The Realm of Demons

Chen Baiqing walked over to Steward Chen with a dark expression and yanked the stinking sock out of his mouth.

Steward Chen gasped for air, then burst into loud wails.

"Head Shopkeeper, you have to stand up for me! They're not human! They nearly killed me the whole way here!"

"Shut up!"

Chen Baiqing barked, his usually refined face twisted with rage.

"Chen Moshan, by seniority you're my uncle, a cousin to my father. Back then, when my father left home to study medicine, you looked after my grandmother in the old village. That debt of gratitude—both my father and I have always remembered it."

Steward Chen quickly said, "Head Shopkeeper, it's good you still remember that. We're family! How can my family's people be bullied by outsiders like this?"

"I treated you like family, but did you treat me the same?"

Chen Baiqing's face showed deep disappointment.

"All these years, I knew you had no real ability, yet I made you steward of Shenghe Hall and gave you no small amount of authority. I knew you were skimming money on the sly in Shenghe Hall, but I turned a blind eye, because you once did my father and me a favor. Your son Chen Gui has mediocre talent, yet I taught him everything I knew for over twenty years, until he became a Senior Pharmacist who could stand on his own. But this time? This trip to transport the Spiritual Medicine was a matter of Shenghe Hall's reputation! And the lives of all these workers! Chen Moshan, you can skim money, but you disregarded Shenghe Hall's reputation for your own selfish desires and nearly cost the lives of these workers who trusted me and followed me for years. You deserve to die!"

"Head Shopkeeper, let me explain..."

Steward Chen was truly panicked now and hurriedly tried to defend himself.

But Chen Baiqing didn't give him the chance. He waved his hand and had him tied up and taken away.

Han Zheng, Li Sancheng, and the others watched the spectacle, feeling quite satisfied. They didn't know how Chen Baiqing would deal with Steward Chen this time, but they were sure he wouldn't let him off lightly.

Chen Baiqing turned to Han Zheng and solemnly cupped his hands.

"Young Master Han, thank you all this time. If not for you, not only would these cartloads of Spiritual Medicine be lost, but even my workers wouldn't have made it. The fifty taels before was too little. I've prepared an extra hundred taels as a thank-you gift for each of you."

Hearing this, Han Zheng and the others' eyes lit up.

A man of honor!

Truth be told, having been entrusted with the task, Chen Baiqing wouldn't have been wrong not to give extra money. But he turned out to be quite generous, handing out a hundred taels each—more than the original payment.

"And Young Master Han, this time you turned the tide. Since we've brought in a large batch of Spiritual Medicine, I'll also prepare a custom medicinal bath for you free of charge as thanks."

"Shopkeeper Chen, you're too kind."

Han Zheng felt a surge of joy.

A hundred taels would only let him live a bit more comfortably, no longer worrying about meals. But a set of medicinal bath treatments could truly boost his current strength.

Li Sancheng and the others showed envious looks, but not jealousy. After all, they'd seen Han Zheng's performance the whole way—his fierce, life-risking strike against the Pig Demon, his decisive move to ally with Li Feng and take down Steward Chen, and his measured, dignified retreat when facing the Incense Cult. None of them could have pulled off any of that, so what was there to envy?

"I need to get these Spiritual Medicines back to Shenghe Hall for processing as soon as possible. Young Master Han, you all go rest now. These past days have truly been hard on you."

Chen Baiqing had someone bring out silver notes and hand them over, then went to direct Shenghe Hall's workers in transporting the Spiritual Medicine.

Li Feng walked over to Han Zheng and said quietly, "I'll go with the Head Shopkeeper to handle these Spiritual Medicines first. When I'm done, I'll come find you and tailor a medicinal bath for you."

Li Feng had seen Han Zheng's potential. Befriending a young martial artist like him was definitely the right move.

"Thanks," Han Zheng said, cupping his hands.

Having a Senior Pharmacist like Li Feng personally prepare a medicinal bath would certainly yield better results than off-the-shelf formulas.

The Shenghe Hall crew got to work, while Li Sancheng and the others, unable to stay awake any longer, headed home to rest and catch up on sleep. As the team leader, Han Zheng had to return to the martial arts school to report the whole trip to Li Jingzhong.

At the school, there seemed to be no classes today. The disciples were all training on their own.

Seeing Han Zheng return, they all looked at him with slightly curious gazes.

After all, none of them had yet completed their training, yet Han Zheng was already capable of escorting merchant caravans.

They were also curious about how much silver Han Zheng had earned on this trip and whether he had encountered any danger.

This was something they might face themselves in the future.

"Back? Any trouble on this trip?"

Li Jingzhong called Han Zheng into the inner hall and asked with a smile.

Han Zheng gave a bitter smile. "Trouble doesn't even cover it—I nearly died out there."

With that, Han Zheng recounted all the various events of the journey to Li Jingzhong.

Of course, he concealed the fact that he had improved through the Gluttonous Crucible, only saying that he had gained insight during battle, which had caused his strength to skyrocket.

After hearing this, Li Jingzhong sighed. "I haven't left the county town for a while myself. I didn't realize the world was getting harder and harder.

This trip of yours was truly perilous—you even ran into a Demon.

Still, you've turned misfortune into fortune and greatly increased your strength.

Opening two hundred and twenty Acupoints and eight Meridians, your current cultivation is no worse than Song Tianqing's or theirs."

"Your disciple was just lucky, thanks to the master's guidance.

By the way, master, do Demons also have cultivation realms? That Pig Demon I encountered was so powerful it was practically comparable to Houtian Late Stage."

Li Jingzhong nodded. "Martial artists have realm divisions, and Demons naturally do too, though not as detailed as martial artists'. They're mostly distinguished by race.

For example, among Houtian Demons, that Pig Demon was immensely strong. As long as it's a healthy adult, it can rival a Houtian Late Stage or Houtian Peak martial artist.

With a little training, it becomes an Innate Realm Demon.

But if a rabbit or mouse gains intelligence and becomes a Demon, its Houtian combat power isn't that great—at most, it can confuse ordinary people.

However, once a Demon crosses the Innate Realm, it's no ordinary Demon. It becomes a Great Demon comparable to a martial artist in the Profound Gang Realm.

Any Great Demon, regardless of its race, is no simple opponent.

Remember, a single Great Demon has the power to slaughter an entire city."

Han Zheng smiled bitterly. "I feel like human martial artists are at a huge disadvantage compared to Demons.

Even a low-level Demon like the Pig Demon reaches Houtian Peak as an adult, and with a little training, it's Innate.

But for a martial artist to return from Houtian to Innate, it might be impossible for a lifetime."

Li Jingzhong said, "Though Demons are strong, they're not truly invincible. The only advantage we human martial artists have is potential.

That Pig Demon reaches Houtian Peak as an adult, at most Innate Realm.

But even after a hundred or a thousand years, the vast majority of Pig Demons will stay at that realm for life; those who break through to Great Demon are as rare as phoenix feathers.

Human martial artists, however, are different. Who knows whether an ordinary low-level martial artist today might one day stand at the peak of martial arts?"

In truth, Li Jingzhong's words were also a bit of pep talk for Han Zheng.

Martial artists also valued bone structure and talent.

Some martial artists had very poor bone structure and talent, and likewise could never reach the Innate Realm in a lifetime.

But compared to Demons, who were bound by race and bloodline, human martial artists still had more potential in cultivation.

At this moment, Han Zheng suddenly thought of something and took out the Blood Fiend Saber Art he had obtained from the Pig Demon, handing it to Li Jingzhong.

"Master, after I killed that Pig Demon, I got a saber technique from it. I only skimmed it briefly, but it felt a bit off, so I wanted you to take a look and see if I can practice it."

Li Jingzhong took the saber manual, still carrying a strong smell of blood. The more he read, the more his brows furrowed.

After a long while, Li Jingzhong finally said, "This Blood Fiend Saber Art is a standard Demonic Cult Technique.

It requires condensing Killing Intent to enhance its power. Though it's only a Houtian-level saber art, if enough Killing Intent is gathered, its actual combat power can even rival Innate.

However, once Killing Intent enters the body, if you can't control it, it may affect your own state of mind. This is true for all Demonic Cult Techniques—they're fast and powerful, but the foundation is unstable.

So whether to practice it is up to you. If you do, you must control your mind and absolutely not be influenced by the Killing Intent."

Han Zheng nodded but had already decided to practice it.

He had considerable confidence in his own mental state.

What could be more sinister than the Gluttonous Crucible?

He had managed to control his mind even in the face of the Gluttonous Crucible's temptations, without sacrificing all his body parts—let alone a mere Houtian saber art like the Blood Fiend Saber Art.

"By the way, master, should we notify the yamen about the Incense Cult? After all, they've practically already appeared in Shannan Dao."

Li Jingzhong pondered for a moment. "We should indeed inform the yamen about this. When the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold. If Huainan Dao has been breached by the Incense Cult, we need to be on guard as well."

With that, Li Jingzhong called over a servant and sent him to report to the yamen.

About half an hour later, a man in his thirties, tall and lean, sharp and capable, wearing a black-and-red official uniform, stepped into the martial arts school.

Han Zheng looked up at this constable and instinctively felt a chill rise in his heart.

The man carried a fierce and icy aura. Though he tried hard to conceal it, Han Zheng could still sense traces of murderous intent leaking out.

Moreover, his killing intent was so overwhelming it could no longer be concealed—this man before them had certainly taken no small number of lives.

Wasn't the County Magistrate of Black Stone County supposed to be a useless waste? Weren't the local authorities weak and incompetent? How could there be an expert of this caliber here?

The County Constable instinctively glanced at Han Zheng.

His face was gaunt, his narrow eyes sharp and piercing, and a somewhat gruesome scar ran across his cheek.

With that single glance, Han Zheng felt as though he had been locked onto by a ferocious beast.

The County Constable turned his head, offering Li Jingzhong a seemingly amiable smile.

"Teacher, you're well, I trust? It's been a while since I last returned to the martial hall. The place has grown so much now—I truly miss those days when I followed you in practicing fists.

I came back a few days ago in a bit of a rush and didn't have time to visit you, Teacher. I hope you won't take offense."