also reach the same conclusion. This Young Master even wanted to keep the demon for himself. It was a good thing he didn't; he would probably have died if he had drained too much. The so-called "missing" manor guards before were likely drained to death and placed in the cave to form a formation. The purpose was probably to gather spiritual energy through the formation, completely transform into human form, and then... "fly together" with the Young Master?

The reason Li Qinglin was so attractive to her was also because she believed that draining Li Qinglin's innate cultivation would help her transform, not because Li Qinglin was incredibly handsome.

Thinking of this, Qin Yi suddenly felt much better...

He glanced at the Young Master, only to see that after vomiting, his expression began to become dazed.

"She was real to me..." he murmured. "She didn't have to work so hard. She had been careful and slow for many years, only starting to rush in the past few months..."

Li Qingjun heard him. She was also stunned for a moment, then sighed.

Perhaps it was true.

"You will pay me back... you will pay..." The Young Master's expression slowly turned ferocious.

Li Qingjun shook her head and said, "You're crazy. She's a demon. Everyone in the manor was killed by her."

Qin Yi tugged at her sleeve. "He knows. He even helped lie about the arrangement at the bottom of the cave being ancestral. The so-called harming people was a conspiracy."

Li Qingjun was stunned for a moment and fell silent.

"Where is the demon? Did you see it?" The Young Master turned his head ferociously to look at the manor guards. "Who saw it?"

The manor guards shrank back a step. "No... we didn't see anything."

The Young Master looked at Li Qinglin on the bed again. Li Qinglin seemed to still be in a dazed state at this time, his face flushed and his eyes hazy. He suddenly laughed and said sharply, "The three of you murdered my stepmother. Do you still have any regard for the law?"

Li Qingjun retorted angrily, "Stepmother! That big lump of worms..."

"No one saw a demon," the Young Master sneered. "We only know that as soon as you arrived, my stepmother died! If it wasn't you who murdered for wealth, who else could it be?"

Li Qingjun didn't argue, sighing, "Are you going to avenge her?"

Qin Yi added, "This brave bug-fucker, are you sure you want to fight in the manor? I suggest you report it to the authorities."

The Young Master looked at Li Qingjun's spear, his eyes showing some apprehension. What Qin Yi said reminded him that regardless of whether he could win or not, what was the point of a life-and-death battle with a martial artist, resulting in a pile of rubble?

A demon is a demon after all. Even if she had genuine feelings, she was still a demon. Thinking about those disgusting corpse worms, all the anger dissipated. Why risk your life for revenge for her?

How about settling it privately?

The Young Master's heart stirred, and he slowly said, "If you report it to the authorities, the suspicion of the three of you harming my stepmother might be very troublesome. This young master has some connections in the county. Even if you are a powerful force from elsewhere, you may not be able to run rampant here."

Qin Yi said, "You don't need to worry about that. I still trust the officials."

Li Qingjun couldn't help but laugh.

The Young Master didn't know their confidence. Seeing their stubbornness, he pointed at Li Qinglin on the bed and said again, "Your brother was poisoned by my stepmother's Unique Secret Poison. I do have the antidote."

"Oh?" Qin Yi smiled and said, "What do you want us to exchange for it?"

"Just leave that jade pendant, and we will naturally offer the antidote. We'll consider this matter as if it never happened."

The true motive was revealed.

Remembering the miraculous nature of the jade pendant he had just witnessed, it clearly had the effect of warding off evil. The Young Master calmed down and gave up on revenge, immediately becoming greedy and wanting to possess it.

Liu Su quietly said to Qin Yi, "This jade might really be a magical artifact with some profound secrets. I'm a little interested too..."

Qin Yi silently shook his head.

On the other side, Li Qingjun was so angry that she pointed at the Young Master and cursed, "You're even worse than that demon. Although she harmed many people, she at least had some genuine feelings for you. With you, it's not even as good as a piece of jade."

It seemed that if he had truly sought revenge, Li Qingjun might have even praised him, but now she was furious instead.

The Daoist Nun on the roof outside also sighed. At her feet, a corpse worm was split into two halves. It was the escaping Corpse Worm Demon, which couldn't even avoid her single sword strike. She looked down at the demon corpse and whispered, "Why bother?"

A sigh suddenly came from the bed inside the room as well. Everyone turned to look, only to see Li Qinglin, who had been lost in a daze, sitting up quietly, his eyes clear. Where was there any trace of confusion?

He smiled at Qin Yi: "Brother Qin, I told you before, sometimes people are more troublesome than demons."