Quinn reattached Grandpa Mark's arm and Crippled Joe's leg, then placed both elders in a medicinal cauldron, filling it with herbal broth and simmering them while instructing Lina the Spirit Fox to keep the fire going.
He stepped out of the room to find it was already late. When Quinn reached the courtyard, he saw the Scholars’ Quarters were completely deserted—everyone had fled for safety, leaving only the Nethervault Demon King frozen in the alley, unable to move.
Quinn approached, opened the idol’s belly, and revealed hundreds of intricate gears inside. He fiddled with the gears, and the Nethervault Demon King suddenly felt his legs and feet loosen. He hurried to run, but after a few steps, a series of clicks sounded from within, and all his joints locked up again.
“Dragon-Qilin, drag him back into the courtyard,” Quinn said to the creature at the gate.
Dragon-Qilin wagged his tail and lumbered forward, grabbing the Nethervault Demon King by the leg. He dragged the demon king, clanking and rattling, all the way back to Quinn’s courtyard and dumped him in the corner.
“You bastard, if you’ve got guts, fight me for three hundred rounds!”
The Nethervault Demon King cursed, "Locking me up like this—what kind of hero are you?"
Quinn ignored him, quietly mixing medicinal herbs. Suddenly, lightning flared from the idol as the demon king tried to escape, but runes and seals appeared on the surface, glowing brightly and trapping the lightning inside.
The Nethervault Demon King cursed furiously. The idol was branded with sealing runes from the Loulan Golden Palace—symbols Quinn had secretly learned and carved onto the idol during its forging.
Quinn had worried the demon might escape after possessing the idol, so he’d added extra rune seals just in case.
After preparing the medicine, Quinn turned to the demon king in the corner and said seriously, “Teach me all the Netherworld Tongue you know, and I’ll let you go.”
"Like I’d ever trust you!"
The Nethervault Demon King snarled, "You won’t trick me again!"
Quinn put on a sincere face and said earnestly, "We can swear an Earth Sovereign’s pact. That way, you’ll have nothing to worry about."
"Worry about your damn self!"
"Hey, Demon King, why are you so foul-mouthed?"
"Love your damn self! If I believe a single word you say, I’ll be your turtle grandson!"
...
Crippled Joe and Grandpa Mark lounged comfortably in the cauldron, the medicinal broth bubbling and popping around them.
"Little Fox, add more fire."
Crippled Joe squinted at his big gold chain bobbing up from the water, glanced at the still-cursing Nethervault Demon King, and chuckled, "Quinn really has grown up. I used to think we'd have to step in ourselves to deal with this demon king, but he sorted it out alone. Now I'm not worried for him, I'm worried for anyone who tries to cross him. By the way, where'd he pick up all these sly tricks? Who taught him to be such a little menace?"
Grandpa Mark just stared at Crippled Joe.
His own gold chain was floating up from the water too, the gold paint starting to peel off in the steam.
Crippled Joe grumbled, "Everyone in Oldridge Village is a good person! Who could Quinn have learned to be so conniving from? Must've picked it up after leaving the village."
Grandpa Mark kept staring at him.
Crippled Joe laughed, "What are you looking at me for? Is there something on my face? You keep staring—I'm getting creeped out. Grandpa Mark, weren't you a constable in the old days? Whenever you looked at someone like that, I always got the chills."
Grandpa Mark turned away and said flatly, "I was a constable in the city for decades before I joined Dali Temple. After I cracked a big case, my name got around, and Great Thunderclap Temple came looking for me. That's why I stopped being a constable."
Crippled Joe muttered, "No wonder you always gave me the creeps. Those monks at Great Thunderclap Temple sure know how to meddle. Even you couldn't escape them."
The two of them stewed in the cauldron all night. Quinn changed the medicine once, and by dawn, Grandpa Mark and Crippled Joe got up, washed up, and sat down to a peaceful breakfast Quinn had prepared.
Lina the Spirit Fox ran off to help Quinn wash dishes. Crippled Joe stretched, grinning, "Quinn, me and old Grandpa Mark won't be staying any longer. We're heading out."
Quinn hurriedly dried his hands. "Let me see you two off."
Grandpa Mark waved his hand. "No need. Seeing you doing so well puts our minds at ease. We're old now, and you can take care of yourself."
Crippled Joe still leaning on his cane, glanced at Grandpa Mark, and joked, "Old Mark's getting sentimental again. Fine, you come walk us out. If you don't, he'll be sad for days."
Quinn followed them down the mountain, reminding, "Grandpa Mark, Crippled Joe, your arm and leg were just reattached. Don't overdo it for a year or two, and make sure to exercise them regularly, so you don't end up with lingering problems."
Grandpa Mark nodded.
Crippled Joe sighed, "After decades hobbling on one leg, suddenly having it back feels weird. Can't get used to it yet."
Grandpa Mark agreed, "Spent half a lifetime crippled, now my hand's back and I barely know what to do with it."
Quinn saw them to the Academy gate. Crippled Joe smiled, "Go on, don't see us off any further."
Grandpa Mark waved, "Remember to come home for New Year."
"I'll definitely come back!"
Quinn solemnly nodded, watching the two elders walk away.
Grandpa Mark and Crippled Joe left the capital. Crippled Joe sighed, "The little baby we picked up all those years ago has really grown up. Back then, we almost gave him away."
Grandpa Mark nodded, "Almost. Good thing you stole him back."
Crippled Joe continued, "That kid's been trained by us so well, no one's going to take advantage of him now. I used to worry he'd get eaten alive out here, but now we can go back to the village with an easy heart..."
He trailed off, suddenly stopping in his tracks. Grandpa Mark stopped too. Both elders looked ahead, toward the surging Torr River.
In the middle of the river, a middle-aged man stood motionless on the waves, water swirling around his feet.
Crippled Joe raised his eyebrows, grinning, "Imperial Preceptor, are your injuries healed?"
Imperial Preceptor Evan nodded, "I've recovered. What about your injuries, gentlemen?"
Grandpa Mark flexed his arm, voice low, "I can fight, if I have to."
Crippled Joe shook out his leg and sighed, "Quinn told me not to overdo it, but if it comes to blows, I can manage with one leg. You showed real restraint back there—heard us in Quinn's quarters, knew I'd swiped your stuff, but you chose to walk away and endure. That couldn't have been easy."
Imperial Preceptor said calmly, "I hadn't recovered yet, so I had no choice but to withdraw. You two are esteemed seniors, not true villains. Even if you stole, it was for famine relief. I have no wish to fight you. If you return the Imperial Disc, you may go in peace."
"Imperial Disc?"
Crippled Joe and Grandpa Mark exchanged a look. Crippled Joe grinned, "That old trinket? We studied it for over twenty years and never figured out its secret. Giving it back is no problem, but I've already given it away."
"You gave it away?"
Stars suddenly whirled above the Imperial Preceptor's head, a dazzling galaxy swirling—clearly, his mind was racing. "Who did you give it to?"
"Everpeace's Mid-Palace Gentleman."
Crippled Joe snickered and walked off with Grandpa Mark.
"Mid-Palace Gentleman?"
Imperial Preceptor hesitated, watching the two elders' departing backs, but did not pursue. He murmured, "The Imperial Disc was given away—and he actually dared accept it? Is he planning rebellion? The Imperial Disc was said to be a god-given token for the founding emperor, symbolizing royal authority, and rumored to hide a secret... Should I try to reclaim it?"
He stood in the river, pondering for a long while, then shook his head and turned away. "Royal authority isn't decided by a single disc. It depends on the will of the people, not some artifact."
Back in the Scholars’ Quarters, Quinn poured out the used medicine, scrubbed the cauldron and furnace spotless, and set them in the sun to dry.
Lina helped tidy up, and when she saw a jade ring on the table, she exclaimed, "Young Master, those two old men left something behind!"
Quinn glanced over. The characters on the jade ring shifted and flowed—very familiar. "This is... Crippled Joe's Imperial Disc. He must've dropped it here. When I went into the Great Ruins with Village Chief, Crippled Joe hung this disc around my neck, but it never activated. Why would he leave it behind? He's never lost anything before..."
He shook his head, tying the Imperial Disc to his own Jade Pendant. "I'll give it back to him when I go home."
He dragged out the Demon King's idol again, opened its belly, and tinkered with the gears, changing their paths. "You can move now," he said.
The Demon King sneered, "You think I'm falling for your tricks? I'm not moving. Just wait till my true body descends—I'll make you wish you were dead, you little brat!"
Lina stood on her hind legs, paws on her hips. "My young master has a hundred ways to make you beg for mercy!"
Quinn gave her a meaningful look. "Only a hundred? That's not nearly enough."
The Demon King laughed coldly, "Do your worst, little devil. If I was afraid of tricks, my tens of thousands of years of cultivation would've been for nothing."
Quinn said persuasively, "Why bother? We're both demonic cultivators. If you teach me the Netherworld Tongue, I'll let you go. Wouldn't that be a win-win?"
"Hmph!" the Demon King spat.
Quinn smiled coldly, "I could send you to Azure Sun Hall and have Master Faqing recite sutras at you every day. He loves converting demon heads—he'd have a blast with you."
The Demon King sneered, "Convert me? I'd rather turn him into a demon head! Bring him on and see who converts who!"
Quinn hesitated; with the Demon King's heavy demonic nature, Faqing might just end up converted himself.
Lina asked curiously, "Young Master, why hasn't he turned us into demon heads yet?"
Driven half-mad, the Demon King roared, "You little fox demon! You don't need me to turn you—you're already demon-hearted! This time I admit defeat. Just give me a clean end!"