13 Misfortunes
The fish has taken the bait.
After more than ten days of recuperation, Du Zhijin's injuries have almost healed.
The speed of recovery was truly astonishing. Ying Jianhua carefully examined the wound and confirmed that, apart from the scar on her chest not being fully healed, the other injuries were no longer a problem.
"Does that mean I can leave after resting for another day or two?" she asked.
As Ying Jianhua tidied up the medicine bottles, she casually hummed in agreement, adding a sarcastic remark: "You can stay and be my apprentice if you want."
"Really? Will Dr. Ying give me a monthly allowance? How much will it be?"
He froze, unsure whether she was serious or joking. If she was joking, she wouldn't be so mischievous. If she was serious...
Seeing his furrowed brows and thoughtful expression, Du Zhijin couldn't help but chuckle: "Doctor Ying is penniless. If I stay, I'm afraid I'll eat you out of house and home."
Upon hearing this, Ying Jianhua immediately concluded that she had deliberately tricked him with her words, and her tone was full of helplessness: "I told you not to learn these useless things from Honghua."
I don't understand how the two of them, one big and one small, got along so well. Honghua imitates her, carrying a wooden sword all day and making the village children call her "Heroine Swallow"; while she, on the other hand, learns "the ways of the martial arts world" from Honghua every day, unaware that the farthest place Honghua has ever been in the martial arts world is the little stream in the village.
Speaking of safflower, Du Zhijin seemed to have mentioned that he would teach the little girl his martial arts before he left. Ying Jianhua's two bamboo baskets were full of yesterday's spoils, and he asked her if she wanted to go to the city together.
Du Zhijin hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided not to go.
"I'm not going. I made plans with Honghua. Can you carry all this stuff? Or should I take you to the city gate?"
Ying Jianhua sighed and declined her suggestion: "I'll take Uncle Zhao's car."
"Okay, have a safe trip."
Hearing the sound of a door closing behind her, Ying Jianhua took a deep breath and walked towards the village entrance.
There was no oxcart belonging to Uncle Zhao at the village entrance, and he didn't take the main road leading to the city, but instead embarked on a small path.
As he approached the city gate of Jinxi, he stopped and took out a pure black robe from a bamboo basket. The moment the robe was put on, Ying Jianhua's entire demeanor changed abruptly; not only did his figure shrink, but his face also became unremarkable.
He carried two bamboo baskets to Yuan's pawnshop and said in a rough, hoarse voice, "Open the door."
The tightly closed doors of Yuan's Pawnshop swung open quickly from the inside. The shopkeeper, seeing him, excitedly rushed forward: "Dr. Mo, you've finally arrived! Quickly, quickly, please come in, our distinguished guest!"
He glanced at the slowly closing door behind him and sneered inwardly.
The fish has taken the bait.
————
Du Zhijin's act of playing house with Honghua was not a spur-of-the-moment prank. From their first meeting, she could tell that Honghua possessed spiritual roots.
She wasn't an exceptionally talented individual; like her before, her aptitude was only slightly better than average. However, because she grew up in the "clean" mountains, Honghua possessed a pure and kind heart, and the most important thing in cultivation is one's character.
Countless brilliant young geniuses have gone astray, and countless masters who have achieved greatness over centuries have been destroyed by their inner demons.
Talent is the stepping stone to the path of enlightenment, but character is the key to attaining it. Du Zhijin was not a very good master, so she did not intend to help Honghua achieve instant success.
She just wanted her to have the ability to protect herself, or even more importantly, the ability to protect her family.
Wuling Village is too "clean," which is both a good thing and a bad thing. There are two main reasons for its "cleanliness": first, there's a powerful formation set up here, preventing any evil spirits from entering; second, there's the aura of a great demon, keeping other demons away.
Her ability to lure the Flame Demon to Tiger's Den and kill it indicates that it was not the former.
If it's the latter... she's certain that there isn't a single living monster in Wuling Village.
Therefore, there once lived a powerful demon here, so powerful that even after its death, its lingering influence could still intimidate people for years.
Once this aura dissipates, the surrounding demons will swarm in, coveting the remains of the great demon. If she or the other cultivators fail to arrive in time, Wuling Village will likely face annihilation.
Du Zhijin couldn't stay in Wuling Village forever waiting for the demons to appear. Even if she destroyed one Flame Demon, there were still thousands upon thousands of Flame Demons in the world. Her master told her to keep moving forward, so she couldn't stop.
If Honghua could stand on her own, perhaps things would turn around. Honghua didn't understand Du Zhijin's thoughts; she only knew that Sister Mu was unusually strict today. Her palms were red from being rubbed raw, but Sister Mu still had a furrowed brow.
But she was a very strong-willed person, and she gritted her teeth and endured the hardship and exhaustion. It was only when Du Zhijin noticed that her palms were bleeding that he hurriedly called for a halt.
She took the wound medicine that Yingjian had kept in the room and applied it to Honghua little by little. Honghua's eyes were red, but she stubbornly refused to cry out.
The girl sat on a chair, and Du Zhijin squatted down to be at eye level with her, asking, "Honghua, do you want to cultivate?"
Honghua was stunned, forgetting even to wipe away her tears: "What is spiritual practice?"
She pondered for a moment and explained, "Cultivation is about subduing demons and eliminating evil, upholding righteousness and rejecting wickedness."
"Will I die if I exorcise demons?" Honghua asked timidly, biting her finger.
She was just a seven-year-old child, and even if she was "bully" in the village, she was still just a child.
Du Zhijin would not force her to do things she didn't like.
So she didn't shy away from it and frankly admitted, "Yes."
"You know, when I was first picked up by Doctor Ying, I was covered in blood, and your father even mistook me for a female ghost."
Honghua nodded, then shook her head: "Sister isn't a ghost. Ghosts don't have shadows."
Du Zhijin smiled.
This is what she taught her; I didn't expect her to remember it so well. Perhaps Honghua's talent far surpasses hers back then.
“Yes, you must remember what a ghost is and what a demon is.” She spoke slowly. “There are many demons in this world. They can disguise themselves as humans, but they are ultimately not human. As long as you observe carefully, they will definitely give themselves away.”
Red Flower shouted, "Horns, whiskers, tail, and ears!"
"So clever." Du Zhijin looked at her approvingly, and waved his hand in front of her eyes, causing a layer of white mist to adhere to Honghua's eyes.
As she led her outside, she pointed around and explained, "The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is based on the five elements, and there are also two other energies: yin and yang. Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth; white, blue, black, red, and yellow. Yin is purple, and yang is green. Everything you see in the world now is composed of these elements."
Upon hearing this, Honghua immediately looked around excitedly, exclaiming in amazement: "The grass is green, the well is black, and there are so many colors in the sky... Wow, sister, you are so amazing! I want to cultivate with you!"
Du Zhijin gently stroked her fluffy hair with his palm and shook his head with a sigh: "Silly idea, this alone is not enough."
Honghua was confused. Just a moment ago, she had asked her if she wanted to cultivate, so why was her sister going back on her word now that she had agreed?
"Then I'll go ask Mom and Dad! If they both agree, you can't go back on your word, sister! We've got a deal!" With that, she skipped and hopped into her yard, shouting, "Dad—Mom—I want... Ah! Dad! What happened to your leg?!"
The cheers abruptly stopped. Du Zhijin's expression hardened, and he walked a few steps into the Huang family's courtyard, instantly understanding why Honghua had screamed.
A giant black python was wrapped around Uncle Huang's right leg.
Upon closer inspection, the giant python was not a real object, but rather formed by a cloud of black mist.
"Demon." She mouthed to Honghua, who immediately understood and pushed her father toward the painter.
Uncle Huang was startled by his daughter's scream. When he came to his senses, he scolded her, "What are you yelling about, girl? Your old man's legs have always been like this, haven't they?"
Honghua wanted to say no, but considering that her father knew nothing, she could only sigh in the end.
Uncle Huang couldn't understand his daughter's behavior, so he could only pin his hopes on Du Zhijin: "Miss Mu, what did my girl say to you?"
Du Zhijin quickly added, "Honghua means that Doctor Ying has found a way to cure the leg."
"Really? My leg has been useless for ten years, and now there's a cure?!" Upon hearing there was a way to cure his leg, Uncle Huang was so excited he almost jumped up. Honghua grabbed her restless father, hands on her hips, and said, "Quiet down!"
Honghua inherited her mother's personality; at home, she was always the eldest daughter-in-law, and Huang's mother was the second eldest. Huang's father had no choice but to listen to his daughter and shut up.
The three entered the house. Uncle Huang hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "Doctor Ying isn't home either?"
Du Zhijin and Honghua exchanged a glance. Honghua pointed out the window and said, "Mother's back!" Uncle Huang immediately turned to look. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Du Zhijin chopped down with his hand. With a "smack," Uncle Huang fainted.
Seeing this, Honghua looked at her with eyes full of admiration, her face saying, "Teach me, teach me!"
Du Zhijin smiled and pulled out Zuilan in front of her, thinking to himself.
I wanted to give Honghualu a taste of her own medicine but failed. At least I've found an opportunity for her now.
"Wow—" She retrieved something from thin air, and it was a magnificent longsword. Honghua was completely captivated by her.
Du Zhijin gestured to her, signaling her to calm down. She immediately covered her mouth with both hands, indicating that she wouldn't say a word.
Once the surroundings quieted down, Du Zhijin held his breath and thrust his sword forward with great force. The black python, which had been trying to escape, had its scales torn open by the sword light, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
The black mist dissipated, and the monster was reduced to dust.
Honghua could no longer contain her astonishment and excitedly tugged at her sister's sleeve: "Sister, you're so amazing... You're even more amazing than Constable Lu, no, you're even more amazing than the general, the hero, and the martial arts champion! Sister, sister, can I imitate what you just did?"
Du Zhijin gently rubbed her face and said softly, "Of course, and you're much better than me. You saw through the monster's disguise at a glance, but I only realized it today."
Uncle Huang's leg ailment was also a source of great distress for Ying Jianhua. For many years, no matter what medicine Ying Jianhua prescribed, his leg showed no improvement whatsoever. But it turned out that his leg ailment was not something that could be cured by medicine, but rather the work of demons.
However, this demon had only recently taken shape. Previously, it had only swirled in the form of black mist, with negligible demonic power. It had only recently cultivated its true form, but unexpectedly, it was immediately exposed by Honghua.
While she felt relieved, a sense of unease rose in her heart.
Why did the monster take shape at this time? Does this mean... the remaining power of the great demon that originally protected Wuling Village is about to fail?
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