The Vegetable Demon Cult, All Preparations Complete

The more chaotic the times, the better the Black Market's business became.

Li Cunxiao, covering the Demon Meat in his arms with his left hand, strode across the long street.

There were people selling slaves, weapons, and secret manuals. In cages, there were even pregnant women. Stall owners nearby shouted loudly:

"Nine months pregnant, fresh Purple River Child available! First come, first served!"

He frowned, quickening his pace. But a gaze fell upon him from behind.

"Isn't that the guy who often buys meat from my stall?"

Sha Ping still looked lazy, haggling with customers here and there while subtly casting his eyes over.

He was an old hand who had achieved Blood Qi Perfection years ago. Although his future was long hopeless, his ability to read people was extraordinary, honed by years of fighting and hunting demons in the mountains.

He hadn't seen Li Cunxiao's face, but he could easily recognize details like his height and gait. This was the second time he'd seen Li Cunxiao leaving the Chai Gang's shop.

Last time, he returned empty-handed. This time, it seemed he had a haul?

A fat sheep?

People like them, who lived in the underworld, acted as stall owners when they couldn't fight, and bandits when they could.

Why bother hunting themselves? It was much more convenient to source from their peers!

However, his gaze had only rested on Li Cunxiao for a few breaths before the latter suddenly turned around as if pricked by a needle, his eyes staring directly at him. Sha Ping was startled and quickly turned his head back, focusing on haggling with the customer.

After the customer had bought everything, Sha Ping felt the gaze disappear for a good while before he finally looked up and let out a low sigh.

"Damn, he's quite intimidating. He can sense a gaze, so he's at least on my level."

"Forget it, there are plenty of opportunities for profit. I, Old Sha, won't take on jobs I'm not confident about."

Demon Meat had always been popular in the Black Market, and recently, business had become even more explosive. In less than half an hour of setting up his stall, Sha Ping was already packing his empty bag, preparing to leave.

But as he neared the exit, for some reason, he thought of Li Cunxiao's fierce eyes again. As if possessed, he changed his route to a smaller alley.

What if that guy was vengeful? It wouldn't be good to be ambushed.

The crescent moon was like a hook, with only specks of clear moonlight seeping into the alley.

Sha Ping cautiously slipped out of the alley, confirming no one was lying in ambush or following him. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and hurry outside.

But after only a few steps, his body suddenly stiffened, and the twin sabers at his waist were already drawn.

The shadows of the houses twisted and expanded, and several figures emerged from them. Sha Ping's eyeballs darted around.

"Gentlemen, I'm just passing through."

He wanted to say a few more words to stall for time, but he suddenly felt a pat on his shoulder.

Damn it!

His Blood Qi instantly surged, and his gaunt body bulged by a size. Sha Ping's killing intent flared, and his twin sabers slashed backward with lightning speed—

Clang, clang.

Two light sounds, and his sharp steel sabers felt like they had hit iron plates, making his hands go numb.

"Naughty"

A low voice reached his ears. Sha Ping suddenly felt his neck being gripped, and the next moment, he lost consciousness completely.

When he woke up again and opened his eyes, the oil lamp in the narrow room flickered. The sight of people dressed entirely in white with black hats made his scalp tingle.

"Ming Cult?! You guys aren't... Sirs, I have no quarrel with you!"

Sha Ping's eyes were filled with terror. Although he changed his words before they were spoken, someone in the group still heard his meaning and snorted coldly:

"You mean, we weren't arrested by that corrupt official Murong, so how dare we come to Chuqiu City?"

"Sooner or later, we'll kill that dog thief as a sacrifice!"

"Exactly!"

Seeing the group's gazes turn unfriendly, Sha Ping suddenly heard a familiar voice in his ear:

"If there is an Enlightened Envoy, who appears in the world, teaching all beings, and freeing them from all suffering, my brothers and sisters, please be patient. The sacred fire of light will eventually sweep through this city."

"However, before the Altar Master arrives, everyone must wait patiently."

The man speaking clearly had considerable prestige. The group respectfully called him "Incense Master" and quieted down obediently.

But Sha Ping looked at the two cuts on the sides of the waist of his plain hemp cloth clothing and instantly recognized him as the person who had captured him like catching a chicken.

"Don't be afraid, benefactor," the man stepped out of the shadows, revealing six scar marks on his bald head. He smiled warmly, but it sent a chill down Sha Ping's spine.

"We just want to ask you some things, about the Black Market, about the Chai Gang..."

"If you answer honestly, perhaps you can become one of our brothers and sisters."

"Strange, it didn't bite?"

Li Cunxiao, still disguised as a dark-skinned person, was stealthily hiding in a ruin near the Black Market exit.

The view from here perfectly covered all the small paths leading out of the exit.

"No wonder they can only sell meat at stalls if they don't catch any fat sheep."

Li Cunxiao waited for a quarter of an hour but no one showed up. He guessed the other party had given up. Although he regretted not being able to charge the Vajra Scepter a bit more, he still had to collect his scattered poison darts, flying stones, and quicklime before quickly leaving.

Martial Artists at Blood Qi Perfection, due to their full essence and abundant Qi, also had sharper senses, though the effect wasn't exaggerated yet.

More importantly, after Li Cunxiao began practicing Visualization, he gradually discovered that his perception was slowly strengthening.

Therefore, when Sha Ping's ill-intentioned gaze fell upon him, Li Cunxiao immediately noticed. Seeing it was an acquaintance who usually sold meat, he felt a desire to repay the favor and waited at the Black Market exit.

He just hadn't expected the other party to be an old hand as well. He figured they had weighed the risks and decided it was too great, so they gave up.

But Li Cunxiao wasn't one to give up easily. He had already made up his mind that once he reached the Muscle and Tendon Realm, he would come back to patronize the stall owner and share some good fortune.

Sha Ping: "I thank you very much."

The night watchman struck the third watch drum. Amidst the sound of the clapper, Li Cunxiao returned to his own courtyard.

He closed the doors and windows and nervously took out the Demon Meat worth seven hundred taels.

The oil lamp was lit, and a large yellow halo of light spread out, illuminating the fresh red meat with an enticing sheen. Li Cunxiao watched, his throat involuntarily bobbing.

A strange fishy smell and fragrance simultaneously assaulted his nostrils. In the confined small room, Li Cunxiao more clearly perceived that the meat's own scent had a saliva-inducing effect.

As he leaned closer and inhaled the mixed scents, a hollow, hungry feeling immediately surged in his stomach, and his mouth began to secrete a large amount of saliva, making him unable to resist picking up a knife, cutting off a piece of raw meat, and throwing it into his mouth.

The Vajra Scepter flickered slightly.

"Is the Malevolent Qi already overflowing?"

Li Cunxiao was startled. The Malevolent Qi in this meat was more than he had ever seen. It was so abundant that it would subtly affect people even if they didn't eat it. Although the influence was extremely weak and it was easy to suppress the urge to eat, it was on a completely different level compared to what he had encountered before.

Good!

Others feared Malevolent Qi like the plague, but for him, the more the better!

Not wanting to make too much noise by cooking late at night, Li Cunxiao only made a small bonfire and sliced the Demon Meat thinly, skewering it on wooden sticks to roast.

Flames licked the raw meat, a layer of oil seeping to the surface. A fishy stench mixed with a strange fragrance entered his nostrils. Suppressing his saliva, Li Cunxiao simply sprinkled some salt. When the meat skewers cooled slightly, he opened his mouth wide and shoved them in.

The meat from this unknown Second Order Demon had a slight sweet aftertaste. The fishy smell faded as he chewed, while the fragrance grew stronger.

Following this, a scorching hot current traveled through his blood vessels, and Li Cunxiao, without realizing it, began to sweat profusely. His skin had turned red, and under the firelight, his sweat reflected a warm glow, creating a stark contrast with his thick, dark veins.

His eyes had turned blood-red at some point, his breathing becoming heavier, the madness in his gaze breaking through the bounds of restraint, and killing intent gradually surged into his heart.

Li Cunxiao thought of the high-and-mighty rich households, of his own two brothers enduring hunger, of the dazzling gold and silver, the warm jade, of beautiful girls' smooth, tender bosoms...

Kill, kill, kill!

Rape, rape, rape!

The Vajra Scepter timely released a cool stream of energy. Li Cunxiao shivered violently and found his carrot-thick fingers resting on the door, the bolt already half-pulled open. He instantly felt a wave of fear.

If not for the treasure protecting his mind, he would have already rushed out to kill indiscriminately, only to be wiped out by the County Yamen when they arrived.

"How many people in this world, like me, want to improve but don't have the Vajra Scepter to protect them?"

"How many of the myriad demons in this world are always on the verge of stepping beyond the confines of the human heart?"

Li Cunxiao felt a sense of relief again, but the matter at hand was not this.

Relying on the Second Order Demon Meat, the Vajra Scepter's light grew rapidly after a long absence. Compared to the Demon Meat he had eaten before, the charging speed was almost five to six times faster, like filling a balloon with a gas gun, visibly expanding.

Li Cunxiao was overjoyed and quickly picked up his knife to cut more meat for skewers, but this time, he could only eat a little over four taels, less than half a jin, before his stomach was completely full.

The abundant Blood Qi felt like it was stretching his skin, and the vigorous, pent-up energy surged into his limbs. His entire body felt stiff, and even standing meditation or punching couldn't dissipate much of it. He felt like a "wooden" block.

Fortunately, the results were gratifying. This nearly half a jin of Demon Meat had increased the Vajra Scepter's charge by a full tenth. In other words, if Li Cunxiao could eat a jin a day, it would be fully charged again in five days.

"Unfortunately, my body can't handle it. The Vajra Scepter helped me digest the Malevolent Qi, but the Blood Qi is from a Second Order Demon. Flesh and blood of this level is simply not something a Martial Artist at Blood Qi Perfection can endure."

"However, breaking through in ten days is still very fast. According to Zhang Yuelu, she prepared for two to three months to increase her chances, and Ye Chengxiao only obtained the Demon Seduction Method about ten days before me."

"From now on, I just need to proceed step by step and wait for the results."

In the following days, Li Cunxiao's life became exceptionally regular.

During the day, he read in the storeroom, occasionally guiding Qin Yu and He Bi. When he returned home, he consumed Demon Meat and, every three days, practiced the Tiger Demon Visualization Method. The next day, he visited the Escort Agency under the guise of reporting work to seek clarification from Zhang Lishi.

During these days, although Mucha's public identity remained that of a pageboy, his comings and goings to the manor became much freer. Almost every day after his studies were finished, he would carry his schoolbag to find Li Cunxiao.

Mucha was intelligent and quick-witted, progressing rapidly in his studies and calligraphy, even gradually surpassing Li Cunxiao, who had only attended private school for one year.

The latter was not ashamed to ask questions. When he encountered unfamiliar words or concepts while reading, he simply asked Mucha to inquire on his behalf with the tutor at the Zhang Manor.

Thus, the two brothers learned from each other, and this feeling of being a "little teacher" was more interesting to Mucha than watching acrobatics or eating tanghulu. Therefore, after school each day, he simply went to another place to continue his studies.

Such diligent behavior reached the manor, and Zhang Que'er's days became difficult. Moreover, during these days, Zhang Yuelu and Zhang Lishi, father and daughter, seemed busy with something and couldn't pay attention to her. Zhang Que'er could only endure everything silently, her baby-fat cheeks turning into a bitter gourd face.

"The Chief Escort and Third Lady..."

Li Cunxiao guessed as his younger brother chatted about the gossip at the manor.

It was likely that Zhang Yuelu had prepared sufficiently and was about to break through to the Muscle and Tendon Realm.

Mucha was eating preserved fruit when he casually saw the book in his elder brother's hand and subconsciously read out the title:

"Traveler Monk's Journal? Brother, what is this book about?"

"It's about the eminent monks from temples wandering around and writing down what they see."

Li Cunxiao smiled and patted his younger brother's head. Two months after entering the Zhang Manor, Mucha had grown quickly, his small face filling out and becoming even more handsome and refined.

If the world hadn't fallen into chaos, Mucha might have even passed the imperial examinations. It was a shame...

His gaze fell upon the book in his hand, his eyes darkening with emotion.

This Traveler Monk's Journal recorded a profoundly influential event.

The Huichang Buddhist Persecution, Emperor Wuzong's suppression of Buddhism.

Since Emperor Taizong established the nation, the royal family had always prioritized Taoism over Buddhism, with many imperial relatives even becoming monks and registering with Taoist sects.

However, Taoism pursued immortality through elixirs and mercury, with cinnabar and mercury each costing a fortune, making it inaccessible to the common folk.

In contrast, Buddhism preached that anyone could attain Buddhahood, opening its doors wide, and quickly gaining followers across the land.

During Empress Wu's reign, supporters of Buddhism's Pure Land Sect even rallied behind her. Even the Ming Cult, which Murong Bai had recently wiped out, was originally a foreign religion that took advantage of that period to blend its scriptures with Buddhism and rise to prominence.

This momentum was not curbed even after Emperor Xuanzong rectified the situation. After the Esoteric Buddhism's Three Great Bodhisattvas rose to high positions, the people's devotion to Buddhism intensified, even leading to extreme acts of self-mutilation in worship.

Burning the crown of the head, searing fingers, cutting off limbs, and scattering money – people imitated each other. The story of Third Prince Nezha, who returned his bones to his father and flesh to his mother, began to spread widely during this time.

However, things reach their peak and then decline. By Emperor Wuzong's reign, the chaos of the military governorates had already emerged, and the national treasury was empty.

The sage emperor was furious and initiated a great suppression of Buddhism in the fifth year of Huichang. In an instant, the Three Jewels suffered, temples were destroyed, and golden statues were cast down.

It was said that the battles fought during that time caused mountains to collapse and rivers to reverse their flow. On the sites of some temples, enormous palm prints, like craters left by falling meteors, can still be found.

With the decline of Buddhism, a large number of martial arts legacies flowed into various regions. The Minor Yaksha Saber Art, which Zhang Lishi used to gain fame, likely had some connection to this event if its origins were traced back.

"Both Taoism and Buddhism speak of demon subjugation. I wonder if those ancient sects, with centuries of tradition, have methods to suppress Malevolent Qi?"

"Otherwise, if even the Golden Immortal Buddha and his disciples have the hearts of demons, then this world is truly too absurd..."

Li Cunxiao flipped through the pages, the more he read, the more he could feel the undercurrents and hidden storms beneath the declining dynasty.

Once the dynasty fell, he feared that in addition to demons, human demons would also wreak havoc upon the populace. The tragedy of people devouring each other was imminent; in this turbulent era, no one could escape.

Several more days passed. With Li Cunxiao's efforts, the golden light on the Vajra Scepter was nearing fullness, and his Tiger Demon Visualization Method was also very proficient. Even when consuming Tiger Worms to enter the visualization state, he could control the surging Blood Qi.

Just then, the Flying Tiger Escort Agency received exciting news that invigorated everyone.

The Chief Escort's wife, Zhang Yuelu, had advanced to the Second Realm of Muscle and Tendon.

Friends, this book has entered its third round of recommendations. Thank you all for your support!

If possible, please continue to follow and vote. I don't dare to hope for the Sanjiang recommendation, but the fourth round is still achievable. The author currently has a considerable backlog of manuscripts, and I aim to release 10,000 words a day for a month after it goes on sale, so you can enjoy it to your heart's content!

Also, updating only one chapter daily seems to affect exposure. To push for recommendations, starting tomorrow, we will revert to two updates a day, one at 1 PM and another at 7 PM. The total daily word count will still be 4,000 words, no less.

Although the recommendation cycle is short, its glory will last forever. This glory, I, Old Cat, will never hoard for myself alone. Loyalty! Loyalty!