Chapter 124: Chapter 120: Atypical Demon Child
Gu Xiaofang and Luo Jinyu curiously took in the interior design and decor of the External Affairs Hall.
The External Affairs Hall wasn’t open to ordinary disciples. If they hadn’t been with Du Youqian, they wouldn’t have even had the right to enter.
Very few people came and went on any given day, unlike the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, which saw so much traffic its doorsteps were worn down each year.
After entering, a path paved with crushed stone led straight to a smooth stone wall up ahead.
Rounding the stone wall, the view suddenly opened up.
A sparkling stream encircled a wooden building, and koi leaped in the light green water.
They stepped onto a lotus leaf, which then floated forward on its own, carrying them across the stream to the wooden building.
A Cultivator in a green robe was already waiting.
This Cultivator was at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, and he didn’t appear to be very old.
His features were ordinary, but his skin was fair. That, combined with his incredibly infectious smile, made it easy for people to take a liking to him.
Out in public, he would never be mistaken for a Demon—though he very likely was one.
’After all, an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to sense the deeply hidden stench of blood on him, or the neurotic and perverse nature concealed beneath his smile. But how could Du Youqian fail to notice?’
"Junior Yu, I’ve heard so much about you! When I heard you were interested in joining the External Affairs Hall, I was so excited I couldn’t sleep for days! With you on board, the External Affairs Hall will be like a tiger with wings!"
’Look at him, just look at him. And they say everyone in the Demon Sect is a lunatic or a psychopathic killer.’
’A man like this could thrive in the world of politics.’
Du Youqian naturally reciprocated the courtesy, speaking very politely. "Might I ask for this Senior Brother’s name? My master didn’t give me many details before I came, only that a Senior Brother would be here to guide me and that I should follow his arrangements. To be honest, I was a little apprehensive, worried I might misstep as a newcomer to the External Affairs Hall. But now that I’ve seen your distinguished bearing, Senior Brother, I am immediately at ease. With such an outstanding Senior Brother to lead the way, I’m sure I’ll be able to avoid many detours."
The Foundation Establishment Cultivator seemed delighted. Acting like a common mortal, he enthusiastically came over and slung an arm around Du Youqian’s shoulders.
Du Youqian wasn’t quite used to this, but he didn’t let it show on his face, and simply kept smiling.
"My surname is Xi, and my name is Zhiheng. By the way, that Xi Mengran you defeated? She’s one of my worthless younger relatives. But don’t worry, I’m not close to her; we’ve only met a few times. I have countless younger relatives like her. If you ever need someone of the Royal Family bloodline to refine a Demon Artifact, I can provide you with a few. Of course, we’ll still have to discuss the price—they are my kin, after all."
Hearing Xi Zhiheng speak so casually, Luo Jinyu and Gu Xiaofang felt ill at ease. The things he was saying were too grim.
However, they knew their place. When a Foundation Establishment master was speaking, it wasn’t their place to interrupt.
They could only stand to the side and frown in silence.
In that instant, Du Youqian mentally crossed the man’s name off his list—this was not a person to get deeply involved with.
’Perhaps Feng Xiaoyi would dare to use him.’
’But that was only because Feng Xiaoyi was strong enough.’
’But I wouldn’t dare. At least, not right now.’
’The man is a mad dog. The moment you let your guard down, he’ll lash out.’
’Without absolute power to keep him in check, you’re guaranteed to face a backlash.’
On the surface, Du Youqian maintained a polite smile. "Brother Xi, shall we go inside?"
"Come, please, come in," Xi Zhiheng said, enthusiastically leading them through the door. "By the way, Junior Yu, do you need a few princesses to take care of your daily needs? Don’t be shy with me. Whatever temperament and appearance you prefer, just say the word. The Yan Kingdom might be short on other things, but it has more than enough princes and princesses to go around. I modified my bloodline once, so these descendants of mine are very fertile."
A chill ran through Du Youqian as he listened.
And the worst part was, Xi Zhiheng was still beaming amiably.
This gave Du Youqian a new appreciation for the sheer depravity of the Holy Blood Sect’s disciples.
But as the saying goes, you don’t slap a smiling face. And since Xi Zhiheng was constantly projecting goodwill toward him, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything that would ruin the mood.
He could only change the subject. "There aren’t many people here."
"But of course. The External Affairs Hall handles external matters, so most of our personnel are stationed abroad year-round. There’s almost no one here at headquarters," Xi Zhiheng laughed. "Junior Yu, I heard from Chun Xiao Master that you’re seeking a position as a Senior Steward and want to complete an external garrison assignment as soon as possible. And now you’re hesitating, unsure of where to be posted for your Garrison duty, is that correct?"
"That’s right. I’m not very familiar with these matters, so I was hoping Brother Xi could explain them in detail."
"Of course, of course..." Xi Zhiheng remained as enthusiastic and energetic as a real estate agent, leading them on a tour of the building before finally entering an empty room.
There was no sign on the outside of the room. Inside, it was simply furnished with two tables and a few chairs in disarray, with a few Jade Scrolls scattered messily on top.
The room was completely devoid of decoration and looked just like an ordinary storage closet.
However, Du Youqian immediately sensed that several Arrays had been placed in the room. Though most of them were Low Level, their functions were extremely comprehensive.
There was a Sound-Insulation Array, a Dust-Removal Array, a Fire Extinguishing Array—it had everything one could ask for, which told him this was no simple closet.
Xi Zhiheng casually picked up a Jade Scroll from the table and handed it to Du Youqian. "Junior Yu, everything you want to know is in here."
With that, he pulled out a chair and sat down lazily.
Du Youqian took the Jade Scroll and extended his Divine Sense to read its contents.
Once Du Youqian had memorized all the information and handed back the Jade Scroll, Xi Zhiheng finally spoke. "Our Sect is one of the First-class Sects. It’s no exaggeration to say that, along with the Taihe Sect, we shoulder the responsibility for the safety of the entire world and for preserving the Inheritance of Cultivation."
"Therefore, we must dispatch disciples to the lands of the Nine Countries to monitor the world, investigate injustice, and suppress those who refuse to submit."
At this, Xi Zhiheng paused, a troubled look on his face. "Sigh. If only the surveillance wasn’t so strict. They don’t even permit Blood Sacrifices. If we want to kill people to refine Demon Artifacts, we can only do it on the sly, killing a few hundred here and a few hundred there. When will we be able to slaughter entire cities and wipe out whole clans to refine our Demon Artifacts, just like in the ancient records?"
Du Youqian had no desire to discuss the topic of slaughtering cities and exterminating clans, and he had little interest in the Demon Artifacts unique to Demonic Cultivators anyway.
It wasn’t that Demon Artifacts weren’t powerful, but rather that they lacked versatility.
The Shangqing Purple Qi Divine Pill Creation Technique Du Youqian currently practiced, for instance, was a standard Cultivation Technique of the orthodox Profound Sects, and his abilities were primarily based on Profound Sects Magic.
If he were to use a Demon Artifact, it would actually reduce his combat effectiveness!
Then again, the best thing about the Demon Sect was its inclusivity.
They didn’t reject an atypical Demon Child like Du Youqian, with his full set of orthodox Profound Sects techniques, and they also welcomed a typical Demon Child like Xi Zhiheng into the Demon Dao.
"Brother Xi, I see that all of the hundred-odd garrison posts in the Nine Countries of the Momenan Desert are already filled."
"Oh," Xi Zhiheng said, completely unconcerned. "That’s no problem. Just tell me where you want to go, and I’ll simply recall whoever is stationed there."
Feng Xiaoyi hadn’t mentioned Xi Zhiheng’s position, and Du Youqian hadn’t bothered to ask before.
’But judging by what he said, he has to be at least a Vice Hall Master. Otherwise, he couldn’t just transfer people whenever he pleased.’
’How on earth did Master manage to tame a Demon like him and make him work for her?’
Seeing Du Youqian lost in thought, Xi Zhiheng smiled. "No need to rush. Go back and think it over. By the way, give me your identity plaque."
This was an expected part of the process, so Du Youqian naturally didn’t object. He simply added, "Senior Brother, these two are friends of mine. They’d also like to join the External Affairs Hall."
Xi Zhiheng glanced at Luo Jinyu and Gu Xiaofang, completely unconcerned. "A trivial matter. Hand over their plaques as well."
He took the three identity plaques, stepped out for a moment, and returned to hand them back. "All set. Junior Yu, from this day forward, you are a Senior Steward of our External Affairs Hall. These two are now Junior Stewards. You can keep them by your side, or you can assign them to a garrison post of your choosing."
"Junior Yu, take a word of advice from your senior brother. When you’re out on your garrison assignment, don’t neglect your Cultivation. For us Cultivators, our Cultivation is the most fundamental thing there is. Once you reach the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, I guarantee I can get you promoted to Vice Hall Master."
Du Youqian smiled. "Then I must thank you, Brother Xi. For now, I’ll head back and give it some careful thought. I’ll trouble you again once I’ve made a decision."
"Of course, of course." Xi Zhiheng once again enthusiastically escorted Du Youqian out personally.
As soon as he returned to his cave residence, Du Youqian immediately cast a Cleaning Spell to wash himself from head to toe.
He washed the spot where that pervert Xi Zhiheng had touched him a full three times.
Du Youqian reflected that no matter what means he resorted to in his own pursuit of the Great Dao, he could never stoop to Xi Zhiheng’s level.
’Modifying his own bloodline so his descendants would proliferate? Then using those descendants for sacrificial refinement of Demon Artifacts? And casually talking about slaughtering cities and wiping out entire clans?’
’These were simply not the actions of a human being.’
The very idea of an immortal is a person dwelling amongst mountains.
If you take away the person, leaving only a bare mountain, can there still be an immortal?
