Observing Wanfa from the martial arts school servants

Chapter 83 Questioning the Heart

Wen Haoran put the bamboo slip back into his sleeve, turned his head, and said gently to Yue'er and the three guards behind him, "I have a few words to say to Young Master Lin. You may leave now."

Upon hearing this, Yue'er stomped her foot in dissatisfaction. Seeing Wen Haoran's serious expression, she pouted and backed away.

The three guards silently bowed and retreated to the other side of the crenellations, turning their backs to the city and standing in a row.

Only the two of them remained at one corner of the city wall.

"Lin Mu," Wen Haoran tapped the bamboo slip lightly in his palm, looking at him calmly, "I cultivate the Righteous Qi, and there is a path called 'Questioning the Heart'."

"I examine myself three times a day, questioning my true self, and I can also examine others."

"Yesterday you said that the dark gold pattern on the arena was a beast pattern."

"He wasn't telling the truth."

Lin Mu's expression hardened, his hands hanging at his sides, his fingertips slightly tucking half an inch towards his palm.

"I've heard a little about the entanglements between Yan Hua, you, and Zou Wanruo."

"What I want to ask is, did Zou Wanruo teach you the Body Tempering Technique?"

Lin Mu assumed a defensive stance, ready to make a move at any moment.

A person skilled in literature and the Way may not be his match in close combat.

"You don't need to be nervous." Wen Haoran tucked the bamboo slip half an inch into his sleeve. "It's just that an elder in the family is concerned about this matter, that's all."

"No," Lin Mu said.

Wen Haoran stared at him for a moment, then nodded slightly.

A glint of gold flashed in his eyes, and he knew whether Lin Mu was lying or not.

Perhaps in response to the unreasonable inquiry, Wen Haoran reminded him, "Be careful of Yan Hua."

"Although the Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline has nine lives, it has already died twice. Each time it is resurrected, its demonic nature deepens. After being resurrected twice, it is basically impossible to suppress it."

Even the Xuanmen sect has given up on him.

"But he still retains consciousness and might come seeking revenge."

When Wen Haoran said this, his eyes remained clear.

Lin Mu was unsure of Wen Haoran's character. Was he an honest and upright gentleman, or did he have ulterior motives?

"Where is he?" Lin Mu decided to probe.

"I can't say that, after all, we both belong to the demon race."

When Wen Haoran spoke, his eyes were clear, and he looked directly at Lin Mu.

At this moment, Yue'er got impatient and ran back with the candied hawthorn jar in her arms. Seeing that he was still talking to Lin Mu, she pouted and tugged at Wen Haoran's sleeve.

"Brother Haoran, come with me to explore the area. I've never been to Heyuan before."

"And why are you wasting so much time talking to him?"

"He's just a Transformation Realm martial artist. If you really need guards, I'll have my dad provide you with ten or eight, each of them at the peak of the Transformation Realm."

She rolled her eyes at Lin Mu, clearly resentful that Lin Mu had wasted Wen Haoran's time with her.

The three guards turned around and followed, nodding as well. As fellow martial artists, they seemed to agree that Yue'er was right.

Some ideas are already deeply ingrained.

Lin Mu then asked the Zhao and Quan families to search for news of Yan Hua, but they never received any news.

For the next two days, a pure white glow would appear three times a day on time above the city wall of Heyuan County.

Once in the early morning, once at noon, and once at night.

Wen Haoran always stood in the very center of the crenellation, holding the bamboo slip in his right hand and pressing the bamboo surface with his left.

The light poured down silently, overflowing the city walls and the moat, burning the monsters climbing below the city to ashes.

The soldiers guarding the city, who had initially cheered and jumped for joy, gradually turned into leaning against the battlements, eating melon seeds and watching the show.

The monster arrived, but Wen Haoran raised his hand and it disappeared. Time to call it a day.

Some people privately remarked that it was just like catching caterpillars in their own vegetable garden.

Every day, Lin Mu would also go up to the city wall, stand in front of the crenellations, and watch those dark gold patterns shatter, peel off, and turn to ashes in the aura of power. Then, he would twitch his lips, give Bai Wenhao a resentful look, and leave.

What a coincidence that someone's trying to profit from someone's family's misfortune!

However, he hasn't been idle these past two days.

The side effects of the Candle Dragon Mark are getting worse every day.

Every night, the charcoal fire in my dantian begins to burn, spreading from my meridians all the way to my cheeks.

The blurry faces of the girls from the Drunken Red Mansion surged in his mind, as did Su He's back as she combed her hair, and even the shadow on the neckline of the waitress's collar as she bent down to pour tea.

He gritted his teeth, scooped up cold water from the well, and poured bucket after bucket over his head until his clothes were soaked, until his skin turned white from the cold water, and until the trapped beast in his dantian finally calmed down temporarily.

He leaned against the well's edge, panting heavily. Water dripped from his hair into the well, creating ripples in the moonlight.

The aftereffects were more severe than he had anticipated.

If just two marks are enough, how do those great demons who are born with primordial marks control their demonic nature?

When monsters use the Origin Mark, will they also suffer the same backlash?

Or perhaps they don't even have the concept of "suppression," and are simply shells driven by demonic nature?

He suddenly remembered what Wen Haoran had said on the city wall.

After losing two lives, Yan Hua's demonic nature revived, and even the Xuanmen sect decided to abandon him.

Both are great snake demons, and both are side effects of the primordial mark.

Will Yan Hua's condition be similar to the aftereffects he is experiencing now?

If it were the same type of symptom, where would Yan Hua be hiding?

Snakes are inherently lustful, and Jiuying is inherently bloodthirsty and manic. If Yan Hua's consciousness is clouded, he may very well act according to his demonic nature.

The place that can best satisfy him must be the Drunken Dream Pavilion!

Lin Mu put on his outer robe, pushed open the courtyard gate, and walked towards the Drunken Red Pavilion.

The red lanterns under the eaves of the Drunken Red Pavilion are still dazzlingly bright.

The madam was leaning against the door frame cracking melon seeds when she saw Lin Mu walking over, and the melon seed shells fell to the ground through her fingers.

Wu Xiucai's identity was already well-known in Heyuan County. Her wrinkled face instantly blossomed into a wide smile as she eagerly stepped forward to lift the curtain for him.

"Oh my, Young Master Lin! What brings you here? Ladies, Young Master Lin is here!"

Lin Mu said he was looking for Su He.

The madam paused for a moment, then looked embarrassed and said that Su He was currently entertaining a customer.

But then he patted his chest and said, "Young Master Lin is here; we must bring her here no matter what."

Lin Mu nodded.

When Su He arrived, her temples were slightly disheveled, and her face still had a flush that hadn't faded, clearly indicating that she had been forcibly dragged out of another room by the madam.

Her eyes lit up when she saw Lin Mu.

"Young Master Lin." She sat down on the edge of the bed, her hands folded on her knees, her tone as calm as if he had never left.

Lin Mu turned his head and glanced at her.

The heat from the Candle Dragon Mark was still faintly burning in his dantian.

He suppressed the restless energy within him and asked, "Has anything interesting happened in the building lately?"

Su He thought for a moment and said that Chunlan had learned to play the pipa, but she played it terribly.

The madam tripped and hurt her back a few days ago;

Qiuju continued to entertain guests even after her period ended.

......

Lin Mu listened quietly, the candlelight flickering gently between the two of them, casting his shadow on the wall, which stretched and shortened.

"Any special guests?" Seeing that Su He's answer was off-topic, he gently tapped the railing and asked.

Su He remained silent for a moment.

"There is none in Drunken Red Mansion."

"But there's a strange customer at the Drunken Spring Pavilion in town."

"He's very generous with his money, and his demand is enormous; he could easily handle nine women a night."

Lin Mu's brow twitched upon hearing this.