I Failed to Fake My Death After Scumming the Demon Lord [Transmigration] - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Merchant Jia possessed no spiritual energy, which meant the demonic cultivator was someone else. Furthermore, being able to command the Soul-Locking Array so effortlessly meant this demonic cultivator’s cultivation level was, if anything, higher than Qin Gu’s.

What was even more chilling was that this period in the book only detailed Ji Yun being oppressed and humiliated by the original owner. There was absolutely no trace of a demonic cultivator. Could his transmigration have caused the plot line to shift?

It was pointless to regret calling Ji Yun along now. Qin Gu’s expression was grim: He absolutely could not let Ji Yun and the demonic cultivator cross paths!

The surrounding air condensed suddenly with the fluctuation of his emotions, as if a layer of frost had settled.

Qingli whispered to Ji Yun: “The Young Alliance Leader is worthy of being a successor of the Yin-Feng Pavilion; he truly hates demonic cultivators to the core.”

Ji Yun’s dark purple pupils stared at the red-clad back ahead: “Hm?”

Qingli patted his own mouth: “Forgot you only joined the Immortal Sect in recent years, so it’s normal that you wouldn’t know…”

Just as he was about to continue gossiping, a paper crane flapped its wings and flew over, slamming into Qingli’s forehead.

The two had been whispering just now, and Qin Gu had been pretending not to hear, but with such a loud commotion, he could no longer feign ignorance. He turned around immediately and saw Qingli rubbing his forehead while a golden character appeared on the paper crane.

“Return.”

It was even more concise than the last message. In other words, it was even more urgent.

The three of them galloped on horseback. When they reached the entrance of Qingsong Temple, Qin Gu could barely believe his eyes—

An endless crowd of people had surrounded Qingsong Temple, packing it tightly. Several disciples were shouting “Don’t push,” but they were instantly drowned out by the noise. Qingli had no choice but to lead them in through a side gate, sneaking into the temple like thieves.

Entering the main hall, a young man in Daoist robes was sitting in meditation with his eyes closed. Upon hearing them enter, he opened them. His eyes were as empty as if they held nothing.

This was the acting Temple Master of Qingsong Temple, named Qingyu. He was Qingli’s biological brother, and the two shared a seven or eight-part resemblance in their facial features.

The situation was grim, so Qin Gu skipped the pleasantries: “Senior Brother Qingyu, what is going on?”

Qingyu shook his head: “People. Afraid.”

Qin Gu: …

The cultivation world was full of talent, and those with high innate talent often had some quirks; this one before him was clearly a textbook example.

Qingli explained: “My brother means that someone spread the news about the monster’s appearance. The common folk who have prayed to the Lady of Double Happiness are terrified and want Qingsong Temple to provide an explanation… Who has such a big mouth!”

The last sentence clearly wasn’t said by Qingyu. It was no wonder Qingli was irritated. They had originally wanted to resolve the monster incident in secret, but now it seemed their efforts had fallen short at the final hurdle.

“It might not be that one of us spoke too much,” Qin Gu rubbed his brow, “but rather that someone deliberately leaked the information.”

Otherwise, they had just left the Jia mansion, and rumors were flying everywhere. How could there be such a coincidence? It was likely that Merchant Jia realized they were investigating him and had sent people to spread rumors before they returned.

Watching the crowd get closer to the main hall, Qin Gu sighed with melancholy. Qingsong Temple disciples did not dare to use magic on the common folk, and Qingyu, as the acting Temple Master, could not offer any promises. The longer they stood in a stalemate, the greater their disadvantage would become.

He could not delay any longer.

Straightening the robes that had wrinkled while riding, he stepped toward the temple gates. Under Qin Gu’s instruction, several Qingsong Temple disciples bowed to him and retreated to the side. This simple action made the commoners feel as if the immortal sect had removed a barrier, and the line between them was no longer so clear-cut.

Ignoring the gasps of surprise at his ear, Qin Gu folded his hands and bowed deeply to the crowd.

Only then did he speak: “Everyone, I promise you that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. Within three days, I will resolve this matter properly.”

He stuck to his own style, skipping the small talk and not making excuses for the cultivation world. He simply conveyed his promise to everyone present with a gentle yet firm voice.

The high-spirited young man acted with such confidence that it was enough to convince the common folk. But Ji Yun and the others following behind him knew clearly that this matter ran deep and involved a demonic cultivator. Qin Gu’s words were like stepping on a loose stone at the edge of a cliff—he was taking a huge risk.

Occasionally, someone in the crowd would question: “Is your guarantee worth anything?”

Qin Gu’s words were sincere: “I am the Young Alliance Leader of the Immortal Alliance. My every word and action represents the Immortal Alliance. It naturally carries weight.”

The crowd was in an uproar. Although they didn’t know what the Young Alliance Leader of the Immortal Alliance was, they could see that among all the cultivators, Qin Gu was the most outstanding, so they knew he was the leader—he was an official. Once an official said as much, they felt reassured and scattered in twos and threes.

Soon, only a few people remained in front of Qingsong Temple, mostly relatives of those who had gone missing.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Ji Yun looked at Qin Gu, who was gently comforting them. The wind blew the young man’s ink-black hair, which he tucked behind his ear, revealing a small, light-red mole on his earlobe.

Noticing his gaze, Qin Gu turned his head and smiled brightly at him, his lips moving to say silently: Don’t worry.

His breath hitched; Ji Yun looked away calmly, his heart beating violently.

On this side, after Qin Gu finished kindly sending off an old man whose granddaughter had gone missing, the mechanical voice he hadn’t heard in a while sounded in his mind, startling him.

“Detected that the quest success rate has increased by 3%”

[Quest success rate is: 5%]

Caught off guard by this unexpected bit of good news, Qin Gu was perplexed, but he had no heart to dwell on the reason behind it.

After the Earth Soul was suppressed, it was handed over to Qingsong Temple, kept under the watch of the acting Temple Master, Qingyu.

Qin Gu asked: “Senior Brother Qingyu, how is the Earth Soul?”

Qingyu shook his head: “None.”

Qingli dutifully translated: “My brother says the Earth Soul has lost its reason and cannot communicate. He does not know if it is because the three souls have been separated for too long, or for some other reason.”

That they could not communicate was within expectations; Qin Gu was not too disappointed.

“What should we do next?” Everyone else stayed silent. Qingli asked distressingly, “Young Alliance Leader, shall we go investigate the Soul-Locking Array?”

Qin Gu pondered for a moment: “No. If we approach the Soul-Locking Array, we will inevitably alert the demonic cultivator. Before the disappearance cases are completely clarified, we must avoid fighting the demonic cultivator.”

This did not mean he would let the demonic cultivator roam free under his nose, but the key to the case was rescuing the missing commoners.

“But…”

But Merchant Jia was their only lead. Wouldn’t this be cutting off their own path? Qin Gu understood Qingli’s hesitation. He glanced at the sky—it was barely afternoon—and lowered his eyes: “Everyone, let us return to our rooms to rest for a moment.”

After saying this, he cupped his hands in farewell and returned to his room. Ji Yun followed closely behind, leaving only the echo of Qingli’s “Ah?” in the hall.

Qingyu resumed his cross-legged meditation. Before closing his eyes, his typically indifferent eyes revealed a hint of pity: “Young Alliance Leader, the mark, didn’t you find it?”

At night.

Qin Gu sat quietly on his bed, several strands of golden-red spiritual energy coiled around his fingertips like threads.

Suddenly, one of the strands of spiritual energy vibrated violently. Qin Gu opened his eyes, their light as clear as a polished blade, and he walked out the door in a few strides.

The door next to his opened simultaneously, and Ji Yun emerged from the darkness, also looking devoid of fatigue.

Qin Gu stopped in his tracks, waiting for Ji Yun to walk alongside him. Without a word, the two traveled by sword. The houses flew by beneath their feet. Qin Gu followed the fluctuation of the spiritual energy and landed in a secluded alleyway.

As soon as they landed, they heard a shrill, mournful cry: “Daughter! Where are you going? Speak to me!”

They hurried over to see a middle-aged couple clutching a young girl tightly. The girl ignored her parents’ pleas and continued walking forward without looking at anything. She seemed to have immense strength, to the point of almost dragging her parents along as she walked.

Demonic energy swirled around the girl, turning into a pushing force that compelled her forward. By contrast, the golden-red spiritual energy appeared much weaker, but every time the demonic energy tried to invade, it was blocked and kept at bay by the spiritual energy.

This was the true purpose of the mark Qin Gu had left: a wisp of spiritual energy could not stop the monster, but it could buy them precious time.

Looking in the direction of the girl’s hollow eyes, it was exactly the direction of the Lin’an City gates. It appeared that all the missing persons had left the city. No wonder the government could not find a trace of them within the city walls.

Qin Gu withdrew his spiritual energy with two fingers pressed together. Just as the demonic energy tried to take advantage of the opening, Qin Gu quickly raised his hand and tapped the center of the girl’s forehead!

A brilliant golden light flared. The demonic energy was blasted back several meters and fled in a panic. The girl’s legs went limp, and she fell straight to the ground.

Qin Gu entrusted her to the couple, exchanged a glance with Ji Yun, and took off in pursuit of the direction the demonic energy had fled.

The demonic energy burrowed out of the city gate and crashed into a lush bamboo forest. Qin Gu frowned: The Soul-Locking Array was also surrounded by a bamboo forest!

Before them, thick fog rose among the bamboo, and the singing of a woman echoed in their ears, just like history repeating itself. But this time, with their previous experience, neither of them fell for the illusion again, walking step by step into the depths of the fog.

The closer they got, the clearer the woman’s singing became. Identifying it carefully, she was singing:

“Are your eyes so clouded,

That you do not see I am your wedded wife?”

Accompanied by the sorrowful Wu dialect, every word was tear-stained and bloody. Unsurprisingly, the owner of this theatrical voice was Chan Niang. Merchant Jia had indeed lied—Chan Niang’s death was definitely not as simple as an illness!

Qin Gu held his breath and concentrated, hiding his presence entirely. He could feel the demonic energy in the bamboo forest growing stronger, far more terrifying than he had imagined. The demonic energy inside the Lady of Double Happiness statue was only a tiny fraction. This was clearly the monster’s true strength.

Qin Gu swallowed, feeling a dryness in his throat.

Taking a few more steps forward, a sight other than thick white fog finally appeared before them. A graceful figure was sitting on a giant rock, long and sharp nails resting against the neck of a woman. The woman looked terrified, but she was bound by snake-like demonic energy, unable to speak or move.

Opposite them, a man was slumped on his knees, his eyes unfocused, his face filled with hypnotic numbness.

The monster—or rather, Chan Niang—pressed her black nails against the side of the woman’s neck, the sharp tips breaking the skin, blood beads winding their way down.

Chan Niang laughed softly: “Husband, are you willing to trade lives?”

The man, who had lost his consciousness, could only answer by instinct, slowly shaking his head: “Not willing.”

The woman’s eye sockets suddenly turned red, large tears rolled down, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

Chan Niang withdrew her nails from the woman’s neck. While licking the blood from her fingertips, she tilted her head with a smile: “Heartless man, kill.”

As the words fell, several strands of demonic energy rose from the ground, heading straight for the man’s face. Qin Gu’s sword left its sheath simultaneously, waiting only for the demonic energy to get closer before he would cut it down with a single strike.

A cry tore through the air, sounding like a baby’s wail and like a widow’s sobbing.

Qin Gu’s back turned cold. He looked abruptly toward the source of the sound—

A pitch-black crow, staring at them with bright red eyes, flapped its wings a few times, rose from the bamboo branch, and vanished into the fog in an instant.

The fog dissipated in an instant. There was no longer any sign of Chan Niang or the couple.

Sunlight pierced through the bamboo leaves and spilled onto the ground, leaving black holes behind. Yet, when they had left the city, it had only just turned night.

Support