26 Encountering a Demon
She never hesitated to let her opponents know her name.
While Jinxi City was still shrouded in the shadow of the death of Prince Chengduan, the news was merely a topic of conversation among the people in other prefectures and counties.
In a world overrun by demons, not even a minor prince, let alone the emperor on the throne, could escape death. Therefore, what storytellers loved to tell, and what tea drinkers loved to hear, were not tales of talented scholars and beautiful women, or romantic stories, but rather tales of cultivators vanquishing demons and punishing evil.
"Continuing from where we left off! Master Chen, having finally won his beloved's heart, entered his mansion in a small sedan chair. It was the height of their wedding banquet, and during their bridal chamber, the veil was lifted! And guess what? The beauty turned to dust, the lovely bride became a ghost! Master Chen was instantly terrified. At the critical moment, a swordsman burst through the window, shouting—"
As the audience listened intently, they shouted excitedly, "It must be the immortal from Dengxian Mountain who has arrived!" "Tell us quickly, tell us how the immortal fought that demon for forty rounds!"
Inside the private room on the second floor, Ying Jianhua withdrew her gaze and turned to the person beside her.
He was also curious about what tricks the immortal from Dengxian Mountain would use.
Then he saw—
"This walnut is too hard. No way, I must crack it open today."
In a flash, the longsword was drawn, and the walnut was split in two.
Du Zhijin sheathed his sword with satisfaction, picked out the walnut kernels and put them in the bowl. Noticing that he was being watched, his fingers trembled slightly and he turned the bowl around, looking very reluctant.
Ying Jianhua shook his head, meaning he didn't need it, so Du Zhijin was able to enjoy this stubborn delicacy by himself.
The teahouse faces the street, and by opening the window, one can see the crowds coming and going below. Unlike Jinxi City, this place is more prosperous in commerce and bustling with people from all over the world.
He stopped dwelling on "the swordsmanship of the immortal of Mount Dengxian" and instead asked about something else: "Where are we going?"
They had been away from Jinxi City for ten days, traveling day and night for the past ten days, and only arrived here last night after leaving Yizhou.
Du Zhijin was still eating walnuts, his cheeks puffing out, which reminded him of a certain kind of fish that would inflate when it was caught.
He pushed a cup of tea over to her, and she finished it with the water before she had a chance to answer: "It is said that there is a great demon ten miles from here, and I have decided to go there to take a look."
"Okay." Seeing that she liked walnuts, he thoughtfully picked out two and started peeling them. Ying Jianhua was very skilled at picking walnuts and opening them; she could easily remove the kernels intact without using brute force.
"Eat more if you like it."
A plate of peeled walnuts was pushed over by slender fingers and presented on a white porcelain plate, making one's mouth water.
Du Zhijin didn't look at the disc, but stared intently at him.
Ying Jianhua responded with a polite but puzzled smile.
Something's not right, something's very wrong, she thought.
He handed her water, a handkerchief, cracked walnuts, and asked if she was hungry or tired... things like that. Since leaving Jinxi City, Doctor Ying had become a different person. He was considerate in everything he did, and even when she accidentally hurt herself, he didn't scold her but instead gently bandaged her wound.
But it wasn't like this back in Wuling Village! Although the gentle and kind Amo is great now, she misses the Doctor Ying who used to glare at her from time to time.
When you have something on your mind, even walnuts don't taste good. She tried to comfort herself: "Ahem, Mo, if... I mean if, this hasn't happened yet, we absolutely can't take it seriously!"
Ying Jianhua picked up another walnut and was peeling it when she heard her say something rather hesitant: "Hmm, you say it."
She hesitated for a long time, but because she cared so much, she finally spoke: "If I were seriously injured now, probably in a similar state to when you first met me, my body shattered and almost beyond repair. You took me back, went through countless hardships, and barely managed to save my life. Now that I can finally get up and walk, the first thing I do is go to the river to catch fish. What would you do?"
Upon hearing this, he frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then smiled and replied, "It's my fault for not clarifying the pros and cons beforehand. I advise you not to do such things again and to focus on recovering."
"So subtle?" Du Zhijin grew bolder and continued to ask, "Then, what if I not only go down to the river to catch fish, but also follow Honghua everywhere and don't go home even on rainy days?"
He smiled and said, "I'll bring you back with Aunt Huang, and we'll also prepare ginger soup and mugwort to ward off the cold."
Du Zhijin's eyes lit up, missing the corners of his lips that were gradually drooping: "If I go up the mountain to retrieve Zuilan the next day, you... Ah, Amo, what's wrong with you?"
He actually crushed walnuts with his bare hands?!
Ying Jianhua casually brushed the crumbs from her palm, placed the walnut kernels in her bowl, and smiled as brightly as a spring flower. But her words sent a chill down one's spine: "Hmm? What did you just say?"
Du Zhijin opened his mouth, but swallowed the rest of his words back, and silently took a few steps back while holding the two swords: "N-nothing."
It's confirmed, Dr. Ying is still the same Dr. Ying.
In fact, Ying Jianhua did try to restrain himself. After all, his life and fortune depended on her alone. If he didn't please her, who else would he please?
But he soon discovered that Du Zhijin didn't care about his attitude towards her at all. Or to put it another way, in her heart, he was the one who was being taken care of.
Whether he is rude or gentle, it will not change her attitude.
What to eat and where to stay are always his priority, as if the title of "lifesaver" is forever shining on his head.
But he didn't believe it. He couldn't believe that anyone in this world could keep their promise and give without reservation. The more open and at ease she was, the more uneasy he became.
How could anyone be kind to him?
"Ah, the story downstairs is over. I'm going to pay the bill."
Gazing at that receding figure, Ying Jianhua thought to herself.
He must find a new place to stay before she gets tired of him.
————
The demon was skilled at operating at night, so Du Zhijin waited until sunset before taking out his sword and going out.
She left Xingyue behind and instructed Ying Jianhua to pretend she didn't hear anything, no matter what sound she heard: "It is said that this monster can imitate the voice of a close person to lure you into opening the door. With Xingyue by your side, as long as you don't go out, it can't do anything to you."
He nodded to indicate that he understood, and before leaving, he called out to her again, "Wait."
Du Zhijin stopped in his tracks, watched as he took out a bamboo hat, and lowered his head accordingly.
This made Ying Jianhua pause in his movements.
He only wanted to give her the straw hat, he didn't say he would put it on for her... He pursed his lips, ignoring the warmth rising behind his ear, and stiffly put the straw hat on her.
When I first met her, her hair was frizzy and messy, like a wild monkey in the mountains. Now it is much smoother and has a beeswax-like sheen.
He suddenly remembered that they had been using the same soapberry tea cake these past few days, so even the smell of their hair was exactly the same.
"It might rain tonight..."
Perhaps finding it novel, Du Zhijin shook his head curiously after putting on the bamboo hat, then smiled with a hint of pride: "It's just raining, I know the water-avoidance spell."
The temperature behind her ears suddenly turned cold. He glanced at her sideways and held out his hand: "Give me back my straw hat."
He was just being delusional.
Du Zhijin's upturned smile froze. Clutching the rope around her neck, she said rapidly, "What's given away can't be taken back... It's getting late, I'm leaving now! Amo, remember, whatever you do, don't open the door!"
After saying that, he turned and left, his figure disappearing into the darkening sky.
————
As far as Du Zhijin knew, this demon was skilled at imitating human voices and creating illusions, and was known as the Illusion Demon.
Rumor has it that the Phantom Demon specifically targets lone travelers walking alone at night. It mimics the tone of a close person to lure them into turning around. Each time someone turns around, their soul fire is extinguished by one point, until the soul fire is completely extinguished after three turns.
But that's not the case. In fact, the magic begins to take effect the moment the phantom's voice enters a person's ear.
Zhang Shan is an ordinary street vendor. He usually packs up and goes home before dark, but business was bad today. He walked two more streets to sell his goods, so he got home later than usual.
He lived in the countryside outside the city, a half-hour walk along the main road. But fearing his family would worry, he inexplicably hopped onto a secluded country path, carrying his empty carrying pole. At first, Zhang Shan didn't notice anything unusual, but as he walked, a mist quietly rose around him, and he heard his wife's voice behind him.
"Shan Lang."
He turned around in surprise: "Wife? Why aren't you at home...?" But before he could finish speaking, Zhang Shan suddenly remembered the rumors he had heard today, and his blood ran cold.
A chilling wind blew, like an icy hand brushing against his neck, instantly immobilizing him: "Hehehehe... Mountain boy, I was worried about you, so I came out to meet you... Aren't you happy? Why don't you turn around and look at me?"
Zhang Shan kept his head bowed, gripping the carrying pole tightly with both hands. Legend has it that a person will only die if they look back three times; he had only looked back once. As long as he didn't look back again, he would be fine!
His thoughts were in complete disarray. A cold wind swirled around his ears, causing goosebumps to rise all over his body. His head felt as if it were being forcibly twisted backward by two hands, and he could even clearly hear the cracking sounds of his cervical vertebrae dislocating.
"ah!!"
A flash of sword light, like a shooting star, streaked past, followed by a sudden scream that startled several crows into flight. Zhang Shan clutched his neck and fell to the ground, staring in terror at the person who had suddenly appeared before him.
Holding a long sword and wearing a bamboo hat that obscured his face, he felt a strange sense of peace.
He must be an immortal from Dengxian Mountain!
The scream didn't come from Zhang Shan, but from the unknown monster. Without Du Zhijin needing to say anything, Zhang Shan very consciously picked up his carrying pole and ran off, determined not to stay and hold them back.
Seeing that he had run far away, Du Zhijin withdrew his gaze and focused on dealing with the illusionary demon in front of him.
She could tell that this demon's cultivation level wasn't high, but he was surprisingly clever and knew how to create momentum for himself.
The claim of "turning back three times" is a lie; the illusion of sound is the truth. As long as you hear its voice, you will fall into the trap.
"Who are you? Why are you ruining my plans!"
The phantom demon roared in anger, and half of its body was sliced off in the darkness.
Du Zhijin stepped forward with his sword drawn. The sword, Zui Lan, glowed eerily in the dark night, ready to be drawn and drink blood at any moment.
"Dengxian Mountain, Du Zhijin".
She never hesitated to let her opponents know her name.
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