Chapter 24: Looking Back at Sealing the Demons, Aiming for the Divine Gate

When a person becomes very famous, they inevitably face many unnecessary troubles. The most thorough way to get rid of these troubles is “death.” (Gu Long)
……
Liu Yi waved his folding fan, finally feeling relieved. The Ninth Princess was now being escorted by the Wolf King to Miaojiang. The task at hand was simple: rush to Miaojiang and join them.
When they took breaks, Shi Jieyi would prepare food, while Liu Yi practiced the secret technique “Hidden Spin Nine Shadows.” Though he didn’t know its origin, Liu Yi found it extremely useful. With this technique and the “Jade Flower Finger,” he might not become a great hero, but at least he wouldn’t die easily. Of course, during this time, practicing that damned internal alchemy technique was unavoidable.
Shi Jieyi was also a very responsible cook. Whenever Liu Yi practiced, he would bring back delicious roasted game, and Liu Yi would often give up practicing because of these tempting foods…
After traveling back and forth for several days, they returned to Sealing the Demons Town. When Liu Yi and Shi Jieyi entered the town again, they no longer felt any strangeness—it seemed to have returned to its normal state.
Liu Yi glanced at the sun and said, “Let’s go greet Uncle Wine first, then buy two fast horses in town to continue our journey.”
Shi Jieyi had no objections and nodded. The two headed toward Uncle Wine’s house…
Uncle Wine was as usual, lying in a tattered armchair, sipping from a wine pot.
Liu Yi stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Uncle Wine, it’s been days since we last saw each other. You still enjoy life just as much as before.”
Uncle Wine opened his eyes, saw it was Liu Yi, and immediately sat up. “Young master, you’re back! The town has been peaceful these past few days. There have been no more black bear demons or fox demons. Did you kill them?”
Shi Jieyi patted his chest and said, “Of course! Otherwise, how could we have returned?”
Uncle Wine quickly went inside and brought out two stools for Liu Yi and Shi Jieyi to sit on. After taking a sip of his wine, he said, “Young masters, you truly have great skills. You’ve rid our Sealing the Demons Town of great threats. Thank you so much! Now everyone should have a peaceful life for a while.”
Liu Yi waved his fan and asked puzzledly, “The demons are dead. Why does Uncle Wine say we’ll only have a peaceful life for a while?”
Uncle Wine shook his head and sighed. “Young master, you don’t know the full story. Sealing the Demons Town has always been a place of disasters. A hundred years ago, a sage suppressed a large number of demons in the wasteland five miles outside the town. But in recent decades, these demons have broken free and come to the town at night to eat people.”
Liu Yi was shocked. “How could that sage be so careless as to suppress the demons right next to the town?”
Uncle Wine shook his head. “We can’t blame that sage. Back then, the town had few inhabitants, so who could have predicted what would happen? The sage left a message: if the demons broke free after a hundred years, someone should go to the Divine Gate in Kunlun to find something to suppress them.”
Liu Yi asked, “And what happened after that?”

Uncle Jiu took a sip of wine and continued, “Until twelve years ago, someone discovered rotting corpses in the town. Although everyone tried their best to drive them away, there were simply too many. Later, zombies joined in, causing even greater panic among the townspeople. But after two demons appeared, those evil creatures calmed down.”
Uncle Jiu took another sip and said, “Now that the young hero has killed those two demons, I think those evil things will appear again soon…”
Liu Yi pressed on, “Uncle Jiu, haven’t you sent anyone to Shenmen to find a magical artifact that can suppress those evil creatures?”
Uncle Jiu replied, “We did. When things started to seem wrong twelve years ago, we sent people there, but after twelve years, there’s still no news at all.”
Liu Yi asked, “So you haven’t sent anyone else?”
Uncle Jiu shook his head. “If the person sent there has gone missing, something must have happened. How could the villagers dare to go out?”
Shi Jie wiped his fist and said, “Eleven will help you deal with those monsters.”
Uncle Jiu shook his head. “These evil creatures are different from those two demons. Though not as powerful as demons, their numbers are countless. If it weren’t for me sounding alarmist, the young hero would still be exhausted trying to kill them all.”
Uncle Jiu paused before continuing, “Since the town can’t send anyone out, and since the young hero is so kind, I’m willing to ask you to go to Shenmen and bring back that magical artifact that can subdue demons, to rid Fengmo Town of these threats.” With that, he even stood up as if to kneel.
Liu Yi quickly stood up to support Uncle Jiu, saying, “Uncle Jiu, why are you doing this? Get up quickly. I agree. As soon as I finish my business, I’ll go to Shenmen and borrow that artifact.”
Uncle Jiu stood up and said, “The young hero truly has a kind heart. Good people will surely be rewarded.”
Liu Yi replied, “You flatter me, Uncle Jiu. I have matters to attend to in Miaojiang right now, but once I’m done, I’ll definitely go to Shenmen.”
Uncle Jiu nodded with a smile. “Good boy, go ahead. There are many horses at the inn ahead. Choose two for yourselves. I don’t have much to give you, but here’s a piece of jade. Please accept it.”
Liu Yi didn’t even look at it and shook his head firmly. “Uncle Jiu, you underestimate me. Am I the kind of person who only cares about money?”
Uncle Jiu shook his head. “Good boy, this jade isn’t very valuable, and it’s only half the size of a complete piece. Consider it a memento. If you refuse it, it means you disdain me, Uncle Jiu.”
Liu Yi glanced at the jade in Uncle Jiu’s hand. It was blood-red in color, about one-fourth the size of a complete jade piece, with a light green human head carved on it. It wasn’t exactly a human head, but it resembled one greatly, looking quite unique…
Liu Yi nodded and said, “Since you insist, I’ll accept it.” With that, he took the peculiar red jade.
Uncle Jiu continued, “There’s also a very mysterious legend about this jade…”
Liu Yi’s interest was piqued again. It seemed he wasn’t in as much hurry to head to Miaojiang; he still had time to listen to a story.
Uncle Jiu asked the two of them to sit down, then sat himself as well and took a sip of wine. “Child, wear that jade around your neck first. It’s meant to be worn close to the body.”

Liu Yi nodded and hung the red jade from the red rope around his neck. Instantly, he felt a sense of relief and coolness, as if he had become much more energetic. Liu Yi looked at Uncle Jiu in surprise and said, “This…”
Uncle Jiu replied, “This is just one of its wonders. Legend has it that this jade was originally one piece, but for some unknown reason, it split into four parts. I only have one of them here. So, you need to be careful and look for the other parts. Once you find another piece, just place it beneath yours, and they will merge automatically. When all four pieces are found, they will combine into a complete jade.”
After taking a short rest and drinking some wine, Uncle Jiu continued, “Of course, the old man doesn’t know what effects the complete jade will have. But from decades of experience, this jade is definitely nothing ordinary.”
Liu Yi quickly said, “Uncle Jiu, your gift is too precious. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude…”
Uncle Jiu sighed and said, “You’ve done so much for Fengmo Town. This is all I can give you. It makes the old man feel uneasy.”
Liu Yi shook his head and said, “This is what any passionate man should do. Uncle Jiu, you’re praising me… I should go now. Once I finish my tasks, I’ll definitely visit Shenmen to borrow some treasures to help Fengmo Town get rid of its threats.”
Uncle Jiu nodded and took a sip of wine. “Go, child. Uncle Jiu will wait for your return.”
Liu Yi said nothing and turned toward the inn across the way…
A gust of wind blew, and Uncle Jiu disappeared. In his place appeared a general wearing black armor and carrying a long sword. His black cloak flapped in the wind. Under the strong sunlight, it was impossible to see the general’s face. Only his sigh could be heard: “Wei Lingfeng, you shouldn’t have died twenty years ago. Perhaps this is fate—using your life to create Liu Yi twenty years later. I only hope you don’t get too close to Leng Jian… Eh…”