Chapter 279: The Xinyi Dao! Dragon-Tiger Scepter!

The Eight Trigrams Mirror struck directly at the soul, and that old beggar had taken a blow to his spirit. Though advanced in years, he was still nimble. With just a light press of his arm against the ground, he rose easily to his feet.

“Fellow Daoist, why must you break my spell?” he demanded, though his voice lacked conviction.

“Because I enjoy sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong, like a dog chasing rats. I’m always meddling in other people’s matters, like a hopeless do-gooder,” Li Yanchu said with a smile.

The old beggar fell speechless, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Hopeless do-gooder, my ass! You already said it yourself, what else could I even say now? And comparing me to a rat? Outrageous! At the very least, I should be the dog!

The old beggar’s thoughts spun quickly, and as soon as he realized that, he spat at himself.

How shameless!

“If you insist on meddling, then fine, I won’t try to take the relic anymore,” the old beggar said after a moment’s thought.

“No.” Li Yanchu’s voice was firm.

The old beggar’s heart sank. Bitterly, he said, “I merely wanted to glimpse the Buddha’s relic, must you really kill me!?”

Li Yanchu smiled. “Don’t put on this act of cursing Heaven and blaming fate. It doesn’t suit your senior demeanor.”

The old beggar’s mouth twitched again. Then he probed, “I am but a wandering cultivator, living among common folk. I’ve never killed nor harmed anyone. Won’t you spare me?”

Li Yanchu was mildly surprised. “That’s all? You’re not going to offer anything in exchange?”

A trace of awkwardness crossed the old beggar’s face. “Of course not. I-I have a Minor Restoration Pill. It can save a life and strengthen one’s cultivation. If you will let me go, I’ll give it to you.”

Li Yanchu pointed at his own nose. “Old man, do you take me for a fool? If I kill you, wouldn’t that thing be mine anyway?”

What kind of twisted logic is that...

The old beggar fell speechless at his words.

Lady Yun couldn’t help but let out a laugh, her smile blossoming with irresistible charm.

Even the corner of Lu Ying’s lips briefly curved into a smile before vanishing.

The old beggar hesitated, then said, “I have a piece of information... It concerns the Xinyi Dao[1]. I wonder if you might be interested in the information in exchange for my life?”

“Xinyi Dao?” Li Yanchu raised a brow.

He had never even heard the name.

But to his surprise, Lu Ying’s breath suddenly quickened. She pressed urgently, “You know something about Xinyi Dao!?”

The old beggar said, “Indeed!”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but glance at Li Yanchu.

This young Daoist was clearly a rare prodigy, a rising star of the Daoist path, yet he seemed completely unaware of Xinyi Dao.

“I’ve never heard of this Xinyi Dao you speak of, nor am I interested. If you can’t offer me something truly worth my while, old man, you’d best be on your way to the afterlife.” Li Yanchu’s voice was calm, and he was completely unmoved.

The old beggar’s face blanched in shock. He quickly protested, “Xinyi Dao is a demonic sect! They secretly alter Daoist scriptures, corrupting the hearts of men. They act in great secrecy, so their name is little known. But, I know the location of one of their branches!”

Li Yanchu rolled his eyes. “And what the hell does that have to do with me?”

In his view, this old beggar was utterly useless.

But the old beggar felt bitter misery in his heart. For Xinyi Dao to tamper with Daoist scriptures, that was a mortal threat to every Daoist sect, a scourge the imperial court also sought to eradicate.

Anyone who uncovered the location of a Xinyi Dao branch, whether they reported it to Daoist sects or to the court, would earn immense merit. Yet this young Daoist not only had no clue, but showed not the slightest interest!

Could it be... he really is just some hidden talent who happened to come from a remote countryside temple, and I stumbled right into him?

A bitter taste filled the old beggar’s mouth. He regretted ever wading into these troubled waters.

A voice, which he found as clear and melodious as heavenly music, rang out, “Daoist Master Li, wait. This man knows secrets about Xinyi Dao. Killing him would be a waste. Why not let me pay for his life instead?”

Lu Ying hurriedly stopped Li Yanchu. Just now, that rat-faced old man and the hulking brute had both been killed in a single instant by him. Who knew when this Daoist might suddenly say,

‘Why are you staring at me?’

and then smash this old beggar to death with one punch! Since this concerned secrets about Xinyi Dao, Lu Ying could not afford to ignore it.

Li Yanchu pondered for a moment, then finally nodded under the old beggar’s anxious gaze. “Very well.”

The old beggar immediately spilled everything he knew about Xinyi Dao, even revealing the location of their base in Xuzhou. He spoke quickly, but his words were clear and coherent.

Lu Ying fell silent upon hearing this. The old beggar’s account was logical and well-presented, though the details would still need to be investigated and verified.

Meanwhile, Li Yanchu only listened casually, not taking it to heart. To him, an ordinary Daoist, whether someone was stirring up chaos within the Daoist world was of little concern. As for the matter of altering Daoist scriptures, such things were for the higher echelons of the Daoist sects to worry about.

After laying everything out, the old beggar looked somewhat tense. “Young Master, may I leave now?”

Lu Ying gave a slight nod.

The old beggar immediately exhaled in relief. With a light stomp of his foot, his body gradually began to blur and fade. The process wasn’t fast, which was likely the very reason why he hadn’t tried to flee earlier. If it had been as simple as a

swish

and vanishing instantly, he might well have risked breaking through.

Of course, he also feared the Eight Trigrams Mirror in Li Yanchu’s hand.

As his body grew translucent, preparing to leave, he thought to himself: this noble youth

[2]

had paid heavily for his information and was willing to let him go. Clearly, he must be someone of considerable status within the court. That young Daoist, then, ought to show him some courtesy.

A flash of killing intent passed through Li Yanchu’s eyes, but in the end, he did not act. At first, he had planned to kill the old beggar once he revealed everything. But just now, he suddenly changed his mind.

The beggar had targeted the martial guards, and had tried to manipulate Lu Ying into killing Lady Yun. But from beginning to end, he had never directly provoked Li Yanchu. And since even Lu Ying was willing to let him go, for him to insist on killing would seem overly domineering.

At this time, Lu Ying was weighed down with heavy thoughts and remained silent for a long while. Several martial guards followed solemnly behind her.

At last, Lu Ying made a decision. Turning to Li Yanchu, she said, “Daoist Master Li, I have an important matter I wish to entrust to you. I hope you will agree.”

“Sorry, I have no time.”

In response, Lu Ying fell silent.

Li Yanchu did not want to become too entangled with people from the government, and besides, he didn’t much care for Lu Ying’s way of handling matters.

***

Inside a farmhouse on a desolate mountain...

Lu Ying and her party had already departed. Meanwhile, Li Yanchu and Lady Yun were left staring at each other. Lady Yun lowered her head, though just enough to see the tips of her shoes. No one knew what was on her mind.

The flowered jacket on her shoulders, paired with her coiled bun and strikingly pretty face, gave her a kind of indescribable allure. A lone man and a young woman, together in a closed room... The air naturally carried a faintly suggestive atmosphere.

Yet at that moment, Li Yanchu was only lowering his gaze, fiddling with a pure-gold scepter[3] in his hand. It was engraved with dragons and tigers, about the size of a palm.

This item was called the Dragon-Tiger Scepter, and it was a Daoist magical artifact. It could be thrown as a weapon, in other words, it was meant for smashing people.

But since Lu Ying was not a Daoist disciple and had no spirit qi within her, she could not use it. In her hands, it had been nothing more than a talisman against evil, and its effectiveness was clearly limited...

Of course, ordinary wandering spirits and wild ghosts wouldn’t have been able to possess her body anyway.

1. 心意 (xīn yì) means literally “heart and intention.” Refers to one’s inner intention, will, or heartfelt thought. In everyday usage, it can mean sincerity or thoughtfulness behind an action (e.g., a gift given with genuine consideration). In martial arts or Daoist contexts, it can also refer to the unity of mind and technique, the guiding spirit behind a movement. ☜

2. The beggar addressed Lu Ying as 公子 which means

Young Master

, so he must’ve taken Lu Ying as a man considering that she was cross-dressing. ☜

3. A 如意 ruyi is a Chinese curved decorative object that serves as either a ceremonial scepter in Chinese Buddhism or a talisman symbolizing power and good fortune in Chinese folklore. The "ruyi" image frequently appears as a motif in Asian art. Here is a reference

image

. ☜