The flying boat landed, and the seven of them stepped out.
In front of them stood a massive black wall that seemed to stretch on forever. At the top of the wall, every hundred meters, a demon beast stood guard on a spire. The wall wasn’t just made of brick and stone; countless sharp vines grew over it, merging with the structure.
The entire city wall was divided into three checkpoints. The final one was a barrier that could test cultivation levels and racial identities.
The seven, now in disguise, joined the queue at the city gate.
The entrance was split into a demon race passage and a human race passage.
Over at the demon passage, one could see the original, anthropomorphic forms of various demon beasts—leopard spirits, snake spirits, wolf demons, toad spirits, and all sorts of creatures that had cultivated into spirits. Although they had taken human form, they still retained some of their beastly traits. Some did it because they liked to show off their beautiful true forms, while others simply lacked the cultivation to transform completely.
There were also many human-looking demon beasts waiting in that line. Most of them were strikingly beautiful or handsome, possessing a certain ethereal, demonic charm.
Xie Tinglan was lined up there.
Meanwhile, Wen Li and the other six were in the human passage. The line here was shorter than the one Xie Tinglan was in. After all, this was a demon land where humans were often excluded, so ordinary cultivators rarely came here.
Unless…
“Hey! Daoist Yin!”
Wen Li didn’t react until Zongzheng Huangyue poked her and whispered, “Master.”
Only then did Wen Li remember her pseudonym. She turned her head, her expression looking like she had seen a ghost.
“Yan Yurong? What are you doing here?” Hadn’t this guy joined the Tingyin Pavilion? How could he show up here? Was he really some kind of recurring NPC?!
“Excuse me, pardon me. You three go ahead; I’m just catching up with a friend.”
The plot-delivering NPC had arrived again. He had been three people ahead of Wen Li in line, but since those three people were in his way, he politely traded places with them to get closer to her.
“Well, you see, my plan to marry into the Beast Taming Sect fell through. I thought I’d try my luck with some young lady from the Tingyin Pavilion, so I worked hard to join them during the Xianle Grand Ceremony. But once I got inside, I found out there were no young ladies at all. There was only a manager named… Bai Songxu, and he was a man! So I had no choice but to leave and try my luck in the Qisu Kingdom.”
Except for Xin Jiuxian, who had no reaction, the other five—including Wen Li—knew perfectly well that the Tingyin Pavilion did have a “young lady.” In fact, she was standing right in front of Yan Yurong.
Strictly speaking, though, Xin Jiuxian wasn't anyone's daughter in the Tingyin Pavilion; she was the next person in charge.
“What?”
Xin Jiuxian felt the five of them staring at her. She didn't realize Yan Yurong was looking for a rich wife, or she would have smashed him with her zither.
The five shook their heads in unison. “Nothing.”
Wen Li recalled something and looked at Yan Yurong. “Isn’t the Qisu Kingdom one of the three major demon beast lands? You…”
For the sake of marrying into wealth and living a life of leisure, did he no longer care if his partner was human or demon?
“Sigh, Daoist Yin, you don't know how bad the market is these days. Sect ladies are all highly sought-after Dao companions. While my looks haven't faded and I still have some charm left, I have to search the entire Southern Province for a matrilocal marriage. I have to try every opportunity. Whether they’re human or demon doesn’t matter, as long as they can keep me fed and clothed for the rest of my life.” Yan Yurong snapped open his fan and sighed with a melancholy air. His flamboyant red robes actually suited his pretty-boy face quite well.
Wen Li nodded silently. “You have ambition and a plan. I wish you success.”
Hua Cishu was staring at Yan Yurong’s fan again, but this time Yan Yurong was too busy asking Wen Li questions.
“By the way, Daoist Yin, why did you all disappear so suddenly during the Xianle Grand Ceremony? I thought something happened to you.”
“Oh, my disciples had an urgent bathroom break, so I took them away,” Wen Li fabricated.
“Oh.” Yan Yurong nodded.
By then, it was their turn at the front of the line.
A demon cultivator sitting at a desk looked up.
“Name, gender, cultivation.”
“Yan Yurong, male, Mid-Stage Golden Core.”
Next was Wen Li.
“Yin Fengcong, female, Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.”
Yao Dai: “Yao Yaoling, female, Late-Stage Foundation Establishment.”
Gu Linshu sent a mental transmission: “Gu Xiaosan, male, Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment.”
Zongzheng Huangyue: “Feng Qingyuan, female, Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.”
Hua Cishu: “Hua Xiaowu, male, no cultivation.”
The recording demon cultivator looked up. This was the first time he had seen a human with no cultivation dare to come to the Qisu Kingdom. It was practically a death wish.
Xin Jiuxian: “Bai Songxu, female, Late-Stage Foundation Establishment.”
While they were still wondering why they had to report their gender, a deep, magnetic, and gender-neutral voice came from behind them.
“Meng Qiaojiao, female, Early-Stage Foundation Establishment.”
Everyone instinctively turned to look and saw a cultivator with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a tall, straight stature. She had short hair and wheat-colored skin, looking like a college athlete. From a distance, she looked like a man; her features were sharp and domineering, and her movements were effortless. She attracted more gazes from female cultivators than a pretty boy like Yan Yurong.
But upon closer inspection, one could see a hint of feminine softness in her brow.
She was the ultimate alpha female, radiating a sense of strength and absolute security.
Yao Dai and Xin Jiuxian were mesmerized, especially Xin Jiuxian, who curiously wanted to reach out and feel what the bulging muscles beneath her robes felt like.
Sensing their appreciative gazes, Meng Qiaojiao gave a polite nod.
Once the group finished their registration, they took their identity tokens and proceeded to the second checkpoint.
The identity questioning.
“Have you ever been to the Qisu Kingdom? Do you know any demons here? Why have you come?”
When it was Wen Li’s turn, she answered for herself and the five brats behind her.
“Never been here, don't know anyone. We're here to sightsee.”
Those last three words caused everyone nearby to stare at her. They looked at her and then at the five disciples behind her, the youngest of whom was eight. Bringing such young disciples to the Qisu Kingdom for sightseeing?
She was insane. What kind of grudge did she have against her disciples to bring them here as snacks for demon beasts?
The recording demon cultivator gave her a strange look but recorded it anyway. Then he asked, “Which cultivation kingdom are you from?”
Wen Li answered honestly, “The Beast Taming Sect.”
The cultivator looked at the disciples behind her, and the five of them nodded seriously.
“Do you have proof of identity?”
Wen Li produced a token. “Yes, this is a Beast Taming Sect token.”
The recording demon took it and inspected it carefully. Once confirmed, he entered the information into the tokens given at the previous gate and waved them through. “Go on. The last stage is the barrier test. Don't resist and don't move around, or you’ll have to bear the consequences yourself.”
Wen Li nodded. “Much obliged.”
The group moved deeper in.
Yao Dai leaned in close and whispered curiously, “Master, where did you steal a Beast Taming Sect token from? Was it from Jiang Nianyao?”
“What do you mean, ‘stolen’? Do I look like the type of person who does that? I carved this myself.”
“Then why didn't that demon cultivator notice?” Yao Dai’s eyes widened. He had clearly inspected it.
The other disciples looked over curiously as well.
“It might be because of the High-Grade Spirit Stone I tucked under the token when I handed it to him,” Wen Li said, rubbing her chin.
Gu Linshu was shocked. “You… you can do that?”
Money could not only make the world go round, but it could even bribe demon beasts!
Wen Li patted Gu Linshu’s shoulder. “If he had said it wasn't a real token, I would have just yelled at him for being ignorant and told him it was the Sect Master's token. Everyone is just working for a paycheck; why would he want to offend someone from the Beast Taming Sect? The safety of the Qisu Kingdom is something for the big shots to worry about; the money in his pocket is what pays for his life. There aren't as many responsible or righteous people in this world as you imagine. To put it bluntly, everyone is just in it for the profit.”
The six of them listened and took the lesson to heart.
Rate on N.U.
