Chapter 74

* * *

Heart Demon.

This term refers to when the darkness hidden within one's heart rises and invades, or when deep, pitch-black anguish envelops the mind. Usually, once one falls into a heart demon, it doesn't take long for a conclusion to be reached. If the inner evil is revealed, one becomes a villain in the martial world and is pursued; otherwise, one might fall into madness, become a cripple, or be forced to lay down their weapon. In Dan Muxianwu's case, it was the latter. His mind was unstable, his inner strength was not well-developed, and his inability to concentrate made his hands tremble, leading to trouble. Even after years of seclusion and practice, he couldn't properly overcome it.

'After all, he thinks he turned his nephew into a walking corpse...'

Lian placed her hands on her waist and looked down at the pond. The pond was as clear as crystal, and the carp inside, whose body was gradually turning white, swam happily, flicking its tail.

The carp was from the pond in Dan Muxianwu's quarters. Due to the Black Moon incident—when the phoenix left—Lian was also on high alert and did not feed the carp directly. However, just by making the water clear, the carp regained its vitality and became much more lively.

'Indeed, a healthy body houses a healthy mind.'

A heart demon, though a difficult concept, ultimately refers to mental anguish. In such a state, being alone in a dark place and repeatedly thinking about how he made his nephew almost dead would not help at all. A healthy body requires interaction with others and conversation.

Avoid the cause and engage in appropriate exercise, sleep, and a balanced diet. 'And a change of environment.'

A person's resolve and mindset are as fragile as anything else. Therefore, the physical environment must change first.

Many things had already changed. Dan Muxianwu was much brighter than when they first met. However, it was still not enough. Before entering seclusion, he was already a deputy head of the medicine hall, and at that time, he already had Dan Muxian and Dan Mubi as his nephews.

In other words, there was no real change in his surroundings.

"Xiaolian! Today is not your flute lesson, so why are you here?"

Recently, Dan Muxianwu smiled whenever he saw his nephew.

"Uncle! I have a favor to ask."

"A favor from me?"

Dan Muxianwu picked Lian up and tilted his head. Lian spoke carefully.

"Have you heard about the collateral descendants being accepted this time?"

"Yes. Your aunt, my sister, has been very busy."

Dan Muxianwu muttered. He was indeed in high spirits lately.

"When the children come, they will need someone to teach them."

"That's true. The family has instructors. Even the reserve members of the Eighteen Uncles of the Yu Family..."

"Can Uncle teach the children martial arts?"

Dan Muxianwu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Huh? Me? Wouldn't the instructors be better at teaching than me?"

Learning and teaching are entirely different matters, and prestigious families have dedicated instructors to teach their martial arts. Teaching collateral descendants who will learn the family's martial arts is also the responsibility of these instructors.

"Grandfather said that these new disciples will all become pillars of the family, and it's very important."

"That's true."

Large families often accept new disciples, including collateral descendants, every year.

"Since it's such an important task, wouldn't it be good if Uncle also helped? It's better to have more people to teach."

Dan Muxianwu adjusted his hold on Lian and nodded.

"That's true, but... I'm not sure if I can do it well..."

"Uncle taught me writing and the flute so well. I'm sure you can teach the new children just as well."

Dan Muxianwu listened to Lian's words with a mix of belief and anxiety, slightly frowning.

"Yes, I taught you... but..."

Thinking about it, his expression lightened, and a hint of anticipation spread across his face.

"When many children come, this place will be lively."

"It will be fun!"

"I hope so."

Lian smiled. Dan Muxianwu gently pressed his cheek against Lian's and smiled softly.

* * *

The bustling Hangzhou market was filled with people trying to attract customers, quarreling, and laughing and chatting. Everything was in a whirl.

Among them, a man quietly adjusted his steps, appearing to casually tap the ground as he passed by, looking like a street thug. He was probably in his mid-twenties.

'Ah, is some noble young master out for a stroll?'

A young servant and a nursemaid were visible, and two warriors were guarding them from a distance.

They looked robust and had systematically cultivated pure inner strength, clearly warriors from a prestigious family.

The man's expression twisted strangely as he looked at them.

'Well-fed and well-grown, indeed.'

Good qualities, good teachers, and the ability to serve a noble person—these warriors had steadily built their skills.

Bai Yiming couldn't just let such people pass by. He had to play a trick on them to feel satisfied.

Bai Yiming glanced at the young master.

A small pouch was hanging from the young master's waist.

The nursemaid would carry the money, so this was probably just a small decoration. But money wasn't what mattered to him now.

Bai Yiming moved like a willow leaf in the wind. Bumping shoulders was something amateurs did.

He passed by as if he had no intention, like a passerby in the market, but quickly achieved his goal!

He threw a small pebble he held in his hand nimbly, and the merchant walking ahead "Ouch!" and grabbed his leg, bending over.

As passersby glanced at the merchant, Bai Yiming smoothly passed by the young master.

A smile crept onto Bai Yiming's lips.

Of course, if it were an assassination attempt, this method would be useless.

Suppressing the killing intent emitted by someone trying to harm another is a difficult feat, even for a highly skilled assassin. No martial artist, no matter how inexperienced, would miss the killing intent. That's why assassinating a martial artist is so difficult.

But just brushing past someone closely...

The small pouch was caught in his hand, hidden inside his sleeve. No matter how much they talked about protecting the young master and the true warriors, they didn't even notice their young master being pickpocketed!

Bai Yiming slipped into an empty alley and held the pouch, gauging its contents.

Feeling the contents with his fingertips without opening it was one of his pleasures.

'Oh, jade ornaments? Small and intricately crafted? They must be worth a lot. Should I have mutton hot pot and a cup of rice wine today? With plenty of Sichuan pepper, boiled mutton...'

He felt very pleased.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ahhh!"

'No, damn it, what the hell is this!'

He should have felt pleased!

Bai Yiming tried to curl his body as much as possible to minimize the impact.

"Ouch! Ouch!"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Hey! Ouch! Please, please, let's talk!"

The mutton hot pot, the mutton hot pot, he was whistling and walking down the alley when a small boy suddenly appeared in front of him.

He quickly realized that this was the young servant who was with the young master he had pickpocketed.

The boy had a tear mole below his left eye, and he looked so cute that Bai Yiming had stared at him for a while, trying to gauge if he was a friend of the young master.

A foreboding feeling ran down his spine.

He had stolen from the young master and now faced the young master's servant in an empty alley.

— Hey, kid, are you lost?

— You're the one who's lost. I've been waiting for a while. Are you stupid? If you had turned into that alley, you would have come straight here.

— What, what...

He tried to speak casually, but the boy's informal speech made Bai Yiming's forehead veins pop. His caution and anxiety quickly vanished. The boy extended his hand toward him.

— Give it back.

— Look at this insolent brat talking to an adult like that.

Bai Yiming sneered. The boy sighed.

— Give it back now. I'm busy.

Looking back, the boy probably had no intention of talking at this point.

So, he deliberately used informal speech to provoke him. Bai Yiming sneered and raised his fist threateningly.

— You little brat, don't you know to fear adults?

But the boy, after hearing this, looked him up and down and actually clicked his tongue.

He looked like a child under ten, but his actions seemed more mature than his age.

— Tsk, tsk... I can see you have perseverance, not giving up even when you know it's impossible. But are you just focusing on external skills? Are you really that stupid?

At that moment, a chill ran through him before anger.

The words "not giving up even when you know it's impossible" poured over him like ice water.