About the time it took to drink a cup of tea later.
The cultist returned and handed Fang Yang a brand-new booklet, along with some little toys that Spring Passion Hall had just developed.
And some pills that could boost male virility.
Apparently, they cost a pretty penny.
Many great lineages were scrambling to buy them.
"Heh, would I ever use something like this?"
Fang Yang's face was full of disdain.
He casually took out a pill and popped it into his mouth.
Then he picked up the booklet and started leafing through it.
That's it?!
You can do that too?!
And this?!
Having been baptized in the information of a later age, he was rather dismissive at first.
But before he had turned even two pages, he was utterly astounded.
Spring Passion Hall certainly lived up to its name. Professionals were professionals, and even he found it an eye-opening experience.
He had quite forgotten that this was a world of cultivation.
Many positions that had been impossible in his previous life could be performed effortlessly here.
After he finished leafing through the entire booklet.
He drew a deep breath, turned back to the first page, and began studying it carefully.
"Princess Consort, tonight I'll show you the power of learning."
Inside a hidden cave within the Demon Cult.
Chill winds gusted, and candle flames swayed.
The candlelight stretched four sinister shadows long.
They belonged to four people in black robes, each possessing considerable strength.
They had come from different corners of the Demon Cult.
Even after entering the cave, they showed no intention of lowering their guard.
Instead, they scrutinized one another for a long while, confirming that nothing was amiss with the others' auras.
Only then did they pull back the black hoods covering their heads.
Revealing faces that flickered between light and shadow.
The four consisted of three men and one woman.
One was a middle-aged swordsman, short, with a drooping mustache and triangular eyes, exuding a lecherous, sinister air.
Another was an old man who looked like a candle guttering in the wind, his face as dry and shriveled as tree bark, a necklace strung from human bones hanging around his neck.
The remaining man and woman were clearly husband and wife. The husband looked exceedingly attentive; ever since entering the cave, he had been wiping down his wife's chair and kneading her shoulders.
His wife smiled, a faintly seductive look on her face, her slender waist swaying gently like a water snake.
Every twist could draw the eyes of countless men.
Ever since she sat down.
She had been casting coy glances at the others, her toned legs straight and graceful.
The lecherous swordsman's eyes immediately lit up.
He was about to take another look when her husband blocked his view.
"Enough. We came here today for one thing alone: to kill that fiend. Everything else can wait."
The old man spoke in a hoarse voice.
The white bone necklace around his neck creaked and grated, sounding like the wails of evil ghosts.
"Exactly. This is of utmost importance. That fiend has humiliated us for years. Now that he's been in seclusion for a month, there's a good chance his cultivation has gone berserk. Only by killing him can we purge the hatred in our hearts."
The husband ground his teeth.
The lecherous swordsman stole a glance at the voluptuous young wife and noticed that she seemed to be looking his way.
He immediately perked up.
"As long as we confirm that the fiend is gravely injured, I can strike first. Though I haven't entered the Dharmakaya Realm all these years, I've honed my Ghost Shadow Sword to blazing perfection. I guarantee I can slice him up for three days and three nights while keeping him conscious."
"My White Bone Divine Art has also reached full mastery. Once we know the fiend is injured, I can lay down the White Bone Formation and flay his skin and tear out his sinews."
The old man spoke coldly.
"I may not have this divine art or that divine art like you two, but I'm very good at killing. If the fiend's meridians are all severed, I'll kill him without fail."
The husband snorted coldly, staring hard at the lecherous man, while his wife, the young woman, giggled.
"I don't care for fighting and killing. But... my Soul-Hooking Tune can certainly hook a soul."
"..."
The four each spoke of their signature skills, their words brimming with pride.
They even began discussing how to take control of the Demon Cult after killing the fiend, and how to open the Demon Cult's treasure vault...
The discussion grew heated.
Until...
The old man frowned.
"Then who will go to the Demon Venerable Pavilion to find out whether that fiend is
"gravely injured?"
"..."
The cave instantly fell deathly silent.
Chapter 13: Subcontracting, Layer by Layer
"..."
The lamplight swayed.
The four sat inside the cave.
Eyes lowered to their noses, noses pointed toward their hearts, every last one of them silent.
It was as though their earlier enthusiasm had been nothing but an illusion, as though none of it had ever happened.
It couldn't be helped. If the fiend was gravely injured, they would simply be collecting his head. Whoever killed him would gain unprecedented prestige, along with a wealth of handsome rewards.
But if he wasn't gravely injured, going there would be deliberately offering up their own heads.
Thus, finding out the fiend's true condition became an exceptionally dangerous undertaking.
Talking big was fine.
You want me to actually do it?
Isn't that just asking me to die?
"None of you are willing to go?"
The old man wearing the human-bone necklace spoke hoarsely.
"Whoever is willing to probe him can take an extra twenty percent of the treasure after we kill the Demon Venerable."
"..."
No one made a sound.
"I'm willing to give up my own share as well."
"..."
Still, no one made a sound.
Instead, the lecherous swordsman sneered.
"The treasure is certainly tempting, but don't forget: we're all members of the Demon Cult. The Demon Cult's traditions are shameless treachery and infighting, and we're the cream of the crop. Who do you think would trust a despicable Demon Cultist?"
"..."
A speech delivered with righteous conviction.
It made far too much sense, leaving everyone speechless.
It was the Demon Cult, after all...
Best not to set the bar for morality too high.
And so, they remained stuck in an awkward impasse.
After a long while, the beautiful young wife finally giggled and, with a wave of her hand, pulled her husband aside.
Swaying gracefully, she walked step by step toward the lecherous swordsman.
She bent at the waist.
Peaks clustered together; waves surged in fury.
A faint, delicate fragrance drifted into the lecherous swordsman's nose.
His eyes lit up.
For a swordsman, what mattered was the keenness of his eyes.
And as a top-tier swordsman, his eyesight was naturally exceptional.
Before you continue