Yuanshi-kun was the Demon Lord's successor? That notoriously infamous Demon Lord? Asano Ryo's expression shifted slightly, utterly shocked by the Enforcer's words.
The Thousand Cranes Group did not maintain good diplomatic relations with the Five Elements Alliance, but they had close ties to Heaven's Punishment (acting as their underlings). Thus, Asano Ryo hadn't first heard of the Demon Lord when he shook the heavens and earth across the mainland, but rather from his philandering across the West.
For a time, similar tabloid gossip frequently surfaced on the Thousand Cranes Group's internal forum.
First: "Mysterious Mainland Man Becomes the New Favorite of the Association of God of Beauty's President."
Then: "Mysterious Mainland Man Captures the Heart of a Heaven's Punishment Enforcer; Pair Leaves for Honeymoon in Such-and-Such."
After that: "Mysterious Mainland Man Spotted Entering and Leaving Luxury Hotels with Noble Heiress So-and-So."
Next: "Noble Heiress and Aloof Inspector Fight Publicly Out of Jealousy; Cause Revealed to Be a Mysterious Chinese Man."
Almost every other day, that mysterious man would appear on the forums, constantly bedding women—lovely Enforcers and aloof Inspectors from Heaven's Punishment, aristocratic heiresses, the wives of prominent figures, and even notoriously infamous evil class walkers...
One day, Asano Ryo curiously asked her teacher, Ryuzaki Hajime, who that mysterious Chinese man was.
Her teacher had answered, "That fellow is called the Demon Lord!"
Having bedded so many women—among them the prized playthings of influential figures, the wives of powerful men, and high-status women courted by droves of suitors—the Demon Lord naturally became a target.
Public duels, insidious assassinations, and silent curses rained down on him without end. Yet this wicked man governed by his lower half not only survived overseas, but also displayed chilling combat prowess, crushing everyone who came at him, whether one by one or in pairs.
He had beaten up just as many powerful order-aligned and evil walkers as the number of women he had bedded.
Asano Ryo had listened with deep yearning—yearning for that wicked figure's formidable strength—while simultaneously trembling at his reputation. After all, Ryo-chan was a renowned beauty in the Thousand Cranes Group.
What if one day that Demon Lord caught wind of Ryo-chan's glamorous beauty, crossed the ocean to the island nation, and demanded that she warm his bed?
Later, Asano Ryo realized she had worried for nothing. Before her beauty could spread across the four seas, that peerless genius who bestrode the world had returned to the Spirit Realm.
In Asano Ryo's mind, the Demon Lord was synonymous with evil and perversion, whereas Yuanshi Tianzun was an honest, trustworthy gentleman. The two were worlds apart—how could they possibly be connected?
If one had to find a similarity, it was that both possessed extraordinary talent.
Asano Ryo was lost in a daze for a long time. Demon Hunter didn't press her, slowly savoring his drink instead.
"I prefer strong spirits, but Juyondai has shown me the elegance of sake." Setting down his empty cup, Demon Hunter turned to Asano Ryo beside him and offered a slight smile. "No need to be nervous. Just a few questions."
Coming to her senses, Asano Ryo looked at Kobe Ichiro, who nodded at her.
Taking a deep breath, Asano Ryo lowered her eyes demurely. "What would you like to ask, Lord Enforcer? I will tell you everything I know."
Demon Hunter fixed his deep blue eyes upon her and asked solemnly, "You've entered trials with him several times. When he cleared a trial, did you ever see a black full moon mark appear on his forehead?"
Asano Ryo thought for a moment and shook her head. "No!"
The stern-faced blond young man suddenly asked, "Is that a 'no,' or did you simply not see it?"
Asano Ryo lowered her head and answered honestly, "I have only entered trials twice with Yuanshi-kun: once in the killing trial and once in the faction dungeon. During the killing trial settlement, he wasn't by my side, so I didn't see. During the faction dungeon, he was already a Saint, and the mark on his forehead was a nebula."
The stern young man nodded and said no more.
Demon Hunter continued, "Report all the items he has used."
"This..." Asano Ryo furrowed her brows, her mind racing.
'How strange. Why is Heaven's Punishment asking about Yuanshi-kun's items?'
'Right. They claimed Yuanshi-kun is the Demon Lord's successor, so they want to verify it through the items he uses?'
Asano Ryo considered this possibility and believed she had hit upon the truth.
If Yuanshi-kun hadn't inherited the Demon Lord's legacy, where would this talk of a successor even come from?
Following that train of thought, she surmised that Heaven's Punishment coveted the treasures left behind by the Demon Lord, which was why they were investigating Yuanshi-kun.
Demon Hunter spoke in a mild tone. "You belong to the same faction as him, so betraying him is out of the question. But disclosing information about items does not fall under betrayal. Since it isn't betrayal, speak freely."
Seeing her remain silent for so long, the Enforcer assumed she was reluctant to betray a guildmate.
Kobe Ichiro repeatedly cast meaningful glances at Asano Ryo, urging her to cooperate obediently.
Asano Ryo pursed her lips and said, "I understand. But I haven't spent much time with Yuanshi-kun, so I might not know all of his items. I... I can only speak about what I saw..."
Seeing no objection from the guests of Heaven's Punishment, she continued:
"Yuanshi-kun has an item set composed of a two-colored water-and-fire robe, earth-element boots, and a belt. He also has a weapon capable of shifting into three forms: a shield, a hand cannon, and a small hammer. He also has a red soft cap that contains an internal space..."
Asano Ryo recounted as she recalled.
In total, she mentioned four items and one set: the Purple Thunder Cannon, the Mountain God Scepter, the Great Luo Astrolabe, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Heaven-Worship Set.
Asano Ryo had her reasons for choosing these. First, all four items had left a deep impression on her, as Yuanshi-kun frequently used them in trials.
Among them, the Mountain God Scepter came from the killing trial; as a participant in that trial, she could be one hundred percent certain it had nothing to do with the Demon Lord.
Second, the Heaven-Worship Set obviously had nothing to do with the Demon Lord either. Asano Ryo knew that in this year's Five Elements Alliance tournament, the first-place prize in the Transcendent stage had been the Houtu Boots.
The Thousand Cranes Group had gathered intelligence on Yuanshi-kun, and they naturally wouldn't overlook major news like the tournament—though, of course, the Thousand Cranes Group did not know the specific stats of the Houtu Boots.
That left only Little Red Riding Hood, the Purple Thunder Cannon, and the Great Luo Astrolabe whose origins could not be confirmed.
However, if they had come from the Demon Lord, Yuanshi-kun wouldn't use them so frequently. Wouldn't that be tantamount to openly announcing: "Step right up, take a good look, everyone come see me, the Demon Lord's successor!"
—Not that Asano Ryo believed he was the Demon Lord's successor to begin with.
Of course, Asano Ryo also remembered that Yuanshi-kun quite frequently used a Wind Mage glove, but she couldn't sell out everything he had. Divulging just enough to satisfy Heaven's Punishment was sufficient.
She couldn't say nothing, but she couldn't reveal everything either.
Demon Hunter listened with furrowed brows, asked in detail about the functions of those items, and then turned to the stern blond young man. "That red soft cap sounds like the Little Red Riding Hood from the fairy tales."
The blond youth said, "Not necessarily. That Little Red Riding Hood is said to possess aberrant capabilities, but she didn't mention that just now... It doesn't matter. It's not that man's item."
Demon Hunter nodded slightly. Pulling out his phone, he opened a document and handed it to Asano Ryo. "Take a close look and see if you recognize any of the items shown here."
Asano Ryo nodded, took the phone with both hands, and browsed through the document carefully. It contained illustrations of many items accompanied by brief descriptions of their skills.
The descriptions were not very detailed, likely based on the visible abilities the items had displayed.
There were sixteen items in total, spanning both regions and covering both order-aligned and evil classes. Judging by the descriptions, the lowest grade was Saint stage, with none at the Transcendent stage.
Of course, when the Demon Lord made a name for himself overseas, he had already seemed to be a Dominator.
After looking through the illustrations, Asano Ryo shook her head. "I'm very sorry, but I haven't seen Yuanshi-kun use any of the items in this catalogue."
Demon Hunter and the three young men exchanged glances.
Observing their expressions, Kobe Ichiro gave a hearty laugh. "Ryo-chan has only met Yuanshi-kun twice, and both times were inside trials. She isn't close to him at all."
The frivolous and arrogant yet exceptionally handsome young man smiled faintly. "If they aren't close, why did he invite our Ryo-chan to join his faction?"
Kobe Ichiro laughed heartily again. "Our Ryo-chan is a well-known beauty in the Thousand Cranes Group. She's so cute, and cute girls receive preferential treatment wherever they go."
This was his way of telling the guests from Heaven's Punishment that that fellow Yuanshi Tianzun was merely coveting Ryo-chan's looks.
The frivolous young man appraised Asano Ryo's face and smiled knowingly.
Asano Ryo rose gracefully, excusing herself to go to the restroom. Just as she reached the door, the stern-faced youth spoke:
"There is one more matter that requires Ms. Asano Ryo's cooperation."
Asano Ryo smiled faintly. "Please go ahead."
The blond young man said, "Nothing that transpired at tonight's banquet may be disclosed to anyone, especially Yuanshi Tianzun. This is not a verbal promise; you must make a covenant."
Asano Ryo's small fist, hidden beneath her kimono sleeve, clenched tightly. Yet her face retained a humble, gentle smile. "Very well."
With that, she gazed at the blond young man, waiting for him to produce a covenant item.
The blond youth's expression remained stern and cold as he said indifferently, "Gaze into my eyes and swear your oath to me."
'Is he of the Knight class?' Asano Ryo was somewhat surprised. The Knight class was exceedingly rare; in all her life, this was the first time she had seen a living one.
Composing herself, Asano Ryo looked into his eyes. In those pale blue pupils, shattered specks of golden light suddenly surged, holy and majestic.
The blond youth said, "Repeat after me: 'I swear an oath never to reveal tonight's conversation to anyone. If I break this oath, let me return to the Spirit Realm.'"
"I swear never to tell anyone about tonight's matters. If I break this oath, let me return to the Spirit Realm," Asano Ryo said clearly.
The golden light in the blond youth's pupils flared brilliantly. His handsome face turned as solemn as a sculpture, his voice grand and majestic: "I have witnessed it!"
A ripple of pale gold light expanded, sweeping through the tavern like a gentle breeze.
Asano Ryo felt a stir in her heart. She sensed an unseen rule establishing itself, a power forming shackles within her heart that faded in an instant.
With the covenant sealed, the distinguished guests from Heaven's Punishment withdrew their gazes and resumed drinking. Asano Ryo slid open the tavern door and walked toward the restroom with dainty steps. Her pace quickened, dainty steps turning into a brisk walk, and a brisk walk into a jog.
Rushing into the restroom, she pushed open an empty stall. Leaning her back against the door and clutching her chest, Asano Ryo began gasping violently for air.
Her expression turned utterly terrified. The composure and elegance she had shown at the drinking table vanished completely, leaving only a single thought reverberating in her mind:
Yuanshi Tianzun is the Demon Lord's successor!!
There was no mistake. She had seen two familiar items in that catalogue: one was a ring that could change appearance, and the other was a pair of blue Wind Mage gloves.
The Wind Mage gloves went without saying, but that ring—she had seen it before during the killing trial.
While trekking through the primeval forest, Yuanshi-kun had deliberately altered his appearance so evil class walkers wouldn't target him, and he had been wearing that very ring on his hand.
If a single item clashed, it might be a coincidence, but two overlapping items...
"I have to warn Yuanshi-kun, or Heaven's Punishment will find him out! But I swore an oath—I can't reveal it.
"I need an item that can grant immunity to covenants, or a substitute-death item that can redirect damage..."
Yet leaving aside whether such an item even existed, even if it did, an item with that kind of function was far beyond what she could acquire.
Her thoughts spun frantically, beads of sweat breaking out on her anxious forehead.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. Why not ask Yuanshi-kun? He had countless treasures, and as a star figure of the Five Elements Alliance, even if he didn't own such an item, he would surely have the connections to borrow one.
With such a massive backer, why was she fretting all on her own?
At that thought, Asano Ryo hurriedly retrieved her phone from the inner pocket of her kimono, opened her messaging app, and sent Yuanshi Tianzun a text:
"Yuanshi-kun, there is an urgent matter I must ask you about. Under the witness of a Knight, I was forced to make a covenant. Is there any way to be exempt from the power of a covenant?"
After a moment's thought, she added:
"It doesn't need to completely resolve the covenant. Just redirecting the damage or a substitute death—once is enough."
***
Zhang Yuanqing was currently drinking and chatting merrily with his glamorous mother-in-law over goblets, candlelight, and a lavish meal.
The setting was Fu Qingyang's villa.
The official business had already wrapped up half an hour ago. The mother-in-law had signed the contract without hesitation, choosing the second option: buying a five percent equity stake for one billion federal dollars, plus providing an interest-free loan of one billion federal dollars to the company as seed money.
Fu Qingyang had left as soon as the contract was signed. He still had to go to the training hall to practice his slashes and had no time to entertain this annoying aunt.
Fu Xue had told him, "Scram, hurry up and scram! Don't get in the way of me catching up with my son."
At the dining table, Zhang Yuanqing attentively poured wine for his mother-in-law, saying, "Mother-in-law, you really are a strong, capable woman. Guan Ya is far behind you. Let's run this company together from now on, build it bigger and stronger. Here's to a wonderful partnership!"
Fu Xue scolded him in response, "Don't think I don't know your wild ambition, boy. Weren't you just trying to tie me to your pirate ship so I'd have no choice but to see this through to the bitter end? But the price you offered was one I couldn't refuse, so I'll concede."
Fu Xue had drunk quite a bit. The corners of her eyes and brows were flushed red, her gaze hazy and alluring, and her voice grew progressively louder.
She said, "You have no idea—the Fu family has not an ounce of human warmth. If you want to live comfortably, you have to work yourself to the bone. Not even a production team's donkey works as hard as me."
Zhang Yuanqing chimed in, "Aiyo, Mom, you've lived abroad for so long and you can still drop mainland memes? We definitely need a toast for that."
Fu Xue downed her red wine in one gulp and continued, "You have no idea how hard it is for us, a lonely mother and daughter! My talent is mediocre, my ability is mediocre, and aside from being beautiful, I have no real skills. Every day I get shoved aside by those dogs in the family. Good things never come my way! That girl Guan Ya has talent, but she's so unmotivated! Not only does she not understand me, she curses me behind my back! Don't think I don't know—this lady is a Scout! Cursing me is one thing, but she doesn't even level up properly and intentionally caps her level instead! Fuck her mother!"
Zhang Yuanqing was astonished. "Mom, you're drunk, you're talking utter nonsense. Do you even remember who Guan Ya's mother is?"
Fu Xue said aggrievedly, "Don't interrupt, I'm not finished... Even my friend bullies me! The moment she heard I wanted to borrow money, she actually demanded half the shares, and she acted completely justified about it, saying it was what she deserved! I argued with her for ages before she agreed to settle for ten percent. Oh, and she cursed you too, saying you weren't shit!"
Zhang Yuanqing was furious. "Who is this friend of yours? Give me their address, and I swear I'll beat them so bad even their mother won't recognize them."
Fu Xue waved a hand. "Forget about her. At least you're filial and know how to appreciate my struggles. Come, son, let's have a drink."
After several more rounds of drinks, Fu Xue slumped into Zhang Yuanqing's arms, whimpering and crying softly.
Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to call over a bunny girl to carry this drunken woman back to her room, his phone chimed with a "ding-dong."
It was a message from Asano Ryo.
'How to be exempt from the power of a covenant? If I had a way to do that, would I still need to wear the work hat just to get intimate with Sister Guan Ya?' Zhang Yuanqing muttered inwardly.
"Ding!"
Soon, the second message arrived.
Supporting the dead-drunk Fu Xue with one hand while holding his phone in the other, Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brows. "Once is enough? What kind of trouble did Asano Ryo run into?"
Chapter 558