Appreciating New Tea with an Inkstone - Chapter 18

Gu Xiyan wasn’t very familiar with demon cores, but since Ye Qinming brought it up specifically, there must be a deeper meaning behind it.

Seeing her puzzled expression, Ye Qinming didn’t beat around the bush. “Any demon that cultivates will form a demon core in their dantian once they develop spiritual awareness. The demon core is the lifeline of a demon, where all their spiritual power and cultivation are concentrated. If the demon dies, the demon core will quickly lose its usefulness unless it is immediately extracted and preserved using special methods.”

Gu Xiyan roughly understood. “So, that Daoist priest took the demon cores of Uncle Zhuo and the others?”

Ye Qinming shook her head. “Although demon cores are treasures, humans and demons are fundamentally different. Especially for those who practice Daoism, relying on demon cores to enhance their cultivation would inevitably taint them with demonic energy. But that man shows no signs of it, and his spiritual energy is pure, making it unsuitable for such methods.”

“Then what do you mean?”

“Demon cores are beneficial to ordinary humans, but they are even more nourishing for demons.”

“Are you saying that Nangong Pei is colluding with demons?” Gu Xiyan found it hard to believe. “But he despises demons deeply. How could he help them obtain demon cores?”

“He wouldn’t help demons, but he might not refuse humans.” Ye Qinming narrowed her eyes, thinking about what she had discovered earlier, her expression unreadable. In truth, she didn’t intend to meddle in human affairs, nor did she want to clash with her own kind, but… she glanced at Gu Xiyan. That man shouldn’t have dragged Gu Xiyan into this.

“Do you know something?” Gu Xiyan asked. Although Ye Qinming’s speculation made sense, it was still quite a stretch. If there weren’t any clues, one wouldn’t normally think in that direction.

“I know a little, but not much. For example, although Yang Xunzhi has demonic energy and can use demonic techniques, he is indeed a human.”

Gu Xiyan fell silent for a long time. A human who can use demonic techniques—does that mean he’s being controlled by a demon?

After Ye Qinming left, Ah Qi finally came over. It seemed she had forgotten how terrified she had been by Ye Qinming earlier. She just looked at the food on the table and asked Gu Xiyan anxiously, “My lady, are you feeling unwell? Eating too much at night can cause indigestion.”

Gu Xiyan felt slightly reassured and chuckled without responding.

***

Nangong Pei currently held high prestige in Danyang City and was staying at an inn there. Since he had slain the black snake demon and the Zhuo couple, the city had indeed become much more peaceful, with no murders reported for several days.

Just as the city’s residents were beginning to relax, reality struck again. Four infants went missing in the middle of the night, leaving no trace.

The doors and windows of their homes were all closed, and no dogs barked during the night. The children had vanished without a sound. Coincidentally, all four children shared the exact same birth date and time, having been born at midnight.

Nangong Pei went to investigate the places where the children had disappeared and detected a faint trace of demonic energy. When he announced his findings, everyone present turned pale. The parents of the children immediately knelt down, weeping and begging the Daoist priest to subdue the demon.

Nangong Pei took a strand of fetal hair found in one of the children’s swaddling clothes and placed it in his palm. With his left hand, he formed a seal and brushed it over the hair. A flame instantly ignited in his palm, then transformed into a wisp of green smoke that hovered before flying away.

“Follow it. It will lead us to where the demon that took the children is hiding.”

Several strong young men immediately grabbed their weapons and followed closely. To their surprise, the green smoke didn’t head toward the remote outskirts of the city but instead moved deeper into the city. When the smoke disappeared into a residence, the group looked up in shock at the sign above the gate: the Gu residence.

“Daoist Master, is the demon hiding in the Gu residence?” asked the leader of the group, the uncle of one of the missing children. His eyes were red, a mix of disbelief and hatred.

Nangong Pei reached out and grasped the air, causing the green smoke to fall back into his hand and turn to ash. He glanced indifferently at the sign. “Indeed, this residence is heavily tainted with demonic energy, just as I suspected.”

His words caused an uproar among the crowd. “It’s really in the Gu residence? Should we go in and demand they hand over the children?”

The leader, however, keenly caught another part of Nangong Pei’s statement. “Daoist Master, you said ‘just as I suspected.’ Did you already know there was something wrong with the Gu family?”

Nangong Pei paused for a moment before speaking. “The reason I came to Danyang was because I noticed an overwhelming amount of demonic energy here on my way to Dongzhou. When I slew those two minor demons, I realized that the Gu residence was the most heavily tainted with demonic energy in the entire city. To avoid causing panic, I planned to investigate quietly before taking action. But now, with more demons causing trouble, I can no longer hide the truth.”

“Could it be that the Gu family has already…? The bodies of those two demons from the Zhuo family were taken back by the Gu family’s young lady. She wasn’t afraid at all and even spoke up for them. Could she be a demon too?” someone immediately recalled the earlier incident, horrified.

“Don’t talk nonsense! The Gu family is one of the most prominent families in Danyang. Sir Gu is a great benefactor, distributing food and supplies in the name of the young lady every year. They’ve accumulated much virtue. To call the young lady a demon is too harsh.”

“That’s true, but Huang Quan isn’t entirely wrong. The Daoist Master said the Gu residence is heavily tainted with demonic energy, and the green smoke stopped here. Even if the Gu family aren’t demons, they must be connected to them in some way. This is a matter of life and death. We can’t just ignore it because they’ve done good deeds.”

“Exactly, exactly.”

As the crowd grew larger, Nangong Pei raised his hand. “Everyone, calm down. Demons are not something ordinary people can deal with. Even if the demon is inside, you won’t be able to handle it. The priority now is to confirm whether the four infants are in the Gu residence.”

***

“M-my lady! Something terrible has happened!” Ah Qi ran into the courtyard, urgently addressing Gu Xiyan.

“Ah Qi, don’t panic. Speak slowly. What’s happened?” Gu Xiyan stood up, trying to calm her.

“Many people have gathered at the entrance. They say that under Daoist Nangong’s investigation, the demon that kidnapped the four infants last night disappeared into the Gu residence. They suspect that a demon is hiding here and want to search the premises.”

Gu Xiyan’s heart sank. A demon? She immediately thought of Ye Qinming, but she knew Ye Qinming would never do such a thing.

What was Nangong Pei’s true intention? Had he discovered Ye Qinming and was using this as a pretext to target her?

She didn’t know how powerful Nangong Pei truly was, but in just half a month, he had slain the black snake demon and Uncle Zhuo and Aunt Zhuo. He was clearly no ordinary charlatan. The black snake demon had been a formidable opponent even for Ye Qinming. If Nangong Pei were to… she couldn’t help but worry for Ye Qinming.

Though anxious, she remained calm. “Have Ah Da take some people to guard the front. Ensure my parents’ safety, and avoid conflict with the intruders. I’m going to the tea garden.”

“My lady, why are you going to the tea garden?”

Gu Xiyan didn’t have time to explain. She hurried toward the tea garden, leaving Ah Qi stomping her feet in frustration. Ah Qi quickly instructed Xiao Wu to follow and protect her, then rushed to relay the message.

Gu Xiyan walked briskly, and Xiao Wu, following behind, repeatedly reminded her to slow down. Gu Xiyan simply said it was fine. When they reached the tea garden, she instructed Xiao Wu to wait at the entrance and not enter. Xiao Wu, knowing that Gu Xiyan had encountered trouble in the tea garden before, was reluctant but ultimately obeyed. She had always admired and trusted Gu Xiyan, so she suppressed her anxiety and watched as Gu Xiyan entered.

Standing before the tea plants, Gu Xiyan suddenly realized she might have acted rashly. She pinched her fingertips in frustration, then crouched down and whispered, “Qinming, are you here?” She heard the soft rustling of the wind and continued, “Nangong Pei came today. He claims the demon that kidnapped the four children last night is hiding in the Gu residence, and he’s brought people to search our home. He doesn’t seem like someone to be trifled with. I wanted to warn you to be careful.”

Ye Qinming didn’t reveal herself. She watched the woman who had rushed to the tea garden in a panic and teased softly, “So, you’re worried about me?” Gu Xiyan was momentarily speechless. Ye Qinming continued, “I’ve come to think of you as my medicine. If Nangong Pei eliminates me, you won’t have to live in fear anymore. Isn’t that a good thing?”

Gu Xiyan’s gentle brows furrowed. “I consider you a friend. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Ye Qinming was taken aback, her gaze fixed on Gu Xiyan.

Gu Xiyan sighed. “Take care of yourself. I need to see what’s happening.”

The blind woman in white walked away, her posture straight and her steps graceful. She carried herself with an air of elegance, no longer showing the urgency from before. Ye Qinming’s eyes held a hint of amusement, but soon she fell into deep thought.

By the time Gu Xiyan, accompanied by Xiao Wu, reached the front courtyard, the Gu residence was in chaos.

Gu Ye, her father, looked grave. When he saw Gu Xiyan, he hurried over. “Yan’er, why are you out here? It’s chaotic. Let Xiao Wu take you back to your courtyard. I’ll handle this.”

“Have they started searching?” Gu Xiyan asked, her expression serious.

Nangong Pei was among the crowd. He approached calmly, his gaze settling on Gu Xiyan. “Young Lady Gu, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Gu Xiyan nodded slightly. “Daoist Nangong, the pleasure is mine.” She heard the sound of doors being forced open and the chaotic footsteps. Her brow furrowed. “Sir, you said the demon disappeared into the Gu residence. Now you’ve brought people to search. Does that mean you’re certain the demon is here?”

“Young Lady Gu, please remain calm. I have no ill intentions toward your family, but the facts are as they are. I must give the people of Danyang an answer. The magistrate has approved the search, and your father has raised no objections.” His eyes gleamed as he scrutinized her.

The woman before him was strikingly beautiful, standing amidst the chaos like a snow plum blossom—ethereal and untouchable. Her blindness robbed her eyes of color, but they remained captivating, reflecting the surroundings.

“But as a demon hunter, you must know that a demon capable of silently abducting four infants in the night would not be weak. It wouldn’t need to hide the children in the Gu residence, especially with you here. Moreover, even if the demon were here, how could ordinary people hope to find it? All this will do is alert the demon—or reveal what it wants us to see. Isn’t that right, sir?” Her words were calm and measured, as if she saw through the farce but chose not to expose it.

Nangong Pei’s expression darkened. He glanced at Gu Ye and said coldly, “If someone is aiding the demon, they would act without fear.”

“Daoist, sir! We’ve found something!”

“Monsters! This is an abomination!”

“See? We’ve found it.” A smirk played on his lips as he observed Gu Xiyan’s tightened expression and Gu Ye’s pale face.

Gu Ye rushed over to look. In the servants’ quarters of the east wing, four tightly sealed urns were discovered under the bed, placed in the four corners. The floor was marked with reddish-brown patterns, resembling some kind of array.

One of the urns was dragged out and opened, releasing a pungent, bloody stench. Inside, a layer of dark red substance had solidified—undoubtedly congealed blood. But the most horrifying sight was the lump protruding from the substance. Upon closer inspection, it was unmistakably the head of an infant, its lifeless eyes staring upward. Several grown men recoiled in terror, some vomiting on the spot.

Gu Ye trembled, about to step forward, but Gu Xiyan, her face pale, held him back. Gu Xiyan knew this was no coincidence. The situation had been orchestrated, and there was no avoiding it.

Author’s Note:

Green Tea: Are you worried about me?

White Lotus: Mm, my tea isn’t allowed to be picked by anyone else.

Green Tea: … When did I become your tea?

White Lotus: Once you stepped into my house, you became mine.