Here Lies a Great Yao

Chapter 15: 15. A Great Yao is Hidden Here Too

On a wide platform, there were elegant small pavilions on the left and right sides.

Ning Xuan sat in the pavilion on the left, while the pavilion on the right held a dark-faced, plump man in fine clothes.

That plump man in fine clothes was the eldest son of the Wealthy Merchant Guild, named Liu Shirong.

The young lady who had previously delivered the Western Regions Spirit Pearl to Ning Xuan was his sister, Liu Yushu.

They were half-siblings; one was born a dark-skinned fatty, while the other was born a merchant's daughter who "fit the image of a young lady."

Of course, Liu Shirong also had a younger brother of similar age, his full brother—Liu Shihua.

The Wealthy Merchant Guild was neither huge nor tiny. Although its roots were in Star River County, its trade routes spanned several prefectures, even reaching the provincial capital and then the Western Regions. In the eyes of ordinary people, it was an insurmountable behemoth.

The Guild Master of the Wealthy Merchant Guild was not young. It was said that one year, while on a trade route, he accidentally entered a miasmic area and contracted a disease. Although he recovered later, the root of the illness remained, and his health declined year by year.

Therefore, the Wealthy Merchant Guild needed to consider the issue of succession early on.

And the heirs, by rights, were those three: Liu Shirong, Liu Shihua, and Liu Yushu.

As for the method of selecting an heir, it was mostly "testing their abilities." Specifically, it involved letting these three manage a portion of the family business each and seeing who could make a name for themselves before inheriting the guild.

However, the Wealthy Merchant Guild did not do things this way.

The heir to the Wealthy Merchant Guild had been decided long ago; it was the dark-skinned fatty before them.

Yet, this dark-skinned fatty was the most dissolute among the three. He indulged in eating, drinking, and entertainment, spending his days with other wealthy idlers, either feasting and visiting courtesans, hunting and riding, or engaging in beast fights and gambling. In short, he just had fun, playing everywhere.

In contrast, Liu Shihua and Liu Yushu were the ones truly managing the guild, worrying about various matters daily. Now, one had emerged as a sophisticated and mature young gentleman, while the other was an intelligent and charming lady, adept at socializing.

But the heir to the Wealthy Merchant Guild was not those two; it was this dark-skinned fatty.

In the eyes of outsiders, this dark-skinned fatty had merely brought his own rooster to a cockfight with the young master of the Ning family.

But in reality, this dark-skinned fatty had already become sworn brothers with the young master Ning.

He was a dissolute youth.

But he was a dissolute youth who operated at the highest levels.

He was the young guild leader. Although he didn't need to handle the day-to-day affairs, he needed to extend his protection over the entire guild, shielding it from calamities originating from above.

After all, no matter how chaotic things became below, at most, it would result in the loss of some silver or a batch of goods. But from above... even a single snowflake falling from a high place could be a weight unbearable for those below, a disaster that left no chance for recovery.

Therefore, this dark-skinned fatty, like a child scattering treasures, was busy making connections with influential people, befriending them.

And Ning Xuan was an important figure he was trying to befriend.

At this moment, the two sat in the pavilions, left and right, like marshals directing their troops. The "Golden Winged Thunder Duke" of the young master Ning and the "Iron Beak General" of the young master Liu were already in their cages, "flexing their claws."

Cockfighting was an addictive game. To use a phrase from Ning Xuan's previous life, it was probably a fusion of the fun of "catching pets, nurturing, and battling," comparable to the enjoyment of games like "Pokémon."

Liu Shirong exclaimed, "Young Master Ning, my Iron Beak General has returned from secret training and absolutely cannot lose to you again!"

Ning Xuan retorted, "Heh, my Golden Winged Thunder Duke undergoes secret training every day."

The lackeys on both sides stood behind, like soldiers cursing a city wall, engaging in a vigorous verbal spat.

The scene was incredibly lively.

The two young masters each took a sip of tea and other refreshments from the pavilions.

Liu Shirong pointed at Ning Xuan and declared, "I'm putting it out there today, if your Golden Winged Thunder Duke wins, I... I..."

Ning Xuan asked, "You what?"

Liu Shirong said, "I'll marry my sister to you!"

Ning Xuan burst into laughter, "You've got it all figured out, but I won't marry her!"

Liu Shirong said helplessly, "What's wrong with my sister? She has looks and ability. She could save you a lot of trouble at your home."

Ning Xuan replied, "Marriage is a serious matter, decided by parents and arranged by matchmakers. Liu Shirong, are you going to make your own decisions about your marriage?"

Liu Shirong cupped his hands, "Then... then we have to bet something, right? Otherwise, the fight won't be exciting. I, I'll bet my sister."

Seeing Ning Xuan remain silent, Liu Shirong changed his tune, "Forget it. If I lose, I'll give you two free cart slots on my guild's Western Regions route. Whether you want to send people or goods, those two slots are yours. You don't pay for the principal; the profits are yours, and the losses are on my Wealthy Merchant Guild."

Ning Xuan knew that the Western Regions route of the Wealthy Merchant Guild was a major line. Each departure carried forty to fifty carts of goods, and various expenses along the way were considerable. Giving him two slots was truly a great offer.

And with these two slots, he would essentially have an intelligence network to explore the Western Regions.

He knew too little about the outside world.

The existence of demons like the Mountain Crashing Bear and the Ghost Shadow Horse Monkey made him realize the importance of information.

He needed to have his own people who could bring him news from afar.

For instance, the "Ghost Shadow Horse Monkey," with its physique of 3.5, didn't seem as strong as him, but Ning Xuan had no intention of directly refining its essence.

There was only one Life. Since the Ghost Shadow Horse Monkey had already appeared, he naturally wanted to know as much as possible about its demonic arts, gather sufficient intelligence on it, and even kill a few himself before making a move.

After all, during his previous fierce battle with the Mountain Crashing Bear, he had learned that if he wanted to refine an essence, he had to face the strongest demon of that type in a nightmare.

Information was crucial.

He needed more information.

He couldn't gather information himself, so he began to consciously seek out "tentacles" to explore the outside world.

After all, for many years, although his father had doted on him and given him whatever he wanted, he had never intended to let him manage any forces.

He didn't understand why.

At this moment, Liu Shirong's proposal moved him.

With a myriad of thoughts flashing through his mind, Ning Xuan smiled and said, "If I want to go to the Western Regions, is that okay?"

Liu Shirong was taken aback and asked, "What are you going to the Western Regions for?"

Ning Xuan replied, "Just asking, is that okay?"

Liu Shirong said, "Of course, it's okay. It's just that you, Young Master Ning, have a precious life. If anything were to happen on the way, my merchant association couldn't bear such a great responsibility."

Ning Xuan smiled and said, "I'm just asking."

Then, he said, "If I lose, I'll give you that Purple Shadow horse. You've been coveting it for a long time, haven't you?"

Purple Shadow was the second-best horse under his command.

Liu Shirong said, "It's a deal!"

Ning Xuan said, "Open the cages!"

A guard in the center quickly entered with a bronze gong.

The cages on both sides were opened. The Golden Winged Thunder Duke flapped its wings with a crackling sound, as if a thunder god statue in a temple had come to life. The Iron Beak General's beak was still stained with blood from the previous day's fight. It was impatiently pawing the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Clang clang clang!

The guard struck the bronze gong.

The two birds immediately shot out like arrows, charging at each other and engaging in a fierce battle.

The lackeys ran over and began to cheer them on, shouting things like "Peck it, peck it," "Dodge, quick dodge," and "Thunder Duke, quickly attack its flank, attack its flank!"

Han Ba shivered.

Since they had slain that Bear Demon yesterday, their small team had been steadily advancing, and they had now basically confirmed the situation in the mountains.

The Bear Demons were all dead.

They had died horribly.

Bodies were piled up in stacks, with no survivors.

The Yellow Robe Daoist also had a solemn expression. He picked out two from the Bear Demon corpses: one, about ten feet tall, had its head blown off; the other was decapitated.

"If I'm not mistaken, these two were the strongest of this batch of demons. If either one of them had come out, we would have had to suffer at least half our casualties to defeat it. If they had appeared together, we would have had no choice but annihilation."

Han Ba said, "But they're both dead."

He carefully scanned all the dead Bear Demons.

He had already examined the wounds.

"They were all knife wounds. Although some were quite exaggerated, they were still knife wounds," Han Ba said. "Could it have been a martial artist?"

Before the Yellow Robe Daoist could speak, the Daoist Boy beside him was already amused.

"Old Han, this isn't someone with profound martial arts mastering some strange power. It's that demons have appeared who know martial arts."

"Demons who know martial arts." Han Ba couldn't help but shiver.

In his mind, there were three most terrifying aspects of demons: first, their formidable physique; second, their bizarre demonic arts; and third, their mysterious treasures.

And they could only rely on the mysterious powers of the True Persons to suppress and bind the demons, and then use various weapons to slay them.

Fortunately, the demons did not know martial arts and seemed unable to master the fine control of strength. Even if they did, it was just for show, the kind that would be slaughtered by him at the same power level.

But.

He looked at the wounds on the bodies of the dead Bear Demons on the ground.

Swift and domineering.

He then remembered the dying cry of the Bear Demon they had killed: "Save me, save me."

Han Ba felt a chill run down his spine. He turned his head to look at the Yellow Robe Daoist, his mouth dry, and said, "True Person."

The Yellow Robe Daoist said solemnly, "This might be an internal conflict among the demons, and here... there must be an even more terrifying Great Yao hidden."

Han Ba said with a choked voice, "What should we do?"

The Yellow Robe Daoist raised his hand and pointed, and a golden, transparent talisman appeared in the void.

He drew circles on the talisman in the air, and with a flick, the talisman burned and sank into the ground.

"Please, Celestial Master!"