"Ominous? What is ominous?"
Xu Qing looked around at everyone, unafraid, and said, "The weak fall ill, while the strong overcome illness. So-called omens are only relevant to the timid. Our Great Luo Sect is destined by heaven, exuding the aura of a grand sect. Under such overwhelming circumstances, even the greatest omens must retreat upon encountering us!"
Xu Qing himself carried omens, and a vastly ominous one at that, being deceased; how could he fear exposing ominous signs?
On the contrary, if he prays and reveals auspicious signs of smooth sailing, he would have more concerns!
Seeing his inability to dissuade him, Ge Hongwen spoke up to assist:
"Sect Leader, within this Ancient Yin River, the demon known as Heart Demon is indeed skilled at controlling dreams and crafting illusions. For a thousand years, those who encounter this demon either die by their own hand, go mad and become hallucinated ghosts, or find their Dao heart damaged, their cultivation set back by a thousand miles, forever unable to pursue the Immortal path."
Ge Hongwen warned, "This Heart Demon is well-named, truly capable of stirring others' heart demons, a forbidden ghost. I spent decades trying to devise a countermeasure."
"In the end, the conclusion was that only those with a Dao heart sown with demon, people who follow the path of emotionlessness, can resist the demon's seduction, but merely resist."
Ge Hongwen expressed defeat, "I wasted decades to no avail, unable to find a way to subdue the demon. The Heart Demon is like a mirror, reflecting all worldly phenomena with its heart."
"Even if you dug out its heart, crushed it to dust, as long as it doesn't believe its heart is dead, the heart will regrow."
"Even in death, as long as it harbors a single thought of life before dying, it remains undying."
Xu Qing was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.
Heart digging immortality, this method is somewhat akin to the miraculous techniques Jiang Taigong taught the Junior Mentor, Bi Gan.
These miraculous techniques are entirely matters of belief; they succeed only if believed, fail if not.
Listening to Ge Hongwen, the Heart Demon in the Yin River seems to have taken this art to the extreme.
As for the Dao heart sowing demon method Ge Hongwen mentioned, Xu Qing had received it when transcending the Celestial Master's Mansion's eldest disciple, Meng Yongzhen. However, cultivating this method requires severing ties with love and desire, forgetting all worldly disturbances, to reach a realm of emotionlessness and desirelessness, devoid of sorrow and joy, for it to be accomplished.
Xu Qing had no desire to touch upon such spiritually castrating sterilization methods.
Even among the people around him, disciples of the Three Teachings, he had never considered transmitting this method, which contravenes the natural order and human principles.
No matter how suitable the individual may be for cultivation, he never entertained the thought of imparting it.
"To cultivate the heart to act freely without boundaries, one must be profoundly transparent, such a person must be either a saint or a wise person of the world. But that Heart Demon is clearly neither saint nor wise."
Xu Qing's broad knowledge and understanding of human nature allowed him, just from Ge Hongwen's few words, to keenly perceive the Heart Demon's shortcomings.
"One must understand that when the human heart is not correct, it becomes evil; when it is chaotic, it becomes demonic. Evil demons become thus because their heart is not upright!"
"An inner heart that's chaotic and not upright, yet cultivates heart, wouldn't you say it might have its own heart demon?"
Xu Qing showed a strange smile; in his countless rescues, his understanding of the human heart was not inferior to that of a demon specialized in cultivating the heart.
Ge Hongwen's eyes brightened but then hesitated, saying, "You're right, but this demon's origins are unknown; no one knows its past—how can the Sect Leader find its heart demon?"
Xu Qing smiled mysteriously and said, "The righteous vanquishes the evil; even if it had no heart demon in the past, today it will acquire one."
"This heart demon will be named Great Luo Sect!"
...
In the Ancient Yin River Dao, among gray tombstone forests, drum sounds echoed.
Xu Qing went alone towards the sound, only to see atop a faraway grand tomb, a widow donned in mourning garb, sitting alone atop the grave, lost in grief.
Though he saw only her silhouette, her alluring yet delicate figure stirred a dreamlike sentiment.
Fortunately, Xu Qing was not human.
As he approached, the widow suddenly stopped beating the waist drum and said, "My lord, are you here to check on your servant?"
The woman turned her head, revealing a beautiful face that was pitiful and made one yearn for her.
Xu Qing looked at her soul-stealing, affectionate gaze, but displayed a curious expression.
The woman's appearance gave him a feeling of déjà vu.
"I am just a widow; my lord looking at me like this, is it to take advantage of me amidst my husband's grave, to deeply exploit me?"
"..."
When the woman above the grave showed a tender gaze and alluring look, Xu Qing finally realized where that familiar feeling came from.
With such captivating seduction mingled with a trace of cool purity, who else but a Nine-tailed Fox would possess it?
"Nine-tailed Fox is an auspicious beast, born adhering to natural laws, and even in human connections and cultivation, it remains deeply devoted—it's not as promiscuous as you!"
"If you dare to claim yourself as part of the Nine-tailed Fox race, then today I shall cleanse the portal for the Nine-tailed Foxes, ridding our kind of a disgrace that sullies our good name!"
Xu Qing, during his time at Underground Street, would daily encounter the Nine-tailed Fox.
Whether it was Senior Sister Yizhen or Bai Qiuyu, the kind of unspoken affection they inadvertently revealed in their glances was something Xu Qing was long accustomed to.
Yet, the woman before him claiming to be a widow seemed to lack that certain charm.
Xu Qing couldn't quite pinpoint what was missing; in any case, the gaze from Senior Sister was far more enchanting than that of the woman before him.
Even in front of Senior Sister and Bai Qiuyu, he remained composed. How could a Fox Girl who only knew seduction without a hint of true emotion sway Mr. Xu's heart?
The only thing adding to her appeal was the mourning clothes.
But Xu Qing's Funeral Shop had plenty of those; he could see them anytime he wished.
Even though Senior Sister might consider mourning clothes unlucky and refuse to wear them, wasn't there always Bai Qiuyu the Divination Master, who was forever alone?
Bai Qiuyu owed him thousands of taels of silver over the years; persuading her to wear mourning clothes or even burial garments wouldn't be difficult.
In Xu Qing's eyes, besides mourning clothes, burial garments were the only attire with any sense of style.
Of course, Senior Sister's robe was also quite nice.
By the grave, the flirtatious woman, seeing the disdainful expression on the youth facing her, finally couldn't hold her silence.
"Who exactly are you?"
Xu Qing clicked his tongue and said, "I am a funeral director, keeping many Nine-tailed Foxes at home. Your beauty may not be lacking but in terms of charisma, it's merely average."
In Mr. Xu's eyes, the charisma of an ordinary Nine-tailed Fox paled in comparison to that of a cool and aloof Taoist.
"..."
The woman's face at the grave suddenly darkened.
Yet the next moment, she chuckled softly:
"Young lad, you may deceive others but you can't deceive me."
Xu Qing quietly stepped forward, smiling likewise, "I am a funeral director; I never deceive the dead. Why would I lie to a fox who borrows corpses to return to life?"
The woman in mourning clothes collected her laughter, fixed her gaze on Xu Qing, and said, "I am the Goddess's disciple, a student of the Saint. Even those who once held the Celestial Scripture could not defeat me; what talk is there of being dead?"
"I understand now. It is said there is an evil spirit here, adept at beguiling hearts. I suppose that must be you?"
"..."
Xu Qing finally understood what Ge Hongwen meant by 'troublesome'!
This Fox Girl borrowing a corpse for revival doesn't consider herself the evil spirit here but believes she escaped punishment, not dying at all.
"A Goddess's disciple, isn't it a coincidence?"
Xu Qing chuckled, "I am too."
As he spoke, Xu Qing had already opened the Blood Lake Realm, with the dignified and solemn figure of Lady Bao Sheng also appearing.
Xu Qing unfolded his three heads and six arms: one hand holding a Red Luan Ball, another raising the Borrowing Golden Gourd, while the rest held ethereal artifacts like the Jade Ruyi and Maternal Qi Bottle.
"This Borrowing Golden Gourd and Red Luan Ball were given by the Goddess herself; only true disciples may possess them. At best, you are someone the master chose to fulfill worldly duties, a person meant to meet calamity, hardly a true disciple."
"As for being the evil spirit here... haha."
Xu Qing utilized the Divine Travel Celestial Scripture, instantly approaching the woman.
"When you see your own memories, you'll naturally understand who the true demon here is."
Xu Qing's thought was simple: since the way to break the Heart Demon was understanding its past, why not directly show her the fleeting images of her life?
As Xu Qing approached, the Fox Girl in mourning was not frightened but delighted.
"Heh, indeed a Heart Demon. How could a man be a Goddess's disciple? And how could I be so easily deceived?"
Almost as Xu Qing reached out, the widow also advanced, pushing the Fox Race's most adept Illusion Technique to its limit.
In an instant, the Sutra of Salvation echoed in the widow's mind, while her life's fleeting images began to play.
At the same time, the bewitched Xu Qing also experienced a blackout, but what appeared was the epic enhanced version of Empress Sai Yuxian.
The version titled "The Celestial Empress's Fox Girl's Wild Love for the Husband—from the Temptation of a Corpse from the Three Realms."