Stealing people's souls for cultivation was Heretical Cultivation. Everyone in the cultivation world had the right to punish this. Even the Heretical Cultivation of the Sixth Realm, Dongxuan, could not escape death, let alone a lowly constable like him.
Li Mu looked at Old Wang and said helplessly, "Can't you find a shortcut outside of the laws of the Great Zhou?"
Old Wang scratched his sparse head and said, "Let me guess. When you refined Concealed Arrow, Seizing Thief, or Filth Removal, did you discover that it wasn't as easy as refining Dead Dog and Sparrow Shade?"
Li Mu said in surprise, "How did you know?!"
Old Wang didn't know that he had lost all seven of his souls. What he needed to do now was to condense the soul and not refine it. But he guessed that this was more or less the predicament Li Mu was facing.
Old Wang chuckled and said, "Even if I haven't eaten pork, I've seen pigs run. Although I haven't cultivated, which one of you cultivators didn't do this? These years, the cultivators in the yamen come and go in waves. I've seen many of them. If you want to refine these three rebellious souls, there really is a shortcut outside of the law …"
Li Mu hurriedly asked, "What shortcut?"
Old Wang might not have cultivated, but he had lived long enough and seen many things. When it came to cultivation, he probably knew more than Li Qing.
"You can't steal people's souls, but can't you steal demons' souls?" Old Wang gave him a look and said, "Do you think that the disciples of the various Daoist sects who come into the world and slay demons and devils everywhere really have nothing better to do? After killing those demons, they can take their souls and refine them. Isn't that much faster than cultivating by themselves?"
What Old Wang said was a way to speed up cultivation, but in Li Mu's view, stealing demons' souls was not much different from stealing people's souls.
Li Mu shook his head and said, "People are divided into good and bad people. Demons are also divided into good and evil demons. What's the difference between people who kill demons and steal their souls for their own cultivation and demons who kill demons and steal their souls for their own cultivation?"
"I didn't ask you to kill good monsters …" Old Wang glanced at him and said: "You can go kill those evil monsters and take their souls. Not only can you get rid of evil for the people, you can also help your own cultivation, why not?"
Li Mu smiled and shook his head.
Old Wang said, "You don't want to take the shortcut anymore?"
Li Qing's warning appeared in Li Mu's mind. She said, "People's desires are endless. There is no Heretical Cultivation in this world. There are only cultivators who want to take the shortcut. Perhaps what they thought at the beginning was to kill evil demons and get rid of evil for the people while helping their own cultivation. But after getting used to this shortcut, they can no longer bear the normal speed of cultivation. Gradually, they reach out to demons who have never harmed people, and even humans. This is a path of no return …"
"You are still as stubborn as before." Old Wang shook his head and said with a sigh, "The path of cultivation is against heaven. Since you have embarked on this path, you have to adapt to the rules of this path …"
Li Mu asked, "What are the rules of this path?"
Old Wang grinned, "Big fish eat small fish, small fish eat shrimps, the weak are prey to the strong, that's all …"
…
Old Wang's words were not wrong. He had been in the county government for decades and had seen too many people and too many things. Naturally, Li Mu's knowledge was not comparable to his.
Li Mu remembered Li Qing's warning to him. If he only wanted to take the shortcut on the path of cultivation, he would only harm others and himself in the end.
He walked out of the duty room and saw Li Qing leaning against a pillar in the corridor with a sword in her hands.
Li Mu was stunned for a moment. "Boss …"
Li Qing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I was worried that you would go astray if you came in contact with the shortcut too early. Now it seems that my worries were unnecessary."
She looked at Li Mu and said, "Come with me."
Li Mu followed her into the duty room. Li Qing turned around and said, "Give me your hand."
Li Mu hesitated for a moment and then slowly reached out his hand.
Li Qing suddenly grasped his hand. Li Mu was confused, but he felt a pure power surging into his body from her palm.
After the power entered Li Mu's body, the anger in his body, which was as hard to refine as ice, melted in the next moment and completely disappeared into his body. This meant that the anger accumulated in his body had been completely refined.
Li Qing said softly, "Last time on the way back to the sect, I killed a centipede spirit that harmed the common people and extracted its spirit. The spirit is born of emotions, and the emotions fuse with the spirit. Many Taoist cultivators use this method to refine the Concealed Arrow, Seizing Thief, and Filth Removal, which are difficult to refine. But those with weak wills are likely to go astray. That's why I didn't tell you this …"
She looked at Li Mu and said, "There's nothing wrong with killing demons. As long as you can stay true to your heart and take some shortcuts in your cultivation, it's not a bad thing."
Li Mu finally understood Li Qing's good intentions. He smiled and said, "Boss, don't worry. I'll always remember what you said last time."
It was just a pity that the lizard spirit's body had been turned into charcoal by Li Mu's thunderbolt. The seven spirits had also dissipated at that moment.
"Li Mu …"
Zhang Shan walked in from outside and saw Li Mu and Li Qing holding hands. He was stunned for a moment, but his expression didn't change as he continued, "Li Mu, help me blow on my eyes. It seems like sand got into my eyes. I can't see anything now …"
The duty room was unusually quiet. It was not until Li Qing left that Zhang Shan quickly walked over and asked in shock, "Li Mu, what were you and boss doing just now?"
"Cultivating." Li Mu had already thought of an excuse. "Boss was helping me cultivate. Otherwise, you would have to collect my corpse in half a year."
Zhang Shan was overjoyed when he heard this and asked, "You're saved?"
Li Mu said, "There's hope."
"Great!" Zhang Shan rubbed his hands and said, "Why don't we have a bet to celebrate?"
Li Mu shook his head and said, "You go play with Old Wang. I still have something to do …"
Zhang Shan scratched his head and said in confusion, "You liked to gamble more than me a few days ago. Why have you changed now? Men are really fickle …"
Li Mu didn't want to gamble with him, and Zhang Shan didn't go to Old Wang. After all, he gambled to win, not to lose.
Li Mu walked out of the duty room and came to Old Wang again.
Old Wang was reading a book. He looked up and glanced at him and asked, "What's wrong? Have you thought it through? Do you want me to help you find out where the demons have been causing trouble recently?"
Li Mu shook his head and said, "No, I want to ask you about someone."
He remembered that when he parted with Su He last time, Su He asked him to help investigate a person. Li Mu wanted to ask Old Wang to help him investigate the household, but on second thought, Su He said that the man named Cui Ming had been the county magistrate of Yangqiu 20 years ago. Old Wang had been in the county government for more than 20 years, so he should have some impression of that county magistrate.
Old Wang asked faintly, "Who is it?"
Li Mu said, "Cui Ming. 20 years ago, he was the county magistrate of Yangqiu."
"20 years ago. That was a long, long time ago. Let me think …" Old Wang narrowed his eyes as if he was thinking. After a long time, just when Li Mu thought he had fallen asleep, Old Wang suddenly opened his eyes and said, "I remember now. There was a person called Cui Ming. However, he was only the county magistrate of Yangqiu for half a year before he was transferred away …"
Li Mu asked, "Where was he transferred to?"
Old Wang narrowed his eyes again and said uncertainly, "Jiujiang County, Yushan County, or Yuntai County. I can't remember. Anyway, he was promoted. I remember that he married the daughter of a county magistrate …"
Li Mu didn't know what the relationship between Su He and Cui Ming was, but he was originally helping her gather information. Now that he had found out, his mission was completed.
After bidding farewell to Old Wang, he was about to leave when Old Wang called out to him again.
Old Wang scratched his head and said, "Another two chickens from Zhang Village were bitten to death by something. Their blood was sucked dry. It should be the work of demons. Han Zhe asked for leave. Only Miss Qing is free in the county yamen. Why don't you go and investigate what's going on …"
Humans had shortcuts to cultivation, but so did demons.
They could increase their cultivation by sucking the blood essence of living creatures and refining the Blood Qi. However, demons that knew how to suck blood to cultivate were at least in the Embryonic Transformation Realm. Their intelligence was not much different from that of ordinary humans. They knew that sucking human blood to cultivate was a big taboo. Although their cultivation increased faster, they also died faster. The Great Zhou court had always been ruthless towards such demons.
They didn't dare to suck the blood of living people, so they could only suck the blood of domestic animals. This way, even if the people reported it, the yamen wouldn't pay too much attention to it.
Li Mu left the yamen and found Li Qing on the street. After explaining the case, the two of them left the county and headed for Zhang Village.
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