Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 318 The case is solved

Upon hearing this, Senior Brother Li immediately became anxious: "Divine Lord, that's absolutely not what I meant—this is just an offering that our sect is presenting to you first; there will be more later!"

Li Wuxiang looked at the tray and said, "What, is the Shangchi Sect so poor that they have to cobble together this kind of stuff? What's your name?"

“Junior Li Jianbai.” Li Jianbai replied immediately, his voice softening slightly as he spoke, seemingly noticing that Li Wuxiang’s expression remained calm even after his earlier laughter, and thus realizing that Li Wuxiang was not such an aggressive person.

But only Xue Baoping knew that Li Wuxiang was fine when he didn't smile, but when he showed this kind of smile—his eyes barely moved, only the corners of his mouth turned up slightly in a pretty way—it was more troublesome than when he frowned.

Sure enough, Li Wuxiang said again, "When I ransacked the Tianxin Sect's old base, I gave away all these things; I found them too tiring to carry around. If I ransacked your Shangchi Sect as well, wouldn't I have as many as I wanted? Alright, take these things back and tell your sect leader to open the mountain-protecting formation and let me in for a chat. I'm not here to rob... I'm not here to fight."

Before Li Jianbai could speak, Li Wuxiang pointed to the sky and said, "Or I'll just open the door myself."

Li Jianbai immediately shut his mouth. After thinking for a moment, he placed the tray on the ground, bowed again, and said, "Alas, senior, please don't be angry. This mountain-protecting formation is closed because there is still some life on the mountain after the great calamity, so we can't let those birds and beasts leave. It's not to guard against you, senior. Moreover—"

Li Wuxiang interrupted him: "What is your cultivation level?"

"I began practicing Qi cultivation six years ago, and now—"

Li Wuxiang waved his hand and said, "Then I won't make things difficult for you. Go back and let your sect leader speak to me."

Li Jianbai stood still for a few steps, then took a step back, then turned around again, but still went up the mountain.

After his figure disappeared into the mountain path through the woods, Xue Baoping said, "They're really scared... This leader of the Shangchi Sect is even less capable than Old Man Chen. What if they really won't open the gate? Should we really attack?"

Li Wuxiang squinted and looked up at the mountain: "That works too. But more people will come down."

"Their sect leader?"

“Maybe not,” Li Wuxiang said. “I guess it might be that elder, Xie Qi.”

"The one who hid the corpse demon in the alchemy room and sent people to kill Xiao E?"

"Ah."

"Why is it..." Xue Baoping paused, lowered her voice as if someone was listening nearby, "Oh, let me think... Their sect leader doesn't know that Xie Qi is hiding the Corpse Demon, so Xie Qi doesn't want you to go up the mountain, and just wants to give you some benefits to get rid of you? That's why he can only take out such a small amount of Life-Preserving Pills?"

Li Wuxiang smiled at her: "That's what I think too."

He already knew Xue Baoping was intelligent, but that intelligence was useless in Jinshui. Now that she's left Jinshui, it's like a swan escaping its cage; her mind is becoming increasingly sharp. She doesn't know enough yet, and her experience isn't rich enough, but Li Wuxiang feels that in just another year, he will have a close partner he can completely trust, someone with whom he can discuss anything.

The two didn't wait long before more people came down, but they were still far from Jianbai.

He looked somewhat troubled, but could only force himself to remain calm. He carried a tray with a pale gold robe on it, which looked like a wisp of smoke. This time, he didn't run down; he walked slowly. He stopped at the mountain gate and said hesitantly, "Senior..."

Li Wuxiang raised his chin: "What are you going to use to fob us off this time?"

Li Jianbai sighed, "Senior, you may not value this item, but your Daoist partner could use it. It's called the Golden Silk Gauze, a protective treasure. It can be worn close to the skin, and sword energy and blade auras emitted by those below the Golden Core stage are difficult to penetrate. Once worn, it can protect the torso and limbs, and it's flexible and lightweight..."

As he spoke, his voice gradually lowered, because he noticed that Li Wuxiang hadn't even looked at the food on the plate, but was only looking at him.

He stopped talking, sighed, and looked into the woods beside him: "Master, I really have no other choice!"

After he said this, a man came out from the woods behind him.

This person's appearance was peculiar, not because he looked strange, but because he looked old. Ordinary cultivators typically look around twenty years old, with the younger ones appearing to be in their forties; it's rare to see someone look older than that. This is because ordinary people's vital energy begins to decline after forty, and if they haven't successfully established their foundation by then, there's practically no hope left.

But now this man is not only old, he looks to be in his sixties or seventies, with white hair and beard, and wrinkles on his face. If Li Jianbai hadn't called him master, and if he hadn't been wearing a dark blue Taoist robe, anyone who saw him would have thought he was an ordinary person.

His expression didn't seem like that of a cultivator. Although Li Jianbai had suffered two setbacks at Li Wuxiang's hands, he had managed to maintain composure and his expression was quite natural when he stood in front of him before.

However, this man seemed quite embarrassed when he appeared—if you were to put a shy old farmer who had never left his village in his entire life in front of a television camera to shake hands with leaders, take photos, and receive rice, flour, and oil, that would be pretty much the expression on his face right now.

As soon as he appeared, Li Jianbai immediately stepped aside and breathed a sigh of relief. The man glanced at Li Wuxiang, then lowered his gaze and walked towards the mountain gate. As he walked, his eyes remained fixed on the stone steps beneath his feet, as if afraid of accidentally missing a step.

But Li Wuxiang knew that he was avoiding his gaze, just like some socially anxious people would pretend to look at their phones or something on the side of the road when walking face to face with pedestrians.

However, this kind of behavior actually appeared in such a cultivator?

He walked to the mountain gate, taking two steps closer to Jianbai than before, before looking up at Li Wuxiang with a serious, even unpleasant, expression. He raised his hand in a Daoist salute: "Sect Master Li, please."

If anyone else had this expression, Li Wuxiang would immediately sneer and explode. But seeing this person's expression, he knew that his unpleasant look wasn't due to anything else, but rather because he was unaccustomed to interacting with people, hence his stiff face, and when he got nervous, it turned out like this.

The corpse ghost hiding in the alchemy room, the elder who might be plotting to seize power from the Shangchi Sect... doesn't seem to match this person.
Li Wuxiang and Xue Baoping exchanged glances before saying, "Greetings. You are... Elder Xie Qi?"

"It is indeed I," Xie Qi said with a straight face, then looked at Li Wuxiang, who was staring straight at him, with a scrutinizing air.

But an incredible thought popped into Li Wuxiang's head—he wasn't scrutinizing or pretending to be profound; he was simply too nervous, so he froze for a moment, unsure of what to say.

So he went straight to the point: "Elder Xie, is there a Corpse Demon hiding in your alchemy room? Do you want to use the Corpse Demon to help you seize the power of the Shangchi Sect's leader through the Blood God Sect?"

He glanced at Li Jianbai's behavior out of the corner of his eye—he seemed puzzled when he heard "corpse demon," and was shocked when he heard "blood god sect" and "seizure of power." He wanted to say something immediately, but then froze and looked at Xie Qi's back.

As for Xie Qi, his performance was even more spectacular.

His face, which had been slightly sallow, suddenly turned red. He raised his hand, then lowered it, and after a short pause, put it behind his back. Because the movement was quick and forceful, it didn't seem like the work of a master with his hands behind his back, but rather as if someone unseen had suddenly tied his hands behind his back. He probably realized that his movements were too exaggerated, so he loosened his shoulders slightly, making it look more natural.

This behavior can be summed up in four words: utterly helpless.

Then he said, "No!"

Turning to look at E Meifeng, her lips moved as if she had many things to say, but she didn't say anything, only managing to utter one sentence: "Do you see she's dead?"

After saying this, he turned to look at Li Jianbai: "You're so nosy! I told you not to be nosy!" Li Wuxiang could also see that when he turned to rebuke Li Jianbai, he didn't really mean to scold him, but rather wanted to use this opportunity to make himself a little more comfortable—scolding one's own disciple was certainly much more comfortable than facing a stranger.

Li Jianbai remained silent after being reprimanded twice, only lowering his head slightly. But Li Wuxiang, observing his expression, realized that he wasn't afraid, but merely putting on a submissive act.

This shows that he usually gets along well with his master, and may even be indifferent to his master's behavior at this moment.

A socially awkward mentor who's actually quite nice to his students...

Li Wuxiang frowned slightly: "Elder Xie, you didn't hide the Corpse Demon, but rather you devised a way to trap it in the alchemy room, didn't you?"

These words startled Xue Baoping, but she quickly understood. Xie Qi, upon hearing this, also abruptly turned to look at him, seemingly forgetting his initial nervousness. After a moment, he frowned and shook his head: "Sigh! Yes! Sigh!"

“Look, Master, sigh! Isn’t that right? Sigh!” the crocodile demon said from the side, “He’s very old, isn’t he? He just says, ‘Sigh!’”

Li Wuxiang raised his hand and patted her head: "Stop sighing when you're speaking, sir."

Then he looked at Xie Qi: "Elder Xie, you know about what happened between me and Sect Leader Mei at the Great Calamity Mountain, right?"

After hearing what he had said earlier, Xie Qi's expression immediately relaxed, as if he had breathed a sigh of relief. He then immediately said, "I heard about it, sigh."

"Since you know that, Elder, you should understand that the Taiyi Sect is the mortal enemy of the Corpse Demon and the Blood God Sect." Li Wuxiang softened his tone. "Although I am only a Nascent Soul cultivator, dealing with the Corpse Demon is a piece of cake for me. Why did you send your disciple to send me away? Let me think—it's not you who wants to join the Blood God Sect, but your sect leader. You hid the Corpse Demon because you were afraid he would find out? Were you afraid that I was no match for that Corpse Demon? What realm is it?"

Xie Qi's lips began to move erratically again. Li Wuxiang quickly said, "No rush, let's talk slowly. With both of us at the Nascent Soul stage here, no one will dare to spy on us in the dark. Let's start with your sect leader, Li Yin. He wants to join the Blood God Sect, doesn't he?"

Xie Qi turned his head to look up at the mountain, as if he was really afraid that someone was eavesdropping. Then he turned his face back, hesitated for a moment, and stepped out of the mountain gate and away from the protective array.

“Yes. Sigh.” He said softly, “He… sigh, he can’t understand. Sigh, that’s not the right path. Sigh, I tried to persuade him, but I didn’t dare to give him much advice. He just can’t figure it out right now. Sigh…”

Li Wuxiang now knew exactly who E Meifeng had learned his bad habits from. Seeing Xie Qi becoming increasingly stammering, he waved his hand: "Alright, Elder Xie, I understand. So how did this corpse demon come to your Dapan Mountain? How did you trap it in the alchemy room? What realm is it? Oh, tell me its realm first?"

"It doesn't look like it's formed a Nascent Soul yet, but it'll probably be soon..."

"The corpse demon is already quite powerful even before it has reached the infant stage. Elder Xie, how did you manage to trap it?"

After receiving this compliment, Xie Qi seemed more at ease: "Oh, no, no, it's not that I'm so great, nor that I trapped it, I tricked it."

"Oh? You tricked him? Elder Xie is quite shrewd. How did you do it?"

Xie Qi finally stopped putting his hands behind his back, probably feeling completely at ease. So he changed to what was probably his most common and comfortable posture—moving both hands in front of him, tucking them into the wide sleeves of his Taoist robe, placing them on his stomach, his shoulders slightly slumped, and his neck tilted forward slightly. His expression also changed to what he felt most comfortable with—he furrowed his brows.

"It was that day, just as it was getting dark, I was walking in the back mountain when I encountered it. I guess it came in through the waterway, sigh. Is this what they call a Corpse Demon? It calls itself a Pill Immortal. It looks like it came to find the sect leader. If you ask me, it probably doesn't know whether the people on our mountain are aligned with the Blood God Sect or the Taiyi Sect, so it came in quietly, probably to check the situation first."

Li Wuxiang nodded: "That was close. Luckily, it was Elder Xie who I met."

Xie Qi moved his sleeve, as if waving his hand inside: "I saw it, and it saw me too. It knows what kind of cultivation I have. It probably thought I was the sect leader, so it started talking to me. It could have attacked me at any moment while we were talking. Don't let my words fool you, I'm not stupid. I knew exactly what it was here for."

"That's right, Elder Xie has a great sense of the big picture."

"Sigh, sigh. I spoke to it for a bit, and I knew I couldn't let it go to see the sect leader. Sigh, we know about the Great Calamity Mountain incident. If you ask me, even if we don't say who to help or who not to help, it's best not to help anyone and not to offend anyone. Besides, as soon as I saw this or that thing, I knew it wasn't the right path. I told it that our sect leader had already been in cahoots with the Taiyi Sect and wanted to arrest the Blood God Sect members. Later, it asked me, 'Why don't we kill your sect leader? Your magic weapons will be mine, and the sect leader's power will be yours.'"

Xie Qi was being rather verbose. Li Wuxiang finished his sentence for him: "You made it think that the Shangchi Sect was at odds with the Blood God Sect, and since it refused to leave and wanted your sect's treasure, you were afraid it would easily join forces with Li Yin, so you tricked it into staying in the alchemy room?"

"Yes, it's been several days."

Li Wuxiang glanced at E Meifeng: "Why did you send someone to kill her?"

"Sigh, it was hiding here with me, saying its cultivation wasn't quite complete yet, it was still a little short of becoming a Pill Immortal, and it asked me to get its sect's signature artifact, saying it would be complete once it collected all thirty-six items. I can't do that. Then it asked me for my signature artifact, so I lied and said mine was destroyed and I still needed to refine it... I mentioned before that it might have come from the river, and it saw her, saying it wanted me to skin that demon and refine one based on the 'Mountain Mirror' so we could make do with it before dealing with Li Yin..."

Li Wuxiang and Xue Baoping exchanged a glance—the thing they had worried about not long ago had come true. The Corpse Demon could actually use demons to refine magical artifacts, "make do" with them!
“Sigh, she’s been down there for so many years, I can’t really skin her alive. So I told her I was still injured and sent a disciple to handle it—” He quickly added, “You know, your Taiyi Sect is the same, right? Which sect doesn’t have a few scoundrels, right?”

"The Taiyi Sect didn't send any. But I can understand, Elder Xie, you sent some sect scoundrels and weak cultivators to kill her? To scare her away?"

"Oh, my apologies. Yes, sigh. It's this kid who ruined everything. He's my apprentice, none of the others are from my lineage. He said that demon harmed people and he's going to avenge his senior brothers. I only found out last night, sigh!"

Xue Baoping tugged at Li Wuxiang's sleeve and took a small step back.

Li Wuxiang glanced at her and then took two steps back.

Xue Baoping walked to his side and whispered, "I feel something is wrong."

"Ok?"

"That's too childish, don't you think? There are so many better ways. For example, if they saw the Corpse Demon that night and realized something was wrong, they should have attacked it—regardless of whether Li Yin wanted to join the Blood God Cult, if the sect elders fought the Corpse Demon and went all out, the disciples of the Shangchi Sect would surely help, right? Just kill the Corpse Demon directly, and Li Yin wouldn't be able to join even if he wanted to. Why bother deceiving it? It's a Nascent Soul cultivator after all!"

Xue Baoping spoke with a resolute tone, which immediately reminded Li Wuxiang of that night—when he appeared at home and swallowed a person whole, she was so frightened that she rushed out, but then turned back.

Li Wuxiang nodded: "Your idea is very good. But guess what percentage of people in this world are as smart as you and me? Less than half. The vast majority of people don't have that kind of quick wit and determination. What Xie Qi is saying now is full of loopholes, very risky, and very unwise. It's exactly what ordinary people do. So after hearing him say that, I actually believe him. Don't rush, there's still something I haven't asked."

Li Wuxiang walked over again: "Alright, Elder Xie, I believe what you say. Then there's only one thing left—why do you want to drive me away? Do you think I'm no match for that corpse demon?"

Xie Qi hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "Sigh, everyone says you're a god, but now that I've met you, I find you quite amiable. So, I hope you won't take offense when I say this. It's like this—"

“There are others on the mountain. Didn’t I say earlier that Li Yin wanted to join the Blood God Cult? The two sect leaders from Shen Dao and Qingpu came a few days ago… The three of them are discussing it!”

Both Shendao and Qingpu are among the Thirty-Six Sects. This statement slightly surprised Li Wuxiang. Just as he was about to speak, Xie Qi continued, "Fellow Daoist Li, Divine Lord, let's put ourselves in each other's shoes. If you were from our Shangchi Sect, and you knew that someone wanted to take your sect's most treasured artifact... something that has been passed down for over three thousand years, how would you feel?"

"You're here to get the 'Backer' token too, aren't you? Let's make a deal, could you... hey, don't take it? Can you leave our Dapan Mountain alone?" Xie Qi said, bending down. "Fellow Daoist Li, we're all from the same lineage. Dapan Mountain won't get involved in your business with the Blood God Sect, okay?"

(End of this chapter)