Chapter 18 - Li Shiwu, Untainted by Dust.

Under the night sky.

Though the Faceless Sui Demon had no features, it could clearly sense its fear.

The person before it was flaying it alive, as if fearless, seeming more demonic than the Sui Demon itself.

At the same time, it felt it hadn't checked the almanac before going out tonight.

There were clearly four targets, and by pure bad luck, it had chosen the toughest one to bite.

"Don't want it anymore? That won't do," Li Shiwu said, dropping another shriveled, empty face.

Seeing this, the Sui Demon was ineffably miserable.

It didn't want to rigidly follow the yellow paper contract.

But its logic for existing in this world was to sign contracts, peel faces, and give money, repeating in a cycle.

Therefore, it could not violate it.

"Sir, Daoist master!"

"We beg you, please stop flaying, okay?"

The figure, a zhang tall and resembling a small giant, actually knelt down.

It continued with a tearful voice: "I have no money left, truly no money left."

"I swapped for a woman's face and sang in the pleasure houses of Tangcheng for a hundred years, trying every method to accumulate that much gold."

"It's all gone, completely spent, boohoo..."

At this.

The old monk and his two companions in the distance, even the Ten Forms Gate woman, were dumbfounded, their eyes twitching incessantly.

Even Li Shiwu stopped his actions.

He just felt that this thing in front of him was simply too damn peculiar.

"Uh, so what now?" he couldn't help but ask.

Hearing this, the Faceless Sui Demon still cried: "You've peeled thirty-two faces, and we've only paid you two hundred gold."

"Therefore, we still owe you one hundred and twenty gold."

"Next, we must repay the gold within a year, otherwise, we will be erased by the life contract..."

Li Shiwu let out an "Oh," then started again, peeling faces.

"In that case, let's round it up for you, two hundred gold it is."

In the distance.

The Ten Forms Gate woman's eyes sparkled with an unusual light, and she casually asked, "What is that Daoist called?"

The basket-carrying woman replied, "To answer, my lady, Li Shiwu."

The woman nodded, took out her pen, then a white booklet, and began to write. Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)

'Great Yao, Bing Province, within Tangcheng territory.'

'A Faceless Sui Demon peeled skin and harmed people, causing countless deaths and injuries.'

'There is a Daoist named Li Shiwu, his face like the autumn moon, his complexion like a spring dawn flower, tall and upright, like an exiled immortal descended to the mortal world.'

'The two met and battled for ten days and ten nights.'

'Finally, the Sui Demon kowtowed and submitted, in respect for the deceased.'

'Only our Daoist Lord Shiwu, his Daoist robe like ink, remained untainted by dust.'

Listening to the woman's murmuring, the sword-wielding youth beside her couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"What the hell?"

"This Li fellow, even a dog looks better than him, and you call him like an exiled immortal?"

"And look at him, that bloody, demonic appearance, does he deserve to be called untainted by dust?"

However, the basket-carrying woman frantically winked at him, telling him to stop talking.

In the field.

Li Shiwu, however, was somewhat at a loss. He felt that with his current methods, he couldn't kill the Sui Demon before him.

So he turned and looked at the four people.

"Hey, you over there, I want to ask something."

"Does anyone here have a way to kill this thing?"

Hearing this, the Faceless Sui Demon also looked over.

After observing for a while, it decided the woman in the white floral dress looked easy to bully; people like her, always smiling, were usually greenhorns just starting out.

So it said fiercely, "You four, you also want to subdue this demon?"

"Little girl, what are you looking at? Believe it or not, this demon will gouge out your eyeballs?"

Seeing this, the Ten Forms Gate woman simply produced a lightning whip. With a flick, the whip grew to a hundred meters in the wind, lightning flashing upon it, its aura awe-inspiring.

She chuckled, "Heh, a Sui Demon that hasn't existed for a very long time, yet it has quite some nerve."

Instantly, lightning flared, and the sound of the whip echoed continuously.

What followed was the Sui Demon's incessant, shrill screams and mournful cries.

After about half an incense stick's time.

The Ten Forms Gate woman smiled and nodded towards Li Shiwu.

"Daoist friend Li, this Sui Demon is quite interesting, I'll leave it for you."

"Besides, although you possess divine peculiarities, it seems you haven't formally embarked on the path of cultivation. Please take care of yourself."

As her words fell, she vanished like the wind, her figure disappearing without a trace.

Seeing her leave. Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)

The sword-wielding youth still chattered incessantly: "This Li fellow, does he deserve to be called an exiled immortal descended to the mortal world, untainted by dust?"

The basket-carrying woman gave a wry smile: "You shouldn't say that."

"That woman is from the Ten Forms Gate, a Pen Aspect, with the Pen of Discord."

"The Pen of Discord has the meaning of stirring up trouble and sowing discord."

"It is said in Great Yao that even death is preferable to being targeted by their pen, otherwise, one will never have a day of peace in their entire life."

Hearing this, the youth couldn't help but shiver.

His gaze towards Li Shiwu was also full of pity.

As for Li, he was staring at the Sui Demon before him, troubled.

"Let me ask something, if you kill me, does that mean the contract is dissolved, and you don't have to return my gold?"

The Faceless Sui Demon shook its head: "No, I would die too if that happened."

The next day.

The world was hazy with rain, and the ground was muddy.

In Jule Town, town guard Liu Shaohu cleared a small courtyard for them to stay in temporarily.

At this moment, watching the chaotic raindrops outside the window, Li Shiwu felt particularly distraught.

He turned back and angrily said, "Faceless man, can you just leave? Don't follow me, I don't need your two hundred gold."

The Faceless Sui Demon was still wearing its gray robe and had no features; according to its own words, it considered itself male.

"No."

"We must repay you two hundred gold within a year, otherwise, we will be erased by the life contract, so we cannot lose track of you."

Li Shiwu's brows furrowed, and he looked at the old monk in yellow robes: "Master, quickly subdue this demon."

The old monk performed a Buddhist salute, then shook his head: "Benefactor Li, from what I can see, this old monk's Buddhist dharma is somewhat insufficient."

The sword-wielding youth beside him gloated: "Oh, so Daoist Lord Li, the exiled immortal descended to the world, untainted by dust, also has his helpless moments?"

At this moment, town guard Liu Shaohu walked into the courtyard.

Upon seeing the Faceless Man, he shivered all over.

He quickly averted his gaze and said to Li Shiwu: "Daoist master, I've found out."

"The one hundred and two people who died in town, each household received one hundred pieces of gold."

"I thought it was strange; each of them had someone die in their family, yet they didn't make a fuss, and even acted cheerful all day as if nothing happened."

The Faceless Man leaned closer, very proudly saying: "This demon is just that meticulous in its work."

Li Shiwu casually asked, "Those people die after their faces are peeled, that can't be right, can it?"

The Faceless Man explained: "When I peel faces, I generally strip away all their essence, energy, and spirit, then integrate it into the human face."

"If that's the case, why didn't you do that when you peeled my face last night?" Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)

"Uh, your face is too ugly, and only worth ten gold," the Faceless Man stammered, "and who would have thought your face would keep growing back..."

Li Shiwu: "That's outrageous, where's my knife..."