Chapter 257 - 284: Uncanny Resurrection, Undying and Indestructible, That Great Personage
The three Demon Ghosts revived again and again. Each time they were crushed by his Blood Qi, they would charge back, completely unscathed.
Dying and coming back to life, living only to die again...
For a while, the wretched howls of the three Demon Ghosts inside the wild inn never ceased.
The old Daoist to the side, holding the wide-eyed white dog, was completely dumbfounded. His expression was wooden, his heart a tangle of complex emotions.
He had thought that in his nearly one hundred years of life, he had seen everything.
But it turned out, he was still too naive.
He truly had never witnessed such a bizarre scene.
And in the process of repeatedly annihilating them, Su Bai finally understood.
These three Demon Ghosts had long ago lost their consciousness. Someone had used a special technique to inscribe them into the very fabric of this inn. As long as the inn stood, these three could never die.
In other words, the three of them were eternally frozen in the moment they sold horse meat.
The sole purpose of their existence was to sell horse meat.
"Ahem!"
"Fellow Daoist! No matter what techniques you use, it’s useless."
Outside the inn, the Linjiang Daoist, who had witnessed the entire spectacle, felt his lip twitch. Seeing that Su Bai seemed tireless and intent on continuing to annihilate the three Demon Ghosts, he couldn’t help but speak up.
"They simply can’t be killed. Even the Lord of the State, a Great Power at the Feather Transformation Realm, couldn’t kill them inside this inn."
"Indeed."
Su Bai shook his head slightly and stopped channeling his Blood Qi. He couldn’t be bothered to waste any more effort.
"The scent of the living..."
The three Demon Ghosts reappeared, remembering nothing of what had just happened. With savage expressions, they asked again:
"Sir, horse meat replenishes the blood and strengthens the Physique. Are you sure you don’t want some?"
The Linjiang Daoist walked into the inn, composed himself, and said calmly:
"Three catties of horse meat, a portion of horse tendon, two horse ears, and half a catty of sorghum wine."
His voice was level, just like someone ordering a meal at any normal restaurant.
But upon hearing his words, the three pouncing Demon Ghosts froze mid-lunge, rooted to the spot.
The three of them returned to their original appearances. The savagery vanished from their faces, replaced by smiles tinged with respect and gentleness.
"Please wait a moment, sir."
The waiter deftly tidied the tables and chairs. The old Shopkeeper picked up a rag and began wiping down a wooden table, while the proprietress headed for the back kitchen.
The atmosphere in the inn had suddenly become so harmonious.
Just like any ordinary tavern.
The old Daoist’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Is that... a password?"
Su Bai was surprised and suspicious, a vague guess forming in his mind.
He couldn’t help but be reminded of a game he played as a child.
For example, "Open sesame!"
"A password? Something like that. This is a reenactment of a scene from when a certain great personage visited this place long ago."
"These three Demon Ghosts probably weren’t even Demon Ghosts back then. They were most likely human. They just happened to come into contact with that great personage, and now they’re immortal and indestructible," the Linjiang Daoist remarked with a sigh as he stepped inside the inn.
"Such power is truly heaven-shaking and earth-shattering!"
Behind him, the Nianxin Little Daoist Child followed closely. He didn’t show the slightest shock at his master’s words, as if he had heard all this before.
"They became immortal just from a single glance at that great personage?"
The old Daoist was dumbstruck, feeling as if he were listening to a fairy tale.
The Silver-White Dog Demon in his arms also looked shocked beyond belief.
But Su Bai shook his head and said,
"The ones who are ’living’ are no longer themselves."
"An eternity like this is utterly meaningless."
After his repeated attempts, he had already discerned that these three Demon Ghosts—or four, including the one in the kitchen who had yet to appear—were in fact neither human nor ghost.
Rather, they were the residual consciousness that great personage had left behind when departing the inn.
That was why even he couldn’t detect their physical forms. They didn’t truly exist. They had no physical bodies, no Divine Spirits—only the lingering consciousness of that great personage.
"There’s nothing wrong with that interpretation. However, if this Yinfu Store didn’t only appear once a century for a single day, these Demon Ghosts would be a considerable menace."
The Linjiang Daoist nodded, then cupped his hands and said,
"I am the Linjiang Daoist, from Golden Radiance Mountain. This is my young disciple, Nianxin."
"A wanderer, Su Bai."
Su Bai returned the gesture of respect.
’This old Daoist’s robes are plain, but his strength is impressive—a cut above that old eunuch, at the very least. He’s only two minor Realms below that Green-robed Official.’
"Su Bai?"
The Linjiang Daoist thought for a moment but couldn’t recall anyone by that name in the Martial Arts Realm of the Desolate Province.
He silently committed the name to memory.
"I am Cui Yanliang, a disciple of the Gui Chen Sect," the old Daoist chimed in eagerly.
"Luo Qingyue, a disciple of the Celestial Blade Sect!" the blade-wielding woman added, also cupping her hands.
"ARF! ARF!"
The Silver-White Dog Demon chimed in with a yip.
"Oh."
The Linjiang Daoist looked at the two people and one dog and gave a slow, unhurried nod.
The old Daoist, Cui Yanliang, wasn’t bothered by his cold expression. He’d seen plenty of similar reactions over the past few decades.
His eyes darted about for a moment before he asked,
"Might I ask, senior, who exactly was that great personage you mentioned?"
’Immortal and indestructible! Isn’t that the very pinnacle of the Martial Dao?’
"That great personage..."
As the Linjiang Daoist pondered, a look of confusion, even pain, crossed his face.
Then, he shook his head. "Perhaps it was too long ago. I can’t clearly recall who that great personage was."
And so, he turned to the Little Daoist Child beside him.
"Nianxin, you’ve read all the ancient texts of our Daoist Sect. Do you remember who that great personage was?"
Golden Radiance Mountain was no Minor Sect. With its long history, it housed a vast collection of texts, many of them ancient. Surely, this event was recorded.
And the very first task for any novice Daoist Child was to read through the entire collection.
This disciple of his had been exceptionally bright since he was a boy and had passed this trial in less than half a year.
But at this moment, the Nianxin Daoist Child opened his mouth to speak, then stopped. It was as if he’d been called on by a teacher for a surprise quiz; his mind went completely blank.
His gaze darting away, he mumbled,
"Um... Master..."
"I... I can’t remember..."
The Little Daoist Child’s face flushed red with shame.
"Hmph! You haven’t been studying diligently enough! When we get back, I’m punishing you by making you copy the ancient texts one hundred times!"
"Huh?"
The Little Daoist Child’s face fell, and he replied with the air of one who had lost all will to live, "Yes, Master."
He was puzzled. ’How could I have forgotten about this?’ He was naturally gifted and possessed a photographic memory. He remembered everything he saw and mastered everything he learned. Never before had he been utterly unable to recall something, no matter how hard he tried.
"Sir! Your horse meat..."
Just then, the waiter came over carrying the food and wine, a warm smile on his face.
"This meal is all yours, Daoist," Su Bai said casually, glancing at the food and wine placed beside him, from which the aroma of alcohol was wafting.
The old Daoist, Cui Yanliang, also felt his stomach turn. He seemed to have guessed what the "horse meat" really was.
"I have urgent business to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave."
"Farewell," the Linjiang Daoist said with a smile.
The three of them and the dog turned to leave. They had just stepped out of the inn when they heard a horse neighing.
NEIGH—
Inside the stable, the enormous horse was thrashing wildly, slamming its body against the enclosure.
The earlier thunder and lightning had scared many of the horses into soiling themselves. Seeing the screaming horse writhing amidst the filth made the old Daoist Cui Yanliang’s face turn green, and he nearly gagged.
Su Bai glanced over and was just about to raise his right hand when he heard the Linjiang Daoist call out from inside,
"Fellow Daoist, wait!"
"If you trust me, leave these matters to me. At least I won’t let them die an unjust death."
Upon hearing the old Daoist’s words, the stable immediately fell silent.
"Then I’ll leave it to you, Daoist."
Su Bai was happy to save himself the trouble. He glanced one last time at the stable, then turned and walked away.
They had gone no more than a few hundred yards.
When they turned back to look, the Yinfu Store had already vanished into the boundless night.
As if it had never been there at all.