Chapter 171 - 106: Settling in Qingming Mountain

Chapter 171: Chapter 106: Settling in Qingming Mountain

"You just raised your banner, so you’re only ranked ahead of Duan Yue, at number thirty-six."

"The Demon Path is a difficult one to walk, so we don’t attack each other. When issues arise, we defer to this ranking. If there’s a dispute, the lower-ranked party is expected to yield."

"I see." Lin Shu listened intently.

’Even if I’m only playing the part of a Demon General for a while, it’s never a bad idea to learn more.’

’When I go to Yongzhou in the future, I can use this knowledge to distinguish between different Demons.’

"Then what’s your rank?" he asked, looking over with some curiosity.

This beautiful woman’s Magical Power was immense, far exceeding that of the current Filthy Moon Wolf Lord.

Even with Lin Shu’s current visual prowess, he couldn’t quite gauge her true depth.

"I just happen to be skilled in Qi Seeking and Breath Concealment. I’m not as profound as you might think, merely at Late-stage Core Formation Cultivation."

The Qingming Demon General said gently, "Besides, like Elder Xu, I dislike conflict. I prefer to just forge some ironware, so I’m ranked at number twenty-seven."

As they chatted, the group arrived deep within the Demon Mountain.

Dozens of villages, dotted with firelight, were scattered throughout the tranquil mountains.

The night was deep, yet refugees still gathered around bonfires, holding their grandchildren and teasing yellow dogs.

Seeing the group pass by,

an old man stood up and bowed respectfully to the beautiful woman. Then he grabbed a handful of roasted peanuts and sneakily stuffed them into a Little Demon’s pocket.

"Hey! I don’t like this stuff."

The Little Demon argued back and forth with the old man for a while before finally accepting them with a sigh, muttering, "Make it dried sweet potatoes next time."

"Deal!" The old man sat back down, grinning.

"..."

Lin Shu slowed his pace, his expression a little strange.

Since waking up in Black Water City, this was the first time he had felt a sense of "humanity," and surprisingly, it was in a Demon General’s territory.

For some reason, Yu Sheng’s innocent words suddenly surfaced in his mind.

That little chick had asked if he would have a big territory of his own someday.

He shook his head, scattering the distracting thoughts.

He summoned his Merit and Sin Coins.

There were twenty-three ten-tael Silver Sin Coins, equivalent to two hundred and thirty strings of Sin Coins.

There were quite a few Silver Merit Coins as well.

The cultivation of this group of Little Demons wasn’t low. Xie Yutang, in particular, had surpassed the limits of the Foundation Establishment Stage, reaching a value of eighteen strings of coins.

Adding it all up, he had managed to collect eight Silver Merit Coins.

"I’ll arrange for them to lead you to Left Peak. Before you’ve found a suitable territory, none of the Demons under my command will go there. You can stay there without worry."

The Qingming Demon General stopped walking. "We can talk about the rest tomorrow. You just finished a battle, so go regulate your breathing first."

"My thanks, Demon General."

Lin Shu gave a slight nod and looked back in the direction of the world outside the mountain.

’I’ve done almost everything I can for Chang Yi.’

’As for the outcome, that will depend on his own performance.’

The Demon-slaying Bureau has the ability to block Soul-Splitting.

Trying to glean any information from within is nearly impossible.

If there were a trustworthy person who could establish a foothold inside—their rank wouldn’t even have to be that high, just a regular Captain—they could be of immense use.

’As for myself...’

’With the Essence Blood, I can learn about the situation inside Yongzhou Pass at any time.’

’And with the support of the Wind-Riding Mountain Patrol Divine Technique...’

’...if Yu Sheng could just stall for a little while, I could rush back to Shihu City immediately.’

...

The scorching sun hung high in the sky.

The Demon-slaying Bureau recruits, who had been scattered throughout the mountains, quickly returned to the valley at the appointed time.

"Found nothing."

"These Demons are too good at hiding. Could they have been scared off by the Demon-slaying Bureau’s reputation and scattered?"

The men grumbled as they approached.

But Wang Hong, who was usually the first to complain, was silent now.

He had basically just wandered around all night, in no mood to search carefully.

Back in Anren Prefecture, he and Chang Yi had been roommates, so there was some friendship between them, no matter what.

As he thought about it, he suddenly glanced toward the area outside the mountains.

’This place isn’t far from Black Water City. If I sent a letter to the Chang Family...’

’...perhaps that County Magistrate has the power to get his son out of the Demon-slaying Bureau.’

’But would that offend Captain Gong?’

’Damn it, maybe I should just run away too. If I stay in this godforsaken place, I might end up just like Chang Yi one day.’

’All that talk about "no taboos," so how come I only see the Captain using new recruits to lure out Demons?’

’Why doesn’t he dare cripple Vice General Xu and hang him from a tree? That would surely attract even more Demons.’

Wang Hong complained inwardly.

Just then, he suddenly heard cries of alarm from up ahead.

His expression changed slightly, and he quickened his pace. ’Don’t tell me Blackhead already baked to death in the sun before I could even send the letter.’

’That shouldn’t be possible. He’s a Cultivator nearing Foundation Establishment. He should be able to last ten days or half a month at least.’

When he got a clear view of the scene before him, Wang Hong’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

A tall Demon Banner stood in the valley.

The ground was covered in dried, dark-red stains.

And beneath the large tree, the two recruits who had been on guard lay on the ground. On top of them were two stark-white skeletons, stinking of rot, their flesh peeled outward!

"They’re not dead yet!"

One of the new recruits mustered his courage, went over, and forcefully shook the two men awake.

He had wanted to ask what happened, but the moment the two opened their eyes, the skeletons on top of them nearly scared them into fainting again.

"Cough, cough."

Up in the tree, Chang Yi struggled to open his eyelids, his voice hoarse. "Water..."

Wang Hong quickly used the Moonlight Claw Technique to slash through the treetop from a distance. He first caught Chang Yi, then rummaged through the two guards’ belongings for water and rations, which he fed to him.

"Did you see what happened?"

"Stop torturing him. What the hell could he have seen?"

Seeing Chang Yi’s weak state after just waking up, the others all looked away.

They were already inexperienced, and seeing such a horrifying scene had long since made them want to retreat. They just wanted to get away as quickly as possible.

"Forget it, forget it. At least he got out with his life."