Having Entered the Mortal World

Seeking the Dao in the Mortal World

When Qin Yi arrived at Ye Ling's small courtyard, Li Qingjun also arrived at the entrance of the Crown Prince Residence with her spear.

A group of people were crowded outside the gate, and their commander was speaking to the steward: "This is demonic energy, which may be detrimental to the Crown Prince. Let us enter to eliminate the threat for him."

The steward hesitated. Normally, he wouldn't let anyone in, but on one hand, he was also worried about the black energy inside, and on the other hand, this commander was a trusted confidant of the Crown Prince and often entered the residence, so he wasn't particularly wary. He just said, "The Crown Prince governs his household strictly. Since he is not in the residence, this humble one dares not allow anyone to enter without permission. I hope General Liu will be understanding."

General Liu then said, "It is precisely the Crown Prince who instructed this general to return to the residence to check on the situation."

The steward didn't doubt him for a moment and nodded, saying, "Then I'll trouble General Liu."

General Liu's expression brightened, and he was about to enter. Suddenly, a cold glint appeared before his eyes, heading straight for his throat. He retreated in shock and looked closely, only to see Li Qingjun standing before him with a stern face, holding her spear.

"Princess, this..."

Li Qingjun said coldly, "You say you fear it's detrimental to the Crown Prince, and then you say the Crown Prince instructed you to come. Don't you find such a contradiction laughable?"

The steward's face changed, and his gaze towards General Liu became extremely wary. He waved his hand, and countless guards from the residence immediately blocked the entrance.

General Liu inwardly cursed his luck. This Zhaoyang Princess had always been reckless, so how could she be so meticulous today? She had actually caught a linguistic loophole that even the old steward hadn't noticed? He could only argue, "The Princess is overthinking. This subordinate is merely worried about something happening in the Crown Prince's residence, hence my words. It is indeed the Crown Prince who ordered this subordinate to come..."

In reality, Li Qingjun wasn't meticulous at all. She had come specifically to cause trouble. Qin Yi had told her to absolutely stop outsiders and delay until her brother returned. If she couldn't do anything else, couldn't she at least cause trouble?

She pointed her spear at him with one hand and extended the other: "Token."

"I was in a hurry when I came, and the Crown Prince didn't give me a token..." General Liu said, "But it's a small matter, the Crown Prince doesn't use tokens for everything..."

Li Qingjun narrowed her eyes, finally understanding why Qin Yi wanted her to stop any outsiders.

This person definitely had a problem. It was true that he was her brother's confidant, and perhaps he didn't need a token to enter the residence privately, but could he bring a whole army into their home without a token? That wouldn't be Li Qinglin!

General Liu was about to say more when Li Qingjun's face darkened: "Get out!"

Her spear vibrated, and a sharp aura swept across. The few people standing at the entrance were forced back down the steps, their faces alternating between green and pale.

This was troublesome now.

How could they have the misfortune of running into this princess here?

Could they really force their way into the Crown Prince Residence?

While they were still in a stalemate, not far away, Qin Yi and Minghe were standing under the shade of a tree, watching the scene.

"A trusted confidant of the Crown Prince, forcing his way into the Crown Prince Residence while the Crown Prince is away," Qin Yi said with a smile. "Isn't it interesting?"

Minghe watched quietly, neither responding nor showing any expression. Her demeanor was one of "what does this have to do with me?"

Qin Yi then said, "Does the Daoist Priest think it has nothing to do with you?"

Minghe turned her head and glanced at him.

"If the Daoist Priest were to carry the demon corpse to Dong Huazi after entering the residence to eliminate the demon, then this scene before us would probably not have happened."

Minghe pondered for a moment and quickly understood. The matter was very clear.

Of course, she, Minghe, didn't need to explain her actions to Dong Huazi. Dong Huazi didn't even know when she activated the Seven Stars Imperial Array. It was obvious now that upon seeing the demonic energy soaring into the sky, he had specifically sent people to collect the demon corpse.

Couldn't General Liu have done this himself? Why bring a team? That was because...

Qin Yi seemed to know what she was thinking and said directly, "I went into the palace to see the emperor early this morning. Someone snuck into my courtyard and died under the Daoist priest's wooden sword. The body hasn't even been buried yet. This guy surnamed Liu, who knows his background, where did he get the guts to come in alone?"

Minghe nodded.

"So, regardless of the cause and effect, this matter is related to the Daoist priest," Qin Yi continued. "In fact, the Daoist priest thinks he's just slaying demons and monsters and not involved in power struggles, but he has unintentionally provided an arrow for Dong Huazi's power struggle, becoming a thug without realizing it."

Minghe suddenly spoke, "So you mean to say that I am also already a character in this play?"

Qin Yi said, "Once you enter the mortal world, you are in it. It's easy to say you're just watching the play, but how easy is it?"

Minghe retorted, "So you are also Li Qinglin's thug?"

Qin Yi thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "At least his sister and I are in love, so it's not an exaggeration to say I'm his relative. Besides, there are many things where I have the same goals as him. What's your relationship with Dong Huazi?"

Minghe was silent, then after a moment, she sighed softly, "Yes, once you enter the mortal world, you are in it. You think you are an outsider, but you are already entangled in cause and effect, and you must bear the consequences. Daoist friend is right."

Daoist friend... This was the first time Minghe had addressed Qin Yi in this way.

Everyone has something they seek. Minghe's primary purpose in coming out of the mountains was to experience the mortal world; slaying demons and monsters was just incidental. Qin Yi inviting her to watch the play, and even the few sentences he just said, accurately hit the nail on the head.

One who understands my Dao is naturally a Daoist friend.

Liu Su also secretly marveled, because it hadn't properly discussed with Qin Yi why Minghe had come to Nanli. Various signs indicated that she was mostly traveling the world specifically to subdue demons, and a small part might be related to Dong Huazi, yet Qin Yi could determine that she had come to experience the mortal world.

It suddenly realized that although Qin Yi wasn't particularly strategic, at most he had some cleverness, he seemed to have a talent; his intuition was very sharp. For example... his initial belief that it still had the intention of taking over a body, and his feeling that something was wrong because Li Qinglin was dawdling on the road, were all related to this sharpness.

This was not something that could be gained through cultivation.

It didn't know what the current state of the cultivation world was like... If it were in its time, someone like Qin Yi would have done quite well.

Liu Su was distracted, while Qin Yi was still saying to Minghe, "Actually, regarding the debate between humans and demons just now, you were right."

Minghe was a little surprised; Qin Yi's attitude just now wasn't like this...

Qin Yi sighed, "You said that cultivators slay demons and monsters to protect the world, which is why this world is prosperous. I've enjoyed this benefit without realizing it, and it seems to be true... It's like enjoying peace and prosperity in the city while criticizing the border generals for killing people. Thinking about it, it's quite foolish... But my cultivation is insufficient, and I always feel that this matter isn't explained this way, but I can't articulate it clearly. In short, I haven't been able to see through it, at least... I ask myself, I can't watch Ye Ling die."

Minghe seemed to have a hint of a smile, "Ye Ling?"

"Uh, that name just now was made up. I also know I can't hide it from Daoist friend, so I won't make a fool of myself," Qin Yi said frankly. "But since Daoist friend has started watching the play, why not watch it more thoroughly?"

Minghe nodded and didn't reply.

Qin Yi's attitude of frankly admitting his mistake made her quite appreciative. There were many people in the world who stubbornly clung to their own opinions, but how many could frankly admit that they hadn't been able to see through something?

Then she would finish watching this matter before making a decision. She knew Qin Yi was right; she had unintentionally provided an arrow for someone else's struggle, and she was no longer willing to continue insisting and rashly get involved in cause and effect.

Over there, General Liu at the door finally couldn't hold on any longer.

Anyway, entering the Crown Prince Residence was not by order, and the princess had already noticed this. So retreating at this point was useless; he would inevitably face the Crown Prince's reckoning in the future. It was better to go all out!

"Since the princess doesn't trust your subordinate, in order not to disobey the general's order, I can only offend you!" General Liu drew his long saber and led his team to attack the gate.

Li Qingjun raised her long spear, and the two sides quickly clashed.

Qin Yi originally wanted to say something to Minghe, but seeing that Li Qingjun and General Liu were already fighting, how could he hold back? He grabbed his Wolf Tooth Club and rushed over, swinging a blow at General Liu's head.

With a "clang," General Liu's hand went numb, and he retreated in horror.

Li Qingjun said in surprise, "You're here? Is everything okay inside?"

Qin Yi smiled slightly. "It's nothing."

Li Qingjun swept away a soldier with her spear and laughed, "It's perfect, you and I fighting side by side."

Seeing the affectionate looks between the two, which somehow turned the atmosphere of battle a bit sour, Minghe in the distance shook her head slightly.

No wonder they say he's already immersed in the play. Qin Yi is truly thoroughly engrossed in this drama. This is no longer just entering the mortal world, but getting entangled in it, falling into a dream. What Dao is he cultivating like this? She doesn't know who his master is, but wouldn't they be furious seeing this?

At the end of the long street, the sound of hooves thundered closer. Li Qinglin led his team galloping back to the residence, charging directly into the battle at the forefront. General Liu's expression changed drastically, and he wanted to retreat, but Li Qinglin didn't give him the chance. Where his silver spear rose, blood splattered, and General Liu clutched his throat, falling back dead.

The fierce aura brought by a veteran general like him charging into battle on horseback was indeed incomparable to Qin Yi and Li Qingjun. As soon as he appeared, the soldiers who had dared to surround and attack the princess all turned pale, losing all will to fight. They threw their swords to the ground and surrendered.

The battle was instantly quelled, but Li Qinglin showed no complacency. He looked at Qin Yi with a very serious expression. "Brother Qin, the situation has changed. Let's discuss it inside the residence."

When Qin Yi turned to look, Minghe, who had been under the shade of the trees in the residence, had already disappeared.