CHAPTER 286: WHAT’S WITH THIS DONKEY!? DAOIST WUMU!

He gave the alluring woman a gentle smile. “Did the Mountain Lord leave behind any treasure?”

The alluring woman thought this young Daoist, full of vigor, might be easy to seduce.

She quickly pondered. Unfortunately, the Mountain Lord never explained his actions to them, let alone spoke of treasures. The alluring woman shook her head and cautiously explained the situation.

Li Yanchu raised an eyebrow. “You’re the Mountain Lord’s woman, yet you don’t even know where he hides his treasures?”

The alluring woman’s heart trembled, and she put on a shy expression, “I’m not the Mountain Lord’s woman, but rather the wife of Liu Lang.”

Liu Lang was that sickly ghost scholar Li Yanchu had slain earlier.

“Oh? I could’ve sworn I saw you getting rather cozy with the Mountain Lord just now?”

“That was all the Mountain Lord’s doing, he forced me. I only complied to survive, I had no choice.”

The alluring woman lowered her head and sobbed.

So you danced, while your husband played the zither to accompany you? The corner of Li Yanchu’s mouth twitched.

Thinking back to when he first entered the cave, and saw the three of them singing and dancing, he couldn’t help but be speechless. The animal kingdom really knows how to have fun!

“The Mountain Lord counts as quite the great demon of Qingfeng Ridge. You may not know about his treasure, but do you know if he has any relatives or friends?” Li Yanchu asked.

The alluring woman shivered slightly, then said after some thought, “The Mountain Lord is reclusive by nature, never dealing with outsiders. But a few days ago, a black-faced Daoist came to Liuguang Cave and spoke in secret with him. Afterwards, the Mountain Lord sent people down the mountain, saying they were to seize some high monk’s relics.”

“Black-faced Daoist? What’s his background?”

“I don’t know his name... only that he seemed to come from some sect called Xinyi Dao.”

Li Yanchu’s expression darkened. “What else do you know?”

The alluring woman shook her head. “I know little about that black-faced Daoist, only that later the Mountain Lord mentioned taking us to Jinguang Temple in Donglin Prefecture, saying he had some arrangement there.”

Li Yanchu had originally only planned to check whether that Mountain Lord had left behind any treasures; getting a bit of silver would have been nice. But unexpectedly, he now heard of Xinyi Dao again. It seemed this sect was secretly colluding with demons, plotting something sinister.

With that, he fell silent. After a while, his gaze landed on the alluring woman, and he said coldly, “With only this little bit of information, what use do I have for keeping you alive?”

The alluring woman’s face went pale with fright. She cried out desperately, “Daoist Master, you are young and handsome, don’t you wish to taste the flavor of another man’s wife? I promise I’ll make you soar with ecstasy, Daoist Master!”

Hearing this, Lady Yun couldn’t help but spit, her cheeks flushing crimson. Meanwhile, Li Yanchu felt the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably. What kind of wild, vulgar words were these!?

“Brazen demon! I am a Daoist priest, I will not tolerate such shameless talk!” Li Yanchu shouted angrily. He then struck with his palm.

Boom!

The alluring woman’s body was devoured by his overwhelming palm force, dissolving into a shadow, and in the next instant, it vanished into dust.

He searched through the Liuguang Cave, but found nothing of value. In the end, he confirmed that these creatures were all penniless wretches. So he set the Liuguang Cave ablaze with a single fire and left with Lady Yun.

On the road, Lady Yun whispered, “Daoist Master, why did you kill the serpent demon? If you kept her by your side, couldn’t you have made her a helper, perhaps even guided her toward redemption?”

“She was steeped in karma, who knows how many people she killed. Why should she be redeemed?” He sounded almost puzzled.

Lady Yun, having once been enlightened by a great monk, carried within her a soft and vast Buddhist aura. Some of her views had inevitably been shaped by that influence.

She had thought those of the Daoist path must think similarly. But now, hearing Li Yanchu’s simple words, she fell silent instead, feeling that this young Daoist’s plain speech carried a hidden edge.

Li Yanchu suddenly stopped in his tracks. “Oh no!”

“What happened?”

“I forgot to cut off the Mountain Lord’s head as proof. If I go back like this, won’t that Censor Wang think I’m just bragging?”

Hearing this, Lady Yun was speechless.

Alright then. Perhaps Daoist Master Li really is just such a straightforward and blunt person.

All that hidden scheming and clever maneuvering, she had probably been overthinking it herself.

Li Yanchu put Lady Yun back into the Dragon-Tiger Scepter, mounted the over-energetic Blackie, and galloped all the way back to Jingou Official Village.

That village was in a rather special location, coincidentally right along the road that passed by Jinguang Temple of Donglin Prefecture. By the time he returned to Jingou Official Village, daylight had already fully broken.

That bearded civil official, Censor Wang, really was waiting inside the village for Li Yanchu’s news.

Clip clop! The thunderous hooves shook the ground as a lone rider charged forward.

Two saber-wielding yamen officers looked over from afar. It was a young Daoist with a stern expression, his posture tall and straight.

At his waist hung an unadorned long saber, and on his back was tied a bundle.

“He’s back!”

“That’s Daoist Master Li!”

The two were overjoyed, but one of them frowned slightly. Daoist Master Li was riding... a donkey? And it was running that fast?!

They’d seen well-trained warhorses before, but none had this kind of speed. What looked like an ordinary beast seemed to contain an endless, surging vitality within.

In the blink of an eye, Li Yanchu had arrived before the two saber-wielding yamen officers. The two couldn’t help but exchange glances. They almost had an illusion that this Daoist Master Li might actually be gentle and courteous.

But why did this donkey look as if it were casting a disdainful glance at them, like a person would? And also... what was with that grin on its face!?

One of the slightly older yamen officers cupped his fists and said in a deep voice, “Greetings, Daoist Master Li. Censor Wang is waiting for you at the Zhao residence.”

Li Yanchu gave a slight nod. “Thank you, officer.”

He dismounted, took Blackie by the reins, and headed toward the Zhao family residence. Before long, he arrived at the gate of the Zhao family’s estate.

A sharp-eyed servant spotted him and couldn’t help but shout out, “Daoist Master Li has returned!”

His sudden cry startled the five or six saber-wielding yamen officers nearby, making them all flinch. His return was simply too abrupt.

Then, Li Yanchu handed Blackie’s reins to the gatekeeper and strode quickly into the Zhao residence. Seeing this, a tall official with sharp eyes and a joyful expression came forward in quick steps.

“Daoist Master Li! It’s truly wonderful that you’ve returned safely!” It was none other than Censor Wang Wen.

Li Yanchu cupped his fists. “Thank you for your concern, Lord Wang.”

Seeing Li Yanchu’s robes clean and unruffled, and his expression composed, Wang Wen immediately understood a few things. This young Daoist Master Li most likely had not actually crossed spells with that terrifying great demon, the Mountain Lord. Otherwise, he could never have come back completely unscathed.

But Wang Wen did not mention this at all. Smiling, he led the way inside. “Daoist Master Li, allow me to introduce you. From the prefectural city we have Master Zhisheng[1], a venerable monk of Chanzhi Temple[2], and also Daoist Master Wumu, an expert in subduing demons and capturing spirits.”

Li Yanchu smiled, nodded slightly, and followed Wang Wen inside. Upon seeing the two fellow practitioners, Li Yanchu returned their greeting with a polite smile and nod.

Master Zhisheng, about fifty years of age, was a kindly-looking old monk, who was solemn and dignified. Daoist Master Wumu, on the other hand, was a middle-aged Daoist in black-and-white robes, with a peachwood sword on his back and a soul-summoning bell at his waist. His appearance was rather unusual.

“So you’re Daoist Master Li. I’ve heard Lord Wang speak of you. Seeing you today, indeed, you are a young man in your prime, and blessed with a fine countenance.”

What surprised Li Yanchu was that, despite the monk’s kindly appearance, his tone carried an edge of hostility.

1. 智 (Zhì) means “wisdom,” 胜 (Shèng) means “victory” or “supremacy.” To me, the name conveys a monk of profound wisdom and spiritual mastery. ☜

2. The first character, 禅 (Chán), refers to Zen meditation, highlighting the practice of mindfulness and direct experiential insight central to Chan Buddhism. The second character, 智 (Zhì), means “wisdom,” emphasizing the cultivation of understanding and discernment alongside meditative practice. 寺 (Sì) simply denotes a temple. To me, the name conveys a place devoted to both meditation and the pursuit of spiritual insight. ☜