Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 617 - 558 Cease Fire

Jin Wusuan gave a wretched smile and said, "Dependent on the Micro Light Talismans distributed by the Cultivators, we walked uphill along the slope and finally reached the mountaintop, but the two Cultivators suddenly stopped.

"One Monk knelt on the ground and chanted Zen scriptures with a face full of compassion. Everyone’s bodies instantly stiffened, unable to move. Meanwhile, the other, a young Daoist, with tears streaming down his face, used a Dagger to cut the palm of each person, allowing the blood to drip onto the soil of the mountaintop.

"Accompanied by the young Daoist’s chanting, the blood seeped into the soil, evaporated into misty clouds, and emitted a sickly sweet smell. A blood cloud formed high in the sky.

"The village chief was terrified and, with the only movable part of his body, his mouth, he asked the two Cultivators what they were doing.

"The reply, however, was their apologies.

"After a long time, the wind picked up. A shadow that blotted out the sun surged from the horizon. The tide of demons that had left during the day returned, its target aimed at the blood cloud.

"The Monk among them repented to us and apologized, explaining the cause of the Demon Calamity he knew of—his master was in the group seeking the Secret Treasure for the Emperor of Yu at that time.

"The Monk wanted to stay put, but the young Daoist forcibly dragged him away. Thus, only the villagers remained atop the mountain.

"At that time, I didn’t understand what was happening, only feeling unimaginable fear as the Demon Tide approached.

"Everyone was crying: my parents, my brothers and sisters, my childhood sweetheart."

Jin Wusuan paused and said hoarsely, "If only I had also died there, it might have been much easier. Unfortunately, I didn’t die.

"The stones under my feet suddenly loosened, and I tumbled down the hillside; the stiffening effect on my body dissipated as well.

"When I woke up from unconsciousness, it was already daylight.

"I stumbled and crawled up to the mountaintop, injured all over, only to see bloodstains, leftover scraps, soaked and tattered clothes, and hair from someone unknown.

"The demons had already left."

Jin Wusuan’s eyes grew more vacant, as if he was narrating an incident that wasn’t about himself. "I sat on the bloody mountaintop in despair, like a walking corpse.

"I very much wanted to die or pick up a stick to seek revenge for the Demon Calamity. But I didn’t have the courage.

"I descended the mountain, and the village had been destroyed by the passing Demon Calamity, buried under the rocks caused by the collapsing mountainside.

"I had no choice but to head toward the city that I remembered. Along the way, I saw villages that had been slaughtered by demons. Finally, in a pile of dismembered corpses, I heard the cries of a child."

Housekeeper Jin by his side looked deeply shaken, and trembling, he said, "Eldest Son..."

"That’s right, that’s how I pulled you out of the pile of corpses." Jin Wusuan nodded slowly and said, "I took you on a long trek through forests, and after two days and nights, we arrived outside Kunzhou City.

"I thought that this city, too, would be destroyed by countless demons. The reality, however, was the opposite of what I had imagined.

"According to a passerby, an older man, three days prior, Kunzhou City had been attacked by the Demon Calamity.

"All the Cultivators in Lingnan Road of Yu Country, whether they were from the garrison, the Academic Palace, various academies, or patriotic civilians, were gathered in Kunzhou City, determined to fend off the Demon Calamity at the city’s gates, to prevent the demons from invading the heartland of Yu Country.

"The battle was fierce. Numerous demons attacked Kunzhou City, and many Magic Masters were drained to death while releasing Array barriers.

"Hundreds of Martial Artists, armed to the teeth, leaped off the city walls. They cut a bloody path through the demons and killed the largest toad-like demon beast, which spewed acid rain that corroded the city walls.

"The two sides were at a stalemate around Kunzhou City for several hours. Many Candle Cloud Cultivators from as far away as Chang’an rushed over to support.

"However, the number of demons seemed endless, no matter how many were killed. There were even strange demons that stealthily assassinated a few Candle Cloud Cultivators.

"The situation grew worse, until midnight, when a large number of demons suddenly stopped and turned to head west. That is, towards my village."

...

The hall was dead silent. Ji Linglang hesitantly said, "Manager Jin, the two Cultivators in the story, could it be..."

"The Monk, the Daoist, the heroes who saved Kunzhou City thirty-three years ago," Jin Wusuan said calmly. "Tiantai Mountain, Jianquan. Lu Li Academy, Lu Qingya."

"Slander!"

A Doctor from Lu Li Academy stepped forward, his face somber, and said, "Who doesn’t know that back then, it was Mr. Qingya and Jianquan Monk who stepped forward, turned the tide, and lured away the Demon Calamity, preventing the demons from breaking into Kunzhou City?"

Jin Wusuan shook his head with a rueful laugh. "Back then, Lu Qingya and Jianquan were just two Cloud Patrol Realm cultivators.

"Though both were geniuses and not far from the Candle Cloud Realm, the fully materialized Demon Calamity was something that not even so many Candle Cloud Cultivators of Yu Country could resolve. Do you really think that just the two of them could lure away the demons?"

"Do you have any proof?" another Doctor from Lu Li Academy asked. "After that incident, Mr. Qingya and Jianquan Monk were praised unanimously by Yu Country, lauded by the Academic Palace, and rewarded by the former Emperor.

"Even the Haotian Taoist Sect invited them to Taihao Mountain.

"If what you are saying is true, how could no one have discovered it?"

Jin Wusuan shook his head and said, "According to my subsequent investigations, Jianquan Monk and Lu Qingya had used some kind of Evil Technique at that time, creating an illusion of an abundance of Blood Meal at a certain location through the blood cloud of ordinary people, thus attracting and luring away some of the demons.

"This kind of Evil Technique would leave a persistent trace at the site of activation. The Academic Palace and garrison would have easily found out with some investigation.

"But they wouldn’t publish the results. They would only cover up and archive the incident.

"The cause of the Demon Calamity was very confidential, so only a select few were aware of it.

"If the investigation continued and revealed the actions of Jianquan Monk and Lu Qingya, it would inevitably draw out the cause of the Demon Calamity.

"That would have shaken the Emperor’s authority and the political situation that was just starting to calm down from the era of the Holy Empress’s rule.

"Neither the court, the Academic Palace, nor the garrison wanted to see that happen.

"Thus, the garrison kept silent, and the Academic Palace said nothing.

"Taihao Mountain, vaguely aware of certain details but lacking evidence, also went with the flow to reassure the devastated citizenry and acknowledged the heroic deeds of Jianquan Monk and Lu Qingya in averting disaster.

"All parties were pleased.

"Except for me."