A pile of trembling people were squeezed in front of him… ah no, not people, they were demons. Although, just by looking at their appearance, there wasn't much of a difference.
The one in front shook with fear. "We usually just … steal some small trinkets from the human world and take it back to exchange for some things."
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The demonic race didn't have a common currency and mostly bartered. If something looked pleasing to the eye then they'd exchange for it—if not, then they would leave it. As for the demon race's level of craftsmanship and art, a piece of ordinary embroidery was equivalent to high-quality handiwork, so the various little trinkets of the human world were enthusiastically received. The things of least value were the various special crystals that were thought to be tacky and omnipresent in the demon world.
But what the demon world considered tacky and omnipresent was well received in the human world!
Shen Qingqiu snapped closed his fan. He said seriously, "This poor, remote, godforsaken place, producing ability is backward, the economy is not flourishing, and the people's happiness is lower than the average level. Despite this, you take advantage of others' misfortune and commit thievery—truly, this is something that should not be done."
The little demon was greatly confused.
How come he remembered when he was captured, this… great person was also in the middle of stealing… ah no, borrowing some clothes to wear?
And this folding fan that was happily waved around was the same.
Shen Qingqiu thought, I was forced by the circumstances—surely he should not have to keep wearing clothes dug from the ground, wandering around like a savage?
But this opened up a new avenue of thought. If you can give the little demons, previously only petty thieves, a means to acquire these small goods, could this possibly set up a prosperous and peaceful farming community, giving them new ground in a society based around cultivators fighting demons?
Shen Qingqiu, like an irresponsible YY novel character, thought that if he were to take some underlings under his wing, then he must first understand the opposing side's life. He asked amiably, "Do you eat rotten flesh?"
All the little demons shook their heads. Shen Qingqiu was just about to give a relieved sigh when he heard the leading little demon say resoundingly, "My father said only rich people can afford to eat rotten meat…"
Shen Qingqiu interrupted. "Enough."
It's hardly an economic question, ok! Luo Binghe, after he ascended to his position in the demon world, is enough of a big person, right? How come he's never seen him enjoy eating this type of thing!
A pause. He changed the question. "What is your name?"
The first one replied, "Six Balls."
Shen Qingqiu asked, "What does that mean?"
Six Balls said, "When I was born, my father held me and said I weighed six balls."
Shen Qingqiu: "…"
What kind of ball? Shot-put or ping-pong ball?! This kind of name is completely senseless.
The rest of them fought to not be the last to announce their name. None of them could endure being the last heard. It seemed they regarded this as quite an honor.
Are all the names given to ordinary demons of this practical/pragmatic type!
Family names didn't exist in demon culture and the names they chose were incredibly unrestrained and imaginative, brazen and bold. Those generals whose titles render people speechless—for example, the Sky Hammer Elder or Single-Arm Elder—anyone could tell that they'd climbed there from loser stage in a glance. But if born a noble—for example, Mo Bei-Jun, Sha Hualing, or Luo Binghe's father Tian Lang-Jun—their situation was slightly better.
Shen Qingqiu suddenly had a thought. It was fortunate Luo Binghe hadn't been thrown into the demon world and adopted from there. If he were raised by ordinary folk of the demon race, according to this style, he would probably be given a name that seemed as if his parents bore him a grudge.
What would he be called?
Jade Face Little Lang-Jun?
No, no, no, it should probably be more impressive—thunderous to crack stones and startle the heavens. Remembering in the original work that a young lady had shyly expressed how Luo Binghe in "that respect" is so etc. The harem 3000 nights… even after a thousand centuries the golden spear didn't fall and remained robust as ever. In fact, the name Peerless Cucumber suited Luo Binghe quite well, but since Shen Qingqiu was already using it, then Luo Binghe might as well be called… Heavenly-Pillar Lord?
Hahaha, holy f***, Luo Heavenly Pillar hahahahahaha how sick but invigorating!
Shen Qingqiu had just begun laughing when he suddenly gave himself a slap.
You're f***ing crazy!
Are you really so pleased with yourself that you start thinking vulgar jokes in your head?
What is there to laugh about? Did you figure out who you should be making wretched?!
All the little demons, who saw this great person laugh until he fell to the ground and furiously slap himself in the next moment, were in a puzzled fog, but they didn't even dare breathe. Suddenly, Shen Qingqiu's smile froze. His fan pressed down on Six Ball's shoulders and pulled him over.
Shen Qingqiu took a sword tassel from his waist. "Where'd you get this from?"
This was a sword tassel, but it wasn't an ordinary tassel.
This is the primary female protagonist Liu Mingyan's sword Shui Se's sword tassel!
This is the male and female protagonist's token of love, do you understand? Back then, at Cang Qiong Mountain, Shen Qingqiu had paid special attention to it—there didn't need to be a lot of distinguishing features for him to recognize it. How did this thing end up in this random little demon's hands?
Six Balls whimpered, "Th-th-this isn't stolen, this was picked up…"
You go to a random street and pick up another tassel again for me to see. Shen Qingqiu asked, "Where did you replace it?"
Six Balls said, "Th-th-these past days, there are great people occupying the road at night, ordering their subordinates to come and clear the way. We were a bit curious, so we hid next to the road, and picked this up off the road afterward."
The great people the little demon spoke of were, without a doubt, the demon society's nobles.
This type usually wouldn't appear much in frontier zones, thus catching the attention of many people. Rather, the environment here usually didn't suit them. What kind of important person would have the audacity to parade around and occupy the road, even leaving behind Liu Mingyan's item that's always kept close to her?
The first person Shen Qingqiu thought of was, naturally, a certain someone.
He asked, "The great person you speak of, is it… a not bad-looking youth?"
After a moment of thinking, he decided against concealing his thoughts, changed tactics, and said, "He isn't just not bad-looking, he's really quite attractive. Very attractive. White skin, charming face, tall, doesn't smile much, but when he does it is quite dark."
Six Balls shook his head, his face suddenly reddening.
What is he blushing for? Shen Qingqiu interrogated him further, but couldn't get a word out of him. He mulled it over and thought it probably wasn't Luo Binghe.
Luo Binghe had the Heart Demon sword, which was an OP item defied the natural order, could at will slash apart the space between the two worlds, and, with just a slash, flick aside an opening to step into the demon world. He would never use up this much energy to run over to this remote area and dutifully walk the smuggler's road instead.
In that case, questions arise. If the demon sect passed through this area and left behind Liu Mingyan's things, could it be that Liu MingYan slipped up and was captured?
He couldn't remember a moment in the original work where the primary female protagonist Liu Mingyan was subject to this treatment. What kind of rustic little bandit dared to touch Luo Binghe's wife?
Though the Liu brother and sister pair usually stayed in their respective Peaks and cultivated independently, the original work mentioned they had a good relationship with each other. It was probably because neither of them were the clingy type that it seemed the brother-sister relationship was distant. But no matter if it was Liu Qingge's little sister or Qi Qingqi's beloved disciple, Shen Qingqiu couldn't ignore Liu Mingyan and not interfere.
Moreover, at this time, the system was (or should be) unable to threaten him (for now). He also didn't need to fear limitations or a flurry of deducting B points etc. Why not go over and have a look?
Shen Qingqiu asked, "The break/fissure between worlds—where is it?"
At midnight, Shen Qingqiu hid in the treetops, concealed all traces of his presence, and watched below.
He didn't know how long he waited when a patch of air suddenly became distorted enough for the naked eye to see.
Shen Qingqiu's eyes lit up as he held his breath, attentive. He saw only a single black-robed youth leap out.
The distance between them was quite far, but Shen Qingqiu's eyes were exceptionally keen and saw him clearly. This youth was approximately seventeen years old, a strained expression upon his sharp, handsome face. Shen Qingqiu was quite familiar with this face, but he just couldn't recall where he'd seen it before—he was, regardless, sure he'd seen it before.
Suddenly, the silence of the night was broken by a ringing female voice, sweet and cold, echoing in the forest. "As expected, Bai Zhan Peak's disciples are exceptional—a hundred Immortal Binding Cables tied around the body, yet still able to beat my numerous subordinates to the ground and escape for this long. There really is not a single moment of laziness!"
Upon hearing this voice, Shen Qingqiu suddenly realized something.
Beautiful, noble, had subordinates, a demon who little demons would blush upon mentioning—so it's Sha Hualing.
Apologies, this girl is one of the female protagonists. With that said, it's been too long since we were reminded of her existence and more or less forgot about her!
If Liu Mingyan fell into her hands—what happened next would make people even more concerned. His face paled.
No wonder this youth's running posture wasn't right, like his body was particularly heavy. Shen Qingqiu had only looked at his face, but now that he moved his gaze down, he could see that there were numerous thin silver strands wound around his body. Seeing the color of his robes, he could tell he was someone from Bai Zhan Peak, but he had no impression of seeing such a young disciple at Bai Zhan Peak before.
This youth knew he couldn't outrun his opponent and suddenly halted, intensity streaming from his forehead. "If you want to fight then fight!"
A flash of red cloth, Sha Hualing sauntered over with swaying hips, emphasizing her figure. With a full-bodied laugh, she said, "I spent so much effort catching you, how could I fight you? Quick, why don't you just come back with me?"
This youth's temper was explosive, and he spat in contempt. Sha Hualing said, "Not willing? Though I won't harm your soul, chopping off an arm or leg or something wouldn't affect your usability."
Saying this, she stretched out her right hand to grab that youth but hadn't been able to make contact. From her fingertips, she felt an unusual tremor. Sha Hualing thought the youth retaliated, retrieved her hand in haste, raised it to look, and saw that her five painted scarlet fingernails were cut off to a shorter length.
Though it was just the fingernails and didn't hurt at all, Sha Hualing still felt her hair-raising. She shouted, "Who's there?!"
If there was someone else here who could effortlessly sever her fingernail, then they could effortlessly sever her neck.
Shen Qingqiu, content, returned the tree branch leaves to their original place.
He just wanted to scare Sha Hualing, but at the same time, letting her nails grow so long was no good, really. Every time he sees it he would worry it'll break, which made him feel awful. Also, it would frequently rake Luo Binghe's back to the point of making it bleed… Even if Airplane Shooting Towards The Sky enjoyed this kind of hardcore thing, even if Luo Binghe's rejuvenation ability was inhuman—it didn't mean it was a proper and healthy way of living, right?
Sha Hualing's killing intent rose, swirling her red sash, and a ball of imposing demonic energy gathered around her five claws, which was then sent flying over to smother that youth. This young lady wasn't scared stiff; conversely, she was scared angry. She really was a character. Shen Qingqiu, helpless, leaped down from the treetops, appearing to drop out of thin air between the two people. He gathered strength in a single hand and released a sudden assault that collided with Sha Hualing.
He knew this body's spiritual energy was full to bursting but didn't think it was full to this degree. Their two palms had not yet made contact when Sha Hualing was sent flying away as if she was a repelled magnet—at the same time, those clothes that barely covered her once again ripped apart…
Though it was a bonus, Shen Qingqiu always insisted on following a "don't look at a woman who has an above average face in this world" doctrine, so he conscientiously pixelated her himself. Sha Hualing was direct: last time she was about to let loose ruthless words—this time she just measured her strength and, not speaking a single line for the occasion, skipped straight to roll away, rolled right into that distorted air, and vanished in an instant.
Shen Qingqiu tossed his fan back and forth between his hands, infused spiritual energy, and transformed the fan into a blade. With a flip of a hand he chopped, and the Immortal Binding Cable broke into a hundred or so pieces. The youth, with great form and decorum, cupped his fists respectfully said, "Many thanks to senior for saving me!"
Shen Qingqiu, also with form and decorum, asked, "You are a Bai Zhan Peak disciple?"
"That is correct."
"Under who?"
"My master is the Bai Zhan Peak Lord, Liu Qingge."
Shen Qingqiu was astounded.
Liu Qingge never took disciples. At his Bai Zhan Peak, there were, at most, only his contemporaries—otherwise, there would be the disciples of his contemporaries, but he himself had no interest in teaching disciples. Though Bai Zhan Peak claims to teach, they really just pick on people…
Shen Qingqiu was suspicious. "What's your name?"
That youth answered clearly, "Yang Yixuan."
I was saying he looked familiar so I must have met him somewhere before, right?
Five years was more than enough for a child to grow up. Shen Qingqiu gave Yang Yixuan an evaluating glance up and down.
Yang Yixuan said, "Elder?"
Shen Qingqiu inquired, "Your Shizun—how has he been these past few years?"
Losing to Luo Binghe at Hua Yue City would have been quite a blow for Liu Qingge. Shen Qingqiu felt a duty to ask after his Shidi's situation.
Yang Yixuan answered sincerely, "Defeated in every battle."
Shen Qingqiu: "…"
"Defeated in every battle"—these words became associated with the Bai Zhan Peak Lord. It truly made one's courage fail.
Shen Qingqiu asked, "Who is he fighting against? Luo Binghe?"
Yang Yixuan groused, "Apart from that little bas***, who else could it be?"
Shen Qingqiu's expression faintly twisted. Yang Yixuan himself was much younger than Luo Binghe, but called him a "little bas***" Who did he learn this from?
He doesn't know, but the entire Cang Qiong Mountain sect had taken to calling Luo Binghe—if not "little bas***"—"evil demon" "white-eyed wolf,"1 or addressed him without his honorific title. Calling him a "bas***" was considered to be courteous.
Shen Qingqiu said, "How did you fall into this witch's hands? I heard what she just said and thought it was strange. What does 'how could I' mean?"
Yang Yixuan promptly flushed. "If not for this witch using treacherous methods—first pretending to be a lady in distress, and after I became skeptical she all of a sudden took… took off… I'd never be trapped and caught by her!"
He understood in a flash. Shen Qingqiu lectured, "Look at yourself. Do you look like someone from Bai Zhan Peak? Even if you don't interact with women, doesn't mean you should dread interacting with them. What's the matter with undressing? What's the matter with a girl undressing in front of you? Your Shizun, back in the day, fought female demons in an entire cave full of naked ones!" Of course, with that said, when they were together at that time, he was suspicious Liu Qingge was either frigid or had some physiological issues…
Yang Yixuan's entire face was full of longing admiration. "An entire cave? He truly is Shizun!" and followed up with a puzzled question, "Elder is familiar with Master? Otherwise, how could you know that my Shizun fought the female demons?"
Shen Qingqiu sighed. "Old affairs, old affairs."
They changed the topic of their conversation to more pressing matters. Sha Hualing not only caught Yang Yixuan, but she most likely also caught Liu Mingyan and brazenly seized Cang Qiong Mountain Peak's disciples—there can be only one reason.
Something was wrong with Luo Binghe.
Luo Binghe's system of practice is an extremely unscientific system. Born of the demon and human worlds, the two types of energy would normally mutually reject each other when they were in one body. Thus, his spiritual energy and demon energy needed to balance each other.
However, the involvement of the Heart Demon sword would make demonic energy surge, disrupt the balance, and cause the energies to no longer work in harmony.
********
Important:
It has come to my attention that the line:
"When Luo Binghe brought Shen Qingqiu's body back to Huan Hua Palace, only a few days passed before he personally crippled Qian Cao Peak's Mu Qingfang."
is incorrect. For various spoiler reasons that I can't mention right now, I thought this was right but it's not. Mu Qingfang wasn't "crippled." He was captured or kidnapped. There was some confusion because the raw used a contraction.
By the way, I know some people forgot who Mu Qingfang is. Reminder: He is the Peak Lord that specializes in medicine. He made the pill that healed the people who were infected by the sowers.
Reika's Notes:
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