The minor demons panicked instantly. “Please, My Lord, have mercy! We knew nothing of this. The Vine Demon acted on his own bold authority. It has nothing to do with us!”
“You knew nothing?” Qi Yelan asked. “Was it that you knew nothing, or that you were too afraid to speak?”
“My Lord, please do not make things difficult for us,” one of them pleaded, though it was a foolish choice of words.
Qi Yelan grinned, his laughter sounding dark and heavy. “If I do not make things difficult for you, then I shall simply kill you.” Toward these ill-intentioned demons, Qi Yelan followed his usual principle of preferring to kill by mistake rather than letting a single one go. As soon as he spoke, demonic energy began to gather in his palm.
Seeing this, several desperate demons attempted to flee. They had not gone more than a few steps before they were struck by the energy, falling to the ground in agonizing convulsions.
“Escaping results in this fate,” Qi Yelan said coldly.
The remaining demons trembled with terror. One voice spoke up tremulously. “We truly did not know. However, a few days ago, we saw the Demon Envoy, Nan Jue, arrive here. The Vine Demon was summoned to him and given certain instructions.”
Qi Yelan’s gaze darkened. “Nan Jue?” He had suspected many people, but Nan Jue was unexpected. They had once both been human, and Qi Yelan had assumed a human turned demon would be smarter and better at recognizing the current situation.
He wondered if it was truly him. Precisely because he was a human turned demon, he was the most calculating of creatures. Did he believe he finally had the upper hand? Qi Yelan let out a self-deprecating sneer that made the demons’ hearts skip a beat.
“Tonight’s events stay buried in your memories,” Qi Yelan ordered. “If anyone dares to speak of this, your end will be worse than theirs.” He gestured toward the lifeless bodies nearby before turning into a black mist and vanishing.
When Yan Jue dizzily opened his eyes, the day was already bright. He was lying sprawled alone on the straw mat. A-Ye, who should have been beside him, was nowhere to be found. He wondered if he had pushed the boy off the mat. He sat up while rubbing his stiff neck and looked around, but the temple was empty. He pushed open the door to the courtyard and found A-Ye by the well.
“Good morning,” Yan Jue called out.
A-Ye was filling a water skin. He handed over something he had been holding under his arm. “Good morning. Here, this is freshly toasted.”
Yan Jue took the toasted cake and said sheepishly, “I am sorry. I must have crowded you last night, and I knew you were injured. Next time I will find a larger straw mat.”
“It was nothing,” A-Ye replied.
The two interacted naturally, just as they always had. It was as if certain events from the previous night had never occurred. After breakfast, they continued their journey. After several days of travel, they grew closer to Moshan. The scenery began to look familiar to Yan Jue. He would soon reach the sect from his previous life.
The Moshan Sect was located in the forest north of Lanling. Since they were currently outside Lanling City, they could reach the sect in less than three days.
“So this is Lanling. It is truly prosperous,” Yan Jue remarked. He shot a warning look at Lu Wu just in time to stop the immortal from accidentally revealing too much. Even though he was here, Yan Jue had no intention of letting anyone know his true identity, especially his former disciples. Being banished after ascending was not a matter of pride.
Except for Lu Wu, the other two remained silent. They were used to the sights of this place, which held their own separate memories of beauty and pain. Returning to an old haunt did not stir much excitement.
They soon stood outside Lanling City. Before them was a city gate crowded with people and carriages. With the Great Immortal Sect Assembly approaching, there were many cultivators arriving from all over. Most came from prominent families, judging by their large entourages and expensive clothing. Yan Jue and his companions blended into the crowd. Even Lu Wu’s flashy attire was unremarkable here, which was a good thing for them.
They entered the city with the flow of the crowd. Lu Wu’s tongue remained active even in the crush of people. “The feng shui of Lanling is truly nourishing. Look at this city and its people. Even the little girls grow up looking so delicate.”
People in the crowd quickly turned to look at them. Yan Jue covered his face and whispered a warning. “Master Lu, please settle down. You will get us beaten up.”
Lu Wu was indifferent. “What is wrong with openly praising beautiful things?”
Yan Jue saw a gap in the crowd and quickly pulled Lu Wu forward. Praising a little girl’s looks in front of her father might be factually correct, but it was incredibly rude. He suspected that because Lu Wu had been a god for so long, he had forgotten how to communicate with mortals.
“This is Lanling, the capital of etiquette,” Yan Jue reminded him. “Mind your words and actions, Great Immortal. If the guards arrest you for being a lecher, I will not be able to bail you out.”
Lu Wu stroked a strand of hair and arched an eyebrow without committing to an answer. Qi Yelan caught up with them and looked surprised. “You have been to Lanling before?”
Yan Jue cleared his throat. “I have heard of it.”
As he spoke, a convoy of carriages pushed through the crowd beside them. With a single glance, Yan Jue recognized the uniforms. His pupils contracted in shock because it was the convoy of the Danyang Sect. Before he could look closer, a familiar figure emerged from the crowd and caught his eye.
Walking at the front of the carriages was the head disciple of the Danyang Sect, his hypocritical eldest senior brother, Feng Yu. Yan Jue wondered why the Danyang Sect had traveled so far to attend the assembly. He cursed his bad luck and quickly hid behind the other two before he could be spotted.
Lu Wu noticed his strange behavior. “What is wrong?”
Once the convoy had passed, Yan Jue peeked out and sighed while rubbing his forehead. “It is a long story.” He only hoped they would not meet again. Feng Yu was a madman disguised as a genius. He usually acted steady and gentle, but his calculating mind was terrifying. Facing him directly would be a major problem.
Since they had reached Lanling, Yan Jue asked Lu Wu, “What do we do next? What is your brilliant plan?”
The convoy had given Lu Wu an idea. He tapped his fan against his hand with an air of confidence. “Naturally, we must prepare the proper attire. Go to the inn ahead and rent a few rooms. I will handle the preparations.”
“Very well. I will leave it to you,” Yan Jue replied. He then led A-Ye toward the inn.
Because Lanling was flooded with cultivators, many inns were full. They searched nearly the entire city before finally finding a place with vacancies just before nightfall.
“Honored guests, we only have a few superior rooms left,” the innkeeper said. “They are nine hundred wen each. How many would you like?”
Yan Jue weighed the silver in his hand. It was originally enough for everyone to have their own room, but at this price, they could only afford two. He wondered how they should divide them. After the recent events, Yan Jue felt a bit nervous. The temple was one thing, but being alone in a room with another man might be difficult to handle.
A-Ye spoke up before he could. “Two rooms.”