Chapter 93: Starship, Wang's Ship – 6K Subscription Plea, Second Update at Six

"I wonder whether Brother Wang has ever seen a demonized mortal?"

"A demonized mortal?"

In the Fangyi Hall, Wang Wu, Si Tu Jin, and that middle‑aged demon‑suppressing cultivator were having breakfast; when Wang Wu heard Si Tu Jin's words, he was taken aback.

"Indeed, I have never seen one," he shook his head, then seemed to recall something and looked at Si Tu Jin:

"General Si Tu Jin, does this mean that other counties have already encountered this situation?"

"Not at all," Si Tu Jin said. "But Brother Wang hasn't seen a demonized mortal? That surprises me."

"Why?" Wang Wu asked, a bit not understanding Si Tu Jin's meaning.

"Wang Shaoxia is likely from the Great Demon Sect, so it's normal that he hasn't seen a demonized mortal," the middle‑aged cultivator sitting beside Si Tu Jin added, and the moment he said it, Wang Wu's body froze.

"Exposed?"

That was the first thought that sprang to Wang Wu's mind upon hearing it.

But he did not panic, because from what he had learned about the human world during this period, their relationship with demons was not the life‑or‑death, you‑or‑me type.

Moreover, the man's words were a bit odd, as Wang Wu heard a hint of envy in them.

"Hehe, Brother Wang need not be so tense," Si Tu Jin said with a smile, soothing him. "Great Zhou opposes the demon path, but we merely do not advocate it."

"As for demon cultivators, as long as they do not stray onto the evil path, they are the same as ordinary cultivators."

After observing Si Tu Jin's expression for a while and glancing at the middle‑aged cultivator beside him, Wang Wu said nothing, merely sipping his morning tea in silence.

At that moment, however, he placed a call back home and let Zi Yuan answer.

A moment later, he slowly spoke:

"Although I haven't seen one, I have indeed heard fellow sect members speak of such matters."

"Those ordinary people are quite pitiful," Wang Wu said, with Zi Yuan's explanations echoing in his mind.

Answering that way essentially meant Wang Wu 'acknowledged' his demon‑cultivator identity; since the other side thought so, he decided to go along with the mistake…

No, that's not it; it's not merely going along with a mistake—his identity was truly exposed, because he belongs to the Extreme Heaven Vajra Sect…

Ugh, no, no, no—going along with a mistake is fine, that's just going along with a mistake.

"Indeed," Si Tu Jin nodded, agreeing with Wang Wu's words.

Unlike cultivators, ordinary people after demonization show no outward change in the short term. Yet in their behavior patterns, they can no longer be considered human.

Demonized ordinary people become complete lunatics, their brains devoured by pure desire, and their behavior constantly vents the cravings within their bodies:

killing, feeding, and copulation.

They still possess "intelligence," like corrupted corpses, the only difference perhaps being that they do not undergo the massive bodily and outward changes that such corpses do.

They can use tools, devise schemes, and even set traps.

The purpose of those schemes and tools is singular: to better satisfy their eternally unquenchable cravings.

killing, devouring, and ravaging.

Slaying their former compatriots, their wails, screams, and pain become the best stimulants for these demonized ones.

They beat and torment, and while forcing the victim, they tear large chunks of flesh from them.

In the end, those they brutalize often end up as nothing but a broken skeleton, or, if the body remains relatively intact, are transformed into their own kind.

Moreover, the most terrifying thing is their extreme infectivity. Not only can they spread through bodily fluids, but when large numbers of demonized beings gather, the overwhelming demon qi can convert distant humans.

Although it takes time and is not fast, that already makes them sufficiently dangerous.

Cultivators and martial artists can to some extent resist this demon qi infection; as long as they don't deliberately let bodily fluids enter their bodies, there will be no problem.

For these people who have become demon‑possessed, the still‑normal humans are the beings that can most intensely stir their cravings.

If there are no humans, they often fall into a brief stupor, but not long after they begin to kill each other and devour one another.

Through continual venting of desire and devouring of normal humans and their own kind, they evolve until they finally become true "demons."

These are precisely the things Wang Wu often sees in Wang Gu Lin.

Without talent, ordinary people find it hard to become cultivators, and becoming a True Realm martial artist is even more out of reach. It is remarkable to be able to cultivate Gang Qi martial arts and become a fairly decent martial artist.

When the third stage of Gang Qi begins, martial artists gain the ability to oppose demons, and the first stage is the pinnacle of the Gang Qi martial path, allowing relatively easy handling of ordinary transformed minor demons.

But demon cultivators are different; they require very little talent. Although later advancement is extremely difficult, they can enable ordinary people to reach strength equivalent to the True Dao Mortal Realm at a very rapid pace.

Ugh, it does sound somewhat similar to the Extreme Heaven Vajra Sect, but the Extreme Heaven Vajra Sect is not a Demon Sect.

Moreover, demon cultivators' bodies and techniques are both very robust; their combat power at the same level generally surpasses that of True Dao cultivators of the same realm.

Wang Wu's performance fits the stereotypical image of a demon cultivator—great strength and formidable close‑combat ability.

Although he hasn't used any techniques, it must be decent.

Looking at the gazes of the two people across the table, Wang Wu couldn't figure out what they were really selling, but he has never been one to beat around the bush, so he took the initiative to speak:

"General Si Tu Jin, and Immortal Master Yu," he bowed to the two, "May I ask why you summoned me for this breakfast?"

"Let's be frank and speak plainly," he said, then stared straight at the two before him, saying nothing more.

"I wish to hire the young hero to serve in Great Zhou's demon‑suppression army," Si Tu Jin said.

"Hire?" Wang Wu frowned slightly, about to speak, when Si Tu Jin's voice rang out again:

"A short‑term hire; we will give the young hero a reward satisfactory to you."

"But I am merely an early‑stage True Realm demon cultivator; how could I involve myself in the major affairs of your demon‑suppression army?" Wang Wu was not inclined to agree; at the very least, without knowing the details, he would certainly refuse.

Si Tu Jin was indeed very beautiful, not at all inferior to those demons, but beauty meant nothing to Wang Wu now.

Moreover, even today, Wang Wu still felt something off about this woman.

She had indeed shown genuine feeling a few times, such as when Wang Wu rescued Wu Lian, when she killed the silkworm lady, and when she rescued Wang Lan.

Of course, also when she dealt with those few people from the West Gate family of He Dong Xian.

But most of the time, regarding this woman, Wang Wu only felt she wore a thick mask. Everything was hidden beneath it, making it impossible to see her true face.

Her attitude toward many matters was very false.

That was clearly not her real attitude; it seemed she only reacted after Wang Wu expressed an attitude toward something, and she followed his direction.

Si Tu Jin was evidently not surprised by Wang Wu's refusal; after hearing his words, she merely smiled, and then a box appeared in her hand, was placed on the table and pushed toward Wang Wu.

"What is this?"

Before Wang Wu could ask, the other side had already opened the box, and a row of blood‑red pills lay quietly on the white silk cloth inside.

There were nine in total, each exuding an aura that Wang Wu recognized well.

They looked like demon pills, yet not quite.

"These are Heart Demon Pills."

Zi Yuan, operating the spherical fortress's camera, said to Wang Wu.

She was watching right beside Wang Wu now, including Wang Wu's interactions with Wang Lan yesterday afternoon and evening.

Of course, Zi Yuan hadn't paid much attention to that; she said she was an individual even before. Even if the Yin people of the Shang era were more open than today's Yin people, there is still a limit.

But the three female demon monsters were quite excited, not only excited but also amusing themselves.

During the days when Wang Wu did not exist in this world, the demon monsters lived anywhere from nearly a hundred years to just under a hundred, with the shortest being about ten years; to avoid being crushed by desire, certain crafts were naturally necessary.

Of course this also includes now, when Wang Wu is not by their side.

But the conditions are better now, because they can recall people upon seeing objects, making it more immersive, and the feeling is even stronger.

"Nine Heart Demon Pills; I suppose this reward should be enough to move the young hero?" Si Tu Jin said, looking at Wang Wu, her face showing confidence.

Demon cultivators have a step called 'Fixing Heart Demon,' which means exactly what the words suggest: suppressing the surging heart demon, restraining and devouring it, though it is far from true consumption.

Each time a heart demon is fixed, it counts as a realm advancement, raising the demon cultivator's strength a notch.

Fixing Heart Demon does not cause a breakthrough, but each instance does strengthen some of their attributes.

This is why demon cultivators can far surpass True Dao Cultivators at the same realm.

Wang Wu lowered his head, glanced at the Heart Demon Pills before him, and reached out.

Seeing Wang Wu's action, Si Tu Jin's mouth twitched slightly.

Then Wang Wu filled his cup with tea, took a sip, grabbed a handful of desserts from the serving plate into his own plate, and ate while drinking.

The woman loved desserts immensely; although Wang Wu wasn't that fond of sweets, he could not tolerate that whenever he slipped away, the desserts in the plate would be reduced.

For example, a plate usually holds ten pieces of dessert; before the formal serving, at least seven of those end up in the woman's stomach.

Wang Wu could usually only eat three pieces, sometimes even just one.

He would shove a piece of dessert into his mouth, sip tea, then without taking from his own plate, reach again for the serving plate.

Watching Wang Wu repeat this for over ten seconds, Si Tu Jin only then realized, hurriedly looked at the serving plate, but only a bit of residue remained.

"Hic—"

Wang Wu hiccupped, then began eating the desserts he had taken onto his plate bite by bite.

Leisurely, his movements were extremely calm and graceful.

"This thing is still too costly for someone like me from a small sect. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for."

Wang Wu said this while taking a sip of tea to cleanse his palate. This tea was unsweetened; he had specifically asked for no sugar, so an extra pot was served.

Then he pushed the box back, "My modest abilities can't handle such a big matter, General Si Tu."

"You...!"

Si Tu Jin looked at the Heart Demon Pills that had been pushed back, then at the empty serving plate in the center of the table, and finally at the desserts on Wang Wu's plate.

Her mouth twitched; faint blue veins bulged on her slender neck. For some reason, she was clearly a bit angry.

The cultivator with the surname Yu beside her glanced at Si Tu Jin, expressionless, but Wang Wu could tell she was holding something back desperately.

What exactly she was suppressing, no one knew.

A moment later, Si Tu Jin inhaled deeply through her nose, exhaled, and snapped her fingers.

A maid immediately came over, awaiting Si Tu Jin's command.

"Bring two more servings of dessert," she ordered with a sideways glance.

"Yes, madam."

The maid retreated at once. Si Tu Jin looked back at Wang Wu again, glanced at the Heart Demon Pills that had been pushed back, but only gave them a passing look and ignored them.

"What if we add this as well?"

She said, pulling out another brocade box and placing it before Wang Wu.

When opened, the box contained not a round Freedom Pill, but another item that Wang Wu could recognize at a glance without Zi Yuan's explanation.

Isn't this damn supplement? Looks like they have this stuff here too, huh?

But it's not surprising; demon cultivators here share a similar mindset. Though their cultivation system lags behind, they certainly have various auxiliary cultivation medicines.

Just like the demonic cultivation system here, the supplement in this brocade box, by its purity, is far inferior to the Heavenly Demon Dragon supplement I use.

Don't be fooled by how much is in the little bottle inside the box; in reality, its effect... could it even match the dosage recommended by Assassin Brother when he first suggested a supplement, which was already overwhelming on the chart?

On that chart, a single dose of Heavenly Demon Dragon is 50 μg, while this thing in front of me may not even reach 25 μg of Heavenly Demon Dragon effect per brocade box.

Trash, dog shit.

Even though he immediately identified it as feces, Wang Wu still had to go along, so his face showed surprise:

"It's actually Demon General's Blood?" he looked at Si Tu Jin, "I didn't expect to see Demon General's Blood in this Great Zhou either."

Demon General's Blood, as the name suggests, is blood extracted and processed from a heavenly realm demon general; during the Yin‑Shang period it was a popular supplement.

Not only is there Demon General's Blood, but also Demon God Blood, which has higher purity and better effect.

But overuse can cause side effects.

"How about it?" Si Tu Jin asked Wang Wu.

At that moment, two new serving plates were brought out. Before Wang Wu could speak, as soon as the plates were set on the table, two hands sprang out simultaneously, grabbing the two plates.

Then one hand grasped a soft mass, while the other hand touched something firm, delicate, and exquisite...

Wang Wu looks to his left hand and finds his left hand firmly gripping Si Tu Jin's right hand, while the chopsticks in her right hand are pinching a piece of pastry.

As for the left hand, the left hand is indeed holding the pastry.

Wang Wu withdraws his right hand, releases his left hand, and shows Si Tu Jin an apologetic smile:

"Ah, I'm really sorry, sorry, General Si Tu, I truly didn't see it."

"No, it's fine…"

Even though two veins burst on Si Tu Jin's neck and her face twitched badly, she still suppresses her anger and nods at Wang Wu.

Yu Xin, standing beside Si Tu Jin, trembles now but does not laugh out loud.

Of course the pastry is taken with chopsticks; using the hand isn't wrong, but it would look uncouth. However Wang Wu never cares about that; he takes it however he likes.

He puts the pastry from his right hand into his mouth, and with his withdrawn left hand lifts the teacup and takes a sip.

"Why are you eager to talk about the reward first, yet you don't say what you want me to do?"

Wang Wu asks.

"Indeed." Si Tu Jin nods, then prepares to tell Wang Wu the purpose of hiring him.

But just as she opens her mouth, a tremendously bright flash suddenly erupts in the sky over He Dong Xian, its brilliance so great that many townsfolk briefly go blind.

And immediately after, a huge roar follows.

Like a summer thunder, yet ten million times more shocking than any thunder.

For the overwhelming majority of the city's people, this is probably the most shocking sound they have ever heard in their lives.

The bright light fades, the explosion roars, Wang Wu darts his gaze toward the window. But he is quickly pulled back by Si Tu Jin's voice:

"Young Hero Wang need not concern yourself; it's merely something planned."

"Is that so?"

After the first flash and explosion, a second round of flashes follows. Wang Wu sticks his head out the window, scans the sky, then retreats, looking again at Si Tu Jin.

This time, however, it is not as dazzling, and the subsequent sound is not an earth‑shattering roar but a grand, strange hum.

"Since Brother Wang previously went to Si Hun Shan and returned empty‑handed," Si Tu Jin looks at Wang Wu, who is fidgeting and apparently about to reach for the plate, quickly snatches a piece of pastry with her chopsticks into her own plate, then continues:

"You must also know that the great tomb of the merchant king's daughter Yuan has been opened, and the spacecraft within has vanished."

"Yes." Wang Wu nods, taking a few more pieces of pastry.

"Then you can probably guess what's attacking my He Dong Xian's Tianheng Vessel right now, can't you?"

"I don't know." Wang Wu takes two more pieces, "but I suppose it's the spacecraft that Di Yi buried with his own daughter?"

"Correct." Si Tu Jin nods, then continues. Yet her voice does not emerge, because the whole world has already been engulfed by the bright light, and the ensuing explosion drowns everything.

'Buzz—'

When the bright light fades and he looks again at Si Tu Jin, the expression on her face is nothing but astonishment.

A series of mournful cries comes from the sky; Wang Wu immediately leaps from his seat to the eaves outside the second floor of Fang Yi Hall.

Not only him, but Si Tu Jin and Yu Xin also rush out at the same time; the three stand on the eaves, all looking toward the sky.

In a sky devoid of stars and moon, shrouded in endless darkness, a massive warship burns fiercely, emitting cries like a dying beast, flying toward the north's Wang Gu Lin.

And in this vast control, farther away, Wang Wu sees Zi Yuan's carriage, or rather her burial offering.

'Yuan'

But in the sky, aside from that Yuan, there is another gigantic warship side by side. That warship is twice as large as the 2.5‑kilometer‑long Yuan.

"I think that thing is what General Si Tu wants?" Wang Wu turns his head, looking at the woman beside him.

He actually knows what this woman probably intends, not because he guessed it himself, but because Zi Yuan told him. A wise spouse really is great, being a monster in another world is so fun, folks.

As a princess of the great Merchant Dynasty, though she has no desire to inherit the throne, Zi Yuan, being from the ruling family, naturally understands the situation in Tongtian City, as well as the nobles' psychology and desires.

And now, even after a thousand years, the things nobles crave are nothing but these:

Power.

And force often represents power.

Si Hun Shan, as one of the Zhou dynasty's famous forbidden zones, yet on its Tongtian Path one can see so many modern Zhou corpses, its meaning is already quite clear.

Various artifacts, spirit treasures from the pre‑Shang era, or all sorts of other things.

And everything that the southern nobles, even the great Zhou court, find irresistible:

Spacecraft.

Spacecraft Wuding

This is the name of that massive spacecraft larger than the Yuan, named after an early Shang king.

The naming rule for Shang spacecraft is simple: it depends on the class. Ordinary class ships like Tianheng are named rather casually.

Higher‑class ships are named "Yuan" after members of the royal family or important nobles.

The top‑class ships bear the titles of successive monarchs.

Spacecraft Wuding, personally built by the star‑people for the great Merchant Dynasty, is one of the forty‑two "royal vessels" of the Merchant Dynasty docked in Si Hun Shan.

"No, impossible, impossible…" Si Tu Jin certainly hears Wang Wu's words, but at this point she is completely uninterested in him, murmuring:

"Impossible, without the blood of King Yin, it could never start the royal vessel, this, this, this…"

She opens her mouth but cannot utter a meaningful sentence.

"Daji."

Yet beside her, Yu Xin, whose complexion is equally terrible, after hearing Si Tu Jin's words, slowly says.

And hearing that name, Si Tu Jin's body also jerks sharply:

"That Daji, that Daji. How could she still be alive????"

"She is a monster, so of course she could be alive." Yu Xin glances at Si Tu Jin and says.

"This is the absurd thing Emperor Qin did…" Yu Xin shows a bleak smile, "holding a monster clan's coronation ceremony, making it one of the great Merchant Dynasty's emperors."

(End of chapter)