Chapter 28: Futai (4)

Old Lady Sun had never been slighted like this and became unable to restrain her anger on the spot.

Sun Junhao was afraid that she’d invite trouble upon herself and hastily said, “Mother, you go back first. I’ll take care of this.”

Old Lady Sun was stubborn and relentless, shouting in a sharp voice, “Do you have no reason left? A whole group of you cultivators are willing to believe a demonseed’s bogus story! How could my grandson be a demonseed? The year the Sun family’s ancestor returned to Qingle City, he personally used the Heiyi Book to test Hebi and Yaoguang’s spiritual senses. The Heiyi Book indicated that they had no phantasms. You all would rather believe a demonseed over a celestial artifact! Foolish! Utterly foolish! What kind of immortal masters are you? I see you’re no better than this vile woman, turning right and wrong upside down and making unreasonable accusations!”

Sun Junhao had a splitting headache.

Upon mention of the Heiyi Book, Ming Ze frowned.

The Heiyi Book was a Mystery-tier celestial artifact for detecting phantasms.

In today’s cultivation world, Earth-tier celestial artifacts were only found in the restricted areas of the Nine Great Sects, and the sole Heaven-tier celestial artifact was in the possession of the Immortal Alliance. Using the Heiyi Book to determine whether or not a mortal was a demonseed was more than sufficient, and its result was conclusive.

Old Lady Sun saw Ming Ze’s furrowed brows, and her haughtiness surged. She sneered and said, “Okay, I’ll call my grandson out. If you can’t detect any phantasm and can’t give an explanation, then you must kneel before me and apologize!”

Sun Junhao felt his head explode. “Mother!” In a panic, he pulled Old Lady Sun behind him, sweat dripping down his face as he hurriedly apologized to Mingze, saying, “My apologies, fellow Daoist. My mother is in deep grief right now, and her mind is somewhat unsteady.”

Ming Ze looked at him without saying anything. He was a pure-minded person, raised well by his noble family. He didn’t take offense at a mortal’s words, merely saying, “Then bring your youngest young master out then.”

Madam Sun desperately clutched her handkerchief, so anxious her knuckles turned white. After a moment, the Sun family’s bedridden young master was guided out by a servant. The seven-year-old boy’s face was round, and his figure was somewhat chubby. His skin was fair, his dress was opulent, and one could tell at a glance that he had been spoiled by his family from a young age.

Sun Yaoguang had fallen very ill after his visit to Jiangjin Temple, and his complexion still hadn’t recovered. His face was a greenish-white, his gaze was evasive and frightened, and his fingers trembled as they grasped the servant’s clothes. He turned even paler upon seeing the Wangqing Sect disciples, and his eyes reddened as if in the next second he would burst into tears from fear.

Sun Yaoguang threw himself into Madam Sun’s embrace and whimpered, “Mom, who are they?”

Madam Sun cautiously hugged him, saying, “Yaoguang dear, don’t be afraid, everything’s alright.” Afterwards, she raised her head and said to Ming Ze, “Immortal master, Yaoguang has come out. Have you determined whether or not he is a demonseed?”

The group of Wangqing Sect disciples were silent for a moment.

It was only after hearing Zhang Mushi’s story and seeing Old Lady Sun’s abnormal behavior that they insisted on seeing Sun Yaoguang.

But now that the person had really come out, they were at a loss for what to do. The missions given by Wangqing Sect were generally all regarding demonseeds whose phantasms had completely awakened. All they had to do then was descend the mountain and kill the demonseed.

They had never encountered such a situation: the murderer bride wasn’t a demonseed, and the real demonseed had not yet awakened.

Ming Ze pursed his lips and said, “Sun Yaoguang, let me look at your eyes.”

Phantasms are born in the consciousness and manifest first in the eyes.

Sun Yaoguang was timid and nervous. “Mom…”

Madam Sun bit her lip and gently said to him, “Don’t worry, let these immortal masters look at your eyes, they won’t hurt you.”

Only at this did Sun Yaoguang cowardly lift his head to look at them. After the fright he suffered at Jiangjin Temple, he was like a startled bird, his clear eyes filled only with confusion, fear, and avoidance.

In actuality, Ming Ze didn’t have any expectations in the first place. People’s eyes would only turn green after their phantasm had awakened.

So, seeing only the boy’s limpid eyes, he gave a heavy sigh.

Old Lady Sun raged on the spot. “Are you satisfied now? Have you found anything?”

Zhang Mushi had used this bloody, desperate method to exact revenge. She exchanged her life for Sun Hebi’s, so of course her seventh little sister’s life must be repaid with this little brute’s. For three days, she never shut her eyes once, all in anticipation for the moment the truth came to light.

She clenched her fingers and looked at Ming Ze. Demonseeds were an evil threat to the world, and the cultivators would take it upon themselves to smite them.

She waited for Ming Ze to unsheathe his sword and execute this little brute who had been so thoroughly protected by the Sun family that even a drop of rain couldn’t touch him!

She waited for Ming Ze to unsheathe his sword so that she could put her chaos and carnage-filled life to rest!

Yet, one second, two seconds, three seconds. Icy wind swept past her tear-stained face. Zhang Mushi was at a loss. Softly, she asked, “Immortal master, Sun Yaoguang is a demonseed. I saw him eat my little sister with my own eyes. Why won’t you kill him?”

Ming Ze had also never dealt with a situation like this before and awkwardly said, “Miss Zhang, right now, there’s nobody who can definitively say whether or not this young master is a demonseed. The law in Nanze Province is you can’t execute without conclusive evidence.”

Zhang Mushi said, “Then how can we confirm it?”

Ming Ze pursed his lips.

A Wangqing Sect disciple spoke up. “Shixiong, how about we send a letter to the sect and ask them to send people to deal with this?”

Sun Junhao heard this and instantly said, “No, fellow Daoist, there’s no need to inconvenience Wangqing Sect with such a little matter.”

Ming Ze also didn’t want to bother the sect. If they were to ask for help on their very first assignment, there was no telling how much ridicule they’d incur.

Sun Junhao said, “Since this incident was caused by our Sun family, then let our Sun family handle it. No matter their cultivation, demonseeds are the greatest taboo of the cultivation world. When I emerged from seclusion, it just so happened that our ancestor was also within the sect.”

Sun Junhao said, “Miss Zhang said that our ancestor covered up for our younger generation. I will send a message requesting to borrow the Heiyi Book from our ancestor, and we can personally detect whether or not Yaoguang has a phantasm in his consciousness.

Ming Ze was stunned after hearing they could borrow the Heiyi Book. Phantasms were the curse left behind by the Demonic God from ancient times. Any celestial device capable of detecting phantasms was a priceless treasure, and seeing one was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Zhang Mushi had previously said that the Sun family elder had given Sun Hebi a bead that could suppress the awakening of phantasms. Ming Ze absolutely did not believe this.

In this world, no cultivator has ever been able to cheat the curse left behind by the Demonic God.

Zhang Mushi vehemently protested against this proposal. “No! No, immortal masters, you can’t trust the Sun family!”

Ming Ze consoled her, saying, “Rest assured, Miss Zhang, nobody can tamper with the Heiyi Book. This time, it won’t be the Sun family doing the testing; it will be us.”

He then turned and said to Sun Junhao, “Then we’ll have to trouble Sun-xiong.”

Sun Junhao nodded. Immediately, he lifted his sleeve, and a white feather appeared in the sky.

“Go!”

As soon as he spoke, the feather representing the token of Fuhua Sect took off like lightning towards Nanze Province.

The messaging tools used between sect members could traverse thousands of miles in a flash.

If nothing unexpected occurred, an expeditious response would be received.

The instant the message-carrying feather took off.

The atmosphere in the Sun Manor’s front courtyard sunk into a deathly stillness.

Sun Junhao was afraid that Old Lady Sun would start running her mouth again, so he turned and said, “Mother, how about you go back to the room and rest first.” He had cut her off again and again. No matter how foolish she was, Old Lady Sun couldn’t ignore that something was amiss. She no longer blindly argued with the disciples of Wangqing Sect like before. Leaning on her cane, she ordered someone to bring a chair, then sat down with a grim expression.

Yan Qing’s first sect training experience.

Who would have thought that instead of slaying demons and vanquishing evil, they would just stand at the door, watching this group argue back and forth, pulling and pushing at each other?

He got tired of standing and started leaning on the wall.

The bamboo leaves cast speckles of light on the ground. Yan Qing pensively asked, “Xie Shiyi, do you think that boy is a demonseed?”

Xie Shiyi’s tone was chilly. “If you’re so curious, why don’t you just go over and see?”

Yan Qing: “Oh.”

He was a man of his word, and from the outskirts of the crowd, he squeezed toward the center, yelling, “Let me through!” The Wangqing Sect disciples felt like there was a slippery fish within the crowd. Some of the more irritable disciples wanted to grab him, but before they were able to, they were stopped by an icy stinging sensation on their palms, the pain making them withdraw their hands immediately. Yet, upon closer inspection, there was nothing on their skin, as if it was an illusion.

Yan Qing stood at the center of the crowd. He had encountered many demonseeds in his past life, but none of them were mortals.

When a person’s cultivation reached the Great Ascension or Void Comprehension stages, they could coexist with phantasms. Or maybe “coexist” wasn’t the right word because you never knew if it was the person who devoured the phantasm—or if it was the phantasm that devoured the person, taking over their body. They develop thought and reasoning and master the art of disguise. However, the innate bloodthirst of a demonseed never wanes. It only grows.

Yan Qing twirled the spirit silk around his hand, his stare fixed on that little boy.

Ming Ze suddenly realized that someone had appeared by his side and was slightly shocked. “Daoist Yan.”

Yan Qing said, “Ming Ze-xiong, have you investigated this child’s room yet?”

Ming Ze asked, “His room?”

Yan Qing nodded. “Since Miss Zhang saw him eat her little sister with her eyes, then, if he is a demonseed, the phantasm inside him has already begun awakening. There are sure to be signs in his everyday life.”

A light bulb went off in Ming Ze’s head. Nodding, he happily said, “Right, Daoist Yan, you’re exactly correct.”

Ming Ze said to Madam Sun, “Would it be possible for us to take a look at the youngest Sun master’s residence?”

Madam Sun had an ugly expression. Master Sun, who had been silent on the side this whole time, gave a bitter smile, saying, “Immortal masters, what a coincidence. My son’s previous residence was recently completely burned down in a large fire.”

Ming Ze was flabbergasted. “A large fire?”

Master Sun nodded and said, “Yes. After Yaoguang came back from Jiangjin Temple, he was in a daze. Night after night, he woke up crying and screaming, saying that something dirty was in his room. We were worried for him, so we burned that room to the ground. Now, Yaoguang sleeps with his mother.”

Ever since Sun Yaoguang came out, Zhang Mushi had been suppressing her hatred, resisting the urge to strangle him to death with her own hands. When he was born, Sun Yaoguang was found to possess good spiritual roots, and as the third promising cultivator of the family, he had always been protected rigorously. She had never had a chance to approach him before. Now, the only people who could kill him were these cultivators.

Hearing Master Sun’s words, Zhang Mushi started laughing maniacally. “Something dirty? Something dirty? Sun Yaoguang! He who never wrongs does not fear the knock in the night! I’m asking you, the dirty thing that woke you up in the dead of night, was it the one you devoured bite by bite, was it Zhang Muyue? Was it?”

Sun Yaoguang suddenly burst into tears and threw himself into Madam Sun’s lap. “Mom! I want to go back! Mom! I’m scared, I want to go back!”

Madam Sun cried with him. Choking with sobs, she said, “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared.”

Yan Qing sneered at this mother-son duo. “It was burned down? What a coincidence.”

Master Sun was red as a beet and was at a loss for words.

Sun Junhao, helping him out, said, “Fellow Daoist, the feather message is very fast, and there’s no need to rush at this moment. Let’s just wait a bit.”

Yan Qing said, “Waiting around is boring, Daoist Sun. Let’s chat.”

Sun Junhao was startled. “What?”

Yan Qing said, “I’m just curious, I’m not asking for any particular reason. Why did your ancestor wield the Heiyi Book just to especially test Sun Hebi and Sun Yaoguang for phantasms a few years ago?”

Sun Junhao frowned. “At the time, our ancestor left the sect to travel and happened to pass by Qingle City and just felt like visiting home. Hebi and Yaoguang were the family’s descendants, and the ancestor wanted to test them for phantasms. Is there anything wrong with that?”

Yan Qing said, “Oh, that makes sense.”

Yeah right.

The only reason for arbitrarily testing whether or not there were phantasms in the consciousness of their descendants would be so that, many years later, when someone accused them of being demonseeds, they could throw out the excuse that they’ve “tested them before.”

Yan Qing thought up to here and found it quite amusing, letting out a snicker.

Sun Junhao vigilantly watched the beautiful youth in front of his eyes. For some unknown reason, even Ming Ze, an inner peak disciple of Wangqing Sect, didn’t intimidate him, yet this seemingly sloppy and unfocused outer disciple gave him an uneasy feeling. His instincts told him this person wouldn’t be easy to handle.

Fuhua Sect’s feather was very fast, and shortly afterwards, a peal of cyan blasted over from Nanze Province from far in the distance, swirling up the thousands of lanterns in Qingle City. The wind was sharp and powerful, vast and overwhelming, enveloping the entire Sun family. It was the power of an apical Great Ascension cultivator on the brink of Void Comprehension.

As the oppressing power swept through, all present at the scene couldn’t help their legs from shaking, and they felt the urge to drop down to a kneel.

As a Great Elder of Fuhua Sect, the Sun family’s ancestor naturally wouldn’t come in person.

It was only because Sun Junhao was his disciple as well as his descendant that he gave such a prompt response.

Sent along with the feather was a chest with a purple dragon wound around it, a Great Ascension level spell.

If an outsider touched it, they would die on the spot.

The feather split apart in the air.

At the same moment, the deep, imposing voice of the Sun family’s ancestor was transmitted across thousands of miles.

“I already understand the situation and have lent you the Heiyi Book. After the truth has been ascertained, even if they are disciples from Wangqing Sect, they must apologize to my Sun family!”

Sun Junhao was exulted. He knelt on the ground while holding the chest up with both hands and said, “Many thanks, shizun.”

He opened the chest, and in an instant, a black beam filled with chaos shone toward the heavens.

It was unclear where the chaotic fog came from, but the myriad of wonders it embodied commanded deep reverence.

Sun Junhao originally wanted to get to testing right away, but after thinking about it, he handed the book over to Ming Ze, saying, “Daoist Ming, how about you do it.”

Ming Ze nodded and said, “Okay.”

He held the Heiyi Book in his hand. Although it was called a “book,” it was actually more accurate to describe it as dense fog that had condensed into a form. The Heiyi Book only required Nascent Soul stage cultivation to use.

He walked over and extracted a drop of blood from between Sun Yaoguang’s eyebrows to feed the book.

With his eyes closed and his middle and index fingers pressed together, he poured out his spiritual energy.

The blood seeped into the pages of the book.

If he was a demonseed, the Heiyi Book would turn red.

If he was an ordinary person, the blood would be wholly absorbed by the fog.

Every person in the Sun Manor held their breath with rapt attention.

Madam Sun clutched her sleeve for dear life.

Old Lady Sun grasped her cane with a slight tremble in her hands.

Zhang Mushi watched everything with a frosty gaze, waiting for the truth to come out at last.

The sound of pages flipping rang out.

The next second, a fine layer of red mist seemed to coat the Heiyi Book. Ming Ze’s eyes widened in shock. But the next second, the black fog churned, and the bloody mist, as if it were merely the original blood’s luster, was instantly engulfed, dissolved, and smothered by the Heiyi Book’s black fog, leaving no trace.

…Not a demonseed.

Zhang Mushi anxiously said, “Immortal masters?”

Ming Ze shut the Heiyi Book in a daze. He wasn’t sure why, but he was reluctant to face the eyes of this girl who was soon about to die a bitter death. She had sacrificed her life in exchange for vengeance, only for it to ultimately be a mistake.

“Miss Zhang…” Ming Ze was curt. “The Sun family’s youngest master is not a demonseed.”

Silence all around.

Zhang Mushi stood amidst the wind, not speaking a word. Her vibrant red bridal robes made her deathly pale face appear even whiter. She held back her tears and forced a smile, yet the hot tears fell drop by heavy drop. “Not a demonseed. Sun Yaoguang ate my sister alive, and he’s still not a demonseed. Then what exactly is a demonseed? If Sun Yaoguang isn’t a demonseed, then am I?” She laughed and cried, teetering on the edge of madness. It was as if that one sentence had snapped the last thread of her sanity. With a twist of her head, Zhang Mushi fixed her blood-red eyes on Sun Yaoguang, staring him down like a vengeful ghost out for blood.

Sun Yaoguang’s body was weak and sick. Seeing Zhang Mushi looking at him like that, with a wrench of the lips, he started wailing on the spot. The soft and tender fingers of a youth trembled, and grabbing at Madam Sun’s clothes, he completely broke down and bawled, “Mom! I want to go back! Mom! I’m scared! Mom! Mom! I want to go back!”

“Zhang Mushi!” Old Lady Sun didn’t even have the chance to feel self-satisfied before she was provoked into a fury by Zhang Mushi’s behavior.

Sun Junhao secretly let out a breath of relief—he now had a reason to make his move.

With a flick of his sleeve, Zhang Mushi, a mere mortal, collapsed to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood.

Sun Junhao, in his white-feathered blue robes, stepped forward. Filled with loathing, he said, “Miss Zhang, you killed my nephew—you are the Sun family’s sworn enemy. I tolerated your nonsense just now only out of respect for Wangqing Sect. But if you continue causing a ruckus, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”

Zhang Mushi was silent. Sprawled on the ground, her flooding tears blinded her eyes. At this moment, she was deaf to anyone.

Yet in her mind, two intense voices intertwined. On one side was the twinkling laughter of the young girl on the temple’s peach blossom steps; on the other was Sun Hebi’s howling cry as he kneeled before her in shambles.

Her body shuddered, and her fingers sunk into the earth beneath her.

Delicate clouds weave intricate patterns, shooting stars carry unspoken sorrow.¹

—Mushi, I’m hungry, I’m hungry.

The vast Milky Way is crossed in secret.

—The phantasm in my body, it’s talking to me, do you hear it? Ah, it’s coming out, the phantasm is living!

When the golden wind and jade dew meet just once, it eclipses myriad earthly encounters.

—Mushi, save me…

Tender feelings flow like water, and the cherished tryst feels like a dream.

—I didn’t want to kill her, I’m a victim too, Mushi, forgive me. I utterly can’t control myself, I’m possessed by the phantasm. I’m just hungry, I’m so hungry I can’t take it anymore. Mushi! Mushi!

Can they bear a separate homeward way across the magpie bridge?

—Zhang Mushi, what are you doing!?

If love between two hearts can endure, why should they long for companionship from dawn to dusk?

…Sun Hebi, I’m also hungry.

Zhang Mushi didn’t remember much of the bridal room and ornamented candles from her wedding festivities. Whether it was a life or death struggle fueled by revenge, by anger, by desperation at having nowhere left to turn, it didn’t matter. At that moment, the blood rushed to her eyes, and her mind went blank.

Brides being married off had to starve for a day and a night. On an empty stomach, she dressed and groomed herself; on an empty stomach, she climbed the sedan; on an empty stomach, she clutched the shears, waiting until midnight. Yet, the whole time, she felt nothing. She wasn’t hungry, nor was she thirsty.

Even when she hacked Sun Hebi’s flesh apart, feeding chunk by chunk into her mouth, she still felt nothing.

Now, the all-consuming grief and sorrow had passed with time. The doleful crying and cheerful laughter beside her ears awakened her to the realization that, for three days and three days, she had not had a drop of water to drink.

Her stomach felt burned like fire, her mouth felt seared like iron. Her apetite surged, and she nearly drooled with desire.

So.

This was hunger.

Her eyes were bewildered, and in a trance, she lightly ground her teeth, dazedly recalling the taste from her wedding night.

Hunger.

Sun Hebi…so it turns out, I really was hungry.

Old Lady Sun coldly said, “My grandson already suffered such a great fright at Jiangjin Temple, and now, after this ordeal, his condition will only worsen when he returns. How do you intend to explain yourselves?”

After Ming Ze closed the Heiyi Book, his complexion fluctuated between red and white. He was just about to reply when suddenly another pair of hands appeared beside him, slender and elegant, unspeakably beautiful.

He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but when the red thread on Yan Qing’s wrist fell atop the Heiyi Book, the black fog seemed to condense and solidify.

Yan Qing took the Heiyi Book and rapped on it with his fingers. He narrowed his eyes and smiled. “The Heiyi Book can’t be tampered with, nor can phantasms, but the human consciousness, however, can…”

It was for this reason that Earth-tier and Sky-tier phantasm-detecting celestial artifacts couldn’t be privately owned. Every celestial artifact had a different way of detecting phantasms. The Biyun Mirror² tested reflections, the Liuguang Qin tested sound, and the Heiyi Book tested blood. Who knows if that year the Sun family ancestor, at the apex of Great Ascension, ever foresaw this day and preemptively tampered with Sun Yaoguang’s blood.

“Yan Qing-xiong, what do you want to do?” Ming Ze warily asked.

Sun Yaoguang looked as if he had thrown himself into Madam Sun’s embrace, terrified and crying bitterly. Yet, through his tears, he took advantage of the crowd’s distraction to stealthily lift his head and look over.

Taking this chance when his head was raised, the red thread in Yan Qing’s hand suddenly grew into a long snake, soaring through the air to ruthlessly skewer his forehead.

“What are you doing!?”

“Yaoguang!”

The Sun family abruptly started raving.

Yan Qing said, “Just getting some blood.”

He recalled his red thread and flung its blood-soaked tail end directly onto the Heiyi Book. This time, the Heiyi Book seemed as if it was terrified of something. Working extremely fast, the black fog churned until at last—a pure, blazing scarlet completely illuminated the sky.

Phantasms!

Sun Yaoguang was a demonseed!

The Sun family, who had been furious just moments ago, suddenly turned pale, all color draining from their faces.

Sun Yaoguang’s crying became even louder.

Old Lady Sun, flustered and discomfited, began screeching, “You’re playing tricks! You tampered with Yaoguang’s blood!”

Yan Qing sneered, “Old Lady Sun. Tampering with such things—one can only conceal the phantasm but never conjure it out of thin air.”

Ming Ze was stunned. “Yan-xiong, what’s going on here?”

Yan Qing said, “You guys extracted the blood too shallowly.” He tossed the Heiyi Book to Ming Ze and casually said, “Since we’ve already tested that he’s a demonseed, we can kill him now.”

Ming Ze nodded.

The Nine Sects and Three Clans had established a law long ago: any demonseed must be killed on sight. Just as he was about to strike, Sun Junhao stepped in to shield Sun Yaoguang.

“No, Daoist Ming, please be lenient.”

Ming Ze scowled and did not move aside. “Daoist Sun, you still plan to cover it up even after we’ve determined he is a demonseed?”

Sun Junhao smiled bitterly. “No…I’m not planning on covering it up. It’s just, even if my little nephew is a demonseed, he hasn’t done any evil yet.”

Ming Ze said, “He hasn’t done anything? Then Jiangjin Temple—”

Hearing this familiar name, Sun Yaoguang seemed to be thrown back into a nightmare and suddenly wailed. On the verge of collapse, he screamed in utter despair, “It was my brother who forced me! He killed someone, he ate them! He dragged me with him, he forced me to swallow it down! It was my brother who forced me! It was disgusting, that taste was disgusting, mom! Save me! I’m scared! Mom! I’ve been throwing up ever since I came back, mom! Save me!—”

Sun Junhao closed his eyes and sighed, saying, “He’s just a seven-year-old child, how could he have the ability to kill someone? If what Miss Zhang said is true, then the Zhang family’s seventh young mistress should have been killed by Hebi.”

“At the time, Hebi forced his little brother to eat human flesh. Yaoguang became very ill after coming back from Jiangjin Temple, frightened out of his mind, and he still hasn’t recovered—he’s a victim too. The one who murdered the seventh Zhang mistress, Hebi, also died in the same tragic manner. At least justice is served, and debts are repaid to their rightful owner.”

“Daoist Ming.” Sun Junhao raised his head and said in a soft voice, “What other wrong has Yaoguang done…although he is a demonseed, he hasn’t had the chance to do evil. He was even forced to eat human flesh, and he’s not in his right mind. The Qin family has said that not every demonseed will necessarily harm people, and nobody was born to do evil. They didn’t choose to have a phantasm within them, so what gives us the right to decide whether a seven-year-old boy lives or dies when he hasn’t even done anything wrong?”

“If the one who murdered the seventh Zhang mistress was Yaoguang, then even if he were only seven years of age, I would personally take action to cleanse the family and prevent him from growing up to harm others. But in this matter, Yaoguang is the victim.”

“I know you are concerned that letting him remain in the mortal realm will endanger innocent lives.”

“Rest assured, I will contact our ancestor and have Yaoguang sent to the Four Hundred and Eighty Temples for imprisonment.”

“Please, Daoist Ming, spare his life today.”

The Four Hundred and Eighty Temples were established by the Three Great Clans of Zijin Continent, meant for “phantasm purging”, meant for offering demonseeds a sliver of survival. Anyone in the world would show them some respect.

The author has something to say: Sun Yaoguang isn’t being protected because he’s young and little, dears, it’s because he hasn’t done any evil yet. And stepping out of an omniscient perspective, what if Sun Yaoguang truly is innocent? Forced by his deranged elder brother to eat flesh, vomiting endlessly upon returning, lost in a daze, his mind in turmoil. Then, upon being discovered as a demonseed, he must face execution in helpless confusion.

The phantasm here can be understood as a tangible virus.

If you’ve forgotten about the Four Hundred and Eighty Temples, you can refer to what Jing Ruyu said in Chapter Nine.³

TN: translating this made me lose braincells, HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO TAKE!?

1. Every other line is from Qin Guan’s poem Immortal at the Magpie Bridge, about the Cowheard and Weaver Girl ↩

2. 碧云镜, sagecloud mirror ↩

3. From the previous TL: “Two hundred years ago, the Qin family found an ancient text that contained a method for eliminating phantasms. It could erase the phantasm from a person’s mind without harming them. They established many temples to receive demonseeds from all over the realm and eliminate their phantasms, giving them new life.” ↩