Shizun 013 - Selecting an answer

Jin Yunu felt a little sympathetic looking at Lu Yunzhen dumb reaction. He felt like the man had been targeted rather one sidedly by some major demon while being completely oblivious about it.

There was all kids of rules amongst demons and the situation was obvious at a glance. The brand had emanated desire. Even if that demon hasn’t touched him yet, it was only a matter of time til he was forced into bed.

Poor thing...

Jing Yunu had been rolling around in the dust since he was little and didn’t mind such things. But this little gongzi was clearly clean, educated, and from a good family. If he was into it, it’s not so bad, but if he had to be forced... he would have a hard time in the future.

He couldn’t help but give a bit of a warning. “Gongzi, you have a demon’s seal on you. This one can’t have a good time with you because of it. If... in the future you meet an obstacle your heart cannot overcome, please think things though and do not seek death...”

Lu Yunzhen was getting more confused by the minute. He felt like the demon was looking at him with pity and speaking to him with strangely kind words, as if he didn’t want to hurt anyone.

Isn’t the biggest obstacle in his heart poverty? Why would he seek death over that? All he has to do is grab this demon, he’s worth three thousand yuan!

Jin Yunu saw that he clearly didn’t get it and wanted to say a little more.

Suddenly, the painted enchantment was violently ripped open with demonic energy. Black chains flew through the air and whipped severely onto Jin Yunu. It didn’t only hurt his soul, but also shoved him off the stage.

A strong scent of blood wafted over.

This is the kind of evil aura that could only surround someone who had snuffed out several hundred thousand lives, signifying the most evil of demon lords.

Jin Yunu was so scared his soul was about to fly off. It was hard for skin painting demons to cultivate and he wasn’t talented to begin with. He scrapped by by using either hiding or using his beauty to find a supporter, how did he manage to enrage such an amazing demon?

Skin painting demons don’t have flesh, they’re not tasty!

Jin Yunu was devastated from the cracks on his skin. He shakily raised his head only to see that the stage he had created from his painting had collapsed and the illusion was about to follow suit.

The terrifying chains whipped forth again.

Jin Yunu ran for his life, but only managed to take a few steps before he was struck down... Skin painting demons are tied to their skins, if the skin was destroyed then his would also be destroyed. His true body was in the mansion and his demonic form had been exposed, there was nowhere left to run.

With no other options, he knelt down with faint hopes, sneakily opened his clothes, showed his beautiful legs, grazed his hair, and put on the most charming appearance he could. “This one will take care of master properly, please spare this one’s life...”

However, the demon was stone hearted and didn’t take the brige at all. The two red eyes pinned at him as if he was an enemy who the demon wanted nothing more to do than to grind his bones to dust.

Jin Yunu shook like a sieve, he simply didn’t know how he managed to make such a collosal mistake as to land him in this situation. In his despair, he saw that the demon ran towards the lively little gongzi with a face of anxiety and start checking the smaller man for wounds. Suddenly, he understood.

THIS is the demon lord that was coveting the little gongzi’s body? He wanted to slowly simmer and slowly savour instead of showing his hand immediately?

So, he’s going to die for pointing out the truth?!

As Jin Yunu discovered the truth in horror, he desperately tried to figure out how to turn the truth around. How to get the little gongzi to ignore the sinister intentions, land back in the trap, and be quiet even if he had to die in the bed!

...

Mo Changkong was angry and regretful.

Skin painting demons could create all kinds of illusions. This particular one only permitted humans to enter.

Mo Changkong was blocked as he was a demon. He wanted to force his way in, but the house was filled with expensive electronics and a massive tv which made him reconsider...

Shizun had said, if he breaks something he has to pay for it.

Shizun had said, they’re very poor right now, there’s nothing they can pay.

Mo Changkong held his anger and didn’t care to break anything. After carefully searching the house, he found some blood coloured scribbles of a stage behind the kitchen door. It was the magic circle of the illusion.

He carefully pried open the illusion only to see that damned demon tell Shizun about his brand!

Mo Changkong felt his anger burst through his head.

This is one of the awful things he did before!

At that time, he was being controlled by his desires and shamelessly greedy. It wasn’t enough for him to have Shizun’s body in secret, he wanted more. He purposely went overboard in bed, made Shizun lose his senses and become defenceless, and took the chance to leave a soul brand.

Demon’s soul brands are irreversible. Just like an id, the mark proved that Shizun was his companion in bed.

The brand would only disappear in Mo Changkong’s death.

After Shizun cleared his mind the milk had been spilt and it was too late.

In the face of questioning, he didn’t repent but rather turned his embarassement to anger and forced a lot of humiliating sayings at Shizun. “This brand means you can’t escape me for life. My good Shizun... You have to carefully hide it, otherwise demons will find the brand and know what dirty things you’ve been secretly doing with your disciple.”

Shizun is thin skinned, no matter how he was messed with in bed he would pretend everything was fine in public. There was no way he would let anything out.

There was nothing he could do about Mo Changkong, so he used his spiritual powers to hide the brands, leaving it just a secret between the two of them.

Now, Shizun’s cultivation is gone, but the brand remained....

Any demon could feel it, and everyone who was even a little educated could understand its meaning. 

Mo Changkong’s head was about to explode. He felt like his past self wasn’t just filled was stupidity but rather that an ocean of stupid had taken the place of his brain. How could he have done something so stupid and shameless!?

Shizun had already reincarnated and forgotten about their previous life. He will also improve himselt and commit no more mistakes. Can everyone just not bring up those old mistakes? Otherwise it’ll be so awkard that Shizun will throw him out the door!

Shizun has a special constitution, and with the awakening of his spiritual powers he’s going to be the target of demons.

He can’t be chased out, he has to protect Shizun!

Mo Changkong was in a panic and wanted to kill Jin Yunu to silence him.

Lu Yunzhen looked at his expression, considered things for a moment, and finally realized that Jin Yunu had been referring to Mo Changkong when he mentioned a demon. Curious, he asked, “I have Changkong’s brand in my body? What’s a brand?”

That’s the worst question!

Mo Changkong is panicking himself into knots. He completely ignored the other demon, stood ram rod straight, and stammered, “Shi-shizun, please let me explain...”

Lu Yunzhen felt like he’s seen this scene before.

At school, he had a classmate who was total trash. Every time he did something that he shouldn’t have to his girlfriend, he had the same expression...

Lu Yunzhen settled his mind, threw out the thought from his mind, and smiled, “It’s fine, tell me.”

Mo Changkong was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He didn’t want to lie to Shizun but he was also too scared to scared to tell the truth. His heart was a total mess, and after thinking some more he struggled to say, “I had given Shizun a brand before, for... for...”

“For returning kindness.” Jin Yunu had observed enough to get a grasp on things. He took the chance and cleverly added, “Demon brands can be used for tracking, and help him find people who have helped him. This qianbei probably owed gongzi much in his previous life, and he wants to slowly pay it back in this life.”

It was a total lie. Emotional debt is still debt. If the brand wasn’t filled with lust it really could be used for paying back kindness. And if it was filled with lust, well, he could pretend he can’t see it...

Jin Yunu knelt on the floor pathetically, radiating his desire to live from every pore...

Lu Yunzhen looked at him, then looked back at Mo Changkong.

Mo Changkong agreed immediately, “Yes! For returning kindness!“

“Ah, you really are a good person who values kindness.” Lu Yunzhen was a little happy and a little touched. “It’s all in the past, and you’ve saved my life. Whatever I did for you, it’s all been paid back. You don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

Mo Changkong answered stiffly, “I can’t pay it all back.”

Lu Yunzhen was getting embarrassed, “You’re too nice.”

Jin Yunu kept his dead down, pretended he didn’t know anything, quietly withdrew the illusion, and kept begging for his life.

The old stage vanished, and night turned back to day. Lu Yunzhen felt the ground shake slightly, and after a slight moment of dizziness they had returned to the Long family mansion.

Long Xingbang and director Wang were still passed out on the sofa.

Lu Yunzhen conscientiously remembered his job, and asked Mo Changkong, “What do we do with the skin painting demon?”

Mo Changkong gave it a thought, “Kill it?”

He didn’t know mercy. If the number of demons he’s killed hasn’t hit 5 digits yet it must be over 8 thousand already. Since the demon seemed to read the room he could do him a favour and hold back enough that his soul won’t scatter and he won’t suffer too badly.

Jin Yunu was in the depths of despair. He turned and noticed Long Jingtian sneakily peeking inside the house from a window, all the while chattering, “Great master haven’t dealt with the demon yet?”

He finally understood.

This man invited a master here to take his life!

Normally a night of husband and wife relations equated to a 100 days of grace. To think that this dog of a man had been slept with for two nights, fully taken taken care of, but he didn’t have even an ounce of affection and wanted to hurt him like this?!

Jin Yunu was an actor in his last life. But due to his beauty, his coworkers were envious of him, his lover had tricked him, he was sold to some perverse  rich young master in exchange for riches, flayed alive to become a painting, and finally became a demon from resentment.

However, he never had the chance to exact his revenge.

The noble family was accused of treason and the entire family life was executed. The lover who sold him off was also tangled up in the matter, executed, and was even sent to the underworld to be tortured after death.

There was no one upon whom he could release his resentment and he didn’t know what to do. He managed to scrape by til the modern day, saw that the movie industry was developing, that actors were no longer looked down, and wanted to perform again.

For a demon formed from resentment, the most taboo thing of all is to witness the scene of their terrible death.

Seeing Long Jingtian plot to kill him was akin to seeing his past lover do the same.

Dark thoughts grew. Resentment festered.

Only killing could release the pain in his heart.

He could no longer control his mind and fell into insanity. Rising up, he threw himself through the window, summoned all his powers to create his personal illusion, and dragged Long Jingtian, wanting to commit a lover’s suicide.

Jin Yunu may look obedient but he was very deceptive.

The sudden explosiveness did not give others the time to react.

Lu Yunzhen was an inexperienced human, and Mo Changkong was a demon without humanity. He didn’t care for anyone other than Shizun, and he was distracted by the matter of the seal. He had already forgotten about Long Jingtian. Shizun’s order was to deal with the demon, not to protect anyone.

Long Jingtian already paid.

It doesn’t matter if he dies, right?

Mo Changkong held out his hand to block a few pieces of broken glass, made sure that not a hair on Shizun’s head was hurt, and only then did he remember that their employer was outside the window.

Lu Yunzhen craned his head, saw that the two had disappeared into think air, and started panicking. Grabbing Mo Changkong, he asked, “Where did they go? We have to save him right now!”

Mo Changkong was surprised, but he took a moment and pointed at the living room wall. There, was an ancient painting carefully protected by a glass cover and other security measures. He replied carefully, “Fret not, Shizun. That  painting is the demon’s original body, it’ll all be done if we rip it.”

Lu Yunzhen wanted to smash the glass and rip the painting, but then realized that the painting was familiar, like something that he saw in a news report... Some famous collector in Haiping city had recently purchased the “Goddess grants painting” by Gu Changkong. It was a national treasure and the price was... 7 figures? 8?

He... can’t afford to rip it.

Lu Yunzhen cowardly withdrew his hand, quickly woke up Long Xingbang, explained the situation, and asked him to make a decision.

Long Xingbang had seen Jin Yunu in the illusion and understood the whole thing as real. After listening to the explanation he nearly had another heart attack and immediately took another pill.

He loved collecting painting and this painting was his life blood. Long Jingtian was his only son, and also his life blood.

In his heart was a scale. With one side was a beautiful piece of art belonging to humanity, a national treasure, on the other hand is the garbage son who kept on pissing him off and giving him heart attacks.

Long Xingbang was nearly 50. The last time he faced such a difficult decision it was when his wife was facing danger during childbirth and he had to choose to save his wife or his child.

P.S. He chose to save his wife.

P.P.S. The doctor told him he watched too much TV, and to hurry up and sign the permission form for emergency surgery...