Chapter 226: 225

"Um, this— you two discuss at your leisure; I have other business, so I'll leave now."

The situation has escalated to this point, so Wang Wu naturally doesn't intend to stay here any longer; after all, the broken engagement and such are matters between the two families and don't really involve him.

Si Tu Jin didn't say a word to keep Wang Wu, but simply watched him leave until he vanished completely from her sight.

After that, she slowly turned her head and looked at the man beside her, Jiang Ying.

"Alright, I think I've toured this place enough; it's time to return to Da Zhou. I still need to go back and discuss something with my father."

She gave him no chance to speak, had no intention of arguing, and didn't even wait for him. After uttering those words, Si Tu Jin vanished from the spot.

Her personality is relatively aloof, perhaps leaning toward the antagonist type. Though she occasionally does good deeds, overall it's for profit and reputation rather than genuine sincerity.

As for her true heart, she actually doesn't know what kind of person she is. After all, she's been wearing this mask for so many years, and wearing a mask too long does affect oneself.

She regards matters of affection very lightly; love, at least she used to think that way, and her behavior indeed reflects it.

And regarding others' fates and opinions, it's even more so. When no profit or other interests are involved, she isn't one to proactively care about others.

Simply put, she has no interest in others' joys, sorrows, grief, or partings; those matters don't concern her, and she only finds them noisy.

To some extent, she's the same type as Yin Shenli, and she might even be slightly "more normal" than Yin Shenli.

Yin Shenli only appears relatively normal when she's with Wang Wu, and even then, compared to truly normal people, her behavior is, well…

"Wu Lang, why do you have time to look for me today?"

Without lingering, after circling the street once, Wang Wu arrived at the home of an acquaintance.

Although they were acquaintances, a human and a demon only spent a dozen or so hours together, and when Wang Wu saw the person, he couldn't recall their name right away.

What was the name again? Oh right, seems to be surnamed Li—Li Xuan? Li Xun? Whatever.

"Ah, right." The flustered Wang Wu looked at the acquaintance, nodded, "I happened to be passing by, so I came in."

"But you came to see me?" Li Xun, upon seeing Wang Wu arrive, was clearly delighted and immediately moved up to his side. She wore a distinctly 'Chu' style outfit, what old‑home hanfu enthusiasts call 'studio hanfu'.

Of course, here it's not a studio outfit; it's just ordinary clothing.

A brocaded pomegranate skirt, beneath it a pair of flesh‑colored… you get the idea, and on her feet a pair of jeweled embroidered shoes. Fine, curved willow‑leaf eyebrows, almond eyes shimmering, a willow‑like waist, graceful figure, an aura of elegance…

She is, of course, beautiful; if she weren't, Wang Wu wouldn't have taken notice. After all, Wang Wu is a demon, perhaps his standards are lower than other demons', but not every woman catches his eye.

Naturally, Wang Wu doesn't consider his taste 'low'; he simply believes he's better at appreciating beauty. Flawed beauty is still beauty; looks needn't be flawless to be truly beautiful—sometimes imperfections add charm.

And reality shows that Wang Wu indeed has refined taste, even if some people or demons disagree with his preferences.

Nevertheless, Wang Wu is a resolute demon who won't alter his convictions because of others' or demons' opinions.

Li Xun is slightly short, only about 1.6 m tall, but her proportions are excellent—among all the human women Wang Wu has met in Bai Chi City, she's among the best.

Those who surpass her in this regard are probably only Zhou Qingwan, her sister, and three others.

Come to think of it, the person Wang Wu has interacted with most these past days is likely Zhou Qingwan; she's a tough nut, because she doesn't observe martial ethics and even dares to call in outside help.

But there's nothing to be done; battlefields are like that—deception everywhere. Just because you don't cheat openly doesn't mean others won't, and they'll be just as forthright as you.

Since it happened, he could only submit and accept it.

Wang Wu is a warrior—a qualified warrior—a true warrior never backs down from such matters.

Never.

Putting Si Tu Jin's little episode aside, Wang Wu's days have been comfortable; he's been lounging in Bai Chi City for over two months, even bringing his family's girls here to experience foreign customs.

But Zi Yuan is an exception; she only stayed in Bai Chi City briefly before returning, as she harbors little affection for Chu.

Yet after Wang Wu's persuasion, her attitude toward ordinary Chu citizens is at least decent.

Wang Wu isn't clear on the conflict between Da Chu and Da Shang; Zi Yuan hasn't explained it in detail, but Yao Qing mentioned in passing that during the Da Shang era, the Yin army paid a hefty price to stabilize Chu lands.

As a global‑unifying empire that barely counts as spanning the entire star system, Da Shang's massive effort to pacify and control indicates how troublesome Da Chu is.

People here are indeed harsher—not just verbally but in actions. From Wang Wu's experience, it's like gunpowder, markedly different from the Zhou folk.

Unlike Zi Yuan, the Zhou and Chu maintain relatively harmonious relations. Likewise, the Yin people like Wang Lan have decent ties with Chu.

Zi Yuan's status differs—she was formerly part of Da Shang's ruling class—so it's natural she holds a different attitude toward Chu.

Although she rates Chu poorly, Zi Yuan's assessment of Bai Chi City is quite positive; during her brief ten‑plus days there, she took Wang Wu to many spots, both within and outside the city.

She also showed him the entire Li Jiang underground. It's not Wang Wu's first time leaving the city, but it is his first time touring so many places beyond its walls.

I must admit, the scenery is impressive—a freshwater river several thousand meters deep, indeed a freshwater river, whose riverbed rivals oceanic vistas in grandeur.

Unfortunately, a demonic calamity has infected most of the planet, contaminating much of the ocean.

During this time, Wang Wu followed the river to its mouth; after entering the sea, after traveling less than a few hundred kilometers, he already felt a distinct discomfort.

It's not that his body can't handle it, but a natural aversion. In fact, with his current strength, even touring the planet's oceans entirely wouldn't be a problem…

Alright, there is indeed a problem.

There are some things in the sea, which is why Wang Wu didn't venture further.

He can't explain what they are, only that they hide in the boundless dark deep sea, densely packed, massive in number, and extremely dangerous.

A mere expert of the Four-Star Complete Realm isn't enough to traverse this planet freely; one must first reach the First Rank.

And that realm isn't far from Wang Wu.

"Let's go back, Zi Yuan."

Above the sea, looking at Zi Yuan, who had been staring at the distant horizon, Wang Wu said.

Zi Yuan didn't respond, merely staring blankly at the distance; after a full minute, she slowly turned her head.

In her eyes, Wang Wu saw black currents swirling—a sign of demonic corruption.

But Wang Wu wasn't worried, because she was already a demon.

Currently, Zi Yuan practices a technique that Wang Wu had Di Yi Tianwu custom‑make for her.

As for compensation, after reporting to the superiors, per Di Yi Tianwu's request, Wang Wu gave him a wealth of recipes from this world and some ingredients he considered good.

"You know, Wu Lang, this place used to be different."

Looking at those countless black currents in her eyes, Zi Yuan said, "This ocean was golden‑yellow, especially at this time."

The sun shines on the sea, turning everything golden.

In the sea there is a huge sea beast; when I was a child I loved eating its meat, and my father, the king, would send people here each day to hunt the beast to satisfy me.

But now they have all vanished completely.

My hometown is on the brink of death.

"It's fine, Yuan Er," Wang Wu pulls her into his arms; Zi Yuan lies quietly in Wang Wu's embrace, her hand feeling his arm.

"It will return, your hometown," he says softly, "It will be back soon."

"With these cultivation methods, as people's realms advance, this planet, the entire star system, will eventually be reclaimed by us."

"Hmm." In Wang Wu's arms, Zi Yuan nods lightly. Then she lifts her head, looks at Wang Wu, "Wu Lang, shall we go to a farther place?"

"I know there's a small island ahead, if it's still there."

"Alright."

Night falls over the sea quickly, and with great haste.

In just an instant, the sun disappears entirely, and the whole world slips into darkness.

Yet when you look up at the sky, you can still see in the west the sunset that hasn't fully set, hanging there quietly, its color a vivid, blood‑red.

This is an island severely corrupted by demonic influence; there is no trace of life on it, for it has always been a barren island.

On the shore of this tiny barren island, countless tentacles and oddly shaped flesh masses cover the ground, writhing and pulsing as if alive.

Corruption is pollution of the soul and distortion of the flesh. When the entire ocean has been eroded, the life within cannot escape disaster.

It is a conglomerate of countless desires, amplifying the wishes and instincts in a person's heart without limit.

On this bizarre island, Wang Wu and Zi Yuan both transformed into true 'demons'.

They roar, colliding in an incomparably strange form, making the air here damp and viscous, stirring the deepest, strongest tremors and desires in people's hearts.

As for the extent, it can be said that an ordinary person here, after watching the process for less than three seconds, would be instantly assimilated and turned into a monster like the two of them.

Of course, Wang Wu and Zi Yuan, as proper 'Heavenly Demons', retain their reason, but those who are transformed…

They may be far better than the usual corrupted humans or monsters here, since they can at least maintain some reason, though their brains are essentially ruined, becoming creatures whose minds contain only that desire.

But for Wang Wu and Zi Yuan, this kind of training, even if occasional, greatly enhances their control over their 'demonic bodies' and improves their coordination.

As for affection, it no longer needs to be deepened, as it has already reached its limit. The only thing that can improve is the compatibility of their demonic bodies—no, their coordination.

"I'm going back, Wu Lang."

Six hours later, property.

Zi Yuan, still maintaining her demonic body, sits up from the stone, though in this state she cannot see eyes, because her whole body looks as if she's wearing a… um, how to put it?

For example, a bio‑version of Kamen Rider? Of course, the design is more evil and twisted, and also more… sexual? Nothing much.

Her face shows no eyes; instead there is a black visor, which serves as her eyes.

Below that are her delicate bridge of the nose and her purple lips.

Her skin is cold and smooth, covered with fine scales, yet the feel is not hard, rather close to the skin she had in her human days.

In short, it makes Wang Wu's attack speed reach its maximum.

"Hmm."

Wang Wu gently brushes her lips, "Be careful on the road."

"You too, rest early tonight, don't overexert yourself."

The two demons then lingered a while longer; afterwards Wang Wu embraced her and asked:

"By the way, how's your Cloudlight City household registration application going?"

"It's actually going smoothly. According to Master Tianwu's advice on the first day, first take online courses to learn the knowledge needed for life in Cloudlight City, then undergo academic qualification assessment, after several rounds of exams fill out a bunch of paperwork, and if there are no issues, the whole process should be completed within about ten years, after which the household registration will be obtained."

"Um… you should go back first and take your time with it," Wang Wu says, his head aching at the information; after a pause, he slowly adds.

"Hehe." Seeing Wang Wu like that, Zi Yuan also laughs, pressing her forehead against the crystal on Wang Wu's forehead, "Wu Lang, you also have to work hard; Master Tianwu is very dissatisfied with your current progress."

"Aren't you going back? Go back now!" Wang Wu's expression changes instantly, he pushes her away and shouts angrily.

"Heh, don't rush, Wu Lang, I haven't yet…"

(End of chapter)