Everything happens in just a moment.
When the mountain-guarding monster suspected to be the master of anger attacked, a group of people were walking on the cliffside plank road. The change happened very close to them, and they had no way to retreat.
The air was still filled with the unique fragrance of pine trees. The dark green pine forest was set against the gray rocks on the top of the mountain, immersed in milky white mist. On the other side, a thin mist rolled under the cliff, blurring the scenery below the mountain into a hazy blue.
It was supposed to be a soothing and relaxing scene, but now it had become extremely sinister.
Yin Ci was the first to react, and felt the "rope" that bound him. The rope felt slippery and looked like bloody tendons, and the eyeballs on the other side were still moving around, struggling in his palm.
The person who got into trouble was Yan Qing.
Yan Qing stood at the end of the team, staring blankly at his hands. His eyeball handcuffs squirmed wildly, and the tendons connected to his eyeballs shot out in all directions, instantly tying up everyone tightly.
The evil spirit surged in from all directions, but there was no sign of the monster.
Yin Ci snorted coldly and broke the flesh shackles on his body. Yan Qing immediately screamed and half-knelt on the ground. There was a deep wound on his arm that could see the bone. The gray-black cloth was soaked with blood and almost black.
Shi Jingzhi was horrified: "Aci?"
"It's better for Yan Qing to get injured than for the whole army to be wiped out. The goose monster didn't give any warning, so it's likely that no one will die." Yin Ci didn't stop there. He chopped with his palm and broke the flesh shackles on Shi Jingzhi's body.
This time Yan Qing didn't even have the strength to scream. His inner demon was wounded, and the pain was inflicted on himself. He bent his waist and knelt down on the plank road, and more blood flowed out.
Shi Jingzhi: “…” He always felt that his disciple was getting further and further away from the word “honest”, and was personally proving Su Si’s point that “all members of the Kushan Sect are not good people”.
Although Yin Ci's approach was cruel, it was also reasonable.
Shi Jingzhi threw away his medicine box and decided to make up for his loss. Unexpectedly, as soon as he approached Yan Qing, several more flesh shackles shot out, causing Shi Jingzhi to stagger and nearly fall off the cliff.
Yan Qing was like a spider out of control, with flesh shackles spreading out like spider webs, trying to bind all living things around him.
"The inner demon has changed, this is not right!" Shi Jingzhi swallowed his saliva and leaned against the rock wall. "The monk's purpose is to drive people away, but this looks like..." It looks like he wants to kill people to silence them.
Yin Ci had no time to chat with his master. The gap in experience was exposed at this moment. The headlights of people could not squeeze into the plank road, so they had to walk along the cliff top on the other side of the plank road. Yin Ci took advantage of his inner demon and climbed up the shadow hand in reverse. He grabbed a few meat shackles and pulled Yan Qing to the top of the cliff. Seeing that the situation was not good, Master Bai bit the corner of Yin Ci's clothes and used the force to escape.
Leaving the narrow environment of the plank road, the trouble of the flesh shackles was immediately reduced by half. Shi Jingzhi stepped onto the rocks and climbed to the top of the cliff. He was about to take a breath, but his heart was lifted again.
Su Si did not follow.
And until now, Su Si has been too quiet.
Even if the two of them were in conflict, Su Si would not be so cold-blooded as to have no reaction when seeing Yan Qing lose control. Shi Jingzhi nimbly dodged a few meat shackles, and looked down at the plank road along the edge of the cliff, trying to find Su Si's trace.
A gust of black wind rushed up into the sky, and if Shi Jingzhi had not shrank back quickly enough, his head would have been almost bitten off by the black wind.
A giant snake climbed to the top of the cliff. Its dark eyes showed no emotion, and even its tongue was a dull black. The black snake's scales were smooth, and the flesh shackles failed to entangle it, but it broke several of them instead.
It snaked and hissed, exuding complete hostility.
Shi Jingzhi took a breath: "Su Si?"
The snake's tail was undoubtedly Su Si's. However, he was completely devoured by his inner demons and had lost all rationality.
Another inner demon has become alienated.
Shi Jingzhi looked at Yin Ci with trepidation. Fortunately, the headlights were as still as a mountain, showing no tendency to turn into monsters. When he spoke, Shi Jingzhi said bitterly, "Ah Ci, don't you say it's okay for them to quarrel?"
Now it seems that they have more than just a dispute, but a dispute that has lasted for years. Shi Jingzhi raised the "medicine to cure disease" flag and tried to resist Shekou, but he didn't dare to use heavy hands, for fear of accidentally beating someone to death.
Yin Ci threw off the corner of Master Bai's clothes and jumped up lightly. He caught his master in the act, and the two of them jumped into the headlights in one breath, leaving the mutated Yan Qing and Su Si at their feet.
"It's not a matter of conflict between the two of us." After making sure that the fox was retrieved, Yin Ci spoke again. "Close your eyes and detect the demonic aura."
Shi Jingzhi had just been looking for someone and dodging attacks, and was sweating profusely. Now that Yin Ci had taken him away from the battlefield, he finally calmed down.
He clenched Yin Ci's wrist and slowly closed his eyes.
Seeing that everyone was hit, the mountain-guarding demon could no longer suppress its momentum, and the demonic energy around it was overwhelming. In comparison, the hostility of the greedy butterfly was so gentle that it was almost non-existent. If you look closely, you can see that the demonic energy is divided into two streams, with equal strength. They reveal endless malice and madness, but they are scattered and cannot be located.
"This is… "
"Judging from the strength, both the Lord of Anger and the Lord of Idiotness are here." Yin Ci whispered. "How is Su Si doing?"
"He was swallowed by his inner demon, and his whole body turned into a snake. Aci, Greed, Anger, and Ignorance are all great demons. They each occupy their own territory and should not meet each other. This is definitely not the monk's method, otherwise we..."
Seeing Shi Jingzhi stopped talking halfway, Yin Ci raised his lips and asked, "Master, have you figured it out?"
Shi Jingzhi sighed: "Yan Budu."
They had seen that kind of malice and madness countless times in the ghost tomb.
The Buddha Heart Formation is not often opened, but the mountain monster is always there. Yan Budu only asked them to visit Jianchen Temple, but he did not say that the clue was in Jianchen Temple.
It makes sense. The monks in Jianchen Temple are not just for show. Even if Yanbudu is powerful, he cannot leave clues in the temple that can last for a hundred years. However, the monks are not tainted by greed, anger, or ignorance, so they cannot see the mountain-guarding monster. Even if they can barely see it, they will not attract more than one at a time.
Yan Budu hid the clues on the mountain-guarding monster and played the role of hiding the truth from the public.
…But is this really a clue
The two demons of anger and stupidity had been dealt with by Yan Budu, which made everyone's state of mind extremely unstable, so that their inner demons became alienated. Now it seems that this is more like a trap that leads people to their death.
Shi Jingzhi's eyes stopped at the edge of the cliff. Yan Qing was kneeling on the bare cliff top, bleeding profusely. Su Si, transformed into a black snake, was approaching slowly, not hiding his murderous intent.
Shi Jingzhi was about to go down to save people, but was stopped by Yin Ci.
"Aci, let go. They are from Kushan Sect after all—"
"Anger breeds rage, rage blinds the eyes, harms the innocent. Delusion breeds resentment, resentment has no master, and it backfires on one's heart. In this sense, Yan Qing was angry, and Su Si was stupid."
Yin Ci's voice was steady and his indifference remained unchanged.
“Even if Yan Budu made some moves, he couldn’t change the instincts of the mountain-guarding monsters. If these two can resist the changes in their inner demons, the two masters of anger and stupidity will not be able to force them to death.”
"It's not like they can resist."
Two of his servants were tricked, and one of his disciples lost his sight. Seeing that his sect was about to fall apart, the head of the sect was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot.
“Whether it was the mountain-guarding monster or Yan Budu who did it, their inner demons are more susceptible than before. Should we just stand by and watch... Ah Ci?!”
Yin Ci suddenly hugged Shi Jingzhi beside him. He ran his five fingers through the slightly cool black hair, buried his nose in his master's shoulder, and took a deep breath.
It's over, the whole sect has gone crazy. Shi Zhang stood there stiffly, a wave of sadness rising from the bottom of his heart - his eldest brother actually dared to despise him for being abnormal. Compared with these people, he was so normal that it was outrageous.
"Don't move. Your inner demon is easily affected now. I believe it is not picky about its target, so I can use it to my advantage." Yin Ci's voice remained calm.
The situation was critical, Shi Jingzhi's breathing became faster, and his body temperature was much higher than before. Yin Ci held the hair tightly in his hand, trying to recall the moment in front of the Greedy Butterfly Nest.
The moment when the rosy glow broke through the darkness and made him forget the suffering of the dark prison.
Shi Jingzhi was still young, but he was able to temper his mind with Greedy Butterfly and control the demon master. He was familiar with various mental methods and had the assistance of current spells. If he couldn't do it, wouldn't it be laughable
A heat exploded from his chest. When Yin Ci raised his eyes, the light in his eyes was like a cold ray.
"The demon's magic is very powerful, it must be impossible to control it remotely. They deliberately scattered the demonic energy, I think they don't want to be discovered - they must be hiding nearby, just catch them."
Shi Jingzhi was immediately shocked: "Your eyes?"
"Under the influence of magic, the inner demons are more likely to deteriorate, and naturally they are easier to calm down." Yin Ci let go of Shi Jingzhi, and the state of mind at that moment was nailed to his mind. "You and I will work together. You save the lives of those two people, and I will go find the demon master. Okay?"
Without waiting for Shi Jingzhi to answer, Yin Ci smiled again and said, "So this is what my inner demon looks like... No wonder Master knew something was wrong at the first sight."
Faced with a terrifying demon like a mountain, Yin Ci didn't seem surprised.
Shi Jingzhi had ten thousand questions he wanted to ask, but the situation was not good under the headlights. If they continued chatting, Su Si would eat Yan Qing for lunch.
He could only nod quickly and jump down.
Yan Qing was still kneeling in the same place, the eyeball meat shackles formed a very dense net around him. He seemed to still be conscious and wanted to struggle to stand up. Unfortunately, the meat shackles were completely out of his control, and the meat net was like ten fingers connected to the heart. If Yan Qing moved a little, he would step on his body, and the pain was so severe that he couldn't straighten his back.
Su Si had completely lost his humanity. The black snake's mouth opened wide, and its sharp fangs tore open the eyeball. The turbid fluid in the eyeball splattered with blood, making Yan Qing's condition even worse.
With Yin Ci's help, Shi Jingzhi felt much more at ease. He used the force of falling to avoid dozens of flesh shackles and directly hit the snake's head with a flagpole. The black snake let out a painful hiss and bit back fiercely.
"Master, don't kill him!" Yan Qing shouted with all his might.
"No, no, take care of yourself first and stop throwing shackles around!" Shi Jingzhi dodged the black snake and spoke quickly. "I said you are young and you are open-minded, where do you get such a big heart?"
"I… "
"You attracted the angry master, and your brother attracted the foolish master, that's why you two became like that. If you really can't move, why don't you say a few warm words to Su Si and coax him back to human form first--"
Yan Qing was cheered up: "Is it really useful?"
Shi Jingzhi: "It's the same in the plays, it's a waste if you don't try."
Yan Qing's eyes dimmed immediately, and the black snake took advantage of the situation to bite dozens of eyeballs. Feeling the pain, the flesh shackles attacked more crazily, almost tying up Shi Jingzhi. The two people's inner demons rose sharply, the pine forest around them slowly broke apart, and the scenery became more distorted.
Shi Jingzhi: “…”
He stumbled and dodged, running all the way to Yin Ci's side, defending against him back to back: "Yan Qing was seriously injured, and it's hard for him to just stay conscious. Su Si's snake skin is so thick, I can't knock him out, so I can only kill him."
"Yeah." Yin Ci did not take the initiative to attack. Although he was in the center of the battle, he was as light as a fallen leaf, without any sign of chaos. "Don't be impatient, just look around."
In the distorted scenery, the pine forest and the cliff disappeared together. The scenery with a sense of Zen became ordinary and gradually turned into an extremely ordinary barren mountain scene.
Shi Jingzhi: "Is this also..."
"The two of them are in a stalemate, and their inner demons are further transformed. The speed of transformation is so fast, I guess it's due to the Buddha Heart Formation. I said that in the end, they have to resolve their inner demons themselves. You don't have to end the battle, just force them to wake up."
"I can only let them hold out for a few more hours. People always have their limits. If we don't solve this situation—"
Yin Ci replied calmly, "If the cause of the inner demon is revealed before our eyes, and they still can't tell the severity of the situation, then it's better not to have such a servant. If we want to find clues about Yan Budu, we have to catch the two masters of anger and ignorance alive."
Shi Jingzhi's movements froze.
He looked at Yin Ci with some complex feelings. When he regained his sight just now, Yin Ci's warmth didn't seem fake, and his current ruthlessness was also genuine. This person seemed to have sealed himself in a thick cocoon, watching the fire from the other side of the river, and judging everything around him only with Taoism.
As a master, is he also within this cold "truth"
But this thought only lasted for a moment.
Yin Ci was right. He and Yin Ci could not attract anger and despair. Whether it was to find clues or save lives, Yan Qing and Su Si had to stay alive.
Shi Jingzhi stopped beside Yan Qing, with a flag that said "medicine cures disease" whirling fiercely. Although he could not change the situation, the shackles could not get close to him. Shi Jingzhi flipped the medicine box, poured and stuffed the medicine into Yan Qing's mouth, temporarily stopping the gushing blood.
After a while, the scenery on the top of the mountain finally stabilized.
Shi Jingzhi recognized the scene before him; it was the barren hills near Xi Village.
There were two children among the mess of meat shackles and giant snakes. One was delicate and cute, with a teardrop mole at the corner of his eye. The other looked like a dried corpse dug out from a grave, so thin that only bones remained, with only a pair of red eyes still shining.
It’s Su Si and Yan Qing.
The giant snake and the meat shackles stopped in the air almost at the same time.
Young Su Si roasted and shredded the fish meat, feeding it to Yan Qing bit by bit. Yan Qing ate very fast, as if he was starving. It was winter, but Yan Qing's arms were exposed, with bloody wounds and bruises all over his body.
Didn't he share his food with you? I told you to hide the meat I gave you and not give it to him. Su Si said dissatisfiedly while feeding him. You should just starve him to death.
… That’s my dad. I only have my dad. Yan Qing stopped talking and said sullenly.
Su Si bared his teeth, and looking at his expression, he wanted to say "Your father is not a good guy". But looking at the scene, it was not the first time that the two had this conversation. If these words were spoken, there would probably be no good results.
When I leave, won't you starve to death? Su Si sighed and fed Yan Qing some more fish. The food he gave you was not enough to feed the cat.
Yan Qing stopped talking immediately. He was so thin that his eye sockets were sunken, and his pair of red eyes looked particularly scary: Are you leaving
I overheard it secretly. A few days ago, someone from the village came and was willing to buy me for one or two taels of silver, saying that he would take me to the city to enjoy a good life.
Su Si sat on a rock, swinging his legs.
I knew that my parents still loved me. I ate a lot and could find food by myself, so it was normal for them to ignore me. You see, now that there is a good opportunity, they still care about me and didn't send my brothers.
Yan Qing loosened his claw-like hands and frowned like a little adult: Go to the city to enjoy life
Well, what is the South Wind or North Wind Pavilion? My father told me this morning that if I go with him, I can have enough food every day.
Yan Qing shook his head vigorously: "Don't go. I heard from Mr. Bai that it's not a good place."
Su Si was stunned for a moment, then showed some anger: "Don't talk nonsense, you must have heard it wrong! How could my father lie to me?"
I can read! I have seen it too, it is a low-class thing, people will scold you...
Then you tell me, what is the lowest class and why do people scold it
When Yan Qing saw that his friend was angry, his face turned red with anxiety: I, I don’t know, but if it’s not good, it’s not good. Books won’t lie.
My parents wouldn't lie to me! Su Si raised his voice, you just don't want me to leave, right
Yan Qing grabbed Su Si's clothes with both hands and shook his head vigorously, but he didn't know how to refute. Su Si saw that he looked like he was about to cry, and he calmed down: When I live a good life, I will definitely come back to see you.
Don't go, please.
They gave all the money... Listen, I dried a lot of meat in the mountains, enough for you to eat for a year or half a year. Eat it secretly, don't be stupid and give it to your father.
Please. Yan Qing just kept repeating.
The figures of the two children suddenly disappeared.
The next moment, the top of the mountain was still the same, but the people had changed. Yan Qing packed a small bag and followed Su Si firmly, looking like a human shackle. Su Si changed into a new set of clothes and was walking out of the mountain with a fat middle-aged man.
When he saw Yan Qing, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry: Don't follow me, if your father finds out that you are absent from work, he will beat you when he gets home.
I don't care. A middle-aged man was watching, and Yan Qing carefully closed his eyes. If you don't stay, I will follow you until you agree to stay.
Stop it, we're going to take a carriage soon.
I do not care.
Yan Qing straightened his short back, as if he had used up all his strength, and spoke word by word.
You're not going to a good place, I'm not lying.
The middle-aged man pulled Su Si away and said indifferently: Just go away, who cares what he does.
The small carriage was filled with mountain products. Su Si squatted among a pile of dried herbs and looked out of the carriage. Yan Qingzhen followed behind, his thin figure stumbling but never stopping. After watching for a while, Su Si seemed to be reluctant and let down the curtain.
"I remember." At this moment, Yan Qing beside Shi Jingzhi sighed. "I couldn't keep him after all. I could only follow him from a distance."
"You followed me all the way?" Shi Jingzhi hissed.
"Not really." Yan Qing closed his eyes, and the shackles around him felt a little more relaxed.
The scenes on both sides competed with each other, and in the end, Su Si's inner demon prevailed - in the next scene, there was only the young Su Si and the corpse of the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man did not succeed in bringing him out of the mountain.
You filthy fellow, how dare you offend my Tai Heng. Shi Zhongyu stood with his sword hanging down, blood still dripping from the tip of the sword. She looked much younger than the one under the ghost tomb, still a girl. A female disciple of about fourteen or fifteen hid behind her, tears still on her face.
After comforting the female disciple, she turned to the frightened Su Si and softened her tone: Do you know where he is taking you
Su Si stammered: He, he told my parents to take me to Nanfeng Pavilion for a good meal.
Shi Zhongyu touched his head, with a hint of pity in his tone: Poor thing, that's not a good place.
Hearing this, Su Si's eyes suddenly turned red. He was at a loss, but he bit his lips and stubbornly refused to cry.
In the heart of a child, parents are the heaven. Yan Qing was often beaten to the point of having only one breath left, but he still dared to hold on to a glimmer of hope. But how many children are willing to face the collapse of the heaven and the earth
Seeing that he was sensible, Shi Zhongyu's tone became a little softer: "You have good bones and a face that looks qualified. I am in need of a sword boy. Are you willing to follow me and join my Taiheng?"
As the leader of the righteous path, even if he was isolated from the crowd, he knew Tai Heng.
Su Si was only seven or eight years old, and had never experienced such ups and downs. He stared blankly at the Taiheng Sect's white-clad horse for a while, and was distracted: Really? Can I have enough food after entering Taiheng
Shi Zhongyu said: Naturally I can.
Su Si looked at the blood on the tip of Shi Zhongyu's sword, gathered all his strength, and asked with a sob: Then, can I become a hero like my sister
As long as you want.
Su Si's souls finally returned to their places. He wiped his face a few times, and his eyes were more lively: Yeah, yeah. I think I can help my sister now! The mountain road is difficult to walk, I know this place better than anyone else... Sister, Taiheng is such a great sect, why did you come to this desolate mountain
Chase and kill the bad guys. Shi Zhongyu squatted down and put a warm cloak on him. Is there anyone with red eyes in your village? That is not a human, but an evil ghost, and must be eliminated.
Although wrapped in a cloak, Su Si became a little stiffer. He tried hard to hold up his shaky smile and acted like a well-behaved boy.
… No. He sniffed. I know everyone in the village, none of them has red eyes.
Su Si's expression was a little distorted. But he was still young, so Shi Zhongyu thought he had just learned that his parents had abandoned him and couldn't control his emotions, so he didn't suspect anything: I'll tell the master later and give you a name. When you get to Zhuangzi, you can also say hello to your parents.
I…
What
"Sister, I still can't go with you." Su Si's tone was calm, but her tears were getting more and more. "I have to take care of my brother. If I'm not watching over him, he will starve to death."
Shi Zhongyu was a little surprised: You...
I'll go back first. Su Si stood up.
You can come with us-
No, he is worried about me, so he must still be running on the mountain road. Su Si said in a crying voice, when I grow up and settle him down, I will definitely go to Taiheng and become a hero.
Shi Zhongyu shook his head: "I know you are frightened. Come back to the camp with me first. I will take you on horseback tomorrow. You can go back easily... Wait, why are you running?"
Su Si threw off his warm cape and rushed into the bushes not far away. The terrain was strange, and he left Shi Zhongyu behind in an instant. The latter had to take care of his junior sister, so he didn't catch up.
Yan Qing had been crawling and rolling in the mountains for a day and a half, with wounds all over his body. Just as he was holding on to the branch and was about to move forward, Su Si ran back.
Tai Heng is coming to catch you. I took a shortcut back and bought myself some time.
As soon as he saw Yan Qing, he spoke in a hoarse voice.
You hide first, I will go back and tell the villagers. They are afraid of spreading bad reputation, so they will definitely help hide your father... Your father doesn't have ghost eyes, so it's easy to hide. You, you must hide well.
Yan Qing's mind was still on "helping Su Si escape from the fire pit", and he was confused by these words. But when he saw this person running back by himself, he just hugged him and then hid obediently.
From an angle he couldn't see, Su Si's eyes were red. When Yan Qing was hidden and there was no one around, Su Si finally opened his mouth and broke down in tears in the night.
In the end, he couldn't let go of his only friend.
The children back then might not have noticed it, but now that they have grown up, they know it very well in their hearts—it is only natural that this has become a demon in their hearts.
For a moment, Shi Jingzhi couldn't even bear to turn his head to look at the expression of Yan Qing beside him.
If Su Si followed Shi Zhongyu on that day, his suffering would end forever. With his natural foundation as a guarantee, Su Si's position in Taiheng would definitely not be low after more than ten years.
But on that day, he turned back, let go of the only ray of hope in his life, and ran towards the endless darkness of the future.
From then on, wearing white clothes and wielding a sword, wandering around the world became an unattainable dream.