Chapter 210: Recognition of Defeat

Qin Mu reattached Grandpa Ma's arm and the Cripple's leg, then placed both elders in a large medicinal cauldron. He filled the cauldron with medicinal soup and began to boil them, instructing Hu Ling'er to keep the fire going beneath the cauldron.

He stepped out of the room to find it was already late evening. Qin Mu went outside the courtyard and noticed that the Scholar's Residence was completely empty; everyone must have fled for safety. Only the Heavenly Devil King remained, standing immobile in the alleyway of the Scholar's Residence.

Qin Mu approached, lifted the statue's belly, revealing hundreds of intricate gears inside. He reached in and fiddled with the gears. Instantly, the Heavenly Devil King felt his legs loosen and he darted off. After a few steps, he heard a clicking sound from within, and all his joints locked up again.

"Long Da, drag him back into the courtyard," Qin Mu told the Dragon Qilin at the entrance.

The Dragon Qilin wagged his tail and waddled forward. He bit onto one of the Heavenly Devil King's legs, toppled the devil king, and clangingly dragged him back into Qin Mu's courtyard, dumping him in a corner.

"You son of a b*tch! If you've got guts, fight me for three hundred rounds!" the Heavenly Devil King cursed. "What kind of hero locks someone up like this?"

Qin Mu ignored him, quietly preparing medicinal herbs. Suddenly, lightning flashed around the statue, attempting to escape, but then various runic symbols appeared on the statue's surface. The symbols brightened, trapping the lightning within the statue.

The Heavenly Devil King swore loudly. The statue's surface was branded with sealing runes from the Loulan Golden Palace, which Qin Mu had learned from talismans in the Loulan Golden Palace's treasury. He had secretly imprinted these runes onto the statue while crafting it. Qin Mu had also been concerned that the devil king might escape even after possessing the statue, so he added these runic seals.

After preparing the medicine, Qin Mu turned to the Heavenly Devil King in the corner and said earnestly, "If you teach me all the Youdu language you know, I will release you."

"I'll believe you when pigs fly!" the Heavenly Devil King retorted angrily. "Don't even think I'll fall for that again!"

With a sincere and honest expression, Qin Mu earnestly said, "We can sign an agreement with the Earth Lord; that way, you can rest assured."

"Rest assured, my *ss!"

"Hey, hey, why are you cursing, Devil King?"

"Kiss my *ss! Don't even think I'll believe another word you say. If I believe you, I'm your grand-turtle!"

The Cripple and Grandpa Ma lay comfortably in the large cauldron. The medicinal soup in the cauldron bubbled and popped.

"Little fox, add more fire," the Cripple said, squinting as he watched his large gold chain float in the water. He glanced back at the still-cursing Heavenly Devil King and chuckled, "Little Mu'er has really grown up. I originally thought you and I would have to deal with this troublesome devil king, but he handled it all himself. Now I'm a bit worried, not about him, but about those who oppose him. Seriously, who did this kid learn to be so cunning and mischievous from?"

Grandpa Ma stared at the Cripple. His own large gold chain was also floating in the water, its gold plating almost boiled off.

The Cripple mused, "Everyone in the village is a good person. Who did this kid learn to be so cunning from? Did he go bad after leaving the village?" Grandpa Ma continued to stare at him.

The Cripple chuckled, "Why are you looking at me? Do I have something on my face? You're making me uneasy. Grandpa Ma, were you a constable before? Whenever you stare like that, I always get a strange feeling."

Grandpa Ma turned his head and said calmly, "I was a constable in the Protectorate for decades, and later worked at the Dali Temple. After solving a major case that made me famous throughout the land, Grand Thunderclap Temple found me, which is why I didn't continue."

"No wonder you make me uneasy," the Cripple replied. "Those monks from Grand Thunderclap Temple are truly busybodies, coming to find you even after you've renounced your monastic vows."

The two were boiled all night. During this time, Qin Mu changed the medicine once. When dawn broke, Grandpa Ma and the Cripple got up, washed, and dressed neatly. Qin Mu had already prepared breakfast, and the family sat down for a peaceful meal. Hu Ling'er went to help Qin Mu with the dishes. The Cripple rose and said with a smile, "Mu'er, Grandpa Ma and I won't be staying here anymore. We're leaving now."

Qin Mu quickly dried his hands and said, "I'll see you two grandpas off."

Grandpa Ma waved his hand, "No need. Seeing that you're doing well, the Cripple and I are at ease. We're old now; you can protect yourself."

The Cripple, still leaning on his crutch, glanced at Qin Mu and chuckled, "Grandpa Ma is getting sentimental again. Oh well, come see us off. If you don't, he'll be sad for two or three days."

Qin Mu followed them, seeing them off down the mountain. "Grandpa Ma, Cripple Grandpa, your arm and legs have just been reattached. You can't use too much force yet. You'll need to recuperate for a year or two, and you should also exercise your arm and legs regularly to avoid any lingering problems."

Grandpa Ma nodded. The Cripple sighed, "I got used to having one leg for twenty or thirty years. Now that the severed leg suddenly grew back, it feels quite unfamiliar."

Grandpa Ma empathized, "Being disabled for half a lifetime, and now the hand is back. I always feel like I don't need this hand."

Qin Mu saw them to the mountain gate. The Cripple smiled, "Go back now, no need to see us off further."

Grandpa Ma waved, "Remember to come home for New Year's."

"I will definitely be back!" Qin Mu nodded earnestly, watching the two depart.

As Grandpa Ma and the Cripple walked out of the capital, the Cripple sighed, "The little baby we picked up all those years ago has truly grown up. We almost gave him away back then."

Grandpa Ma nodded, "Almost. Luckily, you stole him back."

"This little guy, we've taught him well enough that he won't be easily taken advantage of," the Cripple continued. "I used to worry he'd get into trouble outside, but now we can return to the village with peace of mind..."

As the Cripple spoke, he suddenly stopped, and Grandpa Ma stopped as well. The two elders looked towards the Tu River ahead. A middle-aged man stood in the middle of the river, undisturbed by the surging waves beneath his feet.

"Imperial Preceptor, are your injuries healed?" the Cripple asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang nodded, "My injuries are healed. How about yours?"

Grandpa Ma stretched his arm and said in a deep voice, "Barely enough for a fight." The Cripple twitched his leg and sighed, "Mu'er said I still shouldn't use too much force, but if we have to fight, I can manage with one leg. The Imperial Preceptor certainly has patience. That day, even though he knew we were in the room and that I had stolen something from his home, he chose to retreat and endured until now. That's truly not easy."

Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang said calmly, "My injuries hadn't healed that day, so I had to give way. Both of you are senior masters, not evil people, and even though you stole things, it was merely for disaster relief. I don't wish to fight you two. As long as you hand over the Emperor's Disc, I will let you leave without ill will."

"Emperor's Disc?" The Cripple and Grandpa Ma exchanged a glance, then chuckled, "This Emperor's Disc thing, I've researched it for over twenty years and haven't figured out any mysteries. It wouldn't hurt to give it to you, but I've already given it away."

"Given it away?" Above Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang's head, stars suddenly appeared, forming a brilliant galaxy. The stars wavered, clearly indicating his inner turmoil. "To whom did you give it?"

"To your Yan Kang Kingdom's Imperial Censor." The Cripple chuckled mischievously and walked away alongside Grandpa Ma.

"Imperial Censor?" Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang paused, watching their retreating figures. He didn't make a move, quietly murmuring, "The Emperor's Disc was given to him? And he dared to accept it? Is he planning a rebellion? This Emperor's Disc was bestowed by the gods upon the founding emperor, symbolizing imperial power, and is said to hide a secret... Should I go reclaim it from him?" He stood in the middle of the river, pondering for a moment. He then shook his head, turned, and left. "Imperial power isn't decided by a mere Emperor's Disc. Imperial power relies on the support and opposition of the people; it has nothing to do with the disc."

Back at the Scholar's Residence, Qin Mu poured out the medicinal soup. He meticulously cleaned the medicinal cauldron and furnace, scrubbing them several times until not a speck of dirt remained, before setting them out in the sun to dry.

Hu Ling'er also helped with the cleaning. She spotted a jade ring on the table and exclaimed, "Young Master, those two old gentlemen left something behind!"

Qin Mu leaned over to look. Some constantly shifting and changing characters on the jade ring looked very familiar. He said, "This is... Cripple Grandpa's Emperor's Disc. He most likely left it here. When the Village Chief and I went into the darkness of the Great Ruins, Cripple Grandpa put this disc around my neck, but it wasn't used. Why would Cripple Grandpa leave the Emperor's Disc here? He's always been someone who picks things up along the way, never losing anything..." He shook his head, tied the Emperor's Disc to his own jade pendant, and thought to himself, "I'll return it to him when I go back to the village."

Then he dragged the Heavenly Devil King out again, opened the statue's belly, and fiddled with it, changing the gears' movement trajectory. "Devil King, you can move now," he said.

The Heavenly Devil King sneered, "You're just toying with me. I won't move. You little brat, when my true form descends, I'll make you wish you were dead!"

Hu Ling'er stood up on her hind legs, paws on her hips. "My young master has a hundred ways to make you wish you were dead right now!"

Qin Mu said meaningfully, "Ling'er, you said too few. How can a hundred ways be enough?"

The Heavenly Devil King chuckled, "Go ahead, brat, use whatever methods you have. If I'm scared, then I'll have wasted tens of thousands of years of cultivation."

Qin Mu persuaded him, "Why bother? We're all fellow cultivators of the demonic path, and I'm also from the demonic path. If you teach me the Youdu language you know, and I let you go, wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

"Bah!" the Heavenly Devil King spat.

Qin Mu sneered, "I'll send you to Qingyang Temple and have Grandmaster Fa Qing recite Buddhist scriptures to you every day. Grandmaster Fa Qing loves to enlighten demon lords; he'll surely enjoy it."

The Heavenly Devil King scoffed, "Heh heh, I am a demon lord who has become a god. Does he think he can enlighten me? Let this Grandmaster Fa Qing you speak of come. We'll see if he enlightens me, or if I turn him into a demon!"

Qin Mu hesitated. The Heavenly Devil King's demonic nature was profound; if Grandmaster Fa Qing tried to enlighten him, he would most likely be enlightened by the devil king instead, turning into a demon.

"Young Master, why hasn't he turned *us* into demons?" Hu Ling'er wondered.

The Heavenly Devil King, exasperated, roared, "You little fox demons, do you even need *me* to turn you into demons? You *are* demons already! I admit defeat this time, just give me a quick end!"

Qin Mu shook his head, speaking softly and slowly, "I'm not that kind of person. Ling'er, let him follow you from now on. I'll teach you how to control these mechanisms."