My Master’s Daoist Heart is Unstable - Chapter 5

“Something feels off. Stay alert,” Li Shangyuan warned, glancing down at Dian Chao.

“Worry about yourself,” Dian Chao retorted instantly. “With your pathetic cultivation level, you’ll probably be the first one to get into trouble.”

The sight of Li Shangyuan’s Martial Uncle-like demeanor always made Dian Chao’s skin crawl.

Before Li Shangyuan could respond, two cultivators materialized from the mist ahead, steadily approaching them.

The surrounding mortals instinctively bowed their heads in a display of practiced deference.

The two cultivators only truly saw Li Shangyuan and Dian Chao once they were right in front of them.

The one on the left wore plain, light-blue robes. His tall, upright posture suggested a calm and composed nature. The other wore a pale-gold brocade robe and stood half a head shorter than his companion. His arrogant expression made it clear he wasn’t someone easy to get along with.

“Welcome to Zhuxian Town, fellow cultivators.”

Li Shangyuan and Dian Chao sat at the main table in a private inn room as dishes were brought out in a continuous stream.

As their hosts, the two cultivators eagerly urged them to eat when they noticed Li Shangyuan and his companion hadn’t yet picked up their chopsticks.

“Please, try some. Even though it’s prepared by mortals, the taste is still quite acceptable,” the slightly plump cultivator on the right said, smiling as he served them. The other man looked just as cheerful and welcoming, making no attempt to ask Li Shangyuan and his companion about their origins.

“Thank you, but my… junior brother and I have already achieved Bigu,” Li Shangyuan replied, politely declining with a slight lift of his sleeve.

The two of them had previously agreed to refer to each other as senior and junior brothers while traveling.

The hosts showed their understanding. The tall, thin cultivator sighed self-deprecatingly, “Your discipline is truly remarkable. We, on the other hand, have always been too fond of our appetites. No wonder our cultivation has stalled.”

The plump cultivator rose and filled their cups with spiritual tea. “How about you try this spiritual tea, then? It won’t interfere with your cultivation.”

Dian Chao glanced down but didn’t give them any face. The truth was, he was simply very particular about what he put in his mouth.

Li Shangyuan thanked them but merely held the teacup, tracing its rim without taking a sip.

Dian Chao’s patience was wearing thin. He was done with the pleasantries and was about to ask directly about the demons’ whereabouts when Li Shangyuan’s voice transmission interrupted him.

“Don’t be hasty. Let’s wait a moment.”

Dian Chao silently rolled his eyes. What a piece of work, he thought, but held his tongue.

Seeing Dian Chao’s unapproachable expression, the two cultivators turned to Li Shangyuan instead. After a moment’s hesitation, the Fat Cultivator finally spoke, “May I ask what brings you two to such a remote place?”

Li Shangyuan offered a gentle explanation. “To be honest, we were just passing through and hoped to find a place to rest and recover.”

The Fat Cultivator nodded as if he’d suddenly understood. But then he and his companion exchanged a glance, and he sighed with a wry smile. “We’d welcome you with open arms, of course, but… Sigh.” He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

“But what?” Dian Chao pressed.

The Tall and Thin Cultivator took over, his voice lowering. “It’s just that our town isn’t exactly peaceful these days.” He glanced around warily as he spoke.

Dian Chao raised an eyebrow. “What a coincidence. We’re actually here on a Mortal World Trial.”

The Tall and Thin Cultivator’s eyes lit up. “Then you must be exceptionally skilled, and surely you have many magical artifacts, right?”

“Hey, Second Brother, look at these two,” the Fat Cultivator said, his eyes sweeping over them. “With their handsome features and extraordinary bearing, they must be disciples from a major Sect. Their skills are bound to be top-notch.” He raised a thumb in a gesture of admiration.

Li Shangyuan quickly waved it off. “Not at all, not at all. We’re just from a minor Sect.” He then steered the conversation back. “What kind of demons are they? You two couldn’t subdue them even by working together?”

The two cultivators sighed and shook their heads, their expressions darkening. The Tall and Thin Cultivator finally spoke. “A White Feather Chicken and a Weasel.”

Li Shangyuan’s thin lips parted slightly in surprise. The descriptions match the two demons that kidnapped me, but a chicken and a weasel?

“Heh, how amusing,” Dian Chao remarked, fiddling with the golden bell at his waist, which had already been suppressed. “A Weasel paying its New Year’s respects to a Chicken. Who would’ve thought those two demons would end up together?”

Li Shangyuan’s bright eyes flickered, but he didn’t fully believe them. He lifted his teacup and asked slowly, “How exactly have these two demons been terrorizing this town?”

“They specialize in manipulating the mind,” the Tall and Thin Cultivator said, his voice dropping to a cautious whisper. “Many of the townspeople have already fallen under their illusions and died.”

He continued, “To be honest, the demons had already occupied this town before we arrived. We’ve managed to eliminate many of them together, but these last two are still here. With just the two of us, we can only fight them to a stalemate, which is why the demons still hesitate to attack us.”

The Fat Cultivator added, “We simply can’t stand the sight of demons. The townspeople have lived here for generations and refuse to leave, so they’ve pinned all their hopes on us. We swore an oath: we won’t leave this town until these two demons are gone.”

Li Shangyuan sighed in admiration. “You are truly noble souls.” He then remembered his earlier question. “Is that how the town got its name?”

“That’s right,” the Fat Cultivator answered readily. “After we drove off the first wave of demons, the townspeople renamed it Zhuxian Town. It’s been called that ever since.”

Li Shangyuan nodded in understanding, his thoughts deepening.

Suddenly, the Tall and Thin Cultivator spoke up with earnestness, “Would you two be willing to stay and help us?”

Li Shangyuan said with a grave expression, “If these two demons have truly been slaughtering humans like this, we would be honored to help.”

The Fat Cultivator’s tone grew confident at his words. “With the four of us combined, we will surely defeat them.” He paused for a moment before asking with a hint of hesitation, “Might I ask what cultivation techniques you use? Do you have any magical artifacts for subduing demons? It would help us coordinate our efforts.”

Li Shangyuan’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly as he replied with a touch of feigned embarrassment, “Our cultivation is indeed not very high, otherwise our Sect wouldn’t have sent us to the Mortal Realm for training. Our techniques are quite ordinary, just the basic methods any cultivator would learn.”

Dian Chao glanced at him silently and rolled his eyes inwardly. He’s really playing the part well.

The Fat Cultivator and the Tall and Thin Cultivator exchanged a look. Suddenly, the Tall and Thin Cultivator slapped his knee in realization. “Big Brother, we have the Formation!”

The Fat Cultivator’s face lit up. “Right, right! You two needn’t worry. We have a Formation that can subdue this demon, but we lacked the spiritual power to activate it before. With the four of us working together, we can definitely make it work.”

Li Shangyuan immediately nodded in agreement. “That’s excellent. When shall we strike?”

The Fat Cultivator narrowed his eyes, pondering for a moment before speaking. “How about the Yin Hour tomorrow evening? Fellow Daoists, you should rest well today. Once we’ve finished drawing the formation, we’ll lure the demon to the Ancestral Hall.”

Li Shangyuan shot them a subtle glance before nodding in agreement.

Suddenly, Dian Chao asked, “What kind of formation?”

The Tall and Thin Cultivator apologized. “This formation is a secret array passed down through our ancestors. We’re afraid we can’t disclose its details. We hope you understand.”

Dian Chao had no choice but to drop the matter. With the plan set, the two cultivators rose, bowed in farewell, and hurried off to prepare. As they left, they repeatedly urged the pair to stay in their room until the Yin Hour tomorrow, fearing they might be harmed by the demon.

As soon as the door closed, Dian Chao was about to speak when Li Shangyuan raised a hand to stop him. He gestured toward the door, then quickly deployed a Soundproofing Formation around the room.

Dian Chao was surprised. This is my first Mortal World Trial, but this isn’t right!

At that time, I…

It must be Ancestor Qiewei’s guidance!

Dian Chao’s brow finally relaxed. I knew it.

“What do you think?”

Li Shangyuan took a water skin from his Storage Bag and poured Dian Chao a cup of fresh water.

“Why ask me? Think about it yourself.”

Dian Chao rolled his eyes. Cultivators are always lying, he thought. If it’s not true, it’s a lie. All that matters is if you can kill the bastard. I can’t be bothered to think about the rest, it’s too much of a headache.

“How about we head into town while it’s still daylight and ask the mortals what’s going on?” he suggested. “Then we can investigate the Ancestral Hall tonight.”

Li Shangyuan looked at him, waiting for his decision.

After a moment, he added, “Given your legendary wit, martial nephew, I’m sure that’s exactly what you were thinking, right?”

Dian Chao immediately lifted his chin and nodded in agreement.

The day had started beautifully, with a clear, cloudless sky.

But the streets, which had been dotted with a few mortals that morning, suddenly emptied. After circling the area several times, they hadn’t seen a single soul.

Just as they were about to head back to the inn, they spotted a scrawny, pale child tucked into a corner. The moment the boy saw them, he bolted, disappearing into hiding.

Without a word, Li Shangyuan returned to the inn and gathered a handful of pastries from his room. As he headed downstairs, he ran into the innkeeper, who had been conspicuously absent until now. He gave the man a brief nod and then headed back to the corner with the treats.

The day passed without any real progress. As night fell, the already quiet town took on an even more eerie stillness.

The two were waiting for the hour to grow later before venturing to the Ancestral Hall when, without warning, thunder crashed and lightning flashed. In an instant, the sky opened up, and a torrential downpour began.

Dian Chao cursed the rain for its terrible timing, but Li Shangyuan was captivated by its faint patter.

The heavy drops drummed relentlessly against the thick layers of green leaves on the roof. Yet, strangely, it wasn’t loud at all. The sound was soft, almost gentle.

As cultivators, their senses were naturally sharper than a mortal’s. To an ordinary person, the rain would have been completely silent.

Li Shangyuan moved closer to the window and gazed out into the darkness.

Night had fully fallen, and without the ability to use his divine sense, he struggled to see. He looked up at the eaves, his brow furrowing slightly.

“Could you use your divine sense to check something? See if the houses outside are actually getting wet from the rain.”

Damn it, Dian Chao thought, how can someone with such a low cultivation level dare to attempt a Mortal World Trial? What a pain in the ass.

He released and retracted his divine sense in the blink of an eye. “Huh? That’s strange…”

Li Shangyuan’s lips pressed into a thin line. Just as I thought.

“These houses are built from branches and wood, yet they are completely impervious to the wind and rain,” Li Shangyuan mused, still standing by the window. He turned to Dian Chao. “What do you think?”

Dian Chao looked puzzled, then, for once, nodded in agreement.

The two had no choice but to wait for the rain to stop before setting out to investigate. Li Shangyuan offered the bed to Dian Chao, then turned and walked toward the cot in the side room.

After sitting cross-legged, Li Shangyuan took out a sound transmission talisman. He whispered a few words, then flicked his sleeve, and the talisman vanished into a streak of light.

He’s imitating True Person Qiewei again!!

Dian Chao felt speechless, but his mouthy nature got the better of him. “Who are you sending a message to?” he asked.

“My Master,” Li Shangyuan replied, turning his head slightly.

Dian Chao rolled his eyes. Master, Master, Master. “My Master,” he says. Like I don’t have a Master.

Seeing this, he immediately produced a sound transmission talisman of his own. After muttering a few words, he hastily sent the talisman away.

Not long after, a talisman quietly appeared in Li Shangyuan’s palm. He paused his meditation and listened obediently and respectfully. Only after the voice faded did he put the talisman into his Storage Bag and resume his seated cultivation.

The rain continued for half the night, only subsiding into a drizzle in the early hours before dawn. Once the rain stopped, the entire town grew even quieter.

The two finally set out, vanishing into the thick darkness of the night.

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