Blood Guanyin

Yesterday, during his interview with the Heavenly Sword, Lianshan Xin had said:

"Who would become a rebel when they could be a government official?"

That answer was only growing more valuable.

Teacher Dai's understanding was still too shallow. He lacked the love of the establishment that people from Shandong were born with, and he could not see the laws by which the universe truly operated.

Even if the Demon Cult had a one-in-ten-thousand chance of succeeding in its rebellion, wouldn't it simply become the new imperial court in the end?

In that case, why insist on swallowing hardship when there was none to swallow?

Besides, Great Yu showed not the slightest sign of a dynasty nearing its end.

Lianshan Xin's eighteen years of life had taught him that although Great Yu had endured for a thousand years and accumulated many problems, with numerous conflicts poised to erupt at the slightest touch, it was nowhere near the point where ordinary people throughout the land could no longer survive.

In a world of mighty martial arts and immortal cultivation, with legendary immortals anchoring the imperial court's fortune, staging a rebellion was about as difficult as toppling the two leading permanent members of the UN Security Council in the twenty-first century.

Lianshan Xin admired the Demon Cult for harboring such lofty ambitions. He had none of those himself. His only lofty ambition was to reach the top within the imperial court.

"Teacher Dai always struck me as a very good man, with considerable learning and ability. He was one of the better teachers in all of Jiangzhou City. Unfortunately, he took the wrong path."

Lianshan Xin shook his head, feeling that Teacher Dai had deserved better.

"I attended his lessons for several years and always thought he was a wise man whose talents went unrecognized. It really is hard to believe he would join a Demon Cult like this."

Lianshan Xin had stopped believing that sort of manipulative workplace rhetoric back in his previous life.

He had never expected Teacher Dai, whom he considered learned enough to fill five cartloads of books, to fall prey to that kind of manipulation.

Du Jiu, however, was not surprised. "There is something you may not know, sir. The Demon Cult's core followers are bound together more by faith. They genuinely worship Maitreya Buddha and genuinely believe all that about 'Maitreya descending into the world, the Wisdom King manifesting.' And they are quite fanatical about it."

Lianshan Xin understood somewhat.

Once religious faith became involved, logic often went out the window.

Faith and love were probably the two most unreasonable things in the world.

Even politics had more logic than those two.

"Many Demon Cult followers seem perfectly normal on the surface. Some are even exceptionally talented. Unfortunately, the Demon Cult has brainwashed them. Their faith in Maitreya and the Wisdom King makes them fearless in the face of death, and they pour painstaking effort into doing many things we cannot understand. All I can say is that the Demon Cult certainly has a knack for bewitching people's hearts."

"I found something in the cellar."

Qi Wenbin had also uncovered something new.

Lianshan Xin and Du Jiu went to the cellar.

They found Qi Wenbin studying a painting.

The painting depicted a gorgeous woman in a red gown that trailed along the ground.

For some inexplicable reason, it seemed to send the stench of blood rushing straight at them.

"Sir, Little Jiu, take a look. Doesn't the beauty in this painting look familiar?"

Lianshan Xin did not find her familiar.

Portraiture in Great Yu favored capturing the spirit rather than physical likeness. Lianshan Xin had also never left Jiangzhou City and knew little about many of this world's famous figures.

Du Jiu's expression, however, changed at once. "Blood Guanyin?"

"Who is Blood Guanyin?"

Lianshan Xin asked without embarrassment.

He had only just joined the Nine Heavens and had not yet had time to read much of its material. It was perfectly normal for him not to know these basic facts about the Demon Cult.

"One of the Demon Cult's Four Great Elders, an existence on the same level as the fiend Thousand Faces. When she advanced to the Dharma Form Realm, she manifested a Guanyin Dharma Form. But she is ruthless and merciless, leaving rivers of blood wherever she goes, so the martial world calls her Blood Guanyin. From the looks of things, Teacher Dai might belong to Blood Guanyin's faction, separate from Thousand Faces'."

Lianshan Xin understood.

Even the Nine Heavens had nine distinct lineages. Naturally, the Demon Cult's Four Great Elders could not possibly all work together in harmony.

There were no villains in this world who were truly united in heart and purpose. If they were, they would no longer be the villains.

"All four elders are in the Dharma Form Realm?"

Lianshan Xin was somewhat surprised by the Demon Cult's strength.

After all, Dharma Form Realm experts were the strongest masters openly seen in the martial world.

Qi Wenbin said gravely, "It is the Demon Cult, after all, daring to stand against the imperial court. Naturally, it has some strength. Rumor in the martial world has it that if the cult leader, Peacock Wisdom King, had not been held back by his unhealed injuries all these years, he might already have entered the Immortal Realm."

Lianshan Xin silently digested that information.

It seemed that by keeping the Millennium Snow Lotus for himself, he had offended not only a Crown Prince who might someday become emperor, but also a Demon Cult leader who might someday become an immortal.

Tsk. I might be even more talented at making enemies than at cultivating immortality.

Ordinary people don't even qualify to become my enemies.

Lianshan Xin found amusement amid his troubles.

"Blood Guanyin is ruthless and merciless, far more bloodthirsty than Thousand Faces, especially toward men who harbor improper intentions toward her. Even meeting her eyes often gets a man's eyes gouged out. As far as I know, not even her own subordinates dare secretly keep a portrait of her. This Teacher Dai... he certainly had nerve. He was probably an admirer of Blood Guanyin too," Du Jiu analyzed.

Lianshan Xin looked thoughtful. "Brother Jiu, is Blood Guanyin very beautiful?"

"Of course. The Peerless Beauties Ranking only includes women under forty. Before she aged off the ranking, Blood Guanyin never dropped out of the top five, even with her position deliberately suppressed because of her Demon Cult background. Sir, you should trust the aesthetic judgment of the lechers of this world."

Lianshan Xin nodded. He agreed with that view. The choice of a man's little brother was more convincing than any award.

So Blood Guanyin truly was an unparalleled beauty.

And... barring any surprises, Blood Guanyin's hatred of men probably stemmed from heartbreak.

The person who had broken her heart was probably a certain emperor who preferred to remain unnamed.

For now, these were only guesses.

But in Lianshan Xin's mind, the chain of logic had essentially come full circle.

Dai Yueying's identity was also becoming increasingly certain in his mind.

"Has Blood Guanyin ever married? Does she have any children?" Lianshan Xin asked.

"Of course not."

Lianshan Xin said nothing.

In Teacher Dai's letter, someone had specifically instructed him to take good care of Dai Yueying.

A portrait of Blood Guanyin had been found in Teacher Dai's cellar.

He still had no evidence.

But evidence was something only third-rate detectives needed.

Lianshan Xin did not rely on such things.

The greatest detectives always put their own judgment first.

Lianshan Xin realized that his rash rejection of Dai Yueying had embroiled him in a great deal of trouble.

But wealth and glory were won amid danger. Crisis and opportunity existed side by side.

Qi Shiyun's words rang in Lianshan Xin's ears once again:

"How quickly you cultivate in our lineage depends entirely on your courage and methods. Wealth and glory are won amid danger, and the Great Dao is no different."

For other people, serious trouble was simply serious trouble.

But for him, having already joined the Dragon Aiders lineage and successfully condensed Dragon Energy, this trouble might well help him leap from a young man with limited martial aptitude to one of the most outstanding young prodigies in the world.

He thought of how he had spent more than a decade painstakingly practicing martial arts, yet had been unable to advance.

Yet after choosing to join the Nine Heavens and the Chosen of Heaven lineage, he had broken through two realms in a single day.

Lianshan Xin lowered his gaze, his eyes filled with resolve.

There were precious few chances in a person's life to change their fate!