Suddenly, from each of the two black boots under the bed, a red-eyed white snake with a peach blossom on its head slithered out. Each was as thick as a chopstick, and they silently slipped into the bed canopy.
The two translucent, peach-blossom white snakes crawled slowly, moving along the woman’s body and onto Zhang Yulin’s arms, climbing over his sweat-drenched skin.
Zhang Yulin was completely unaware.
In Li Qingxian’s eyes, the two peach-blossom white snakes silently burrowed into Zhang Yulin’s nose, then traveled down his windpipe into his lungs.
Zhang Yulin’s chest swelled and contracted, then slowly returned to normal.
After he was finished, Zhang Yulin casually ate some breakfast and headed to the Ministry of Justice Office.
「7:00 AM.」
The sun was just rising.
Zhang Yulin walked out of the Ministry of Justice Office with a few subordinates, cursing and swearing as they headed to a tavern to investigate the whereabouts of a key criminal.
He left the Ministry of Justice Street and turned onto a side street lined with stalls, the air filled with the incessant shouts of vendors.
A black pig’s head hung at a butcher’s stall. Suddenly, its tongue broke off and fell to the ground, where it inched forward, contracting and expanding like a worm.
A white dog padded to the side of the street, its dark green eyes fixed on Zhang Yulin. A low whine rumbled in its throat as saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth, landing on the ground and slowly spreading.
Tooth after tooth fell into the saliva, forming a line that slowly flowed toward Zhang Yulin.
From a hanging fishing net, a dead, blue-green carp leaped down. It flapped against the ground, twisting its body as it flopped toward Zhang Yulin.
No one in the crowded street saw a thing.
The pig’s tongue, the dog’s teeth, and the dead fish all struck Zhang Yulin at once, completely silent.
The marks of a net and several bites appeared on Zhang Yulin’s body, with saliva and blood oozing from the bite wounds.
「9:00 AM.」
The sun was high in the sky.
Inside the tavern, Zhang Yulin and his men from the Ministry of Justice were drinking and chatting with the shopkeeper.
On the table, four chopsticks stood up, hopping about as if alive before landing on Zhang Yulin.
One stabbed into each of his arms and legs.
A large, chipped bowl flew up and clamped down on Zhang Yulin’s head. It slowly sank through his hair to press flush against his skull.
「Noon.」
The sun was at its zenith.
Drunk, Zhang Yulin returned home in a sedan chair. A servant helped him to his bedroom to rest.
Suddenly, blankets and clothes emerged from the wardrobe as if they were alive. One by one, they pounced on Zhang Yulin and vanished.
Twelve faint, shimmering membranes appeared on Zhang Yulin’s body.
「1:00 PM.」
The air was scorching hot.
Zhang Yulin went to his training room, closed his eyes, and sat in meditation to practice his Demonic Skill.
As he activated the Demonic Skill, black smoke rose from his body. The smoke was a black mist formed from countless Demon Insects, invisible to the naked eye, that circled around him.
At the same time, hundreds of types of insects—flies, mosquitoes, bedbugs, centipedes, earthworms, moths, crickets, and more—emerged from the corners. A tiny Talisman Person, wielding a talisman sword and holding a talisman shield, rode on each one.
The Talisman People steered the insects, charging into Zhang Yulin’s body and crawling beneath his skin.
Lumps bulged out one after another under Zhang Yulin’s skin. They slowly moved upward, eventually gathering on his forehead and piling up into a mass that resembled a crown of tumors.
「3:00 PM.」
The sun began to set.
Next door to Rouyu Pavilion, on Minghua Street in Old Sound Square, a room was filled with green plants.
Suddenly, an invisible force descended upon the plants. Thirty-six types of flowers bloomed all at once. Thousands of blossoms, like fleshy mouths, spewed pollen in unison.
The pollen gathered in mid-air, coalescing into the shape of a carriage.
Four large geckos with peach blossoms on their heads served as horses. A large, black-striped pink flower formed the carriage itself, and a Yellow Talisman Little Man acted as the driver. With a flick of a willow switch, the four gecko-horses pulled the petal carriage and charged into the void.
「Zhang Residence.」
Having finished his Cultivation of the Demonic Skill, Zhang Yulin felt refreshed and invigorated.
The two peach-blossom white snakes slowly emerged from his lungs and climbed up his windpipe to his nose. The peach blossoms on their heads peeked out from his nostrils.
The peach-blossom snake heads swayed back and forth. After a few moments, the pink-flower gecko carriage flew over and landed on Zhang Yulin’s head, pointing toward Rouyu Pavilion.
The peach blossoms on the white snakes sprayed out thirty-six kinds of pollen, which slowly spread through Zhang Yulin’s bloodstream.
Zhang Yulin’s whole body grew hot with desire. He rushed to find a woman, but discovered that none of the female members of his household were home.
He hesitated. The image of Minghua Street flashed through his mind, but he then recalled the recent troubles at the Ministry of Justice. Suppressing his lustful thoughts, he tried to practice his Demonic Skill again. However, it wasn’t long before his concentration broke.
Zhang Yulin grew restless and irritable. He tried to practice the Demonic Skill again and again, but his concentration kept breaking.
Finally, he glanced out the window. The light was dim. He changed into plain clothes, had a carriage prepared, and headed straight for Minghua Street.
「5:00 PM.」
The sun set, and the lanterns were just being lit.
In the Room of a Hundred Flowers on the third floor of Rouyu Pavilion, waves of wanton cries sounded out before finally subsiding after a long while.
The flames of the four arm-thick red candles in the Room of a Hundred Flowers flickered. They fell to the floor, rolled gently, and transformed into four red spiders, each the size of a human head. The spiders began to spew pinkish-white spiderwebs.
In a short while, the entire room was covered in dense, layered spiderwebs as thick as a quilt.
Not long after, Zhang Yulin came out, but he soon called for two more women and returned to the Room of a Hundred Flowers to drink and play games with them.
「7:00 PM.」
The night was seductive.
In a flowerpot in the room, a Sound Recording Stone flashed with light and began recording the sounds.
Five invisible blades flew in and slowly began to slice the lips of the five people in the room.
Before long, each person’s lips had been cut twenty-four times. Their lips bloomed open like flower petals, yet not a single drop of blood was shed.
On Zhang Yulin’s head, the white porcelain bowl that had been pressed to his skull slowly emerged from his hair, having turned black.
The room reeked of alcohol, and the five occupants had dazed looks in their eyes.
"Lord Zhang, is your work at the Ministry of Justice tiring?"
"Tiring? It’s killing me. This is nothing like the freedom we had on Demon Transformation Mountain. All of Lizhou was our domain. If we wanted women, we’d just break into their homes and snatch them. If we wanted someone fresh, we’d go straight to a wedding and take the bride, have our fun right there in public, hahaha... When we were short on cash, we’d just claim it was for the sake of Demon Transformation Mountain, grab some wealthy merchants, and refine them into Puppets. When we got bored, we’d round up some commoners and make them fight to the death. Now *that* was a life fit for an Immortal."
"But you still get to walk all over everyone in Divine Capital City, don’t you?"
"Walk all over everyone? As long as that old bastard is sitting in Jinluan Hall, our Demon Sect can only be his dogs. Just you watch. When our Demon Sect unites the world, we’ll make sure that old bastard gets a taste of being devoured by a hundred insects. But for now, with that cowardly and incompetent Elder Dog Weng in charge, Demon Transformation Mountain can only bide its time."
"Who is this Elder Dog Weng?"
"The current Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and our Sect Leader Zhang’s senior brother. That old fossil is so timid, always holding back. The other ministries are practically shitting on his head, but he doesn’t even dare to fart in response. He’s just making us all hide at home and wait for the old bastard’s birthday celebration to be over."
"The Minister of the Ministry of Justice is Sect Leader Zhang’s senior brother? How can he be so timid?"
"Heh. His guts aren’t small. Do you have any idea how many Dead Demon Lands he created back in the day? But he’s gotten on in years. He’s old. He’s just been terrified by the old bastard’s ruthless methods. That old bastard... he’s truly vicious..."
"I heard the Ministry of Justice has killed a lot of rebels recently?"
"Hehe, that was all my idea..."
As if he had drunk himself into a stupor, Zhang Yulin poured out all the dark thoughts he had kept buried inside.
「9:00 PM.」
The night deepened.
In the Room of a Hundred Flowers, the rolling waves of sweet, lustful cries rose once more.
In a nearby house, Li Qingxian pointed to the last of the decorative rockeries, this one covered in Yellow Talismans.
The Yellow Talismans stood on end, blooming like flowers. Green qi and yellow sand spewed from the rockery, blowing toward the Zishi Mountain, then continuing on until it had swept over all twelve mountains in the set.
A quarter hour later, the yellow sand had settled over all twelve mountains, and all traces of the Fate Skills used within the past twelve hours vanished completely.
Finally, Li Qingxian used the Trace Erasing Technique to completely eliminate any lingering traces of the Fate Skill.
After tidying up everything in the room, Li Qingxian pushed open the door and stepped outside.
Han Anbo, Yu Ping, and Zheng Gaojue looked toward him.
"Make your move." Li Qingxian’s voice rang out in the small courtyard.