The moment he reached Ye Ling's little cabin, he saw her sprawled on the floor. Her tiny body seemed to be smoking. She still clutched a small piece of wood in her hand, but it had been charred beyond recognition. There was a large hole in the roof, its edges blackened with ash. Clearly, that plume of black qi which had shot into the sky had indeed come from Ye Ling's body.
Her clothes were riddled with holes as well, exposing her delicate, fair skin, which was blotched with soot. Strangely, her wings seemed to have shrunk. She looked like a child wearing a little demon cosplay costume—rather adorable.
Qin Yi rushed forward. Spotting a set of outer clothes beside the bed, he grabbed them and wrapped Ye Ling up before helping her sit up.
Seeing that it was Qin Yi, Ye Ling whimpered. "It hurts..."
"What happened? Did lightning strike you?"
"I don't know..." Ye Ling looked utterly lost. "It felt like a fire was burning outward from my heart. Then, with a boom, everything was burned black..."
Qin Yi was at a loss for words. Asking this stupid snake was probably useless. Liusu was still more reliable.
Sure enough, Liusu said, "The Breaking Darkness Chasing Gloom Seven Stars Control Array draws forth demon fire to burn the body, sending Demon Qi back to the heavens. It is exceptionally effective against little demons still unable to suppress their beastly instincts and killing intent. This stupid snake is actually doing rather well; she somehow did not die. If there were other little demons hiding in Lihuo City, they are likely all dead by now."
Qin Yi understood. This was probably why Minghe had not continued tangling with him. Perhaps when she saw that the wooden sword had lost its connection, she concluded that Qin Yi had already thrown in his lot with demons. No longer hoping for his cooperation, she had made up her mind to set up a grand array and wipe out every demon in Lihuo City.
Simple and crude, direct and clear.
Minghe's gaze surfaced in his mind—calm and distant, like the Milky Way hanging in the night sky.
Qin Yi sighed softly, his gaze falling on the charred wood in Ye Ling's hand. "Then what is this? I thought you had carelessly touched something and triggered all this."
"It's just ordinary wood..." Ye Ling choked back a sob. "I only carved a little monkey. I wanted to give it to you... I've always listened to your stories and used your medicine, but I had nothing to give you..."
Qin Yi's heart jolted. He looked silently at the charred wood.
Whatever resentment he had felt over her ruining things had already vanished without a trace.
"Stupid snake..."
"You're the stupid one!" Ye Ling struggled to her feet. "Have I been exposed? I have to run. Thank you for these past few days..."
With that, she turned into a streak of black light and shot toward the hole in the roof.
The next moment, she tumbled back down in a sorry state, crashing onto the floor with a thud. Terror filled her eyes as she looked toward the sky.
Qin Yi looked up as well. Through the hole in the roof, he saw Minghe quietly floating above, looking down at them.
Knowing that disaster could not be avoided, Qin Yi simply called out, "Daoist Nun Minghe, since you have honored us with your presence, why not come in for a talk?"
Minghe slowly descended, her Daoist robes fluttering and her sash streaming in the wind. Qin Yi truly felt that this was a Fairy descending into the mortal world.
And in truth, to ordinary mortals, an orthodox cultivator like her really was a Fairy.
Ye Ling crawled halfway around the floor in fright and huddled behind Qin Yi. Qin Yi shifted half a step as well, shielding her more tightly. Looking directly at Minghe, he said, "A figure like you, Daoist Nun, should be laughing proudly amid wind and moon, playing through the mortal world. Why involve yourself in mundane struggles for power and become someone else's hired hand?"
Minghe shook her head slightly. "The struggles for power in the mortal world have nothing to do with this poor Daoist. But when demons kill people, this poor Daoist cannot ignore it."
Qin Yi said, "To be honest, demons killing people has nothing to do with you either. At your level of cultivation, do you not understand that all living beings are equal? From your perspective, is there any difference between demons killing people and people killing people?"
"There is." Minghe replied calmly, "What Young Master says sounds reasonable. Ten thousand years ago, there were people who upheld such views as well. Yet the result was that Monstrous Fiends ran rampant throughout the world, devouring people as they pleased, leaving a thousand miles of desolate smoke and reducing the land nearly to wasteland. That already ran contrary to the Heavenly Dao. Even if you fled far from the mortal world and pretended not to see it, demons would eventually seize your sacred mountains and invade your Cave Dwellings. This is what is meant by: those not of our kind must harbor different hearts."
"..." Qin Yi found himself unable to refute her.
He had thought this Daoist Nun's mortal heart was impure. In truth, what she considered was on an entirely different level.
Minghe continued, "If cultivators like you and I sought only to ask the Dao and attain longevity, then we could simply close our mountain gates, selfishly refine pills and meditate for ourselves. Why, then, do we learn the arts of flying swords, the methods of five thunders, and arrays of slaughter? It is not to contend with others, but to subdue demons and vanquish devils, to protect the world. It is precisely because Monstrous Fiends dare not run rampant that living beings flourish in this age. Young Master enjoys the fruits of this, yet speaks for Monstrous Fiends instead. That is truly the view of a foolish man."
As she spoke, her gaze landed behind Qin Yi. Ye Ling was nervously clutching Qin Yi's clothes and secretly peeking at her.
"That is all I have to say. Must Young Master Qin protect this Monstrous Fiend?"
Qin Yi could only say, "Can demons not include good demons? If a harmless Little Rabbit were accidentally enlightened, would you also say she was not of our kind and be determined to kill her?"
"This poor Daoist is naturally not unreasonable. But has this demon not harmed people?" Minghe said calmly. "Who killed the Crown Prince? Young Master need not argue forcefully. This may be concealed from others, but how could it be concealed from this poor Daoist?"
Qin Yi realized that, for the moment, he truly could not refute her. Since leaving the mountains, every demon he had encountered had indeed eaten people. Her determination to eliminate demons and defend the Dao had no flaw he could find. He could say demons came in good and bad kinds, but Ye Ling truly had plotted to assassinate the Crown Prince. She had practically killed someone before Minghe's eyes. How could she clear herself?
If anyone had been bewitched by Monstrous Fiends and developed warped values, it was probably him.
But... if he admitted she was right and let Ye Ling be killed, how could he possibly do that?
Looking at the charred piece of wood on the ground, Qin Yi knew he could not do it.
At that moment, Liusu's voice transmission risked slipping through. "There has been a change in Ye Ling. I suspect her Demon Qi has vanished at this moment. That is why Minghe has been chattering on for so long. Otherwise, with the Demon Qi drawing her in, she would have acted long ago."
Qin Yi's heart stirred. This made things easy. Who did not know how to play shamelessly? "Who says she is a demon? Daoist Nun, you should speak with evidence."
Minghe frowned.
Liusu had hit the nail on the head. Ever since entering the room, Minghe had been sensing Ye Ling, only to find that the Demon Qi on her was so faint it was nearly imperceptible. It was utterly different from the dense aura at the time of the Crown Prince's assassination, sharp and carrying a trace of viciousness.
Judging by that earlier aura, there should have been a snake demon in this residence—perhaps even a Soaring Serpent.
Soaring Serpents were cunning by nature, masters of lies, and possessed killing intent. Their Demon Qi differed from that of plants and trees and was easy to distinguish.
Looking carefully at Ye Ling, Minghe saw that she was wrapped in an outer garment, her little face blackened by smoke, her large eyes staring at Minghe in terror. At a glance, she actually looked rather pitiful. Not only was her Demon Qi faint, but Minghe truly could not sense any killing intent or viciousness from her.
When she left the mountains, she had sworn only to kill demons and never harm humans. She worried that if she were mistaken, she might accidentally break that oath. That was why she had said so much to Qin Yi. Otherwise, she would have acted long ago.
"Though the Demon Qi on her is faint, it is still there. If she is not a demon, then what is she?"
Qin Yi made something up. "Her name is Zhou Dongdong. She is a foolish little child."
Minghe: "..."
Knowing that Minghe was not being fooled, merely cautious, Qin Yi struck while the iron was hot. "Daoist Nun, this matter is rather complicated. It is not as black and white as you imagine. How about this? There must be a good show outside the residence gates right now. Come with me and watch it. After we finish this play, we can settle the matter."
Minghe gazed at him for a long while before slowly saying, "Does Young Master know that this poor Daoist's oath does not entirely forbid harming people?"
Probably meaning that if someone tried to deceive or harm her, she could kill them. Qin Yi said indifferently, "If I am not mistaken, Daoist Nun came to this mortal world in order to seek the Dao amid worldly dust, to observe every aspect of human life. To put it plainly, you came to watch a play. If you fixate only on slaying demons and vanquishing devils, that would be rather dull..."
Minghe's heart was slightly stirred by those words. She looked into Qin Yi's eyes and found them clear.
Suddenly, she smiled faintly. "To watch a play... Could it be that Young Master is as well?"
"Me?" Qin Yi froze. After pondering for a moment, he sighed. "Perhaps I once was. But now, I am already someone within the play."
Before you continue