The Wei Family must have been quite wealthy in the city.
At least, they used to be.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have had over twenty people in their household.
Their house was located right in the middle of Danxun County.
The county town wasn't large, so it was a short walk.
However, by the time they had eaten dinner and walked over, the misty rain had slowly deepened the evening gloom, multiplying the fear in Wei Yuanzhong's heart with every step.
It was true that this monster only beat people without causing serious harm, but how many could truly face such a thing without fear?
A thrashing still hurt, after all.
"We're here, we're here."
"Creak..."
Wei Yuanzhong pushed open the door to his own home, gesturing in terror for Lin Jue to enter.
"Please come in, Young Master."
"Much obliged."
Lin Jue had long since realized that yielding to fear when encountering monsters offered no benefit, and that many such creatures were nowhere near as terrifying as he had imagined. Whether by logic or emotion, deliberately or not, he naturally refused to let any obvious dread take root in his heart now, taking a large stride inside.
At the same time, he turned his head and surveyed his surroundings.
A house capable of holding over a dozen people was much larger than an ordinary family's home, so there was a small courtyard right past the entrance.
However, residences in this region tended to be compact and exquisite, lacking the spaciousness of a traditional courtyard house. Given the premium price of land in the city, this courtyard wasn't actually all that large.
Small as it was, it lacked nothing in elegance.
Moss and mottled marks at the base of the walls showed its age, and the decorative bricks set into the masonry were carved with plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, and evergreen pines. Normally, a courtyard like this would have a tree planted in it. Even the wealthy manors in Heng Village and Shu Village were designed this way to add a touch of scenery. With the shade blocking the light, it would remain deeply secluded and serene even under a blazing afternoon sun.
Unfortunately, the tree in this courtyard had been chopped down not long ago, leaving only a bare stump.
A few green plants remained, managing to inject a sliver of life into the space.
The big house and grand courtyard Lin Jue's young cousin constantly talked about building in the future would probably look a lot like this: room enough for a dozen or two people, with a tree planted in the yard that would naturally breach the walls to catch the sunlight as it grew, outlasting several generations.
Just then, his footsteps suddenly faltered.
Filled with a fleeting sense of pity, he had turned to look at the stump. But his vision blurred, and he thought he saw faint, shadowy glints of light flowing across the wood, just like when he sat in meditation to practice his breathing exercises.
"?"
Lin Jue could not help but frown.
He said nothing for the moment, crossing the courtyard and entering the house.
It was cool inside, with faint light spilling down from the skylight.
"Young Master..."
"Elder Wei, do not look at me. I am not a Daoist priest. I have no idea how to root out a monster, nor do I know how to exorcise one. I only promised to sleep here for one night, and even that might not do any good," Lin Jue said. "We will just have to see if that entity comes out tonight and gives me a thrashing as well."
"Right, right! Good, good!"
Wei Yuanzhong hurriedly led him to a room with two beds.
No one in his family had dared to sleep in the house for the past few days. The rooms were all locked, and the bedding had to be taken out of the cabinets. By the time the beds were made, the sky had completely darkened, prompting them to find an oil lamp and light it.
Wei Yuanzhong was utterly terrified, jumping at shadows; the slightest rustle of the wind or twitch of the grass made him suspect a monster was lurking. Lin Jue, on the other hand, maintained his usual composure. As if staying overnight at a friend's house, he calmly fetched some clean water to rinse his mouth and wash his face.
Why was this? Half of it was genuine fearlessness, and the other half was a refusal to let himself be afraid. Yet neither alone was enough. They had to be woven together: using his lack of fear to act with calm composure, and using that very calm composure to nourish his internal courage, convincing himself that he truly was not afraid. Only through this combination could he achieve his current state of complete fearlessness.
"Elder Wei, you take this bed. I will sleep in the one by the door."
"Okay, okay..."
"Do not be so tense, Elder Wei. Have you not heard that monsters bully the weak and fear the strong, and that terror might actually attract them?"
"Ah? This..."
Wei Yuanzhong instantly grew even more frightened.
"Haha..."
Lin Jue chuckled twice and lay down on the bed, casually slipping his Firewood Chopper under his pillow. Keeping his eyes open in the lamplit room, he changed the subject to chat with Wei Yuanzhong.
"I heard you mention at the inn that a very powerful Daoist arrived nearby recently, one who eradicated a terrible demon in the neighboring county. You even went looking for him. Is that true?" This story is hosted at novelping.com.
"It is true that we went looking. The rumors are true as well."
"Who did you hear it from?"
"The merchants traveling between the two places..."
"What does this Daoist look like?"
"They say he is an Old Daoist."
"I think I heard you say he uses Daoist arts to exorcise demons?"
"Exactly! Why do you think everyone calls the Old Daoist so powerful? It is his exorcism spells! They are practically visible immortal abilities."
"He came from the neighboring county?"
"Yes, Qiuru County."
"Where is he heading?"
"Who knows..."
"..."
Lin Jue chatted with him while turning the information over in his mind.
He was already exhausted from soaking in the bath, and after eating and drinking his fill, a wave of comfort washed over him. It was not long before he fell asleep.
The oil lamp still sat in the middle of the room. It had been filled with plenty of oil, but as the wick burned shorter and shorter, the light gradually dimmed.
With every fraction it dimmed, the glow shifted a shade redder.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared on the wall.
"Smack!"
A sharp whipping sound shattered the silence. Just from the noise alone, one could tell it carried tremendous force.
No one dared to use thick blankets in the summer, so how could Wei Yuanzhong possibly withstand such a blow? His eyes shot open, and he let out a resounding wail.
"Argh!"
His wail was laced with sheer terror.
Lin Jue jolted awake instantly.
His eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright, the Firewood Chopper already gripped tightly in his hand. The sense of security brought by its thickness and weight was completely incomparable to that of a small knife.
His gaze was sharp as he scanned the room.
He saw nothing.
Yet, an indescribable sensation lingered in the room. This feeling did not stem from his five senses, but rather from his sensitivity to the five qi of heaven and earth, cultivated through his meditation and breathing exercises in the mountain valleys. It was profoundly mysterious and elusive.
This sensation pointed toward the wall on his left.
This was the second floor, where both the door and walls were made of wood.
Lin Jue turned his head to look. In a momentary blur of vision, he thought he could just barely make out faint, shifting light and shadows flowing through the wall.
He knew right then—
The entity was hiding inside.
He could even hazard a guess: at dusk today, this being had likely been hiding inside the yard's tree stump, actively breathing in the essence of heaven and earth.
Lin Jue slipped on his shoes but remained seated on the bed to show his restraint. Clenching the Firewood Chopper, he faced the wooden wall. Although he had absolutely no idea what kind of monster this was or what tricks it possessed, his voice and demeanor carried neither hesitation nor fear as he asked:
"Why are you hiding in the wall boards?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Wei Yuanzhong jumped in fright.
He was the closest to that very wall. After a brief daze, he scrambled down, tumbling and crawling to hide to the side while continually hollering in pain.
The light and shadow on the wall shifted silently, moving from the wall on Lin Jue's left to the one on his right.
Lin Jue's blazing gaze tracked its movement.
Meanwhile, his mind was thinking.
Something about this situation did not add up.
"You have caused trouble here for a month, yet you have not killed a single person. When you showed up to cause trouble just now, you only hit the man beside me and left me untouched... I heard Elder Wei went to the City God Temple to bring back a divine statue, but it only worked for a few days before becoming useless. Is there some other history between you?"
The light and shadow remained silent, sliding further aside.
Lin Jue furrowed his brow, his eyes flickering.
"Where are you hiding?"
The wandering essence of the light and shadow paused, finally coming to a halt.
A moment later, a voice unexpectedly echoed from the wall:
"Where did this village brat come from? This family took the matter all the way to the City God and still lost their case against me. Even the City God permitted me to whip them! Why do you want to stick your nose in this?"
The voice bristled with resentment.
Wei Yuanzhong was instantly shocked upon hearing this.
Lin Jue, on the other hand, let out a sigh of relief.
He had not guessed wrong. It seemed there truly would be no danger for him tonight.
This entity was actually capable of reasoning!
As for fighting a lawsuit before the City God? The City God authorizing the whippings? What kind of bizarre tale was this?
Lin Jue could not help but feel puzzled.
Beside him, Wei Yuanzhong was terrified out of his wits. He did not dare speak, but he repeatedly clasped his hands toward Lin Jue, clearly treating him as a lifesaving straw.
Lin Jue naturally saw this, and beyond his curiosity and surprise, he pondered the situation before asking:
"It seems you and the Wei Family really do have some history. Would you mind telling me about it?"
"What business is it of yours?"
As soon as the words fell, several objects flew out from the wall.
Lin Jue had kept his guard up. Given that the objects lacked force and were not moving quickly, he instinctively ducked to avoid two of them, then reflexively swung his Firewood Chopper to knock away a third.
"Clatter, clatter..."
The objects hit the floor. They were just a few wooden knots.
"I can see that your five qi is untainted and your spirit is pure. You do not look like someone who has done evil deeds, and I know you eliminated a menace on the road today. Therefore, I do not want to make things difficult for you. Leave at once!"
The voice continued to ring out from the wall.
Knowing that the entity harbored no intention of harming or injuring him, Lin Jue did not get angry. He thought for a moment before saying:
"You are a reasonable being. To win a case before the City God, you must have right on your side. Now that this feud has begun, if things continue this way, the Wei Family simply will not dare return home. Instead, they will constantly scheme up ways to deal with you. Who knows, one day they might invite some ruthless fiend or just burn the house down. Why subject yourself to all that?"
"Who is afraid of them?"
"Why not talk it out and resolve this?"
"What is there to discuss?" the voice in the wall replied.
"He is right! The young master is right!" Wei Yuanzhong hastily echoed, nodding furiously like a chicken pecking at rice the moment he saw a glimmer of hope. "If our Wei Family has wronged you in some way, just say it! As things stand, we do not even know what we did, so we cannot even apologize! Just tell us so we can discuss it and find a solution!"
"Elder Wei makes a fair point. Even convicted criminals in the mortal realm are told what their crimes are. Your actions are truly baffling," Lin Jue said sincerely. "I may have been invited by Elder Wei, but he only asked me to sleep here for one night. Regardless, I will definitely leave tomorrow morning, and I will not take sides. In my eyes, this seems like an excellent opportunity to clear the air. What do you think?"
"You sound like a righteous person!"
"I would not go that far."
"..."
The wall fell silent for a moment.
However, the light and shadow did not vanish.
The hushed atmosphere was incredibly unsettling, prompting Wei Yuanzhong to constantly shoot anxious glances at Lin Jue.
Lin Jue, on the other hand, had completely relaxed. He even had the leisure to wonder what kind of monster this was and what sort of spell it was using to hide inside the wooden wall. The technique felt rather miraculous. Could he possibly learn it?