Chapter Fifteen: The Quest Bookstore

The young deer demon girl was overjoyed to receive a spirit stone as a tip, and she happily bit down on it with her teeth.

Unfortunately, a discordant voice soon drifted over from not far away.

“What’s there to be so smug about? Such a tiny job, and you’re putting in all that effort.”

“Exactly. You'd be better off finding a good serpent lord to marry—then you’d have the finest food and clothes. Last time I introduced you to one, and you refused. I was only trying to help, but you just threw my good intentions back in my face.”

“Watch your tongue! What have we donkey demons ever done to you? Are you cat demons all paragons of kindness?”

“Getting so excited over such a meager tip—clearly you’ve never seen the world. Who knows how you got so lucky, managing to find a top-grade Metamorphosis Fruit in the mountains.”

After being scolded, the deer demon girl didn’t dare talk back. After all, ordinary deer demons like her, at the bottom of the herbivore demon hierarchy with no lineage from great demons, tended to have gentle temperaments.

All the more so since she was a female deer—her disposition was even milder.

...

Following the path the deer demon girl had described, Ji Xun walked for half an hour before finally reaching the small alley she’d mentioned.

“This is really out of the way. If someone were to kill a demon here, as long as they were quick, no one would even notice.”

With that thought, Ji Xun arrived at the Seeking Knowledge Bookstore.

The dilapidated signboard was already moldy, with a few scattered mushrooms growing on it. The mushrooms were vividly colored—just looking at them, one could tell eating them would cause hallucinations.

In front of the bookstore, a messy display of books was set out, while inside, the lighting was dim. Ji Xun could just make out a pale-faced scholar reclining in a rocking chair, reading.

It was worth noting that all thirty-six demon kingdoms, including the Serpent Kingdom, had some form of civil service examination. However, the selection process overwhelmingly favored candidates of their own demon race.

Ji Xun stepped into the store, immediately enveloped by the mingled scents of old books and mildew.

The scholar didn’t look up, only spoke: “Pick whatever you like. All hand-copied, with very few errors.”

“Do you have cultivation manuals?” Ji Xun asked.

“In the back. Pick what you want, but don’t blame me if something goes wrong while practicing.”

“Alright.”

Ji Xun headed deeper into the shop. The battered bookshelves were also moldy, as if they hadn’t seen sunlight in ages.

The shelves were marked with prices—ordinary books cost around a hundred demon coins. The cultivation manuals started at one or two taels of demon silver, but there was no guarantee they were original versions.

Ji Xun casually pulled out a few volumes to inspect. There were introductory texts on cultivation, such as "Annals of Silver Prefecture," "Twenty-Four Landscapes of the Serpent Kingdom," "Legends of the Azure Domain," "Secret History of the Dragon Ancestor," "Collected Works of Qingyang County," and "Bloodlines of the Demon Race," among others.

Then Ji Xun found the shelf for martial techniques.

“Bamboo-Splitting Sword Technique (Fragment): Profound-Grade, Medium Quality. Allows sword control by qi; the sword moves swiftly, accurately, and ruthlessly. Mastering the complete version offers a slim chance of comprehending the Sword Intent.”
(Note: Practicing incomplete manuals greatly increases the risk of deviation.)

“Clear Wind, Bright Moon: Thirty-Six Styles of Sword and Spear (Fragment): Profound-Grade, Lower Quality. Lets sword move like a spear, and spear like a sword; flashy but impractical, mostly for display.”

He continued browsing. Every character in these hand-copied books was forceful, as if they were exercises in calligraphy.

“Tidal Blade Technique (Fragment): Profound-Grade, Lower Quality. Unbroken, surging blade strikes like waves crashing on a shore. Many moves, but none deadly.”

“Lightness Incantation (Fragment): Profound-Grade, Lower Quality. Can be cast on oneself or inscribed on talismans, making the body as light as a swallow.”

All these books carried faint traces of demon aura, and their paper was mixed with minute amounts of profound-grade materials.

Given that, although the manuals were incomplete, the price—one or two taels—didn’t seem unreasonable.

Other titles included “Fated Jade Celestial Art,” “Nine Winds Returning Technique,” “Little Raincloud Method,” “Yin-Yang Harmonizing Law,” “Seventeen Demon Refinements,” “Molting Feather Technique,” and so on. All were fragmentary; not a single one complete.

“Hm? This one isn’t hand-copied?”

After some time, Ji Xun came across an item that seemed to be a vessel for someone’s spiritual imprint, though much of it was missing.

“Tiger-Crane Twin Form Fist (Fragment): Profound-Grade, Superior Quality. A fist technique once the spiritual anchor of the half-demon Tiger Feather. With this, one can dream of some of Tiger Feather’s experiences.”

This was the second spiritual vessel Ji Xun had encountered. Unlike the "Heavenly Demon Metamorphosis Art," this one only allowed partial access to memories.

Ji Xun held the book, inspecting the others one by one.

In the end, he confirmed that this was the only such item in the entire shop.

He then selected five suitable manuals and a few introductory books on cultivation matters. Although the techniques were incomplete, he didn’t intend to practice them directly—only to use them as references for the "Heavenly Demon Metamorphosis Art."

“Shopkeeper, I’ll take these.”

The scholar reluctantly stood up.

“You’re buying so many at once—you must be a diligent student. I’ll give you a discount.”

“‘Secret History of Ten Thousand Demons,’ two taels seven coins; ‘Bamboo-Splitting Sword Technique,’ one tael two coins; ‘Annals of Silver Prefecture,’ seven coins; this…”

The scholar suddenly frowned, as if he’d run into some trouble.

“This ‘Tiger-Crane Twin Form Fist’ is a family heirloom of a friend. He lent it to me to copy, and I accidentally left it on the shelf. I absolutely cannot sell it.”

Ji Xun was puzzled—wasn’t this all a little too convenient? A spiritual vessel just happened to be on the shelf, but now it couldn’t be sold.

“This fist technique suits me well. If I could cultivate it, I might even perfect it. I hope you’ll consider parting with it.”

The scholar hesitated, thinking for a moment. “How about this: I’ll copy it for you. Would that be acceptable?”

“Very well, I’ll trouble you with it.” Ji Xun was curious to see what the scholar was really up to.

The scholar was surprised by Ji Xun’s ready agreement. His eyes flickered. “Well, actually, it’s not that it can’t be sold. But you’d have to come with me to see my friend. If he agrees, you can buy it.”

“Of course, if you manage to perfect the technique, we’ll pay to acquire your version. What do you think?”

Now Ji Xun felt even more that something was off—not just with the scholar, but with the whole bookstore.

A deserted alley, a bookstore facing the shady side of the street, a sign sprouting mushrooms, moldy shelves, the shopkeeper reading in the dim light. A friend’s family heirloom just happened to be left out, and no amount of money could buy it—then suddenly, the tune changed and he was invited to leave with the shopkeeper.

None of it made sense.

Of course, Ji Xun hoped he was simply overthinking things. But growing up in the demon kingdom, a bit of caution was always wise.

“Very well. If your friend doesn’t mind the interruption, I don’t mind going,” Ji Xun agreed at once.

He wasn’t without resources. His previous fight with the wild boar demon had revealed his own shortcomings, so he’d improved an escape technique from the "Heavenly Demon Metamorphosis Art"—blindingly fast, though it required burning his own demon blood and potential.

But for the sake of this spiritual vessel, Ji Xun was willing to take the risk.

Besides, today was market day in town. If he called for help loudly, patrol guards would soon arrive.

Moreover, the short blade he’d forged from the wild boar demon’s bones and essence had just been finished.