Chapter 19 He harbored some ulterior motives…
After that night, the Immortal Sect returned to peace, and everyone tacitly stopped mentioning the matter. Yao Jin also fell ill because of being caught in the rain.
Meng Ji then took care of her while handling other chores.
Several days passed in this way.
Yao Jin treated the Frostflower Sword as a trophy, hanging it on the wall of the Immaculate Pavilion so that he could see it first thing every morning when he woke up. After seeing it for a long time, Yao Jin began to have some plans.
This time, however, she remained calm and made thorough preparations before taking action.
She observed that Mengji would get up at 5 a.m. every day without fail, and after getting up, he would deal with the trivial matters of the immortal sect for an hour before going out to the school to teach.
After the morning classes, Meng Ji would stay in the school to meditate and cultivate during the afternoon. In the afternoon, he would teach the disciples swordsmanship at Fuyou Cliff until evening before returning to Wugou Pavilion. If he was busy with something late into the night, he would simply rest in the study next door.
Day after day, month after month, this regular life has continued ever since Mengji became the sect leader.
Yao Jin couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. This man was working harder than an ox or a horse, and he wondered what it was all for.
However, this actually makes it easier for her to do things.
At dawn that day, Yao Jin sneaked into Meng Ji's study.
In fact, Meng Ji did not set any rules against Yao Jin entering his study. However, feeling guilty, Yao Jin inevitably looked around nervously after sneaking in.
The study is just a simple two-bedroom apartment, and the main living room can be seen from one end to the other at a glance.
There was a couch, a wardrobe, a workbench, and a futon for kneeling; there were no other furnishings.
Yao Jin pursed his lips and muttered something about how boring it was.
But once inside, he couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, how come there are so many books!"
It wasn't that Yao Jin was naive; it was just that the inner chamber was truly astonishing. All four walls had been hollowed out, and rows of shelves were filled with neatly arranged scrolls.
Yao Jin made a rough count and found that he couldn't count them all.
She leaned against the shelf and slumped down for a moment, feeling a bit dizzy. Her habit of getting dizzy at the sight of books and being afraid of words immediately came out.
I used to think a day would be enough, but now it seems like it will take several days.
On the first day, she barely made it to the evening.
The next day, she only lasted until noon.
On the third day, Yao Jin arrived with a jar of candied fruit.
She realized she had overestimated herself. Although the books were neatly arranged and categorized, there were just too many of them. It took her almost two days to see only half of the first wall.
It's still only a small portion.
That day, Yao Jin came over and took a nap. After waking up, she threw a tantrum by herself.
After calming herself down, she ate candied fruit while flipping through the book. After finishing one volume, she didn't put it back immediately, but instead pulled out another volume to continue reading.
It wasn't until most of the seventh row of shelves was removed that the Tai Chi diagram on the inner wall was revealed.
"Huh?" Yao Jin was stunned for a moment, and as if his hand had come to life, it slowly touched the Tai Chi diagram.
With a click, the shelf slowly moved to both sides.
A dark, oppressive room came into view, its darkness evoking images of gloom and coldness.
Yao Jin's drowsy mind instantly cleared, but she was excited.
She knew she was somewhat different from ordinary people; the darker and more gloomy the things, the more excited she became.
She even felt that she should have been born in that place.
Coexisting with darkness.
But how could someone as upright as Meng Ji have such a dark room?
But everyone has two sides; perhaps the more upright someone appears on the surface, the more perverse they are inside?
Yao Jin became increasingly excited and, like a fish, quietly slipped inside.
But once inside, she was disappointed.
There was nothing shameful about this place, just a prayer mat inside. However, there was a handcuff on each side of the mat, which was rather eerie.
Yao Jin touched the two handcuffs, squinting as he pondered.
Is it because you can't enter a meditative state and are locking yourself in?
She was quickly convinced by this compelling reason.
There's no other reason than that entering a meditative state is very difficult, as Yao Jin knows.
The disciples of Buzhou Mountain devised a variety of methods to calm their minds before entering meditation—some asked a cultivator stronger than themselves to set up a barrier within a small space, preventing them from leaving and thus forcing them into meditation.
There is also a method of hanging a rope above the meditation cushion to suspend oneself so that one cannot move.
There is even a method of placing a sharp knife outside the meditation cushion, so that if one cannot enter a meditative state, the sharp knife will extend and stab oneself.
In short, it's all over the place, and quite bizarre.
However, Yao Jin was somewhat surprised that even a young Taoist priest would use this method.
However, she was not surprised for long before her gaze fixed on a portrait in front of the prayer mat, and her pupils suddenly contracted.
The room was dark and the paper was so thin it was almost invisible to her.
But now that they've seen it, a cold sweat immediately rises behind Yao Jin's back.
The painting depicted a man and a woman. The man was tall and handsome, and appeared to be a formidable fighter. However, Yao Jin's gaze was drawn to the woman, who was extremely beautiful. She had thick, curly hair that reached her ankles, and she held a thin whip in her hand, poised to unleash her power in battle.
But her fingernails were incredibly long and black, and she had two spiral-shaped horns on her head.
This painting is so lifelike that one can sense its undercurrent of eeriness at a glance.
Her palms immediately itched, but she had no interest in looking at it. She rushed forward, unable to resist the urge to tear the painting apart. "This isn't me! This definitely isn't me!"
She couldn't accept it for a moment; how could a perfectly normal person turn into a demon?
“They must look exactly alike. That’s right. In this vast world, it’s not strange for two people to look alike.” Yao Jin’s hand rested on the scroll, but looking at the identical faces, he ultimately refrained from tearing it.
Those long fingernails that would occasionally grow wildly, the images in her dreams, and the snake patterns kept flashing through her mind.
Snake pattern...
Yes, snakeskin!
Little Daojun also had snake patterns on his chest!
Yao Jin suddenly recalled the scene she had seen by the bathing pool, and her thoughts became heavy.
She was thinking.
But suddenly, bang!
The only light source in the sealed room was cut off.
Yao Jin suddenly turned around and found that everything in front of him was pitch black.
Oh no, the door to the secret room has been closed.
Yao Jin immediately panicked. She had entered at Shen Shi (3-5 PM), and even without counting the time she was delayed, there was only an hour and a half left.
She dared not imagine what would happen if Meng Ji discovered she was in the secret room...
She had read the books in the study these past few days. Apart from some books that were full of classical Chinese sayings and profound truths, and some strange tales, the rest were books on how to slay demons and monsters.
Meng Ji despises demons so much, if he were to discover this...
Yao Jin subconsciously felt that there was something she hadn't thought of, but fear took over her mind and she couldn't think about it in detail for a while.
She frowned, silently walked to the door of the secret room, clenched her fist, and was about to smash the door.
But suddenly, the outstretched hand stopped.
She withdrew her hand, slowly sat down by the door, looking utterly despondent. "Fine, I might as well die."
The man shaking the gold wasn't in a hurry, but the little one was frantic—[Quick, get out of there before that person returns!]
Hurry, hurry, hurry!
Yao Jin looked at the messy handwriting caused by his outburst and a smile appeared on his lips.
She just frowned and gave an impatient snort, "How am I supposed to escape? You tell me, how am I supposed to get out?"
She can't come up with a solution all by herself; she won't do it.
The little character was furious at this rascal's appearance. It was her; how could it not know how unruly the boy was?
Yao Jin suddenly remembered something and straightened up. "Hey, Xiao Zi, do you still stand by your promise to give me a reward?"
Xiao Zi was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and didn't react immediately.
“I did as you said and hit Xiao Daojun, so you should reward me,” Yao Jin kindly reminded it. “But the reward has to be something I’m hoping for, that’s what counts as a reward.”
"Alright then, I won't make things difficult for you, and I don't need any memory fragments. Just open this secret room quickly."
This can be considered completing the task?! It would have been better if it hadn't been mentioned, because the mere mention of it made me so angry that I almost jumped out of my skin.
The words, written in a blood-red guise, suddenly appeared—【You! Are! Dreaming!】
Yao Jin ignored its anger and coldly leaned back, saying, "Then let's die together."
For a time, neither side would back down.
Suddenly, a soft creaking sound came from outside the secret room.
The study door opened.
The secret passage to the Golden Cave is dangerous; I held my breath and pressed my ear close to it.
*
Back indoors, Meng Ji glanced around the room and paused for a moment. Then he walked to the closet, and with a calm expression, picked out one of the dozen or so identical nightgowns to change into.
A thick, pungent smell of blood wafted out.
Instantly, the air was filled with this fishy, sticky, and astringent smell that couldn't be pushed away.
Anyone who has been injured knows that if torn skin is reopened, it should be left exposed to the air to allow it to scab over.
Meng Ji put on the mid-lane shirt without any expression, completely ignoring the wounds on his body.
After putting on his inner garment, he picked out a white casual outfit from the closet. The long robe draped over his body, and he made very little noise.
Yet rustling sounds still reached the secret room.
Yao Jin suddenly felt that her hearing had become exceptionally good, as had her five senses. She shook her head, trying not to think about these unusual things.
Only amidst the pounding of my heart, I can imagine the scene inside the study from afar.
Suddenly a familiar voice rang out, "Immortal Lord, your body..."
As soon as Liu Xiaoshun entered the room, he saw the Immortal Lord's clothes not yet closed, and the scales that were clearly visible on his scarred chest.
Liu Xiaoshun was utterly horrified and immediately knelt down. "Immortal Lord, when did these demonic scales appear? Is it impossible for you to eradicate them?"
Ever since the Immortal Lord returned from the Demon Realm, he had a wound on his chest, which, after healing, turned into demonic scales.
But only demons have demon scales!
This matter is too bizarre. If people were to discover that a righteous immortal lord possesses something that only demons can have, the consequences would be...
"It's alright." Meng Ji glanced at it only, then quickly pulled up the collar of his casual clothes, tucking it below his Adam's apple. "You won't be able to tell once he's dressed."
This isn't a matter of whether you can see it or not! Liu Xiaoshun was baffled, feeling that the two of them weren't focusing on the same thing. But then, those scales flashed through his mind again, and he felt that there were more of them than before.
Meng Ji remained silent, calmly fastening the sash as if he didn't care at all.
Even with such a simple movement, the wound reopened a little.
Liu Xiaoshun immediately became anxious, "Immortal Lord, your injuries have not healed since Xu Jinan whipped you! Now you've encountered the heavenly punishment of the Demon-Slaying Platform... This can't go on."
"It's just flesh and blood, nothing more than a beautiful skeleton." Meng Ji chuckled lightly, but inadvertently remembered that his wife loved beautiful women the most. "I understand. I will go find Chu Fengliu after this matter is settled."
Liu Xiaoshun was relieved that he had finally persuaded the Immortal Lord, and then continued the report he hadn't finished last time, "Immortal Lord, Madam hasn't remembered anything."
From the day Yao Jin appeared on Buzhou Mountain, Meng Ji had Liu Xiaoshun search for information about people from another world.
However, there was very little information about people from another world. Liu Xiaoshun searched for a long time, and during that time he was worried that the Immortal Lord would ask about this matter. But after that day, the Immortal Lord seemed to have forgotten about this matter and never mentioned it again.
While the Immortal Lord may have forgotten, Liu Xiaoshun dared not forget. He took out some papers from his pocket, on which he recorded his deductions and the materials used to support them, as evidence.
“According to our ancestors, those from other worlds are outsiders,” Liu Xiaoshun said slowly. “Elder Mu’s wife came from another world. It is said that she was a soul transmigrated and occupied the body of her original body.”
"It's just that Madam Mu transmigrated into that body when she was a child, and she didn't know about it. Also, neither of their souls were strong, so Elder Mu was able to keep it a secret all this time."
"Later, Elder Mu would regularly go to King Chu to ask for medicine to stabilize his soul, which allowed his soul to remain for hundreds of years."
“There’s no need to look for Madam Mu anymore.” Meng Ji casually placed the paper on the table and then picked up the book on the desk to read.
Liu Xiaoshun was suddenly interrupted, but his brain was racing because of the Immortal Lord's words.
As an excellent subordinate, he certainly couldn't ask the immortal lord questions like "why," so he kept frantically trying to think of the reasons.
Could it be that the immortal lord thinks he's too slow? Or is the information he found wrong?
Feeling uneasy, he couldn't help but look up, only to see the immortal lord quietly reading a book.
Nowadays, most books are engraved on bamboo slips to prevent insects and dampness, so the booklet made of bamboo slips seems a bit out of place.
But it can't be considered particularly abrupt, after all, paper is lightweight and it's not surprising that it can be cut into books.
Even so, Liu Xiaoshun still felt a little curious.
Just then, Meng Ji was turning a page, the book in his hand slightly lifting off the table.
Liu Xiaoshun stared intently at the words on the book cover, and his lips twitched.
The title, "Ordinary Man Dong Yong," was prominently displayed on the book cover in bold black letters.
Isn't this just a storybook from the mortal world?
Liu Xiaoshun was shocked. He never imagined that such an ethereal and otherworldly immortal would be reading such a book during such a serious meeting!
Meng Ji quickly skimmed through the storybook, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "You mean..."
Liu Xiaoshun was immediately filled with anticipation; he knew the Immortal Lord wasn't that kind of person!
The Immortal Lord must be thinking about something serious!
That must have been taken by accident, just picked up randomly.
Liu Xiaoshun kowtowed deeply, "Immortal Lord, please ask."
"What if Madam is not a fairy, and doesn't have colorful clothes?"
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