Chapter 927: Those Who Carry Firewood for the Crowd

"Please pass a message to Shangguan for This Chen. Tell him we can gather again when the opportunity arises."

"I understand."

"Mm."

Hu Yin agreed and took his leave.

He did not actually go far, however. Claiming that the Demon Bureau had matters to attend to was merely an excuse; in truth, he had no business there at all.

After heading downstairs, he waited at a distance. Mister rarely visited; how could he simply walk away? He merely made sure not to stand too close, lest he draw Mister's annoyance.

Chen Changsheng descended the stairs and made his way toward the academy.

When he arrived, Master Wei had just finished his class. A crowd of little demons poured out of the academy, scattering back to their respective homes.

"Have you eaten, sir?" Master Wei asked.

Chen Changsheng said, "Not yet. Calling me 'sir' is too formal. You might as well call me young friend."

Master Wei was taken aback and hastily replied, "I wouldn't dare. How could I presume to take such liberties?"

Chen Changsheng smiled. "It does not matter."

"I can see you are a man of cultivation. Your years must vastly outnumber my own, making you my senior. I shall call you Brother Chen. How does that sound?"

"This..." Chen Changsheng nodded helplessly. "That will do."

Master Wei nodded, then said, "Since you haven't eaten, Brother Chen, why not join me at my home for a meal? My wife has already prepared the food. I only hope you won't find it too modest."

"How could I? Master Wei, please lead the way."

"Alright."

The two walked onward. After a brief stroll, they turned into an alley and arrived before a small courtyard gate.

"Wife!"

Wei Jingming called out, rapping on the door.

Shortly after, a woman with a blue cloth wrapped around her head came to open the door.

"Husband, did your classes end early today?" she called out softly, then noticed the man standing beside him. "And this is?"

Wei Jingming said, "This is Brother Chen. We have a guest today, so I must trouble you to go to a restaurant and buy some food to bring back. I won't burden you with cooking."

Hearing this, Madam Wei bowed slightly to Chen Changsheng. "Madam Xue greets you, Brother Chen."

"You are too polite, Madam," Chen Changsheng said, returning the bow.

"Please, come in and take a seat."

After offering the proper courtesies, Madam Wei took a money pouch and stepped out.

It was too late to prepare a fresh meal from scratch, so buying food from a restaurant was the easiest solution.

Upon entering, Chen Changsheng surveyed the small courtyard. It was exquisitely arranged, accented by blooming flowers and green plants. It was a place of peaceful leisure—quite pleasant indeed.

Wei Jingming said, "This courtyard was originally gifted to us by Shangguan. At the time, my wife had not yet recovered from her illness. To spare us the exhaustion of traveling back and forth, Shangguan granted us this place and permitted us to live here."

Chen Changsheng asked, "Does that mean you have lived here ever since?"

Wei Jingming shook his head. "Once my wife's illness was cured, we resumed traveling back and forth. After all, we had no acquaintances here, and we still had elders at home who required our care. Later, as we grew accustomed to the area, we started staying here more frequently. Still, most of the time, we return to our home outside the mountain."

Chen Changsheng nodded in understanding.

Wei Jingming then asked, "And you, Brother Chen? Are you merely passing through, or..."

"I was curious, so I came in to take a look."

"Without permission?"

"I did not have it at first, but I do now."

Wei Jingming nodded in understanding, though he still wondered how this man had managed to enter in the first place without permission.

He chose not to dwell on it; it was clearly not his place to ask.

Chen Changsheng then asked, "Earlier, I heard that some martial artists came to explore this place and lost their lives here. Master Wei, you have lived here for a long time. Do you know of this matter?"

Wei Jingming nodded. "That did indeed happen."

"To the people outside the mountain, it might seem as if those three martial artists threw their lives away for nothing. But to the demons within the mountain, those three arrived steeped in arrogance. Their attacks were lethal from the start. They wounded several little demons in quick succession, and two even died beneath their blades. The martial artists spouted arrogant threats the entire time. The Demon Market had never offended anyone, yet these men barged in and started slaughtering demons. In the end, when the demon bailiffs from the Demon Bureau arrived and saw the carnage, they flew into a rage. Only then did they take action and strike those men down."

Master Wei sighed. "That was how the blood feud began. Naturally, the two martial artists who entered later also suffered disastrous fates. When the first arrived, I knew others would follow. I tried to offer them kind advice, but no one would listen. In the end, it was doomed to end in tragedy."

"So that is what happened."

Chen Changsheng nodded. "In the end, it all stems from the Mortal World's deep-rooted prejudice against demons. Otherwise, such needless slaughter would never have occurred."

"Indeed..."

Wei Jingming exhaled a long breath. "It is endlessly difficult to change such a mindset. The ones who bring harm to the Mortal World are evil demons, yet the dutiful demons living peacefully in this market end up bearing the blame by association. By the same token, because of the actions of those martial artists, the majority of the demons here will harbor ill will toward all humans. In this endless cycle, true reconciliation remains impossible."

Chen Changsheng paused for a moment before replying. "You need not trouble yourself too much over it, Master Wei. Humans and demons will never be able to truly reconcile."

Wei Jingming froze slightly at those words. "You believe so as well, Brother Chen?"

Chen Changsheng said, "In the Mortal World, no matter how close two families might be, there will always be a barrier between them. Needless to say, the rift between two entirely different species is far greater."

Wei Jingming opened his mouth to speak, but instead lowered his head, falling into deep thought.

Chen Changsheng continued, "However, while the two species may never achieve complete reconciliation, they can gradually draw closer. As long as they do not treat each other like blood enemies, that is enough."

Wei Jingming raised his head, letting out a small sigh of relief. "Then what I am doing now... can be considered useful."

"It is incredibly useful," Chen Changsheng said with a smile.

Hearing this, Wei Jingming smiled as well.

"Have some tea."

A short while later, Madam Wei returned with the purchased meal.

There was quite a bounty of dishes. Thanks to the generous monthly stipend Shangguan provided to Master Wei, they could afford such fine wine and food. Had they been short on silver, they would have been forced to cook something simple at home.

"This Chen is in for a treat today," Chen Changsheng said with a laugh.

Master Wei smiled. "Please, Mister. Wife, you should sit as well."

Master Wei spoke far less during the meal, eating with refined and courteous manners. He explained that his wife had once been a servant in a wealthy household. After leaving the estate, she married into his family and had managed their home flawlessly ever since. The couple treated each other with the utmost respect and lived in perfect harmony. Their relationship was a beloved tale among their neighbors, drawing the envy of many.

Madam Wei was a woman of few words. From time to time, she would pick out the choicest pieces of food and place them into Wei Jingming's bowl.

The two exchanged a warm smile.

Sitting across from them, Chen Changsheng watched this display, caught between a sigh and a laugh.

He could only muse that the restaurant's culinary skills were lacking—the meal tasted rather sour.

As they ate, Chen Changsheng looked at Master Wei and said, "I fear there will inevitably be conflict between the two species in the Mortal World going forward. Being caught in the middle of it all, Master Wei, you will likely face many troubles in the future."

Master Wei froze slightly at the sudden shift in topic. "Brother Chen, what do you..."

Chen Changsheng said, "Thinking it over, I cannot bear the thought of you suffering an undeserved calamity. Caught between two sides, you will find it difficult to protect yourself. Why doesn't This Chen teach you a divine ability? Using your noble righteousness, you will be able to defend yourself. What do you think, Master Wei?"

Master Wei hesitated. He truly did want to learn, but after a moment's thought, he let out a sigh. "This matter... this matter..."

Chen Changsheng smiled. "Shangguan will not mind this. This Chen has already spoken with him."

As he spoke, he caught a glimpse of the doorway from the corner of his eye.

Outside the door, where he had been crouching in wait, Hu Yin's heart skipped a beat upon hearing those words. He silently committed them to memory.

Chen Changsheng said, "Those who carry firewood for the crowd must not be left to freeze to death in the wind and snow. You should accept this gift, Master Wei."