Chapter 34: 034 People (Four)

It's not that I can answer everything, Lord Xi Men, but you may just keep asking. I think it shouldn't involve certain matters.

Wang Wu smiled and nodded.

"Ha ha, Young Hero Wang is rather witty," Xi Men Pei laughed again, then turned serious and said:

"I want to know, Young Hero Wang, what is your view on the demons that exist in the world today?"

"Demons?" Wang Wu was startled by the question, then immediately wondered if his own demon identity had been exposed.

But on second thought, he quickly dismissed the notion.

Because his current status is the so‑called 'True Realm Warrior,' and a True Realm Warrior cannot be a demon.

Or rather, a demon could not wield the power of a True Realm Warrior.

—that is, the so‑called 'True Qi.'

Whether a cultivator—here called 'cultivation of truth,' a term used in fantastical xianxia—or a so‑called 'True Realm Warrior,' both actually cultivate the same thing: 'True Qi.'

Warriors call this thing True Qi; cultivators generally call it the same, though some also call it 'True Spirit.'

And ordinary warriors, such as Wang Lan, practice a different kind of energy called 'Gang Qi.'

Demons lack True Qi; even demons who possess demonic techniques and inheritance cannot cultivate True Qi. Their power is demon power, demon Qi.

The otherworldly technique Wang Wu cultivates also draws True Qi, though it may be entirely different from this world's True Qi.

But that's fine; as long as it looks the same and can fool the locals, that's enough.

"Lord Xi Men, why ask so?" After his thoughts raced and he ruled out the possibility of his identity being exposed, Wang Wu felt a bit puzzled.

What is this guy doing, asking like that?

"I'm merely curious about the Young Hero's view on those demons," Xi Men Pei said, his faint smile unchanged, and nothing could be read in his eyes about his thoughts.

"I have no particular view," Wang Wu said, picking up a piece of vegetable, chewing it, then adding, "Honestly, I really have no view at all."

"When demons eat people, I slay demons and exterminate evil. If a demon merely lives on its own small plot of land and does not disturb the human races, I wouldn't deliberately eradicate it."

Hearing Wang Wu's attitude, Xi Men Pei's face showed a hint of admiration.

He nodded and laughed, "Very good, very good. Heaven possesses the virtue of nurturing life; the Great Zhou Court likewise holds this view."

"Demons eating people is indeed extremely cruel, yet it is natural selection, their nature," Xi Men Pei said:

"Just as we humans don't think it's wrong to eat chickens, ducks, cattle, or sheep, while a man‑eating tiger may be hunted by local hunters, yet no one says that a tiger eating people is a violation of natural law or contrary to reason."

"Bears, tigers, leopards, wolves—all eat humans; that's their nature."

"Since bears, tigers, leopards, and wolves are thus, why wouldn't the demons cultivated from them be the same?"

"Hmm," Wang Wu nodded, indicating agreement with Xi Men Pei's words, though his expression seemed somewhat noncommittal.

"Then," continuing, seeing Wang Wu's face unchanged except for a simple "hm," Xi Men Pei asked again:

"Young Hero, how do you regard the demon races that reside within human towns?"

Hearing the question, Wang Wu immediately understood what this fellow was after.

Yesterday, Li Yuan told him that they'd come here for lunch today, but there might be an extra guest. That person is a prominent figure in the county, said to want to meet him.

Wang Wu looked at the other party, who was also looking at him; neither spoke.

Wang Wu wasn't in a hurry, continued to pick some dishes for himself. After a few bites, he set down his chopsticks and, seeing the other's emotionless gaze, spoke:

"I view it as the court does."

"Or, if the court permits, I won't meddle further."

"But returning to the point..." He picked another bite, ate it, then handed the bowl to the maid who had been standing by, asking her to fill it with rice.

After receiving the rice, Wang Wu asked, "Lord Xi Men, why are you interested in such a question?"

"Ha ha," Xi Men Pei chuckled, not answering Wang Wu. He then rose from his seat; Li Yuan hurriedly stood as well, but Xi Men gestured for him to sit back down.

"Young Hero's thinking and perspective are indeed extraordinary. I wonder if you have time tonight to visit my residence for a chat? I have some official business at the county office and cannot stay long here; I hope you both understand."

Having said that, Xi Men Pei bowed to Li Yuan and Wang Wu, apologizing.

After finishing his words, Li Yuan, who had had no chance to interject, was about to speak, but before he could, Wang Wu's voice rang out first:

"Not at all, Lord Xi Men, you have been laboring for the common folk of He Dong Xian, and being able to spare time to join this banquet and eat with us is already enough recognition for me."

Wang Wu, seated, made a bow to Xi Men Pei, "Lord Xi Men, shall we part here?"

"Ha ha!" Xi Men Pei laughed heartily, also bowing. Of course, he didn't overlook Li Yuan:

"Then we part here!"

Then, with a sweeping gesture of his large sleeves, he turned and left the banquet.

Wang Wu kept watching him descend the stairs until his figure vanished completely, then turned to Li Yuan, "Come, come, let's eat! The dishes are getting cold... damn..."

Wang Wu had gotten along well with Li Yuan these past days, so when together they were more relaxed and less formal.

Although the three were not in a private room, their voices were unheard by those around, thanks to a spell Li Yuan cast.

Cultivators may be lacking in close‑range attack power, but they have a plethora of skills and techniques.

Xi Men Pei left without speaking much to Li Yuan, but Li Yuan didn't mind. After Xi Men departed, he immediately changed his expression, becoming considerably more relaxed.

"Come, come, come! Drink!"

Li Yuan poured a full cup of wine for Wang Wu, and another for himself.

Wang Wu had never seen distilled spirits here; they served fruit wine, yellow wine, or grain wine—low‑alcohol drinks that even someone like Wang Wu, who doesn't drink, can accept.

Because they are slightly sweet.

"Damn, it's Xi Men Pei," Wang Wu said after Xi Men left, drinking a bowl of wine and taking a bite of food, then looking again toward the stairwell, his face showing an unfriendly expression:

"Full of bureaucratic jargon, fake to the death. The questions are absurd—what does it mean 'if demons live in the city'? Asking me how I see it?"

"Ha ha..." Li Yuan laughed at Wang Wu's words, chuckling while scrunching his eyebrows, making his usually handsome face look a bit lecherous.

"Wang old buddy, you don't know this... ha ha... Lord Xi Men is quite fond of those demon races..."

"After all, each of them is a peerless beauty among mortals; such a beauty, if one could keep one at home as a slave or maid, with proper seals in place, why not?"

"Hm?" Wang Wu looked at the other person, and instantly thought of someone—no, some demon.

"Indeed." Noticing Wang Wu's gaze, Li Yuan smiled and nodded, "Lord Xi Men has a demon concubine at home, a silkworm spirit, who has been with Xi Men Pei for over ten years and is still dearly favored by him."

"Silkworm spirit?" Wang Wu recalled Wu Lian; was this fellow actually a silkworm spirit? But don't silkworms turn into moths, or did it evolve while still a silkworm?

"Yes, she's a mortal beauty." Li Yuan nodded, but Wang Wu saw no hint of envy in his eyes.

Then, he jabbed Wang Wu with his elbow and said:

"Xi Men Pei invited you to his house tonight; isn't he just wanting you to sample his beautiful concubine?"

"The Xi Men family is a prominent clan in my He Dong County, and they also hold some influence in the Southern Prefecture capital, making them quite distinguished. Xi Men Pei is the second son of the Xi Men clan head; while he wishes to befriend Brother Wang, you should still keep your guard up."

"Hmm." Wang Wu withdrew his gaze from the stairwell, took another sip of wine, and nodded, "This person…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but Li Yuan clearly understood his meaning and also nodded.

The two fell silent, focusing on the food before them; both were gourmets who rarely talked much while eating.

After the meal, they bid farewell; Li Yuan returned to his own affairs, while Wang Wu went back to the Wang Clan.

In the afternoon, he accompanied Wang Lan for a while of sword practice. Though he had little to teach, he could point out some flaws.

These past few days, whenever he had time, he would train with Wang Lan.

Clang—!

The clash of metal rang out, and Wang Lan's long sword was knocked away; she stepped back a few paces, and a gash of spurting blood suddenly appeared on the back of her right hand.

"Are you okay?"

"No, I'm fine…" Though she winced in pain, Wang Lan said, "Just a little…"

Before she could finish, Wang Wu grasped her palm, lifted it gently, and placed two fingers of his other hand lightly on the gash of her hand back, beginning to channel his true qi.

He had used this technique on forest animals to test its effect on local creatures; the answer was yes, and now he was conducting the first human clinical trial… ahem.

In any case, the effect is outstanding.

Soon, the bleeding stopped, and the wound began to heal and scab over at a visibly rapid pace.

Then, Wang Wu released Wang Lan's hand.

"Th‑thank you… young hero…"

She withdrew her right hand, now free of blood, and looked at the scab; a flash of shock crossed Wang Lan's eyes.

Even though warriors have strong regenerative abilities, achieving such speed requires at least a high-quality golden wound-healing pill.

But this young hero Wang…

Feeling the gentle energy from the hand-back wound, Wang Lan trembled again inside.

"Lord Xi Men of the county invited me to his manor for a banquet tonight," Wang Wu said after quickly tending to Wang Lan's wound, "so I may not be resting at the Wang residence this evening."

At that moment, Wang Wu's voice reached Wang Lan's ears, pulling her thoughts back to reality.

"Alright, okay." Wang Lan nodded repeatedly, then Wang Wu smiled at her, bowed his hands in farewell, and walked toward his own quarters.

Watching Wang Wu's back, Wang Lan raised her right hand again, lowered her head to gaze at the scab, and felt the gentle energy within.

At the same time, the sensation of Wang Wu's hand gripping hers and their skin touching flashed through her mind.

Then she lifted her head, looked at Wang Wu ahead, and suddenly felt discomfort on her face. She touched it with her left hand and found it slightly warm.

Nightfall, at the Xi Men manor.

In Xi Men Pei's banquet hall, sixteen graceful dancers twirled at the center, while Wang Wu sat beside Xi Men Pei, the table laden with delicacies and fine wine.

The Xi Men family's banquet used a shared-dish arrangement and provided no chairs; Wang Wu's table was placed right next to the host Xi Men Pei, giving him ample face.

The hall contained only these two tables; aside from them were musicians who rang bells, played the qin, and blew the flute, and the dancers performing at the center.

With each new movement of the music, a layer of sheer veil would fall from the dancers, drifting through the hall.

The Xi Men family's dancers were of exceptional quality; each, in appearance alone, matched the standard of Wang Clan's third miss, Wang Lan.

In temperament as well, they were top-tier: slender waists, graceful, and irresistibly charming.

"Ha ha! Young hero Wang, how do you feel? Can our dancers even meet the discerning eye of a young hero like you??"

Xi Men Pei sidled up to Wang Wu, cradling a woman in his arms, and laughed loudly as he asked.

Wang Wu gave him a glance, and also glanced at the woman in his arms.

Even though the dancers in the lower floor were top‑class, compared to the woman in Xi Men Pei's arms, they were insignificant.

Because she was a monster.

But not Wu Lian.

"Ha ha, young hero has good taste," Xi Men Pei said, his smile brighter as he noted Wang Wu's gaze, "This is my beloved concubine, the Silkworm Lady. How is she? Can she be called a mortal beauty?"

Xi Men Pei asked.

"Of course." Wang Wu smiled and nodded, "A demon beauty, truly lives up to the reputation."

"But I think you, young hero, are also a mortal beauty~" At that moment, the woman in Xi Men Pei's arms spoke; even a single sentence of her voice was enough to make one tingle to the bone.

"Looking at me, looking at me… I'm about to lose my soul~~~" The Silkworm demon's beautiful eyes, cradled by Xi Men Pei, gazed at Wang Wu, speaking softly.

"Thank you, miss, for your favor." Wang Wu nodded, a courteous smile on his face.

"Ha!" Upon hearing Wang Wu's words, excitement flashed in Xi Men Pei's eyes, and he suddenly seized; the woman in his arms let out a soft whimper and immediately went limp.

"However, young hero, the Silkworm Lady is my beloved and cannot be shared with you," Xi Men Pei said with a smile, "But…"

Snap!

He said, snapping his fingers.

A gentle breeze brushed by, carrying a scent that Wang Wu knew very well.

A graceful figure emerged from the hall's doorway, stepping with delicate dance steps, drifting inward.

The newcomer was Wu Lian.

(End of chapter)