Chapter 107: Subduing Hei Qi

This is the fundamental application of demonic arts, which can be wielded freely even outside the body.

"Impossible! Impossible! How difficult is the cultivation of Daoist arts! How could you possibly have mastered them? To step into the realm of Daoist arts is to unlock the divine powers of heaven and earth—to stand upon the air, to manifest weapons from the void, and to employ all manner of divine techniques to their absolute limit. And if one were to use a cursed artifact, that power would be boundless!" Hei Qi shrieked. "How could you have learned this? It is impossible!"

Hei Qi was merely an ordinary man; he could not perceive the origin of Chu Youcai’s dragon-serpent power, nor could he distinguish between demonic arts and Daoist arts. Yet, his mind was utterly shattered. He knew that Daoist arts were bound by countless prohibitions and were never taught to outsiders.

It was one thing for the Eldest Young Master, with his exceptional talent, to be taken to the Yan Sect. The Prince, however, was a disciple of a minor Daoist lineage who strictly upheld the sect’s rules against private instruction; it was only because the Second Young Master had performed a meritorious deed that he was granted the opportunity to learn.

As for the Sixth Young Master of the Prince's estate, Yan Yudong, it was said he had begged for ten years and sought out over twenty immortal sects, only to finally be taken in as a disciple by a Daoist who stoked the fires, learning only the most impure forms of Daoist arts.

For anyone else to learn such arts was simply impossible!

Moreover, Chu Youcai was a discarded son of the Prince’s estate. How could he possibly have learned them?

Hei Qi’s lifelong ambition had been to master Daoist arts. It was his singular pursuit; he had traveled across countless mountains and famous sites alone, yet never found an opportunity. Now, seeing an enemy possess exactly what he craved, a sense of indescribable despair surged within him.

Chu Youcai said indifferently, "What? Do you still think your Second Young Master is peerless under heaven?"

Hei Qi was on the verge of a mental breakdown, but he still stubbornly retorted, "The Second Young Master has already cultivated ten years of Daoist arts. Combined with his cursed artifact, he has no rival in the Prince’s estate! If you are sensible, let me go now. I might put in a good word for you before him, which might save you from a fatal crisis."

Chu Youcai replied calmly, "I suspect your Second Young Master is still far from ten years of Daoist cultivation. Otherwise, with his temperament, he would have been flaunting it throughout the estate long ago, acting as he pleased, or even challenging the Eldest Young Master for his position."

With a flick of his hand, the Fish-Scale Blade appeared, emanating an abyssal power.

"How do you have a cursed artifact..." Hei Qi was nearly speechless.

Gazing at the blade, Hei Qi felt his spirit tremble. Combined with the external manifestation standing behind Chu Youcai, his resolve finally crumbled. He trembled and asked, "Third Young Master Chu, how do you intend to deal with me?"

Seeing that the man’s spirit was broken, Chu Youcai nodded. "Tell me all the secrets of your Second Young Master, and I will spare your life."

"No!" Hei Qi shook his head. "If I speak, I am dead for certain. The Second Young Master would never forgive me. You might as well kill me."

Chu Youcai’s gaze turned icy. The man was truly incorrigible; it seemed he would have to resort to lethal force.

Just then, Chu Youcai felt a thought transmitted from his external manifestation, suggesting it could subdue Hei Qi. Chu Youcai turned back in surprise, seeing the confidence on the face of his manifestation, and nodded.

Although the external manifestation was under his control, it possessed its own spontaneous thoughts. As it continued to grow, its intellect and combat experience would only become more formidable.

The manifestation moved. The "Horse" from the Seven Treasures beside it let out a sharp whinny, leaped high into the air, and charged fiercely toward Hei Qi.

Hei Qi’s face filled with shock. He opened his mouth to scream, but the horse was too swift; it crashed directly into his body.

Then, a shocking sight unfolded: the horse merged into Hei Qi’s body, slowly becoming one with him. Hei Qi struggled, fighting the entity within him, but no matter what he did, he could not break free. He clutched his own throat, trying to scream, but no sound emerged.

After struggling for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Hei Qi finally collapsed to the ground, frothing at the mouth, and stopped moving.

The external manifestation sent a thought to Chu Youcai: the horse had entered Hei Qi’s body and seized control of his consciousness. If Hei Qi ever harbored a thought of betrayal, he would be torn to pieces.

Chu Youcai was overjoyed. He had not expected such an ability from his manifestation; with this, Hei Qi was now entirely under his command.

He said in a low voice, "Hei Qi, tell me everything you know about the Second Young Master."

Hei Qi, never imagining he would be turned into a vessel for such a curse, felt as if his skin were being flayed and his tendons pulled whenever he even considered opposing Chu Youcai. Trembling, he said, "Third Young Master, I will tell you! I will tell you!"

He proceeded to reveal everything about the Second Young Master, including a special technique that allowed him to temporarily boost his Daoist cultivation to wield the cursed artifact, and that he was currently on the verge of breaking through to the ten-year threshold of Daoist mastery.

Hearing this, Chu Youcai’s brow furrowed. He had not expected the Second Young Master to be so close to that milestone.

A sense of urgency welled up in him; he had to improve his own cultivation as quickly as possible.

Little did he know, a scene he could never have imagined was unfolding inside the room.

********************

Inside, Shangguan Wanru lay quietly. Beside her, the old madam sat at the head of the bed, tenderly holding her daughter’s hand. The old woman’s hand was thin and withered, yet for Shangguan Wanru, it felt profoundly comforting.

In truth, Shangguan Wanru had regained consciousness long before Chu Youcai’s treatment.

She had listened quietly to the sounds of the struggle outside. When Chu Youcai finally forced Hei Qi to submit, her heart settled, and a myriad of thoughts flooded her mind.

When she first arrived here, she had known that a profligate son lived next door—a man who gambled away his fortune and nearly sold his wife. At the time, she had truly wished to kill him.

But out of concern that Yun Cuixian would be left alone, she had done her best to help her.

However, as she observed Chu Youcai, she realized he was completely different from the rumors. Not only could he compose poems like "Jin Se" and "The Heroic Traveler," but he had also gone to the city of Yanzhou to lead the resistance. Later, she learned from Yun Cuixian that Chu Youcai’s poor reputation had been fabricated by the Eldest Madam, who hated him simply because he was born of a concubine.

A feeling of shared empathy stirred within her.

Yet, at Guiyuan Temple, she had been unable to help and had fallen into a coma.

When she overheard the Second Young Master plotting against Chu Youcai’s mother, she could not suppress her fury and attacked with all her might, only to be gravely wounded once again.

When she woke, she found Chu Youcai’s hand pressed against her lower abdomen, healing her. In that moment, she was both ashamed and annoyed, but her body was completely immobile. She wanted to use her hands to cover the flush on her face, but she could not even do that.