I Possess a Scroll of Demon-Subduing Records

Lin Yi nodded; he understood this basic common sense.

When he wanted to kill Xiao Zhao, a lot of people stopped him, fearing that he would be harmed by the backlash of fate.

"The North is different from the South. Here, it is common for officials to be tyrannical, oppress the people, and harm the villagers. If you see this, how can you ignore it?"

"Of course not!"

Lin Yi, the straight man, was very much to Wang Wei's liking.

He then pulled Lin Yi aside and continued, "We cultivators, though we call ourselves recluses who do not concern ourselves with worldly disputes, are still of Han blood. Even if we cultivate immortality, we dare not ignore the suffering of our fellow people."

However, having already entered the path of immortality, interfering in worldly affairs would lead to one's own death and the dissipation of one's cultivation. Faced with such a dilemma, Song Beiyun, an elder of the Quanzhen Sect, created this method of sealing meridians.

By sealing away his own spiritual essence and transforming into an ordinary mortal, he could be free from all taboos in his mortal body.

Lin Yi was stunned. Was this even possible?

It sounds absurd, but it actually makes a lot of sense.

Just like when He Dong asked him to assassinate Wang Liang, he said that she couldn't enter the prefect's mansion.

A place that a thousand-year-old female ghost cannot enter, he, an ordinary mortal, can enter without hindrance.

Similarly, if he had not yet achieved mastery in cultivation and was merely a mortal, killing the prefect would be just an ordinary case, and the imperial court would pursue and kill him, but there would be no backlash from his luck.

Because the methods he used were merely mundane.

Elder Song Beiyun discovered this characteristic, which led him to create this method and spread it widely throughout the world, without charging a single penny.

At this point, many Taoist practitioners in the Northern Wei Dynasty sealed their spiritual essence and entered the world to eliminate evil.

But sealing away spiritual energy is like tying your own hands and feet. Just like Wang Wei, if it weren't for Lin Yi's help, he, a third-grade cultivator, would have died at the hands of a mere lackey...

Note: The story of "dropping the firstborn child" refers to an event during the Yuan Dynasty, though some say it's a rumor. Those interested can research it further, but the topic is sensitive, so I can't say more. This is fiction; please don't take it too seriously if you have any knowledge of the story.

Chapter 376 Confess and receive leniency, resist and receive severe punishment, rewards for reporting.

Lin Yi truly admired the integrity of the Northern Wei Taoist priests.

These cultivators could easily stay out of it. Where would the imperial court get the audacity to provoke cultivators? Everyone should just mind their own business and live peacefully by themselves.

If you really want to cause trouble for cultivators, they have plenty of ways to deal with you, whether it's formations or supernatural powers. Usually, you can fight them and then run away.

Even when their own safety was absolutely guaranteed, those who practiced Taoism still chose to risk their lives.

Feng Lingyun relinquished his cultivation and entered the mortal world. This was not a matter of pretending to be a mortal and playing around in the human world, but rather a genuine mortal.

Moreover, participating in assassination missions is always risky; without one's cultivation, even a hail of arrows can kill a person.

Many people do things that are harmful to themselves and bring them no benefit whatsoever. Isn't that admirable?

Lin Yi immediately cupped his hands in greeting to Wang Wei, and then said, "Fellow Daoist, could you teach me this method of sealing spiritual essence?"

"You can certainly learn if you want, but there are some limitations that you need to be aware of."

As he spoke, Wang Wei explained in detail to Lin Yi the restrictions on sealing spiritual energy.

The Way of Heaven is balanced; with gain comes loss. While it allows cultivators to act without fear of backlash from Heaven and fortune, and to attack mortals without restraint, there are naturally limitations.

First of all, sealing the spiritual essence is actually sealing the meridians.

Those who are only at the Qi Refining stage only need to seal a few Qi channels, which are the Qi of the five internal organs.

The five internal organs naturally correspond to the five elements. When the energy of the five internal organs is activated, it can naturally connect with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. And when the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is mobilized, the spiritual essence is essentially sealed away.

Upon reaching the Three Flowers Realm, one must seal the Niwan Palace to restrict the power of the soul.

Once you reach this level, there's not much difference between you and an ordinary person. The only difference is that a cultivator's internal organs have been nourished by true qi, making their body stronger, their strength greater, and their senses more acute.

This refers to those who practice Qi cultivation. If they mainly cultivate talismans, then all they have left is a good brain.

Fortunately, most Taoists practiced both Qi and Spirit cultivation in the early stages, so it didn't matter. In any case, no matter which path they took, they would eventually be brought to the same level.

The strict restrictions imposed on cultivators by the method of sealing meridians are actually a form of protection for them.

Only by relying purely on physical strength and some rudimentary internal energy can one avoid being devoured by the Heavenly Dao and the nation's fortune.

At this point, Wang Wei said very seriously, "Fellow Daoist is quite old, so it's best not to use it. Relying solely on physical strength is too dangerous."

Moreover, once the meridians are sealed, it will take at least seven days before we can try to unseal them. If the thieves have arranged for a barbarian shaman to guard them, as they have done today, we will also be in danger.”

Lin Yi: "..."

If the method of sealing meridians is an extreme weakening for others, for Lin Yi it's equivalent to...

It can't be said that it will have no impact at all; after all, he can act recklessly from now on!

"My mind is made up, fellow Daoist, please teach me!"

They dared to seal the meridians of cultivators who had been reduced to mortals, let alone someone like him who was practically unaffected by the reduction?

If he had known that sealing the spiritual essence would make him unrestrained, he would have killed Xiao Zhao long ago.

But there's no rush. Once we've figured out the method, we'll kill him later.

"You might not believe it, but I was born with superhuman strength, and besides, I'm not old."

Lin Yi removed the illusion, revealing his youthful appearance. Wang Wei was immediately shocked. Although he had sealed his spiritual essence, his eyesight had not changed much. He hadn't expected that he hadn't seen through Lin Yi's illusion.

"Since you insist on this, I will pass on this method to you. May you be blessed with good health and happiness."

Sealing spiritual energy is a means of killing. Even without backlash, getting involved with weapons is ultimately an ominous sign.

Since the Taoist priest descended the mountain, countless fellow practitioners have died there, with no possibility of ever returning to cultivate.

Offering a blessing is also a way of showing compassion to those who share the same path.

The method of sealing the meridians is not difficult, similar to acupressure. However, acupressure can be unsealed instantly, while this method requires three days to unseal after the unsealing technique is performed.

For someone like Wang Wei, who went out to assassinate someone only to discover a powerful enemy, it was impossible to temporarily lift the seal.

Lin Yi had no such concerns; he was eager to try and couldn't wait to make a big splash.

After Wang Wei had taught Lin Yi the complete method of sealing meridians, he said, "Now that you have learned this method of sealing meridians, would you be willing to join the Green and Red Gang?"

"The Green and Red Gang? What do they do?"

Lin Yi was still a little curious after He Zhang mentioned the Green and Red Gang.

Wang Wei then explained, "The Green and Red Gang is a gang created by us Taoist practitioners. At first, it was just to help each other and also to make a name for ourselves and deter those who do evil."

But none of us wanted to cause trouble for our sect, so we named it Qinghong.

The character "青" (qīng) means purity, and it symbolizes a person who cultivates purity and self-discipline.

Red, meaning the mortal world and the color of blood, signifies entering the mortal world and repaying blood with blood.

Later, the Green and Red Gang gained fame, attracting not only practitioners but also many wandering and suffering people to join.

The Green and Red Gang aimed to provide a safe haven for the Han Chinese in the Northern Wei Dynasty. They did not usually restrain their members. However, when they encountered like-minded people and needed to help them, they would use the name of the Green and Red Gang to make thieves panic.

"Dare to oppress my people? Then prepare to be brought down by our Green and Red Gang!"

Lin Yi listened to Wang Wei's introduction and was immediately filled with enthusiasm, saying, "Then what reason do I have not to join?"

"Fellow Daoist, your assassination attempt on the magistrate today failed, didn't it? In that case, how about we join forces and try to kill him again?"

"If fellow Daoist is willing, how could I dare refuse?"

Wang Wei was not injured earlier, but now that he heard Lin Yi was going back to assassinate him, he put on a mask.

Lin Yi followed suit, put on a black cloth, and said, "Now please call me the Strange Hero!"

"Let's go, let's go! Where's the county government office? You lead the way, and we'll carefully sneak in!"

Seeing Lin Yi's enthusiastic demeanor, Wang Wei realized it didn't seem like he was going to assassinate anyone, but rather like he was going to do something interesting.

He then used his lightness skill to lead the way.

Lin Yi slowed his pace to catch up, and they arrived at the backyard of the county magistrate's mansion.

The magistrate of Qingshui County was named Liu Mao, but he was not a Han Chinese; he was a member of the Dugu clan who had changed his surname to Liu.

This person is also from Tuoba Yu's faction. Most of the bloodshed in Lin Yi's village was attributed to him, the county magistrate.

Having just been assassinated, Liu Mao showed no fear, lounging lazily in his armchair as he watched the women dancing below.

Despite the freezing weather, the dancers wore only thin gauze dresses, their breasts exposed, and began to dance barefoot.

He's seen his share of storms; so what if someone tries to assassinate him?

As long as someone protects him, what is there to fear from江湖人 (jianghu people, people from all walks of life)?

Liu Ye, Liu Ye's son, was still shaken by the earlier assassination attempt. If He Zhang hadn't stepped in, the assassin would have succeeded.

"Father, why hasn't Guard He returned yet? Could it be that things haven't gone well?"

"You're just a coward, always afraid of this and that. You're nothing but a bunch of rabble. What can they do to me? Just enjoy yourself."

Seeing Liu Mao's confidence, Liu Ye said nothing more.

Deep down, he was somewhat afraid. A few days ago, as was his custom, he abducted a beautiful bride from a village under his jurisdiction and took her home to enjoy. However, the woman refused to submit and died by smashing her head against the wall.

He used to think that all Han people were obsequious and cowardly, but now he saw a woman who was so chaste and virtuous. These past few days, the woman's wide-open eyes have been appearing in his dreams, making him unable to sleep at night.

He went out for a walk during the day to clear his mind, and overheard some horrific stories about people in the county throwing their firstborn babies, which made him even more uneasy.

These people are really ruthless; they can even harm a newborn baby. What if one or two hotheads come to take revenge?

He told Liu Mao about it, but Liu Mao wasn't worried at all. He just told him to remember which family had dropped the child, and that his father would go and arrest the person and fine them severely so that those bastards would never dare to act recklessly again.

Liu Ye had a vague feeling that something was wrong. Now that the assassin had come to his door, how could he not be panicked?

But since his father was so calm, if he acted too weakly, it might displease his father.

So Liu Ye silently drank his wine, suppressing the thoughts in his heart.

The music was playing, completely unaware that the assassin had already arrived.

Lin Yi reached the back gate and jumped over it. His ears were not spiritual and did not need to be sealed. He easily found the guards hiding in the shadows of the county magistrate's office.

Lin Yi wasn't that determined to kill them; he just wanted to knock them unconscious with a slap, and after killing the magistrate, he would see whether these people were treacherous or loyal.

The Demon-Slaying Manual doesn't apply to people, and Lin Yi doesn't have the means to determine good and evil at a glance. He's afraid of killing the wrong person, but also afraid of letting someone go. So, he has no choice but to let them go for now.

Wang Wei, who was following along, was astonished to see Lin Yi so skillfully defeat all the guards.