Yin Na was not sure if he should be impressed or not. Wang Jin Lian’s amorous wink was unnoticed by all, as it was cast towards him with the expert directness and secretiveness of a ninja messenger towards only Yin Na.
“Has she noticed that I am a Demonic cultivator, or is she just naturally talented in the Dao of Benefits?”
Yin Na’s Chosenism was a guard and determiner for all his words and actions.
“Yes, food, drink and bed,” said Wang Jin Lian innocently, as if the wink was never done in the first place. “Or…anything else.”
Yin Na ignored Wang Jin Lian, and turned to Wang Jian Jun: “I heard that one of your sons is currently within the Purple Robe Sect.”
Wang Jian Jun’s eyes lit up with pride. “Yes, our eldest Hu Tian is currently an initiate of the Purple Robe Sect. He shows an affinity for gong fu, though does not possess as much talent as Song Ying Jie, I confess.”
“Not true,” Song Ying Jie said with modesty, cupping his hands.
“An initiate,” said Yin Na. “Very good. Has the Purple Robe Sect granted Wang Hu Tian the privilege of using any manuals?”
“Manuals?” Wang Jian Jun said. “Ah, if it’s manuals the Daoist is looking for…wait, what could you be needing manuals for, sir Daoist?”
The mortal definition of a “Daoist” is the mere reflection of an average Cultivator within the higher, cultivation world. This means that according to the Jiang Hu, a Daoist should by default know plenty of mystical skills and techniques inaccessible to common martial artists. For Wayseeker Crow to request looking at martial art manuals was like a Cultivator asking for silver coins instead of spirit stones.
“I enjoy skimming them out of intellectual curiosity,” said Yin Na. “Song Ying Jie has lent me a couple of his manuals for me to skim.”
“Oh, in that case,” said Wang Jian Jun. “I can see if I can send a messenger to Hu Tian if he could bring anything for the Daoist’s reading next time he visits, but… I’m into recreational martial arts myself, I have some rudimentary manuals, would that suffice?”
Wang Jian Jun was willing to please Yin Na by any means he could provide.
“Yes, one can learn much from brushing over the basics,” said Yin Na. In reality, he knew zero mortal martial arts, he hadn’t even finished reading the 6 Zodiac Manual that he was currently borrowing from Grandma Peng Ling!
“I’ll simply be skimming them for my nightly reading,” said Yin Na. “I’ll return them quickly.”
“No, no, take your time! Like you said, brushing over basics is a good thing,” Wang Jian Jun said nervously.
Yin Na smiled beneath his face mask. “Not bad. In acknowledgement of how kindly the Wang Family is treating me, I believe I can take it easy on the inconvenience fee. The current rate will now be 25 silver coins a day.”
If one knew Yin Na personally, then 25 Silver coins instead of 30 seemed insanely generous.
However, for a peasant family 25 silver coins daily was still a debilitating price to pay for a mere Daoist divination. But seeing that they’ve taken it this far, it was too late for the Wang family to turn back. It’s hard to jump off the back of a tiger once you commit to riding one!
But why was Yin Na wasting his time here? The few silver coins he’d gain from leeching off the Wang Family would mean nothing compared to the eventual goal of rebuilding his wealth of Spirit Stones in the future. Originally he was supposed to head into Spring Wind Village and, if not regroup with Mao Shiqi and the Spicy Oil Boar, at least plunder the treasure from the Bear Yao Guai cave.
The reason was because, supposing that Yin Na’s companions were absent from his destination, he’d have to deal with the Bear Yao Guai itself if the treasure was intact.
Yin Na did have a vast reserve amount of qi from the 1,000-year spirit sap that he drank, which was ready to dispatch towards breaking through his meridians, but he lacked the martial arts knowledge on acquiring the proper path. He could not just recklessly open meridians by feel.
If Yin Na were a body cultivator in the past, perhaps he’d have a far more solid grasp and foundation in the acquisition of meridians, but the knowledge of the proper development as well as most optimal set of meridians to unlock was something limited to him right now.
His earlier opening of two meridians was out of desperation to defend against Song Ying Jie’s attacks during their first encounter. He also lacked martial talent and skills overall, and would rather have a companion like Song Ying Jie to function, if not as a protector, then a meat shield.
He needed to absorb as much as he could from martial art manuals, which he originally intended to obtain through economic force: by using the huge supply of silver taels he’d extorted from the unfortunate individuals he met along his journey. But if he was able to obtain knowledge from manuals for free or with little exchange, he would take the opportunity when presented.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Within the time it took an incense stick to burn, Yin Na was given a martial art manual by Wang Jian Jun’s youngest son, Bo Jing, who grudgingly handed him a book entitled “Taiji Sword.”
Yin Na paid little heed to Wang Bo Jing’s jealous displeasure as he perused the pages, and inferred that this was not the authentic Taiji Sword technique passed down from true followers of the Wudang Sect, but simply a diluted, almost civilian version of the legendary Daoist sect’s techniques for the single sword.
“Nevertheless, this will be good for establishing a fundamental tactile understanding and familiarity with a single sword using nothing else but my body,” thought Yin Na. “I will balance my reading of the manual 6 Zodiacs animal form that Grandma Peng Ling lent me with this false Tai Chi Sword technique.”
For the first three days, Yin Na immediately started each day with collecting his payment. He spent the day seemingly in idle observation or personal activity in the Wang family. He would occasionally venture outside of the village, on some make-believe "errand." When alone in the Wang family house he could be found meditating, or simply pacing around the family yard. When Song Ying Jie visited, he’d be following Song Ying Jie around, and watching his interactions with Wang Jin Lian. Before sleeping every night, he went over to Grandma Peng Ling to see if he could extract another martial manual from her, but she was able to tactfully refuse everytime. Yin Na’s reading of 6 Zodiac form required much more time than Jumping Across Clouds, as it held six animal style gong fu forms which demanded his full attention. He thought he could split his studying between bare-fisted gong fu and single-sword weapons, but he realized that it was not an efficient way to multitask his learning.
Wang Jin Lian did not attempt to seduce Yin Na during the past three nights, but on the fourth, they shared a private conversation for the first time.
Yin Na was skimming the contents of Tai Chi Sword. He dismissed the passages that appeared like empty filler poetry, while his mind filled in the blanks which were not fully described within the abridged, simplified content.
“Sir Daoist,” Wang Jin Lian said through the door.
“Yes,” Yin Na spoke calmly and sentiously, like an omniscient Daoist expecting her visit all along.
“Sir Daoist…may I inquire as to how much longer do you think the divination will take to get ready?”
Four days have allotted, Yin Na had collected one hundred silver coins from the family, which was pocket change in comparison to his silver taels. Unknown to everyone in the village, Yin Na was still getting parcels of silver taels being delivered to him regularly, which he intercepted in private and immediately hid along with his one horse on the far reaches of the forest.
One hundred silver coins was pricey, and even though it was less than what Wang Jin Lian initially offered in show as a price for the divination at first, the prospect of losing more silver coins due to Daoist Wayseeker Crow’s inaction was beginning to put pressure on the Wang Family.
“Who should take action first but Wang Jin Lian?” thought Yin Na, as he remained seated with his back turned to the door.
He could hear the slow rustle of her clothes as she took them off from her shoulders and waist, and the sound of them hitting the floor as she walked towards him.
“Stop right there.” Yin Na said. His command was filled with killing intent, as he put the Taichi Sword manual down slowly on the floor beside him.
“...” Wang Jin Lian made no response.
Yin Na said cautiously, “Do I know you?”
Yin Na was referring to Chosenism. If this was an assassination attempt, was Wang Jin Lian a reincarnated enemy that he killed in the future that came to deliver the fatal blow now?
“You know my husband-to-be,” Wang Jin Lian said, her voice hot and nervous. “You know my ambition, sir Daoist.”
Yin Na’s mind made a hundred rapid thoughts. He then said:
“Does your ambition include betraying your husband?”
“Song Ying Jie loves me, and I love him. He understands that I would do anything to benefit our future son.”
Yin Na was deathly silent. Then he asked, “Even if the son will not be his?”
Wang Jin Lian was silent as well, until she giggled sweetly. “Oh, sir Crow, if I have a son with you, he might turn out to be a cripple too! But he will at least be under your protection, and have a higher chance of climbing the Purple Robe Sect, or maybe even be inducted into a more famed, better sect!”
Yin Na nodded. He sighed, expelling turbid air from his lungs.
Then he turned to face Wang Jin Lian.
“I’m keeping on the mask,” he said.
----------------------------------------
“The price is now 22 silver,” said Yin Na to Wang Jiang Jun the next morning. He handed the Wang family head the Taichi Sword manual back as he said this, as if the reason for his inexplicable deduction of the price was because he appreciated the contents of what he read last night.
But in actuality, it was because of his youngest daughter, Wang Jin Lian’s… “gesture” last night.
Wang Jin Lian showed great foresight and willpower, which was very unlike a low class peasant of the Southern regions. Instead of getting insulted by Yin Na’s deduction (implying that sleeping with Wang Jin Lian only costed 3 silver coins), she showed no change in her daily expressions or emotions. She went and took the initiative to sleep with Yin Na to not only reduce the burden of the cost on her family, but for another more profound reason.
She had great foresight because she was able to infer Wayseeker Crow’s projected ethos: that of a corrupt, demonic martial artist! She understood that to gain the favor of someone with such power in the Jiang Hu was an effective way to safeguard her progeny’s future, especially if her family was going to be born and raised within the world of martial artists. Who cares if that person had demonic tendencies- as long as they were powerful then their blessing and protection was invaluable!
It was just a shame that Wang Jin Lian was not aware of Chosenism.
Yin Na had finally concluded that she was a mere mortal villager after all. How could she have the knowledge or vigilance of martial artists or Cultivators adopting secret disguises all the time? Wayseeker Crow was simply a false identity of Yin Na, who could not care less about fathering a child with Wang Jin Lian.
With the passing of four nights, Yin Na learned everything he needed about Song Ying Jie’s in-laws.
“Hehehe, it’s time to set you free, Song Ying Jie.”
Yin Na therefore made his decision to kill Wang Jin Lian, as well as the entire Wang family.