Once Entered the Mortal World

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

A squad of men was crowded outside the gates. Their commander was telling the steward, "This is Demon Qi. It may threaten the Crown Prince, so let us enter and remove this danger for him."

The steward hesitated. Ordinarily, he naturally could not let anyone enter, but on one hand, he too was worried about the black aura inside, and on the other, this commander was one of the Crown Prince's trusted aides who often entered the residence. He had not been particularly vigilant, merely saying, "His Highness governs his household strictly. He is not in the residence, and this servant does not dare allow anyone to enter without permission. I hope General Liu will forgive me."

General Liu said, "It was precisely the Crown Prince who instructed this general to return and inspect the situation."

The steward did not suspect anything for the moment. He nodded. "Then I shall have to trouble General Liu."

Delight flashed across General Liu's face as he moved to enter. Suddenly, a streak of cold light shot straight for his throat. He recoiled in alarm, then focused his eyes and saw Li Qingjun standing before him with a stern expression, her spear leveled.

"Princess, this..."

Li Qingjun said coldly, "On one hand, you say you fear the Crown Prince may be endangered. On the other, you say the Crown Prince himself ordered you here. Don't you find that contradiction laughable?"

The steward's expression changed. His gaze at General Liu became exceedingly wary. With a wave of his hand, countless guards from the residence blocked the entrance.

General Liu inwardly cursed his rotten luck. This Zhaoyang Princess had always been reckless—how had she become so meticulous today? She had actually seized upon a verbal loophole that even the old steward had missed? He could only argue stubbornly, "Your Highness is overthinking it. This subordinate was merely worried something might happen in the Crown Prince Residence, which was why I spoke so. The Crown Prince truly did order this subordinate to come..."

As if Li Qingjun was meticulous. She had come here looking for trouble in the first place. Qin Yi had told her to stop any outsiders at all costs and stall until her brother returned. If she could not do anything else, could she not at least pick a fight?

She pointed her spear at him with one hand and held out the other. "Token."

"I came in haste, and the Crown Prince did not give me a token..." General Liu said. "It is only a minor matter. The Crown Prince would not use a token for every single thing..."

Li Qingjun narrowed her eyes. At last, she understood why Qin Yi had wanted her to stop every outsider.

There was absolutely something wrong with this man. It was true that he was her brother's trusted aide, and perhaps he would not need a token to enter the residence privately—but without a token, could he bring an entire troop of soldiers into someone's own home? Then he was not Li Qinglin!

General Liu was about to say more when Li Qingjun flew into a rage. "Get lost!"

Her spear trembled, its sharp force streaking through the air. Several men standing at the gate were forced back down the steps, their faces alternating between green and white.

This was troublesome.

Why did they have to run into this Princess here, of all places?

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

While the two sides remained deadlocked, Qin Yi and Minghe were already standing beneath the shade of a tree in the distance, watching the scene.

"The Crown Prince's trusted aide, forcing his way into the Crown Prince Residence while the Crown Prince is away." Qin Yi smiled. "Interesting, isn't it?"

Minghe watched quietly, neither answering nor showing any expression. She looked as though she were saying, "What does this have to do with me?"

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

Minghe turned and glanced at him.

"If, after entering the residence to eliminate demons, you had carried the demon corpse to Dong Huazi, there probably would not have been this scene before us."

Minghe pondered this, then quickly understood. The matter was very clear.

Minghe naturally did not need to explain herself to Dong Huazi. Dong Huazi did not even know when she had activated the Seven Stars Defense Array. Yet now, seeing Demon Qi soaring into the sky, he had clearly sent men here specifically to pick up the demon corpse.

Would it not have been enough for General Liu to come in and handle this himself? Why had he insisted on bringing a whole squad? That was because...

As though he knew what she was thinking, Qin Yi said directly, "Early this morning, when I entered the palace to meet His Majesty, someone slipped into my courtyard and died beneath the Daoist's wooden sword. The corpse has not even been buried yet. General Liu does not know the full story—where would he find the nerve to enter alone?"

Minghe nodded.

"So regardless of cause or consequence, this matter is related to you, Daoist." Qin Yi continued, "In truth, you believed you were merely slaying demons and eliminating evil, taking no part in power struggles. Yet without realizing it, you provided arrows for Dong Huazi's struggle for power and became his thug without knowing it."

Minghe suddenly spoke. "So you mean that I, too, have already become a person within the play?"

Qin Yi said, "Once you enter the mortal world, you are already within it. To say you are merely watching the play—how could that be easy?"

Minghe asked in return, "Then are you also Li Qinglin's thug?"

Qin Yi thought for a while, then shook his head. "At the very least, his sister and I are mutually in love. It would not be excessive to call me his friend or relative. Besides, in many matters, he and I share the same goal. What is your relationship with Dong Huazi?"

Minghe fell silent. After a moment, she sighed softly. "Yes. Once one enters the mortal world, one is within it. Thinking oneself a bystander, yet already stained by karma—one must bear what one has incurred. Fellow Daoist, you are right."

Fellow Daoist... This was the first time Minghe had addressed Qin Yi that way.

Everyone sought something. Minghe's foremost purpose in leaving the mountains had been to temper herself in the mortal world; slaying demons and eliminating evil had merely been incidental. Qin Yi's invitation for her to come watch the play, and even the words he spoke now, had all struck precisely at the heart of the matter.

One who understood her Dao was naturally a fellow Daoist.

Liusu was secretly amazed as well. It had never properly discussed with Qin Yi why Minghe had come to Southern Li. From every sign, she had most likely traveled the world solely to subdue demons; there was a smaller possibility that she had some connection with Dong Huazi. Yet Qin Yi had been able to determine that she had come to experience the mortal world.

It suddenly realized that although Qin Yi could not be considered particularly scheming, possessing at most some petty cleverness, he seemed to have a certain talent. His instincts were exceptionally sharp. For example... he had once determined that it still intended Body Seizing, and had sensed something wrong because Li Qinglin had dawdled along the road. All of that was related to this sharpness.

This was not something cultivation could grant.

It did not know what form the cultivation world had taken now... If this had been its era, someone like Qin Yi would have done quite well.

Liusu was lost in thought, while Qin Yi was still saying to Minghe, "Actually, in our earlier debate over humans and demons, you were right."

Minghe was somewhat surprised. Qin Yi's earlier attitude had not seemed like this...

Qin Yi sighed. "You said cultivators protected the world by slaying demons and eliminating evil, and that only then could this world enjoy such prosperity. I have enjoyed that benefit without realizing it, and perhaps that is indeed so... It is like enjoying songs and dances in a peaceful city, yet criticizing the soldiers at the border for killing people. Thinking about it, that is rather foolish... But my cultivation is insufficient. I still feel this matter cannot be explained so simply, though I cannot make it clear. In short, I have not seen through it yet. At least... I know I cannot watch Ye Ling die."

Minghe seemed faintly amused. "Ye Ling?"

"Uh, I made that name up just now. I know I cannot hide it from you, Fellow Daoist, so I should stop making a fool of myself." Qin Yi said frankly, "But since you have begun watching the play, why not watch it to the end?"

Minghe nodded and said nothing more.

Qin Yi's candid attitude in admitting his mistake greatly pleased her. Too many people clung stubbornly to their own views until the bitter end. How many could openly admit that they had yet to see through something?

Then she would watch this matter through before making her decision. She knew Qin Yi was right: without realizing it, she had already provided arrows for another's struggle. She could not stubbornly persist any longer and recklessly entangle herself in karma.

At the gate, General Liu finally could not maintain the stalemate any longer.

He had never been ordered to enter the Crown Prince Residence anyway, and the Princess had already noticed it. Retreating now would be useless; in the future, he would certainly be unable to escape the Crown Prince's reckoning. Better to go all the way and leave no turning back!

"Since Your Highness does not trust this subordinate, then in order not to disobey military orders, this subordinate can only offend you!" General Liu drew his saber and led his men in an assault on the gate.

Li Qingjun thrust out her spear, and the two groups quickly collided.

Qin Yi had intended to say something more to Minghe, but when he saw Li Qingjun and General Liu begin fighting, how could he hold himself back? He grabbed the Wolf Tooth Club and rushed over, bringing it down at General Liu's head.

With a loud clang, General Liu's tiger's mouth went numb, and he staggered back in shock.

Li Qingjun asked in delighted surprise, "You came? Is everything inside all right?"

Qin Yi smiled faintly. "Everything is fine."

Li Qingjun swept a soldier aside with one stroke of her spear and smiled. "Perfect. Then you and I can fight shoulder to shoulder."

The tender looks between the two of them somehow filled the atmosphere of battle with a few traces of cloying sweetness. In the distance, Minghe shook her head slightly.

No wonder he said he was already a person within the play. Qin Yi had truly entered this play completely. This was no longer merely entering the mortal world; he was tangled within it, fallen into a dream of delusion. What Dao was there left for him to cultivate? She wondered who his master was—would that master not be angered to death upon seeing this?

From the far end of the long street came the earth-shaking sound of hooves. Li Qinglin led his men galloping back to the residence, charging straight into the battle at the head of the group. General Liu's expression changed drastically, and he tried to retreat, but Li Qinglin gave him no chance. As his silver spear rose, blood flashed. General Liu clutched his throat, threw back his head, and died.

A veteran general who had fought upon the battlefield possessed a baleful ferocity when charging through formations on horseback that Qin Yi and Li Qingjun simply could not compare to. The moment Li Qinglin appeared, the soldiers who had just dared surround and attack the Princess all turned pale as earth. Their fighting spirit vanished entirely. They threw down their sabers and surrendered with their hands bound.

The battle had been quelled in an instant, but Li Qinglin showed no satisfaction. He looked at Qin Yi with a grave expression. "Brother Qin, the situation has changed. Let us discuss it inside the residence."

When Qin Yi turned to look, Minghe had already vanished from beneath the shade of the trees within the residence.