Chapter 45: Henceforth, There’s Discrimination

Chapter 45: The Dawn of Discrimination

Chi Yu and Xiao Qiu spent most of the day exploring the vicinity, managing to slay only a single Qi Refining stage demon. Stronger ones were nowhere to be found.

Xiao Qiu mused, "I've heard that powerful demons possess a strong sense of territory. Within their domain, no other formidable demons can exist. It's like the saying, 'One mountain cannot shelter two tigers.'"

Chi Yu sheathed his sword and plopped down onto the ground. "In that case, let's rest here."

He had long since shed his cravings for food. Occasionally, he would cook, but only to prepare stuffed pancakes for Xiao Qiu as provisions—easily warmed with a spell for a ready meal. The life of an ordinary mortal was steadily receding from him. The stack of exam papers in his low-grade storage bag remained untouched, and thoughts of college entrance exams or growing up no longer occupied his mind.

If one could only focus on a single pursuit in life, then his primary objective now was to grow stronger.

After a brief respite, Chi Yu retrieved an array disk from his Spatial Ring and activated its restriction, allowing him to cultivate in peace.

Xiao Qiu also settled down to cultivate. Though knowledgeable and resolute, his comprehension was indeed limited, and his cultivation progressed slowly. He often emerged from meditation only to drift into prolonged periods of distraction.

Yet, precisely because of this, he seemed to notice things that eluded Chi Yu.

He stared beyond the restriction for a long time, then suddenly detected something amiss. He wanted to call out to Brother Aotian, but seeing him in cultivation, he held his tongue.

Several hours later, when Chi Yu finally emerged from meditation, Xiao Qiu tugged at his sleeve and said, "Brother Aotian, look over there."

Chi Yu followed Xiao Qiu's gaze and saw a faint green glow. "...What is that?"

"Look more carefully," Xiao Qiu urged.

Chi Yu focused his eyes, and within the green, he discerned a pair of ruby-red eyes. It was a small, emerald-green snake coiled on a nearby branch, intently watching them.

Xiao Qiu pointed in another direction. "And over there."

Soon, Chi Yu spotted a black scorpion, about the thickness of a thumb. Noticing their gaze, it instinctively sought cover, concealing itself beneath a leaf.

"There's more," Xiao Qiu added.

He pointed again, this time to a palm-sized golden toad, buried in the mud but with a pair of red eyes fixed on them.

Chi Yu: "..."

Chi Yu's expression turned serious. "We're being watched," he stated.

"Probably," Xiao Qiu replied. "But they're too weak, so you didn't notice them, Brother Aotian."

Chi Yu: "..."

Feeling both a pang of shame and a flicker of insight, he said, "A competent cultivator must always be aware of their surroundings. Even seemingly insignificant things can become life-threatening. In the cultivation world, nothing should be underestimated."

Xiao Qiu was momentarily surprised, then smiled. "Brother Aotian, you're improving remarkably fast."

"I can't say I'm happy to hear that from you," Chi Yu retorted.

Xiao Qiu reached out and hugged him. Though still a child in stature, he exuded a newfound masculine reliability. "I know, but it's alright, Brother Aotian. You are very kind, but in the cultivation world, kindness alone won't suffice. You've worked incredibly hard and done wonderfully. I've learned so much from you. In our Mortal Dynasty, there's a saying: 'When three people walk together, one must be my teacher.' Let us be each other's teachers. There's absolutely no shame in that."

Chi Yu smiled and vigorously ruffled his hair. "I know. I don't feel ashamed. In my heart, you can be a beloved younger brother, or a friend I trust with my life."

With that, Chi Yu turned to Xiao Qiu. "Brother Xuan Ji is still expecting results from me. We can't keep delaying."

"Then what should we do?" Xiao Qiu asked. "We don't even know where the demons are."

Chi Yu pondered for a moment. "Perhaps I can find out."

He marked the locations of the creatures and then told Xiao Qiu, "Let's head back for today."

"Huh? Aren't we going to keep looking for demons?" Xiao Qiu questioned.

"What can we do if there are no demons? Let's go back first," Chi Yu replied.

As he spoke, he glanced at the crown prince's coordinates, noting he had already returned to town. Likely, there was no danger nearby, which allowed him to return with peace of mind.

Realizing this, Chi Yu couldn't help but smile.

Though Brother Xuan Ji always maintained a proud demeanor, his concern was genuinely heartfelt.

Upon returning to town, he encountered the Town Magistrate's child again. The boy was cradling the large venomous centipede as if it were a harmless pet. Though still somewhat wary of Chi Yu, he didn't flee. "Xiao Qiu," he called out.

Xiao Qiu immediately beamed. "Coming!"

He turned to Chi Yu. "Brother Aotian, he's my friend now. His name is Xiao Jing."

Chi Yu lowered his voice. "You make friends quickly."

Xiao Qiu also whispered back, "Brother Aotian, I learned it from you."

Chi Yu: "Huh?"

Xiao Qiu said no more, cheerfully jogging over. Unfazed by the large centipede in the boy's arms, he slung an arm over his shoulder and headed down another path.

Chi Yu stroked his chin, a smile playing on his lips. "It seems I really have become a good role model."

Reflecting, Xiao Qiu had indeed changed considerably. In some ways, the two of them were becoming increasingly similar.

He returned to the room the Town Magistrate had prepared for them.

The crown prince was in deep meditation, his jade-like face bathed in a faint golden glow. Around him, lotus flowers, some delicate, some plump, conjured from spiritual energy, bloomed, withered, and bloomed again in an endless cycle.

This wondrous sight only manifested when the crown prince entered profound meditation.

Chi Yu had witnessed it only twice, and this was the second time.

Chi Yu reached out and cupped a cool, ethereal lotus flower. It quickly dissolved into a pure white mist in his hand, sifting through his fingers like fine sand. Yet, upon touching the ground, it reformed into a tiny lotus blossom.

His gaze returned to the crown prince. His eyes were closed, his face dignified and elegant, yet imbued with a subtle solemnity. The air was suffused with the delicate fragrance of lotuses—a rare and potent ingredient for calming the mind.

Chi Yu had overheard gossip from his Way of Truth class: the lotus flowers produced during deep meditation could be collected in jade bottles and sold for a substantial sum of spirit stones. This was a significant source of income for cultivators practicing meditation in the Free Land.

Remembering this, Chi Yu quickly retrieved his jade bottles to collect the lotus flowers.

When Xie Xiyi emerged from meditation, he saw Chi Yu sitting on the ground, surrounded by a pile of jade bottles. Seeing him awake, Chi Yu’s small face broke into a smile as he said, "Brother Xuan Ji, you’re finally awake."

"What are you doing?" Xie Xiyi asked.

Chi Yu picked up a jade bottle and shook it before him. "Brother Xuan Ji, these are the lotus flowers produced during your meditation. I've collected them all. We can sell them at the auction house when we return—it'll be a huge sum of money. Next time you enter deep meditation, just call me, and I'll help you collect them."

"No need," Xie Xiyi replied.

He was not short on spirit stones, and those lotus flowers contained a trace of his enlightenment, which he had no intention of revealing.

He told Chi Yu, "Keep them for your own use. Do not sell them."

Chi Yu blinked, then meekly said, "Oh, then I'll use them myself."

Xie Xiyi stared at him, remaining silent for a long moment.

"What's wrong?" Chi Yu asked, puzzled.

"You only took down one demon?" Xie Xiyi questioned.

Chi Yu boasted, "Brother Xuan Ji is truly formidable; nothing can be hidden from you."

Xie Xiyi remained unmoved. "Too slow."

Despite his words, he said nothing further. Instead, he sat back down and crossed his legs.

"Brother?" Chi Yu inquired.

Xie Xiyi's voice was calm. "I need to continue cultivating. You may leave."

"Oh, then I'll go. Brother, don't cultivate for too long; remember to balance work and rest," Chi Yu said.

"Mhm," Xie Xiyi acknowledged.

Only then did Chi Yu depart.

After he left, Xie Xiyi calmly assessed himself—he had begun to develop a discriminating mind.

Xie Xiyi had cultivated to such a high level that his discriminating mind had been minimized. He did not perceive people's beauty or ugliness, height or weight; his True Sight typically allowed him to see the deepest essence of others.

Even with Xiao Qiu, he had never paid attention to his appearance or stature, focusing solely on his cultivation.

But just now, upon emerging from meditation, when Long Aotian spoke to him, he noticed the other's appearance for the first time.

This was not the first instance.

In the Lotus Mountain, when he had restrained Long Aotian, that momentary impulse, upon introspection, was the work of the Demon Heart—because the other's neck was exposed before him, the Demon Heart stirred a desire to maul and bite.

After suppressing the Demon Heart, such a situation never recurred.

But today, at this moment, he developed a discriminating mind toward Long Aotian.

Xie Xiyi thought expressionlessly: to restrain curiosity is attachment; to indulge curiosity, however, gives rise to a discriminating mind.

Once a discriminating mind arises, numerous afflictions and forms will emerge one after another.

This was an extremely ominous sign. Long Aotian clearly hindered his cultivation—

But if he could not overcome this, there would be no point in discussing cultivation.

After some deliberation, Xie Xiyi decided to allow it.

He rose from his bed, concealed his aura, and walked over to Long Aotian, who was at that moment whispering with Xiao Qiu.

Xie Xiyi had no interest in their conversation; he merely lowered his gaze to observe Long Aotian's appearance—

Though he had often looked at Long Aotian before, he had never truly paid attention to his features. After cultivating to the Realm of Light and Sound, everyone's facial features appeared blurred and indistinguishable to him, and he disdained to differentiate them.

Until today, Long Aotian's face became clear in his eyes—a very beautiful, softly contoured face, with eyebrows like finely sculpted clouds, eyes like autumn waters, long lashes like delicate fans casting shadows beneath his eyes, a high nose bridge, red lips, and white teeth, exuding a youthful vigor.

Xie Xiyi couldn't discern if Long Aotian's appearance was considered outstanding in the cultivation world, but in his eyes, it was undeniably beautiful. Against the hazy, indistinct background, Long Aotian's presence was the sole bright spot, impossible to ignore.

Xie Xiyi was baffled—this discriminating mind was utterly inexplicable.

He noticed the fleeting glimpse of a red tongue between Long Aotian's white teeth as he spoke to Xiao Qiu. Some memories that usually slipped away like water now clearly resurfaced under the scrutiny of his discriminating mind—

He recalled having once used his fingers to caress that soft, moist tongue. At the time, he had only found it excessively slobbery and somewhat distasteful, but now, under the lens of his discriminating mind, he sensed another peculiar meaning.

What was it? He wondered absently.

Meanwhile, Chi Yu was completely oblivious to Xie Xiyi's change.

After discussing their next steps with Xiao Qiu, he opened the map and immediately noticed Xie Xiyi beside him. Startled, he found it both amusing and exasperating—though Brother Xuan Ji acted indifferent, his actions were quite honest, staying nearby as if afraid something might happen to him.

He couldn't help but think to himself: what a wonderful brother! Even parents might not care to this extent.

After this reflection, he turned his attention to the marked insects—five in total, all outside the town. It seemed they were cautious and wouldn't easily return to whoever sent them to monitor.

It appeared this approach wouldn't work.

Xiao Qiu had extracted some information from the Town Magistrate's child.

Chi Yu found it very valuable.

Xiao Qiu said, "The child told me these insects were brought from the back mountain. Every month, offering three sacrificial animals can exchange for a small poisonous insect. After raising the poisonous insect and letting it bite you, your body gets stronger, and you won't be eaten by demons even if you encounter them in the wild. Brother Aotian, I suspect the demon is in the back mountain. I went to check—there are many guards there, but also many insects. Those insects give me the creeps."

He frowned and said, "They're different from the poisonous insects we've seen in town or outside. They're smaller and feel more dangerous. If I encountered them, I might really die."

Chi Yu paused thoughtfully. "It seems the demon is indeed in the back mountain. But it's strange—why would such a powerful demon help these mortals?"

Demons are hybrids of monsters and devils, combining the beastly nature of monsters and the demonic nature of devils. Once born, they possess an insatiable craving for blood and flesh—usually preferring cultivators, though mortals are better than nothing, and they don't mind making a meal of them if encountered.

It can be said that demons, monsters, and devils are naturally opposed to mortals and cultivators.

But not necessarily. Monsters and devils are originally opposing races, yet there are many hybrids due to their careless breeding, which is why there are so many rogue demons in the wild lands.

Just as there are demons that hunt mortals and cultivators, there are also demons that coexist peacefully with mortals.

This isn’t particularly unusual.

Chi Yu told Xiao Qiu, "You shouldn’t go. I’ll go alone."

Xiao Qiu hesitated. "No, Brother Aotian, I’m worried about you."

Chi Yu chuckled. "What’s there to worry about? Have you forgotten? I’m a Foundation Establishment fourth-layer cultivator."

"Even so, I’m still worried about you going alone," Xiao Qiu insisted.

Chi Yu felt touched by this and reassured him, "It’s fine. I’ll be quick. If things go bad, there’s still Brother Xuan Ji. If I don’t return after a while, you can go find Brother Xuan Ji—but don't go too quickly; Brother Xuan Ji will laugh at me."

Xiao Qiu agreed.

Chi Yu retrieved a concealment talisman from his Spatial Ring, used it, and headed toward the back mountain.

Meanwhile, the Town Magistrate and several elders entered the back mountain, carrying lanterns.

"Finally, we can speak freely in the mountain—I’ve been biting my tongue all day. Town Magistrate, can the mountain truly block that cultivator’s Spiritual Sense?"

"Of course. That demon, even at its weakest, is at least at the Golden Core Stage. That’s the peak cultivation level—why fear some youngsters?"

"Town Magistrate, the toxicity of this year’s insects is getting weaker. I’m afraid the demon’s power is fading."

"I know. I will ask that demon for a few venomous worms to implant in those three cultivators. When the demon feasts on them, it can breed more venomous worms for us."

"The cultivation levels of those two cultivators are still unclear, but if we fail, our whole town could be wiped out."

The Town Magistrate sneered, "They are ascetic cultivators. Do you understand what that means? Hypocrites who chant about compassion all day long. Even if we fail, they will only blame themselves for lacking the power to enlighten us."

"Well said," an elder sighed. "If it weren't for Zexiu, how could we have captured this Golden Core venomous sorceress demon? It's a pity that such a promising young man like Zexiu ended up with not even his bones recovered, melted away in the venomous sorceress’s belly."

The Town Magistrate frowned, his face showing displeasure. "Let's not mention this again."

The elder, realizing his mistake, fell silent.

The Town Magistrate and the elders finally arrived at their destination.

It was a very deep cave, and even before approaching, a strong, foul stench emanated from within.

Before the Town Magistrate could enter, a young man hurried over and whispered in his ear, "Town Magistrate, the young master has been getting very close to that child cultivator. I asked him, and he told the child cultivator about the secrets of the back mountain."

The Town Magistrate was not surprised and smiled faintly. "Just as I thought."

The secret of the back mountain was bound to be exposed sooner or later. After all, cultivators possess Spiritual Sense; a slight sweep of the back mountain would reveal the anomalies here. But the Town Magistrate was not worried.

He had an ace up his sleeve.

The Town Magistrate walked in with his lantern. The elders hesitated for a moment but soon mustered their courage and followed him into the cave.

The path inside the cave was littered with crushed insect carcasses, with green and yellow mucus underfoot, sticky and disgusting. The distinctive foul odor of insects grew stronger, so pungent it stung the eyes.

One elder said in disgust, "Back then, that venomous witch had a beauty fair as blossoms and moonlight, but who would have thought her true form would be so hideous? Now it's even more repulsive."

"Enough," the Town Magistrate commanded.

Even though the demon was their prisoner, it was pushing their luck to speak such words in its territory.

Soon, they reached the depths of the cave. It was very dark. Lighting the candles on the stone walls barely illuminated the hulking creature in the cage—a giant spider with eight legs as black as steel blades, strong as an ox, its body covered in tiny venomous worms, emitting a thick, foul odor.

Even after all these years, the Town Magistrate still felt his hair stand on end upon seeing this demon—a pure, primal fear of demons felt by mortals.

His throat dry, he swallowed repeatedly before speaking: "Huaniang, today three cultivators arrived, around the Foundation Establishment level? In any case, they are very dangerous. We hope you can spare three venomous worms to control them. We will surely bring them to you for you to feast on."

The giant spider had had its back turned to them. Originally, this demon had a very beautiful human form, and even in its true form, it maintained a human upper body with a spider lower body. But since last year, it had turned its back to the cage, completely concealing its human form. It had not shown itself or made a sound since.

Hearing the Town Magistrate's words, one of the spider's legs gave a slight shudder. Three venomous worms, each the size of a grain of rice, crawled down from the leg and marched in formation in front of the Town Magistrate.

Elated, the Town Magistrate reached out and took the three venomous worms in his hand. He said to the spider, "Huaniang, just wait. I will definitely bring those three cultivators to you. After all these years, you can finally have a full meal."

With that, he left with the elders.

The massive spider stirred faintly and closed its eyes. Through its senses, it detected the young man quietly entering the mountain.

*

Chi Yu wandered around the mountain for a while before realizing he was lost.

As if annoyed by his clueless wandering, Xie Xiyi's voice sounded in his ear, "This is the third time you've passed by here. How long are you going to keep circling?"

Chi Yu was startled. He turned his head and saw Xie Xiyi, deliberately putting on a surprised expression. "Brother Xuan Ji, what are you doing here? Weren't you cultivating?"

"I finished cultivating and came out for a walk," Xie Xiyi said coolly.

"Huh? Out for a walk?" Chi Yu questioned.

A playful grin appeared on his face. "Did Brother Xuan Ji come out for a walk, or are you worried about me?"

Xie Xiyi looked at the smile on his face, his eyes darkened slightly for a moment. He reached out a finger and poked Chi Yu's left cheek, thoughtfully saying, "When you smile, there's a dimple here."

Chi Yu: "?"

He was stunned.