Chapter 53: "Inner Demon" (Part One)

Qin Ying paid no heed to the astonishment of the others, continuing to speak as she pleased.

“If you agree, once you are able to wield this flying sword, I will have already become your master and can act as your protector.”

“In this way, you will have nothing left to worry about.”

“…”

“To become Qin Ying’s disciple, to formally acknowledge her as your teacher?”

The group exchanged uncertain glances.

Who was Qin Ying, after all?

Among the younger generation of the Deep Abyss Sect, she was its most outstanding prodigy. Now that she had established her Dao Foundation, she was more than capable of standing alone; her future elevation to the ranks of true disciples was but a matter of time.

For such a genius with limitless prospects to wish to take one of them as her disciple…

What kind of request was this?

To these outer disciples, this was nothing less than a second reward.

In Li Qingfeng’s and Gu Qingqing’s eyes, this opportunity was perhaps more valuable even than the flying sword itself.

“This…” Song Yan was taken aback, then after a moment’s thought, replied, “I’m truly sorry, Senior Sister, but this is no small matter…”

“I must report this to an elder before making my decision.”

For him, aside from Qin Xijun, he was merely an unnoticed, unloved outer disciple, a nobody.

No one had ever paid attention to him.

Now, not only did he have the chance to enter the inner sect, but even had a prospective master to guide his future cultivation…

By rights, he had no reason to refuse.

Yet, he naturally needed to consult Granny Qin’s opinion on such a matter.

“…”

Qin Ying’s brows knit slightly, a hint of displeasure passing through her, but soon she relented and nodded.

“Very well. Should any other Dao Foundation cultivator within the sect wish to take you as a disciple, it would be the same.”

In the world of cultivation, itinerant cultivators were generally weaker than sect disciples, both in cultivation and combat power.

At its root, this was because no one guided their cultivation.

They had to stumble down every winding path themselves; with no one to point out the way, they could only return after hitting every wall.

Previously, Song Yan had felt much the same while practicing the Breath Condensation Manual in the outer sect—though there was no master to guide him, the jade slips still contained the annotations of predecessors and senior disciples.

This had spared him much of the hardship of retracing his steps at bottlenecks.

He had never expected that, before even entering the inner sect, a Dao Foundation genius would have already set their sights on him as a disciple.

Once he descended Lotus Shade Peak, he would have to inform Granny Qin straightaway.

For now, he stored the flying sword in his spatial pouch.

“That day, thanks to that demonic cultivator’s arts, this sword’s might nearly rivaled a high-grade artifact. But now that the fiend is dead, I’m afraid it’s no more than an ordinary mid-grade implement,” Qin Ying reminded him.

Song Yan did not feel shortchanged. Mid-grade artifacts still fetched a high price—being able to obtain one for free was a secret delight.

As Qin Ying had expected, Li Qingfeng chose a high-grade first-tier talisman.

Gu Qingqing, who had initially taken a “beautiful and practical” mid-grade spirit stone, was persuaded by the others to also select a bottle of Essence Refining Pills.

Qin Ying did not linger; having settled matters, she departed.

The three exchanged a few idle words. Gu Qingqing then saw her two senior brothers off the mountain, and Song Yan and Li Qingfeng each went their separate ways.

Watching the silhouettes of her departing senior brothers, Gu Qingqing felt a strange, inexplicable excitement.

“Oh, Qingqing dear, what are you smiling about?”

Just then, a female cultivator approached from the foot of the mountain, reeking of alcohol.

Upon seeing Gu Qingqing, she immediately swept her into an embrace.

“Uh… Senior Sister Yuwen, it’s nothing… I just met two very interesting senior brothers.”

“Oh?”

Arm still draped around Gu Qingqing, the tipsy cultivator staggered along, Gu Qingqing supporting her as they headed toward Lotus Shade Peak.

“Senior Sister Yuwen, you must stop indulging in spirit wine. If Senior Sister Qin Ying sees you… she’ll scold you again.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Tell me, what’s so interesting about these two senior brothers?”

“Ah, you’re a bit heavy, Senior Sister…”

“Hm? Are you calling me fat?!”

“They’re both really good people. They—”

…

Song Yan did not return to his cave-dwelling immediately, but made straight for the market at Spirit Spring Marsh.

He had borrowed a half-used talisman from Granny Qin. Thankfully, he hadn’t needed it—otherwise, he’d have had to work himself to death for a hundred years to repay those three hundred spirit stones…

Thud!

He forgot to knock, pushing the door open directly.

Qin Xijun seemed to have been startled awake from her midday nap, her eyes bleary with sleep.

Seeing Song Yan, a nameless irritation flared up in her heart.

“You little brat, you’re getting more unruly by the day—how dare you disturb my cultivation! You’re asking for a beating!”

“Wait, don’t—!”

Song Yan hurriedly begged for mercy, “Granny, I’m here to return your treasure…”

“…”

Qin Xijun’s mind was still foggy. “What treasure?”

“Look at you—didn’t I borrow your protective talisman before I left?”

“Oh, I remember now.”

In truth, the talisman was something Qin Xijun had bought on a whim. Perhaps there were other reasons buried in her subconscious, but for the most part, she cared little about its fate.

“So, you didn’t use it, then?”

From her tone, Song Yan could tell she wasn’t pleased—she probably intended to use the talisman as leverage to make him work off that three-hundred-spirit-stone debt.

Such shrewdness…

“Heh, I didn’t use it.”

He handed the talisman back with both hands, but Qin Xijun didn’t rush to take it.

Instead, she grabbed him by the ear, pinched his cheek, and scrutinized him up and down, suspicion written all over her face.

“Did you have a stroke of luck with the ladies or something? Why are you so happy?”

“Is it that obvious?”

Song Yan wriggled free from her grasp, suddenly realizing something.

“Oh, it’s not romance—it’s a great opportunity, Granny Qin!”

He then recounted the whole story in detail. The more she heard, the deeper Qin Xijun’s frown became.

“Opportunities like this are rare. If it’s as you say, I could finally cultivate in peace, and once I enter the inner sect, someone will be there to guide me…”

Qin Xijun said nothing.

She had long since severed all ties with the Qin immortal clan, now corrupted by desire and walking a twisted path. Yet, fate was unpredictable, the bonds not so easily cut.

She wanted to tell the boy before her everything, to warn him to stay away from Qin Ying, to stay away from the Qin family.

But there was no flaw in what he’d said—on the path of cultivation, to have a senior to guide you was a rare fortune.

Her own heart was too knotted to pursue the Dao, but for this child, it was the best choice. What right or reason did she have to stop him?

With that thought, her heart eased.

Everyone has their fate…

“…”

But even so—

Looking at Song Yan, smugly sprawled on the counter, she still felt a nameless surge of anger, wanting nothing more than to smack him across the face.

“…”

“Well, it truly is a happy occasion…”

She nodded calmly. Song Yan had never seen her so solemn.

“But remember this: as a cultivator, you must always follow your heart. If your master ever commands you to do something you are unwilling to do, you can refuse without hesitation.”

“I have some skills of my own. If need be, you can always flee here—Granny will keep you safe.”

She pinched his cheek and smiled. “At worst, you can work as a servant for me. I won’t let you starve.”

“What are you saying, Granny Qin?”

Song Yan grinned at her.

“I haven’t agreed yet.”

“?”

“Granny Qin, tell me honestly—”

For some reason, looking into the boy’s eyes, Qin Xijun’s heart skipped a beat.

“What is it…”

“Are you… also a Dao Foundation cultivator?!”

“…”

“I…”

Qin Xijun stammered for a while, but in the end, she relented.

“Yes… Dao Foundation, but hardly a true expert.”

Song Yan’s face was full of satisfaction, as if he had expected it all along.

During their time in Peach Blossom Cove, he had often sensed the spiritual strength exuded by Qin Ying. Thinking back, when Granny Qin had “invited” him out of the Worry-Dispelling Shop, the power she displayed was of the same order as Qin Ying’s—if not even deeper.

“Then, if one day I do enter the inner sect, why not take me as your disciple?”

“…”

“I… I don’t take disciples.”

Qin Xijun turned her face away, affecting the air of a reclusive master.

“Oh, well…”

Song Yan looked a little disappointed. “Then I’ll have to seek out Senior Sister Qin, or she won’t give me the flying sword.”

“Wait!”

Qin Xijun grew anxious. “The inner sect is full of outstanding disciples and elders—why must you…”

“Well, the flying sword was granted by Senior Sister Qin.”

“You’re my elder, after all, and that makes us family. But if I were to take someone else as my master, wouldn’t that be rather ungrateful…”

“…”

Qin Xijun pondered—what he said did make sense.

Now and then, Song Yan glanced at her, gauging her reaction.

“…”

At last, she sighed. “Very well…”

“But let’s be clear: I’m just a woman of little means—there’s not much I can teach you.”

“If you ever suffer bullying, there’s little I can do to protect you.”

Song Yan grinned. “I know, I know.”

After all these years, he understood well how Granny Qin treated him.

He had long since regarded her as family.

If he could formally become her disciple, then even in the world of cultivators, he would truly have a “relative.”

“You’ve got quite the ambition, boy…”

“Even after reaching the late stages of Breath Refinement, one must still walk the path of Heart Refinement to enter the inner sect—not everyone succeeds.”

“If you have nothing else to do, go cultivate. If you’re not working for me, don’t loiter about—I get annoyed just looking at you.”

She was joking, of course.

He’d never seen anyone but himself enter this tiny shop. What work was there to do?

After a few more words, Song Yan finally returned to Greenleaf Peak.

“…”

By now, the sky had fully brightened. He returned to his cave, washed, and bathed.

Sitting cross-legged on his stone bed, he meditated, slowly calming his mind.

He took out the flying sword from his spatial pouch.

Perhaps because the demonic cultivator was dead, the sword no longer possessed that overwhelming, infernal aura—instead, it was black as ink from tip to hilt, like a piece of charred wood.

He traced the blade lightly with his fingertip, leaving no mark, yet faintly, he seemed to hear a jumble of indistinct sounds at the edge of his hearing—unclear and impossible to discern.

He paid it no mind, simply raising the sword upright.

On the side of the blade, he noticed two ancient characters, even darker than the rest—surely the sword’s name.

“Heart…”

“…”

Song Yan’s brow furrowed. For reasons he could not name, a chill rose from the depths of his soul.

“Heart Demon.”