Chapter 16

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“Alas!”

Gu Changqing let out a long, mournful sigh. There were countless varieties of demons and monsters, and the Demon Compendium alone contained one hundred and eight volumes. If every kind required a different purification method, it would take him at least ten years to identify them all.

Forget it.

Gu Changqing was speechless.

He had plenty of time anyway. He could take things slowly and begin by organizing the purification methods for the more common demons.

Along the road that followed, Gu Changqing collected the corpses of several more demons.

The most common were mountain animals such as pigs, snakes, wolves, monkeys, and rabbits.

Low-level demons had originally evolved from wild beasts of the mountains.

“Junior Brother Gu, demon corpses can’t be preserved. You really don’t need to collect so many. Be careful not to be affected by the sinister energy.”

His actions drew quite a few glances, and Zhang Yuan began earnestly advising him.

Gu Changqing smiled and produced a stack of Purification Talismans. “Rest assured, Senior Brother. I came prepared.”

Zhang Yuan: “…”

Sure enough, he was still jealous of the filthy rich.

The disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall were green with envy.

Everyone withdrew their gazes.

Even the Foundation Establishment senior brother stopped paying attention to them.

Gu Changqing finally relaxed. He understood that Zhang Yuan had been warning him.

Demons were mutated by sinister energy. After they died, their corpses were harmless in small numbers, but if too many accumulated together over the years, the situation could become serious enough to trigger a sinister transformation. Therefore, Gu Changqing had to offer everyone some assurance before they could rest easy.

The Purification Talismans were that assurance.

Of course, the main reason was that low-level demons were not particularly dangerous. Thirty or fifty corpses still fell within the limits of everyone’s tolerance.

Gu Changqing had already made up his mind.

Two months would be enough for him to identify all these demons.

Once he reached North City, he would write a book entitled A Guide to Eating Demons and Monsters, Volume One.

As for where the book had come from…

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside the carriage, Gu Changqing lifted the curtain and looked ahead at the enormous city. The vast formation suspended above it filled him with an overwhelming sense of security.

“We’ve finally arrived.”

The ceaseless slaughter of recent days had exhausted not only him but also the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall.

Killing demons was not particularly difficult, but repeating the same task every day was incredibly dull. Moreover, after being stained by so much blood and committing so much slaughter, one would gradually become tainted by killing aura.

Killing aura was the baleful energy produced after taking lives.

Those with heavy killing aura might become stronger because demons could no longer approach them. Yet they might also lose their reason and grow violent.

Gu Changqing could sense a faint thread of killing aura gathering around him.

However, this killing aura was not evil. A person with a sufficiently firm will could even use it to temper himself.

“Come and have a look! Treasures from a secret realm, going cheap! Only five spirit stones! You can’t lose out, and you certainly won’t be cheated!”

“Spirit-gathering pills and Qi-condensing pills for sale! Cheap!”

“Buying Ice Spirit Grass!”

The clamor of hawkers drifted in from outside the carriage.

Only then did Gu Changqing realize that a rogue cultivator’s market had sprung up by the city gate. Anyone with a little experience could tell that such markets were full of swindlers.

He watched with interest.

“Boss, the quality of your pills isn’t very good.”

“You get what you pay for. Are you buying or not? These are merely practice batches. The quality is average, but if they were high quality, I wouldn’t be selling them so cheaply.”

“So you’re an alchemist after all? I’ve long admired you. Give me two.”

“Certainly.”

The reputation of being an alchemist had successfully conned another fool.

There was no rogue cultivator who did not wish to befriend an alchemist. Even a little connection could prove useful.

Gu Changqing could not help laughing. He felt as though he had returned to the mortal world, and even his cultivation seemed to loosen slightly.

Indeed, cultivation required cultivating the heart as well.

The sect was peaceful, but it lacked the trials of worldly experience.

The market within the sect was nowhere near this lively. Here, scams, frauds, and tricks appeared in endless variety. If the sect caught anyone cheating others, the punishment would be severe.

“Junior Brother Gu.”

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Zhang Yuan came over. Seeing Gu Changqing watching the rogue cultivators’ market, he hurriedly warned him, “Don’t trust those rogue cultivators. There are no good goods in the market outside the city. Nine out of ten sellers are selling fakes. You’ve never left the sect and don’t understand how dangerous people can be. Don’t let yourself be cheated.”

“Pfft!”

Ji Yan laughed and shot Gu Changqing a glance. As if he were the one who did not understand how dangerous people could be. He was probably the most cunning person of all.

He always managed to place himself in the advantageous position. The only time he had probably suffered a loss was when he signed a Daoist Partner Contract with Gu Changqing.

Yet at that thought, Ji Yan’s eyes curved into a smile and his mood brightened.

He had come out ahead.

Gu Changqing remained expressionless and said gratefully, “Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother.”

“It’s nothing.” Zhang Yuan waved his hand with a smile. “Once you enter the city, have you decided where you’ll stay?”

“At an inn,” Gu Changqing replied.

That was the result he and Ji Yan had agreed upon.

There was no other choice. Although the properties included in Ji Yan’s dowry were registered under their names, they were still being managed by members of the Ji family.

What a pitfall.

Gu Changqing felt a little exasperated. He had always felt that he had been cheated. No wonder Perfected Ji had been so generous with the dowry. No wonder the Ji family had not made a fuss.

They had certainly planned it well.

In other words, apart from the name, the properties still remained in the hands of the Ji family. Whether they could actually obtain them would depend on their own abilities.

As far as the Ji family was concerned, they probably believed the two of them were powerless—two disciples with low cultivation and no promising future, hardly in a position to offend the Ji family’s managers.

The only thing Gu Changqing wondered was whether Perfected Ji knew about this. However, seeing the confidence and composure on Ji Yan’s face, he thought it over and decided to let the matter go.

He only needed to wait for the result. Ji Yan could handle his own affairs.

After chatting for a while, Gu Changqing and Ji Yan got out of the carriage. They first said goodbye to the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall, then wandered around under Zhang Yuan’s guidance while learning about North City.

The rogue cultivators’ market was extremely lively.

The area around the city gate was even more bustling, filled with streams of people and carriages.

Some groups marched straight through without undergoing any inspection, such as the law-enforcement teams.

Others had to pay a steep entrance fee.

And there were still others…

Even the ways of entering the city seemed to be divided into ranks and classes.

Seeing his curiosity, Zhang Yuan explained with a smile, “The entrance fee is two spirit stones. Permanent residents and sect disciples pay half, of course. Inner disciples don’t need to pay at all, and neither do official personnel like us.”

Gu Changqing nodded.

The sect certainly knew how to make money.

No wonder the Law Enforcement Hall was so well supplied.

Two spirit stones every time one entered the city. If someone often traveled outside, then wouldn’t that mean…

“Hiss!”

Gu Changqing drew in a sharp breath.

The rogue cultivators were practically being squeezed dry.

Was such exploitation really appropriate?

As though he knew what Gu Changqing was thinking, Zhang Yuan said helplessly, “There’s a fourth-grade spirit vein inside the city. If we didn’t charge a fee and regulate access, the rogue cultivators would keep pushing their luck. They often take advantage of the spirit vein for free and refuse to leave once they enter the city. That’s why the sect decreed that only rogue cultivators who rent a residence may remain here. Even so, people still find ways around the rules. As long as they aren’t caught, the Law Enforcement Hall can’t do anything. So the entrance fee can’t be eliminated. We have to recover some of the cost somehow.”

Gu Changqing: “…”

Zhang Yuan sighed. “Rogue cultivators are truly difficult to manage.”

They had no organization and no discipline, yet every one of them was slippery beyond belief.

That conclusion came from personal experience, reached after countless rounds of wits and courage.

Gu Changqing understood.

Illegal entry. He knew all about it.

Glancing at the crowd that had retreated several paces from them, he joked, “They seem rather afraid of you.”

Even the hawkers’ cries had become much more respectable. The sellers advertising treasures from secret realms had fallen silent.

“Hmph.” Zhang Yuan chuckled. “They aren’t afraid of me. They’re afraid of the Law Enforcement Hall. Very few of these rogue cultivators are clean. If their affairs were truly investigated, none of them would escape. Naturally, they’d better keep their distance.”

Gu Changqing nodded deeply. Rogue cultivators certainly had their own rules for survival.

He had originally thought they might encounter rogue cultivators attempting to rob them on the way, but they had not met a single one. The reputation of the Law Enforcement Hall frightened not only sect disciples but rogue cultivators as well. Those people possessed remarkably keen instincts.

As they spoke, they reached the city gate.

After displaying their identity tokens, the guards let them pass without question.

The moment he entered the city, Gu Changqing felt a dense surge of spiritual energy rush toward him. It was not comparable to the sect’s aura, but it was still excellent. Even breathing seemed easier.

Ji Yan’s features relaxed. Like a fish returning to the water after a long drought, he drew in great mouthfuls of spiritual energy.

Zhang Yuan was frightened half to death. “Senior Brother Ji, take it easy.”

He was terrified that Ji Yan might suffer another injury. Who knew whether the spiritual energy entering his body would impact his meridians and worsen his condition?

Junior Brother Gu truly had it hard.

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After saying this, Zhang Yuan cast a sympathetic glance at Gu Changqing.

Ji Yan: “…”

He clenched his teeth. Although he wore a smile, tiny flames had already begun to kindle in the depths of his eyes. “Rest assured. I’ll be more careful. It won’t affect him.”

“Hehe!”

“Hehe!” Zhang Yuan laughed awkwardly and hurriedly added, “May Senior Brother Ji live to be a hundred.”

Ji Yan’s expression eased somewhat.

What he did not know was that Zhang Yuan sincerely wished him a long life.

A hundred years would indeed be an exceptionally long lifespan for Ji Yan, given the state of his battered body.

Gu Changqing suppressed his amusement. “Come on. Let’s go to the inn first.”

He had never imagined that Ji Yan’s tragic persona had become so deeply ingrained in everyone’s hearts. It was almost laughable, but he had to hold it in. Ji Yan had a terrible temper, and he could not pour oil on the flames.

…

The Immortal Drunk Pavilion.

It seemed that every novel had an Immortal Drunk Pavilion and a Welcome Inn. The cultivation world was no exception.

Zhang Yuan led them to the Welcome Inn with practiced ease. After renting a small courtyard and settling them in for the time being, he took them next door—to the Immortal Drunk Pavilion.

Gu Changqing treated them to a feast and wine.

When circumstances allowed, he was very particular about enjoying life. Fine wine and spiritual cuisine were among his few hobbies.

“Welcome, honored guests.”

The female attendant was a fifth-level Qi Condensation cultivator.

They went to a window seat on the second floor.

They had barely sat down when—

“Bai Tinghan, you’re a damn bastard!”

At the neighboring table, a beautiful female cultivator suddenly rose to her feet, tears glistening in her eyes. She glared viciously at the man across from her, then flipped the table over.

“Crash!”

Delicious dishes spilled all over the floor.

Ji Yan frowned slightly as some of the leftover broth splashed onto his robes.

“Luo Zhilan, don’t push things too far.” Bai Tinghan’s expression darkened.

The instant his words fell—

Smack!

A slap landed across his face.

Apparently caught completely off guard, he stared at the female cultivator in astonishment.

“Waaah…”

Luo Zhilan began to cry as though she had been frightened. Covering her face, she hurried away.

“I’m going to tell my father!”

“Young Master Bai, you see…”

“I’ll pay.”

Bai Tinghan’s face was black with anger as he generously compensated everyone for the damage, including the guests who had been affected. He even had someone send over a jug of fine wine as an apology.

The expressions of those nearby softened.

Some even began joking with him.

“Young Master Bai, are you quarreling with your fiancée again? You’ll have to coax her properly another day. Women are like that—throwing a little tantrum is nothing.”

“Haha, I doubt you’ll even need to coax her. In a couple of days, Fairy Luo will have gotten over it.”

“I bet three days.”

“I bet one.”

“…”

Gu Changqing had initially thought he was witnessing a scene in which a heartless man was being slapped by the woman he had betrayed. He had not expected the woman to be so hopeless that even the diners knew she would not stay angry for more than three days.

“Young Master Bai, is Fairy Luo throwing a fit because of Miss Qinglan?”

Bai Tinghan nodded helplessly. “Isn’t it obvious? The Exquisite Pavilion isn’t some ordinary establishment. I merely stayed a few extra nights and requested Qinglan’s company, and she came over to argue with me. It’s hardly a serious matter. I only indulge her because I’m willing to give way. Honestly…”

Bai Tinghan shook his head with an indulgent expression. It was clear that he cared deeply about his fiancée; otherwise, he would never have tolerated being slapped.

“Women are always so petty.”

“Young Master Bai is truly blessed. I’ve heard that when Miss Qinglan receives guests, she accepts only those who are handsome and distinguished.”

“Fairy Luo is simply being unreasonable. Who among us doesn’t know that Young Master Bai is devoted to her and constantly gives way? Spending time with the ladies of the Exquisite Pavilion hardly counts as chasing women.”

“…”

Gu Changqing stared in utter astonishment.

So sleeping with a courtesan could also be called wholehearted devotion.

He had certainly learned something new.