16 Qingshan Town

Master, now that you've fallen to earth, don't go back...

Wisps of demonic energy emanated from his fingertips, continuously covering the paper figure, its purplish-red light standing out conspicuously in the dark night.

Sure enough, the monk sensed the demonic energy, his eyes narrowed, and he withdrew his foot from the doorway, a sinister smile spreading across his face: "Has no one told you whose territory this is?"

Yin Li frowned and kept pouring more demonic energy into the paper figure's body, trying to prolong Chu Qingge's investigation time.

Territory?

He savored the word repeatedly.

From now on, it will all belong to him.

On the other side, Chu Qing nimbly flipped into the inner hall, and to avoid being guarded inside, she concealed her presence as much as possible.

As soon as she entered, the immense darkness seemed to imprison her like a cage. Chu Qing closed her eyes and explored the darkness with her spiritual sense.

The statues outside have been replaced by celestial demon statues, but the ones inside—are still the larger celestial demon statues we saw this morning!

But this ominous look is wrong; there's a huge sense of incongruity about it.

Why is there a barely perceptible white halo around it?

Such divinity applied to it is somewhat like trying to conceal something but being unable to.

She placed her hand on it and felt its solidity; there was nothing to hide. What else could it be?

Chu Qing continued walking inside, and before she knew it, she had circled around to the back of the ominous statue. As she took a step, she seemed to step on a piece of paper.

This is—this is a talisman! It's the talisman she gave to Ling Xueluo!

His hands were clenched tightly, his heart overflowing with worry and hatred, yet he still couldn't find Ling Xueluo's whereabouts.

A sudden loud noise pulled Chu Qing back to reality. She had been there too long and had to get back quickly.

Outside

Because the paper figure was too weak and had a low threshold for withstanding demonic energy, Yin Li was forced to reveal herself when the monk also used demonic energy to tear the paper figure to shreds.

It was just a gamble to see when Chu Qingge would arrive.

During the fight, the speed was incredibly fast. Yin Li no longer held back as before and was about to meet the attack with his bare hands, following the flow of his demonic bloodline. However, the moment the monk raised his staff, the monk suddenly fell to the ground.

Monk: ?

Upon hearing the commotion, Chu Qing didn't hesitate and flew out of the shadows. As soon as she got outside, she saw that the monk was raising his staff and was about to smash it down on Yin Li, who was lying on the ground!

Damn it!

Xuejian sensed his master's emotions first, and swiftly blocked the falling stick. A fair hand gripped the hilt of the sword, and a great deal of spiritual power poured into it. With a stomp of his foot, he slammed the monk hard against the pillar.

Suddenly, all was silent. Yin Li looked up at the figure in front of her, back against the moonlight.

She's always like this, always like this...

The master stood with his sword in hand, dressed in white robes as white as snow, his long hair flowing like a waterfall. As his clothes fluttered, the murderous aura emanating from him made everything afraid to approach.

His eyebrows were like distant mountains, yet they lacked any gentleness. He turned his head slightly, his eyes like cold stars falling from the sky, their clear light chilling, like the moon in the sky, illuminating thousands of people, yet making them dare not look directly at him.

Now, the moon has descended to earth, and all its light shines upon this wicked, hypocritical, vindictive, and deceitful version of myself.

"run!"

Chu Qing spoke, not noticing Yin Li's expression, and grabbed his collar, running into the distance.

She still felt a lingering fear as she thought, "Luckily, I changed my appearance when I was pretending to be your brother, otherwise, if I had been discovered like this, tomorrow's sacrificial ceremony would have been completely ruined, haha."

"Master, your disciple has made a mistake again."

Yin Li lowered his head, his lips pressed tightly together in a wronged manner, but where Chu Qing couldn't see, his eyes radiated a kind of obsession that he himself was unaware of.

"You did a great job."

Chu Qing's praise was genuine. If it weren't for Yin Li, she definitely wouldn't have been able to enter the inner hall. It's just that the monk's spiritual power was indeed high. She had to use most of her strength to knock him away!

But this little brat is too impulsive. Does he think she didn't sense the demonic energy in the inner sanctum?

Foolish! If Chu Qingge hadn't replaced his soul long ago, he wouldn't be alive now.

Yin Li knelt on the blood-stained platform, inhaling the familiar scent emanating from his master. He wanted to go forward, he wanted to—

Whether it was the pain that numbed his once clear mind, or something else, Yin Li used his remaining rationality to prevent him from moving closer. Right now, he was like an injured puppy, crawling at his owner's feet.

Only now did Yin Li realize that Chu Qingge was not Chu Qingge.

Starting with the Sunflower Grass, she always consciously or unconsciously helped him suppress the demonic energy within his body. During this fight, he even risked revealing his secret.

Yin Li didn't believe that Chu Qingge, with her cultivation level, wouldn't be able to detect anything unusual.

Therefore, there is only one explanation—she knew about his situation all along, and she is not Chu Qingge.

Master, now that you've fallen to the mortal realm, never return...

After arriving at the inn, Chu Qing took out a bottle of pills: "Go find Mo Yu to heal your injuries first, then take this. Don't mess up tomorrow's ritual."

"yes"

Yin Li turned and left, never looking up as he walked back, seemingly preoccupied with something that Chu Qing couldn't fathom.

Back in her room, she finally had time to open the talisman she had obtained in the inner sanctum—blood-drawing demonic energy, it was for—

That's it. The second half seems to have been torn off by someone, leaving only these six characters.

But based on the handwriting and the aura emanating from the talisman, Chu Qing was certain that it was a clue left by Ling Xueluo.

Blood draws in demonic energy, blood draws in demonic energy...

Could this be related to the dripping of blood into the bowl?

Examining the talisman by candlelight, there was no bloodstain, and the ink was still relatively fresh, so Ling Xueluo should not be in such danger at the moment.

Furthermore, she is the female lead, so she certainly won't be written out of the story so quickly.

The night passed quickly, and a new day began. The rising sun cast its first golden rays on the ground, and Chu Qing opened her eyes on the bed.

She skillfully changed her appearance as always. Since it was a ritual, it would be best to investigate some clues while things were in chaos.

Mo Yu remained at the inn, and based on his observations over the past two days, no suspicious people had come by.

Yin Li quickly left the room. He had only suffered a few minor injuries yesterday. Although he couldn't stand Mo Yu's sticky and disgusting gaze at his master all the time, he had to admit that his medical cultivation talent was indeed good.

Once he obtains the Fire Dance Spirit Orb, taking him in as a subordinate is not out of the question.

"What are you thinking about? Let's go."

Seeing that he had put down his chopsticks and was sitting there seemingly lost in thought, Chu Qing couldn't help but tap his head and walk forward.

"Okay, Master."

We traveled by horse-drawn carriage as we had yesterday. I don’t know if it was because of the sacrificial ceremony or some other festival in Qingshan Town, but there were noticeably more people on the streets today than usual.

We drove all the way to the temple, but the surrounding area was completely blocked.

Outside the temple, a large cylindrical sacrificial altar had been erected at some point, upon which stood the image of the Heavenly Demon. However, judging from the expressions of the people around, there was no fear of the fierce-looking statue; instead, they were filled with worship and fascination.

Chu Qing and Yin Li got off the carriage, ready to receive the offerings they had prepared at the inn, and then reluctantly took out some silver from their own pockets.

She absolutely must get reimbursed by Huaqi when she gets back!!!

"Everyone, the annual blessing ceremony is about to begin. Please place your offerings in an orderly manner and stand around the area. The Heavenly Ancestor will bless every sincere person."

The incense was burning abundantly, and the smoke drifted into the woods outside the city. Red ribbons were tied around the sacrificial altars surrounding the fierce-looking statue, and more and more people gathered around, forming an impenetrable circle.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Three drumbeats sounded, and the surroundings fell silent instantly. The monks who attacked them yesterday were nowhere to be seen. The one standing in the center of the sacrificial altar now seemed to be someone of a higher rank.

"Heaven and earth are vast, the universe is bright and clear. Bow as you please, let fate take its course, the heavens shine, joy and fortune arrive!"

"Heavenly radiance, joy and good fortune arrive!"

"Heavenly radiance, joy and good fortune arrive!"

People raised their hands and shouted enthusiastically, and some well-dressed nobles knelt down with incense in a better position, making the scene look like a worship ceremony.

Chu Qing wore a bamboo hat, the white veil of which covered her face and blocked the view of the surroundings.

Suddenly, a muffled thunderclap echoed through the bright sunshine. The celestial being was enveloped in a faint white halo, exactly the same as the white light I had inadvertently sensed the first time, and the white halo I had felt in the darkness the day before.

This is absolutely no coincidence!

The strange thing is that, despite being a fierce-looking figure, and even though Chu Qing could sense the demonic energy cultivated by the monk during yesterday's fight, why does the Tian Sha statue standing on the sacrificial plate still possess the divinity observed yesterday?

Or is it—

A flash of inspiration struck her, so fast that Chu Qing couldn't catch it.

"Master, look at the left side of that sacrificial plate, isn't there a sword tassel?"

Yin Li's voice interrupted Chu Qing's thoughts. She frowned tightly. How could she see the thing that had fallen to the ground from such a distance?

He spread out his divine sense and probed the location the other party had indicated, but before he could get close, he was bounced back by the barrier.

"Damn it, someone set up a barrier. Yin Li, how did you know?"

“Master, there is my junior sister’s aura on that thing. To ensure her safety, I specially set up a barrier and aura spell on the sword tassel in case I couldn’t track her whereabouts. For some reason, I couldn’t detect her for the past few days, but just now, I felt that familiar aura.”

Yin Li, with a serious expression, told Chu Qing everything in detail.

"Your intuition shouldn't be wrong, so why are Xue Luo's things on the sacrificial plate? Is she here?"

If it wasn't due to an accidental fall, what other reason could prove the existence of the sword tassel?

Suddenly, Chu Qing remembered the talisman she had found in the inner hall yesterday. She quickly took it out and said to Yin Li, "I didn't have time to tell you yesterday, but that night I found the talisman I gave to Xue Luo in front of that evil spirit. It still had her handwriting on it, but no blood."

Blood draws in demonic energy, which is—

Yin Li frowned, having thought of the same thing as Chu Qing: "Could it be related to the dripping of blood into the bowl?"

“I thought about it last night. Now that we’ve found our way here, I think the missing people and the body that was found are very likely related to the demons.”

"The demons have committed countless evils and truly deserve to be torn to pieces." Yin Li gave a cold laugh, lowered his eyes, and peered through the veil to see the other party's reaction.

Hearing this, Chu Qing frowned noncommittally, feeling that there was something wrong with her little disciple. She lifted the cloth that was blocking her vision, looked directly into his eyes, and said seriously, word by word: "Yin Li, whether you are an immortal, a demon, or a human, if you commit many evils, you should be punished."

She paused, then continued, “But the world is so big that most people are blinded by stereotypes, believing that immortals are good and demons are evil, that elders are the rules, and that sects should be righteous and awe-inspiring. But in this world, yin and yang are in harmony, there is good and bad. I hope you can have your own judgment and not follow the crowd or parrot what others say.”

It felt as if a feather had brushed against his chest, a slight itch spreading from his heart to his entire body. Yin Li's pupils constricted instantly. At that moment, he could only hear a sound coming from the depths of his soul.

[Current Affection Level - 50, 51, 52 - Beep beep beep, the character's emotions are fluctuating too much, the system will recalculate!]

Where no one could see, Chu Qing slightly curled the corners of her lips, her eyes filled with understanding and satisfaction.

Of course, one should "value" such a stubborn, immature teenager.

After careful consideration, the male lead's current affection level is: 55.

[Please keep up the good work, host. Once you reach the passing grade, you'll be close to going home.]

The sacrificial ceremony did not last long. As people finished their worship, the previously gathered torrent of people dispersed, and in an instant, the black and white figures above appeared.

"Let's go and meet the monks at the temple."

Chu Qing spoke, pausing deliberately to wait for Yin Li to follow.

The two entered the inner hall, only to see the monk who had been injured the day before. He looked somewhat weak. Why hadn't he been slapped? They should have known better than to run away so quickly last night.

Chu Qing secretly grumbled to herself, but didn't show it on her face. When she saw the monk, she stepped forward excitedly: "Master, we have enough money at home. May I go and kneel down to worship today?"

As she spoke, she took out the silver she had prepared and looked at him with hopeful eyes.

“You are too kind, benefactor. This humble monk will take you there now.”

"Sister" Yin Li grabbed Chu Qing, who wanted to go ahead, looking puzzled and very worried.

"You stay here and wait for me."

She patted Yin Li's hand, indicating that there was no need to worry.

Yes, Chu Qing had already decided during the sacrificial ceremony that only by getting involved herself in this trip to Qingshan Town could she find Ling Xueluo and uncover their demon clan's conspiracy.

Blood attracts demonic energy? Then she'll see whether her blood attracts demonic energy or disperses demons!

[Author's Note]

Yin Li: Master, why do you still care about others!

Chu Qing: Okay, okay, I only care about you.

Author: Finally got around to the romance! I bet Yin Li's going to go completely crazy and obsessive after this arc ends, haha. Hurry up and get to my favorite cliff-falling scene~ It'll be so satisfying to write!