Chapter 42: Demonic Sect |
The next day.
Ning Qi went early in the morning to pay respects to Daoist Longshan.
“Little Nine, what is it?”
Daoist Longshan felt a vague tension in his heart. Ning Qi rarely came at this hour.
Ning Qi said softly:
“It’s about Eighth Senior Brother.”
He slowly recounted what had happened the previous night, including Qin Yun’s unusual behavior and his own suspicions.
He had originally planned to come see Daoist Longshan that night, but after reconsidering, thought it might be too awkward to confront Qin Yun immediately.
So he waited until the next day.
“He actually snuck over to your place last night? That won’t do—we need to check on him now. I thought Little Eight had only just started to develop his obsession, but I didn’t expect his inner demon to be this deep… he may even be under some external influence.”
Ning Qi was startled too.
The two of them activated their movement techniques and rushed to Qin Yun’s residence.
They happened to run into Song Cheng, who was rushing out in a panic. When he saw Daoist Longshan, he immediately shouted:
“Master, something’s wrong!”
“I came over this morning to chat with Eighth Junior Brother, but found he was nowhere to be seen. On his desk I found two letters.”
Daoist Longshan's spirit was jolted.
He took the letters Song Cheng handed over.
One of them had the words clearly written:
To Master, personally.
Daoist Longshan quickly opened it, reading ten lines at a glance. No one knew what Qin Yun had written, but Daoist Longshan’s expression kept shifting. He couldn’t help but sigh.
Ning Qi watched from the side.
Song Cheng handed over the other letter and said:
“Little Nine, the other one is for you.”
Ning Qi froze.
He took the envelope. On it was written: To Little Nine, personally.
He opened it.
The letter was full of messy scribbles and corrections, revealing the chaotic state of the writer’s emotions.
In the end, only a few brief sentences remained.
“Little Nine, I know you love reading. I’ve collected a bunch of books over the years and left them in my room. If you don’t mind, take them.”
Ning Qi’s gaze turned complicated.
He seemed to see the bright, spirited youth from years ago when he first came to Zhenwu Mountain, saying with pride that the Nine Sons of Zhenwu were finally reunited.
Just from his own letter, he could already guess what Qin Yun’s letter to Daoist Longshan had said.
Most likely—
Eighth Senior Brother wasn’t coming back.
He could feel the inner conflict and turmoil in Qin Yun’s heart. Maybe even Qin Yun himself couldn’t control his own malicious thoughts, and that’s why he chose to leave.
At that moment—
The other true disciples arrived after hearing the news.
“Master, what happened to Little Eight?”
Luo Wentian voiced everyone’s concern.
Daoist Longshan set down the letter, silent, offering no explanation.
Finally, he said slowly:
“Wentian, take care of sect matters for now. I’ll be heading down the mountain.”
As he spoke, he patted Ning Qi’s head, didn’t even pack, and left the mountain directly.
Everyone noticed something was wrong and felt uneasy.
“Little Nine, do you know what’s going on?”
All eyes turned to Ning Qi.
Ning Qi pondered for a moment and said:
“Maybe… it has something to do with Eighth Senior Brother’s inner demon.”
He didn’t say too much, but everyone had guessed a bit already. Their expressions dimmed. They looked in the direction Daoist Longshan had gone, hoping everything would turn out well.
…
In the Seeking Dao Courtyard.
Ning Qi let out a long breath.
In front of him was a pile of valuable books.
Among them were medical texts and miscellaneous studies, but the majority were martial arts manuals—several were Internal Energy techniques of decent grade, the kind not even found in the Scripture Pavilion.
“Looks like Eighth Senior Brother really had some kind of encounter. Could he have inherited something?”
Ning Qi speculated.
Truthfully, these books were quite useful to him.
Then he sighed.
Even though Eighth Senior Brother had developed an inner demon because of him, he had never harmed him over the years—he had even treated him quite well.
“That’s just his nature. Sometimes even he probably couldn’t control himself. The Yazi Stance is just a stance technique, it shouldn’t cause this. It must’ve been fate when he chose that technique. Maybe the root of the inner demon was already planted back when I first learned the stance.”
“Let’s just hope Master can bring Eighth Senior Brother back. Once I become more powerful, I might be able to help remove his inner demon.”
He shook his head.
Ning Qi didn’t dwell on it.
Even if he had sought out Qin Yun last night, the result might not have changed.
The key lay with Qin Yun himself.
If Qin Yun wanted to come back, he would. If he didn’t, he’d find a way to leave the mountain—unless they locked him up like a criminal.
Adjusting his emotions, casting aside stray thoughts—
Ning Qi entered cultivation.
His comprehension of the Force Conversion technique had reached a critical point, and this batch of martial arts books from Qin Yun would be helpful.
Time passed quietly.
Half a month later.
Daoist Longshan returned to the mountain alone.
All disciples gathered in Mingwu Pavilion.
“Master, where’s Eighth Junior Brother?”
Daoist Longshan opened his mouth slowly, voice slightly hoarse.
“Qin Yun… joined the Demonic Sect.”
His expression was complex.
In the letter, Qin Yun had written many things. Only then did Daoist Longshan understand what kind of inner struggle this eighth disciple had gone through over the years.
Not long after going down the mountain, he had already found Qin Yun’s trail.
But Qin Yun refused to return.
He even knelt under Daoist Longshan’s hand, willing to die.
He felt he had failed his master, failed his sect.
That night—
Master and disciple stood like statues.
In the end, Daoist Longshan wearily waved his hand and let Qin Yun go.
Later, he heard that a Heaven-Man Realm expert from the Demonic Sect had taken interest in Qin Yun. Qin Yun joined the sect, and now it was too late for regrets. After clashing with the Demonic Sect briefly, Daoist Longshan had no choice but to return.
“Demonic Sect?”
The disciples were all in disbelief. That bright young man from before had actually joined the Demonic Sect. Rumor had it they were connected to the fallen dynasty, and had been increasingly active in recent years. Associating with them was never a good sign.
“Master, you…”
Daoist Longshan waved his hand and said:
“Leave. From now on, Qin Yun no longer exists in Zhenwu Sect. Don’t get involved in this matter again. I’m tired—I need rest.”
The disciples quietly took their leave.
Outside Mingwu Pavilion, all of them sighed. Fifth Disciple Jiang Baishan gave a cold snort:
“If I ever meet that traitor, I’ll make him explain himself. I’ll give him a good slap! All those years of Master’s care—did he feed it to the dogs?”
He stormed off.
The others could only smile bitterly.
Luo Wentian quietly said to Ning Qi:
“Little Nine, this has nothing to do with you. Don’t overthink it.”
Ning Qi nodded silently.
He hadn’t expected Eighth Senior Brother Qin Yun to end up joining the Demonic Sect.
Life doesn’t always go as one wishes.
Even a Martial Saint, invincible in the world, has things they can’t do. But still, Ning Qi thought—if there’s a chance in the future, he’d still try to pull Qin Yun back.
Late at night.
Daoist Longshan quietly arrived at the Seeking Dao Courtyard.
He saw Ning Qi standing silently beneath the moonlight.
“Little Nine, Qin Yun made his own choice. That’s just how he is—it has nothing to do with you.”
Ning Qi turned to look at Daoist Longshan. He could tell the old man seemed dejected. Of all people, Qin Yun’s fall hit Daoist Longshan the hardest.
“Master, I’ve never blamed Eighth Senior Brother. If one day I can create a secret art to remove inner demons, please give it to him.”
Daoist Longshan’s body stiffened. A trace of comfort seemed to flash in his eyes.
Then he shook his head and said:
“We’ll talk about that some other time.”
“Little Nine, from now on, you don’t even need to tell me how your cultivation progresses. Here’s the key to the Zhenwu Sect’s treasure vault. If you need anything, just take it yourself.”
He tossed down the treasure vault key and drifted away.
During his recent search for Qin Yun, he’d heard mention of the “foundation of Zhenwu Sect.” But who knew better than him what that foundation was?
He knew.
His little disciple’s strength had likely reached a terrifying level.
The fewer people knew, the better.
It was best even he didn’t know.
Ning Qi let out a quiet sigh.
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