Chapter 195: Treating Clients with Approachability

Over the next few days, Ruan Xing continued to ponder the incomplete cultivation technique in her memory.

She did not know how long it would take for the Third Floor Master to take her to the Northern Territory and back, but since she had already started the Real-scene Simulation, she did not want to end it too early for the time being.

In the past, Ruan Xing had never been to the Northern Territory, neither in reality nor in simulations.

At most, she had only stayed in the vicinity of the borderlands.

This was because the Northern Territory was actually very xenophobic.

As the losers of the Xian Tai War, they had been driven into the Northern Territory, suffering the hostility and precautions of other Immortal Sects.

How could they possibly allow an Immortal Sect Cultivator to appear within the Northern Territory? When the Third Floor Master came to find her again, he told her that she could prepare to depart.

"I see that you are basically the one managing everything in Wanbao Tower. Is it really alright to put down the affairs of the building like this to accompany me to the Northern Territory?" Ruan Xing asked curiously.

She had never seen the Building Master; not only had she never seen them, she had only heard of them, but almost no one in the building had ever mentioned them, as if this person did not exist at all.

The Second Floor Master looked like an elderly woman who practiced health preservation, and Cen Zhong had once said that the exchange meeting was for the Second Floor Master to find a successor for herself.

Therefore, she guessed that the Second Floor Master did not manage much, and probably did not have many years of life left.

The Third Floor Master was the one who truly did the work in the building; the other leaders were just there in name only.

This was truly the "chosen worker" of the Cultivation world.

Ruan Xing even felt a little sympathy for him.

However, if she could poach such a diligent laborer into her own Fengling Yueying Sect, she wouldn't have to be so tired from doing everything herself.

Ruan Xing shook her head inwardly while thinking; Wanbao Tower was a major business spanning the five prefectures of the Xianyuan Continent, which a small, ordinary sect like hers could not compare to. Moreover, the Third Floor Master's cultivation was higher than hers—at the very least, he was Spirit Severing—so it was even more impossible for him to work for her.

She could only regretfully abandon this thought.

The Third Floor Master shook the folding fan in his hand and laughed helplessly: "Why would I abandon the affairs of the building for you? I just happen to be going to the Northern Territory, and I'm taking you along as a convenience."

"The Northern Territory is treacherous, and travel must be kept secret, so I must go personally. You don't need to overthink it."

The Third Floor Master explained it this way, and Ruan Xing felt slightly relieved.

That was true; she thought that the Third Floor Master did not have such a deep friendship with her.

Perhaps this trip was just to stock up on Longevity Pills.

Thinking of this, she perked up again and asked: "How are we going? By Teleportation Array?"

"First, use the Teleportation Array to get to Fuxi City in the borderlands, then cross through Wuxu City. Someone will meet us when we arrive there," the Third Floor Master said casually. "By the way, my name is Mo Cijun. People in the Northern Territory call me Third Floor Master Mo. If anyone asks, just say you are a Guan of the building."

Ruan Xing nodded, "Alright, I understand."

The Teleportation Array in Canghai City was established and maintained by the Mysterious Grade Sect. As an organization with the nature of a chamber of commerce, Wanbao Tower did not yet have the authority to govern the traffic rights within a city.

But Mo Cijun was calm and composed; he walked into the Teleportation Array station as if nothing were the matter, casually reported the name of a town near the Northern Territory, paid the Spirit Stones, and let them in.

The journey was long; they still needed to transfer through at least three Teleportation Array stations before reaching the Northern Territory.

Ruan Xing followed behind Mo Cijun, looked left and right, and asked in a low voice: "Third Floor Master, are you going to the Northern Territory on a business trip all by yourself? Not bringing a few subordinates?"

"A business trip? An interesting way to put it," Mo Cijun chuckled and said conceitedly: "I have the power to protect myself; I don't need to bring guards. If even I cannot return from the Northern Territory in one piece, then no one else in the building could do it either. If that were truly the case, then from now on, there would be no need to conduct business between Wanbao Tower and the Northern Territory."

If Mo Cijun were to fall in the Northern Territory, it was likely that the goods within the Northern Territory would never again have the chance to appear within the four prefectures.

And the Northern Territory probably also needed the things Mo Cijun brought, so Mo Cijun was not afraid at all.

After passing through several Teleportation Arrays, the two finally arrived at Fuxi City.

This was the town closest to the edge within Dongzhou.

A little further to the northwest was the place where Ruan Xing had stayed in her previous simulation.

"Once we reach Fuxi City, we can no longer use the Teleportation Array. The Immortal Sects would never allow their own Teleportation Arrays to have a connection with the Northern Territory," Mo Cijun said indifferently.

"Is that Wuxu City ahead?"

"Yes. We cannot use Dharma Artifacts to fly over it. There are many Demon Cultivators in Wuxu City with eccentric temperaments, and there is no lack of those who hate others flying over their heads. Although we are not afraid of trouble, it is best to act low-key and not waste too much time in Wuxu City," Mo Cijun explained. "The Demon Cultivators in Wuxu City are a bit different. Most of them lack stable inheritance and often go insane after cultivating to a high level, making it impossible to communicate like normal people. As reasonable business people, we should naturally be more tolerant toward them."

Simply put, everyone in Wuxu City was a lunatic.

The Northern Territory drove these people out to serve as the first line of defense for the Northern Territory against the outside world.

Why didn't Xie Yao eat these people... perhaps it was also because she was afraid that she would contract the disease of madness after eating them?

Ruan Xing nodded, and the two passed through Wuxu City.

Wuxu City looked like a city with Syrian-style architecture; in some places, one could even see gnawed-on severed limbs and smell a heavy, bloody stench.

Divine Sense was of no use here; instead, it was easier to provoke them.

If they saw Demon Cultivators, the two would detour far away, passing through the whole way without any danger.

After getting some distance away from Wuxu City, there were more mortals to be seen everywhere.

It was just that these people looked somewhat indescribable.

Wealthy families dressed in gold and silver and numb, impoverished families actually lived in the same area.

They even drew water from the same well.

Walking swaggeringly past those people who were hunched over and huddled in corners, those people would not be jealous enough to go up and rob them.

Ruan Xing felt somewhat surprised and surreal.

"There isn't really a concept of fixed cities or jurisdictions in the Northern Territory; is it basically 'occupying a mountain and calling oneself king'?" Mo Cijun took the initiative to explain to Ruan Xing, though he also seemed to find it somewhat difficult to describe. "When I came here hundreds of years ago, the various Demon Lords here all had their own territories, and all the Cultivators and mortals in their territories were the private property of that Demon Lord. It's just that now, I don't know why there are so many fewer Cultivators who call themselves Demon Lords; perhaps they all went to Wuxu City after going insane."

"In places without a Demon Lord, they can only be divided into smaller areas. Whichever Demon Cultivator has more strength can occupy them. Demon Cultivators rarely live in groups; they don't trust anyone but themselves. Taking an apprentice is equivalent to finding slaves for themselves in disguise."

The cultivation techniques of Demon Cultivators are different from those of Immortal Cultivators; there are not so many separate chapters, nor are there detailed cultivation methods based on different realms. They just walk one path until it turns black.

In this environment, Demon Cultivators who cherish their lives will not continue once they reach a certain realm, but will instead enjoy a life of luxury.

Those Demon Cultivators who risk their lives will sooner or later have problems with their cultivation, either directly suffering from Qi deviation and exploding to death, or Wuxu City becomes their final destination.

It is very difficult for them to reach Return to Void, and it is very difficult for them to ascend.

Therefore, most of the Demon Cultivators before the Xian Tai War did not care about the Xian Tai Tree, because they were almost destined never to ascend in this lifetime.

"Then these mortals..." Looking at them, Ruan Xing felt somewhat indescribable.

"The reason I came this time is also related to these mortals," Mo Cijun sighed and said: "In this chaotic territory, mortals who can live normally or farm and herd to support themselves are very rare. They can only rely on the Demon Cultivators. The few Demon Lords I cooperate with plan production targets for the mortals in their territories. Children born are rewarded differently according to their aptitude. These rewards support the mortals at the very top, and the mortals at the very top, for the sake of their own sense of superiority and class concepts of being 'above others,' are responsible for the basic survival of the mortals in the layers below. The Northern Territory relies on this method to maintain the population reproduction of the Northern Territory for thousands of years."

"However, there are many such variables; overnight, there are just as many people who soar to the heights as there are those who fall into the abyss. Their average lifespan is less than about thirty-five years, which has also led them to inherit the Demon Cultivator's philosophy of life: disregard consequences, do not think of the future, only enjoy the present, and live one day at a time."

Such a system sounds somewhat cruel.

No wonder most of the mortals seen in better condition just now were young women.

The children they give birth to become reserve Demon Cultivators, and they themselves live good lives; other mortals fear Demon Cultivators and would not harbor ill intentions toward these women.

"Do those Demon Lords need so many low-level Demon Cultivators under them?" Ruan Xing asked incredulously. "What is the use of so many low-level Demon Cultivators? To share their own resources?"

Mo Cijun shook his head. "There aren't many. The attrition rate of Demon Cultivators is much higher than that of Immortal Cultivators. It would be good if half of the one hundred surviving mortal children could become Demon Cultivators. Afterward, during the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, the number of Demon Cultivators who die from mutual slaughter every year is almost equal to or even greater than the number of newborns. Those who can truly cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage and above to become a Demon Lord of a region are few and far between."

His expression turned slightly serious. "You might not be able to grasp much from this information, but the number of mortals in the Northern Territory is gradually decreasing every year. When the time comes for mortals to disappear, do not think that Demon Cultivators will naturally disappear as well. They will only desperately and frantically ignite a new war; that time is not far off."

Ruan Xing lowered her eyes in silence.

She knew that in a few years, the Saint Demon Lord Xie Yao would launch an Immortal-Demon War against the Immortal Sect.

Previously, she only thought that the biggest reason for this Immortal-Demon War was the Xumi Tree, and that Xie Yao, whose Return to Ruins Stage lifespan was about to end, was desperate to borrow the Xumi Tree to ascend to the Spirit Realm, so he led all the Demon Cultivators to fight to the death.

Today, after truly arriving in the Northern Territory, she realized that perhaps it was not just Xie Yao's reason alone.

It was that the Northern Territory had truly reached the point where resources were so exhausted that even mortals could not survive.

Xie Yao was also forced to this step by various reasons.

This situation... made her suddenly think of the Xian Tai War.

Everyone said it was because the Saint Demon Lord at that time had developed a greed for the Xian Tai Tree.

But the Xian Tai Tree at that time did not refuse Demon Cultivators from ascending; the Saint Demon Lord could have just gone to ascend by himself, so why bring so many Demon Cultivators along? Clearly, other Demon Cultivators did not care about the Xian Tai Tree at all.

They participated in the Xian Tai War, firstly to respond to the call of the strongest Demon Cultivator, the Saint Demon Lord, and secondly to take advantage of the chaos to kill some Immortal Cultivators and snatch some benefits for themselves.

Could it be that the Saint Demon Lord at that time also ignited the war for some unspeakable reasons?

"If this war really happens, do you think the Demon Cultivators will win?" Ruan Xing asked.

"I don't know if the Demon Cultivators will win in the end, but I know that the Demon Cultivators will definitely gain the greatest benefits from it," Mo Cijun said with a bitter smile. "Demon Cultivators who cultivate the Dao of Slaughter are the most numerous in the Northern Territory. The bottom-level Demon Cultivators will die, but the top-level Demon Cultivators will become stronger the more they kill. The Immortal Sect may win a tragic victory and then spend many years recuperating, but the Demon Cultivators will have harvested many new Demon Lords."

According to what Mo Cijun said, those Immortal Lords who self-destructed during the Xian Tai War were indeed self-sacrificing.

Although it killed more than eighty percent of the people.

But for the Demon Cultivators, it was a devastating blow.

It directly caused the other bottom-level Demon Cultivators to cower in the Northern Territory for thousands of years, not daring to show their faces.

Otherwise, the Xianyuan Continent would still be a scene of coexistence between Immortals and Demons today.

"Judging by your tone, you seem to be on the side of the Immortal Sect. You should also be considered an Immortal Sect Cultivator. Since that is the case, why do you let Wanbao Tower maintain a trading relationship with the Northern Territory?" Ruan Xing asked, puzzled.

Mo Cijun returned to his calm and indifferent expression and did not answer.

After a few seconds of silence, he said softly, "The people coming to pick us up are here."

Hearing this, Ruan Xing looked around.

Two Golden Core stage Demon Cultivators were walking toward them.

They stopped a few steps away from the two and bowed casually with some neglect: "Third Floor Master Mo, please."

Behind them were several Monster Beasts, over three meters tall and five meters long, resembling lizards.

They looked to be only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and on their backs, each carried a carriage that looked like a small house.

Mo Cijun smiled slightly warmly, not minding the two's attitude, and led Ruan Xing onto the carriage on the back of one of the Monster Beasts.

"Why raise this kind of Monster Beast? It's so ugly," Ruan Xing commented, then said to Mo Cijun with some dissatisfaction: "What is their cultivation and what is yours? You weren't this approachable when you were in the building. Can you tolerate this?"

Mo Cijun lowered his head and rubbed the handle of his fan with his thumb. "You misunderstood me."

"I have always been approachable when treating customers."

Ruan Xing was left speechless after hearing this.

She had originally wanted to take the opportunity to probe whether Mo Cijun was at the Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, or Return to Ruins stage, but the other party had lightly turned it back around.

It seemed so...

Except when he was inside the building, she had never seen him put on any airs; perhaps this was the basic quality of a businessman.

Back in Fengtian City, when Mo Cijun struck up a conversation with her through the auction, he was also excessively enthusiastic; at that time, she was only disguised as an ordinary female cultivator at the early Golden Core stage.

He would rather have no pride of a high-level cultivator just to ensure the smooth conclusion of this transaction.

Ruan Xing felt more and more that Mo Cijun had other intentions.

It was just that he refused to say.