Chapter 142: Chapter 104: One Lotus (Part 3)

"Just because she’s a yōkai, does that mean she deserves to die?"

"Yes." Li Yuanshan paused after he said it.

"However, considering that this horse yōkai has not actively harmed anyone since its transformation, I, as a Daoist, believe in the virtue of good life that heaven bestows, and will arrange an appropriate place for it."

Qingqing sneered, "Won’t it be flaying and extracting its demon pill?"

Li Yuanshan ignored her, instead looking once more at Chu Xuan.

Chu Xuan pondered, "As my companion here mentioned, although Ayue is of yōkai kind, she inherently isn’t evil."

"Daoist friend, if you insist on separating these two, why not explain the pros and cons, allowing A-Qing to make his own choice?"

"If he is willing to give up, we have nothing more to say."

"But if A-Qing insists on rescuing his wife, then between you and me, it seems inevitable that we must settle this matter fairly and decide the fate of this yōkai."

Li Yuanshan felt slightly reassured upon hearing this. In his heart, he acknowledged that as expected of a Cyan Lotus Daoist Palace disciple, even if the two held different ideologies, at least Chu Xuan was reasonable.

"Alright, since that’s the case, let me explain it thoroughly to you," the Daoist said, looking at A-Qing who was glaring at him.

"Since ancient times, humans and yōkai could not be together, and there are reasons for it."

"Firstly, although the horse yōkai itself harbors no malice, unlike fox yōkai that demand excessively or female ghosts that drain human vitality, yōkai energy inherently erodes the human body."

"Over time, it will surely cause your vital energy to wither, and lead to a short life and early death."

"Now you are young and strong, and it’s only been a few years of being close to her, so naturally you don’t feel much; but in three to five years, your body will weaken gradually, and when medical treatment is ineffective, you will then understand regret comes too late."

"Secondly, a yōkai is still a yōkai, and its nature will not change."

"Today it seems silly and kind-hearted, but one day, the beast’s fierce nature will emerge, and by then there may be husband killing and child eating, and regret will come too late."

"If I don’t take it away now, you’ll never sleep peacefully, always worried that the person beside you will reveal their true form and devour you completely."

"You’re talking nonsense!" A-Qing trembled with anger, unable to match the Daoist’s eloquence, he simply said:

"Ayue will definitely not turn out as you say. I’ve watched her grow up since childhood, she has no vicious nature, you can’t blame her for the evil deeds other yōkai have done."

Li Yuanshan continued:

"Thirdly, if you two join and have offspring, the abominations born will be half-human, half-yōkai, neither human nor yōkai, like a mongrel, being rejected by both the human world and the yōkai community, they will only grow up under discrimination."

"Will you face your child as a father, after seeing them suffer for something they cannot control?!"

A-Qing, faced with this accusation, wanted to retort but couldn’t find the words.

Li Yuanshan’s voice raised: "If you refuse to let go, I will immediately report to the City God! Then, when divine intervention takes place, this matter cannot be resolved peacefully. Aren’t you afraid your wife will be caught and suffer the punishment of tongue-pulling and heart-piercing?"

A-Qing’s face paled instantly, muttering only: "No, no..."

Upon hearing the last sentence, Chu Xuan frowned slightly, "Daoist friend, threatening to ’report to the City God’ seems a bit too much."

Li Yuanshan shook his head, "I mean well. How about this, A-Qing, if you are willing to let go, I promise you I won’t take the horse yōkai’s life, allowing it to perform labor for twenty years on Dragon Tiger Mountain."

"During this time, if it truly does not show any viciousness, I will personally release it back to the wild."

Qingqing seemed infuriated by this, "She did nothing wrong, yet based solely on your words, she’s to be caught to toil for twenty years? Why? Just because you’re a high and mighty righteous Daoist?"

Li Yuanshan gave this female cultivator a peculiar look; her tone didn’t seem like that of one from the righteous path.

Gu Haitang felt a headache, quietly pulled Qingqing’s sleeve, signaling her to watch her words.

Chu Xuan was temporarily noncommittal, merely looking at A-Qing, "What do you think?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Looking at the small horse shedding tears in the cage, A-Qing felt his heart wrench, but after Li Yuanshan’s intimidation, he worried Ayue might truly be captured and punished, leaving him indecisive.

Ultimately, he gritted his teeth, "Release Ayue, I’ll listen to her. If she wants to go back with me, I’ll take her even if it kills me."

"If Ayue herself gives up and doesn’t wish to continue being my wife in this life, I will not force her."

Chu Xuan nodded, looking across, "A reasonable request, you shouldn’t reject it, Daoist friend."

Li Yuanshan pondered for a moment, "Agreed."

Yet he didn’t act immediately but first addressed the horse yōkai in the cage, "You’ve likely heard every word I said to A-Qing."

"If you truly wish to continue being entangled with him, even if I let you go today, you will harm A-Qing in the future. If you truly love him, you should understand to let go."

Qingqing angrily exclaimed, "Despicable and shameless, are you using A-Qing’s life to threaten her?"

Li Yuanshan ignored this and continued, "Furthermore, you’re a yōkai and can live long, but A-Qing’s life is only these brief decades. If you don’t let go now, the future will only be more painful."

Unexpectedly, the small horse ignored him completely and only shed tears while looking towards A-Qing.

Li Yuanshan frowned but still chanted and gestured, grasping towards the horse yōkai in the cage, recalling the magical power that had previously restrained it.

The small horse immediately transformed back into human form inside the cage, revealing an ordinary-looking young woman dressed in coarse clothes.

Upon recovering her human form, she clung to the bars and shouted outward, "A-Qing! A-Qing!"

"Ayue!" Unable to hold back any longer, A-Qing rushed forward, but Li Yuanshan blocked him in front.