Chapter 47: Chapter 47: You’re Going to Make Me Feel Guilty
"Young Hero Wu, have you been influenced by demons?" Chi Yuan’s voice turned severe.
"Or perhaps a demon has taken on your appearance."
Wu Chang continued to leisurely gnaw on a lamb leg, exuding a nonchalant confidence often mentioned by certain groups.
He paid no heed to the tension in Chi Yuan’s voice and replied with a smile, "Daoist, are you familiar with the Demon Transformation?"
The moment the words "Demon Transformation" were spoken, Chi Yuan’s expression shifted dramatically, filled with suspicion and uncertainty.
Even if Wu Chang guessed the color of his underwear to his face, he wouldn’t be so shocked.
Seeing Chi Yuan silent, Wu Chang began speaking on his own.
"Demon Transformation is a very peculiar evil technique. It can refine the essence of demons into magical artifacts, then merge them with the human body, transforming one into a demon."
Chi Yuan squinted his eyes, his expression grave.
"Such an evil technique, I have never heard of."
"You haven’t heard others say it, but you’ve done it yourself, right?" Wu Chang quipped.
Chi Yuan let out a cold snort, "Young Hero Wu, some jokes should not be made!"
Seeing Chi Yuan growing more impatient, Wu Chang became more convinced of his own hypothesis.
He really wanted to say: I know you’re anxious, but don’t be.
But fearing Chi Yuan might not understand, he let it go regretfully.
"Daoist Chi Yuan, do you recall our first meeting when I mentioned that your magical artifact carried resentment? Do you remember how you responded then?"
Chi Yuan flicked his sleeve and said coldly, "Of course I remember. My magical artifact requires a demon as a guide; once the magical artifact is crafted, it inherits the resentment and karma of the demon."
Wu Chang slowly spoke:
"But in the Chen Family Village, I saw someone who, by stabbing a short magical blade into their chest, transformed into a Fog Demon and massacred nearly thirty percent of Chen Family Village’s population. When transformed into the Fog Demon, they carried no resentment, but after I slew the Fog Demon and extracted the magical artifact, I found all the resentment concentrated in the magical artifact."
"What are you trying to say?" Chi Yuan asked.
Wu Chang took out the damaged Demon Transformation Dagger, "A murder weapon doesn’t kill; the killer is the one holding the weapon, and the resentment of the dead doesn’t fall on the blade, but on the killer."
"If a magical artifact transforms into a demon, it can bear the responsibility and resentment of a killer. Then would the person manipulating the magical artifact remain pure and untainted, even after committing numerous evil deeds?"
Chi Yuan remained silent for a moment and then noncommittally replied, "I am not very knowledgeable about evil techniques, so I cannot judge."
Seeing Chi Yuan unwilling to admit, Wu Chang continued:
"The person who transformed into the Fog Demon was just a common mountain bandit, with no understanding of spells, so the Demon Transformation Dagger must have come from someone else. That person must be a cultivator and skilled in artifact refining."
"Daoist Chi Yuan, you happen to fit both points."
Chi Yuan laughed self-deprecatingly, "The world is vast with countless talented individuals; I dare not claim proficiency in artifact refining."
Wu Chang pressed on, "Once is certainly a coincidence."
"Coincidentally, in the Huai Valley Village, brothers Liu Wei and Liu Wu found an incomplete cultivation technique while hunting, and inexplicably reached enlightenment, also embarking on the path of refining artifacts and transforming demons. This raises suspicion that someone set up a scheme in the Huai Mountain over the past century."
"The schemer has been at it for years, knowing the mountain’s situation inside out. You, Daoist, claimed not to know the source of the demon qi in Huai Valley Village and asked me to investigate, yet lent me your Soul Cleansing Banner, the best artifact for restraining evil spirits and specters."
"A coincidence once, but repeated coincidences, are they still coincidences?"
Chi Yuan said calmly, "What does that prove? I lent you the Soul Cleansing Banner because the magical artifacts I carry are best suited to prevent the emergence of demons."
"As for the villagers who found an incomplete cultivation technique and gained enlightenment in refining artifacts, as I mentioned earlier, I dare not claim to be proficient in artifact refining and am unworthy of Young Hero Wu’s suspicion."
Wu Chang had almost finished eating; he returned the remaining lamb leg to the fire and took out a piece of silk from the Chen Family Village clan treasury to wipe his greasy hands, continuing his analysis in an unhurried manner.
"Earlier, I was thinking about the person behind driving the demons to attack Chen Family Village, refining Demon Transformation artifacts, and inciting Liu Wei and Liu Wu to create specter-followers, doing so much in bits and pieces. What was their objective?"
"So, I put his targets, Chen Family Village and Huai Valley Village, together. It’s easy to associate with the event five years ago when the Black Mountain Bandits escaped into the Huai Mountain."
"Masquerading as the Chen Family Village, the Black Mountain Bandits were slaughtered, leaving not a chicken or dog behind, then the focus shifted to Huai Valley Village. It’s likely that, like that little fellow, the person is a survivor of Huai Valley Village. If I were him, when the evil spirits were about to fail, I would definitely act."
At this point, Wu Chang and Chi Yuan locked eyes, both watching each other’s every move.
"Daoist, are the magical artifacts you previously carried still with you?"
Chi Yuan met Wu Chang’s gaze without fear, revealing the Magic Sword, Copper Bell, and Iron Mirror that Wu Chang had previously seen.
"All here."
"That’s good."
Wu Chang added, "The person behind the scheme will surely send out the demon to attack Chen Family Village again, so I marked the Mountain Demon when it fought with Liu Shan."
"Daoist, you might want to inspect your magical artifacts. If nothing unexpected, there should be a red line at the bottom of the artifacts."
Chi Yuan glanced at the copper shaking bell and then showed it to Wu Chang.
"I told you before; this matter has nothing to do with me..."
Chi Yuan sensed something was wrong as he spoke, freezing in place.
Wu Chang pursed his lips, raising his index finger to point at Chi Yuan, as if to say, "Caught you."
"Daoist, I don’t recall specifying which artifact to inspect."
"You tricked me?"
Wu Chang shrugged, "You realized too late."
In the martial world, everyone knows that being thick-skinned is essential. In earlier years, Chi Yuan had done plenty of shameless things while hosting red and white events in town.
With strong professional skills, he merely felt awkward for a moment before regaining his composure, taking control of the situation to interrogate instead.
"Young Hero Wu, is the truth so important to you?"
Wu Chang wanted to say: For the sake of completing the quest, of course, it matters.
But to facilitate Chi Yuan’s understanding, he opted for an official explanation.
"Daoist Chi Yuan, don’t you think a story’s end is only complete when all plot holes are filled?"
Chi Yuan sighed, "But knowing too much won’t benefit you."
Killing the Black Mountain Bandits can be called revenge, but the Demon Transformation cultivation technique is genuinely an evil path.
Especially those he transformed were heroes who came to help from outside. If outsiders knew, the world would not tolerate it.
Only dead men keep secrets best.
And from the start, he had set eyes on Wu Chang as the base for a new magical artifact. Wasting such a talented young hero by not making him a part of his path to enlightenment would be a shame.
By now, he could not and would not turn back.
He shook the copper shaking bell, which turned into a yellow light, transforming into a four-meter-tall Mountain Demon, roaring as it shook the earth;
He plunged the Wooden Sword into the ground, which grew with the wind, becoming a massive Tree Demon. The Tree Demon swung its branches, with sword qi layered upon layers, slicing passing night breezes into pieces;
He shook the Iron Mirror, Eight Trigrams whirled on it, and the patterns behind the mirror swirled out, transforming into a black iron serpent, over ten meters long and as thick as a water tank, with overlapping metal scales that feared no blade or soldier.
"Young hero, oh young hero, why can’t you be like those cultivators, upholding the separation between humans and demons, directly freeing the evil spirits; or like those righteous sects, spouting grandiose principles, criticizing my actions, so I have a reason to kill you?"
"You’re making me feel guilty."
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