When the Immortal Venerable Picked-Up the Demon Cub - Chapter 41

Lin Xiayan felt something soften within her heart. She hadn’t wanted it at first, but now, as if guided by some unseen force, she accepted the hairpin. She cradled it carefully in both hands, cherishing it like a child receiving lucky money during the New Year.

“Alright, let’s stop wandering around. We don’t want that old woman thinking we’re using this as an excuse to run away,” Lin Xiayan said, though her words didn’t quite match her happy mood. Zhu Ning pouted but followed Lin Xiayan back.

The Yun Cang Town market was bustling with life, but the nearby forest offered a stark contrast.

The town echoed with the laughter of children and the haggling of merchants and customers, brimming with lively energy. The forest, however, was deathly still, especially in winter, when even birdsong was rare.

Zhu Ning’s cheerful mood began to sour as soon as they entered the forest. Her thoughts shifted from what to buy to how to prepare for the night ahead. She wondered if the Array they’d set up would work and whether the ghostly creature would even appear.

Lin Xiayan could tell Zhu Ning was upset, but she didn’t know what to say to comfort her. After all, tonight’s events were truly difficult and overwhelming for Zhu Ning, whose magical power had only recently recovered.

All she could do was try her best to help Zhu Ning. If this incident was orchestrated by the Demon Realm, there was likely little she could do to intervene.

With these thoughts, the two women arrived at the elderly woman’s door. Wisps of smoke rose from the chimney, even after the night’s ordeal. The old woman clearly didn’t want to neglect her guests, despite her humble circumstances. Though she couldn’t offer fine food, the fact that she was cooking at all, given her state of mind, was remarkable.

Zhu Ning was touched. She pulled Lin Xiayan into the house, intending to help the old woman add firewood to the stove. Lin Xiayan, however, looked reluctant. Having never done such chores before, she had no desire to assist. The elderly woman ushered them back into the main room, saying repeatedly, “No need, no need. Immortal Venerables, please rest. I may be old and useless, but I know tonight’s events were terribly dangerous. You two, who had nothing to do with this, were dragged into it. I… I feel truly guilty.”

Zhu Ning gazed at the elderly woman’s face, etched with deep wrinkles that told a story of time’s relentless passage. It was heartbreaking to see her, so frail in her old age, facing such a crisis.

Zhu Ning shook her head, assuring the woman she was fine, but inwardly she resolved to resolve this matter. Lin Xiayan, her expression unchanged, appeared cold but began searching through books on arrays, pulling Zhu Ning to the main room to study together.

“Don’t get too worked up yet,” Lin Xiayan cautioned. “This situation is indeed strange. If we’re not careful, the entire Yun Cang Mountain could be drawn into it.” She was almost certain this was connected to the Demon Realm, if only because they had encountered Gu Xi earlier that day.

But Lin Xiayan could only offer this warning. She couldn’t say more. Zhu Ning nodded solemnly, opened the book, and began to study each word carefully, preparing to put the instructions into practice.

The array required creating a barrier around the house that allowed entry but prevented escape. Four specific objects needed to be placed at the cardinal directions: east, south, west, and north.

Simultaneously, the caster had to sit in the center of the house and chant the activation incantation in all four directions. This would allow the caster to sense any evil entity entering the house and proceed with the next phase of the plan.

“This one Magic Array alone won’t be enough,” Zhu Ning muttered, frowning as she flipped through the pages. She silently memorized the strokes for several Talismans, then grabbed the black dog blood and red Cinnabar and began drawing in the courtyard. If a Talisman possessed Magical power, it would flash a brief golden light the moment it was completed. Zhu Ning drew several in a row, but none showed any golden light.

Lin Xiayan stood beside her, arms crossed, her expression complex. Her red lips parted as if to speak, then closed again, startling Zhu Ning.

After Zhu Ning failed to draw yet another Talisman, Lin Xiayan seemed about to say something. Zhu Ning snapped, “If you have something to say, just say it. Stop looking at me like I’m an idiot. I’m just having an off day…”

Lin Xiayan couldn’t help but smile, her eyes curving into crescents. She tossed the brush from Zhu Ning’s hand, dipped her fingers in the black dog blood and Cinnabar, then released Zhu Ning’s hand. “Now try drawing one with your finger.”

Skeptical but willing to try, Zhu Ning drew a Talisman with her finger, not expecting much. But the moment she lifted her finger, a golden light flashed, and the Talisman was perfectly formed.

Lin Xiayan nodded, carefully tucking the Talisman against her chest. She then placed a fresh Talisman on the small table, urging Zhu Ning to continue drawing. Zhu Ning drew nearly thirty Talismans, her hand aching from the effort, before finally stopping.

“Just sprinkle the remaining black dog blood and cinnabar at the doorway,” Lin Xiayan said, sounding more knowledgeable than Zhu Ning. Zhu Ning glanced at her, puzzled. Lin Xiayan cleared her throat. “I read a lot while you were sleeping.”

Lin Xiayan had always been extraordinary, possessing an exceptional memory. She remembered every detail from the books she’d read, big or small. Zhu Ning couldn’t help but admire her. It was as if Lin Xiayan had some kind of cheat code.

Once drawn, the Talismans solidified automatically, requiring no drying. They could simply be stored properly. By then, the elderly woman had finished preparing lunch. Though the dishes were simple, Zhu Ning was delighted.

She called Lin Xiayan over to eat.

A hearty lunch meant energy for the afternoon’s work. Zhu Ning rubbed her full belly, lowering her head in embarrassment. The elderly woman’s cooking was delicious, rivaling the food they’d had at the teahouse.

Zhu Ning ate a few extra bites, setting down her chopsticks with satisfaction. Lin Xiayan, however, was already giving her a disapproving look.

The elderly woman fussed over Zhu Ning like she was feeding her own granddaughter, always worrying she wasn’t eating enough. Yet she barely touched her own food, instead spoon-feeding her son, who lay in bed.

“Who would’ve thought this old woman would still be feeding her son at the end of her days?” The elderly woman’s eyes glistened as she tried to joke about her situation, but her words hung heavy in the silence.

Zhu Ning didn’t know what to say. Lin Xiayan, as always, was sparing with her words. Neither spoke, but they both rose in unison to set up the magic array around the house.

Stepping outside, the oppressive mood lifted slightly. Zhu Ning pulled out her compass, calculated the cardinal directions, and buried the items in the ground according to the prescribed order. She stood up. “These mystical arts are truly remarkable. Just a few simple objects, yet they can form a magic array.”

Lin Xiayan hadn’t expected Zhu Ning to be so moved. After a moment of thought, she explained, “The creation of all things is inherently miraculous. There are unseen laws that govern everything, and all things exist in a balance of mutual creation and destruction. If there are demonic creatures, there must also be something to defeat them.”

Zhu Ning’s curiosity surged as she heard this. She looked up, meeting Lin Xiayan’s bright eyes, and felt like she was falling into a deep abyss. In a daze, she asked, “What about you, Lin Xiayan? If everything has its counter, what can suppress you?”

Lin Xiayan’s identity was shrouded in mystery and power throughout the Demon Realm. In the mortal world, it seemed nothing could restrain her.

Before the words had even left her lips, Lin Xiayan had cornered Zhu Ning. Using her height advantage, Lin Xiayan pinned Zhu Ning against the wall and teasingly tilted her chin. “What if I told you that only Immortal Venerable Zhu’s Zhōng Yuè can suppress me?”

What should have been a romantic scene turned awkward as Zhu Ning stomped on Lin Xiayan’s foot, her face hardening. “How dare you treat your Honored Master like this? Show some respect!” Zhu Ning scolded, her small face stern, though she was secretly bursting with laughter. Before she could even chuckle, Lin Xiayan saw through her act.

“Stop holding back your laughter. Your lips are twitching.” Lin Xiayan released Zhu Ning, her face darkening, looking like a child whose prank had backfired.

Zhu Ning finally burst out laughing, waving Zhōng Yuè in front of Lin Xiayan’s face. Lin Xiayan smoothed her hair and reinforced the array’s magic, adding red threads. Zhu Ning looked puzzled. “What’s the point of this?”

Lin Xiayan shot her a skeptical glance, almost wondering if Zhu Ning had lost her mind along with her magical power. After sizing her up, she explained, “Red threads ward off evil. Combining them with these Dharma Artifacts will greatly amplify the array’s power. As the Sect Leader of Yun Cang Mountain, how could you not know this?”

Zhu Ning froze, her forced smile failing to cover her embarrassment. She remembered wearing a red thread on her wrist as a child. How could she have forgotten such a basic thing?

Living too comfortably has made me forget the days when I licked blood from my wounds after crossing over, she thought bitterly. Resolving to be more cautious, she vowed to tread carefully every day from now on.

“I just wasn’t sure if the red threads would disrupt the array’s magnetic field,” Zhu Ning said, raising her voice to sound more convincing. “Don’t think I’m an idiot!” But Lin Xiayan had already turned away, dismissing the matter without further thought.

Compared to Lin Xiayan’s composure, Zhu Ning’s insistence seemed rather like she was trying too hard to hide something.

After circling the array inside and out several times, finding nothing amiss, Zhu Ning was reluctant to return to the oppressive atmosphere. She suggested taking a walk around the area.

Lin Xiayan glanced around at the lifeless surroundings, devoid of any vitality. She asked with a smile, “Are you sure you want to wander around here?”

Zhu Ning stubbornly insisted there must be other clues nearby and dragged Lin Xiayan along.

By sheer luck, they stumbled upon something significant. Deep within the forest lay a mass grave where the homeless and unclaimed elderly of Yun Cang Town were dumped. Over centuries, the site had become saturated with yin energy.

Zhu Ning was highly sensitive to such energies. Despite her fear, she was determined to find any information about the hunter’s family buried there. Lin Xiayan frowned as she watched Zhu Ning, clad in white, press forward. Though she wanted nothing to do with this matter, she followed anyway.

“The yin energy here is dangerously thick,” Lin Xiayan warned. “We shouldn’t linger.”

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