I am a fairy in Journey to the West

Inside Yuanqiao Cave, Huan Xu ordered his men to release his daughter-in-law, Bao Ru. Huan Yu wanted to go up and whip her again, but Huan Xu stopped him.

"Father, are you going to release this vile woman?" Huan Yu said angrily.

Huan Xu snatched the iron whip from Huan Yu's hand and threw it on the ground. Then he said to Huan Yu, "No matter what, she is the young mistress of my Yuanqiao Cave."

Upon hearing this, Bao Ru, disregarding her injuries, scrambled up and hugged Huan Xu's leg, saying, "Father, I will never dare to do it again, I will never dare to do it again."

Huan Xu remained expressionless and said, "My Yuanqiao Cave is a famous prefecture in the Northern Continent. We must not air our dirty laundry in public. If this matter were to spread, it would damage the reputation of my Yuanqiao Cave."

After saying that, Huan Xu raised his hand and took out a gourd from his sleeve, then poured out a black pill from the gourd and presented it to Bao Ru.

When Bao Ru saw the elixir emitting a black light, her pupils contracted sharply. She then clung tightly to Huan Xu's leg and wailed, "Father, Bao Ru will not dare to do it again. Please spare my life!"

Huan Xu said, "As the young mistress of my Yuanqiao Cave, how can you be so cowardly and afraid of death? Since you have done something that disgraces the family, you must take responsibility. Don't be afraid, take this Ten Thousand Poison Pill, and you will be fine soon."

"No! I won't eat!" Bao Ru cried, tears streaming down her face, her voice filled with anguish.

Huan Xu gave a wink to the side, and soon two demons from Yuanqiao Cave stepped forward, one on each side, and restrained Bao Ru, then pried open her mouth.

Unable to struggle, Bao Ru could only cast pleading glances at her husband, Huan Yu. Huan Yu, however, glared at her and said, "You wretch, dying like this is too good for you."

Despair filled Bao Ru's eyes, and soon the Ten Thousand Poison Pill was fed into her mouth.

Bao Ru tried to spit it out, but her mouth was pinched shut. With a few twitches of her mouth, the poison pill was quickly swallowed by Bao Ru.

The moment Bao Ru was released, she collapsed to the ground, frantically reaching up to gag her throat, trying to vomit up the poison pill.

But after she scratched twice, her skin turned bluish-black instantly. The next moment, Bao Ru spat out a mouthful of poisonous blood from her throat, and then bled from all seven orifices and died.

Seeing Bao Ru convulsing on the ground and dying completely six breaths later, Huan Xu said to the side, "The young mistress has fallen into demonic possession during her cultivation and died suddenly. Quickly collect her body and set up a mourning hall for her."

So white banners began to be hung inside and outside Yuanqiao Cave, Bao Ru's body was placed in a coffin, and a mourning hall was set up in the main hall outside Yuanqiao Cave.

Soon, the disciples of Yuanqiao Cave from all directions received the news and came to pay their respects.

Bao Ru's parents were also disciples of Yuanqiao Cave, and after learning of Bao Ru's death, the whole family came to Yuanqiao Cave.

The Bao couple were shocked by their daughter's sudden death. However, when they arrived at Yuanqiao Cave, they discovered that Bao Ru's death was suspicious. Moreover, Huan Yu, who was in charge of receiving guests who came to pay their respects, showed no sadness on his face and even had an indelible anger in his eyes.

The Bao couple realized the problem and immediately went to see Huan Xu.

Huan Xu met with Bao He and his wife, and did not hide anything about Bao Ru's matter. "Brother Bao, family scandals should not be aired in public. I will tell you both this clearly, and you should not tell anyone else. As for your Bao family, you can rest assured that I will not hold a grudge."

After hearing Huan Xu's words, Mr. and Mrs. Bao were also very angry, but their anger was directed at their daughter for doing such a thing.

After their anger came shame, and the two immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Huan Xu to apologize.

Huan Xu helped the two up and said, "This has nothing to do with you. Bao Ru went astray on her own and has already paid the price. It has nothing to do with you."

The Bao couple were still extremely ashamed. Then Huan Xu had Huan Yu summoned and instructed him in person not to cause trouble for the Bao family.

After listening, Huan Yu said, "It was that slut who was not virtuous, and it has nothing to do with the two elders. I will never cause trouble for the Bao family."

Upon hearing Huan Yu's words, Bao He and his wife were deeply moved and repeatedly praised him, saying, "What a virtuous son-in-law!"

At this point, Bao He suddenly said to Huan Xu, "Master, I have another daughter, who is sixteen years old and even more beautiful than that wretched girl. If you don't mind, we are willing to marry our daughter to you, young master."

Upon hearing this, Huan Xu immediately looked at Huan Yu.

Huan Yu, however, was traumatized by Bao Ru. For the past two days, every time he closed his eyes, he could only recall the day he stumbled upon Bao Ru and Huan Mi's affair.

Therefore, Huan Yu's face was very ugly. As if knowing Huan Yu's worries, Bao He quickly said, "Don't worry, my son-in-law. My youngest daughter is smart and kind since she was a child. She is dutiful and has always been good at studying Buddhist scriptures. She is vegetarian and observes the precepts. She is upright and honest. Whether in appearance or character, she is rare in the world."

Upon hearing this, Huan Xu's wife was quite moved and said to Huan Xu, "If we really have such a virtuous daughter-in-law, it can bring prosperity to our family."

Upon hearing this, Huan Xu immediately made a decision and said to Bao He, "Alright, then we'll discuss the marriage after the funeral."

Bao He was overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, "Yes."

Huan Yu remained silent throughout, because once Huan Xu and his wife made their decision on this matter, he had no right to object.

Just then, a little demon from the cave came to report: "Reporting to the cave master, Yu Songzhi, the chief clerk of the Divine Palace of Guanling Prefecture, has arrived."

"What?" Huan Xu's heart skipped a beat upon hearing the report, and he then asked, "How many people have come?"

The little demon said, "There is only Registrar Yu."

Huan Xu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this; if only one person came, then they certainly weren't there to cause trouble.

Huan Xu then instructed Huan Yu to entertain Bao He and his wife, while he himself led his wife out of the cave to greet Yu Songzhi.

Just as Yu Songzhi was visiting Yuanqiao Cave, Yan Xiezhi's men were also conducting a thorough investigation in Guanling Prefecture.

Soon a detailed report was delivered to Yan Xiezhi's desk, which detailed some of the properties that Yuan Qiaodong had concealed.

It includes not only nine herb gardens, but also twelve fish ponds and five plant gardens.

These businesses are all registered under the names of some disciples of Yuanqiao Cave, and it is difficult to find them without careful investigation.

After reading these reports, Yan Xiezhi summoned the spirit generals of the Divine Palace and said, "Huan Xu dared to deceive the Divine Palace like this; it is truly hateful."

At this moment, a spirit general dressed in armor said, "My Lord, give me five hundred ghost soldiers, and I can wipe out Yuanqiao Cave."

Another spirit general said, "It would be easy to wipe out Yuanqiao Cave, but with so many disciples scattered in all directions, if they were to gather and cause trouble, it would be a serious matter."

Yan Xie said, "Huan Xu's actions are naturally unforgivable, but I do not wish to destroy Yuanqiao Cave. Firstly, Beiju Luzhou has just experienced a great calamity and is now finally under the rule of Heaven; it cannot afford to cause further chaos."

"Secondly," Yan Xiezhi said slowly, "if we really destroy Yuanqiao Cave, who will manage those businesses? I only want to collect taxes, not make a one-off deal."

Everyone nodded in agreement and said to Yan Xiezhi, "The Divine Lord is wise."

At this moment, a ghost soldier came to report that the registrar Yu Songzhi had returned and was waiting for an audience outside the hall.

Yan Xiezhi immediately ordered Yu Songzhi to enter the hall. After entering the hall, Yu Songzhi hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Divine Lord."

Yan Xie asked, "What was the situation like when you visited Yuanqiao Cave?"

Yu Songzhi said, "The Divine Lord is wise. Just as the Divine Lord predicted, something has happened at Yuanqiao Cave."

Yan Xie asked, "What is it?"

Yu Songzhi said, "Huanxu's daughter-in-law, Bao Ru, died suddenly. When I returned, her funeral had already taken place."

Yan Xiezhi frowned and said, "What's going on? What's so strange about this?"

Yu Songzhi said, "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but Bao Ru did not die a natural death. Yuanqiao Cave said that she died suddenly after falling into demonic possession during cultivation, but no one in Yuanqiao Cave, including Bao Ru's family, showed any grief."

At this point, Yu Songzhi's face was full of strange expressions. "Your Majesty, the scene of Bao Ru's funeral was really bizarre. I can't describe it well. In short, it was as if everyone was indifferent to Bao Ru's death, as if she deserved to die."

After listening to Yu Songzhi's account, Yan Xiezhi also keenly noticed the problem. "According to what you said, Bao Ru's death is indeed a bit strange."

At this moment, Yu Songzhi said again, "My Lord, why don't we call Huan Mi here and ask him? Maybe he knows something."

Yan Xiezhi nodded, then summoned a ghost soldier and ordered him to bring Huan Mi over.

When Huan Mi arrived at the hall, Yu Songzhi had already walked to Yan Xie's desk and was standing there, flanked by six spirit generals in full armor.

Huan Mi quickly bowed and asked with a fawning expression, "My Lord, what are your orders for this humble demon?"

Yan Xiezhi smiled faintly and said, "I have no instructions, I just want to tell you some news. As a member of Yuanqiao Cave, this news should be given to you."

Huan Mi's expression changed, and then she asked anxiously, "May I ask, Divine Lord, what is the news?"

Yan Xiezhi said, "A major incident has occurred in your Yuanqiao Cave. Your cousin Huan Yu's wife, who is also your cousin's wife Bao Ru, died suddenly due to a qi deviation during cultivation."

Huan Mi's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, his whole body trembled, and his pupils visibly dilated.

Seeing this, Yan Xiezhi narrowed his eyes, now certain that Huan Mi knew something.

So Yan Xiezhi shouted at Huan Mi, "Huan Mi!"

Huan Mi was terrified and knelt down on the ground with a thud, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

Yan Xiezhi looked at Huan Mi and said, "I sent the registrar Yu Songzhi to Yuanqiao Cave two days ago. He was the one who brought back the news of Bao Ru's death. I'll give you a chance to tell me the truth about what you said that day. Otherwise, I will have to send you back to Yuanqiao Cave."

Upon hearing this, Huan Mi looked terrified and said, "The Divine Lord said before that he would protect my life."

Yan Xie said, "I did say that, but what you said that day was untrue. You did not offend your cousin, which is why Huan Xu hates you. There is clearly another reason. Since you have deceived me, I can naturally take back what I said." Upon hearing this, Huan Mi knew that he could no longer hide it. After a moment of hesitation, he finally told the truth.

In short, he had an affair with his cousin-in-law, Bao Ru, but Huan Yu caught them in the act during their last tryst.

Enraged, Huan Yu injured Huan Mi on the spot, but Huan Mi escaped, while Bao Ru was captured by Huan Yu.

After hearing Huan Mi's account, all the spirit generals present, including the chief clerk Yu Songzhi, looked at Huan Mi with deep contempt.

Not only did Huan Mi steal his sister-in-law's body, but after being exposed, he even betrayed his own family to save his own life. Such despicable behavior is contemptible to anyone.

Although Yan Xiezhi also despised Huan Mi, he did not show it on his face. Instead, he looked at Huan Mi and said, "I don't care about the things that happened in Yuanqiao Cave. Now you only have one choice, which is to continue to report Yuanqiao Cave and help Registrar Yu find out all the properties that Yuanqiao Cave has concealed. If you do this well, not only will your life be saved, but I will also give you a commendation."

Upon hearing this, Huan Mi immediately kowtowed and said, "Yes, yes, this little demon will do her utmost and will never disappoint the Divine Lord!"

Therefore, the Divine Palace of Guanling Prefecture began to investigate the properties of Yuanqiao Cave. However, such a large-scale operation could not be kept completely secret, and the news was soon leaked out from the Divine Palace.

Ling Jizi was also a disciple of Yuanqiao Cave, but he was recruited by Yan Xiezhi and now serves as one of the Six Spirit Generals in the Divine Palace of Guanling Prefecture.

The so-called "Six Spirit Generals" are six generals under the divine ruler of a local shrine, each with a different duty. These six spirit generals are: Altar-Slaying General, Temple-Breaking General, Demon-Catching General, Ghost-Catching General, Search and Kill General, and Mountain-Patrolling General.

Ling Jizi served as the Mountain Patrol General, one of the Six Spirit Generals. After confirming that Yan Xiezhi intended to take action against Yuanqiao Cave, he immediately sent a letter to Huan Xu to inform him of the matter.

Of course, there's a reason for this "disciple" designation. As everyone knows, due to the limitations imposed by the laws of heaven and earth, the Daoist arts do not flourish in Beiju Luzhou.

Therefore, there are not many Taoist teachings passed down through generations. Among the demons of Beiju Luzhou, apart from those great demons and monsters from other continents, the native demons have basically benefited from the blessings of various demon caves, which means the inheritance of Taoist teachings.

For example, the ancestors of Yuanqiao Cave once received the teachings of immortals and obtained the "Yiyuan Guizhen Jing" (Scripture of Returning to the Original Nature), which led to the establishment of Yuanqiao Cave.

However, he did not keep his teachings to himself. Instead, he preached and taught within the Yuanqiao Cave area, and the demons who received his teachings naturally became his disciples.

Later, as the fame of Yuanqiao Cave grew, more and more demons came seeking its teachings, and Yuanqiao Cave gained more and more disciples.

Most importantly, although Yuanqiao Cave will impart its teachings to every demon who comes seeking the Dao, the core of the Daoist teachings will not be passed on to outsiders, but will only be passed down within its own bloodline.

And this core part is the part about 'becoming an immortal'. For example, even if the demon cultivators of the Huan family in Yuanqiao Cave have poor talent and cultivate the "One Yuan Returns to Truth Scripture" slowly, they still have the possibility of becoming immortals.

But no matter how talented those disciples were, or how slowly they cultivated the "One Yuan Returns to Truth Scripture," they had absolutely no chance of becoming immortals, simply because the secrets of the Dao were not in their hands.

There is only one way to obtain the secret to becoming an immortal: be loyal to Yuanqiao Cave. Once you have cultivated to that level, the cave master of Yuanqiao Cave will naturally reveal the secret to becoming an immortal to you in consideration of the many contributions you have made to Yuanqiao Cave over the years.

This is the current situation of the demons in Beiju Luzhou. Not only did humans live in tribes in the past, but the demons did the same.

However, demons take a more thorough approach, monopolizing the Daoist arts. This is true not only of Yuanqiao Cave but of all the caves, so these caves may appear to have few inhabitants on the surface. But in reality, their power is immense, and the influence they can exert is far-reaching.

For example, just the morning before, Yan Xiezhi had made the decision to investigate Yuanqiao Cave, and by noon, Huan Xu, the master of Yuanqiao Cave, received the news.

"Huan Mi did indeed go to the Divine Palace of Yintai Mountain! He also exposed our hidden industries and annual income. Now Yan Xiezhi has ordered an investigation of our Yuanqiao Cave."

After reading Ling Jizi's message, Huan Xu gritted his teeth and crushed it.

Huan Yu, who was standing nearby, said, "We can't let them investigate, otherwise all of Yuanqiao Cave's businesses will be exposed."

Huan Tan, Huan Xu's third brother, said, "Brother, we can't hesitate any longer, we must get rid of Huan Mi quickly!"

Huan Yu said, "Third Uncle is right. Father, quickly have Ling Jizi deal with Huan Mi. He knows too much."

Huan Xu nodded and said, "Alright, I'll send a message to Ling Jizi right away."

After saying this, Huan Xu immediately sent a letter to Ling Jizi, instructing him to kill Huan Mi.

That night, in the Divine Palace of Yintai Mountain, Huan Mi, who was sleeping in his study, suddenly heard footsteps outside. He immediately woke up and sat up from his bed.

"Who's outside?" Huan Mi asked.

A voice came from outside the door: "It is I, General Ling Jizi, the patrolling general, and my brother Huan Mi. The Divine Lord wishes to see you."

"It's so late, why is the Divine Lord looking for me?" Huan Mi was skeptical, but after learning that it was Ling Jizi, she instinctively chose to believe him and got up to open the door.

Ling Jizi appeared before Huan Mi with a smile, "Brother Huan Mi, you're still awake?"

Huan Mi invited Ling Jizi into the house and said with a smile, "Not yet, General, please come in."

Ling Jizi entered the room and said to Huan Mi, "Brother Huan Mi, quickly pack your things and come with me to see the Divine Lord."

Huan Mi had no doubts. He immediately tidied his appearance and then followed Ling Jizi out. After he closed the door, he and Ling Jizi went to the Divine Mansion Little Silver Peak.

Huan Mi asked, "This doesn't seem to be the way to the main peak?"

“Yes,” Ling Jizi said. “This road leads to Little Silver Peak, because Little Silver Peak has the most beautiful scenery. In the morning there is golden rosy dawn, and at night there is a silver moon like a plate. Therefore, the residence of the Divine Lord was built on this peak.”

"I see." Huan Mi nodded, then followed Ling Jizi onward.

Soon after, the two arrived at Little Silver Peak, but Huan Mi was already starting to have doubts. There was no one on Little Silver Peak, no houses or pavilions, and the forest was dense, with the sounds of wild animals also heard.

Huan Mi then asked, "General, have we arrived at the Divine Lord's residence yet?"

Ling Jizi turned around, his face cold as he looked at Huan Mi and said, "You despicable and vile man, how dare you live in this world?"

Huan Mi's heart skipped a beat, and he almost couldn't catch his breath. He hurriedly asked, "General, what makes you say that?"

Ling Jizi took out a Heavenly Hammer and said to Huan Mi, "I am acting on the decree of the Divine Lord to kill you, you wicked bastard who has betrayed human ethics and abandoned your ancestors."

Huan Mi was horrified and hurriedly retreated while shouting, "Why did the Divine Lord break his promise?! Why did the Divine Lord break his promise?!"

But Ling Jizi had already caught up, raised the Heavenly Hammer, and smashed Huan Mi's head twice. Huan Mi fell to the ground, his head shattered, blood splattering, and his body convulsing.

Ling Jizi stepped forward silently, raised the Heavenly Gang Hammer, and swung it more than a hundred times, completely smashing Huan Mi's body to pieces. After the body was mixed with the soil on the ground, he put away the Heavenly Gang Hammer, quickly left Little Silver Peak, and returned to the Divine Palace.

The next day, Ling Jizi hurriedly found Yan Xiezhi and reported to him, "It's terrible, Divine Lord, Huan Mi has escaped."

Yan Xiezhi was startled upon hearing this and asked, "When did you escape?"

Ling Jizi said, "They must have escaped last night."

Yan Xiezhi frowned and said, "You are the patrol general, didn't you notice anything unusual last night?"

Ling Jizi knelt down and begged for forgiveness, saying, "It was my negligence. The patrol arrangement must have been flawed, which led to the failure to discover Huan Mi's escape in time. Please punish me, Divine Lord."

Yan Xiezhi waved his hand and said, "Take men and chase after her immediately. You must bring Huan Mi back."

Ling Jizi bowed and said, "Yes, I will go and find it right away."

After saying this, Ling Jizi got up, bowed, and left. Yan Xiezhi immediately sent someone to find the registrar Yu Songzhi to discuss the next steps.

If Huan Mi escapes, there will be no witnesses. Even if the investigation of Yuanqiao Cave begins, as long as Huan Xu cuts off those unreported businesses beforehand, there will be no way to deal with Huan Xu without Huan Mi as a witness.

At the same time, Huan Xu, inside Yuanqiao Cave, breathed a sigh of relief and said to Huan Tan and Huan Yu, "Huan Mi is dead."

Huan Tan and Huan Yu breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Huan Xu then immediately ordered, "Third brother, Huan Yu, go and cut off all the properties we have under our disciples. As long as there are no witnesses at Yintai Mountain, they will be helpless once we cut them off."

Huan Tan and Huan Yu immediately stood up and said, "Okay, we'll get on it right away."

These businesses were normally managed by the disciples, so it's fine to cut them off now; they can be taken back later.

After Huan Tan and Huan Yu left, Huan Xu immediately got up and led a group of Huan clan demons to the Biexin Courtyard in Yuanqiao Cave.

This was the residence of Huan Tao, the second younger brother of Huan Xu. However, Huan Tao passed away more than ten years ago, leaving behind only his wife, children, widow, Huan Mi (Huan Xu's nephew), and his sister-in-law Ai Yuan.

When Huan Xu saw Ai Yuan's gaze, a hint of reluctance flashed in his eyes, but it quickly turned cold again.

He presented a Wan Du Dan (a type of poison pill) to Ai Yuan and said, "Sister-in-law, this is not my fault. Mi'er betrayed our ancestors, and I had no choice but to do this for the sake of Yuan Qiao Cave's foundation."

Ai Yuan didn't say anything, remaining completely calm from beginning to end. She picked up the Ten Thousand Poison Pill and put it in her mouth without saying a word.

Upon seeing this, the maids nearby also knelt on the ground and wept before Ai Yuan. Then, they each took out sharp blades and committed suicide on the spot.

Soon, Ai Yuan collapsed to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices and her body turning black. Even the blood flowing from her body was black.

Huan Xu then instructed, "Collect the Second Madam's body and bury her in a golden coffin and fine clothes. Also, let all the servants in this Biexin Courtyard follow her in death, as they have always been treated well by the Second Madam."

Upon hearing this, all the great demons of the Huan clan responded with cold, sharp eyes, "As you command."

Soon after, the entire Biexin Courtyard was thoroughly searched, and not a single living person remained. Only then did Huan Xu truly feel relieved. (End of Chapter)