FVN 119. Heavenly Demon
119. Heavenly Demon
Lin Mo stood by the study window, gazing at the swaying bamboo shadows in the courtyard. Ever since his return from the last audience with the emperor, the emperor's strange gaze and stiff movements had been haunting him. If the emperor was truly being manipulated, then the manipulator's motives were far from simple.
"Young master, Lord Zhang Yuan requests an audience." The servant's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Lin Mo turned around and saw Zhang Yuan stride into the study, his face showing some urgency: "Lord Lin, I discovered something strange last night when I was observing the celestial phenomena."
"What is it?" Lin Mo gestured for him to sit down and explain.
Zhang Yuan took out a star chart from his sleeve and spread it on the table: "Look here, the black aura next to the Ziwei star is thicker than it was a few days ago. And..." He lowered his voice, "Last night at midnight, I personally saw a black aura rise into the sky from the direction of the palace, heading straight for the Ziwei star."
Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat: "Could you clearly see the source of that black energy?"
"It's near the Zichen Palace." Zhang Yuan's expression was solemn. "What's even stranger is that there seem to be countless tiny shadows moving around in that black mist, unlike anything from the human world."
After seeing Zhang Yuan off, Lin Mo paced back and forth in his study. In his previous life, he had read about extraterrestrial demons in an ancient book; these otherworldly creatures were masters of possession and control. Could the emperor be possessed by a demon?
The thought sent a chill down his spine. If that were true, the threat facing the Song Dynasty would be far more terrifying than he had imagined.
Late at night, Lin Mo went alone to a secret room in the mansion. This room contained various books on strange and unusual techniques that he had collected in his previous life. He pulled out a yellowed ancient book, the cover of which was inscribed with the title "The Heavenly Demon Mirror" in seal script.
"The Heavenly Demon is a demonic creature from another world. It is adept at possessing human bodies and manipulating minds. Its eyes are as red as blood, and its aura is chilling..." Lin Mo read softly, growing more and more alarmed with each word. The description in the book perfectly matched the emperor's unusual behavior.
But how could Lin Mo confirm whether the emperor was truly possessed by the Heavenly Demon? Lin Mo continued reading and finally found a method of testing—using an extremely yang object. The Heavenly Demon is yin in nature, and will inevitably react when it encounters an extremely yang object.
The following day, Lin Mo, under the pretext of presenting new military equipment, requested an audience with the emperor again. This time, he specially prepared a piece of warm yang jade, a type of jade that contains pure yang energy and is extremely sensitive to yin and evil things.
Inside the Zichen Palace, the emperor sat on his dragon throne, his expression even more somber than before. Lin Mo respectfully presented the military blueprints, secretly clutching the Wen Yang Jade in his hand.
The moment he approached the emperor, the warm jade suddenly became scalding hot. The emperor abruptly looked up, a dark glint flashing in his eyes, his body trembling slightly beneath his dragon robe.
"What is this?" The emperor's voice suddenly turned shrill.
Lin Mo was greatly alarmed, but remained outwardly calm: "Your Majesty, these are the blueprints for my newly designed crossbow."
The emperor stared intently at the warm jade in his hand, a flicker of pain crossing his face: "What are you holding?"
"It's just an ordinary jade pendant." Lin Mo pretended to be calm as he put the warm jade back into his sleeve.
Just then, the emperor suddenly clutched his forehead and let out a low growl. The sound was completely unlike a human voice; it was more like the howl of a wild beast. The guards in the hall immediately stepped forward, but the emperor waved them away.
"Get out! All of you, get out of my sight!" the emperor roared, his eyes now completely dark red.
Taking the opportunity to observe carefully, Lin Mo discovered that the emperor's shadow was distorted and deformed under the light, as if it had wings flapping behind it. This was a sign that the Heavenly Demon had manifested!
Upon returning to the Lin residence, Lin Mo immediately summoned his trusted bodyguards.
"Investigate whether His Majesty visited any unusual places or came into contact with any suspicious persons six months ago."
Three days later, the secret guards brought back news: Half a year ago, the emperor had secretly gone to Zhongnan Mountain to offer sacrifices, and after returning to the palace, his temperament began to change drastically.
Zhongnan Mountain? Lin Mo recalled a legend about an ancient seal there. Could the seal have been broken?
That night, Lin Mo, accompanied by several martial arts masters skilled in magic, secretly infiltrated a tall building near the palace. From there, they could see the movements of the Zichen Palace in the distance.
Just after midnight, a plume of black mist suddenly rose within the Zichen Palace. The mist condensed in the air, taking shape into a hideous demonic shadow. The shadow roared to the sky; though its voice was inaudible, Lin Mo could sense the terrifying demonic aura emanating from it.
"It really is an extraterrestrial demon!" The old Taoist priest beside him gasped. "And judging from the concentration of its demonic energy, it's probably a powerful demon among the demons."
Lin Mo's expression turned serious: "Is there any way to confirm this?"
The old Taoist priest took out an ancient mirror from his robes: "This is a demon-revealing mirror, which can reveal the true form of evil spirits. However, you need to get within a hundred paces of them."
This distance was too dangerous, but Lin Mo decided to take the risk.
The next day, Lin Mo, citing an urgent military report, requested another audience with the emperor. This time, he specially arranged for the old Taoist priest to disguise himself as an attendant and carry a demon-revealing mirror with him.
Inside the Zichen Palace, the emperor seemed even more irritable than the previous two times. Upon seeing Lin Mo, he asked impatiently, "What is it now?"
The moment the emperor spoke, the old Taoist priest secretly raised the demon-revealing mirror. The mirror flashed, and the scene reflected made Lin Mo's scalp tingle—the person sitting on the dragon throne was not the emperor at all, but a blue-faced, fanged demon! The demon was surrounded by black mist and was controlling the emperor's body through countless tiny tentacles.
"How dare you!" The emperor suddenly flew into a rage, clearly having sensed the demon-revealing mirror's spying. He abruptly stood up, his eyes turning completely blood red.
The demon-revealing mirror in the old Taoist priest's hand suddenly shattered, scattering fragments everywhere.
"Protect the Emperor!" The guards rushed forward.
Lin Mo quickly pulled the old Taoist priest to kneel down and beg for forgiveness: "We had no intention of offending you, it's just that this mirror suddenly..."
The emperor stared intently at them, the murderous intent in his eyes almost tangible. After a long while, he slowly sat down: "Leave. No one may enter the palace without my summons."
As Lin Mo walked out of the Zichen Palace, his back was soaked with cold sweat.
"Young master, that is indeed a demon from beyond the realm." The old Taoist's voice trembled. "Moreover, judging from its demonic aura, it has probably completely taken control of His Majesty's mind."
Upon returning to the Lin residence, Lin Mo immediately summoned the core members of the New Policies Council. When he shared his findings with them, everyone was astonished.
"Possessed by a demon? This... how is this possible?" Wang Shouren exclaimed in disbelief.
"I also hope it's fake," Lin Mo said solemnly, "but the Demon-Revealing Mirror doesn't lie. His Majesty is now a puppet controlled by the Heavenly Demon."
Zhao Mingcheng asked in a trembling voice, "Then what should we do now?"
Lin Mo looked around at everyone: "The most urgent task is to find a way to rescue His Majesty and eliminate the Heavenly Demon. Otherwise, the Great Song Dynasty will be in grave danger."
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, realizing the gravity of the situation. If the emperor was truly controlled by the Heavenly Demon, then all the anomalies in the court could be explained. Moreover, given the Heavenly Demon's nature, it would certainly not be content with controlling only one emperor.
"We must proceed with caution," Lin Mo said in a low voice. "Since the Heavenly Demon can control His Majesty, there may be other people in the court who are being controlled as well."
As night deepened, Lin Mo stood alone in the courtyard, gazing towards the palace. Dark mist swirled there, and demonic shadows flickered. The hatred and responsibility of his past and present lives intertwined at this moment; he knew the battle against the Heavenly Demon had begun.