Chapter Two: The Mighty Ghost and Deity

Early the next morning, Kou Li opened the doors and windows, allowing the howling, biting wind to rush inside. Zhu Xiaojun was already waiting at the entrance.

"Master," Zhu Xiaojun said respectfully.

No one had expected that Master Zhu would ultimately refuse the old eunuch's terms. Instead, he had implored Kou Li to take his grandson as an apprentice. As a seasoned veteran of the martial arts world, he could naturally perceive the immense potential within such a young master of internal boxing. For his own reasons, Kou Li did not refuse immediately; instead, following the tradition of his own master, Lin Xian, he accepted him as a registered disciple. Having witnessed Kou Li’s prowess, Zhu Xiaojun was wholeheartedly convinced and served him with great diligence.

"Master, that Eunuch Li is here to see you."

The old eunuch? That man never came to visit unless he had a specific agenda. When Kou Li arrived in the main hall, he found the old eunuch accompanied by a dainty, adorable little girl with puffed-up cheeks. Her hair was styled in a double-bun held together by a lotus-petal hairpin, revealing a smooth, fair forehead. After a long moment, Kou Li realized this was the young princess from the Wa Kingdom.

"Why have you brought her here?" Kou Li felt a faint sense of foreboding.

As expected, the old eunuch chuckled, "By the Young Master's order, please look after her for a while, Master Kou. Once the Young Master’s grand undertaking is complete, she shall be retrieved."

"I refuse," Kou Li said flatly.

"The Young Master said she has gathered information regarding someone in your martial arts school. If you wish to know, you had best help. Your fellow apprentice is currently in a rather precarious situation," the old eunuch said with a sinister grin.

Kou Li’s mouth twitched. A moment later, the old eunuch left, and Princess Sakura remained.

She and Kou Li stared at each other for a long time until she suddenly pointed at Zhu Xiaojun. "That is my sword."

"No, this is Master's sword!" Zhu Xiaojun quickly asserted his claim, clutching the *Dojigiri Yasutsuna* tightly.

"It is my war trophy. When you can defeat me, this sword will be yours."

Princess Sakura thought about it, nodded in agreement, and said, "I believe what you say makes sense."

Then, to everyone’s shock, she knelt and performed a full kowtow, declaring loudly, "I beseech you to impart your exquisite swordsmanship to me. The day my training is complete shall be the day I take your head."

"..."

Kou Li’s mouth twitched for a long time before he managed to ask, "You want to learn my swordsmanship, just to kill me?"

"Rest assured, you are only second on my list of those to be killed. Moreover, out of gratitude for your instruction, I shall only take your head. As for that Phoenix Princess of the Central Plains, I am determined to hack her into ten thousand pieces!" Princess Sakura said through gritted teeth.

Kou Li actually agreed with her first target, but the second was utterly absurd. He wondered just how dim-witted he would have to be to take on such an apprentice. However, seeing the earnest look in her eyes, he realized she was simply single-minded. Not wanting to waste more breath, he said, "Zhu Xiaojun, you take her for now. By the way, what is your name?"

"In consideration of you being my master, you may call me by my Central Plains name: Zhu Ying'er."

"Sister Ying'er, come with me," Zhu Xiaojun said enthusiastically. Even though she had a strange temper, she was clearly a little beauty in the making.

"Audacious! How dare you call me by my name so casually? Very well, you are now third on my list of those to be killed."

"..."

Kou Li ignored the two children's training. Zhu Xiaojun had been personally schooled by his grandfather, so his foundation was solid—certainly enough to handle this Zhu Ying'er.

With a soft *shing*, Kou Li drew the *Dojigiri Yasutsuna*. Against the backdrop of the falling snow, the demon blade emitted an eerie blue glow, reflecting on his face like a phantom.

In truth, he faced a massive problem—not one of martial arts, but of the demonic path. Back in the Valley of Lost Souls, the immense death and slaughter, combined with the accumulated miasma of corpses, had birthed an awareness similar to a demon. Anything demonic could warp the terrain and kill without a trace. In his final moments there, he had been forced to use the "Past Seal" and "Future Seal" gleaned from the amber prayer beads, combined with the unique power of the Wordless Scroll, to forcibly consume this demonic consciousness as fuel for his dragon-form spirit.

Yet, this power was too vast. Beyond what was dissipated, the remainder was impossible to refine, nearly shattering his mind. Fortunately, at that critical moment, the Wordless Scroll worked a miracle, absorbing the excess energy. This time, he could clearly sense its presence in his *dantian*—the mysterious, missing blank scroll.

It was no longer blank. A line of text, resembling both fish and dragon, appeared—one Kou Li could somehow understand:

*"Sever the heart's attachments: private desires, schemes, petty calculations, and thoughts of harming others. Cast aside indulgence in wine, lust, wealth, and status, as well as envy, selfishness, and greed. Without external burdens, the body grows light; without internal stains, the heart grows light. When both are light and pure, delusions vanish, and the body and soul align. With constant vigilance, one’s true nature will eventually reveal itself, attaining the Supreme Way."*

Of course, there was more:

*"The Celestial Path, the Divine Path, the Human Path, the Hell Path, the Hungry Ghost Path, and the Animal Path all govern the lives of sentient beings. Be they fish, insects, birds, or beasts, if they fall into the Three Evils, Four Rebirths, or the various delusions and impurities, they shall suffer infinite retribution and fall into eternal darkness."*

Though these words flashed by in an instant, they were branded into Kou Li's mind. His only reaction was: the Wordless Scroll had leveled up!

The blank had become inscribed—was that not a level up? These two passages were contradictory; what did they represent? Was it progression or regression, righteousness or evil? Kou Li understood that this treasure was not as harmless as it seemed. Over the past few days, he had experienced inexplicable palpitations, as if something were trying to force its way out. The scroll hadn't destroyed the demonic presence from the valley; it had refined it into something else—a test.

Suddenly, his ears twitched. Within three feet behind him, he heard soft, rhythmic footsteps: *patter, patter, patter, patter.* It was hard to describe the sensation—it was sinister, seductive, and growing closer and closer...

"Master! Master!"

Kou Li snapped his eyes open to see Zhu Xiaojun looking at him with deep concern. In his own hand, the *Dojigiri Yasutsuna* was pointed downward, its blade hovering right over his own forehead, as if about to fall.

In the heavy snow and biting wind, he had actually fallen asleep?

Looking at the teetering blade, a chill raced down his spine. The demon blade was the same, but the feeling was different. The unique sensory perception granted by the Wordless Scroll had been enhanced once more—and this time, it was his perception of the outside world.