The Feng Shui Master's Principles

Birds, beasts, flowers, and trees that commit evil are called demons; evil created by heaven and earth is called monsters.

Yaomo, Yaomo, these are the malice born from the Law heaven and earth of this Prison Mountain Realm, directed against the "Human Race," the most intelligent of all beings.

Throughout the long development of the Prison Mountain Realm, many Yaomo clans or Great Demon have appeared and disappeared, their numbers so vast that ordinary people simply cannot say how many kinds of Yaomo there are in this world.

If the classification and identification of "Yaomo" is considered a discipline, then this field has not shown any signs of development in the Prison Mountain Realm so far.

But...

Jian Cunyi is clearly an exception among exceptions.

Lin Yu and Qin Siyu, who had initially been unsure whether Jian Cunyi could discover anything, were somewhat bewildered when they heard Jian Cunyi immediately reveal the exact "names" of the Yaomo here.

"Brother Jian, what is 'Living Foot'?"

Lin Yu asked tentatively.

Qin Siyu also spoke up, saying, "'Ancient Yaomo' come in many forms, and most records have been lost... I've never heard of Yaomo called 'Living Foot'."

Jian Cunyi looked at the two of them, who seemed somewhat bewildered, and it seemed to be within his expectations.

He reached into his sleeve and took out a folding fan, snapped it open, and then casually waved it as he spoke, "It's normal that you two don't know. I was able to recognize this 'ancient Yaomo's only by chance, as I happened to know a little bit about it."

"In short... 'Living Foot' is a type of ancient Yaomo. It is said that in ancient times, this Yaomo mainly lived in the vast 'Connected Marshes' area at the foot of Nine Cold Mountain, and would lure people into the depths of the muddy lakes and swallow them whole."

"Because this Yaomo rarely reveals its true form, one Yaomo says it resembles a hedgehog, covered in sharp spines, with limbs like a wolf or dog, sharp teeth, red eyes, and fur that changes color to conceal itself; another Yaomo says it dwells in water year-round, its true form resembling a turtle or tortoise, with a large, patterned shell, and a body that is both blue and black, appearing indistinguishable from the moss and rocks at the bottom of the water from a distance."

"As for the exact number of these 'Living Foot', records vary widely... Some say there are no more than a hundred Living Foot, some say there are thousands of Living Foot living in family units... and some say there are actually only three Living Foot at the level of Demon King, but they have many Doppelganger."

"In short, there are many records about the Living Foot, but there are also many contradictions. Most of them are inferences and speculations, and many cannot be counted... In fact, although it is now generally believed that the Living Foot are 'demons,' it is not very clear whether this thing should be classified as a demon or a monster, and there is no conclusive evidence."

"But at least we can be certain that this kind of Yaomo must have given rise to an extremely powerful Demon Lord, who was either killed or subdued by the Daoist Sect; otherwise, these vague records wouldn't have survived."

Jian Cunyi spoke in a serious and earnest tone.

Lin Yu said, "I see... But since the records of 'Living Foot' are so vague, how were you able to determine that the Yaomo Brother Jian are Living Foot?"

Jian Cunyi smiled and said, "That's simple, because although there are many records, I have my own way of distinguishing the true from the false."

"Because among the lineages of the Duxuan Sect elders that I know of, there happens to be the most reliable record about Living Foot —a record left by the founder of the Duxuan Sect that that elder saw."

"That patriarch of the Duxuan Sect... once severed a 'Living Foot'!"

"The reason why there are so many different opinions about the Living Foot's is because the essence of this Yaomo is actually some kind of 'Parasitism' creature."

Lin Yu was somewhat surprised. "Parasitism?"

Jian Cunyi nodded. "That's right, Parasitism... except it doesn't Parasitism birds and beasts, nor does Parasitism the flesh and blood of living beings... it Parasitism the human heart!"

"This kind of Living Beings feeds on True Essence and blood; it is essentially a demon that consists only of a 'soul' and has almost no physical body, formed from the resentment of heaven and earth and wandering spirits."

Lin Yu's expression turned grim. "It does indeed match the situation we encountered... I never imagined that such an evil creature still exists in the Prison Mountain Realm, and that it still exists today... I must eliminate it; I absolutely cannot allow it to remain in this world."

Upon hearing Lin Yu's statement, Jian Cunyi was about to agree, but upon seeing Qin Siyu beside him, he suddenly changed his mind and said, "That's right, uh... we need to let these old Yaomo know that this is no longer their world, but the world of us new Yaomo!"

Jian Cunyi straight face.

Hearing Jian Cunyi say this, Lin Yu remained expressionless, but Qin Siyu was indeed starting to lose her composure.

She hesitated for a long time, her expression struggling, before finally speaking slowly, "Uh... Daoist Master Xingyi, I'm sorry, I actually lied to you from the beginning."

"I know you two aren't Yaomo... but for some reason, I deliberately didn't expose your disguise."

Jian Cunyi was stunned when he heard Qin Siyu's words. "What? Is that so?"

Qin Siyu lowered her head.

Lin Yu said leisurely, "That's right. Although I didn't find out much about the inner workings of the Duxuan Sect, unlike you, Brother Jian, who has already identified the types of Yaomo here... it wasn't a complete loss."

"Just now, by some coincidence and good luck, I happened to see through her identity and realize that she was deliberately pretending to be timid and foolish, not seeing through our acting."

"This guy isn't even 'Golden Needle, Jade Knife' Guan Night Orchid, but 'Moon-Exploring Star-Plucking' Qin Siyu."

As Lin Yu spoke, Qin Siyu couldn't help but become nervous.

"I apologize, Daoist Master Xingyi, but in this urgent situation, we must act expediently..."

Upon hearing Lin Yu's introduction and Qin Siyu's revelation, Jian Cunyi paused for a moment, then said, "I've heard of you. You're a very famous Thief... you could even be considered a master thief now."

"I do not have a very good impression of people like you from the underworld, but you didn't need to deliberately hide things from me when facing Yaomo," Jian Cunyi some annoyance. "Do you think I would put the matter of slaying demons out of my mind and prioritize teaching a petty thief a lesson over dealing with Yaomo?"

"You say you 'act expediently in times of emergency,' but what exactly is the 'emergency' and what is the 'expedient' behind it?"

Jian Cunyi said unhappily.

Qin Siyu didn't seem to intend to continue discussing these matters, but Lin Yu spoke up for her.

"Because she was cursed by that Yaomo who seemed to have 'Living Foot' — the Yaomo that created the 'Yin Side' here planted some kind of curse in her soul, causing her companions to die one by one, driving her to the Desperate Plight and forcing her to break down, and finally bewitching her in her Dreamscape to approach us, conceal her identity, and wait for the opportunity to deliver two fatal blows to us."

Lin Yu didn't embellish the story; he simply recounted Qin Siyu's experience as it happened.

And just as Lin Yu had predicted...

Simply by telling the truth, Jian Cunyi immediately stopped blaming Qin Siyu.

"Such a thing actually happened... That Yaomo is truly despicable!"

Jian Cunyi cursed.

Although Jian Cunyi harbored no goodwill towards those who fell into demonic ways and actively cultivated demonic arts to become Yaomo —in fact, his loathing for them surpassed that for ordinary Yaomo —he himself was fundamentally a person of extreme principle, intolerant of any wrongdoing, and would not allow himself to break any taboos. However...

Jian Cunyi has an unusually high tolerance for people who are "coerced," "bewitched," or even forcibly manipulated.

In terms of Jian Cunyi's Values, especially his Moral Concepts, he is a typical "judging by intention rather than by actions," placing more emphasis on subjective will and intention than on the final expression and behavior.

A good person who is coerced or deceived is still a good person.

Of course... Jian Cunyi is not saying that he would forgive those fools who "think they are doing good" for their evil deeds. That is different from situations where people are coerced or whose subjective will is distorted.

A person without congenital defects who commits evil out of stupidity will naturally make completely different choices than one made when their mind is bewitched or even threatened by Yaomo.

He even stepped forward with a hint of sympathy and whispered to Qin Siyu.

"Let me see, perhaps I have a way to break the curse for you."

Qin Siyu looked at Lin Yu, and Lin Yu looked back at Qin Siyu, giving her an expression that said, "I told you long ago that Brother Jian wouldn't blame you for this."

After all, Qin Siyu clearly hadn't expected Lin Yu to betray her so directly.

Just like Qin Siyu never expected... Lin Yu would even sell her out next.

Because after Jian Cunyi Qin Siyu's current state again after she stopped using the "Disguise and Concealment" Cultivation Method, he indeed sensed... the Yaomo aura lurking within her.

"There is indeed the curse of 'Living Foot'... but it's really strange," Jian Cunyi furrowed brow, "Besides Living Foot... how can there also be the aura of the 'Six Desires Demon Lord'?"

"Although the Six Desires Demon Lord was born into the Fox Demon clan, he did not use Fox Demon methods. He was practically unique in the entire Prison Mountain Realm... And the Six Desires Demon Lord was personally punished and executed by the Dao Ancestor a long time ago. How could his methods still appear on you?"

Jian Cunyi asked, somewhat puzzled.

Upon hearing Jian Cunyi's question, Lin Yu raised his hand again to answer, "Ah, Brother Jian, this is something I just put in—it's not another curse, but rather I used the power of Yaomo to suppress Yaomo... I used power related to 'Desire' to temporarily neutralize her curse."

As Lin Yu spoke, Jian Cunyi, and quickly realized that what Lin Yu said was not an exaggeration.

"So it really is so... But why do you possess powers related to Desire, Brother Lin?"

"Could it be that you have some connection with the 'Six Desires Demon Lord'... or perhaps you obtained Demon Lord inheritance by chance?"

Jian Cunyi asked, and Lin Yu shook his head.

"Neither... but they're pretty much the same."

"A friend of mine found the one above the Six Desires Demon Lord in the Nether Void Realm... and then subdued him."