PID Chapter 14

Chu Jinglan’s strength had been completely drained by his mother and Xiao Mo. Physically and mentally exhausted, he returned to his room with little energy.

 

Thinking he would rest, unexpectedly, the overachiever that he was, he sat down to meditate, surprising even the system.

 

System: “Wow, so intense.”

 

Xiao Mo nodded: “It has that flavor of a high school senior cramming for exams while sick.”

 

As the sky gradually darkened, Xiao Mo noticed Chu Jinglan’s complexion improving during meditation and asked the system: “His meditation helps with recovery too, right?”

 

System confirmed: “Of course.”

 

“Alright, there’s nothing more for us to do here,” Xiao Mo said. “Let’s go back to the sea of consciousness to practice the heart method.”

 

The system was surprised: “Eh? At this time every day, don’t you usually go to the second banyan tree outside the courtyard to enjoy the breeze, watch the red spirit birds on the branches, then stroll along the flower beds before returning to the sea of consciousness for an early night?”

 

Even retired old men don’t live such a leisurely life.

 

“That was when I didn’t need to cultivate. Now my vacation is over.”

 

Xiao Mo showed no nostalgia for his lost holiday: “I’m keeping my human sleeping habits, but this inner demon body doesn’t need sleep and won’t worry about sudden death. It’s so convenient. I’ve already made a plan: practice the heart method every night, and music theory techniques during the day. I’ll reach Nascent Soul stage early and regain human form sooner.”

 

System: …Excuse me, I almost forgot that this host, who had been so laid-back after transmigrating, was originally an overachiever too.

 

If only he could be this dedicated to Chu Jinglan and the task, how great would that be QAQ!

 

An inner demon not trying to possess the host or compete for the body is such a waste of the inner demon identity!

 

The inner demon mist ball disappeared from the air. After he left, Chu Jinglan opened his eyes and glanced at where the inner demon had vanished.

 

The inner demon hadn’t taken advantage of his weakness to do anything harmful.

 

Chu Jinglan’s eyes deepened, lost in thought for a moment, before slowly closing again to continue his meditation.

 

Xiao Mo returned to the sea of consciousness, the black mist ball transforming into a handsome young man. He took out the “Demonic Tome of Music” and began memorizing the first level of the heart method.

 

The technique in the Demonic Tome of Music was called Demonic Sound, with a heart method named Bewitchment. It was tailor-made for inner demons. Other demonic cultivators would have to consider whether they’d suffer mental collapse before mastering the art of bewitching hearts, but inner demons, with their racial advantage, were naturally skilled at manipulating minds and had no such worries.

 

After memorizing the first chapter of the heart method, Xiao Mo began meditating under the peach tree in his small courtyard.

 

When an inner demon has no physical body, consciousness is the body, and the body is consciousness. The mind wanders the universe, thoughts drifting, the way of the inner demon is also the mysterious path.

 

As Xiao Mo immersed himself in the wonders of concentration, outside his small courtyard, the usually quiet black mist in the sea of consciousness began to stir.

 

The thick black mist began to flow and rotate at an extremely slow pace. One or two wisps of almost invisible mist floated around Xiao Mo. What should have been an eerie scene became gentle as the black mist enveloped Xiao Mo, softly merging with him.

 

Whether it was an illusion or not, the space Xiao Mo had carved out in the sea of consciousness seemed to have grown a tiny bit larger.

 

Xiao Mo knew he had entered a deeper state. He seemed to be floating in the air, but the surrounding energy felt like water, smooth with a hint of resistance. He felt that if he reached out to touch it, a warm current would instantly flow through his entire body, making him feel lazy and relaxed all over.

 

His spirit settled on an anchor point, clearly yet hazily examining himself and external objects. Black threads extended from himself to the world, connecting, binding, and forming unbreakable ties.

 

Xiao Mo’s consciousness floated in this wonderful state for a long time. When he opened his eyes, an entire night had passed.

 

The system greeted him: “Good morning, Host!”

 

Xiao Mo felt refreshed in body and mind: “Good morning.”

 

He stood up, feeling no numbness in his legs, his movements very smooth. Xiao Mo could clearly feel the changes in himself. He nodded with satisfaction, then became a bit worried: “I seem to have become lighter again. When I turn back into a human after completing the task, will I have trouble walking?”

 

“Unless their techniques are special, most cultivators have light footsteps. You don’t need to worry,” the system said. “But Host, your appearance looks more sinister now.”

 

Hearing this, Xiao Mo immediately went to the small pond in the courtyard to look at his current appearance.

 

Indeed, as the system said, the red lotus between his brows seemed even more vibrant, blooming brilliantly. His eyes were still the same, yet somehow looked even more beautiful.

 

From a stereotypical perspective, Xiao Mo’s entire aura couldn’t be said to have no connection to orthodox sects; it could only be said to be completely unlike them.

 

Xiao Mo touched the corner of his eye: “Does cultivating demonic techniques always do this?”

 

“No, some become uglier,” the system said, praising him. “Of course, becoming more attractive is better!”

 

Seeing himself heading further down the path of otherworldly beauty, Xiao Mo consoled himself: ‘It’s fine. Even if I regain human form later, others will only see a face similar to Chu Jinglan’s. Once I complete the task and regain my identity, I just won’t be a demonic cultivator anymore.’

 

What did it matter if the Xiao inner demon looked sinister? It had nothing to do with Xiao Mo himself.

 

Xiao Mo stretched, touching the leaves of the peach tree. His peach and pear trees were only in form, not yet able to bloom or bear fruit. This would only happen when Chu Jinglan reached Nascent Soul stage and the sea of consciousness had its own sun and moon.

 

Xiao Mo asked the system: “What time is it now?”

 

An inner demon should be able to know its host’s actions at any time, but the current Xiao Mo still had limitations.

 

If he wanted to see what Chu Jinglan was seeing, he’d have to leave his small courtyard, pass through the black mist, and go to Chu Jinglan’s territory in the sea of consciousness to see the outside world. When he was too lazy to go, Xiao Mo would just ask the system for the time outside.

 

The system, doubling as an alarm clock, reported the time. It was now Chu Jinglan’s morning cultivation time.

 

Xiao Mo nodded and turned to walk towards the attic. The system, having missed yesterday’s events, didn’t know Xiao Mo had decided not to disturb Chu Jinglan during his cultivation. It asked in confusion: “Host, aren’t you going out?”

 

“I’ve decided to avoid Chu Jinglan’s schedule. I won’t go out to play the flute when he’s cultivating,” Xiao Mo said, opening the Demonic Sound Manual. “But time shouldn’t be wasted. I’ll memorize the rest of the techniques first.”

 

System: “…Wow.”

 

The system looked outside the sea of consciousness at Chu Jinglan, who, despite being in pain and unsteady yesterday, still got up early to cultivate. Then it looked back at Xiao Mo inside the sea of consciousness, not wasting any fragment of time, earnestly memorizing his book.

 

The system sighed, thinking how intense humans were. So incredibly intense.

 

It was good to be a system, not having to be human.

 

The heart method not only required memorization but also personal understanding and experience. If it were just about remembering a few lines, the speed would be too fast. But heart methods and techniques naturally slow down your reading speed, making you focus on each character, carefully savoring it.

 

As Xiao Mo read, he became immersed, losing track of time. When he finally closed the book, still savoring it, he checked the system’s time—

 

He had already missed Chu Jinglan’s lunch time!

 

While you could build houses and decorate in the sea of consciousness, the trees couldn’t even produce fruit. Food could be created in appearance, but it was just a shell without substance, cold and lacking both aroma and taste. If Xiao Mo wanted to smell steaming hot food, he had to go outside.

 

He always missed breakfast, and now he had missed lunch too. Out of three meals a day, he only had dinner left to smell!

 

But Chu Jinglan only prepared lavish dinners when he was deliberately trying to annoy him. Otherwise, it was just light porridge and simple dishes.

 

Xiao Mo’s mood immediately plummeted.

 

He sighed as he put away the heart manual. In this cultivation world, he could only set short-term goals to give his life some meaning and expectation. For example, cultivating was for regaining human form and feeling warm sunlight. And currently, the happiest thing each day was smelling food at mealtimes.

 

After all, every inner demon’s primary long-term goal was to possess their host. Since he didn’t have this need, he had to find other pleasures to keep from stagnating.

 

Today’s happiness was gone just like that.

 

Xiao Mo felt melancholic. The joy was gone, but cultivation had to continue. He took out his flute, preparing to go outside to practice tunes.

 

Looking on the bright side, he hadn’t missed too much time. Maybe Chu Jinglan hadn’t finished eating yet?

 

…Well, that wasn’t likely.

 

Only when eating to annoy him would Chu Jinglan deliberately slow down.

 

As Xiao Mo dejectedly prepared to go out with his flute, the system’s surprised voice sounded: “Host, Chu Jinglan has entered the sea of consciousness again!”

 

Xiao Mo’s steps faltered. Actually, even without the system’s reminder, this time when Chu Jinglan entered the sea of consciousness, Xiao Mo had vaguely sensed it.

 

The changes from cultivation were gradually manifesting. Xiao Mo, an inner demon with Golden Core level cultivation but only utilizing one or two tenths of it, was finally reaching the strength a peak Golden Core stage should have.

 

Since being driven away by Xiao Mo in the sea of consciousness last time, Chu Jinglan had realized that with his current spiritual strength, he was completely helpless against the inner demon here, so he hadn’t come back.

 

What wind had blown him here today?

 

Xiao Mo thought for a moment, then changed direction, flute in hand. He parted the black mist and walked towards Chu Jinglan’s territory. He had even given Chu Jinglan’s area a name: Moon Lake Community.

 

And his own territory was called: Eastern Villa.

 

This naming is very 21st century-esque. Not bad. Xiao Mo, at such a young age and not even graduated from university, already has a house. Although the address can only be written as “Unnamed Road, Southeast Corner of Chu Jinglan’s Sea of Consciousness, Cultivation World,” it’s a three-story independent building with a yard. Isn’t that a mansion!

 

When Xiao Mo emerged from the black mist, he met Chu Jinglan’s gaze across the lake.

 

Chu Jinglan’s eyes seemed to have been searching, but they stopped when Xiao Mo appeared.

 

He slightly frowned at Xiao Mo’s increasingly sinister aura. The inner demon’s face, similar to his own, was heading further down the path of evilness. It seemed there was no stopping it now.

 

Chu Jinglan did some mental preparation before managing to keep his gaze on the inner demon’s face.

 

Xiao Mo lightly tapped the flute in his palm: “What a rare guest. What made you decide to enter the sea of consciousness?”

 

Chu Jinglan replied coolly: “This is my sea of consciousness.”

 

The host coming to the sea of consciousness, coming and going as he pleased – did he need to report to the inner demon?

 

Chu Jinglan remained as steady as a rock before the inner demon. Surprisingly, the inner demon didn’t argue, just nodding: “That’s true.”

 

Xiao Mo even started introducing: “You should be able to sense that this whole area is your territory. I call it Moon Lake Community.” Xiao Mo pointed his flute at the distant black mist, “I live behind there.”

 

Moon Lake Community? It sounded a bit strange. Chu Jinglan silently repeated the name, feeling it wasn’t particularly well-chosen.

 

He glanced at the thick black mist following Xiao Mo’s words, without commenting. After Xiao Mo finished speaking, Chu Jinglan gave him a cool look, then his form gradually faded, slowly disappearing from the sea of consciousness.

 

He had left.

 

Xiao Mo: ?

 

He came all the way to the sea of consciousness, did nothing, didn’t even argue, just said one sentence and left??

 

Xiao Mo was completely baffled by Chu Jinglan: “System, what do you think he came here to do?”

 

The system didn’t know either: “Host, I think he’s like you, the type that’s hard to figure out.”

 

Fine then.

 

Regardless of what Chu Jinglan suddenly wanted to do, Xiao Mo proceeded with his original plan. He left the sea of consciousness, his slender form changing into a round ball. However, more attractive than the light was the aroma wafting through the air.

 

Xiao Mo was stunned.

 

He saw that Chu Jinglan’s table still had steaming hot dishes. Judging by the amount, Chu Jinglan had just started eating.

 

Xiao Mo circled the table in surprise, asking Chu Jinglan: “Why are you eating so late today?”

 

Chu Jinglan’s hand paused, but only for half a second. He continued reaching for the plate as if nothing had happened: “Lost track of time while cultivating.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Xiao Mo didn’t suspect anything. More importantly, the joy he thought he had lost suddenly returned, doubling his delight! He happily did two and a half flips above the table, eager to enjoy today’s share of deliciousness.

 

Seeing the inner demon’s obviously joyful appearance, Chu Jinglan lowered his eyes without speaking.

 

The system, however, found it strange: “I monitored Chu Jinglan’s morning schedule and didn’t see him over-cultivate?”

 

Xiao Mo: “Hm?”

 

“It’s just that when it was mealtime, he seemed to look around, then fell into deep thought, as if pondering some complex issue.”

 

The system judged that Chu Jinglan was pondering a complex issue because his microexpressions varied quite a bit at that time. According to the system’s analysis, there were signs of inner conflict, struggle, and so on – clearly not a simple matter.

 

Xiao Mo followed the system’s words and analyzed: “Then he probably spent too much time thinking about that issue, which delayed his meal. Contemplating problems is also a form of mental and wisdom cultivation, so that’s reasonable.”

 

Xiao Mo sniffed the aroma of the food, feeling very pleased and in a great mood. He joked casually: “It’s not like he noticed I wasn’t around and deliberately waited for me to eat together, right?”

 

The system strongly agreed with its host: “Right, that’s impossible, haha!”

 

After laughing, the system realized something.

 

Hey, if that were true, it would solve the mystery of why Chu Jinglan appeared in the sea of consciousness!

 

Look, he noticed the usually punctual inner demon wasn’t around at mealtime, so he felt strange and entered the sea of consciousness to see what the inner demon was doing. Seeing the inner demon was still the same as always, he didn’t say much and just left the sea of consciousness.

 

The logic chain was complete.

 

But that’s impossible, of course. Even though Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan argue less now, that’s just because Xiao Mo has come to terms with things. From Chu Jinglan’s perspective, Xiao Mo is an inner demon who will fight him to the death in the future. Vigilance and aversion are the normal attitudes for a host.

 

The system reached the correct conclusion: It’s just a coincidence!

 

Author’s Note:

 

Xiao Mo: Impossible.

System: Right, impossible, absolutely impossible!

Chu Jinglan: …

 

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1 Kofi = 1 Extra Chapter