Chapter 635: A Wild Dance of Demons

Usually, Chen Changsheng and Mo Yuan traveled much faster after nightfall. Today, however, was different—it seemed they had intentionally slowed their pace.

The night was too dark to see the road, so they decided to find a temple to rest for the night.

Seeing this, Fu Hongmei said, "I'll go gather some dry firewood."

Once he stepped out of the temple, Mo Yuan finally spoke. "Mister, this rat is quite interesting."

"He doesn't seem to harbor any malicious intent," Chen Changsheng said. "If he wants to follow us, let him."

Mo Yuan had been thinking of teasing the rat demon, but hearing Mister say this, he dropped those mischievous thoughts.

Fu Hongmei returned with the dry firewood and used a fire starter to ignite it. With light filling the temple, it naturally felt much more welcoming.

"Where are you two brothers from?"

"Quite far," Mo Yuan said. "The Coastal Region."

"That is far!"

Fu Hongmei looked surprised. "You two are truly impressive. I heard the Southern Parts are crawling with mountain bandits; making it all this way couldn't have been easy."

"Qingping Prefecture is exceptionally far from here as well," Chen Changsheng said. "Yet you managed the journey just fine, Instructor Fu."

Fu Hongmei smiled. "I've practiced martial arts. Having some skills to rely on naturally makes things easier."

"Crackle."

The firewood crackled, spitting out embers.

"Speaking of which," Mo Yuan asked, "what brings you to Shangjing, Instructor Fu?"

"I'm going to take up an official post," Fu Hongmei said. "My father pulled some strings and had me transferred to the Capital City."

"I see. That's a good thing."

"Naturally."

Chen Changsheng asked, "Along our journey, we've heard people mentioning the Investiture of Immortals Assembly. However, we've only overheard fragments and never directly asked anyone about it. Since you traveled all the way from Qingping Prefecture, Instructor Fu, you must know more. Care to tell us about it?"

Fu Hongmei sat up straight, crossing his legs. "I actually don't know much about it either; it's mostly just hearsay. Word is that it was his majesty's sudden whim. This Investiture of Immortals Assembly is meant to confer titles upon a host of celestial officials. That's an extraordinary opportunity. Landing a title would absolutely bring glory to one's ancestors, so countless people are flocking to Shangjing this time around."

"What kind of people?"

"All kinds!"

Fu Hongmei said, "Most of them are jianghu wanderers with rare tricks up their sleeves. Their methods look particularly intimidating, so they want to fish for some benefits. Next are the highly skilled artisans; I met quite a few along the way. There are also supreme experts from Daoist sects and the Buddhist Faction, all heading to Shangjing."

"Those are all fine, but there's one category that is entirely different."

"Some are no longer mortals, and others are simply not human. If you encounter them, you must be extremely careful."

"Not mortals, or not human?"

"Exactly!"

"Many of them are demons and monsters."

Mo Yuan laughed inwardly. "That can't be right. There's no such thing as demons and monsters in this world."

Fu Hongmei sighed. "It's better to believe they exist than to assume they don't. To tell you the truth, brother, I've heard plenty of strange tales on my way here. Whether it's bandits on some mountain being drained of their blood, or someone's family member losing their soul, each incident is more bizarre than the last."

"That bizarre?"

"Absolutely."

Mo Yuan blinked. "Doesn't that mean this Investiture of Immortals Assembly will likely turn into a wild dance of demons?"

"Exactly," Fu Hongmei nodded. "It doesn't matter how many people there are. The terrifying part is that among all those people, one might not be human at all."

"I have a weak heart," Mo Yuan said. "Don't scare me."

Fu Hongmei chuckled. "There's no need to be so afraid. I've heard from the older generation that even though these demons possess supernatural strength, they don't dare to commit atrocities in broad daylight. They would face heavenly condemnation."

Chen Changsheng asked, "I've heard of this 'heavenly condemnation' quite a few times, but I wonder what actually constitutes it."

"You asked the right person."

Fu Hongmei seemed excited by the topic and happily explained. "I've traveled far and wide and seen many things, but tales of ghosts and the supernatural are what I've heard and seen the most. The idea of heavenly condemnation is by no means wind from an empty cave."

"I once witnessed a thunderstorm brewing. A muffled clap of thunder struck down into a neighborhood, and the rain instantly faded away. When people went to investigate, they found the scorched corpse of an animal left behind where the lightning had struck. Its entire body was charred, and more importantly, it was oozing black smoke."

"This is a true story. I saw it with my own eyes. If that animal wasn't an evil spirit, why would it attract heavenly lightning?"

Listening to this, Chen Changsheng asked, "In that case, those suffering heavenly condemnation can't simply be called demons, right? Instead, they are evil entities, or demons with malicious intentions?"

"Exactly!"

Fu Hongmei said, "They are naturally divided into good and evil."

Mo Yuan looked at him. "You certainly know a lot, Instructor Fu."

Hearing this, Fu Hongmei let out an awkward laugh. "It's all just hearsay. Hearsay! You can't take it too seriously."

Mo Yuan smiled, then asked, "How could it be mere hearsay? It sounds quite well-reasoned to me. But speaking of which, since you know so much, Instructor Fu—regarding this Investiture of Immortals Assembly, it's meant to confer titles on immortals, right? What would happen if a demon received a title?"

"That... that hasn't been clearly stated."

Fu Hongmei suddenly faltered, as if trying to hide something. "In my view, if it is a benevolent demon that brings fortune to the common people, what is the harm in conferring an immortal title upon them? Just like the Dragon Lord of the Tongtian River. Logically speaking, even though a True Dragon is a Divine Beast, it still falls under the category of demons. Wasn't he still conferred the title of Water God?"

"Ah!"

Mo Yuan said, "What brilliant insight, Instructor Fu."

Chen Changsheng said, "If that's truly the case, there's no telling how many demons are rushing to Shangjing. A wild dance of demons is not impossible after all."

"It shouldn't come to that," Fu Hongmei laughed. "I was just speculating. You can't take it seriously."

Mo Yuan glanced at the campfire. "You say not to take it seriously, but what if it truly does turn into a wild dance of demons? What happens then?"

Fu Hongmei said, "There are the heavens above and the city god below. Naturally, someone will take charge of it."

"The city god takes charge of such things?"

"Naturally. The city god protects the common people. Before the power of incense, evil demons are completely eradicated."

"Is that so..."

A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of Mo Yuan's mouth. "Tell me, what if there was a demon who had never committed evil and had a good heart? Suppose he wanted to go to Shangjing to try his luck, but upon arriving, he encountered this wild dance of demons in Shangjing City."

"If there were too many demons, the city god wouldn't be able to manage them all. What if they simply rounded everyone up, regardless of whether they were good or evil? Once thrown into the Netherworld Bureau, the underworld deputies probably wouldn't care about your morality. They would just beat you all the same. Wouldn't that be an undeserved calamity?"

"Tell me, wouldn't that be a tragic fate?"

Fu Hongmei's words caught in his throat, and his expression instantly turned unsightly.

"It... it shouldn't..."

"It shouldn't be like that, right?"

Mo Yuan looked at him. "Why are you so nervous, Instructor Fu? I was merely making a guess."

Fu Hongmei swallowed hard and forced a smile. "No, a cold gust of wind just blew past. I only shivered."

"I see. For a moment there, I thought you were that demon, Instructor Fu."

Fu Hongmei's heart tightened. He let out a dry, hollow laugh. "Haha... you must be joking, brother."