Chapter 165: Heaven and Earth are unkind; they treat the myriad creatures as straw dogs

"Scram, scram! The Anning Guard is handling a case, everyone disperse!"

"Damn it, I'm talking to you! Still touching!"

Tan Hu glared with eyes as large as copper bells, scaring the guest at Chunyan Pavilion so badly that his 'hardware' nearly went limp.

The inexperienced young customers were still lamenting the silver they had spent and the carnal pleasures they hadn't yet enjoyed.

The veteran lechers had long since run off in the chaos.

Right, freebie.

Ning Zhongtian led his men with long strides into Chunyan Pavilion.

Just then.

Li Rui nimbly walked down from upstairs: "Chief Ning, I've made a discovery."

Ning Zhongtian looked at Li Rui with gratification:

"Brother Li, I truly didn't misjudge you."

He had only given the order this morning, and by evening, a lead had been found; this efficiency was terrifyingly high.

How could he not be pleased with such a capable subordinate?

As he spoke, he followed Li Rui up to the small Chunyan building.

Just as he stepped through the door, Ning Zhongtian saw Baozhu'er lying on the ground, her skirt hiked up almost to the roots of her thighs.

However, he couldn't muster the slightest bit of interest.

It wasn't just him; any man would be unable to muster any.

At this moment, Baozhu'er was pitch-black all over, her face terrifying; where was there any trace of the peerless elegance of the former top courtesan?

Ning Zhongtian narrowed his eyes slightly: "A Charm Demon?"

Seeing Li Rui, who was to the side, nod.

His expression instantly turned ugly, and he gritted his teeth: "It's those people from the Ghost Gui Ming Jiao again!"

Charm Demons are the same as Ghost Demons.

They are both monsters cultivated through the art of demon-rearing.

It's just that unlike Ghost Demons, Charm Demons have extremely strong concealment; one can barely tell they are demons, and they often appear in the guise of handsome men or beautiful women.

Legend has it that during the previous dynasty, the Profound Emperor was particularly fond of Charm Demons.

More than half of his harem of three thousand were Charm Demons.

He could be called the number one person for 'war demons'.

Later, the founding emperor of the Yu Kingdom banned the art of demon-rearing, and Charm Demons subsequently disappeared.

Since a lead had already been found, although Ning Zhongtian was furious, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; after all, being able to identify that it was the work of the Ghost Gui Ming Jiao's demon-people meant his mission was more than half complete.

Subsequently, Ning Zhongtian asked curiously: "Brother Li, how did you discover this Charm Demon?"

This Baozhu'er was the top courtesan of Chunyan Pavilion and had served countless dignitaries, among whom there were certainly no lack of Seventh-Rank experts.

He himself had been to Chunyan Pavilion before.

But he hadn't discovered any flaws.

Li Rui chuckled: "The Dragon overcomes all evil; the Qi cultivated by my 'Flying Dragon in the Sky' painting has an abnormal reaction whenever it encounters demons or evil."

Ning Zhongtian suddenly understood.

"So that's how it is."

He had heard of this claim before, but possessing this characteristic required immense opportunity and good fortune.

"Could it be that luck is truly conserved?"

"Spending half a lifetime in bad luck as a stableman, and now the good luck is being replenished?"

Envy was real, but it was limited to envy.

If Ning Zhongtian were to swap experiences with Li Rui, toiling as a stableman for fifty or sixty years before hitting a stroke of luck, he would be ten thousand times unwilling.

Is that really the case?

Of course not.

Li Rui is not the Heavenly Official of Great Fortune; naturally, it's impossible for everything to go his way.

Seeing through this Charm Demon.

Actually, it relied on his Wisdom Eye.

This Charm Demon hid herself very well, and she even had no murderous intent toward him; even the smoke didn't react, but the protective magic treasure on her body still exposed her.

On Baozhu'er's body, Li Rui saw at least seven or eight places where spiritual substances flickered.

For a prostitute, even a top courtesan, this was extremely abnormal.

And according to the madam's previous description, this Baozhu'er had a miserable background!

If that were true, would this be normal?

That was why Li Rui went to Chunyan Pavilion again tonight.

The corners of Ning Zhongtian's mouth lifted slightly.

With this Charm Demon, he could finally give an account to Jiang Linxian.

Jiang Linxian had given him seven days, but not even one day had passed, and he had already cracked the case.

A master detective!

"Brother Li, although there's no official merit this time, I, Ning Zhongtian, will record a great merit for you!"

Having cracked the case, a heavy stone in Ning Zhongtian's heart fell, and he was in a great mood.

"Many thanks, Chief Ning."

Li Rui didn't act coy or decline; he accepted it gladly.

Just then.

The madam, who had been mumbling for a long time, found an opportunity to approach: "My lord, Chunyan Pavilion truly knew nothing about this matter regarding Baozhu'er."

She had heard the commotion and hurried into the room.

Then she saw Baozhu'er, who looked like a Rakshasa woman.

Her face turned deathly pale with fright, and she hadn't recovered even now.

Li Rui wouldn't let her spread the word, and it wasn't until Ning Zhongtian arrived that she found the opportunity to cry out her grievances.

Ning Zhongtian glanced at the madam and snorted coldly:

"Whether you knew or not, we'll only know after asking. Take them all away!"

Upon hearing that Ning Zhongtian wanted to interrogate even her, the madam's face turned deathly pale in a flash.

The matter came to an end.

The Charm Demon Baozhu'er and several key figures from Chunyan Pavilion were all taken back to the Anning Guard by Ning Zhongtian.

Everyone marveled at Ning Zhongtian's efficiency.

Li Rui, meanwhile, hid his merit and fame, easily obtaining a great merit.

As for what happened afterward, it had absolutely nothing to do with him.

Ning Zhongtian would naturally report to Jiang Linxian; how to deal with the Ghost Gui Ming Jiao was not something for a tiny Seventh-Rank sesame official like him to worry about.

In the blink of an eye, five days passed.

Li Rui was originally practicing his Wu Gong when his door was knocked.

Pushing open the door.

He saw Yao Xue standing prettily at the doorway.

Li Rui: "Miss Yao, is something the matter?"

Ever since Baozhu'er was captured, Yao Xue had spent most of her time in the criminal hall, often leaving early and returning late; the two had met very few times. "Many thanks to you, Senior, for your help; my inner demon has been removed."

Yao Xue bowed to Li Rui.

Li Rui: "Congratulations, Miss Yao."

That Yao Xue could remove her inner demon so quickly was likely because the death of Qu Chengfeng had made her will firmer.

It was hard to say if this counted as joy or sorrow.

"Today, I have come to bid farewell to you, Senior."

Li Rui was surprised: "Miss Yao is leaving?"

Yao Xue nodded: "My Master has returned, and I am about to leave Qinghe."

"Have you found the true culprit?"

Yao Xue shook her head: "Not yet. That Charm Demon turned into a pool of blood as soon as she was pushed into the interrogation room; the lead was broken."

Clearly, this matter had been suppressed by Ning Zhongtian.

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Even Li Rui was unaware of this.

But he hadn't expected that the old immortal Zhang, having lost his disciple, would just leave like this, without any intention of seeking revenge.

Yao Xue sighed softly: "Master said that everything is fate; my senior brother and junior brother were destined to suffer this tribulation, all determined by Heaven, and cannot be changed."

Li Rui's heart stirred slightly.

"Fate..."

Legend has it that there are enlightened masters who can foresee the good and bad fortune of others in advance, but they never interfere.

Yao Xue's Master was likely that type of person.

Indifferent to human feelings?

It should be the transcendence that comes after seeing life and death too often.

Records from ancient books surfaced in Li Rui's mind; he even suspected that the old Daoist Zhang bringing his three disciples to Qinghe was not for the sake of immortal destiny, but to undergo a tribulation.

If they survived the tribulation, the path to immortality would be smooth; if they didn't, then everything would be over.

Clearly.

Yao Xue was the one who survived, while her senior and junior brothers failed their tribulation.

Having finished the tribulation, why would they still care about the tribulation itself? Naturally, they would continue on the path of seeking immortality.

"Heaven and Earth are unkind; they treat the myriad creatures as straw dogs. The path of immortality is truly the most heartless."

Li Rui sighed inwardly.

There are countless people in the world pursuing the path of immortality, but the vast majority undergo their tribulation on the way, turning into a handful of yellow soil.

A flash of inspiration struck his mind, as if he had realized something.

He cupped his hands:

"Miss Yao, travel safely."

Yao Xue also revealed a smile, as if the ice and snow melting in early spring: "Senior Li, take care."

Watching Yao Xue's departing back.

Li Rui could feel that after experiencing so much and removing her inner demon, this disciple of the Questioning Immortal Pavilion had a firmer heart for questioning immortality.

Perhaps this was the true intention of her Master.

"Questioning immortality, questioning immortality."

The Ten Thousand Great Marshes.

This place was ten thousand miles away from Qinghe, filled with poisonous miasma all year round, and rarely visited by humans.

Rumor has it.

That back then, the founding emperor of the Yu Kingdom slaughtered the previous dynasty's army of three hundred thousand in the Ten Thousand Great Marshes, and even cut off the head of the Profound Kingdom's God of War, ascending to the pinnacle of the world in one fell swoop.

In a hidden mountain cave.

Qu Chengfeng sat cross-legged on a stone platform with his eyes tightly closed, his five hearts facing the sky, faintly possessing a bit of the demeanor of a banished immortal.

"Is it done?"

"Almost."

In the cave, the soft conversation of two people echoed; their gazes were burning, never leaving Qu Chengfeng, and their expressions faintly carried a bit of nervousness.

The next instant.

The area around Qu Chengfeng's stone platform surged like waves.

Looking closely.

It turned out that Qu Chengfeng was actually situated in a sea of corpses and blood!

The stone platform was in the center of a blood pool, where corpses floated and sank, appearing and disappearing.

In front of the stone platform.

There were three sticks of high-grade incense, with thin white smoke rising slowly like silk threads.

Beneath the high incense, three objects were placed.

They were actually a muntjac, a deer, and a small deer; it was clearly a blood sacrifice!

Generally speaking, wealthy families sacrificing to their ancestors would place three livestock—namely pig, fish, and chicken—which were called the 'small three livestock'; for even wealthier ones, they would use ox, sheep, and pig, called the 'large three livestock'.

For imperial sacrifices, the specifications were even higher, using dragon, phoenix, and tiger.

Since there were no dragons or phoenixes in the world, they were replaced by flood dragons and divine birds.

But there was another category, called the 'Jade Bureau Three Livestock', used to sacrifice to... immortals.

The sea of blood rolled, obscuring Qu Chengfeng's figure.

The next instant!

Qu Chengfeng's eyes widened, looking in terror at the scene before him; at this moment, a bloody hand reached out from the blood pool.

He was unable to move.

He watched helplessly as the bloody hand was crudely stuffed into his mouth; immediately after, his oral cavity was pried open, and the bloody hand invaded inch by inch, thrusting deep into his throat.

"What is this doing?!!"

Qu Chengfeng's eye sockets were about to split.

Soon, the bloody hand entered his throat; one could see Qu Chengfeng's windpipe bulging bit by bit, stretched open, clearly reflecting the patterns of the fingers.

A violent feeling of nausea made Qu Chengfeng want to vomit.

But he was blocked by the bloody hand and couldn't vomit it out.

The moment the bloody hand completely entered his body—

Qu Chengfeng gradually became calm, no longer struggling in the slightest; more accurately, he was already hollow, without any human emotions.

The sea of blood returned to calm.

The two black-robed figures looked at each other and cautiously tiptoed to the stone platform.

"Who am I? Where is this? Why did I appear here?"

Qu Chengfeng's expression remained dull.

His mouth opened and closed mechanically, muttering to himself.

Subsequently, a look of pain gradually appeared on his face, and he held his head and shook it continuously; an indescribable terrifying aura emanated from Qu Chengfeng's body.

"No, I should have already died... That's right, I died... Why am I alive again..."

The words were absurd and mind-boggling.

The two black-robed figures knelt down with a thud:

"Respectfully welcoming the Immortal Venerable, reincarnated and reborn!"

Qu Chengfeng's eyes suddenly became bright, and his temperament became peaceful and serene, as if he had gained enlightenment:

"That's right, I am an immortal."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 166 =====