Chapter 230: A Multitude of Evils
"Ptooey, ptooey! Good luck and good fortune. The monks from Little Thunderclap Temple didn't find their way here."
Xian Qing'er asked curiously, "What evil deeds have you done that you get hunted wherever you go?"
"Probably because I'm too outstanding?"
Qin Mu looked up, thought for a moment, and felt that this statement was absolutely correct: "I'm too outstanding, which invites jealousy, so I get hunted wherever I go."
He waved goodbye, and Xian Qing'er quickly said, "If you have time, I'll come find you to play. Don't let your family kill me!"
"Alright!"
As the sun set behind the mountains, Qin Mu finally arrived at Cripples' Village. Just as he entered the village, he saw over a dozen chicken-headed dragons, each over six feet tall, surrounding him with hostile expressions.
Leading them was the old hen. When she saw Qin Mu, she became agitated, raised her wing to point at him, and clucked incessantly at the other chicken-headed dragons, as if telling them that this kid was the egg thief.
"I've only been away for half a year, and the village has this many more chicken-headed dragons."
Qin Mu braced himself for battle and shouted, "I'm not what I used to be! I'm now the Holy Teacher of the Heavenly Saint Cult! Even if you have numbers on your side, I'm not afraid!"
"Cluck! Cluck-cluck!"
A swarm of chicken-headed dragons surged forward, overwhelming him. Their feathery wings were as sharp as swords, their flames like dragons, their claws could split metal and crack stone—they were ferocious beyond compare.
Seeing this, Fox Ling'er quickly said, "Young master, I'll go check on home first!" With that, she scurried away.
After a moment, Qin Mu, gasping for breath, managed to drive back the flock. His face and head were covered in blood, his hair was a mess, and a few chicken feathers were stuck in it. The old hen led her flock away, strutting proudly as they patrolled the village.
The Heavenly Capital Demon King laughed gleefully, "You brat, you can't even beat a bunch of chickens!"
Qin Mu plucked the feathers from his head. "You were defeated by someone who can't even beat a bunch of chickens. Granny, Village Chief, I'm back! You saw me getting bullied by a flock of chickens and didn't come to save me! Huh? No one's here?"
Qin Mu walked through the village, surprised.
The Village Chief's and the Medicine Master's rooms were also empty. No one else from the village had returned either. He only found a few notes. Qin Mu opened the first note, which said that the Village Chief, the Medicine Master, and the Demon Sect Patriarch had gone to search for Carefree Village. If the villagers returned, they should first help the Medicine Master feed his insects.
The second note was in the Butcher's handwriting, saying that the Village Chief and the others hadn't returned yet, and he was worried about their safety, so he and the Blind Man had gone to find them.
The third note was left by the Mute, saying that the Blind Man and the Butcher hadn't returned, so he was going to look for them.
The fourth note was left by the Lame Man and Master Ma, saying that the Village Chief and the others might be in danger. Since they were fast, they would go and look for them.
The fifth note was left by Granny Si, saying that the old fellows were causing worry, so she was going out to bring these old relics back. She told Qin Mu not to run around after he returned.
"Granny and the others are all causing worry."
Qin Mu shook his head, put down his luggage, and went to the medicinal garden outside the village to pick a few spiritual herb leaves. He opened the clay jar in front of the Medicine Master's door and put them inside. In the jar, a group of starving insects immediately scrambled madly for the food.
Qin Mu then went into the Medicine Master's house, found a few spiritual pills, crushed them, and sprinkled them into other jars. Then he washed his hands and started cooking.
"These broken clay jars..."
The Heavenly Capital Demon King saw those broken clay jars containing the small insects and was greatly shocked. Then his gaze fell on the water vat in front of the blacksmith's shop, and he was startled again. "This big water vat... and that rake, and that pot, and these treasures scattered all over the place..."
"Demon King, stop wandering around. You have many arms, come help me stir-fry a dish," Qin Mu called out.
As the last ray of sunlight fell, suddenly darkness rolled in from the west like a great flood, surging eastward, swallowing the mountains along the way and drowning the Great Ruins!
Qin Mu was already used to this sight and didn't mind it. He tied on an apron and brought the dishes to the table. The Heavenly Capital Demon King, however, was seeing this terrifying spectacle for the first time. He was dumbfounded and couldn't speak for a long time.
Just as the darkness was about to engulf Cripples' Village, a thin, elderly man carrying a book basket walked into the village. The darkness swept past right behind him, roaring from both sides of the village toward the east.
"Grandpa Deaf!"
Qin Mu was both surprised and delighted. He quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks and went to greet him. Deaf's clothes were tattered, clearly indicating he had been having a rough time outside. He put down his book basket and said, "Is there any food? I've been starving for days."
"Just made it!"
Qin Mu quickly washed another set of bowls and chopsticks. Deaf sat down and ate heartily, finishing four or five bowls before letting out a sigh of relief. Qin Mu gave him a bowl of soup and asked curiously, "Grandpa Deaf, where have you been all this time?"
Deaf's eye twitched, and he said sullenly, "Yankang. I went to find the Mute but didn't find him. I ran out of travel money, so I had to sell my paintings."
The old man said with great pain, "People's hearts are not what they used to be! Not what they used to be! Not a single one of my paintings sold! In the end, I was so hungry I ran into Old Lady Si, and she gave me a few coins. She laughed at me for a long time. By the way, don't tell the Medicine Master about this. That guy always laughs at me, saying my painting doesn't make money as fast as his medicine."
The Heavenly Capital Demon King's eyes widened. This old man was a top-tier expert. Could he be that painting master who painted the Sword God? A master like this almost starved to death? If he had no money, couldn't he just steal it?
Qin Mu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. "Grandpa Deaf, times are tough now. Who would still buy paintings to collect? Next time you need money, go sell them to the National Teacher's Mansion. The Yankang National Teacher would definitely be willing to pay a high price for them."
Deaf shook his head. "Last time I wiped out tens of thousands of the Yankang National Teacher's troops. If I go to his house to sell paintings, he'll definitely have me executed. I can't beat him."
Qin Mu said with a smile, "Go to the Imperial Academy and find me. I have plenty of money. I can buy as many paintings as you paint. Are there any other paintings in Grandpa Lame's book basket? Sell them to me. I'll pay you right now."
"I burned them."
Deaf said indifferently, "What about the others in the village? Haven't they come back yet?"
"Burned them?"
Qin Mu's heart ached. If the Yankang National Teacher were here, he would probably cough up three liters of blood.
He took out the notes left by the Medicine Master and the others. Deaf read them and said, "The handwriting is really ugly. Get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow I'll go find them. Who is he?"
He finally noticed the Heavenly Capital Demon King. The Heavenly Capital Demon King said arrogantly, "I am the Lord of Heavenly Capital, the ruler of the Heavenly Capital World. You don't need to bow to me."
"Really ugly." Deaf got up and went back to his room to sleep.
"I am the Demon King of the Heavenly Capital World!" the Heavenly Capital Demon King roared angrily.
Qin Mu kindly said, "Demon King, Grandpa Deaf can't hear."
"Nonsense! He could hear what you said just now!"
Qin Mu explained, "Sometimes he can hear, sometimes he can't."
The Heavenly Capital Demon King was speechless with rage. Qin Mu cleared the table and prepared to sleep as well, saying, "Demon King, don't run around at night. The darkness is very dangerous."
The Heavenly Capital Demon King nodded obediently, thinking to himself, "This brat doesn't dare to enter the darkness. Now is a good time to leave. I just need to step into the darkness, shake him off, and then preside over the great sacrifice to summon my true body."
Soon after, Qin Mu fell asleep, and his snoring could be heard.
The Heavenly Capital Demon King crept toward the village outskirts. The stone statues at the four corners of the village emitted a faint light, so it wasn't completely dark inside the village. But beyond the reach of the stone statues' light, it was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.
The Heavenly Capital Demon King cautiously reached the village entrance. He hesitated for a moment, then extended a finger into the darkness. He heard a crunching, gnawing sound. He pulled his hand back and stared blankly. His finger had disappeared, bitten off by something in the darkness.
The Heavenly Capital Demon King examined the wound, his heart stirred, and he tentatively said, "Gang nuo di da hei (Who's there in the darkness)?"
There was silence in the darkness. After a moment, a sinister voice came back, "A pu gao ni gen (And who are you)?"
The Heavenly Capital Demon King's spirits lifted. He was about to speak when suddenly a voice came from behind him: "What are you doing? Why are you speaking demonic language?"
The Heavenly Capital Demon King saw Deaf appear behind him at some unknown time, and his heart tightened. "This deaf man's ears are so sharp! Wait, isn't he supposed to be deaf?"
Deaf yawned, took out his brush, and wrote a "still" character on him. Then he went back to his room to sleep.
The Heavenly Capital Demon King couldn't move. He wanted to speak but couldn't make a sound.
The next morning, Qin Mu got up early to cook. The Dragon Qilin carried a washbasin and placed it in front of Qin Mu, then sat down in front of it, waiting to be fed.
Deaf ate and drank his fill, then said, "Mu'er, I'm going out to find the Village Chief and the others so they can come back for the New Year. You and the big dog stay here and watch the village."
Qin Mu acknowledged. The Dragon Qilin, while eating a Vermilion Flame Spiritual Pill, said in a muffled voice, "I'm not a big dog. I'm a half-dragon, half-qilin auspicious beast."
Deaf didn't hear him. He walked out of the village, drew a dragon in the air with his brush, and rode it away.
The Heavenly Capital Demon King was still standing there, unable to move.
Qin Mu finished cleaning up the dishes and thought to himself, "I wonder how that big guy, the Demon Ape, is doing these days. I brought him some gifts."
He looked at the Heavenly Capital Demon King, a smile spreading across his face, and said softly, "Gang nuo di da hei?"
The Heavenly Capital Demon King's heart trembled. "This kid knows too?"
Qin Mu told the Dragon Qilin to guard the village while he himself headed toward the Town Central Palace. He hadn't gone far when suddenly a Buddhist chant came: "Amitabha! Heavenly Demon Cult Leader, I've searched high and low, and here you are without any effort. I didn't expect to meet the Cult Leader here, little monk."
A tattered monk appeared in front of him. The two met, both somewhat surprised.
Qin Mu immediately recognized this monk as the one who had attacked his treasure ship in Yankang. He had injured the monk's leg with the Young Guardian Sword, but the monk could still run like the wind.
"What is the monk's name?" Qin Mu asked with a smile, looking around. Not seeing Long Jiaonan or the others, he breathed a sigh of relief.
This monk had clearly been chased by the Root Demon of Withered Ridge, fled into the Great Ruins, encountered various unexpected incidents there, got separated from Long Jiaonan and the others, and fled here in panic, where he coincidentally ran into Qin Mu.
"This humble monk's Dharma name is Banchi."
Banchi looked up at the sky, two clear tears streaming down his cheeks, and said with emotion, "Buddha be merciful. This humble monk's journey has finally achieved perfect merit. Heavenly Demon Cult Leader, you have committed a multitude of evils. Let this humble monk send you on your way."
Qin Mu said solemnly, "Monk, you say I have committed a multitude of evils. Name one evil deed I have done, so that I may die convinced and without regret."
Banchi's murderous aura was chilling. He strode toward Qin Mu, his body radiating brilliant Buddhist light, and shouted sternly, "You are the Heavenly Demon Cult Leader—that is the greatest evil of all! If there is a next life, Cult Leader, be reborn as a good person!"