He showed no sign of introducing himself or saying where he was from. Instead, he began probing Wei Zheng.
To his surprise, Wei Zheng froze at the question, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Humans and demons living together in peace?
How could that be possible? Apart from those few reckless men at court,
who could use their fists alone to force some members of the Demon Race to become their mounts,
Wei Zheng had never heard of humans and demons living together peacefully.
The fact that they could simply leave each other alone was already thanks to the strength of Great Tang, which kept the Demon Race from acting recklessly.
The Demon Race was uncivilized. If they spent too long around humans, trouble was bound to follow.
Even the usually loyal dog demons were no exception.
They were loyal only to their own masters. They would still bite anyone else.
Every year, the demon unrest across Great Tang left at least a thousand dead or injured.
"I'm afraid I don't know about that. If such a remarkable sight really exists, I'd like to go see it!
"By the way, Brother Bai, do you know if anyone in Qingshi Town is secretly collecting incense offerings?"
"What? Someone actually dares to collect incense offerings in secret? That's utterly disgraceful.
"But it seems you have other business to attend to, Brother Wei.
"I was presumptuous, Brother Wei. I'd thought we might explore together!"
A trace of surprise flickered through Bai Qianli's eyes, then he smiled.
The two chatted a little longer before Bai Qianli took his leave.
Wei Zheng watched Bai Qianli walk away, frowning as he pondered.
"Why did this man seek me out? Does it have anything to do with the incense offerings?
"And where did this rumor about humans and demons living together peacefully come from?"
Wei Zheng shook his head, banishing the absurd thought from his mind.
Humans and demons were born to despise each other. How could they possibly live together in peace?
Even in the Heavenly Court, human gods and demon immortals didn't get along.
There were very few humans and demons who could become friends.
Knock, knock, knock!
A black-clad guard hurried up and stopped in front of Wei Zheng.
"My lord, we've finished investigating. The Lone Wolf Gang in Qingshi Town does seem to be secretly collecting incense offerings.
"They've been extremely discreet, though. I've only managed to find a few suspicious locations.
"Also, Zhao Family Village, which falls under Qingshi Town, seems a little suspicious too!"
Wei Zheng frowned at this, displeasure flashing in his eyes.
"Suspicious is suspicious. What do you mean, 'a little suspicious'?"
"Well, my lord, the main thing is that Zhao Family Village really has been secretly using incense offerings in trade.
"But they're trading directly with the Demon Race, and they haven't even tried to hide it!"
The guard replied with an awkward expression. He had been baffled when he heard the news, too.
Humans were offering incense, hiring demons to farm,
and build irrigation works!
It was just absurd!
The guard had been dumbfounded when he first heard the news.
"Wait, did you say Zhao Family Village? Did you hear this from a man in white?"
"A man in white? No, my lord. I've been waiting down below for news the whole time.
"I haven't left for even a moment, and no man in white has come to this inn!"
"No? How could that be? He..."
Wei Zheng abruptly rose to his feet, his expression shifting.
He realized at once that Bai Qianli was no ordinary man.
"Did he deliberately lead me to Zhao Family Village, or does he have some other purpose?"
Wei Zheng slowly sat back down, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.
After pondering for a long while, Wei Zheng finally came to his senses and gave an order.
"Keep gathering evidence on the Lone Wolf Gang. I'm going to Zhao Family Village!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Outside Qingshi Town, a young man in white turned around, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"A Heavenly Court official, with all the signs of a high-ranking minister. How interesting, how interesting!"
At the entrance to Zhao Family Village, Seventh Princess Zhang Tianyu snapped her whip with a sharp crack.
"Shut your mouths, all of you! Anyone who wants work, gather over by that shed.
"Someone will explain the rules of Zhao Family Village to you, then hand you a wooden token.
"Remember, this token will be your proof when competing for jobs. If you lose it, you'll have to pay for a replacement!"
"Haha, Tian Yu, how are you holding up?"
Chen Fan watched Zhang Tianqing grit her teeth and laughed heartily.
Zhang Tianyu turned and glared fiercely at Chen Fan, gritting her teeth.
"You've got some nerve! These demons are so stupid they can't remember the simplest things.
"I'm about to lose my mind. Couldn't you find some people who can read, write, and do arithmetic to help out?"
"Hahaha, take it slow. You can't rush this kind of thing!"
Chen Fan laughed awkwardly. Zhao Family Village was only so big.
If those demons hadn't brought their own food, he couldn't have afforded to keep the project running.
And it wasn't as if he hadn't tried hiring people.
Every one of those scholars and licentiates had either fallen ill or gotten injured when they heard the job was in Zhao Family Village.
By now, everyone in Qingshi Town knew that Zhao Family Village was practically a demon den.
Even now, Scholar Dong was the only one who had come.
Not a single other person dared.
"Um, I'm Bai Qianli. I heard you're hiring?"
The Human Dao Pure Radiance, and Bai Qianli's Shock
Outside Zhao Family Village, a figure in white stood watching.
On all four sides of the village, a turtle demon was digging a ditch and directing water through it.
By Clear Water River, several River Demons were pushing silt onto the scales.
Half the fields had already been planted with seedlings, making them a lush green.
In the other half, pig and ox demons had taken on their original forms and were straining to pull the plows.
"How did you manage this? Human Dao incense offerings alone couldn't accomplish something like this!"
Bai Qianli's gaze shifted, his eyes shining with hope.
On an open patch of ground stood an offering table and Incense Altar.
The incense drifting from the table looked to have been burning for at least a hundred years.
At that moment, an Ox-Head demon stood obediently in front of the table.
The Heavenly Court's Fifth Princess, Zhang Tianxian, held out her fair hand toward the Ox Demon and spoke evenly.
"Token!"
Hearing the lifeless tone in Zhang Tianxian's voice, the Ox Demon gave a simple-minded smile and handed her a wooden token.
Zhang Tianxian took the token and checked the number on it.
Then she quickly flipped through the ledger in front of her and soon found the entry.
"Number twenty-seven, Niu Acai. Three hundred and twenty mu of farmland. You've drawn twenty, with twelve remaining.
"The amount checks out. How much are you drawing this time?"
Niu Acai nodded repeatedly and answered in a muffled voice.
"That's right. I'll draw it all. Sorry for the trouble, Fifth Steward!"
Before you continue