Chapter 1124: Those Not of Our Kind Must Have a Different Heart

Master Wei brought him to see Mister Lan.

Lan Ting was forging a sword when Master Wei explained the purpose of their visit.

"A little person?"

Intrigued, Lan Ting agreed to see him.

Yu Hongdou shifted uncomfortably under Lan Ting's stare. Beneath her gaze, he felt completely exposed, as if he had nowhere to hide.

Lan Ting reached out and grasped Yu Hongdou's hand.

Then she froze.

"Mister Chen?"

Yu Hongdou blinked, looking at Lan Ting in confusion.

He had often heard Yu Hongjin mention that name.

Snapping out of her daze, Lan Ting said, "You aren't Mister Chen."

Yu Hongdou looked at her. "You know Mister Chen?"

Lan Ting nodded. "You truly aren't an ordinary demon. Your physical body wasn't formed through transformation, but by Arts and Techniques. It's almost like..."

"A spirit warrior?"

Yu Hongdou paused. He knew about 'spirit warriors'—the Priest had mentioned them before. They were nothing more than puppets forged through Arts and Techniques.

Standing to the side, Master Wei was taken aback. "Mister Lan, is this little person related to Mister Chen?"

Lan Ting nodded and said, "Most likely."

Yu Hongdou opened his mouth and said, "I don't know Mister Chen. Who is he? Why does everyone who sees me mention him?"

Lan Ting thought for a moment. "Speaking of which, you visited a Demon Market a few years ago, though it was the Demon Market under the jurisdiction of the Forest Deer Immortal Official. When Hu Yin came here previously, he also mentioned you to me."

"I... I've been there?"

"Yes."

"I don't remember that at all."

Lan Ting smiled and said, "Perhaps the one who visited back then wasn't you."

Yu Hongdou looked completely lost, unable to understand what she meant at all.

Lan Ting said, "What did you run into? How did you end up breaking into a commoner's home?"

Yu Hongdou recounted everything to Lan Ting in detail.

Realization dawned on Lan Ting. She nodded and said, "Since that's the case, you might as well stay here, lest you run into trouble again if you go back. The Imperial Court and Prince Yu are currently at odds, and the commotion they are causing is not small. With your meager skills, you wouldn't stand a chance."

Yu Hongdou opened his mouth to refuse, but on second thought, he realized he really did need to stay. Right now, there were probably people outside looking for him. It would likely be very difficult for him to make it back.

"People will come looking for me," he said.

Lan Ting said, "They most likely won't dare step foot in here."

Stumbling upon it by sheer luck, Yu Hongdou ended up staying in the Demon Market.

He still didn't know where this place was, so he could only take things one step at a time.

It was worth mentioning that Mister Lan treated him very well. His food, clothing, and lodgings were all meticulously arranged. Moreover, he finally got to see the Demon Market for what it was—this was truly a wondrous place.

This was a Market Town belonging to demons—bustling and peaceful. Yu Hongdou had always assumed that wherever there were demons, there would be conflict, but this place was entirely different.

Everything was perfectly in order.

Meanwhile, the disciples of Quanshan were using Arts and Techniques to track down the escaped demon.

Eventually, they stopped before a large mountain.

"The demon is in this mountain."

But someone at his side stopped him.

"Don't go."

"Don't go? Why not?"

"That territory belongs to the Demon Market. We have to seek out an elder to decide this matter."

"Senior Brother, what is the Demon Market...?"

"Let's leave first. I'll explain it to you slowly."

When the Quanshan elder was informed of this, he fell into deep thought. After a long time, he made a special trip to see the sect master.

Daoist Sanyuan also hesitated upon hearing the matter.

"The Demon Market?"

"Yes."

Daoist Sanyuan fell deep into thought.

"Senior Brother," the elder said, "although the Demon Market holds considerable influence, as far as I know, its market masters are quite reasonable. If we go to apprehend a single demon, they shouldn't make things difficult for us, right?"

Daoist Sanyuan shook his head and said, "This is not merely the matter of a single demon. Years ago, this poor Daoist had a brief encounter with the Forest Deer Immortal Official. It is said that the Demon Market also has that person's hand in it."

"That person?"

"That Mister."

The elder was momentarily stunned upon hearing this.

Daoist Sanyuan said, "Because of that, it is not good for us to ask, lest we damage our relations, or delay that Mister's affairs. I have a vague feeling that that Mister is planning something. Whatever it is, it is not a small matter."

The elder nodded. "I understand, Senior Brother."

"Mhm, let's drop this matter."

"But how do we explain this to Prince Yu?"

"Just tell him the truth. Prince Yu is not such a pedantic man."

"Alright."

The elder explained the situation from beginning to end to Prince Yu.

Naturally, he concealed any mention of that Mister, brushing over the issue by simply stating that Quanshan had some past ties with the Demon Market.

Prince Yu did not fault them after learning of this; on the contrary, he became rather interested in the Demon Market.

"Elder Lin, could you explain this Demon Market to this king in detail?"

The elder proceeded to share everything he knew with Prince Yu.

For the first time, the Demon Market entered Prince Yu's line of sight.

"Even Prince Jin suffered a setback back then?"

Prince Yu showed profound interest in this, but then heard Elder Lin say, "Actually, it wasn't exactly a setback. Later on, some of the demons from the Demon Market ventured into the world and threw their lot in with Prince Jin. Of course, others aligned with the Imperial Court, and we even have demons of Demon Market origin serving under our own banner."

"So, the Demon Market does not restrict the actions of the demons."

"It is just that the Demon Market generally does not interfere with affairs outside."

Prince Yu fell into deep thought.

He suddenly realized that the Demon Market was far from trivial.

This was not a simple matter of a mere faction; it was a comprehensively developed domain from top to bottom. Just as its name implied, it was a Market Town for demons.

Yan Nantian's gaze grew profound.

After Elder Lin left, he sank into contemplation.

He then summoned Zhu Sheng and relayed the matter of the Demon Market to him.

Zhu Sheng listened and asked, "Is Your Highness worried that the Demon Market might harbor wild ambitions and plunge the realm into chaos?"

Yan Nantian nodded and said, "Mister Zhu, this forces me to worry. With so many demons gathered in one place and communicating with each other, yet the Demon Market does not impede their actions, I fear there will be great chaos in the future."

Zhu Sheng did not refute Yan Nantian's words. Instead, he said, "Your Highness, the affairs of the Demon Market are highly unusual, and I am afraid we must consider them at length. However, I would first like to hear Your Highness's intentions before considering the most secure course of action."

Yan Nantian said, "If the Demon Market cannot be used by us, then it can only be destroyed."

Zhu Sheng voiced his agreement.

In his view, from Yan Nantian's perspective, the Demon Market was indeed an uncontrollable hidden threat.

"Your Highness, a great war is imminent. We are unable to spare the attention to deal with the affairs of the Demon Market right now. This matter must be delayed."

"What Mister Zhu says is correct. It is just that after hearing of this today, my heart is uneasy..."

How could this let Yan Nantian be at ease?

Those not of our kind must have a different heart. Yan Nantian could not believe that such a faction would have no other motives.