Chapter 219: Poison Curse
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With Lu Yun subdued, Sun Yuanlang grew even more at ease, smiling as he shifted his gaze to Lu Xin and said, “Where were we just now?” He lightly tapped his forehead as if recalling something, then exclaimed, “Oh, right. We were discussing why you, Lord Lu, would go to such lengths. What use does the Imperial Seal of the State have in the hands of your Lu Clan? Does the Lu Clan also wish to face south and declare themselves emperor?”
Lu Xin stared at Sun Yuanlang expressionlessly, his eyes unblinking.
“Alas, my memory.” As if remembering something, Sun Yuanlang flicked his finger, sending a surge of forceful energy towards Lu Xin, unblocking his mute acupoint.
“I have already said, the Imperial Seal is not in my clan. Why do you, True Person Sun, insist on persecuting me?” Lu Xin finally managed to speak, “When Bai Liu Village was attacked that day, I was commanding the army and did not leave for a single moment.”
“Since this Taoist master has come to your doorstep, I naturally have irrefutable evidence. This is, after all, the territory of the Lu Clan, and that brat Lu Xian is quite troublesome. It is inconvenient for me to stay long.” Sun Yuanlang smiled faintly, flicked the whisk in his hand, and swept off a corner of the hard sandalwood low table before him as if it were tofu. He then continued in a colder tone, “If you stubbornly refuse to admit it, this Taoist master will have no choice but to resort to killing!”
Speaking thus, Sun Yuanlang’s gaze slowly swept over Lu Yun, Lu Xiang, Lu Ying, and Madam Lu, as if selecting goods. It finally settled on Lu Ying, and he asked Lu Xin in a bargaining tone, “Would it be agreeable if I killed your esteemed daughter first?”
Lu Ying’s pretty face instantly lost all color, becoming incredibly pale.
“…” Lu Xin’s forehead was covered in sweat, his eyes blazing with fury as he stared intently at Sun Yuanlang, gritting his teeth, “You dare!”
“Hahahaha,” Sun Yuanlang burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. “What is there in this world that this Taoist master dare not do!” As he spoke, he slowly raised his hand, his slender, icy fingers pointing towards Lu Ying’s throat.
Lu Xin’s throat convulsed violently, his eyes filled with a struggling expression. At this moment, Sun Yuanlang smiled. He looked at Madam Lu, who was desperately signaling him with her eyes, and said, “It seems your wife has something to say.” Just as Sun Yuanlang was about to unblock Madam Lu’s mute acupoint, he heard Lu Yun, who was standing there, speak, “I know, I know everything!”
Sun Yuanlang turned to look at Lu Yun and smiled, “What do you know?”
“The Imperial Seal is in my father’s hands!” Lu Yun gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, “But at the time, my father did not know that the Xiahou Clan was attacking Bai Liu Village to search for the Imperial Seal. Otherwise, he would never have ordered them to snatch that golden box! It was only after they brought it back that they realized what thing was inside. My father was so regretful he could have vomited all his intestines!”
Sun Yuanlang listened to Lu Yun’s account and slowly nodded, “So, your father did not give the Imperial Seal to the clan?”
“Yes, if it were any other thing, my father would naturally have sought merit and reward from the clan,” Lu Yun said with a bitter smile, “But that thing was precisely the Imperial Seal… Everyone knows the Lu Clan upholds the Sage’s Teachings and values loyalty to the sovereign above all. If my father dared to present the Imperial Seal to the Clan Leader, he would surely be cut in half!”
“Where is the Imperial Seal now?” Sun Yuanlang was interested in nothing else but the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal.
“I volunteered and buried the Imperial Seal on the mountain,” Lu Yun replied in a deep voice. “Originally, I just wanted to act as if nothing had happened, but I didn’t expect Sect Leader Sun to come knocking on our door.”
“If you want no one to know, you must first do nothing to make it known.” Sun Yuanlang sneered, “So, the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal will fall to you?”
“That’s right.” Lu Yun nodded. “In this world, I am the only one who knows where the Imperial Seal is buried.”
“Take me to find it.” Sun Yuanlang stood up, giving Lu Yun a cold glance. “It’s best not to play any tricks, or your entire family will be buried with you.” A Heavenly Rank Grandmaster always keeps their word; no one in this world dares to dismiss their pronouncements lightly.
“I can take you, but you must swear that once the Imperial Seal is found, you will not trouble my entire family again!” Lu Yun met Sun Yuanlang’s gaze fearlessly.
“Do you think this Taoist master is very idle?” Sun Yuanlang sneered. “After finding the Imperial Seal, where would I have the time to bother with you all?”
“You must swear!” Lu Yun insisted. “Swear by your own inner demon!”
“You know quite a bit…” Sun Yuanlang looked at Lu Yun in surprise, then suddenly realized, “Ah, that’s right. You are Lu Xian’s disciple; no wonder you still know about the existence of inner demons.” He then changed his expression abruptly, “Then you should know what a terrible curse that is, daring to make this master swear by my inner demon! I will kill your sister right now, so you know the consequences of offending this master!”
“If you dare to touch a single strand of her hair, I will sever my own heart meridians and die.” Lu Yun looked directly at Sun Yuanlang with absolute resolve, making him dare not doubt Lu Yun’s determination.
“Heh heh, still a tough one.” A hint of admiration flashed in Sun Yuanlang’s eyes. “This master keeps his word; an inner demon oath will do me no harm. However, don’t tell me the Imperial Seal is hidden on Jade Emperor Mountain in Yuhang.” He then sneered, “My patience is very poor. If that’s the case, I won’t mind killing two of your relatives first to vent my anger, and then escorting you south to Yangzhou.”
“It’s on Mount Mang. Before dawn, the Imperial Seal will surely be in your hands.” Lu Yun said softly. The sky was already dark when he said this.
“That’s more like it.” Sun Yuanlang nodded without any hesitation upon hearing this. “This master hereby swears that as long as I obtain the Imperial Seal before dawn, I will spare your family. If I break this oath, may I, Sun Yuanlang, suffer eternally from inner demons and never achieve liberation in this life!” He then smiled faintly, “Is that satisfactory now?”
“It is.” Lu Yun nodded. The so-called inner demon refers to one’s hatred, greed, delusions, obsessions, resentments, and so on. These strong negative emotions all fall under the category of inner demons. Inner demons are almost impossible to eliminate; even people with the strongest will can only suppress them deep within their hearts. They arise with human intelligence and grow with age, regardless of whether one is male or female, noble or humble, a scholar with no strength to even truss a chicken, or a martial arts Grandmaster, no one can escape the entanglement of inner demons.
There are two types of people in the world who have no inner demons: one is an infant whose intelligence has not yet awakened, and the other is the legendary Innate Realm. However, it makes little difference whether an infant has inner demons or not, as they are ignorant and unknowing. The Innate Realm, on the other hand, is a return to primordial simplicity, and being free from inner demons is to truly experience Great Liberation, great joy, and great freedom.
All Heavenly Rank Grandmasters dream of reaching this realm; what they must do is sever their inner demons, allowing their minds to return to an infant-like state, and only then can other things be discussed.
Sun Yuanlang made an oath of inner demons. If he were to violate it, the spawned inner demons would be nearly impossible to sever. Therefore, he would absolutely not break such an oath unless absolutely necessary, lest he never attain the Innate Realm in this life. This was also the reason for his previous anger.
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Sun Yuanlang is indeed the decisive Sect Leader of Taiping Dao, ruthless to others and even more so to himself. After assessing the situation, he readily took the poisonous oath of inner demons, and was even able to smile at Lu Yun without hesitation, saying, “Can we set off now?”
Lu Yun nodded, first glancing at Lu Xin, who was full of worry, and giving him a meaningful look. Then he deeply looked at Lu Ying, who was weeping and heartbroken, and silently vowed in his heart: ‘Elder Sister, this time I will completely resolve the trouble, and will never let you fall into such danger again…’
Then, he resolutely turned and left the house, walking out with Sun Yuanlang.
After Lu Yun and Sun Yuanlang had been gone for the time it takes to eat a meal, Lu Xin finally blushed and broke open his acupoints. He only had time to free his old father and daughters from their acupoint restraints before flying out the door and rushing onto the street.
The vast night sky enveloped the land; where was there any trace of Lu Yun?!
Lu Xin gritted his teeth, let out a silent roar, and then sprinted towards Lu Ward.
