Volume One: Menial Worker of Changshui County Chapter 26: Who Are You Calling a Sissy?

Lu Jiuzhang had not slept a wink all night, immersing himself in martial cultivation. After circulating his energy about five cycles or so, daylight had already brightened the world outside.

As usual, he needed to report to the Demon Slayers’ Office and wait in the duty room, in case the higher-ups assigned any tasks. If there were none, he would simply idle away the day. Thus, the various menial workers at the office had learned to pass the time by gambling with dice or gathering in small groups to discuss which courtesan at the brothel was currently most favored.

They were all hardened men, and their conversations rarely strayed far from such topics. But for Lu Jiuzhang, with so much free time, he would rather spend it meditating and cultivating. Unfortunately, he couldn’t practice in the duty room—too many distractions, and too great a risk of being discovered.

“Brother Lu, Lord Zhou is looking for you!” Wang Yunshan entered and called out to him.

On his way to the office, Wang Yunshan had run into Demon Guard Zhou Cheng, who had asked him to tell Lu Jiuzhang to come see him if he had no tasks assigned that day.

Wang Yunshan found it odd—everyone knew Zhou Cheng was not popular in the office. Why had he and Lu Jiuzhang grown so close lately?

“Thank you for letting me know, Brother Wang,” Lu Jiuzhang replied with a bow, preparing to head to Zhou Cheng’s office.

But Wang Yunshan grabbed his arm, leaned in, and whispered, “Brother Lu, what are you doing? Didn’t I warn you? Zhou Cheng is not well-liked! If you stick with him, you risk being ostracized by your colleagues. Besides, Deputy Directors Chen Xuanfeng and Yuan Wufeng don’t take kindly to Zhou Cheng either. If you align yourself with him, be careful—they may target you as well!”

“It’s fine, Brother Wang. I know what I’m doing,” Lu Jiuzhang replied indifferently. In truth, Chen Xuanfeng and Yuan Wufeng didn’t like him much either—Chen Xuanfeng, in particular, seemed quite likely to wish him dead. Since he found no favor with any of them, why bother caring about their opinions?

“Well, do as you please. I’ve said all I can.” Seeing that Lu Jiuzhang would not be swayed, Wang Yunshan could only let him go.

...

It was the same small study. When Lu Jiuzhang entered, he found Zhou Cheng changing clothes. He had been wearing casual attire but was now switching into the official Demon Slayer uniform.

The sight left Lu Jiuzhang unsettled. What was going on? Could Zhou Cheng possibly have a fondness for men? Was that why he’d been so kind to him?

The more he thought, the more disturbing the idea became—he’d never considered it before, but now it seemed all too plausible.

“Ahem... What does Lord Zhou require of me?” Lu Jiuzhang asked, forcing himself to remain calm.

“Sit,” Zhou Cheng said, pointing to a nearby stool as he continued dressing.

“Perhaps you could speak first, Lord Zhou. I need to return to the duty room soon,” Lu Jiuzhang said, wary of being caught in a trap. If anything seemed amiss, he was ready to flee.

“It’s nothing much. I know you’ve been devoting yourself to martial cultivation lately, so you may not have much time,” Zhou Cheng replied mildly. “Since there’s nothing urgent today, you may as well practice here in my study. Don’t worry, I won’t disturb you. I’ll be going out shortly, perhaps to the training grounds to work on my sword technique. Now that I’ve only one arm, I need to adjust.”

His tone was calm, as if discussing something trivial.

“No need, Lord Zhou, I—” Lu Jiuzhang began to refuse, but Zhou Cheng interrupted him. “By the way, you cultivated last night, didn’t you? Did you sense the spiritual energy? How long did it take you to circulate it once?”

“In reply, Lord Zhou, I did sense the spiritual energy drifting between heaven and earth. But one full cycle takes some time—about three quarters of an hour,” Lu Jiuzhang answered.

At first, it had taken nearly an hour, but with practice, he’d grown faster. Now it was about forty-five minutes a cycle; perhaps it would shorten further, but not by much.

“Not bad—a talent on par with mine when I was your age. If you keep at it for three to five years, you’ll probably reach the Ninth Rank of martial cultivation,” Zhou Cheng said, now fully dressed, though his empty sleeve still hung conspicuously.

Three to five years just to reach the Ninth Rank—this prospect weighed heavily on Lu Jiuzhang. How long would it take to grow truly powerful, to be able to defend himself?

“All right, practice here. No one will disturb you,” Zhou Cheng said before leaving, leaving Lu Jiuzhang alone in the room, somewhat bewildered.

...

Zhou Cheng had judged Lu Jiuzhang’s talent fair, but he did not know that, while he himself had once followed a simple path in circulating energy, the route Lu Jiuzhang now practiced had been corrected by the Kui Star Pavilion and was far more intricate. This meant that Lu Jiuzhang’s efficiency was higher, and he would reach the Ninth Rank sooner.

...

When Zhou Cheng’s footsteps faded, Lu Jiuzhang finally let out a long breath. He’d nearly fled just now—such preferences were simply not to his taste. He considered himself a fairly normal man, at least when it came to gender and interest in women; he had no special inclinations toward other men.

Sitting cross-legged on Zhou Cheng’s bed, Lu Jiuzhang gradually entered a meditative state and began to absorb the spiritual energy from the air around him. The energy poured into his body, cleansing and strengthening his flesh. With growing proficiency in circulating energy, he found he could absorb more with each passing day. Where last night his reach had been a meter, now it had expanded to ten; soon, perhaps, he might draw upon energy within a hundred meters.

Changshui County was remote, and the spiritual energy here was thin. Cultivation was difficult, but Lu Jiuzhang didn’t mind—simply being able to cultivate at all felt like a gift from heaven.

...

The Demon Slayers’ Office.

These days, Chen Xuanfeng should have been on leave, leaving Deputy Director Yuan Wufeng in charge. Yet today, Chen Xuanfeng had come to the office regardless.

Yuan Wufeng’s displeasure was plain to see—he and Chen Xuanfeng had long been at odds.

“Director Chen, shouldn’t you be resting at home or perhaps visiting the Red Orchid Pavilion? What brings you to the office today?” Yuan Wufeng mocked. “I hear you’re still unmarried—are you perhaps... unwell?”

“If so, I could introduce you to a highly skilled physician.”

Such open mockery was intolerable. Chen Xuanfeng replied in kind, “And since when does a soft-bellied fop get to question another man’s health?”

“Who are you calling a fop?” Yuan Wufeng shot up, hands on his hips, furious.