Having found no success in his own search for a method of cultivation, the "Ugly Little Snake" decided to look elsewhere for information. If he were to become a grandmaster of the immortal realm in the future and someone asked him about his path of cultivation, it would be quite embarrassing if he couldn't give a proper answer.
However, he had absolutely no desire to lower his status by bowing to someone as a disciple. That inexplicable apprenticeship from years ago had left him with a lingering distaste for the whole concept of masters and disciples.
The Little Snake took flight and headed for the renowned cultivation site of Mount Kunlun, intending to observe the lifestyles of the demons there who were striving for immortality.
Meanwhile, back at home, Leng Qingqing received a group of unusual guests.
It happened like this: Leng Jing had left early in the morning while Leng Qingqing was still sleeping in. Usually, their roles were reversed—Leng Jing would sleep late while Leng Qingqing busied himself. But today was supposedly "Parental Respect Day," and the filial Leng Jing had set out early to travel the world and prepare a congratulatory gift for his father.
Thus, Leng Qingqing had a day off. Though, in truth, which day wasn't a holiday for him?
Taking advantage of the rare sunny weather, Leng Qingqing and the White Mink brought out the bedding and clothes to air them in the sun. Suddenly, a group of martial artists burst into the room, brandishing blades and shouting for Leng Jing to come out and meet his death.
It just so happened that Leng Qingqing was looking in the mirror and transforming into a snake at that moment. Consequently, several assassins fled the room screaming for their parents, crawling and scrambling away in terror.
The second wave of assassins sent by the Shentong Sect were top-tier poison masters. They employed a lethal toxin—a venom extracted from rare serpents—to deal with Leng Jing’s party. Once afflicted by this venom, one would wish for death, suffering through various agonizing reactions. However, when they sprayed a massive amount of the venom onto Leng Qingqing, it actually brought tears to his eyes. "The... the scent of my kin... My kin!" He promptly transformed into a snake, and the assassins once again fled, scrambling over one another to escape.
Because the Yunlai Inn was a place frequently visited by famous figures of the martial world, the staff and patrons were accustomed to such scenes and didn't find it particularly alarming.
Finally, the exasperated Shentong Sect decided to use weapons of mass destruction—a rain of arrows and fire! A rain of flaming arrows!
Dozens of archers aimed at the Yunlai Inn. Unfortunately, due to Leng Jing’s peculiar barrier field, all the flaming arrows extinguished and fell limply to the ground about ten feet from the inn.
The fourth wave of relentless Shentong Sect assassins belonged to the Cold-Blooded faction. They considered themselves mentally indomitable and incapable of failure, specializing in light-footwork and surprise attacks. They launched their raid from the high rooftops, leaping swiftly across the tiles. However, as they were about to reach the roof of the Yunlai Inn, they found a massive white bear standing there, thumping its chest with its paws and roaring, "Don't look down on people!"
And so, the fourth wave of assassins returned in defeat.
In an unprecedented move, the Shentong Sect then dispatched a group that weren't exactly assassins—exorcist masters invited from famous Taoist temples. It was the first time anyone had heard of a martial arts siege requiring Taoist priests. When a group of old priests arrived at the entrance of the Yunlai Inn carrying various demon-slaying tools, it immediately drew roars of laughter from the other martial artists inside.
While the old priests were busy sticking up talismans and setting up an altar, the fifth wave of assassins arrived. These were the Heavenly Mystic Sound Immortals, experts who specialized in killing with the demonic music of their instruments! When seven exquisite women descended gracefully from the sky, cradling jade instruments like zithers, lutes, and flutes, the crowd immediately burst into cheers.
The old priests spat disdainfully at these scantily clad women and continued their chanting and rituals.
The Heavenly Mystic Sound Immortals gave a cold smile and began playing demonic music toward Leng Qingqing, who was watching the spectacle from the third-floor balcony. Everyone present was severely affected, coughing up blood or falling into a frenzy. Recognizing this as a sonic attack, the White Mink and Leng Qingqing immediately ran inside, grabbed pot lids and iron pans, and began clanging them together. Leng Qingqing shouted loudly, "All monsters nearby, come out!! King Qingqing wants a chorus!!"
In fact, whenever the Little Snake wasn't home, Leng Qingqing would privately host "fellow-kin gatherings." He had long since become well-acquainted with the local monsters. The ghostly wailing and howling often heard from the nearby mountains lately was actually them practicing choruses for their own amusement!
Monsters from all directions poked their heads out and, following King Qingqing’s lead, began to sing at the top of their lungs: "Monsters of the wild, free and joyful, living together upon this earth! Our hearts are full of passion, living our days in harmony! The power of joy can make people resolve all differences! Under the radiance of the sun, we unite as brothers!"
Ultimately, the Heavenly Mystic Sound Immortals, whose melodies had been driven completely out of tune by the monster chorus, indignantly smashed their jade zithers and departed. A traveling storyteller, seeing an opportunity, immediately followed them while clacking his bamboo clappers: "Did you see that? Did you see that? That was the legendary Lion’s Roar technique of the martial world! The sound comes from all directions, striking fear and trembling into the heart, making the Sound Immortals smash their harps in retreat! If you ask who lives within, he is but a weak and sickly young master of the Leng family..."
As the storyteller was getting into his stride, he was poked away by an old priest’s peach-wood sword. "Scram! Don't interfere with our ritual! This demon’s magic is profound; nothing less than the Eight Trigrams Taiji Profound Void Phantom God Demon-Sealing Array will suffice! Heng-ha! Yi-ya!"
While the old priests continued their ritual, the sixth wave of assassins arrived. This group consisted of masters of disguise. A blue sedan chair slowly approached the inn, and a sickly, beautiful young master in white, sitting in a wheelchair, was helped out. He possessed a face identical to Leng Jing’s. Everyone present gasped in astonishment, and the assassin disguised as Leng Jing was carried upstairs. Despite having been rattled by the Heavenly Mystic Sound Immortals earlier, the gossip-loving crowd still risked their lives to watch the drama, huddling below the inn and refusing to disperse.
After a while, Leng Qingqing’s happy voice could be heard from upstairs: "Jing-er is back!"
The people below sighed again; it seemed the disguised assassin had succeeded halfway, leaving them with a sense of disappointment.
Upstairs, "Leng Jing" was pushed into the room with a smile on his face. He took a deep breath. *Those fools! Hmph, my 'Thousand-Face Execution' is the truly capable one. If I succeed this time, I will surely become the top expert of the Shentong Sect!* Seeing the situation in the room, it seemed the real Leng Jing was absent, allowing him to take this beautiful youth named Qingqing as a hostage. He said weakly, "Qingqing, I don't feel well. Could you help me to the bed?"
*This guy named Qingqing is either Leng Jing’s servant or his kept boy, hmph!* the fake Leng Jing thought triumphantly. Besides, with such a beautiful boy in front of him, how could he not take some liberties? He hadn't had a "taste" in months while preparing for this mission!
"Is this guy an idiot?" The White Mink squatted by a table leg, nibbling on a chestnut with disdain. Leng Jing was surrounded by pure dragon qi; how could these people possibly replicate that?
Leng Qingqing stared at him blankly. Jing-er never called him that, and besides, this guy clearly had a human skeleton!
So, he stood still.
The fake Leng Jing began to panic. *Had he slipped up?* However, he knew that the highest level of disguise was the ability to adapt and completely become another person. He clutched his chest, gasping for breath, and began to spit out blood. "I really am unwell... Qingqing... help me to the bed..." He then tumbled from the wheelchair onto the floor, struggling.
Leng Qingqing dragged him onto a daybed. The man wheezed, "Qingqing... I’ve been poisoned by the Shentong Sect’s 'Spring Toxin'... If... if I don't... 'exchange' within the next few moments... my whole body will burst and I'll die... Qingqing..." He looked at Leng Qingqing with a mournful gaze.
"Exchange what?" Leng Qingqing asked, puzzled.
The fake Leng Jing gritted his teeth. "It means... I must... with a man... exchange..."
"Exchange what?" Leng Qingqing continued to ask.
The fake Leng Jing spat another mouthful of blood. "...It means... I need to... I need to touch you... to... neutralize the poison..."
Leng Qingqing poked him and said, "Touched."
"I need to touch the back!" the fake Leng Jing roared.
Leng Qingqing turned around, pointed at his own back, and said, "Go ahead and touch it."
The fake Leng Jing nearly shattered his teeth from gritting them. He could no longer restrain himself; he tore off his own clothes and lunged to embrace Leng Qingqing.
In reality, Leng Qingqing and the White Mink, having cast an illusion, stood to one side watching the lustful fake Leng Jing greedily embrace a block of ice left behind by Leng Jing. The man murmured infatuatedly, "Qingqing, your body is so cold. Could you be a snake demon? Don't be angry, I'm just joking. You know my legs are crippled and I can't move, so you have to be the active one! What, you're shy? Fine, I'll do the hard work. Ah, if only it weren't for these legs... relax... I'm... going in..."
If the fake Leng Jing hadn't gone in so "deeply," the tragedy of severe frostbite that followed might not have been so dire. In truth, the outer layer of the Leng family's double-layered ice was quite thick. It was just that the mischievous White Mink had bored a small hole in it.
It was said that the fake Leng Jing was carried down by men summoned by Leng Qingqing. The watching crowd erupted into a round of applause.
Leng Qingqing had been busy all day, and seeing that Jing-er would be back soon, he prepared to go out and buy some flour. As he came downstairs, he triggered another round of applause.
At that moment, several burly men at the entrance were beating a pitiful little beggar. The beggar had an incredibly cute face, tears streaming down his cheeks as he wailed, "Please! Stop hitting me! Big brother, save me!" He looked toward Leng Qingqing imploringly.
To everyone's surprise, Leng Qingqing simply watched the spectacle along with the rest of the crowd, then carried his basket and walked away. He showed absolutely no sympathy, clearly afraid of inviting trouble.
Thus, the second scheme of the disguised assassins—the "Pity Tactic"—died in the womb.
"An expert! A true expert!" The little beggar stood up, brushed off his clothes, and snorted coldly. "A gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years! Let's go!"
***
On the other side, atop Mount Kunlun.
Leng Jing sat on a cliff, observing a little fox that was cultivating diligently. The fox had a serious expression, sitting motionless amidst the wind and snow of the precipice, lost in meditation. That focused expression rendered all things in heaven and earth invisible; everything in the world had transformed into a singular conviction of cultivation within the fox's heart.
It was communing with the heavens, with the earth, with the eternal wind and snow, and with the thousand-year-old snowy peaks. It had reached the state of "Unity of Heaven and Man." At this moment, it was the greatest of living beings, a spirit merged with the will of the universe!
After a long time, the fox's face relaxed into a strange, soft, and limp expression. It turned around, scratched at the snow where it had just been sitting, and then trotted away with a smug, light step.
*Had it attained the Dao?*
Leng Jing cursed coldly, "Bullshit. I wasted my time watching a fox take a crap!"
He prepared to head back. It was near dusk, and amidst the continuous wind and snow, the sky grew dark and heavy. The vast snowy mountains were nearly a blur, making it impossible to see the surroundings clearly.
However, in this desolate, uninhabited mountain range, Leng Jing spotted flickers of light. He looked closely and discerned that they were the "lights of ten thousand homes" that usually only appeared in human towns—here, in a valley where the wind and snow were most fierce? Judging by the scale of the lights, it seemed to be a fairly large town.
*Was it conjured by a demon?* Leng Jing grew curious and couldn't help but draw closer to investigate.
***
At dusk, at the Yunlai Inn.
The old priests, who had been performing their rituals non-stop, finally completed their complex array. Several priests stood within the formation, chanting scriptures and incantations loudly. With a great shout, all the ritual implements in the array shattered. Even the talismans pasted inside and outside the inn turned black and fell off.
What was happening? The onlookers stared at each other, not expecting another wave of Shentong Sect assassins.
A window facing the street was suddenly flung open, and a woman with disheveled hair, dressed in blood-red robes, leaned halfway out.
Immediately after, another window was opened, and another woman in blood-red robes with disheveled hair leaned out.
Then, a third window...
In an instant, a terrifying sight appeared—every single window of the inn was open, and over a dozen women, dressed identically in blood-red robes with loose hair, were leaning out and looking down with synchronized movements. It was an incredibly eerie scene.
"Oh no, oh no! The malevolent energy here is too heavy to suppress!" the lead priest cried out in a panic.
"Master, Master! You set the array wrong! Look, you drew the Yin and Yang of the Eight Trigrams upside down!" a young priest behind him screamed.
"Aieee! It's a disaster! The entire Demon-Sealing Array has reversed into a Ghost-Summoning Array! We're finished!! Aaaaah!" the old priest shrieked.
Screams began to rise one after another from the direction of the inn.
Eating at a noodle stall in the distance, Leng Qingqing and the White Mink couldn't help but look back. They felt that something wasn't quite right.
But what was it?
To be continued...
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
昆仑山 | Mount Kunlun | A famous mythological mountain in Chinese lore, often associated with immortals and cultivation.
神通门 | Shentong Sect | Literally "Supernatural Power Sect"; the antagonist organization.
天玄音仙 | Heavenly Mystic Sound Immortals | A group of female assassins who use musical instruments as weapons.
千面决杀 | Thousand-Face Execution | The title or technique of the master of disguise assassin.
锁妖阵 | Demon-Sealing Array | A standard Taoist formation used to trap or suppress demons.
招鬼阵 | Ghost-Summoning Array | The accidental result of the botched Taoist ritual.
狮吼功 | Lion's Roar | A classic martial arts technique involving a powerful, sonic shout.
春毒 | Spring Toxin | A common euphemism in wuxia/danmei for an aphrodisiac poison.
敬亲节 | Parental Respect Day | A fictional holiday mentioned in the text.
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