Chapter Eighteen: The Secret Disciple of the Prohibited Arts

  Xiao Qiu escaped from the building alone and wandered around Jinghu Village to ease her melancholy mood.

  I thought that after joining Pongshan, I could learn how to be a five-element master, but the first lesson they wanted me to learn was recognizing characters.

  Among the eight boys, Xiao Qiu, Da Liang and Er Liang had only stayed in school for a very short time. Er Shuang and others had been reading books all along, but they were always distracted and couldn't even read ordinary books fluently, let alone profound Taoist scriptures.

  Only Fangfang Qin Lingxue, under her father's guidance, recognized many characters and could be considered a primary school expert. Therefore, Zhang Lingsheng assigned this simple task to her: "Since you have the root of Tao, learning things should be faster than ordinary people. There are plenty of books here, use them as you like, ask me if you don't understand."

  Compared to Mr. Qin, Fangfang is not a qualified teacher at all, with a soft voice, fond of blushing, and not strict at all. When Shen Hao's second monitor yawned and said that he knew these characters and could sleep for a while, she had no way to deal with it.

  Xiao Qiu persisted for three days, only to find that Dao Gen was of no help in recognizing characters. He still looked as if he were listening to a heavenly book, and once he grasped the brush, his eyes would narrow and his teeth would clench, unable to write more than a few words in half a day.

  The atmosphere in the temple also became increasingly oppressive, and after the joy of being a disciple of Pong-san disappeared, the young people quickly fell into sadness and terror again: Yeolin Town just disappeared like that, without leaving anything to commemorate.

  Before coming to Pangs Mountain, they had returned home once, only to find an empty house with no people or livestock in sight. The small bridge at the edge of town was still there, but no familiar faces were seen walking across it again.

  Pangshan Zongshi Ning Qiwei's explanation was simple: the magic of the demon species is powerful, and it has the ability to move mountains and fill seas.

  As for why the demon species took a liking to Ye Lin Town and why the Nine Great Paths Union and Longbin Association couldn't eliminate all of the demon species in time, Ning Qiwei didn't say another word. The young men at that time also didn't dare ask.

  Because Xia Qiu had been acting as if he wasn't that sad, Shen Hao blamed him for being heartless and unrighteous in a fit of anger. Xia Qiu didn't argue back, but instead escaped from the building and wandered around alone.

  Xiao Qiu was not an unfeeling or unrighteous person, he missed his father and younger brother so much that he couldn't sleep at night. Although Lao Qiu had been quite harsh, he had never treated his eldest son unfairly; he would rather go hungry himself than let him go without a full stomach. His younger brother Er Qiu was even more fond of sticking close to his older brother, as long as he wasn't chased away, he wouldn't leave his side for an inch.

  Xiao Qi was born with a heart that couldn't be revealed in front of outsiders, when his mother passed away a few years ago, he was so grief-stricken that his soul almost disappeared, but in front of outsiders, not a single tear fell, Old Qi had said because of this that he was heartless and an ungrateful "wolf cub".

  The fact is that Xiao Qiu was used to hiding all his emotions in his heart. If there was a way to find Wild Forest Town, he would be the first to take action, even if it meant going through a sea of knives and fire ahead. He wouldn't hesitate, nor would he cry or lament in front of his companions.

  Xiao Qiu and his group were brought here by the magic of Master Pongshan, surrounded by clouds and fog, they didn't see anything on the way. That time he went up the mountain for inspection, also came and left quickly, so this is his first time walking out of the house to observe Jinghu Village, soon he was attracted and found that here is very different from Yelin Town.

  Jinghu Village is surrounded by peaks, with Pangshan Laozu Peak standing ten miles northeast. The necessary road passes through the middle of the village, where there are two or three hundred households, almost as many as in Yelin Town. The surrounding countryside is covered with fertile fields, and year after year the weather is favorable, making it a prosperous place.

  Xiao Qiu's first impression was that the roads here were wide and straight, although they weren't paved with stone slabs, but were even more flat and solid, swept clean, as if water had been sprinkled on them, so that even if thousands of horses galloped over, not much dust would be stirred up.

  The houses on both sides are much more tidy than those in Yeli Village. Almost every household is similar: a wooden stake fence about one person high, a wooden board door built in the middle, with three to five simple and clean small houses lined up inside, a chicken coop on the left and a pigpen on the right. There are no luxurious wealthy households, nor any shabby hovels. Only the Welcome Pavilion at the north end of the village stands out from the crowd, occupying the largest area, with the highest house, surrounded by the only red brick wall in the village.

  Xiao Qiu continued walking and suddenly realized that the biggest difference between here and Ye Lin Town was that there were no people on the road.

  The sun was half down, and in the Wild Forest Town, this was exactly when idlers would appear. When Shen Hao was still called Er Chuan, he would lead a group of little followers to cause trouble everywhere. Xiao Qiu would be herding sheep in the forest, but Jing Hu Village was quiet, with no adults or children, yet all the doors were unlocked and wide open.

  Xiao Qiu couldn't help but think that if Liu Er, the thief from the town, were to see a village so lax in its defenses, he would be overjoyed. Then he immediately realized that he had already joined the ranks of the cultivators on Mount Pong and was a Daoist himself, and just having such thieving thoughts put him at risk of demonic possession.

  "Devil's spawn, devil's spawn." Xia Qiu muttered under her breath, "Why don't I think it's that scary?"

  Outside the village, Xia Qiu finally saw human figures. Many adults were weeding in the fields, while children were running around on the ridges, helping to deliver things. Everyone had something to do.

  The strangest thing was that after the villagers saw Xia Qiu, they all showed great respect, always stopping their work to smile and nod at him.

  Xiao Qiu had never received such treatment in Yelan Town and felt a bit uncomfortable, so she walked out for a short distance before returning to the village.

  Outside the gate of the guest house, Xiao Qiu saw the first idler in Jinghu Village.

  This man is in his twenties, wearing a rare gray and white long gown in the village, with a round bun on his head, inserted with a long hairpin, wearing thick-soled cloth shoes on his feet, tall and pale, looking somewhat sickly. The villagers are all working hard, only he stands on the street doing nothing, raising his head to gaze at a magpie on the wall.

  Xiao Qiu quietly and carefully walked past the young man's side, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he stopped.

  "The evil seed is stirring, have you heard its voice?"

  "What? I don't have any magic seeds, none of us do."

  "Not you." The young man made a listening pose, pointing to the magpie with his right hand, "It has been bound for too long, it yearns for freedom, yearns for blood and slaughter, it - is about to grow up."

  Xiao Qiu felt a chill run down her spine, shivered, and quickly ran towards the courtyard. Just as she reached the door, she stopped again, turned around and asked: "Do you know a lot about magic?"

  The young man seemed to have not heard the question, and only after a while did he shift his gaze from the magpie to stare at the youth. In an instant, his eyes sparkled with sharp light, making Xia Qiu feel like he had been illuminated by the Night Shining God's candle once again, exposing his internal organs, even pulling out the thoughts in his mind.

  Young people turned back to normal, "I make a living by studying demon species."

  ……

  As the sun sets in the west, in the study of the Welcome Inn, Xiao Qiu introduces the surprised companions to the unexpected guest, "His name is Mei Chuan'an, he's from Jinghu Village and also a disciple of Pang Shan."

  Mei Chuan'an didn't wear a Taoist robe, but the hair bun and hairpin on her head were indeed the same as those of the disciples of Pong Mountain.

  "Hello," said Mei Chuan'an, calm and composed, with a hint of elegance in his voice that matched his sickly appearance, making him seem even more profound and mysterious.

  The young men had never seen a few disciples of Pong Mountain, and immediately stood up with respect, all standing up to salute, even forgetting to ask where Xia Qiu had gone.

  There were piles of books in the study, like stone pillars standing upright, taller than people. Fangfang stood by the window, holding a book and teaching her companions to recognize the words inside.

  Mei Chuanan snatched the book from Fangfang's hand, glanced at it and said: "The 'Nine Chapters of Inheritance', a book that introduces the nine major Taoist traditions, where lies are ten times more than truths."

  As soon as this was said, the young men were shocked again, and they didn't even dare to breathe loudly, feeling that this disciple had a great background.

  Mei Chuanan was not polite either, rummaging through the study room, basically just scanning and throwing away, at most giving a comment "nonsense", in a short while, more than half of the book pile was knocked over by him. "All the books here are for ordinary people to read, they're boring, why don't you go to Luanxian Fudi? There are real Taoist scriptures hidden there."

  The young men looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what Mei Chuan'an was saying.

  Xiao Qiu hastily brought the topic back, "Tell us about the demon species. Our town and everyone in it were all... destroyed by the demon species. We want to know what happened."

  It wasn't until then that the companions understood what Xia Qiu meant by bringing a strange person over, and they all sat quietly.

  Mei Chuan An slightly raised her head, her gaze passing over the tops of everyone's heads, as if piercing through the wall, looking towards a distant place.

  He is more like a teacher than Fangfang.

  "The Demon Clan originally existed in this world, with a physical form like you and me, but with boundless power. They disdained to learn magic, and could shake the mountains and earth with their bare hands. Many years ago, the Daoist sect rose to prominence, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, borrowing the power of the five elements, gradually growing from weakness to strength, defeating the Demon Clan, destroying their physical forms, and imprisoning them in a boundless, endless, silent void. However, the Demon Clan would not completely disappear from this world. In the void, they refined themselves into demonic seeds, returning to the mortal realm through any crack or crevice, and lodging themselves within other clans. All things have demonic thoughts; the stronger one's magical powers, the deeper their demonic thoughts. Demonic thoughts are like a delicious delicacy, able to attract demonic seeds from afar. Therefore, Daoist cultivators must kill demonic seeds on sight, and eradicate any demonic thoughts that arise."

  The young men listened vaguely, but Mei Chuanan was not finished yet and wanted to continue telling the history of the demon species. Xiao Qiu interrupted: "We just want to know where the wild forest town was taken by the demon species?"

  Mei Chuanan's voice grew louder and more indignant, as if he hadn't heard anything at all. "You must kill, you must eradicate, do not let the demonic kind contaminate you, do not let demonic thoughts arise in your heart. Remember, remember, one misstep and there will be no turning back. All your past merits will be erased..."

  Daoist Zhang Lingsheng walked in from outside and saw Mei Zhuanan, who was taken aback at first, then burst into anger. "How did you get in? Who let you in?"

  Mei Chuanan turned her head and looked at Zhang Lingsheng coldly, "You have a natural talent for Taoism, but you don't practice it. You're a pitiful person."

  Zhang Lingsheng's face turned red with rage, and he pushed Mei Chuan'an outwards, shouting: "I am a pitiful person, but I'm still better than you, a demon-possessed person! Get out, go home! If I see you here again, I'll even take the hairpin off your head!"

  Mei Chuanan did not resist and walked out in big strides, still proclaiming the history of the ancient demon tribe.

  Zhang Lingsheng closed the door of the study and said to the astonished young men: "From now on, stay away from this person, he's a madman."

  "But he looks quite normal." Xia Qiu said in surprise.

  "Hah, crazy people come in all sorts. This guy was originally a disciple of Pong Shan, but he accidentally fell into the demonic path and had his Dao bone and internal elixir stolen by the First Seat. After that, he went mad and still thinks he's a Forbidden Sect Master."

  "Was he a former disciple of the Secret Department?" Xia Qiu was even more surprised.

  "Moreover, Mei Chuan'an was once the most favored disciple of Zuo Liu'ying, but as soon as he fell into demonic possession, Zuo Liu'ying personally crippled him." Zhang Lingshen's face changed slightly, seemingly having a deep understanding of the pain of losing one's elixir, "Ordinariness is also a kind of blessing. Like me, I couldn't learn high-level Daoist techniques, but I'll never have the danger of falling into demonic possession. Now I'm living better than Mei Chuan'an by a hundredfold."

  Xiao Qiu suddenly remembered the moment when Mei Chuan'an's eyes shone brightly at the gate, and his gaze was somewhat similar to that of Zuo Liu Ying.

  (Collection wanted, recommendation wanted)