Chapter 47: You

"Young Master Wu, have you been mentally corrupted by a demon?" Chi Yuan's voice turned stern.

"Or perhaps a demon has taken on Young Master Wu's appearance."

Wu Chang continued leisurely gnawing on the lamb leg, exuding the relaxed confidence associated with certain groups.

He paid no heed to the tension in Chi Yuan's voice and smiled: "Master, have you heard of Hua Yao?"

The moment he uttered "Hua Yao," Chi Yuan's expression changed abruptly, filled with shock and doubt.

Even if Wu Chang had guessed the color of his underwear to his face, he wouldn't have been this stunned.

Seeing Chiyuan fall silent, Wu Chang went on speaking to himself.

"Hua Yao is a peculiar dark art: it fuses the essence of a demon into a talisman, then merges that talisman with a human body, transforming the person into a demon."

Chi Yuan narrowed his eyes, his expression grave.

"This dark art—I've never heard of it."

"You haven't heard others speak of it, but you've practiced it plenty, haven't you?" Wu Chang teased.

Chi Yuan snorted coldly: "Young Master Wu, some jokes are not to be made!"

Seeing Chiyuan grow increasingly agitated, Wu Chang became more certain of his deduction.

He very much wanted to say: I know you're in a hurry, but calm down first.

But he feared Chi Yuan wouldn't understand, so he reluctantly let it go.

"Master Chi Yuan, do you still remember when we first met, I told you your talisman carried resentment? Do you recall how you responded to me then?"

Chi Yuan swept his sleeve aside and said coldly: "Of course I remember. My talisman requires a demon as its catalyst; once forged, it inherits the demon's resentment and karmic ties."

Wu Chang spoke slowly:

"But in Chen Village, I once saw a man who plunged a talisman dagger into his chest and transformed into a Mist Demon, slaughtering nearly thirty percent of Chen Village's population. When he became the Mist Demon, not a trace of resentment clung to him—but when I slew the demon and cut open its body, I found all the resentment concentrated within the talisman."

"What are you trying to say?" Chi Yuan asked.

Wu Chang pulled out the damaged Hua Yao Dagger. "A weapon doesn't kill; the one who wields it does. The dead's resentment doesn't cling to the blade—it clings to the killer."

"If a talisman can transform into a demon and bear the karmic burden and resentment of the killer, wouldn't the true controller of the talisman remain pure and spotless, untouched by any sin—even after committing countless atrocities?"

Chi Yuan fell silent for a moment, then replied evasively: "I know little of dark arts and cannot judge."

Seeing Chiyuan refused to admit anything, Wu Chang continued: "The man who transformed into the Mist Demon was merely an ordinary mountain bandit—he knew no cultivation techniques. The Hua Yao Dagger must have come from someone else's hands. That person must be a cultivator, skilled in talisman forging."

"Master Chi Yuan, you fit both criteria perfectly."

Chi Yuan gave a self-deprecating smile: "The world is vast; there are countless extraordinary talents. I dare not claim mastery in talisman forging."

Wu Chang pressed on: "One coincidence is just luck."

"But it's strange that in Huai Valley Village, brothers Liu Wei and Liu Wu found a fragmentary scripture while hunting, inexplicably awakened to the Dao, and took the path of talisman forging and Hua Yao—this can't help but make one suspect whether someone has laid a long-term trap in Baili Huaishan."

"The one who set this trap has spent years studying the mountain's inner workings. You claimed ignorance of the origin of the demonic aura in Huai Valley Village and sent me to investigate—yet you lent me the Dihun Flag, the very talisman most effective against dark spirits and ghost-followers."

"One coincidence is luck. But repeated coincidences—still luck?"

Chi Yuan spoke calmly: "What does that prove? I lent you the Dihun Flag because my own talismans are best suited to prevent demons from emerging."

"As for your claim that villagers found a fragmentary scripture and awakened to talisman forging—again, I dare not claim mastery in talisman forging. I am not the target of your suspicions."

Wu Chang had nearly finished eating; he placed the remaining lamb leg back on the fire, pulled out a piece of silk taken from Chen Village's ancestral treasure vault, and used it as a napkin to wipe the grease from his hands, continuing his analysis methodically.

"I was wondering: what was the purpose behind orchestrating the demon attacks on Chen Village, forging Hua Yao talismans, and manipulating Liu Wei and Liu Wu to create ghost-followers? I placed Chen Village and Huai Valley Village side by side—and immediately recalled the incident five years ago when the Heishan bandits fled into Baili Huaishan."

"They disguised themselves as Chen Village's villagers and slaughtered them to the last. Then they turned their gaze toward Huai Valley Village. The perpetrator is likely a survivor of Huai Valley Village—just like that little one. If I were him, I'd act when the dark scheme was about to fail."

Here, Wu Chang locked eyes with Chi Yuan; both studied every movement of the other.

"Master, are the talismans you carried before still on your person?"

Chi Yuan's gaze did not waver; he revealed the sword, bronze bell, and iron mirror Wu Chang had seen before.

"All here."

"Good."

Wu Chang: "When the mastermind strikes again, he'll send the same demon that attacked Chen Village. So when I saw the Shanxiao reappear, I took advantage of its fight with Liu Shan to leave a small mark on it."

"Master, check your talismans—unless I'm mistaken, each will have a red line on its underside."

Chi Yuan picked up the bronze bell, glanced at it, then showed it to Wu Chang.

"I already told you, this has nothing to do with me…"

As he spoke, Chi Yuan sensed something wrong—he froze in place.

Wu Chang pursed his lips, raised his index finger, and pointed at Chi Yuan, wearing an expression of "gotcha."

"Master, I didn't tell you which talisman to check, did I?"

"You tricked me?"

Wu Chang shrugged. "You're too late."

They were both seasoned travelers; thick skin was basic training. Years ago, when Chi Yuan performed weddings and funerals in town, he'd done plenty of shameless things.

Relying on his formidable professionalism, he only hesitated briefly before regaining composure and turning the tables.

"Young Master Wu, why go to such lengths? Is the truth really that important to you?"

Wu Chang very much wanted to say: It matters because it affects my quest completion rate.

But to help Chi Yuan understand, he gave the official explanation.

"Master Chi Yuan, don't you think a story is only complete when all its loose ends are tied?"

Chi Yuan sighed. "But knowing too much brings you no benefit."

Killing the Heishan bandits could be called revenge—but the art of transforming humans into demons is genuine dark cultivation.

Especially since those he transformed were external heroes who came to help—should the world learn of it, he'd be utterly rejected.

Only the dead can keep secrets best.

Moreover, from the very beginning, he had set his sights on Wu Chang—as raw material for a new talisman. Such a gifted young hero, if not made into a cornerstone of his path to the Dao, would be a waste.

By now, he could no longer turn back, nor would he.

He shook a copper rattle; the copper bell transformed into a burst of yellow light, taking the form of a four-meter-tall mountain goblin. The mountain goblin stirred the earth and roared at the top of its lungs. He drove a wooden sword into the ground; the wooden sword grew with the wind, becoming a massive tree demon. The tree demon swayed its branches, layer upon layer of sword Qi slicing the passing night wind into shards;

He shook an iron mirror; the Eight Trigrams flowed across the iron mirror, and the ornamental patterns behind it slithered forth, transforming into a black iron serpent over ten meters long and as thick as a water vat, its metallic scales layered and unafraid of blades or weapons.

"Young hero, young hero, why can't you be like those cultivators who uphold the principle that humans and demons cannot coexist, and simply grant the evil spirits release? Or be like those renowned orthodox sects, full of lofty, high-sounding principles, denouncing my deeds, so that I would have reason to kill you?"

"The way you are makes me feel guilty."

(End of this chapter)