The old Daoist did not believe it. A mere innkeeper being able to subdue a ferocious Demon? He insisted on seeing it for himself.
Such an innkeeper was definitely not an ordinary one!
Thus, early the next morning, under bright sunshine, just as Qin Yi had opened the tavern doors and was moving wine jars while tidying up his shop, he saw the four Daoists he had met before enter, accompanied by an elderly Daoist with a white beard.
The five of them looked at him, their gazes flickering slightly.
"Innkeeper, we're here again to support your business," The young Daoist said with a grin, cupping his hands.
Qin Yi returned the smile.
Sun Li, however, bent deeply at the waist with a solemn expression. "Thank you, innkeeper, for saving my life."
Qin Yi waved his hand, indicating there was no need to be so polite.
The old Daoist said nothing. The moment he stepped inside, his eyes locked onto the yellow dog inside the tavern that was pushing wine jars around with its nose. His gaze gradually sharpened.
"Demonic aura!"
Without a doubt, this yellow dog was the demonic beast his disciples had spoken of, the one that had been subdued.
At the same time…
Ding Ding Dang Dang!
The bells hanging from the old Daoist's waist began to vibrate violently, producing crisp ringing sounds. His expression remained unchanged as he pressed a hand to his waist, forcibly calming the bells.
"Forgive the embarrassment, fellow Daoist. This demon-detecting bell rings on its own whenever it encounters a Demon," The old Daoist said calmly, staring straight at Qin Yi.
"Please, have a seat," Qin Yi replied with a faint smile, gesturing with his hand.
Turning around, he walked toward the wine jars and kicked the yellow dog lightly. The dog leaped a few times and darted aside.
"What would you all like to drink today?" Qin Yi asked, his back to the five of them.
"The same wine as last time!" Senior Brother Sun Li replied respectfully.
At this moment, the old Daoist spoke as well. His gaze remained fixed on the yellow dog, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.
"This visit is also to thank the fellow Daoist for saving my disciple's life," He said. "I specifically came to express my gratitude."
Holding a wine jar, Qin Yi smiled. "No need. It was only what I should have done."
"After all, your four disciples also helped me greatly."
The four Daoists looked at one another, clearly not understanding what Qin Yi meant.
The old Daoist's eyes flickered slightly, but he smiled and said, "You are too modest. In the end, you still saved my eldest disciple's life."
Qin Yi shook his head and said nothing more.
Silence fell over the tavern. After a long while, the old Daoist spoke again.
"I heard from Sun Li that the fellow Daoist's sword technique seems to originate from the Mount Shu lineage. Might I ask, does it have any relation to the Mount Shu Immortal Sword Sect?"
The words carried a probing intent; he was clearly asking about Qin Yi's background.
Qin Yi merely smiled and remained silent, obviously unwilling to answer.
The old Daoist's heart sank, and the sharpness in his eyes deepened.
"Since you are a distinguished disciple of Mount Shu, why would you spare such a vicious demon, one that harmed civilians and nearly killed my disciple?"
His tone was heavy, already filled with severity and reproach.
The four disciples' expressions changed slightly as they realized their master was angry.
And it was understandable. Demons were the natural enemies of cultivators; their duty was to slay demons and eradicate evil, especially one that had injured their fellow disciple.
Qin Yi slowly raised his head and fixed his gaze on the old Daoist.
His eyes were calm, yet a trace of mockery bloomed at the corner of his lips.
That smile pricked the old Daoist with irritation. The sharpness in his eyes intensified further, but out of respect for the fact that Qin Yi had saved his disciple's life, he restrained himself from acting rashly.
However, at that very moment…
Ding Ding Dang Dang!
The bells rang violently once more, and the old Daoist's expression changed drastically.
"Another Demon!!"
In an instant, his eyes snapped toward the inner door of the tavern.
There, the door curtain was suddenly lifted, and a figure stepped inside.
"You've got a lot of nerve! You actually hid two Demons!"
The old Daoist flew into a rage. He turned to glare at Qin Yi and abruptly stood up.
The four disciples nervously looked toward the inner doorway and then saw clearly that the person who had entered was the proprietress!
"S-She… she's actually a Demon?!"
For a moment, all four were utterly shaken.
The demon-detecting bell could not be wrong, and their master certainly could not be wrong either. That meant the innkeeper truly dared to shelter Demons! An Yi saw the furious old Daoist suddenly rise and froze for a moment, not quite understanding what was happening inside the tavern.
Her gaze shifted to Qin Yi. When she saw him now, his expression had already changed completely.
"Get out."
Three icy words left Qin Yi's mouth. In that instant, every table and wine jar inside the tavern began to hum and tremble violently.
Boom!
Suddenly, all the wine jars exploded at once. Clear liquor burst outward, and a vast Heavenly Sword intent surged forth, filled with overwhelming dominance and sharpness.
That sword intent linked the floating droplets of wine together. In the next moment, countless transparent yet incomparably condensed sword-shaped wine droplets formed, all pointed straight at the old Daoist.
"This is…?!"
"Mount Shu, the Myriad Swords Art!!" The old Daoist was utterly horrified.
He had once witnessed Mount Shu sword techniques before, but the level of mastery this man displayed far surpassed any Mount Shu disciple he had ever seen. It had even broken away from Mount Shu's established framework, faintly revealing the shadow of a personal path of his own!
"Get out!" The demon-detecting bell rang wildly, faster and more urgently than ever.
"What are you trying to do?!"
"As a cultivator, you secretly harbor Demons, and now you dare attack me as well?!"
The old Daoist shouted. His right hand swept forward, golden lines rapidly spreading out and forming a golden talisman inscription.
The sword intent formed from wine vibrated, and the formless sword qi hummed. Qin Yi slowly raised his head. His face was as cold as midwinter frost, sword qi flashing within his eyes.
The sword intent boiled violently, carving deep marks into the tavern walls.
"When I act, since when did it become your place to interfere?"
"Get out!"
The three words were roared out. The wine-sword weapons shot forward explosively, crashing into the golden talisman inscription.
Whirl…!
Golden light filled the air as countless strands of sword qi slammed into the talisman, rippling layer after layer across it. The old Daoist's face flushed deep red.
"By decree!"
"Hold… hold it for me!"
He roared.
Qin Yi's gaze was sharp as a blade. He blinked once.
Boom!
The sword qi erupted. Its power surged to the limit in an instant. The talisman inscription was torn apart almost immediately. At the same moment, the old Daoist's face turned purple-blue as he vomited a mouthful of blood, his body smashed backward along with shattered tables and chairs.
"You are committing an unforgivable crime against the world!" The old Daoist crashed outside, sprang back up, and roared.
"Dare to shelter Demons, and even Mount Shu will not spare you!"
Qin Yi's eyes were icy cold. Sword intent shot out from the tavern, chilling the old Daoist to the bone.
"When I do things, no one gets to point fingers."
"Even Mount Shu… is no exception!"
He stepped forward once. With a flash, he was already standing face to face with the old Daoist.
"The Demons you speak of, one is my wife and the other is my mount. You want to harm them? By rights, I should have cut you down with a single sword."
"But today, my wife is here. So I will only injure you, so that blood does not stain her eyes."
"Now… get out."
The cold, indifferent words made the old Daoist tremble with fear, his lips shaking with rage.
"Good, very good! Then this old Daoist will go and ask Mount Shu—what crime a disciple like you deserves!"
Qin Yi's eyes condensed into sword weapons, their chill growing even deeper.
"Then let them come."
(End of Chapter)
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