Chapter 512: The Innkeeper's Might! The Demonic Monk Fa Neng! Are These People Out of Their Minds or What?!

The innkeeper glanced at the smug Xiao Ran and pursed her lips slightly.

“I do have a way,” she said, “to tie this thread onto someone else’s head instead.”

As her words fell, everyone in the room turned to look at her at the same time, unable to hide the astonishment in their eyes.

There was actually a way to do something like that...

Li Yanchu looked at the innkeeper and asked, “Are there any requirements for the person?”

“No requirements. Anyone will do,” the innkeeper replied flatly.

Gasp!

Everyone gasped at her words, while Liu Jun became visibly agitated.

“In my opinion, Liu Jun’s situation is already quite special. If an ordinary person encountered this kind of witchcraft, they’d probably die suddenly in a short time. For her to only be unlucky, with things going badly, means she’s actually extremely fortunate.”

In other words, Liu Jun was already unusually resilient.

The innkeeper continued, “If this thread were tied to someone else, there’s a high chance they’d soon suffer a bloody calamity and die an unnatural death!”

The room fell into stunned silence. For the innkeeper to possess such a method was practically godlike.

“The key question now,” the innkeeper said, “is who do we tie it to?”

Exactly.

Everyone fell silent at her words, as this was essentially trading one life for another. Who would dare take on this witchcraft in Liu Jun’s place?

Liu Jun lowered her head, lips tightly pressed together, as if this solution truly meant exchanging one life for another.

In fact, everyone present had some degree of qi luck, especially Li Yanchu. His qi luck might not be strong, but his life was anything but fragile.

“Why make the atmosphere so heavy?” Li Yanchu said. “This is a good thing. Just capture a wicked cultivator or find a death‑row convict, and wouldn’t that solve it?”

This witchcraft was strange, far from a direct mental attack. Even he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t be devoured by the spirit left behind by this ancient witch god.

The simplest approach would work just fine.

Everyone was momentarily stunned, then they all nodded in unison.

“Seen a lot of living Buddhas, but a living King Yanluo[1]? That’s a first,” Fang Qinglan remarked lightly.

The atmosphere in the room eased, and everyone’s expressions relaxed.

“I’ll be back soon,” Li Yanchu said calmly.

He knew he’d be crazy to let the innkeeper tie this thread to his head. If he couldn’t handle that spirit, he’d be dead for nothing.

He wasn’t especially close to Liu Jun; accurately speaking, he was just her lifesaver, had helped her get a job, and even given her a precious Mount Jinting jujube.

Saving lives was one thing, but risking his own was a bit much. He took out the Eight Trigrams Mirror, covering the entire Wei City, carefully sensing the area for any lingering evil energy.

To his surprise, there wasn’t a single demonic cultivator in the entire city; it was completely clean.

Did I just kill too thoroughly last time?

Li Yanchu thought.

When he had last activated the Eight Trigrams Mirror, he had monitored all the city’s evil qi and grudges, slaughtering the malignant spirits, sinister cultivators, and man-eating fiends.

Unable to do otherwise, Li Yanchu soared into the clouds, heading for the horizon.

Meanwhile, everyone else stayed at the inn, sipping tea, cracking sunflower seeds, and chatting. After all, this was Liu Jun’s own problem, and she wasn’t that close with everyone. So everyone looked relatively relaxed.

Normally, a room full of beautiful women all closely tied to Li Yanchu would breed jealousy and tension. But the innkeeper’s overwhelming aura controlled everything.

Among them, only Fang Qinglan could be considered Li Yanchu’s woman. Lady Yun was the kitchen cook, Xiao Ran was staff, Liu Jun was a new helper, and Cuihua freeloaded at Qingyun Temple. There was no way the innkeeper would compete for attention with them.

***

When Li Yanchu returned to the inn carrying a fierce, murderous monk, he found everyone calmly cracking seeds and drinking tea, almost making him stumble.

Bang!

The ferocious monk was slammed heavily onto the ground. He rolled up, looking somewhat tense.

“Where did you come from?” Fang Qinglan asked.

This man exuded bloodthirsty energy, wrapped in grudge and resentment. Anyone with even moderate cultivation could clearly feel the chilling aura emanating from him.

“Eh, isn’t this the demonic monk, Fa Neng?” Xiao Ran murmured.

“Don’t think that illusions and tricks can scare me. The smart thing to do is release me immediately!” Fa Neng said in a deep voice.

Earlier, when he first saw that young Daoist, he had been startled. The young man had appeared out of nowhere, and he couldn’t move. Worse, the youth had taken out a brush and sealed the monk’s internal power.

Plus, he also had that Cloud-Riding Immortal Art! Fa Neng assumed it was probably some kind of illusion plus trickery. Otherwise, how could someone so young fly through clouds and mist? That would make him a Land Immortal!

“You know him?” Li Yanchu asked.

“This man is a demonic cultivator, killing to refine his power, fond of skinning people, cruel by nature. A senior sister from my sect mentioned him to me,” Xiao Ran said gravely.

“I am a disciple of Master Kongchen. Anyone who dares touch me will face his wrath,” Fa Neng said.

“Enough, stop giving me your background story. This will be over soon,” Li Yanchu interrupted.

Fa Neng wanted to glare at the young Daoist, but seeing the calm, steady gaze, he couldn’t help but lower his head.

“Do it,” Li Yanchu said.

Instantly, Fa Neng tensed up. What was this young Daoist doing, dragging him to an inn in the middle of the night?

Before he could think it through, he noticed a mature, alluring woman slowly approaching.

Fa Neng’s heart stirred. This woman was stunningly beautiful, she must be the young Daoist’s lover.

I’ll grab her and see if I can break free!

A ruthless demonic cultivator like him would never submit easily.

As the innkeeper approached, Fa Neng suddenly drew the skinning knife at his waist and charged at her.

Bang!

The innkeeper kicked him squarely in the chest.

Fa Neng was sent flying, landing on the ground, struggling to get up. His chest burned painfully, and he had no idea how many ribs he had broken.

Just then, the innkeeper extended her slender, graceful fingers and made a few gestures in the air. Then she summoned Liu Jun and gestured over her head a few times.

Liu Jun held her breath, too nervous to even exhale, eyes fixed on the mature, beautiful innkeeper.

In the next moment, Liu Jun felt a strange force, as if her soul was being tugged at.

“It’s tied up pretty tight,” the innkeeper said, raising an eyebrow.

However, the movements of her hands did not intensify; it still looked as if she were merely tugging lightly.

Then, Liu Jun heard a crisp

crack

in her ears, as if something had been snapped.

At the same time, neither Li Yanchu, Cuihua, Lady Yun, nor Xiao Ran could discern what kind of magic the innkeeper had used, or exactly what she had grasped in her hands.

Next, the innkeeper gently tied a knot in the air, as if handling an invisible thread.

“All done,” the innkeeper said with a smile.

“What exactly have you done to me?” Fa Neng looked at them, a sudden chill rising in his heart. Because just now, he hadn’t felt anything at all!

“Quick, take a look,” Cuihua urged.

Her mother was a powerful demon, but even she had never heard of such a technique as the innkeeper’s.

At this time, all eyes were fixed on the demonic cultivator.

Fa Neng thought speechlessly,

these people... could they be insane?!

1. In Chinese culture and religion, King Yanluo is the god of death and the ruler of Diyu, overseeing the "Ten Kings of Hell" in its capital of Youdu. The name is a transcription of the Sanskrit for "King Yama". He is also known by the shortened form of the name: Yán Wáng (阎王). King Yanluo is the fifth judge in the court of the underworld. In both ancient and modern times, Yan is portrayed as a large man with a scowling red face, bulging eyes, and a long beard. He wears traditional robes and a judge's cap or a crown which bears the Chinese character for "king" (王). He typically appears on Chinese hell money in the position reserved for political figures on regular currency. ☜