This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 533 Chase After Him, Don't Let the Pretty Boy Get Away

Kaifeng, the capital city.

Within the city, there are both magnificent palaces and temples, as well as quaint and elegant residential courtyards. The imperial palace is solemn and majestic, resplendent in gold and jade, while the ordinary people's homes are made of blue bricks and gray tiles, compact and warm, making them convenient for wintering.

As an important transportation hub, Kaifeng was rich in resources and had a large population.

Shops line both sides of the street, and people come and go from dawn to dusk.

Especially along the banks of the Bian River, as night falls, the area is brightly lit, with pleasure boats and painted barges shuttling back and forth, and the melodious sounds of string and bamboo instruments drifting through the air, causing some people to get up earlier than the rooster and others to go to bed later than the rooster.

To sum it up, the upper class is vulgar, and the vulgar are neither worthy of the upper class nor have the money to be vulgar. As soon as outsiders step into Kaifeng, they can feel the vibrant vitality and prosperity of everything thriving.

Later, it stopped working. Decades ago, the sky suddenly darkened, demonic energy spread across the land, and the world underwent an unprecedented upheaval.

Not only is the sun in the sky darker than before, but people are also not as fair-skinned as before.

His heart has turned black.

If it were just a black heart, that wouldn't be a problem. The key is that the person has horns on their head, colorful hairstyles, enlarged facial features, and various body types. These bizarre physical changes bring about varying individual strengths.

The chivalrous use of martial arts to break the law, and the powerful personal martial arts naturally breed desires. Coupled with their inherent ruthlessness, this has led to unrest throughout the Song Dynasty, with many people wanting to speak out.

It seems that God is more easily angered than before, and natural disasters are occurring more frequently, such as floods or droughts, making already restless people even more irritable.

The world is in chaos, and it gets more chaotic every year.

Amidst this chaos, the imperial court remained rife with corruption. The emperor was obsessed with calligraphy and painting, while treacherous officials ran rampant like rats. Following the example set by the emperor, almost every official was trying to enrich themselves.

As a result, street fights were a common sight in Kaifeng, the capital city.

Kaifeng doesn't support idlers. Even if you're good at playing football, writing calligraphy, or fighting, you still need some skill to survive here. If you're just a test subject for someone else's knife, they won't even get their blood on it.

Xiang Yuan stared with dead fish eyes as he walked through Kaifeng City. His primordial spirit sensed that everyone had grown horns on their heads and had all been demonized into demons.

While it's not to say that all the men are tall and the women are handsome, the demon race's emphasis on physical attributes certainly makes it easy to create a group of good-looking men and women.

Similarly, the ugly and evil become even more grotesque in appearance.

Xiang Yuan's weak and easily bullied pretty face, coupled with his dead fish eyes that look at everyone sideways, makes him easy to provoke a lot of people on the street. However, he has been able to get along peacefully all the way. Many people just have ideas, but no one actually dares to come up and punch him.

The reason is simple: this isn't the first time Xiang Yuan has gone undercover. He has a history of impersonating demons; he's a repeat offender.

Back then in the Dragon Subduing Realm, with his superb disguise skills and excellent acting skills, he was invincible as an undercover agent in the Demon Clan.

At this moment, he put a horn on his head, half a meter long, which made his overall height reach 2.5 meters.

There is no evidence that the longer a demon's horns, the stronger it is. Demons do not worship horns and do not distinguish between high and low status based on the length of their horns. But half a meter is just too exaggerated.

This made Xiang Yuan appear imposing at first glance, and also made the men and women on the street subconsciously feel inferior, not daring to get too close, using their small and cute features to highlight Xiang Yuan's enormous size.

Those who wanted to get close to Xiang Yuan were mostly young women and wives; they had no other intentions, they simply wanted to test their skills against him.

"Strange, where did it go? It's so good at hiding..."

Xiang Yuan frowned deeply, but his primordial spirit could not detect any trace of the Otherworldly Heaven.

Because they entered this realm one after the other, Xiang Yuan was a step behind He Hua Zi Zai Tian. This small step difference was as long as forty or fifty years. By the time he caught up, not only had the entire Xuanxu Realm completed its demonic transformation and dimensional ascension, but He Hua Zi Zai Tian had also disappeared.

Xiang Yuan guessed that He Hua Zi Zai Tian was probably hiding somewhere, licking his wounds.

Bad things can also be good things!
Xiang Yuan's physique is such that injuries don't affect his lively and energetic nature. He carries potent medicine with him and heals himself without needing to take any. However, Palu and Leng Xue sacrificed themselves to save him and are currently in a sealed state.

His loyalty was deeply moving, and it wasn't just once or twice; it happened every single time, which deeply touched Xiang Yuan.

Without these two teammates, Xiang Yuan is unable to use many of his moves, such as his three-headed, six-armed Dharma transformation, and the lack of defensive support in times of crisis.

Especially when the defense descended, he was restless and unable to eat or sleep without his teammates by his side. Even after finding the Heaven of Transformation, he still felt uncertain.

Once Palu and Lengxue return, they will settle the score with the extraterrestrial demons.

Xiang Yuan couldn't calculate the exact time when the seal would be broken. He had put in a lot of effort to banish him to the River of Time, making it even more difficult to break than any previous seal he had encountered on his primordial spirit.

"There are still more good people in the world, especially myself, I've been a good person twice..."

"Who said he's cold-blooded and heartless? This guy's pretty loyal, isn't he?"

Xiang Yuan muttered to himself. Although he had not found any trace of the Heaven of Transformation, he had managed to figure out the truth and falsehood of the Xuanxu Realm through intelligence gathering and his profound literary knowledge.

One hundred and eight demonic stars have descended upon the world; the legend of Shui Xu is inevitable.

We just finished the Journey to the West photo studio and now we're moving on to the Water Margin special. Next time, will it be my sister who saves me, or the strategist?
Xiang Yuan knew with his toes that the 108 demonic stars in the Xuanxu Realm were definitely a trick by the Heavenly Transformation of Self-Existence. The problem was that the number 108 matched exactly the number of Reincarnation Relics collected by the Heavenly Transformation of Self-Existence.

How did they manage to do that?
"As expected of the one and only firefly in Xiang's heart, while everyone else was still clueless about how to use the Reincarnation Relic, he had already figured out a new way to use it..."

"What is the new use? What benefits will his previous evil ritual, which turned the Reincarnation Relic into a demonic star, bring him?"

"Speaking of which, I'm currently collecting 108 Reincarnation Relics, which means 108 heroes. The scene is all too familiar... Is it like buying a card and getting instant noodles for free?"

"Also, isn't the Reincarnation Relic actually the ashes of the Goddess of the Six Paths?"

"What is this, collecting his own wife's corpse?"

Xiang Yuan muttered to himself the whole way, there were too many things to complain about. As he walked and looked around, he accidentally wandered into the Bianhe Brothel Street.

Because it was broad daylight, the skilled workers had just gone to sleep, there was no battlefield, and naturally no soldiers, so the streets were deserted, with few pedestrians passing by.

Xiang Yuan spread his spiritual senses and swept his gaze across the area. Just as he expected, the tight leather outfit and high heels were unmistakably the style of a witch.

"I remember a very famous technician named Li Shishi, who worked in Kaifeng. She even had an affair with the emperor, but was later kidnapped by that guy named 'Handsome' Yan Qing, giving the emperor a cuckold's horns..."

Whether it was true or false, Xiang Yuan didn't know. Anyway, he had heard such a saying. With his mind wandering, he thought about going to the palace to see if the Heavenly Emperor of the Transformation Realm was disguised as the emperor.

There's also the possibility that Gao Taiwei, who appears so frequently, is disguised as him by Hua Zizaitian.

Before they reached the end of the road, a group of people stumbled out of the technician's house not far away. Four or five tall and burly guards, with impressive auras, drew sidelong glances from afar.

Several guards surrounded a young man in brocade robes. This young man was no longer young, or perhaps he was very young, but he looked older than his age. He had been weakened by wine and women, and his face was pale and his steps were unsteady.

There's no need to be surprised that the demons' bodies also become weak and listless. Under the same level of enhancement, it's still the case that only oxen die from exhaustion, not fields that are over-plowed.

"I remember it's market day today, but there's not a single person on the street," the young master asked in surprise.

That's because people don't come to this street for market days! x5
“Young master, you may not know this, but all the neighbors have gone to the Dongyue Temple to fulfill their vows, so there are few pedestrians on the street,” a quick-witted guard said.

"Oh, is Dongyue Temple crowded today?"

"Yes, right outside the Suanzao Gate, the incense is burning brightly, and people are shoulder to shoulder burning incense. The huge Dongyue Temple was packed with people early in the morning."

"It's so crowded, I'll go and squeeze in too."

"Hehehe..." x6
“Young master, this way, I know a shortcut.”

Probe to a distance.JPG
According to their memories, this young master was the cousin and adopted son of Grand Commandant Gao Qiu. He abused Gao Qiu's power and acted recklessly. Because he loved to harass and insult respectable women, he was known as the "playboy."

Your profile is good, so I've decided on you!
"What's up with that pretty boy over there? Why are his horns so long?"

Xiang Yuan's undisguised gaze was seen by several guards, and Gao Yanei, whose eyes were somewhat unfocused, also saw it clearly. Seeing that he had delicate features and that the horns on his forehead made him feel inferior, he immediately felt angry.

Who are you trying to impress with this show?!

“You guys, break that kid’s horns, it’s infuriating to look at him.”

"Young master, you'd better watch this carefully..."

"Hurry up and follow him, that kid ran into the alley!"

"Chase him! Don't let that pretty boy get away!"

The guards rushed forward, three chasing after Gao Yanei, two lifting him up. After chasing him into the alley, they saw a bright red light before them, and they all stood there like wooden chickens.

Coming to his senses, 'Gao Yanei' straightened his slightly disheveled clothes: "He's lucky he ran fast. Let's go, we'll deal with him next time we run into him."

Gao Yanei vanished with the wind, leaving no trace. The five guards watched the whole thing unfold, unaware that their master had changed. As they turned away, they muttered to themselves, "He ran really fast."

Xiang Yuan was also muttering to himself. Back in the Dragon Subduing Realm, the demon he impersonated was named "that guy," the son of Mo Luo, the Left Envoy of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Now, he was impersonating Gao Yanei, the son of Grand Commandant Gao Qiu.

They all have powerful fathers, and they are all lecherous good-for-nothings. It's really unkind for him, a righteous young hero, to always end up with this kind of script.

I used to really like the mystical world!
Also, when he was impersonating the son of Moro, his subordinates kidnapped Ji Muqing, a female knight from Emei, which led to the appearance of Baiyue Jushi, who was still in nun mode. In the end, they addressed each other as sisters.

Will the men below kidnap a female warrior this time?
There's no female knight-errant, but there is Lady Lin!
Xiang Yuan's arrival was quite coincidental; he happened to run into Gao Yanei's concubine, a courtesan, at the Dongyue Temple.

The "Yue" in "Eastern Peak Emperor" is not the same as the "Yue" in "General Yue".

Lin Niangzi's surname was Zhang. She was a local of Kaifeng City. She met Lin Chong at the Dongyue Temple. Her father, Instructor Zhang, was a government official. He admired Lin Chong's martial arts skills and took this leopard-headed man who had "stole" his daughter into his family as his son-in-law.

Because they fell in love at the Dongyue Temple, Madam Lin would come here every year to burn incense and fulfill her vow.

The son-in-law who married into the family was three generations younger and had a lower social status in the family, which is why Lin Chong had to swallow his anger at every turn.

One person is fed and the whole family is worry-free; he can do whatever he wants. But if he gets into trouble outside, this live-in son-in-law won't have a good time.

He's a typical honest man; he won't explode unless Lin Chong is pushed to the limit.

"That being said, this is the Xuanxu Realm, a world where individual martial prowess reigns supreme. Leopard Head shouldn't still be a coward..." Xiang Yuan raised his hand to stroke his chin, curious about how Lin Chong would behave in this realm.

In the corner, two guards blocked Lin Niangzi and her maid. Xiang Yuancang rubbed his hands together and stepped forward. With just a few exaggerated expressions, he vividly portrayed Gao Yanei.

Xiang Yuan refused to admit that this was a natural performance; it was clearly his acting skills that were always on point, especially for a simple character like a lecher, which he could handle with ease.

"Young lady, hehe, all alone?"

Xiang Yuan chuckled and stepped forward: "It's broad daylight, right under the emperor's nose, it's dangerous for you to come alone to burn incense. This young master will protect you!"

"Yes, yes, with the young master here, my wife can rest easy!"

"It's good to sleep soundly!"

With several guards chiming in, the atmosphere was perfect, and the plot quickly got on track. At this moment, Lin Chong was on his way.

"In this peaceful world, how dare you harass a virtuous woman?"

Lin Niangzi blushed and scolded him. She was virtuous and dignified, yet mature and charming. In addition, she had the innate allure of a demon woman, which made Xiang Yuan nod in approval.

No wonder she could bewitch Gao Yanei so much that he was determined to make her a widow; she certainly has some beauty, but...

Xiang Yuan wondered if he had seen wrong; it seemed like Madam Lin had just given him a flirtatious look.

It must be an illusion. Madam Lin is pure and virtuous, while Instructor Lin is flexible and adaptable, going with the flow. The couple is loving and devoted to each other. The pure-hearted war god Xiang Yuan would not allow any sluts in this story.

Xiang Yuan was convinced he had misread it, shook his head, and looked again.

This time, it's not about looks, it's about the heart.

Mixed joys and sorrows.

The good news is that Madam Lin is indeed devoted to Instructor Lin and loves her husband very much.

The worry is that, due to her witch-like nature, Madam Lin is quite cunning and scheming.

As soon as 'Gao Yanei' peeked out, Madam Lin recognized his face. She thought that Instructor Lin was still young and his career could still advance. Gao Yanei was obviously a great victim. She would give him a little taste of sweetness so that her husband could have a bright future.

Xiang Yuan: (▔～▔;)
Suddenly, the lady in front of me didn't smell so good anymore.

Pshaw, he meant that once the teasing turned into the other party luring him into a trap, the whole thing immediately lost its appeal.

Where is Instructor Lin? Come quickly and protect my innocence! We cannot let Madam Lin get away with this!

A cup of tea had passed, an incense stick had burned, and Lin Chong was still on his way, yet he had not shown up.

"What happened? Did you get drunk with Master Lu, get lost halfway through your journey, and fall into the river?"

Xiang Yuan muttered to himself, feeling that Lin Chong from the Xuanxu Realm was quite unreliable. If he really was Gao Yanei, he would have already made Lin Niangzi return with a full load of goods in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Xiang Yuan was puzzled. He glanced at Lin Niangzi again, then silently looked away, thinking to himself how cunning she was.

Lin Chong knew his wife had been harassed because of a maid's tip-off. At that moment, the maid was trembling in Lin's wife's arms, acting pitiful. Lin Chong wasn't Gongsun Sheng; without a tip-off, how would he know that he was about to be promoted?

“That maid is really an eyesore. She’s looking at the young lady right in front of me. Guards, push her away.”

At Xiang Yuan's command, two lackeys stepped forward, dragged out the maid, and chased her away.

To prevent the maid from playing the same role as Madam Lin, Xiang Yuan subtly hinted to her that she should bring Lin Chong, who was drinking and playing drinking games next door, over as quickly as possible.

There are only a few dishes, and you're still drinking here. If you don't come soon, I'll make sure you can make ends meet.

A moment later, the maid returned the way she came, bringing a burly man with a leopard's head, round eyes, a swallow's jaw, and a tiger's beard, who rescued Xiang Yuan.

Lin Chong, the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards, also known as "Leopard Head."

Instructor Lin was quite fierce-looking. He already had the face of a top-notch warrior, and because he was a reincarnation of a demon star and was born into the demon race, his physical features were amplified to an extreme. His leopard eyes had golden rings locking in red light, his beard and hair stood on end like a lion, and his height far exceeded that of ordinary people.

Standing over two meters tall, with an arm as thick as an average person's waist, and radiating heat, his mere presence caused the five guards surrounding Xiang Yuan to exclaim that they had misunderstood him.

Good heavens, with such a large physique, can Madam Lin handle it?

Xiang Yuan thought to himself, no wonder Madam Lin didn't take Gao Yanei seriously and even regarded him as a great traitor. Compared to him, Gao Yanei really didn't pose much of a threat.

"Instructor Lin, it's all a misunderstanding. The young master just saw someone harassing Madam Lin and asked us to protect her."

"Yes, if it were really the young master harassing Lady Lin, it would have taken so long... In any case, it's a misunderstanding."

"Instructor Lin, let's talk this out calmly, please don't fight!"

"..."

Who is this? Why are they talking like Wu Yong?

Looking towards the source of the sound, I saw which guard had quit. This person couldn't be kept; he should be fired as soon as we got back.

"My wife, are you alright?"

"You arrived just in time..."

Madam Lin looked panicked. Protected by Lin Chong, she glanced at the maid with a hint of reproach. Usually, the maid was quite clever, so why was she so clumsy today?

She scared away the great nemesis; where can she find another one? What about her husband's career?

Madam Lin was annoyed that the maid had ruined things, and even more annoyed that 'Young Master Gao' was all talk and no action. What a playboy, he just kept rambling on and on, spouting a lot of nonsense, without even touching her little hand.

Has this guy been ruined by alcohol and women?
Bah, useless. It's preventing my husband from getting a promotion.

Xiang Yuan heard Lin Niangzi's innermost thoughts but remained silent, reluctantly accepting them as pure love. He then stared intently at Lin Chong, who was burning with rage and whose eyes were practically spitting fire, wanting to see what this Instructor Lin had to say.

In case Lin Chong dared not speak, he raised his head, straightened his back, showed his nose in the air, and squeezed out a smug look on his face.

What can be done?
A fierce glint flashed in Lin Chong's eyes, and his five fingers, hidden in his sleeve, suddenly clenched into a fist. In broad daylight, with people coming and going at the Dongyue Temple and so many eyes watching, if he didn't make a move, how could his wife ever face anyone again?

But Gao Yanei...

There are too many people around right now, so it's not a good idea to cause trouble with him. Wait until things calm down, then on a dark and windy night, when he's alone, dig a hole and bury him.

Gao Yanei is always causing trouble and has offended many people. If he keeps his hands clean, no one will find out.

Xiang Yuan saw through Lin Chong's thoughts. He was a bit better than the Leopard Head in the original story, but not much better. What did he mean by "waiting for a dark and windy night"? A while has passed, will you still remember this?

Just as Xiang Yuan was feeling quite disappointed, Madam Lin grabbed Lin Chong's arm, saying not to cause trouble, and hurriedly dragged Lin Chong away.

The couple talked in hushed tones on the way.

"My wife, how did you get involved with this scoundrel?"

"I was offering incense today and never expected to run into you. Luckily you arrived in time..."

"My wife, you... don't lower yourself to the level of this kind of person next time."

"Don't talk nonsense. It's obvious that we couldn't avoid him, which is why he blocked our way."

"..."

Xiangyuan: (ノへ￣、)
Clearly, Coach Lin may look rugged, but he is incredibly perceptive, understands his wife's thoughts perfectly, and is even somewhat afraid of her.

Brilliant! A vivid image of a son-in-law who lives with his wife's family has been created!
"Pah, what's so wonderful about it? This world has gone way off track."

Xiang Yuan shook his head, expressing his resistance to the demonized Water Margin, especially since he was the one who entered the scene. Fortunately, with the help of Instructor Lin, Gao Yanei was not succeeded in being taken advantage of by Madam Lin. This kind of plot sounds like it ruins my childhood!

Even the dignified Lady Lin has been completely transformed. What about Song Jiang's wife and Yang Xiong's wife? These two were not respectable women in the original work. After being demonized, won't they be heading in the direction of the Path of Bliss?
Let's look at someone even more famous. What did Pan Jinlian look like after she was transformed?
Did they set a trap with Wu Dalang, with Wu Song lying in ambush, to swindle Ximen Qing out of his fortune?
Uh, that's a good option.

Xiang Yuan shook his head, and the guards looked embarrassed, thinking that Gao Yanei was expressing his dissatisfaction with them, so they hurriedly explained.

The claims that the instructors of the 800,000 Imperial Guards were unparalleled in bravery, and that they hadn't dared to act for fear of hurting the young master, all turned red in the face, fearing they would lose their jobs. Xiang Yuan chuckled coldly, waved his hand, and generously said that it was alright.

"Young master, what do you mean by 'forget it'? In this Kaifeng city, there hasn't been a decent woman you wanted to flirt with but couldn't!"

"That's right. We might not be a match for Lin Chong, but with a single order from the young master, are we afraid we won't be able to find any experts?"

"That's it, let's leave it at that. Let's not bring it up again."

Xiang Yuan waved his hand, showing little interest in Lin Chong, and began to think about Lin Chong's good buddy, Master Lu. If Leopard Head's physique was already so exaggerated, what about Lu Zhishen, who could uproot a willow tree?

He remembered that Lu Zhishen lived next door, so he could go and take a look.

On the way, the five guards, having lost face, were eager to prove themselves. They loyally protected Xiang Yuan in the middle, and anyone who was even a step too slow to get out of the way was pushed aside.

Even a dog deserves a slap...

It's one thing for a dog to be bad, but it doesn't recognize the young master's son and actually dares to bite people

……

Beside the Suanzao Gate, there was the vegetable garden of the Xiangguo Temple in the capital, where Lu Zhishen served.

Before Xiang Yuan arrived, Lin Chong had already gone ahead and returned to the table to eat, drink, and chat with Lu Zhishen, a hint of melancholy in his eyes.

Xiang Yuan did not approach, but his primordial spirit sensed that it was a huge lump. He thought to himself that he was well-versed in the profound Buddhist teachings and that Zhi Shen's Dharma name was not wrong.

At the dinner table, Lu Zhishen noticed that Lin Chong looked depressed and asked him curiously if he had suffered some bad luck with Gao Yanei.

It was a bit unlucky, but it had little to do with Gao Yanei. It was my wife who was busy arranging my future.

In order to promote him as soon as possible, the lady chose a treacherous son to set a trap...

Lin Chong could not bring himself to say such a thing, and he stammered that he would handle it and that Lu Zhishen should not worry.

"You're afraid of his father, the Grand Commandant? I'm not afraid of him at all! Just you wait and see, tonight the dark clouds will cover the sky, and I'll make a trip to the Grand Commandant's mansion, take his head, and see how he dares to do evil in the future."

"Senior brother, don't do anything reckless."

“Yes, that’s right. If I cause trouble tonight, they’ll definitely suspect you. I’ll do it again in a while.” Lu Zhishen nodded repeatedly.

"..."

Xiang Yuan: (￣_，￣)
It's alright. Master Lu never did any good deeds in his life, he only loved killing and arson. That's just his personality, there's nothing to complain about.

Aside from appearing very skilled, it was a bit too professional.

"Young master, why have you stopped?"

"I'm tired, let's go home."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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(End of this chapter)