Chapter 336: The Hua Kui Qing Qing Yunzi, Whose Appearance is Utterly Ordinary

A demon monkey, whose appearance was considered decent even by Kong Que's aesthetic standards, flew down from the sky, draped in a tiger skin, and landed at the city gate.

Emitting a mid-stage Demon General aura, he strutted boldly toward the interior.

Along the way, crowds of demons, each leading their own human slaves, hurriedly made way.

A Demon General, whether in the demon nation or among the human race, held high status and power, though they appeared insignificant on a Jin Dan-level battlefield.

"General, I do not know your surname or name, nor where you come from."

A plump woman with a peak Qi Refining aura glanced a few times at the demon monkey's knotted muscles and asked politely, two fiery red tails swaying behind her.

"Hei Shi, cultivating at Yuejiao Mountain."

The demon monkey spoke in a muffled voice, looking as though he disliked talking much: "What, has Tusheng City changed its rules, requiring an inquiry into origins before entry?"

"Nowhere, nowhere; this city merely asks out of custom."

The plump woman pondered for a moment, confirmed she had never heard of any Yuejiao Mountain, knew it was likely a false name, did not care, and handed over a gray stone.

"General Hei Shi, the entry fee is ten spirit stones, allowing you to stay here for ten days."

"Recently, our Great King is recruiting demon generals from all paths to handle affairs; spirit stones, spirit medicines, and human slaves are all available. If you like these, you might as well go look at the palace city gate."

"If you Li Xia Da Gong, you may be enfeoffed as a marquis, granted fiefdoms, spirit veins, and hundreds of thousands of human slaves as a matter of course."

"Well said."

The demon monkey put away the gray stone, tucked it into his chest, and looked around.

One by one, Qi Refining-stage demon beasts—bear-headed humans, snake-headed humans, eagle-headed humans, and so on—carried prey, animal skins, spirit wood, and ore the size of tables in their hands.

Entering the city to trade, their entry fee was one spirit stone.

Among the many goods, one item was relatively common.

Many demons held a rope in their hands; the rope was tied around a human slave's neck, with the slave's wrists bound together behind them. Most were male, youths of seventeen or eighteen; very few women or older men could be seen.

Naked, covered in filth and foul odor, their eyes numb, their hair growing in a messy tangle.

They stopped with every step, obediently following the demon leading them, even though some ropes were tied haphazardly, not secure at all, and their claws and hooves were unsuited for such labor.

Compared to pigs, cattle, and rabbits, which have greater reproductive power,

demons prefer to eat humans, even though the cost of raising them is higher.

That is not certain.

Raising pigs, cattle, and rabbits requires far more precision; if the density is too high, plagues and deaths occur within minutes. Human slaves, however, are much easier to manage, even requiring no management at all—just designate an area and drive away predators.

Among these human slaves, who were no different from livestock, there were occasionally those kept clean, dressed in silk and satin, and dressed brightly and splendidly, most of them handsome or beautiful.

Their eyes were far more lively; they would occasionally approach their masters, flatteringly massaging backs and shoulders, serving tea and water.

'Recalling the past, the arduous years when human sages forged a path through hardship, struggling to survive among the myriad races.'

Jiang Ding sighed in his heart and asked, "Has the Hundred Flowers Festival arrived again this year?"

"Yes, General Hei Shi."

The plump woman's eyes lit up, extremely interested: "It is the grand Hundred Flowers Festival, held once every ten years. Demon generals and minor demons from all paths bring their most beautiful and handsome human slaves to compete for the title of Hua Kui."

"I have heard that this year's two most popular Hua Kui are named Yu Yu Lingzi, whose appearance resembles an immortal, and who is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, with a masculine and powerful voice. One truly wonders what it would be like in bed..."

"If only he could survive the Hundred Flowers Ancestor's whipping. Once she grows tired of him, he will be thrown into the Flying Crane Tower to be sold for several months' worth of spirit stones, and we too could enjoy a taste."

She licked her lips.

"That is difficult."

Jiang Ding shook his head; the madness of a Jin Dan fox demon was something a mere mortal, at most a Qi Refining first or second layer mortal, could not endure.

"General Hei Shi speaks truly."

The plump woman agreed: "The other popular Hua Kui is named Qing Qing Yunzi, possessing a unique flavor, even more rare. He is a human Foundation Establishment cultivator captured by the Hundred Flowers Ancestor, placed under a restriction; one imagines the taste must be even more delicious."

She longed for it immensely, only regretting her low cultivation and empty purse.

"General Hei Shi, I imagine you are not interested in these male slaves." The plump fox demon's eyes shifted, and she said softly, "Why not let me take you for a stroll around the city, to find a place..."

"No need."

Jiang Ding waved his hand, turned, and left, walking into the city, leaving the plump fox demon with a face full of regret.

"A Foundation Establishment Qing Qing Yunzi?"

"I have not heard of him. The Xiang Qiyu Sect has not sent any Foundation Establishment cultivators here; he must be an outsider Foundation Establishment cultivator who fell into the Hundred Flowers Ancestor's hands. In Kong Que Demon King's memory, her energy has always been so abundant, with much leisure."

Walking into the demon city, Jiang Ding swept his divine sense and sword intent in concealed waves over the high city walls.

"At most a third-tier low-grade formation. Demon formation skills are extremely poor; this was even made by some outsider formation master, and it is long overdue for repair, with many flaws."

Jiang Ding muttered to himself, cross-referencing point by point with Kong Que Demon King's memory, and set his mind at ease.

In the city, demons came and went. Minor demons entering the city led numb human slaves to the Chengxi slaughterhouse, while some brought human slaves in splendid clothing to the eastern city to participate in the Hua Kui selection; if they could achieve a good ranking, their value would instantly double.

Other demons sought spirit lands, purchased the spirit medicines and weapons they needed; the civilization form did not seem too poor.

Often, after a long time, one or two normal humans would appear; these were from the Northern Yuan Xiu Xian Gao Jie Grand Merchant Associations, moving hurriedly, daring not to linger outside for too long.

"There are two Northern Yuan merchant associations that can establish themselves in the demon city: the Yunyun Merchant Association and the Lingbao Merchant Association."

"In Kong Que Demon King's memory, the one with better reputation is the Lingbao Merchant Association."

Jiang Ding moved toward the eastern city area.

This was the bustling district of the demon city. Many demon generals chose to settle here to cultivate. The spiritual energy density generally reached the first-tier level; entering required an additional payment of two spirit stones and allowed a stay of only one day.

The surrounding buildings were obviously far more refined. Shops and houses carved directly from spirit wood, gold and silver, and even first-tier spirit ore appeared from time to time, naturally possessing a slight effect of gathering spiritual energy.

Carved railings and painted beams, pavilions and towers appeared occasionally, but they were not the mainstream.

This style of performing grand rituals inside a snail shell was not widely accepted by demons.

They preferred things that were simple and brutal.

Here, the auras of surrounding demons were generally stronger, and demon generals appeared from time to time.

After walking for a while, a shop resembling a Bai Yu palace appeared before his eyes, its spiritual light dazzling, with the four characters 'Yunyun Merchant Association' written on the plaque.

The characters bear special divine sense imprints, so even illiterate demon beasts can understand them and grasp some attached information, such as the Yunyun Merchant Guild buying spirit beast hides, spirit ores, and spirit herbs, while selling talismans, weapons, and magical artifacts, all at fair prices with no deception toward children or elders.

Directly opposite stands a shop cast entirely of gold, resembling a fake cave dwelling, steeped in a strong demon beast style; carved upon the dwelling are the characters "Spirit Treasure Merchant Guild," also bearing divine sense imprints, with a business scope largely the same.

"The localization is done well."

Jiang Ding nodded, just about to enter the Spirit Treasure Merchant Guild to purchase information, when his steps halted.

He looked toward the distant street.

"The courtesan's flower carriage is coming!"

A burly bear demon beast shouted loudly, his eyes gleaming; other demon beasts, especially the females, stopped in their tracks and gazed into the distance.

Amidst beautiful vocal music, countless petals cleared the way.

Two muscular demon oxen pulled a flower carriage several zhang wide, like a house, moving slowly forward; upon it sat a scholar with skin like jade, handsome and virile, who parted his long gown to reveal his chest, his muscles clearly defined.

Yet he did not appear vulgar; because of his refined and gentle temperament, he instead became even more dashing and charming.

He occasionally waved down now and then, relaxed and confident, showing none of the restraint typical of other slave servants, which provoked screams from a large crowd of female demons, their eyes flashing with excitement as they calculated how many spirit stones they still had left to waste.

In comparison,

inside the second flower carriage, a youth with a blank expression and utterly ordinary appearance seemed far inferior; yet, relying on his Foundation Establishment Late Stage realm, he still won the favor of many female demons, who threw down flowers of spirit gold.

"How pitiful..."

(End of this chapter)