bookbashuk Chapter 84 Do you think you're very cultured?
Chapter 84 Do you think you're very cultured?
"snort."
Shen Yi didn't even lift his eyelids. "Consider this knife your gift of gratitude to your master. I had a past with your master, and now that he is no longer here, I will take his place as his only disciple."
Shen Yi certainly wouldn't return the knife; he was still hoping to use it for self-defense.
Besides, he wasn't entirely lying. He did intend to teach Eleven. This guy had saved his life, so he couldn't repay kindness with enmity and steal his things.
Instead of doing that, why not do the opposite and pretend to be a master? No, you are a master yourself, the Jade Emperor's son-in-law, you know?
Sure enough, at the mention of "teaching you on behalf of your master," Eleven's eyes lit up immediately, and he completely forgot about the sword. He stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Is this true? My master was harmed by the Thousand-Year-Old Purple Bat Spirit. I beg you to avenge my master—"
Shen Yi: ……
If you want me dead, just say so.
The thousand-year-old Purple Bat Spirit, known as the Holy Lord of the Demonic Path, is far more powerful than Bai Suzhen.
In the original story, if it weren't for Xu Xian's tear and the Eleventh Master's official seal, the Green and White Snakes, Xu Xian, and even Fahai would all have perished in the demonic path.
Should I let myself deal with that thing?
What a joke! He can't even fly on a cloud these days!
"Cough cough."
Shen Yi coughed twice, his expression unchanged, and said, "This matter is not difficult. Once you have control of your master's official seal, a mere thousand-year-old purple bat spirit will naturally be no problem."
This wasn't Shen Yi trying to fool Eleven. Eleven's master was a demon-catching constable for the imperial court in his previous life. His official seal contained the dynasty's fortune. In a cultivation novel, such a thing would be a national treasure that could suppress all evil.
In the original story, Xu Xian, a frail scholar, was able to annihilate the Demon Lord with a single strike of his official seal.
Eleven is a trained fighter, after all. He'll get the official seal back. What's there to be afraid of, Purple Bat Demon?
As for snatching the official seal, not only does Shen Yi lack the audacity, but that kind of thing requires an official position to wield effectively. As a commoner, he can at best use the official seal in close combat like Xu Xian.
Moreover, that thing only works on evil spirits who have broken the law; it has no effect on a cultivator like Bai Suzhen, no matter how many flowers she makes.
"Really?"
Eleven's eyes lit up even more. If he could avenge his master with the official seal, what was he waiting for?
"That's natural."
Shen Yi paused for a moment, then decided that since he had already pretended to be an expert, he might as well go all the way. "By the way, since we're just idling around anyway, I'll give you some pointers on your cultivation methods. How far have you progressed? If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask."
Upon hearing this, Eleven was overjoyed and immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, pouring out everything he had learned and practiced under his master over the years. He himself was only a dabbler, and his master was a reckless fool—otherwise, he wouldn't have been sent to abandon his wife and daughter to subdue demons.
This is why he has a superficial understanding of many things, knowing the facts but not the reasons behind them. Now that he has met an "old friend of his master," he has no time to be polite.
Shen Yi wasn't actually familiar with the cultivation system of this world, but the Heavenly Library in the world of "Happy Seven Fairies" had a collection that was no joke. Just the basic Taoist techniques alone were enough for him to guide Eleven for quite a while. Although Eleven's foundation was weak, she had the advantage of learning a wide variety of things. She had dabbled in martial arts, talismans, spells, and formations, which actually supplemented Shen Yi's knowledge of this world.
The two engaged in a question-and-answer session that lasted for more than half an hour.
When the rain finally stopped and a patch of clear blue sky appeared on the horizon, Eleven was completely convinced by this "Quanzhen Taoist". Several key points that had puzzled him for many years were explained by the other party in just a few words - if this is not a master, what is?
As the two were chatting, Eleven immediately said that he wanted to go to Banbuduo Inn to retrieve his master's official seal. Shen Yi hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded in agreement.
Banbuduo Inn is a transit station for the three realms of demons, immortals, and humans. Under normal circumstances, guests will not fight inside.
Of course, there were also those who acted secretly—like Fahai.
In the original storyline, or rather, he was chasing after the hundred-year-old ginseng spirit, and later he would catch up to it by more than half a step. He ransacked the inn, scaring the hundred-year-old ginseng spirit into fleeing into the demonic path, and Fahai even followed closely behind.
Many people believe that this Fahai is the same as the Fahai in "Green Snake," who regards demons as aliens and will kill them on sight.
In reality, this version of Fahai is a typical bully who preys on the weak. Even when he enters the demonic path, he still only targets the ginseng spirit who has done nothing wrong, but never provokes the purple bat spirit who likes to absorb people's yang energy.
If this were Fahai from "Green Snake," he probably would have rolled up his sleeves and started fighting the Demon Lord.
To put it bluntly, Fahai only wanted to become a Buddha. He had no intention of saving or protecting sentient beings. He just thought that if others could become Buddhas by subduing demons, then he could become a Buddha by subduing demons too.
Eleven, holding a map, led Shen Yi for most of the day, finally stopping in front of a dusty, gray brick wall. He looked at the map in his hand, then at the wall in front of him, scratched his head, and said with a puzzled expression, "This is clearly marked on the map, so how come..."
"What's the purpose of the 'yin-yang eye' I taught you?"
Shen Yi gave a rather irritating reminder.
Suddenly realizing what was happening, Shiyi quickly made a hand gesture and wiped his eyelids. When he opened his eyes again, the scene before him was different—the wall was no longer a wall, but a layer of shimmering light curtain. The outline of the building was faintly visible behind the light curtain, like an inn hidden in the mist.
"Brother, give us two lanterns."
Too lazy to deal with this idiot, Shen Yi walked straight to a small cubicle on the right side of the wall and spoke politely.
Sitting in the cubicle was a thin, bald, middle-aged man with sallow skin and sunken eyes, who looked like he hadn't slept for several days.
"Boy, where are you going, Half Step More? Where are you coming from?"
The bald middle-aged man's gaze swept over Shen Yi, then looked at the large knife behind him, and his eyelids twitched slightly.
"From where it came from."
"Where to?"
"Go from where you are going."
The bald middle-aged man clicked his tongue. If he didn't want to talk about it, he didn't. After all these years of wandering the world, everyone has a few secrets. He didn't press further and took two lit lanterns from the shelf behind him, handing them to Shen Yi.
Shen Yi took the lantern, handed one of them to Eleven, and stepped into the wall of light first.
The moment I passed through the light curtain, the world suddenly went dark.
The Banbuduo Inn was a hidden paradise, devoid of day and night. Many wandering ghosts roamed the area, and the buildings were covered in vines; to the uninitiated, it would seem like a haunted house. Even with his extraordinary courage, Eleven, who possessed the ability to see ghosts, couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine when he saw the ghostly figures roaming around the inn. Some of these creatures were missing limbs, others were deathly pale, and occasionally a few would turn their heads, their empty eye sockets staring directly at him.
Just as the two walked in, another monk wearing a straw hat and holding a staff walked up to the front of the Banbuduo Inn.
"The monk is only half a step away, where did he come from?"
"From where it came from."
"Where to?"
"Go from where you are going."
Bald middle-aged man: ...
Do you think you're very cultured?