“A terrestrial immortal?”
“Yes! A terrestrial immortal! Riding clouds and mist, roaming freely across the four seas, watching the world with hands folded across heaven and earth! At such a realm, where in this vast world can’t one go? Carefree and unrestrained, this is exactly what a terrestrial immortal is!”
Ling Xiaodong asked curiously, “Then who are these three?”
“One is the National Preceptor of our dynasty, currently stationed in the capital Luoyang. The National Preceptor’s life spans as long as the nation itself; the Great Zhou has existed for over three hundred years.”
“The founding Emperor Taizu was assisted by the National Preceptor in establishing the Great Zhou dynasty. The Preceptor’s martial prowess is supernatural, and his immortal arts are unfathomably profound. It is said that back then, in the Old Capital, he alone, wielding a single sword, severed the dragon vein beneath the imperial city, completely breaking the fate of the old dynasty.”
“Three hundred years of life! Incredible! What about the other two?”
“The second is the prince of the Northern Xiongnu king, Wanyan Shengjun. He is a man of great strength, able to uproot mountains and lift cauldrons, a single person who can resist armies of millions. Yet he is also cunning and crafty, a master of warfare, and has long been a thorn in the side of Great Zhou.”
“And the last one?”
“The last is the only son of the Northern King, Zheng Beiguan. The Northern King has never let a man enter her favor in her lifetime, so…”
“The Northern King is a woman!” Ling Xiaodong interrupted in surprise.
The old man frowned at being cut off just as he got excited.
“So what if she’s a woman? Our Great Zhou’s Taizu was also a woman! And born a beggar! Didn’t she still build such a great legacy?”
Ling Xiaodong smiled awkwardly:
“I’m ignorant, please continue.”
“Where was I? Ah yes, the Northern King never found a man worthy of her, and being childless, she sought the National Preceptor’s secret method to conceive an immortal fetus.”
“This heir was extraordinary: speaking at one month old, literate at one year, trained in martial arts at three, his sword master abandoned the sword at five and swore never to wield it again. At ten, he had already reached the realm of terrestrial immortals. No grandmaster in the world could defeat him. Alas, heaven is jealous of talent…”
The old man paused mysteriously.
Ling Xiaodong, playing the perfect foil, quickly asked:
“What happened to the Northern King’s heir?”
The old man continued:
“Four years ago, the Northern King’s general Wenren Yiqing was ambushed by the Xiongnu. To rescue General Wenren, the heir ventured alone deep into Xiongnu territory, holding off tens of thousands of troops and Wanyan Shengjun by himself.”
“In the end, Wenren Yiqing escaped back to the Northern lands alone. A few days later, the Xiongnu envoy delivered the heir’s corpse. It was said there wasn’t a single patch of skin left intact.”
“How tragic! And earlier you mentioned the Luo Cult — what is that exactly?”
Ling Xiaodong, a Daoist who had lived secluded in the mountains, knew almost nothing of the outside world. Now faced with a talkative old man, naturally he wanted to learn more.
“The Luo Cult is a rebellious cult made up of demonic beings!”
“A cult? How evil are they?” Ling Xiaodong asked.
“Cities occupied by the Luo Cult are left littered with corpses, piled high in the streets. Strangely, none of the bodies bear any wounds! People just die out of thin air!”
“Terrifying!”
The old man’s expression turned even more mysterious, whispering:
“That’s not all! It is said the Luo Cult leader has three heads and six arms! He loves eating children’s hearts raw! And the cult’s sacred maiden is no human, but an Evil Beast in disguise.”
“An Evil Beast? I know that! The deceptive strange beasts, right?”
Ling Xiaodong recalled a miscellaneous book on his master’s shelf that mentioned Evil Beasts.
“In the southwestern wilderness, Evil Beasts appear, shaped like rabbits with human faces, able to speak, often deceiving people — speaking east but meaning west, speaking evil but meaning good. Their meat is delicious, but those who eat it do not speak the truth.”
“Exactly that one! It’s said that demonic woman most loves to disguise herself as a beautiful woman to seduce men, causing wives to be abandoned and families to fall apart for her amusement.”
Ling Xiaodong was about to continue the conversation when suddenly the inn fell completely silent.
Puzzled, he looked around, following the gathering gazes of all present. A Face-veiled White-clothed Woman entered the inn.
Though her face was covered, her only visible pair of eyes were strikingly beautiful—bright and sharp like flowing water. Her figure was slender and graceful, exuding a serene and noble aura.
She was like delicate autumn eyebrows and jade-like skin caressed by a gentle breeze, inspiring no trace of impure thought.
She approached the counter and softly asked:
“Innkeeper, is there any vacancy here?”
Her voice was ethereal, like a yellow warbler emerging from the valley—melodious and lingering, as fluid as a song.
The innkeeper was momentarily stunned, then immediately put on his trademark smile:
“Miss, you’ve come just at the right time. We happen to have a ‘Heaven’ grade room available, though it’s pricier than the regular rooms.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll find another inn.”
The White-clothed Woman turned to leave.
“Wait, miss, please stay.”
The innkeeper waved her back and nervously rubbed his hands:
“Ah! Miss, you know that Pengcheng is under lockdown recently. Many caravans are trapped inside the city and can’t leave. It’s only by luck that we have one room left because a guest just checked out. Other inns wouldn’t have any vacancies.”
Hearing the same rehearsed excuse, nearly word for word, Ling Xiaodong’s suspicion that he was being scammed was confirmed. Although Aunt Yun was wealthy and didn’t care about money, Ling Xiaodong’s anger flared at being treated like a fool.
The White-clothed Woman lowered her head to think, about to agree when Ling Xiaodong stepped forward to stop her:
“Hold on!”
Ling Xiaodong challenged:
“Innkeeper, I just came to book a room, and you said there was only one Heaven-grade room. Now you say the same thing again?”
The innkeeper stammered.
“Well… a guest just happened to check out, and Pengcheng is under lockdown, you see, all these caravans…”
Ling Xiaodong interrupted:
“Pengcheng is indeed locked down, but those inside cannot leave, and outsiders cannot enter. How can every inn be full?”
The innkeeper had originally planned to profiteer from the lockdown by charging outsiders exorbitantly, but now caught red-handed in front of so many old customers, sweat broke out on his forehead.
If this issue wasn’t handled well, his reputation would be ruined, and he wouldn’t be able to continue business in Pengcheng.
He quickly grabbed Ling Xiaodong’s sleeve, pleading quietly in his ear:
“Ah, young brother, I was momentarily blinded by greed. Look, I’ll waive all your lodging and meals, just please let this end here, alright?”
Ling Xiaodong was relentless:
“What about the other guests you deceived earlier?”
The innkeeper became desperate and whispered, “I’ll waive all of them too, all of them! Just be magnanimous and don’t spread this around. I have elders above and children below, all relying on this inn to make a living.”
Seeing the innkeeper’s sincere apology and considering his hardships, Ling Xiaodong’s anger finally eased. He nodded and agreed to his request.
The innkeeper forced a bitter smile and cupped his hands:
“Thank you, thank you.”
Then he turned and went upstairs to issue refunds.
The White-clothed Woman watched this unfold, then asked Ling Xiaodong:
“The innkeeper deceived others out of selfishness. How can you just let it go like that?”
Ling Xiaodong naturally replied:
“Who hasn’t made mistakes? Since the innkeeper acknowledged his fault, showed sincere remorse, and is willing to compensate, let it go. Besides, he has a family to support—sometimes it’s better to be merciful.”
The White-clothed Woman’s clear eyes showed some disappointment as she shook her head:
“He admits fault only because you caught him red-handed. What if no one found out? How many would be deceived then?”
“No matter who commits evil, they should be punished by law. I thought you looked extraordinary, but turns out you’re just an ordinary mortal who abandons justice for a little profit.”
Watching the White-clothed Woman’s departing figure, Ling Xiaodong felt inexplicably puzzled.
He had only intended to confront the innkeeper, so how did he suddenly become the villain?
Just as he was about to take his meal box and return to his room, his peripheral vision caught sight of a piece of white cloth on the ground. Picking it up, it seemed to be a woman’s handkerchief—likely dropped by the White-clothed Woman just now.
The handkerchief carried a faint scent of summer lotus and was embroidered with a single small character, which upon closer inspection appeared to be “Mu.”
But the woman had already left. Going out now would certainly be too late to find her. Ling Xiaodong pocketed the handkerchief, planning to return it if they met again.
Carrying his meal box, Ling Xiaodong returned to the ‘Heaven’ grade number one room on the top floor of the inn. He knocked lightly a few times and asked:
“Aunt Yun, may I come in?”
There was no response from inside.
Ling Xiaodong knocked harder and called out:
“Aunt Yun, are you there?”
Still no reply.
He had been downstairs just now; Aunt Yun couldn’t have left her room. Pushing the door, he found it locked from the inside.
Suddenly, Ling Xiaodong recalled the old man’s warning that the Luo Cult had already infiltrated Pengcheng and that the court had dispatched experts to assist.
His heart jolted.
Aunt Yun had come into the city at the lord’s invitation to exterminate demons. Could it be that the Luo Cult had targeted her the moment she entered?
Something had happened to Aunt Yun!
Distracted with worry, Ling Xiaodong struck the door open with one palm and rushed inside.
Immediately, a sharp scream from a woman echoed throughout the entire inn.