"Can demon cores be provided daily?"
The kingfisher chirped, its wings beating with a clear sound.
Then it spoke in human tongue, "Sir, you are the strongest demon hunter I have ever met, but if you provide demon cores daily, wouldn't that mean you have to kill a demon every day? That's impossible."
Qin Yexuan lifted the kingfisher, his eyes filled with disdain. "Are your kind so powerful? If I wish to kill, let alone one a day, even a hundred a day would be easy. In the various demon lairs and strongholds on Spirit Dream Mountain, one can slaughter thousands upon thousands of monsters by simply charging in."
The kingfisher wept softly, "I am truly sorry, sir. I did not mean to look down on you. I can serve you for a lifetime, just begging you not to slaughter demons indiscriminately. Not every demon is a bad person like the Cat Girl or the Wasp. We also have good ones..."
Qin Yexuan interrupted it, "No. Demons are demons."
The kingfisher trembled its wings, "Heaven has compassion for all life. Master, with your profound cultivation, can you truly not show leniency?"
It pleaded bitterly, its appearance so cute and endearing.
This little kingfisher's eyes were so innocent and pure.
Sun Qinglu and Song Qingya walked over.
At this moment, Song Qingya was still pinching her arm, and it had turned purple before she realized it wasn't a dream.
Everything that had just happened was real.
Sun Qinglu looked at the kingfisher and felt great pity. The kingfisher's words also made a lot of sense.
He first bowed to Qin Yexuan, then timidly said, "Brother Qin, it's so pitiful, and there are indeed many kind monsters among demons. Must we exterminate them all?"
Qin Yexuan glanced at him, speechless. "A little kingfisher has charmed you? If a fox spirit were to appear, you'd likely fall into eternal damnation in an instant."
Song Qingya, however, was full of curiosity. "It's so cute, it shouldn't be called a monster, it should be called a spirit, like elves in novels and movies. Qin classmate, you, you aren't really going to kill them all, are you?"
Sun Qinglu pleaded earnestly, "Truly, heaven has compassion for all life..."
Qin Yexuan abruptly cut him off, unable to refrain from scoffing, "Heaven has compassion for all life, and Earth bears all things... Do you know where this saying comes from?"
They didn't know, and only shook their heads. Sudanshu.com
"It comes from the Analects, a famous quote by Confucius's disciples. What does it have to do with us cultivators?"
Qin Yexuan's tone turned sharp. "Cultivators know only one saying: 'Heaven and Earth are impartial; they treat the myriad creatures as straw dogs.' Heaven and Earth treat all beings the same. It is simply survival of the fittest."
The kingfisher was already stunned in his palm.
Qin Yexuan sneered again, "How many chickens, ducks, pigs, and cattle do humans eat every day? No one finds it wrong. This is the way of survival for all things. It was too kind for the Buddhist and Taoist sects to release all the demons on Spirit Dream Mountain, which led to your rampant proliferation in areas without demon hunters."
Great demons gave birth to small demons, and small demons continued to reproduce.
The ecosystem on Spirit Dream Mountain had long been destroyed, and the ten thousand mountains could no longer accommodate the ever-increasing number of demons.
Qin Yexuan immediately saw through the kingfisher's intentions. "You plead for demons and speak of morality? It's because Spirit Dream Mountain can no longer house you all, and you must expand your territory. Human lands are the most perfect, and these billions of humans are natural food for demons."
The kingfisher suddenly flapped its wings, emitting a sharp cry, "Indeed, survival of the fittest. Why should you humans occupy all the land? The demons of Spirit Dream Mountain can't even find food, and we are confined to such a small area!"
It suddenly became terrifying. "What are humans? They only know how to destroy this land, they are lazy and stupid, and do nothing but eat, drink, and play. Just like the pigs you raise, in our eyes, you are food, and only fit to be food."
Its black eyes stared at Sun Qinglu and Song Qingya. "Wait and see. When the great demon kings of Spirit Dream Mountain are born, it will be your doomsday. Our demon race is coming out in full force this time, with strength accumulated over hundreds of years, and we will surely crush you!"
Its sharp voice and terrifying aura struck Sun Qinglu like lightning.
Song Qingya's face turned pale, unable to believe that this was still the gentle and cute little kingfisher from moments ago.
*Poof!*
The kingfisher was crushed to death on the spot by Qin Yexuan, turning into a cloud of blood mist.
He flicked his sleeve, wiping his hand vigorously. "Demons are demons, and monsters are still monsters. No matter how long time passes, they will always have that tone and mindset of looking down on humans and treating them as food."
Song Qingya looked at the scattered feathers in a daze, all her previous imaginings of spirits shattered.
Sun Qinglu trembled all over, his young heart even more fragile.
"I read Taoist scriptures in Qingniu Temple, and they were all about purity and tranquility."
"The ancestors of the Taoist sect said that the heart is a furnace, desires are fire, and killing and brutality are like pouring oil on the fire, which will burn the furnace and ruin the soul."
Sun Qinglu looked bewildered. "Brother Qin, you must be an ultimate master of the Taoist sect. Please help me understand, were the ancestors of the Taoist sect wrong?"
Qin Yexuan laughed heartily. "Firstly, the Taoist scriptures you read are not originals. They have been revised tens of thousands of times by later generations, all according to their own ideas. Who knows what the Taoist patriarchs truly thought?"
"Secondly, those Taoist classics are just to deceive your newly initiated disciples. Only by saying this can you young people become devout and develop faith."
Qin Yexuan patted his shoulder. "Qingniu Temple is just a small sect of the Heavenly Master Dao. You can leave, and follow me from now on."
Sun Qinglu became even more bewildered, his spirit flagging. "I have doubts about the Taoist sect. Today, Senior has truly given me a lesson. I need to think about it."
Qin Yexuan's eyes flashed. "I have a business card here for the Lion Camel Ridge Club, an identification for demons from the Zhuohe branch. You can take it and, under the name of the Zhuohe branch, infiltrate the club."
The business card, made of human skin, was placed in Sun Qinglu's hand.
The young Taoist genius smiled bitterly and walked away dejectedly.
Beside him, Song Qingya was still immersed in the scenes that had just unfolded.
Finally, she came to believe that all this was real and could only shake her head. "Actually, if you think about it from another perspective, humans' attitude towards pigs, cows, and sheep is no different from that of demons."
Qin Yexuan said coldly, "You think too much, and too far ahead. Based on my experience fighting demons, it is safest to eliminate them as soon as they are caught. What you saw today are just ordinary demons. You haven't even seen the kind of alluring fox spirits that can bewitch people!"
As he spoke, his heart trembled: If Su Yuluo was truly a golden carp reborn, and eventually sided with the demons, what would he do?
But this hesitation and conflict lasted only an instant, and the next moment he became resolute: He could only kill her!