Chương 41: Heading to Xiangshi City

Old Xu was momentarily stunned. He fell silent. He hadn't expected that even bringing up the primordial beast Xuan Ming wouldn't scare Fang Cheng off. This kid was still pressing him about the demon.

"City God, if you want to know about the demon, go ask the dead Zhang Ruilin. I'm just a Guardian. I know nothing." Old Xu replied with a chuckle. With the Heavenly Jade Emperor's Token at his side, he wasn't afraid of Fang Cheng making a move. Fang Cheng indeed didn't dare to act, but he could still pick apart Old Xu's words logically.

"Old Xu, you're from the celestial realm. How could Zhang Ruilin's demon-summoning formation escape your notice?" Old Xu shook his head.

"I did see Zhang Ruilin setting up the formation. But I thought it was just an ordinary blood-sacrifice array, something you and the Underworld Officer could handle. So I didn't intervene."

"You thought? Are you trying to fool an idiot?" Fang Cheng sneered.

"Would a celestial immortal really fail to recognize a formation built by some ordinary cultivator?" Old Xu explained, "That's perfectly normal. I'm not skilled in formations. And I'm just a small figure in the celestial realm. I've never been to the outer heavens. How would I recognize a Heavenly Demon's formation?"

"Fine. Let's assume everything you just said is true." Fang Cheng dropped the formation topic and continued his interrogation.

"I came to see you before. Why didn't you tell me about Zhang Ruilin's crimes? Even if you didn't want to reveal your identity, you could have hinted. But you didn't. You just talked nonsense and mumbled incoherently." Old Xu chuckled.

"I was drunk that day. It's normal to talk nonsense when you're drunk." Fang Cheng retorted, "A celestial immortal getting drunk on ordinary wine? Old Xu, can you stop treating me like an idiot?" Old Xu smiled and explained, "City God, you saw the primordial beast Xuan Ming in the marsh. You must have felt its resentment as well. The higher a being's cultivation, the more severely it's affected. To resist its interference, I remain in a mortal state most of the time. Mortals drink mortal wine.

Getting drunk is only natural."

"What do you mean by 'mortal state'?" Fang Cheng frowned. Old Xu smiled.

"Thoughts rise and fall with the mind. When my mind is empty, I am but a mortal. When it turns toward the immortals and buddhas, I become what mortals call an immortal or buddha. That is my Dao. Do you understand, City God?" Fang Cheng complained, "What the hell are you talking about? All this vague, mystical nonsense. Can't you just speak plainly?"

"City God, I didn't expect that as an Inheritance Bestower of the Violet Star Emperor, you wouldn't even know what the Dao is." Old Xu shook his head with a sigh, then explained, "Below the immortal realm, cultivation focuses on the body. Above the immortal realm, cultivation focuses on the mind. Where there is desire, there is Dao. When desire reaches its extreme, the Dao connects to heaven, reaching the level of immortals and buddhas.

But when I suppress that desire, I plummet back down and become no different from an ordinary person..." The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Fang Cheng waved his hand, cutting him off.

"Cultivation levels don't just jump up and down like that. What do you think this is, bungee jumping?"

"Sigh..." Old Xu let out a theatrical sigh, as if lamenting Fang Cheng's ignorance. Then he looked at Fang Cheng and asked, "City God, since you don't believe my words, can you explain how a Fourth Level cultivator, no, you were Second Level then, can slay a Heavenly Demon? Come on. Give me a reasonable explanation."

"Uh..." Now it was Fang Cheng's turn to fall silent. If he mentioned the demon sword, Old Xu would bring out the Jade Emperor to suppress him, and that would be a disaster. Old Xu stared at Fang Cheng with a half-smile, waiting for his answer. Fang Cheng hesitated for a few seconds, but still said nothing. Old Xu chuckled lightly.

"As I said just now, immortals, buddhas, and demons are all states that can shift at any time. As long as you find your own Dao, you can become an immortal, a buddha... or even a demon!" Fang Cheng narrowed his eyes and asked coldly, "Old Xu, what are you implying? Are you saying I'm a demon?"

"Wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare," Old Xu replied with a smile.

"City God, I'm only explaining that if there's no demon in your heart, you won't become a demon. That applies to you as much as it does to me. We are both immortals and cultivators. You, a City God of the Hall of Eternal Life, and I, a Guardian sent by the celestial realm. Neither of us has any connection to demons." Fang Cheng caught the implication. Sure enough, this old man knew about the demon sword inside him. If he pressed any further, Old Xu would report it to the Hall of Eternal Life.

"Fine, Old Xu. We'll end the conversation here. But I warn you. Don't let me catch you in a demonic state."

"Haha, City God, I'll be sure to remember your warning." Old Xu agreed cheerfully, then picked up his pipe, took a puff, and blew out a thick cloud of black smoke. Fang Cheng decided not to stay any longer. He turned to leave, but at the door, he suddenly looked back and asked one last question.

"Was Yuan Min killed by you?" Old Xu was silent for a moment, then replied quietly, "City God... killing people is bad luck." Fang Cheng laughed and asked no more. He left the wine shop, feeling a bit heavy-hearted. Not wanting to go anywhere else, he decided to return to his post at the City God Temple. Channeling his Divine Energy, he flew through the air and soon arrived above the temple. As he descended, he saw Qin Hao inside, directing a young man as he swept the floor.

Fang Cheng thought the young man looked familiar. After a moment, he recognized him.

"You're Xiao Yang, the assistant from Heavenly Blessing Teahouse. Why aren't you at the teahouse? What are you doing sweeping the temple?" Qin Hao explained, "Brother Fang, his boss lady just came by. She saw how dusty the temple was and left Xiao Yang here to clean."

"The teahouse owner, He Chunhua?" Fang Cheng chuckled.

"The temple's been gathering dust for a long time. She didn't send anyone to clean it earlier or later. Only now that I'm back, she sends Xiao Yang to curry favor. She's quite the opportunist."

"Brother Fang, the people are still resentful toward the City God. She's just a mortal. She didn't dare come before." Qin Hao defended her.

"She came today not to pray, but to thank you personally. That night, you slapped her into the temple and saved her life." He pointed at a gift basket on the table. Fang Cheng glanced at it. Pastries and snacks, plus a few boxes of tea. Nothing valuable, so it didn't count as bribery.

"This woman is quite something." Fang Cheng remarked. He'd only spoken to He Chunhua once, yet she'd already seen through his righteous nature. Qin Hao nodded in agreement and whispered, "Brother Fang, I also heard from her that the magistrate of Xiangshi City is selling off his skilled textile workers. This is perfect for us. Relying solely on White Flower City's natural population growth won't make it flourish anytime soon.

If we can bring in a batch of people from Xiangshi City and buy their textile machines and technology, White Flower City could see explosive economic growth."

"Bringing in people..." Fang Cheng frowned, recalling something.

"Are you sure those people in Xiangshi City aren't just selling slaves?"