Chapter 41: Demon (Part 3)

"It should be." Wang Wu nodded, turned and glanced at the people behind him; fewer than before, but overall most of them had still survived.

At this moment, their faces all wore expressions of having survived a disaster.

Wang Lan dismounted, came to Wu Lian, bowed solemnly to her, and then said:

"I am Wang Lan. Thank you, Immortal Master, for rescuing us from fire and water. If there is any way I can repay you, please do not be modest; just tell me. As long as it is within my power, I will brave fire and water, and never refuse even a thousand deaths…"

But she received no response, looked up at Wu Lian, and found that the other was still facing Wang Wu, not even glancing at her.

"Uh." Wang Wu, seeing Wang Lan seemed a bit embarrassed, stepped forward to ease the situation. He walked to Wang Lan, raised his hand toward her, indicating she should straighten up.

"I've been staying at the Wang Clan these past few days; this is the third miss of the Wang Clan," Wang Wu introduced to Wu Lian.

Hearing Wang Wu's words, Wu Lian finally looked at Wang Lan and nodded to her.

"Is this blood sacrifice in the forest aimed at your Wang Clan?" she asked.

Wu Lian did not disclose her name, and Wang Wu naturally did not press further.

"... I'm afraid so." Raising the subject, Wang Lan's expression grew solemn, and she nodded.

As for Wu Lian's attitude toward her, Wang Lan didn't care at all. For a strong person of that caliber, treating a small fry like her is perfectly normal.

Even cultivators of Li Yuan's level, most people wouldn't be as approachable and easygoing as Li Yuan, even though he, too, comes from a common background.

After all, at their level they become figures that ordinary people must look up to. Even a wealthy household like the Wang Clan must give them the utmost respect.

"I passed through here on my way to He Xi County to handle some matters, but happened to encounter Young Hero Wang in trouble, so I stepped in to help," Wu Lian said, then looked at Wang Wu:

"Young Hero Wang, do you need me to assist again?"

"This…" Wang Wu looked at her, "I have nothing to repay you, but my strength is modest; if I could have a fellow cultivator's aid, that would be wonderful…"

"Hehe." Wu Lian smiled, and that smile made every man's spirit waver, especially a certain Li‑surname cultivator.

"Young hero, no need to be so courteous; if you need anything of mine, just say the word."

"Then I shall trouble my fellow cultivator," Wang Wu said gratefully.

"Miss Wang." Then Wang Wu turned to Wang Lan, "Given the current situation, it may be too dangerous for you. You should first go to the nearest village and set up camp, and the items the Wang Clan left behind…"

Speaking, he glanced at Wu Lian, "I will go with this fellow cultivator to Wang Gu Lin to retrieve them for you."

"Thank you, Young Hero, your great kindness, Wang Lan will never forget it."

Wang Lan also did not hold back; after all, in this situation there was no room for politeness. She bowed solemnly to Wang Wu and performed a grand salute.

"Let's go, Young Hero."

Wu Lian's voice reached his ears, Wang Wu nodded. He then turned to mount his horse, but after thinking, prepared to dismount again.

"Why are you dismounting again, Young Hero? Did something get left behind?"

At that moment, Wu Lian's voice sounded again in his ear; looking at her, he saw she was riding a horse. Beside her stood Li Yuan on the ground.

"No, let's go." Wang Dao.

Then the two spurred their horses toward the original destination, leaving the caravan members still standing dumbfounded, watching them depart, especially as they raised their hands and dispelled the paper‑crafted severed head of Wu Lian.

"Everyone, let's go!"

The quickest to regain composure was Wang Lan; she looked at the bewildered crowd, shouted, and jolted them out of their daze.

The caravan resumed its march toward He Dong Xian.

"I asked you before, but you seemed not to answer me."

Outside Wang Gu Lin, two demons dismounted, tied their reins to a stone on the plain across Guan Dao, then entered Wang Gu Lin.

While heading to the site of that blood‑sacrifice array, Wang Wu asked:

"Your strength far exceeds mine, and Xi Men Pei is even less noteworthy compared to you; why do you so willingly let yourself be manipulated?"

"Is it because of the Sun brothers, or something else?"

Hearing Wang Wu's question, Wu Lian halted and looked at him:

"At first, it wasn't because of my husband and elder brother. At that time I hadn't yet met my husband or his brothers."

As she spoke, a wry smile appeared on her face: "I thought the Young Hero already knew, so I hadn't explained in detail."

"Your human race has methods to tame beast spirits, so naturally you also have techniques to control shapeshifting demon races like us."

"My strength, though considered a master here in He Dong Xian, still hasn't entered the True Realm; among the Real Persons of He Dong Xian, I am not a match for any of them."

"Real Person? True Realm?"

Hearing this new terminology, Wang Wu felt a stir inside, but said nothing aloud.

This True Realm is clearly not the one referred to by his 'True Realm Warrior' title; that was likely flattery. And the Real Persons are the top tier within He Dong Xian's power hierarchy.

As a demon, Wang Wu naturally didn't know the weight of the 'True Realm Warrior' title, nor why there were so few such warriors—currently only himself in the whole He Dong Xian.

Nevertheless, that isn't important now. Not knowing now, he'll learn later.

"How many Real Persons are there in He Dong Xian?" Wang Wu asked.

"Four," Wu Lian replied, "Two from the Xi Men family, one at the county office, and a lone cultivator who serves the Lin family of He Dong Xian."

The Xi Men family has two Real Persons; Wang Wu wasn't surprised, as Li Yuan had previously told him that the Xi Men are a first‑rate noble clan in He Dong Xian, with influence even in Nan Zhou's prefecture.

Nan Zhou must be vast; after all, a single He Dong County has four hundred thousand people, so an entire prefecture surely reaches millions.

The Xi Men family's two Real Persons can easily dominate Wu Lian. Moreover, she likely already has a seal on her, like the 'Beast‑taming Method' seen in the fantasy novels he once read.

"How far are you from the True Realm?" He examined Wu Lian closely, but Wang Wu saw nothing.

Perhaps he must personally intervene, injecting his Geng‑metal qi into her body, as he did when healing Wang Lan. Then a careful probe might reveal the seal within her.

"Hehe…" Upon hearing this, Wu Lian's smile grew more bitter, "The True Realm has long been out of reach."

"Indeed," Wang Wu said unremarkably; they've become others' slaves yet still seek breakthrough.

The Xi Men family only has two Real Persons; their strength is unknown but likely not great. If this demon were to breakthrough, they might not be able to suppress it.

Bold and powerful, relying on her divine abilities, she thought of venturing into human society to acquire something to speed recovery and cultivation. She likely had seniors who did the same, so she imitated them.

And then it backfired, turning her into another clan's demon slave. Later she met Sun Da and Sun Fei's family, thinking that since she's already like this, she might as well hurry to repay them.

And her slave master was probably also perverse, so Wu Lian married Sun Da, and then married Sun Fei.

It can only be said that a monster who has never been exposed to human society and didn't grow up in a highly socialized environment is like this; it's not surprising.

It can't be said they're very stupid, but after all they truly lack experience; you can only say the city's schemes run deep, especially for these country folk—no, country monsters—who get killed at first sight.

(End of chapter)