Truth Lurks Everywhere in Life!

"Hey, Rooster Demon, wait up!" Seeing the Rooster Demon sprint inward, Qi Yuan tried to call him back. If the other demons were mere substitutes for his white moonlight, this Rooster Demon could easily count as half a white moonlight on his own. Unfortunately, hearing Qi Yuan's shout only made the Rooster Demon run faster. Without pausing for an instant, he dashed straight into the abandoned compound. Qi Yuan took Xiao Jia's chilly sleeve, looking thoughtful. "Could it be that he figured out I want him to help me pay off my planetary mortgage?" Qi Yuan was planning to purchase Arch Star, and the Rooster Demon was wonderfully suited for paying off the loan. Xiao Jia nodded obediently, seemingly in complete agreement with Qi Yuan's words. At this, Qi Yuan laughed with delight, pulling Xiao Jia even tighter around the waist. A wooden plaque bearing a "happy" expression dropped from Xiao Jia's sleeve. It was hard to tell whether she was amused by Qi Yuan's words, or thrilled because Qi Yuan had said she was the bride he had married with an eight-bearer sedan chair. The abandoned compound was profoundly secluded and gloomy, but with Xiao Jia at his side, everything felt warm and tranquil. "Come on, Xiao Jia, shall we go meet my white moonlights together?" Qi Yuan took her chilly sleeve, wondering inwardly what he should do if Xiao Jia got jealous and decided to slaughter these white moonlights. Should he lend a hand? After all, a wife and a white moonlight were born enemies. With these bizarre thoughts in mind, Qi Yuan walked deeper into the compound with Xiao Jia. Along the way, Qi Yuan spotted numerous stooped silhouettes. Their faces were numb as they either swept the ground or served tea. A closer look revealed that their vocal cords and ears had been ruined by poison, reducing them to deaf-mute servants. Upon Qi Yuan and Xiao Jia's arrival, one of the deaf-mute servants stepped forward to lead the way. Qi Yuan and Xiao Jia headed toward the dilapidated main hall ahead. Before they even reached it, Qi Yuan caught the foul stench of cured meat. A refined, affable voice echoed from inside the hall. "My fellow Daoists, you were invited here as guests, yet I am unable to provide you with fresh fare. This old goat feels terribly indebted. There are only these cured, air-dried strips, so please make do, everyone." An old goat with three horns growing from his head possessed a beard that hung all the way to his waist—truly fitting the description of "hair reaching the waist." If he encountered someone from Blue Star, they might well recite the verse: *When my hair reaches my waist, will you marry me?* "Old Goat, you should've added candied fruit to this jerky. I like it sweet, not salty," a wild wolf demon in tattered monk robes muttered, grabbing a handful of dried meat and stuffing it into his maw. "I prefer it spicy, or else it won't mask the rank odor of human flesh," the Rooster Demon piped up, offering his own opinion. The demons gathered in the room chattered among themselves. At that moment, Old Goat spoke up. "I hear that today, another special fellow Daoist will be attending our gathering. I wonder if she has arrived yet." "I heard it's a bridal gown turned spirit. How truly extraordinary. In all my three hundred years—long-lived by most standards—I've never seen a bridal gown turn into a demon." "Now... you have." Just then, Qi Yuan's hearty voice drifted in. He entered the hall, accompanied by Xiao Jia. "This is my wife, Xiao Jia. And I am Qi Yuan, a good person." The moment Qi Yuan entered the hall, his eyes swept over the dozen or so demons present, glowing with an irrepressible joy. It was as if he had finally fulfilled a lifelong dream—seeing his long-lost white moonlights at last. The demons in the hall were completely thrown off by Qi Yuan's gaze. However, most of their eyes quickly landed on Xiao Jia. Peculiar demons always attracted attention. "A bridal gown turned spirit? This old man has never heard of such a thing, nor do I smell the slightest trace of demonic qi... Could this be someone from the Demon Suppression Division... sneaking in?" a two-hundred-year-old elder chimed in, his tone dripping with suspicion. The other demons nodded in agreement, especially since this bridal gown demon had brought a human man along with her. "Old Huai dared to let her in, which means she is undeniably one of us. Are you saying... you dare doubt Old Huai?" Old Goat asked. The moment these words left his mouth, no one doubted her any longer. Old Huai's strength was unfathomable, and he had lived for an absurdly long time. Even the grandfather of this two-hundred-year-old elder had met Old Huai back in his day. Now, hundreds of years later, Old Huai was still rooted in this very spot. Even Eldest Master Huang and that figure from the Water Clan showed Old Huai the utmost respect. The demons nodded, accepting Old Goat's reasoning. "Fairy... please take a seat." Old Goat made an inviting gesture. Qi Yuan took Xiao Jia by the hand and prepared to sit down. Just then, a sharp, caustic voice rang out. "This is a gathering of demons. Humans are not permitted to take a seat." The speaker was none other than the Rooster Demon. Although he was terrified of the bridal gown demon, having so many demons present gave him quite a bit more courage. Qi Yuan's expression shifted several times before settling into complete dejection. "It's over. You actually saw through my lie. "Alas, Xiao Jia wasn't married into my household with an eight-bearer sedan chair. "It was she who married me into hers with an eight-bearer sedan chair. "I know, a live-in son-in-law has no human rights and doesn't get a seat at the dinner table. "I won't sit at the table—just don't make me drink foot-washing water, that's all." Qi Yuan had a strong moral compass and always followed the rules. A live-in son-in-law was not allowed to sit at the table; he would just have to swallow such humiliation. Next time Ning Tao came over, if they went to get a marriage certificate, he would seize the opportunity to pull a switcheroo and get one with Xiao Jia too, breaking free from his live-in son-in-law status! Held by Qi Yuan's hand and receiving his nod, Xiao Jia said nothing. Instead, she happily took her seat. Upon the reddish-brown table sat some tea along with cured, air-dried human meat. At this point, the Rooster Demon asked, "Old Goat, why exactly did you invite us here this time?" His question drew the attention of all the demons present. This time, the demons of Yunyan County were convening Demon Ascension Assemblies across several strongholds. These ordinary demons had all received invitation letters to attend, yet they had little idea of the assembly's true purpose. Old Goat smiled and said, "I have invited our fellow Daoists here today for two matters. "The first matter, well... will begin shortly. As for the second, it concerns the future of every demon in Yunyan County Seat, so we must wait for Eldest Master Huang to arrive and announce it." Old Goat kept them in suspense. His words caused a stir among the audience. "Concerns our future? Old Goat, don't exaggerate!" "Could it be that the Demon Suppression Division is coming to wipe us out?" The demons grew anxious and panicked. "Calm yourselves, everyone. All I can say is that it is no bad thing; it is entirely good news for all of you. "Now, allow this old man to announce the first matter." As Old Goat spoke, his gaze turned icy. "Bring Yang Fan here!" At Old Goat's command, deaf-mute servants entered from outside, dragging in a disheveled goat demon with wild, unkempt hair. Evidently, they had received Old Goat's order through means other than hearing. "Uncle, spare me... I'll change!" Yang Fan wailed as he was dragged in, tears and snot streaming down his face in a truly pathetic sight. Seeing the goat demon, the demons present wore slight changes in expression. "Isn't that Old Goat's most doted-on nephew? What crime did he commit?" "Old Goat looks like he means business!" Old Goat's face was stern and his voice frigid. "Prepare the vat of oil." The deaf-mute servants bustled into action, quickly setting up a large cauldron of oil in the main hall. Beneath the cauldron, firewood blazed furiously, while the oil inside bubbled and roiled. Murderous intent flashed in Old Goat's eyes. "This worthless nephew of mine actually colluded with humans and became a demon traitor! "For a few measly taels of silver, he leaked word of our Demon Ascension Assembly to the Demon Suppression Division. "Therefore, he must die today, condemned to the punishment of being fried in oil." "Uncle, I didn't mean to, waah... spare me..." Yang Fan cried uncontrollably. He regretted it deeply. He had taken a fancy to the delicious, tender flesh of a top courtesan, but unfortunately, it had to be bought with money. Not having enough money, what else could he do? Sell information. Who could have guessed that he would be caught this time, and his uncle would actually fry him in oil? Terrified out of his wits, his tears poured out like cheap water. He even wished his tears could form a vast ocean to dilute the boiling oil in the cauldron. "Into the oil!" Old Goat ordered unequivocally. Cries, curses, and pleas for mercy blended together, creating a miserable scene. Standing nearby, Qi Yuan could no longer watch quietly, his sympathy overflowing. "Sigh, seeing him so pitiful and crying so hard, I just can't bear to watch him get tossed into the oil! "How about this: I'll pay to buy him, so you don't fry him. Frying him is kind of... not good..." After all, this was his first time seeing a whole deep-fried goat. Wasn't whole roasted goat the standard? "Heh heh, and how much is our honored guest willing to pay?" Old Goat was not angered; instead, he asked Qi Yuan calmly. Qi Yuan reached into his robes, stammering as he pulled out some silver. "Ah, I don't have enough silver, just a dozen or so taels. It's not enough to buy your nephew... How about this... could you sell me a dozen jin of your nephew? I want the parts with the most blood. What do you think?" Qi Yuan felt he was growing smarter and smarter by the day. His emotional intelligence was high, enabling him to achieve a win-win scenario. The first win satisfied his moral compass, allowing the truth, goodness, and beauty of humanity to be practiced. Anyone seeing this would say, "There are still plenty of good people in this world!" The second win was obtaining Yang Fan's demon essence blood. If the purchase succeeded, the blood wouldn't go to waste. A true win-win. The corner of Old Goat's mouth twitched. Finally, he gave Xiao Jia, standing behind Qi Yuan, a thoughtful look. "We shall give it to our guest after it has been fried." "Be careful when you fry it, don't boil away all his blood!" Qi Yuan urged anxiously. Old Goat said nothing. Yang Fan, who had initially felt a flicker of hope, now glared viciously at Qi Yuan as though wishing he could devour him whole. Seeing this, Qi Yuan couldn't help but sigh. "Is this the farmer and the snake? I tried so hard to save him, yet he holds a grudge against me. Great kindness turns into enmity—I finally understand the meaning of that ancient saying!" Sure enough, truth lurked everywhere in life. Without even trying, Qi Yuan had reached an epiphany. Under everyone's gaze, Yang Fan was lowered into the cauldron and fried in oil. Bloodcurdling shrieks echoed throughout the gloomy mansion. Once the frying ended, a thick, foul reek permeated the hall. The demons in the room immediately grew solemn, their faces tinged with awe. With a gust of demonic wind, a burly old man materialized in the center of the hall. He leaned on a cane crafted like white bone, his snow-white crew cut bristling like broken thorns. His eyes gleamed sharply, and a powerful aura radiated from his body. At the sight of him, Old Goat's expression instantly turned respectful. "Greetings, Eldest Master Huang!" The rest of the demons in the hall also stood up, bowing deferentially. "Greetings, Eldest Master Huang!" The newcomer was none other than Eldest Master Huang, who had reached the grand completion of the Qi-Blood Realm and served as the nominal leader of this stronghold. "Is everyone here?" Eldest Master Huang scanned the room. His gaze carried oppressive weight, pricking against everyone's skin like venomous thorns. "I won't waste words. Let me tell you about the Demon Ascension Assembly!" Eldest Master Huang's voice was coarse and booming, like that of a brutish rustic. This was entirely different from the refined demeanor of his younger brother, Fourth Master Huang. The demons grew tense, eager to know what matter could possibly concern the future of every demon in Yunyan County. "Half a month ago, Boss Kun encountered a demon in the sea. "That demon had three legs, three eyes, and two fins. It looked bizarre and lacked any form of sentience. "Boss Kun brought this demon back to Yunyan County and tasked us with investigating its identity. "After combing through ancient texts, we discovered that this demon is none other than... a Spirit Blood Child!" "What?" "A Spirit Blood Child?!" "A mindless Spirit Blood Child!" The breathing of the demons grew ragged, their eyes burning with fanaticism. "Doesn't that mean if we control it, in the future... we will possess a Demon Spirit?!" "That's a Demon Spirit! In ancient times, such a being was a colossal demon capable of establishing a Demon Court!" Among the demon race, cultivation realms were divided into Qi-Blood Demon, Jade-Blood Demon, Demon Elite, Demon Spirit, and Demon King. A Spirit Blood Child was a demon carrying the bloodline of a Demon Spirit. And it was far more than merely possessing the bloodline—it was a colossal demon that faced no bottlenecks and could ascend directly to the Demon Spirit realm. A great demon at the Demon Spirit realm was comparable to a human martial artist at the Martial Spirit realm. Converted to the immortal cultivation world, that was a colossal demon on par with the Divine Infant realm. Toppling an empire and stirring up tempestuous waves would be mere child's play. Best of all... this Spirit Blood Child possessed no sentience whatsoever. Did that not mean... it was entirely at their mercy? How could the demons present not be thrilled? Yet, a few demons remained cautious. "Boss Kun found the Spirit Blood Child, so why would he share it with us?" "Something as precious as a Spirit Blood Child—if this old man had obtained it, I certainly wouldn't share it with other demons." Hearing these doubts, Eldest Master Huang's expression remained unchanged as he explained slowly, "The current state of this Spirit Blood Child is quite peculiar. "If it is to grow, it requires all of you to feed it with your essence blood. "Therefore, Boss Kun and I put our heads together and decided to invite all of you to raise the Spirit Blood Child together. "Once the Spirit Blood Child matures, it will fall under our control. "Heh heh, once it steps into the Demon Spirit realm, forget Yunyan County—even Fenglei Province and the entire Tianke Dynasty will answer to us!" Eldest Master Huang's words were deeply stirring. The demons were thoroughly tempted, though some remained wary. "If we feed the Spirit Blood Child, who guarantees that we will gain control over it?" the two-hundred-year-old elder asked. After all, what if Boss Kun merely treated them as laborers? If all they did was donate blood, and once the Spirit Blood Child grew up it refused to obey them, what then? "Rest assured, everyone. During the feeding, every one of you may forge a Heart-Linking Curse with the Spirit Blood Child," Eldest Master Huang replied casually. Hearing this, the demons were utterly won over. It could be said that not a single demon was unfamiliar with the Heart-Linking Curse. Once they forged a Heart-Linking Curse with the Spirit Blood Child, their essence blood would be far more effective for it. At the same time, the Spirit Blood Child would treat them as kin and protect them. "Boss Kun is actually being this generous?" "Now this... this old man is truly tempted." The demons in the room had no further objections. If they forged a Heart-Linking Curse with a Spirit Blood Child, they would be set for life. "Does anyone object?" Seeing how tempted they were, Eldest Master Huang spoke with supreme confidence, sweeping his gaze across the crowd. None of the demons made a sound, each lost in thought. Just then, Qi Yuan, who had remained silent all this while, spoke up: "I object!" "Oh?" Eldest Master Huang's sharp eyes landed on Qi Yuan, laced with menace as he sought to see right through him. However, he had never seen Qi Er before, so he did not recognize Qi Yuan. "I feel this arrangement is far too unfair to all these fellow demons. "Drawing essence blood at regular intervals—how terrible is that for your health? "You don't even have nutritional tonics here. To drain their blood day in and day out—the pain is on their bodies, but it aches in my heart! "That is demon essence blood! To just siphon it off to a Spirit Blood Child is far too much of a loss! It's too wasteful, it hurts my heart to watch!" Hearing this, the Rooster Demon wore a bizarre expression. The other demons felt rather strange as well, though for some reason, they were actually a little moved. Look at that, even this human cares about our health. What a truly good person. "Hmph, you have no idea what that Spirit Blood Child means to us!" Eldest Master Huang said coldly, his tone overbearing. "Don't get angry. In fact, I have a wonderful idea that can resolve this issue perfectly," Qi Yuan said, revving up his clever brain once more. "Oh? What idea?" The demons looked at Qi Yuan with curious expressions. They didn't really want to donate blood either. It truly was bad for their health. "It's very simple: don't give your blood to the Spirit Blood Child. You can give your blood to me instead! I'll take you to the hospital every day for glucose IV drips. Isn't that great for you?" Qi Yuan had no idea whether glucose drips could replenish blood, but fooling this uneducated bunch shouldn't be a problem. Qi Yuan's words left the demons dumbfounded. So after all that... you're the one who wants our blood? "Are you mocking us?" "You... are courting death!" Eldest Master Huang roared, a powerful killing intent erupting from his frame. Seeing this, Qi Yuan waved his hands in a hurry. "Don't get agitated, it's bad for your health! What if your blood pressure and blood sugar shoot up? "Everything I said is the absolute truth, I'm not tricking you. "All you have to do is feed the Spirit Blood Child to me. With my special physique, I will become the new Spirit Blood Child. "That way, you'll only need to offer your blood to me. "And I'll set each of you up with a bottle of glucose every day! That's a ten-yuan bottle of glucose—ten whole yuan!" Qi Yuan declared with deep passion. He had truly sacrificed far, far too much for this world.