Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

The Mansion, in Steward Wang's room.

An old man with silver hair lay on the brocade couch, his expression serene, so calm that not even his chest rose and fell.

Suddenly, there was a disturbance outside the tightly closed doors and windows, and a wisp of black smoke seeped through the gap in the door, transforming into a humanoid form of smoke and, like a whale drawing in water, it rushed into the silver-haired elder's mouth and nostrils.

In an instant, the old man slowly opened his eyes, a flash of resentment fleeting across them.

"Damn Taoist, I truly thought you were a brute, you almost had me fooled."

He was called the Five-Tongued Demon, a nefarious spirit born coincidentally from the convergence of human desire and the grudges of heaven and earth.

In his life, he had not cultivated good deeds, only taking pleasure in lust.

A week ago, he went out as usual to gather inspiration and happened to see the wife of Lord Wang going out of the city to offer incense to the elder matriarch, and at that moment, he was struck in awe as if she were a goddess descended from heaven.

Everything about her was exactly what he found aesthetically pleasing.

He was smitten, thoroughly smitten.

From the moment he saw Lady Wang, he felt as if all his previous objects of inspiration were mere misshapen fruits.

If his previous sources of inspiration were coarse grains, then Lady Wang was like a refined steamed bun.

Alas, the Five-Tongued Demon was uneducated, succeeding only through brazenness.

The day he saw Lady Wang, he whispered "damn" to himself ninety-nine times in his heart.

Thus, he transformed into a statue, waiting on the road Lady Wang would take on her return to the city.

Luckily for those with determination, after basking in half a day's sun, he finally awaited the goddess he yearned for.

It was an autumn day, the wind so tender, swirling the fiery red maple leaves into the sky.

And with them, his heart soared too.

Lady Wang appeared in a white dress, her figure exquisite. That bosom, those lotus feet in embroidered shoes, those white socks, the ultimate waist-to-hip ratio, were simply "damn" times 99.

On this day, the Five-Tongued Demon, who usually had no love for learning, for the first time entertained the thought of enrolling in private classes.

Indeed, it's always at a moment of need when one laments their lack of words.

Such ignorance, would it not be an insult to the lady?

Seeing the roadside statue, Lady Wang, reclining in an opulent palanquin carried by four men, ordered a stop and, walking over with swaying grace, offered three sticks of incense to the statue, wishing for the elder matriarch's speedy recovery.

Saving people? He could not.

Lady Wang? He was smitten.

What should he do?

Mix it up.

This matter was not difficult at all.

For he was a nefarious spirit.

He couldn't possibly abide by morals like humans, right?

Morals are but a construct created by humans to bind themselves, not applicable to him.

Therefore, he clung to the bottom of the palanquin, followed Lady Wang back to the mansion, and conveniently devoured the brain of the old steward of the mansion that very day, lying in wait.

Nighttime.

He took form from smoke.

Under the threat of his words, "My lady, you wouldn't want me to kill everyone in the mansion, would you?" he spent several days living a heavenly life.

That feeling, if described with two words, would be "damn~"

And if described with three words?

It would be.

Aiming for the clouds~

"Eh, it's a pity, good times never last long," the silver-haired elder in the room showed a forlorn expression.

Two days ago, that Lady Wang started to act up, inviting a white-haired Daoist to come under the pretense of taking care of the elder matriarch's funeral rites.

How could he not understand Lady Wang's thoughts? It was nothing but a hope to find someone with high mana to uncover his ruse and rescue her and the lives of the others in the mansion.

Although Lady Wang didn't dare to say it outright, he could see through the thoughts lingering in her heart.

For example, she, who usually loved wearing white clothes, put on red garments for the first time when the old madam fell gravely ill. It was nothing but an attempt to use abnormal behavior to get the attention of the Daoist who entered the mansion and to let him realize her hidden plea for help.

But all of this was destined to be in vain.

The Five-Pass Demon naturally excelled at hiding his true form and possessing human bodies. As long as he did not act, it was impossible for anyone to detect him unless they were cultivators whose strength surpassed his by tenfold.

In the small Ping'an County City, there was definitely no one with such heaven-reaching cultivation.

Still, even so, he severely punished Lady Wang for it.

During the punishment, he seemed to have alarmed a pretty maid listening outside the door and made her flee in shock.

Heh heh, it seemed even more thrilling.

Gathering his scattered thoughts, the Five-Pass Demon, feeling a bit agitated, rubbed his brow with his thumb.

"This has become a bit troublesome, it would be better not to wander for inspiration recently. Caution is paramount. I didn't expect that burly Daoist to have such sharp senses."

"That brute, usually his vital energies are not obvious, subdued in calm, but once activated they're shocking, like a melting furnace."

"Even if I faced him, I'm afraid I wouldn't fare well. If a prolonged fight attracts the attention of the Town's Peace Office, that would be terrible."

"Good thing I ran fast tonight."

"Had I known, I wouldn't have taken action tonight. I stirred the grass and startled the snake."

"However, there's no need to worry too much. As long as I go back into hiding and endure for a while, Lady Wang will still have to submit to me obediently."

"In Ping'an County City, it's absolutely impossible for anyone to see through my disguise."

The Five-Pass Demon mused to himself.

If it weren't for threatening the life of everyone in the Wang residence, with Lady Wang's firm and unwavering nature, she would rather die than submit.

The Five-Pass Demon not only liked her looks but was more captivated by her personality.

Quite interesting.

He truly adored Lady Wang. Otherwise, given those little actions of hers that crazily tested his limits (dancing wildly), he would have long since wiped out everyone in the Wang residence and fled.

But that's the end of that.

If there were any more excessive actions, he would surely kill and flee.

When it comes to choosing between a beauty and his own life and wealth, he could clearly weigh his options.

You can show off, but not too much~

That beauty was also clear-headed, knowing where her bottom line lay.

Having made up his mind, Wang the steward, or rather the Five-Pass Demon, suddenly relaxed. He pushed open the window, turned the title page of a book under the pure moonlight, and began to read.

Under the moon's illumination, the title on the book's first page was revealed in full clarity.

It boldly read "Biography of Cao Aman"

This was a vernacular novel with a roller coaster of a plot. The way the protagonist acted suited his tastes perfectly.

Reading it wasn't difficult and was just right for his level of education from private tutoring.

After reading for a few days, he felt his level of education had subtly improved, though it made him somewhat restless as well.

It was this book that had made him so restless tonight, causing him to lose control of his desires and make a move on a maid with a fair appearance.

He had thought that as long as he was careful, even if he took action, no one would discover it. He hadn't anticipated that the young, impetuous Daoist, who even the White Crane True Person couldn't match, was the one who never showed his true capabilities.

What? You ask why he didn't go for Lady Wang tonight?

Simple, because he hadn't had his way with her yet.

You can't just eat meat every day; sometimes you need a little vegetable too, right~

Who knew it would almost end in disaster?

After grounding his will and severing his distractions, the Five-Pass Demon started reading intently in the moonlight, nodding repeatedly when he came upon an excellent passage, occasionally picking a peanut from a plate beside him and popping it into his mouth.

He, the Five-Pass Demon, loved reading.

He even gave himself a human name, Cao Kun, sharing it with the protagonist of the popular novel.