Yinshan Record

Chapter 38 The demon splits the soul
When Su Che woke up, he was already inside a cave.

This place appears to be a natural cave, not very large, about three zhang square. The air is cold and damp, and you can hear the sound of water dripping incessantly.

Six stone lanterns were arranged in front, behind, left, and right of the cave, with green flames emitting layers of cold light inside the lanterns.

The light illuminated the cave, giving it a serene atmosphere.

Although the place was quite cold and damp, it was surprisingly warm. Su Che reached out and touched a tiger-skin blanket with yellow and white stripes. The fur felt very smooth to the touch. He wondered what kind of craftsmanship the cloud fox had used.

Su Che got up and found that there was also a tiger skin under him.

This cloud fox seems to have a knack for picking on tigers.

People used to say that a fox borrows the tiger's power, but now it's the other way around.

Yunhu found a flat boulder from somewhere and placed it in the very center of the cave to serve as a large bed. Wooden bookshelves stood on the four walls of the cave, stacked with layers of books and bamboo slips.

Besides the bookshelves, there are also several musical instruments here. At a glance, you can see a guqin, a flute, and a xiao.

Not far from the stone bed was a wooden table with two or three stones serving as stools, and a gilded incense burner on the table was filled with the rich fragrance of sandalwood.

Not far from the incense burner were several of Su Che's belongings, including the long rope that Huang Tiandao had carefully crafted, the short sword left behind by the great hero Jiang Qin, and the Qingdi wine cup that he obtained from the Kulin Zen Temple.

If Su Che hadn't known that this was Qingqiu's residence, he would have mistaken it for the home of some scholar.

Su Che breathed a sigh of relief. With the medicinal power of the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, the damage caused by the "book boy" Gu Yin was not fatal.

Su Che stood up from the stone bench and slowly put away the things on his table.

I walked up to the bookshelf and looked at Yunhu's collection.

I discovered that the texts were either Confucian classics, Buddhist scriptures, or Taoist canons. These books did not involve spiritual practice, but they contained the concepts of various sects and schools.

The Journey to the Underworld, The Dragon's Whip Shadow, Selected Works, The Madhyamaka Treatise, Introduction to Abhidharma, The Book of the Pure and Peaceful, The White Tiger Treatise, The Yellow Emperor's Yin Fu Classic, and so on.

If we simply divide "Tao" (the Way) into "Shu" (the Technique), then all of these are related to "Tao".

The little fox's knowledge was even more extensive than that of many scholars in the world.

"Hey, you're awake."

A large, hairy head peered down from directly above the cave.

"I took the liberty of glancing into Miss Qing's boudoir, and I found her to be truly elegant and refined."

Su Che sincerely praised him a few times.

With such refined tastes and interests, Qingqiu was already qualified to go to Jiankang to try his luck as a courtesan.

"There is a Cloud Hidden Tower in the Cloud Recesses, which is said to house all the rare books in the world. You can go and see it if you have the chance."

"We definitely have to go and see."

The little fox grinned, revealing its beastly mouth.

"But it's never open to outsiders; only relatives can get in."

He's still that talkative person who doesn't discriminate between meat and vegetables.

"Alas, Miss Qing saved my life, so it is only right that I call her my sworn sister."

"Why call me 'god-sister'? Such deep kindness is beyond words. I wouldn't even be able to call you 'godmother.' I'd rather repay you with my body. We are deeply in love and will grow old together."

"I'm fine, but the girl's hair has all turned white."

Su Che casually replied.

"You look quite well." Qingqiu leaned his entire body into the cave. "Speaking of which, now that you've killed the people from White Deer Cave, what are your plans? How about we join forces and form a band of outlaws in the mountains?"

"Gathering in the mountains and forests, that refers to mountain bandits." Su Che looked at Qingqiu Fox and said, "Miss Qing, do you mean to roam freely in the mountains and forests?"

"Understand the intention, understand the intention, you're supposed to be an official."

The little fox found a comfortable spot, lay down, and closed its eyes.

“It’s not that it’s impossible, but it’s a poor choice.” Su Che took a bamboo slip from the bookshelf and flipped through it.

"If Bailudong wants to find me, unless they really hide in the Cloud Recesses of the East Sea, they will eventually find me."

"So what's your best course of action?"

"Brother Gu was killed by a demon, what does that have to do with me?"

The little fox remained silent for a moment.

"So you already knew who you wanted to take the blame when you contacted me?"

"Young lady Qing is generous and kind, and she helps each other."

Qingqiu seemed too lazy to argue any further, and simply snorted coldly.

"Alas, my life is so miserable. My husband is so irresponsible. Not only does he manage the household affairs, but he also makes me take the blame for his mistakes."

"Since Miss Meng Qing thinks so highly of me, I, Su, will certainly inform my elders and arrange the proper betrothal..."

"Okay, okay."

Qingqiu grunted twice: "What, is it convenient to move around now?"

"good."

"If you're alright, then hurry up and get lost. The county magistrate has disappeared without a trace. The Imperial Guards and the Jingye Division will investigate. I already have a bad debt from Bailudong, and I don't want to get involved with the only two government departments in the human world that still get things done."

Su Che silently praised his ally.

Although Yunhu doesn't always keep his word, he is indeed a responsible partner.

"I am deeply grateful and will certainly repay your kindness."

"No, no, if you repay me again, I'm afraid you'll have to set fire to the statues of the patriarchs of Xuandu Palace, Tianshi, Yujing, Shenxiao, and Huangtian, and smash the gates of Dalingjiu Temple, Nalanda Temple, Dalun Vajra Temple, and Cixin Nunnery, and then attribute all these great achievements to me."

The little fox continued, "Do you see what's on the table?"

Su Che looked at the white paper, scissors, pen and paper, and needle and thread on the table.

What do you mean? You want me to sew her pants?
"You humans have nimble fingers, cut out a human shape for me."

Su Che picked up the paper and quickly cut out a crooked human figure.

"Very good, much faster than doing it myself."

Indeed, it's quite troublesome to deal with a fox paw as big as a fan.

"See the pen over there? Draw facial features on it."

Su Che picked up the jade pen from the side, touched the cinnabar in the inkstone, and drew a human face on it.

The little fox closed her eyes, and a pale white shadow emerged from the top of her head.

"The manifestation of the Yin spirit?"

Looking at the female ghost's appearance, which lacked facial features, Su Che realized that the little fox's Yin spirit cultivation was quite advanced, as it seemed that pouring hot blood on her head had little impact.

"It's not a manifestation of a Yin spirit, it's a soul-splitting technique."

The little fox chuckled, "I, Qingqiu, am quite different from you, Fengxi. The cultivation technique bestowed upon me by Zhongyuan is called the Boundless Heavenly Demon Purple True Soul-Splitting Secret Technique. It is a top-tier technique even among the demonic sects of the Four Seas, far superior to your common Mirage Yuan Sword from the East Sea."

What's the pattern here? The worse the code name, the better the reward?

Su Che couldn't bear to reveal to the little fox that he was actually the Eastern King.

Let the kids be happy for a few days, since the next Zhongshan meeting isn't far away anyway.

The faceless female ghost leaned against the white paper figure, and a charming girl with hair as black as clouds and eyebrows as distant as mountains immediately appeared in the cave. She was dressed in a light blue dress, with jade-like arms, skin as white as fresh snow, and a delicate and pretty appearance. Anyone who saw her would praise her as a beautiful girl.

"Go to the bookshelf and get an umbrella. I'll take you to see some fun."

(End of this chapter)