Chapter 404: Who

"A thousand‑gold? Lord Dai, you really think highly of me— even after eight lifetimes of cultivating blessings, I could never produce a thousand‑gold like a Hundred‑Household!"

Wei Yuan couldn't help but laugh.

Looking at Dai Zhishang's demeanor, he knew he had taken a fancy to Yu Die; before arriving, Dai Zhishang kept sneaking glances at Yu Die.

It wasn't just him—Yu Die herself had probably noticed, but she concealed it well, and Dai Zhishang still thought he hadn't been discovered.

Wei Yuan reminded, "She's a Hundred‑Household of the Demon‑Subduing Office; Yu Die is a Hundred‑Household, and she came down from the Capital City!"

Dai Zhishang, the lecherous hungry‑ghost figure, was known throughout Qingyang County Seat—no one didn't know him.

Especially since Dai Zhishang was ravaged by a female demon, and it's said he wasn't just ravaged once; even that thing was ruined, cementing his reputation as a lecherous hungry‑ghost.

If Dai Zhishang were allowed to flirt with Yu Die, there's no need to think—this depraved brat would certainly offend Yu Die, and conflict would arise easily.

He.

Perhaps there'll be another good show to watch!

Only.

That thought lingered in his mind only a few seconds before he dispelled it himself; although he looked down on a playboy like Dai Zhishang, Yu Die was still a scion of a noble family.

Even though the Dai family isn't a particularly powerful clan, who can deny that this dog has a good younger brother.

The closed‑door disciple of the senior elder of the Nine Heavens Sword Sect, possessing Dai Tianli's Primordial Sword Body talent, only needs time for Dai Tianli to mature, given abundant cultivation resources.

If he has ambitions for the sect's head position, we can't say he's 100 % the next or the one after, but at least there's a sixty‑percent or higher chance.

To become the head of the Nine Heavens Sword Sect!

One must know that within the Nine Heavens Sword Sect, the overwhelming majority are prodigies; they practice "better to lack than to have excess," unlike Ziyang Palace which accepts anyone unless they possess a special talent—like Dai Tianli's Primordial Sword Body.

Of course.

It doesn't necessarily require a Primordial Sword Body; after all, innate bodies are the topmost constitutions, and the sword body ranks among the very best of all physiques, especially within the Nine Heavens Sword Sect—it's the number one… even if not number one, it's among the top three.

Aside from extraordinary talents or constitutions that allow direct entry, everyone else—even those connected to the Nine Heavens Sword Sect—must pass the sect's examination to qualify for cultivation there, and it's said the exam occurs once a year.

If one fails the exam for several consecutive years, they'll be urged to leave.

Under all these conditions, anyone who can establish themselves in the Nine Heavens Sword Sect is a sword‑path prodigy or a prodigy in another field; yet even such geniuses have virtually no chance—certainly not a fifty‑percent chance, perhaps not even one in a thousand or one in ten thousand—to become the sect's head.

Dai Tianli's sixty‑percent or greater talent alone illustrates how terrifying he is.

In Qingyang County, the Dai family produced a monster like Dai Tianli; even if the Dai family were just an ordinary household, having Dai Tianli's backing would make the Dai clan a family of some renown throughout the entire prefecture—no, the Prefecture Capital—no, the whole Daxia.

Dai Zhishang is Dai Tianli's older brother, a full brother—same father and mother—so even if he despises Dai Zhishang, he could never deliberately mock him.

He has no conflict with the Dai family and doesn't want to invite trouble for himself. "Yu Die, the Hundred‑Household?"

Dai Zhishang was startled; he is indeed a playboy, but he knows the reputation of the Demon‑Subduing Office. He originally had some feelings for Yu Die, but after Wei Yuan's introduction, that small feeling scattered like a startled beast, and he asked in astonishment:

"Wei County Magistrate, you say she's a Hundred‑Household of the Demon‑Subduing Office and came down from the Capital City; our Qingyang County has no major incidents—why would we need a Hundred‑Household to come here? Could it be, could it be…"

He is lecherous—no, he isn't lecherous; he simply appreciates beauty. With attractive people he believes it should be consensual, never coercive. Yet there's a certain type of person, even with mutual consent, he wouldn't—no, to be precise, he lacks the courage.

Exactly someone like Yu Die—who has status, background, and ability.

Demon‑Subduing Office, Hundred‑Household, came down from the Capital City.

Regardless of which, it shows Yu Die is extraordinary; the three conditions together sufficiently illustrate her terrifying nature.

He wouldn't dare be audaciously lecherous and provoke Yu Die, bringing trouble onto himself.

Perhaps.

Another possibility is that when faced with his peacock‑display, Yu Die not only doesn't loathe him but admires his charm, ignoring his playboy reputation, and would only refuse to marry someone else…

That would make him even more frightened!

He considers himself a lover‑boy, destined to nap in the bustling mortal world his whole life; his greatest dream is to die beneath a pomegranate‑skirt, yet he doesn't want to walk into the tomb of marriage. If he were to marry Yu Die or a woman like her, then in this life, if he dared to flirt again, his legs would probably be broken.

This novel you…

Wei Yuan asked curiously, "Lord Dai, when you keep shouting 'Could it be, could it be', what exactly could it be?"

"Wei County Magistrate, do you truly not understand, or are you just pretending not to understand!"

Dai Zhishang snorted, seeing Wei Yuan's face full of curiosity, clearly not grasping his words, and whispered, "Our Qingyang County just produced a Top Scholar, didn't it? This Hundred‑Household Yu Die came from the Capital City; could she possibly be a relative of Prince Chong's Top Scholar?"

"Lord Dai, you're right; this Hundred‑Household indeed came from the Capital City, perhaps she truly is a relative of Prince Chong's Top Scholar!"

Wei Yuan said seriously, "But from your tone, Lord Dai, it seems you're quite worried about the Top Scholar's relatives."

Although he said that, he actually knew Yu Die would appear in their Qingyang County merely by chance, not specifically as a relative of Prince Chong's Top Scholar.

"Wei County Magistrate, I would worry about the Top Scholar's relatives—what's so strange about that?"

Dai Zhishang's face brightened, seeing Wei Yuan's curiosity, and he explained, "The Top Scholar's relatives have saved my life; I'm not ungrateful, so how could I not care about them?"

"I'm being foolish, I'd forgotten—Lord Dai, you do have this connection with the Top Scholar's relatives!"

Wei Yuan's teasing smile was barely concealed as he said, "Honestly, Lord Dai, your arrival is quite coincidental. Do you know what relation the Top Scholar has with this household?"

If Dai Zhishang hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten that the Top Scholar's family saved Dai Zhishang's life; when that story spread through Qingyun County City, people were most curious about why Dai Zhishang fell into the river.

According to some obscure rumor, Dai Zhishang fell into the river because a female demon devoured him completely; the demon was satisfied with Dai Zhishang's technique, so she didn't eat him on the spot.

(End of Chapter)