Daoist Zhaixing's Dao Heart

"Such dense sinister qi! No wonder you all moved out to live in tents. The Celestial Star Dharma Sword? Where is it, where is it? Let me have a look... Oh, it belongs to Eldest Senior Martial Brother's disciple? Never mind then..." "...What do you mean, 'afraid'? Why would I, Daoist Zhaixing, be afraid of Eldest Senior Brother? Eldest Senior Brother is my role model!... What? Eldest Senior Brother slaughtered three hundred thousand demon soldiers in a single breath? Wasn't it thirty thousand? What, thirty million demon soldiers..." "...No, this isn't cold sweat! I'm just lightly dressed and caught a chill. Hey, what female ghost dares cause trou—oh, oh, she's the local City God's daughter..." "...Huh? She even braved the sun to rescue Martial Nephew Ah Xiu?... *Ahem*, this humble Daoist didn't realize Your Ladyship was Ah Xiu's lifesaver. Pardon my offense; I hope Miss Su can forgive me..." "...Huh? Why doesn't this jiangshi have a corpse-suppressing talisman stuck on it?... Wait? You're saying it won't bite people and won't run away? Are you sure it's even a jiangshi like this? Huh? What poetic verse? Reciting verses is in fashion again now?" "Uh... I don't have the skill to purge the celestial star sinister qi from this wooden hut. Er, Senior Martial Brother Simu, why are your eyes all red? It's just a house gone, no need for this, really. Actually, by all rights, your chickens, ducks, and spotted pigs can't be eaten either... Hey, Senior Brother, why did you faint?..." A barrage of noisy conversation drifted in from outside, causing Liu Xiu, who was sleeping inside a makeshift tent, to slowly open his eyes. Meeting his gaze was a crude tent. He thought to himself that Jiale was indeed reliable, remembering how he had warned that they would have to move if he ever used the Crimson Firmament Sword. It couldn't be helped; the sword's radiation was too intense. He worried that Master Yixiu and the others might depart early to enjoy eternal rest in the Netherworld because of it. "How long was I asleep?" Lying on the wooden cot, Liu Xiu asked Miss Su as she helped him sit up. Hearing that only a single night had passed, he nodded and checked his body for injuries. "Who changed my clothes and washed me? Oh, you changed them? Why are you blushing? You didn't do anything, did you? Oh, you didn't? Fine, I thought you might take advantage of my vulnerability to sneak into bed with me!" Leaning back against the headboard, Liu Xiu looked at Miss Su, who timidly ducked her head in a blush, and curled his lip before resuming his examination. Finding no injuries on his body—even the puncture holes that should have remained on his neck had failed to materialize—he glanced at several medicine bottles on the floor nearby, then looked at Miss Su's illusory spirit body, which was damaged from exposure to sunlight. Liu Xiu's brow furrowed slightly. "Didn't I tell you and your father long ago not to get involved? That old fox is so shrewd; why would he let you step in to save me?..." "...Oh, so you snuck out to save me? He doesn't know, and it wasn't his idea?..." Liu Xiu internally cursed what a crafty old fox he was. A whole night had already passed; how could this possibly count as sneaking out! Seeing Miss Su's faint spirit form, Liu Xiu patted the empty spot on the edge of the bed beside him, signaling her to sit and talk. Seeing her lean against his shoulder as she sat, he brushed his left hand across his storage thumb ring. The moment the Bagua mirror settled into his palm, Liu Xiu pinched an incantation seal with his right hand and chanted, "*Lunar radiance streams forth, moonlit splendor shines down. Yin qi returns to the root, the soul restored to its true self. Three souls bright and clear, seven po-spirits full and whole. Reflected in the mirror, the old visage returns to form...*" He aimed the Bagua mirror toward the sunlight outside the parted curtain, catching and channeling it to draw forth the power of lunar essence. Then, Liu Xiu opened his mouth and exhaled. A breath of yang qi puffed into the lunar essence channeled by the Bagua mirror. He firmly embraced Miss Su, who was reluctant to accept his yang qi, and said, "Don't squirm..." The mirror brushed past her pretty face. Miss Su's faint spirit form instantly solidified, at the cost of Liu Xiu's complexion turning noticeably paler. Seeing him pale after expending that breath of yang qi, Miss Su grew frantic, insisting on returning the yang qi to him. Liu Xiu frowned. "What, you look down on mine? You don't? I don't believe you. Hmph, that's more like it. Since I gave it to you, keep it. By the way, remember to go to your old man's treasury later and fetch me some vitality-replenishing elixir pills. Make sure to grab plenty..." With a mischievous grin, Liu Xiu winked. Watching Miss Su vanish with a flushed face, he furrowed his brows and turned toward the window curtain, glancing at an unfamiliar face peeking at him from outside. Actually, it wasn't entirely unfamiliar, as the man bore a fifty-percent resemblance to Ninth Uncle from the movie *Mr. Vampire*. It was worth mentioning that the appearances of Shi Jian and the others didn't strictly match the original movies; there were generally discrepancies, which was understandable. After all, this was a real world. *Daoist Zhaixing, huh...* Recalling the conversation he had overheard while half-asleep and thinking of the film *The Musical Vampire*, Liu Xiu flashed a bright, sunny smile and gave a slight nod to the peeping Daoist. Yet the man just stood there dazed like an idiot, not reacting at all. Liu Xiu frowned, waved his hand across the air to draw the curtains closed, and took out a White Jade Cicada molt to contact Caiyi and the other woman. "..." Right now... it should be daytime, shouldn't it?! Paying no mind to Liu Xiu closing the curtain, Daoist Zhaixing furrowed his brows and stared up at the sun, which had not risen that long ago. He recalled the Yin-Nourishing Soul-Restoring Incantation that this nephew—who looked practically like a ghost himself—had just cast. The spell called for drawing upon lunar essence and borrowing yang qi to restore a damaged yin soul. It belonged to the arts of Taiyin, sharing the same origin as the Taiyin Reflection Incantation. Yet that technique was supposed to borrow lunar essence! Daoist Zhaixing frowned at the bright sun in the sky. As an avid reader, he knew moonlight was merely the reflection of sunlight. But here was the problem: How on earth did he channel the power of lunar essence in broad daylight?! This makes zero sense for the Dao! As he was pondering, Daoist Zhaixing heard a whistle coming from the tent. He then saw the black-robed Black Jiangshi, lacking any corpse-suppressing talisman, obediently hopping inside. "..." To be honest, I don't understand! Not only do I not understand, I cannot fathom it! Listening to Liu Xiu inside the tent saying things like "very good" and "didn't run away," Daoist Zhaixing's eyes filled with bewilderment. Truth be told, what scene hadn't he witnessed before?! Yet this spectacle was truly... bizarre! Feeling an ache in his Dao heart and growing somewhat pale, Daoist Zhaixing turned it over in his mind, branding it thoroughly uncanny. Just as he was still dwelling on the matter of the lunar essence and the Black Jiangshi, he felt a heavy hand clap down on his shoulder. With an impassive face, he turned to find Daoist Qianhe smiling cheerfully. Daoist Qianhe asked with a chuckle, "Senior Brother, did you hear Miss Su speak?" "..." I'm in the middle of thinking! Besides, humans scaring humans can frighten someone to death! Daoist Zhaixing said nothing. He merely cast a scowl at Daoist Qianhe, then walked off into the distance to ponder the riddle of the lunar essence! "???" When did I manage to offend him, too? Seeing his senior brother's cold shoulder, Daoist Qianhe froze, the habitual smile vanishing from his face instantly. Then, slipping into an existential crisis, he began wondering whether he truly possessed some irritating Dao physique that repelled people, before making his way toward the tent! Liu Xiu was oblivious to all of this. Having failed to reach Caiyi and her companion, he told the Black Jiangshi to find a corner and stand out of the way, then stepped out of the tent. After a touching display of family sentiment, Liu Xiu and the peeping... Daoist Zhaixing formally introduced themselves. Then began the lecture from his two martial uncles, who scolded him for being reckless. As far as that went, Liu Xiu wanted to tell them that since he had dared to take flight with the imperial-clan jiangshi, it meant he had already calculated that he would be fine. Even if Shi Jian hadn't shown up, he would have been fine. After all, he had stated that he possessed nine different ways to kill the imperial-clan jiangshi. Taking to the sky had been part of his plan all along! "Hey, aren't you done nagging? My junior brother risked life and limb to save you, and yet you're complaining so much! If you're so capable, why didn't you deal with that imperial-clan jiangshi yourselves?" It was Shi Shaojian who spoke up. With a single sentence, he brought this quasi-lecture to a prompt halt, leaving the three martial uncles looking thoroughly ashamed and awkward. *Good senior brother, well done!* Behind his back, Liu Xiu secretly gave Shi Shaojian a thumbs-up. Seeing this, Shi Shaojian raised his chin with his nostrils flared, sporting an expression that said, *Of course! I'm your senior brother, after all.* Liu Xiu gave a slight nod, then raised an eyebrow at the Seventy-First Prince, who swiftly hid the moment he spotted him. *Tsk, truly worthy of being the person outside the nineteen!* Liu Xiu mused inwardly, unbothered that the boy was still alive. After all, as he had noted before, the prince bore the physiognomy of precocious brilliance doomed to an early grave. To sum it up in one sentence: even if the Seventy-First Prince didn't die this time, he would perish in another disaster; his life would not be long. "By the way, now that the imperial-clan jiangshi is gone, are we still heading to the capital?" Liu Xiu asked, turning to Daoist Qianhe. If they really were going, he doubted there was even time left to gather the imperial-clan jiangshi's ashes! "There's no need to go to the capital anymore. We only need to escort this Seventy-First Prince to Gantian Town in Guangdong!" The one who answered was not Daoist Qianhe, but Daoist Zhaixing, who had remained quiet beside them. Daoist Qianhe chimed in with a smile. "Right, we don't need to go to the capital, and we don't have to handle this matter anymore either. The sect has handed it over to your Martial Uncle Zhaixing. All we need to do now is deliver the Seventy-First Prince and their ashes to Gantian Town in Guangdong; someone will naturally be there to receive them!" As Daoist Qianhe spoke, he tried his best to put on a smile that didn't look off-putting, though it came out exceedingly strange. So strange that not only Liu Xiu, but everyone present cast bizarre looks at Daoist Qianhe, causing his smile to collapse. Wait, why are you all looking at me like that? Could I really have awakened some annoying Dao physique?