Wayfarer

Chapter 722: The Demon Child Beats His Master

In his study in Yongding, Xiao Nanfeng looked toward You Jiu. "How's the investigation going?"

"Ye Sanshui's manor is under full surveillance, and we've caught several of the assassins' companions. However, the moment we did so, they were all killed remotely and turned into puddles of snow. We weren't able to identify anything," You Jiu reported.

Xiao Nanfeng grimaced. "And what of Ye Sanshui's wife?"

"Allegedly, Ye Sanshui and his wife got along very well on their first date and appeared to be attracted to one another. That was when they became targeted by a group of assassins, who possessed Ye Sanshui's wife's brothers before taking control of their family. Then, they manipulated Ye Sanshui's wife into serving their objectives. They've been lying in wait for a long time in preparation for this single attack."

"In other words, Ye Sanshui's wife was unaware of anything?"

"That's what our preliminary investigation suggests. She really does love Ye Sanshui, and her child is his."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "Ye Sanshui is cautious and prudent. I wouldn't have expected his wife's brothers to have been possessed, but I'm sure he would have noticed something amiss with his wife if she were in the know. He was simply trying to be impartial when he said he couldn't be certain of his wife's allegiance."

"Should we inform her about what happened?" You Jiu asked, worried.

"Don't. Tell her that I've sent Ye Sanshui out on urgent business. Ensure that no one leaks the news of his death to her. We may be able to revive Ye Sanshui. We can't allow the news to agitate her—not before she gives birth to the child, at least. Focus on pacifying her."

"Understood! I'll arrange for a number of female spectral guards to serve as her bodyguards."

"Very well. You may go."

You Jiu retreated from the imperial study.

Before long, the Demon Child appeared in a huff.

"Xiao Nanfeng, I'm a Boundless Immortal! Why make me learn all that nonsense? And this man tried to rap my palm with a ruler!" The Demon Child looked aggrieved.

He had dragged a man with mediocre cultivation along with him. The man's face was swollen; he had clearly been beaten up by the Demon Child.

"I apologize for having failed my duties, Your Majesty. I've embarrassed you," the man said, kneeling down and bowing his head.

"Mr. Li, I'm the one at fault. I didn't arrange things properly. You haven't embarrassed me." Xiao Nanfeng quickly stepped forward to help the man up.

The Demon Child was speechless. "He's only a mortal at Ascension realm! Why bother treating him like this?"

Xiao Nanfeng gave the Demon Child a disapproving look. "Demon Child, do you remember your mother's last words? Don't you want her to rest in peace?"

"What're you talking about? What did I do?" the Demon Child retorted.

"Before her death, your mother told you to listen to me, to be an honorable man. I found you the best teacher from my academy to instruct you, but not only did you disobey me, you even beat your teacher up. Do you think you're obeying your mother's words like this? If you don't attend to your studies, how do you expect to learn what it means to be honorable, to live a just and upright life? Do you want to remain a child forever? Do you want your mother to turn over in her grave?"

"I, I'm a Boundless Immortal! He's just an ordinary mortal. What can he teach me? What good is all that nonsense?" the Demon Child retorted weakly.

"Your cultivation is impressive," Xiao Nanfeng affirmed. "You're stronger than I am, but that cultivation wasn't something you earned. It was something innate to you. The heavens granted you that power, and they can reclaim it all. When your demonic corpse body was shattered, without our help, would you have been able to save yourself? All you can do is fight. You don't think about the aftermath!"

"I—" the Demon Child was at a loss for words.

"I had the best teacher instruct you not in matters of cultivation, but of moral philosophy. If you want to be an honorable man, you'll have to learn these principles. Li Qianjun didn't bother teaching you anything—all he wanted was a sacrifice, not a son. All that you know, you must have learned from your mother in secret. That's not good enough. You'll need to learn how to study and analyze people, think about issues, and solve problems on your own. You are blessed with intuition and talent, but you need to learn to treasure your gifts. If you meet someone else who destroys your body once more, you'll be left with nothing."

The Demon Child clenched his fists. He wanted to argue with Xiao Nanfeng, but he didn't know where to start.

"You're a Boundless Immortal. You could memorize all those texts with a single glance. How hard could it be to learn the entire corpus? You just don't want to do it, that's all—and that's what Li Qianjun has been aiming for all along. He brought you up as an unreasonable, tyrannical child who can't reason on his own. That's what makes you easy to control, you see. Would you want to be what your father wants you to be? Why not your mother's vision, instead? Didn't she teach you how to interact with others?"

The Demon Child recalled what his mother had tried to teach him laboriously, what he had written off as mere nagging.

"My dear boy, you can't steal others' possessions when we're out in the streets, alright? That's wrong. If you meet someone strong, your behavior could even get you killed."

"My dear boy, what am I going to do with you in the future?"

"My darling, don't get into random fights like that, please. Won't you listen to me? I really am worried..."

The Demon Child thought back to how his mother would frequently cry because of what he had done. He clenched his teeth, then turned to the teacher whom he had beaten up. He lowered his head in guilt. If his mother learned of this, she would be so upset she would start crying again.

Xiao Nanfeng seemed to be able to sense the Demon Child's change of heart. He sighed. "It might take you but a day to read what someone else could in a year. However, you'll also need to comprehend what you're reading. Do you understand? Mr. Li might be weak in terms of cultivation, but he's a skilled scholar and was repeatedly acclaimed as a wise teacher in my academy. Despite the fact that you beat him several times, he's never tattled to me. Instead, he stubbornly continued to try to teach you. How dare you beat him up and try to accuse him of wrongdoing to me? What would your mother think?"

The Demon Child's face scrunched up. "I'm sorry, Mr. Li."

"No, it's alright. I shouldn't have struck your palm." Mr. Li was momentarily at a loss upon seeing the Demon Child recant.

"Wrong is wrong, and right is right. Mr. Li ought to be strict, and striking a recalcitrant student's palm with a ruler is no mistake. Mr. Li, do not fear the Demon Child. If he causes further trouble, let me know. I'll write down his actions and burn my records at his mother's grave to inform her of his actions," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"No! I was just so angry. I—" The Demon Child shuddered uneasily.

Xiao Nanfeng clapped the Demon Child on the shoulder. "Mr. Li's doing his best to teach you. That's why he struck your palm when you misbehaved. He doesn't fear authority nor those of advanced cultivation. You should consider yourself lucky to have the privilege of learning from him."

"I understand." The Demon Child looked down unhappily.

He still had a child's temperament, after all. He had found it embarrassing to have his palm struck, which was why he had attacked Mr. Li. With someone like Xiao Nanfeng to watch over him, though, he would think twice about misbehaving.

"Mr. Li, the Demon Child is mischievous. I'll have to keep troubling you," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"It's not a problem, Your Majesty," Mr. Li replied.

"Let me help heal you, Mr. Li," the Demon Child offered.

Mr. Li smiled at the change in the Demon Child's attitude.

After the two of them walked off, Xiao Nanfeng sighed in relief. The Demon Child was a precious asset, and he did want the Demon Child to develop the maturity befitting his power and station.

Days later, within the black coffin hidden realm, Xiao Nanfeng's main body flew rapidly onward as a few zombies trailed him.

"The zombies have been going crazy these last few days. They're chasing whatever cultivators they can find. All the spots where cultivators used to gather are empty now. Could everyone have perished?" Xiao Nanfeng murmured. He stared at the growing number of zombies tailing him. "How did these zombies find me?"

He retrieved an ordinary treasure he had picked up some time ago and tossed it into the distance.

Half the zombies flying behind him split up and chased after that treasure.

Xiao Nanfeng narrowed his eyes. "It's the treasure we picked up! These zombies can sense the cursed spiritual power emanating from them, can't they?"

He quickly retrieved all the treasure he had picked up in the meantime. Rather than discard them all, he activated his Jade Emperor's Frame and cleansed them all with its golden light.

Black smoke drifted out of and dissipated from the treasures.

Then, he did the same with the storage bangle that Ku Jiang had left him. Once all his treasures were cleansed, he rushed into a cloud of black fog. All the zombies behind him gave up on him and scattered.

He landed by the mouth of a valley. "What a scheme. Anyone who has obtained treasure from the black coffin hidden realm will be exposed to the eyes of the zombies. No matter where they're hiding, they won't be able to remain hidden for long. Someone's intending to nab all the cultivators in here in one fell swoop.

His heart thumped. He glanced at the zombies flitting through the air. An uneasy premonition dawned. "The Immortal Emperor of Hongyue's all but finished with his plan, isn't he?"

He mulled it over and ultimately decided that he had better inform Yang Chuan of the news. He covertly flew toward the valley next to the Qilin Cave.

By then, the Qilin Cave was deserted. All the zombies had flown out.

He retrieved the signaling relic that Yang Chuan had given him during their first encounter in the realm and activated it.

A ray of light shot into the air and released a bloom of fireworks. The light persisted for quite a while without dissipating, and was visible even from afar.

Plenty of zombies noticed the commotion and flew over as Xiao Nanfeng skulked away, heading toward the valley in which he had first met with Yang Chuan.