Wings

Seeking the Dao in the Mortal World

Qin Yi wasn't bored for long. Early the next morning, Li Qinglin came knocking.

Qin Yi hadn't slept well for the past few days, so he slept until late morning that night. He was still asleep when Li Qinglin stood outside the door waiting, never disturbing him.

Qin Yi woke up unaware that he was waiting outside. He leisurely washed up and tidied himself before opening the door, intending to practice his club techniques. He immediately saw Li Qinglin standing in the courtyard looking at the flowers, with a twelve or thirteen-year-old Black-Clothed Little Maid following behind him, standing quietly.

Qin Yi was stunned for a moment. Soon, Liu Su's voice echoed in his sea of consciousness: He's been standing for half an hour and stopped others from calling you.

Then why didn't you say anything while I was washing up? Qin Yi held back from saying it, only managing to put on a smile and greet him, "How can I trouble His Highness the Crown Prince to wait outside the door?"

Li Qinglin withdrew his gaze from the flower bed, looked at Qin Yi, and smiled, "Don't talk nonsense, I'm not the Crown Prince yet."

"Almost there, aren't you?" Qin Yi said, "If you don't become one, who will?"

Li Qinglin didn't respond to that, instead looking at the Wolf Tooth Club in his hand with a strange expression. "Carrying a Wolf Tooth Club first thing in the morning... practicing?"

Qin Yi's face felt hot with embarrassment. He could only say, "You'll see it often in the future. Come in and sit?"

Li Qinglin chuckled and walked into the room alongside him. The little maid followed closely behind.

Qin Yi didn't pay much attention to the maid. He figured little maids of this age weren't uncommon in ancient times. However, he felt genuinely comfortable with Li Qinglin's attitude. He imagined that Zhuge Liang must have felt similarly after his spring nap in the thatched cottage when he saw Liu Bei waiting outside. He could imagine the feeling of "thus moved, he pledged his service to the former emperor," regardless of how much of it was for show.

However, while Zhuge Liang dedicated his life to service, Qin Yi was unwilling to do so.

While he was lost in thought, a beam of rainbow light suddenly lit up from the corner of the room where his package was placed.

Qin Yi reacted instantly, The peach wood sword!

There was no time to think about anything. The beam of rainbow light was as fast as lightning, flashing past Qin Yi in the blink of an eye and stabbing directly at the maid behind him.

The incident happened so suddenly that even Li Qinglin's martial arts couldn't react in time. He had just instinctively made a blocking motion with his hand when the sword had already whistled past. Soon, the maid behind him turned into a black blur and retreated rapidly, avoiding the rainbow light. The peach wood sword relentlessly changed direction and continued to fly towards her.

The black blur was extremely fast. Qin Yi's eyesight could only see the black shadow darting back and forth. He hadn't noticed the maid's appearance before, but now he could vaguely see that she seemed to have spread a pair of black Wings under the pursuit of the rainbow light. As she moved up and down, she was like a black lightning bolt.

Qin Yi immediately recalled the process of the Crown Prince's assassination that Li Qinglin had recounted: "Only saw a black shadow flash by, and Big Brother..."

He didn't say anything, just turned to look at Li Qinglin.

Strangely, Li Qinglin didn't say anything either. Instead, he watched the black shadow and the sword entanglement with interest.

"This is a demon," Qin Yi finally spoke.

"Yes," Li Qinglin replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, which choked Qin Yi for a moment.

As they spoke, the rainbow light of the peach wood sword had grazed the black blur. A trace of blood could be seen where the sword edge scraped, and a black feather drifted to the ground.

The little maid let out a cry and fell to the ground. Her pair of Wings instinctively wrapped around her head, and she closed her eyes, waiting for death.

A loli... squatting down to defend her head... Qin Yi didn't even know what he was thinking in that instant. Almost entirely by instinct, he swung his Wolf Tooth Club: "Stop!"

What seemed like an unrelated action caused the rainbow light of the peach wood sword to suddenly hover behind the girl's head, no longer moving.

The rainbow light dissipated, revealing the appearance of the peach wood sword. It fell to the ground with a "crack" sound and bounced twice. Its tragic appearance seemed to be asking Qin Yi, What the hell are you doing...?

Li Qinglin was still smiling. "Brother Qin's way of stopping the technique is a bit unique."

Qin Yi asked solemnly, "This is your person."

Li Qinglin said, "Yes."

"But she was about to die, and you didn't stop it?"

"I knew Brother Qin would show me face and would withdraw his technique."

Qin Yi pursed his lips and sighed. That's not exactly how it was... If you hadn't said anything, and I had taken her for an assassin disguised as a maid, wouldn't killing her have been perfectly normal?

He didn't dwell on that, turning instead to look at the maid. This was indeed just a girl of twelve or thirteen, her face still very young. At this moment, she was half-kneeling on the ground, her expression pale, her left hand covering a wound on her right arm. She looked at the peach wood sword on the ground with some fear, as if afraid it might move again.

On her back was a pair of black wings, like a cloak, currently folded close to her sides and not spread out. The black feathers shimmered with a dark, glossy sheen in the sunlight, their tips like arrows, very striking.

There were no demonic features visible on her face; she was a very delicate-looking girl. If one didn't know she was a demon, and her wings were folded, it would be perfectly fine to assume they were a specially made cloak. He had seen people in the martial world wearing strange clothes on the road before; it wasn't particularly rare. Qin Yi himself hadn't paid any attention when he first saw her.

According to Liu Su's theory, this was already a demon that had successfully reached the Transformation Stage, which was essentially the same as Minghe's Heart of Qin realm. There might be a significant difference in minor realms, though, as Minghe was almost at completion, while this one had probably just transformed recently?

Regardless of how long she had been in the Transformation Stage, that was equivalent to a human in the Foundation Establishment stage. Without a pervert like Minghe to restrain her, she could probably run rampant in Nanli. No wonder Li Qinglin dared to confidently run off into the mountains, leaving her alone... Hmm...

"Brother Li..." Qin Yi's gaze lingered on the girl's face for a long time before he carefully asked, "Aren't you going to introduce her?"

Li Qinglin's mind raced, and he suddenly smiled, "This is the first time I've seen Brother Qin stare at a girl so intently. It seems you like this age... How about letting her follow Brother Qin? After all, Brother Qin doesn't have anyone to guard him."

Liu Su also ground her teeth in the dark, "Qin Yi, so you're this kind of person..."

Qin Yi's face was expressionless.

"I wouldn't dare trouble a Transformation Stage great demon to be my guard," Qin Yi said. "How long has it been since the matter of Zhang Family Village? Has Brother Li forgotten so quickly?"

Li Qinglin smiled, "That's right, she's a demon, and one who has cultivated to the Transformation Stage. Her current appearance is naturally formed, and her age is also naturally displayed. She is definitely not like Zhang Madam, who wore a painted skin."

Qin Yi turned to look at Li Qinglin, whose expression was as usual.

"I remember telling you that in many cases, demons are less troublesome than humans. If humans can be used, why not demons?" Li Qinglin said. "Ye Ling has taken a blood oath and has always been very loyal. It just so happens that I suddenly feel you two would get along... However, your foolish brother still advises you, the lesson of Zhang Family Village is still fresh in your mind. Even if you have a taste for this, it's best not to touch her..."

Qin Yi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, completely at a loss for how to respond to such bizarre words.

Li Qinglin's frankness made it seem as if keeping a demon was a perfectly ordinary thing, not worth mentioning at all, and could even be given away... That's right, most people wouldn't casually connect his keeping a demon with the assassination of the Crown Prince; on the surface, there was no connection.

Even if there was a connection, it theoretically had nothing to do with Qin Yi.

Li Qinglin patted Qin Yi's shoulder and smiled, "Let's go inside and talk. Surely another sword won't pop out?"

Qin Yi shook his head and finally led the two into the house. He and Li Qinglin sat opposite each other, while the black-clothed girl called "Ye Ling" stood silently behind Li Qinglin, her gaze fixed on Qin Yi with considerable curiosity, as if trying to see if he had flowers on his face.

Qin Yi's expression was calm, but his heart was pounding. Don't look at her loli appearance... A demon in the Transformation Stage, a human in Foundation Establishment! A great demon only slightly weaker in minor realms than the Minghe that Liu Su praised so highly! Li Qinglin had hidden such a powerful figure in his home, and he was still going out to seek some immortal!

He thought for a moment and still said, "This... Miss Ye Ling, please sit as well."

Ye Ling seemed a little surprised by his invitation to sit, her eyes moving slightly, but she still stood there quietly, neither answering nor sitting.

"Tsk, a silent loli?" Qin Yi reached out and picked up the teapot to pour tea, no longer paying attention to her. He turned to Li Qinglin and said, "You came to find me early in the morning, you originally had other matters, right?"

Li Qinglin had been watching Qin Yi with an amused smile. Qin Yi didn't dwell on the fact that he kept a demon, and even invited the demon to sit, his attitude very natural, which he found very interesting.

Perhaps he could communicate with him more thoroughly?