Chương 53: We Have Someone Above

Li Shuyan pondered for a moment, then said, "Xiangshi City's population is only about a hundred thousand. That is negligible in the context of Great Sheng. To the Hall of Eternal Life, as long as the major cities and prefectures remain stable, the lives of people in small cities like Xiangshi, including the magistrate, the secretary, and other mortal officials, do not matter much. At worst, the Great Sheng court will send a few official complaints to the Hall, accusing the Lianshan branch of negligence.

But the Hall has no time to deal with those documents. They are busy coordinating with the Underworld Bureau to deal with the Demonic Spirit Gathering Array and the demonic cultivators popping up everywhere. Xiangshi City is not the problem. The real problem is that we killed Li Jinghong. He was an elder of the Hall of Eternal Life, a Ninth Realm great cultivator, and secretly the Grand Commander of Dark Night. If the Chief of the Hall of Eternal Life finds out, he will not let us go.

So we need to think about how to deal with his retaliation. Should we flee Great Sheng, or should we stand and fight?" He looked at Fang Cheng, his eyes gleaming with anticipation, a bloodthirsty smile curling at his lips. If he could truly join Fang Cheng in storming the Hall of Eternal Life, stomping those untouchable old fools who thought themselves above worldly concerns, making them beg for mercy, making them crawl in the ditch and absorb nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium... hehehe...

Just thinking about it made his blood boil. Strange. Before, he had been refined and well-mannered, even his demonic state had been somewhat rational. But ever since receiving Fang Cheng's transmission, he kept having wild thoughts and an urge to laugh maniacally.

"We cannot fight... hiss, hiss, hiss..." Fang Cheng shook his head helplessly. He had only eaten one Ninth Realm crayfish, and he was already having indigestion. And he had heard that there were several old monsters in the Hall of Eternal Life who were above the Ninth Realm, Ascended Realm great cultivators capable of ascending to the celestial realm. That kind of delicacy was beyond his current ability to enjoy.

"Leaving Great Sheng is an option. But as a righteous cultivator and a City God, I have a duty. I cannot abandon my post..." Li Shuyan frowned.

"Brother Fang, forget about being City God. The Chief of the Hall of Eternal Life will not let you keep that position. If we are not going to fight, we should leave Great Sheng as soon as possible."

"No, no, no. Brother Li, I made a promise to someone to grow White Flower City's population. As good people, we must keep our word." Fang Cheng waved his hand in refusal, then told Li Shuyan about his agreement with Pei Tang. Li Shuyan's eyes widened in surprise.

"So our backer is Lord Pei Tang. He is an Ascended Realm great cultivator. That makes things much easier. All we need is a reasonable explanation. For example, Li Jinghong's death was caused by a demon, or Li Jinghong colluded with demons, and we had no choice but to kill him. The Chief will not dare to openly move against us out of respect for Lord Pei." Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

"You are right." Fang Cheng nodded in agreement. He had almost forgotten to report to Pei Tang. After all, he was the boss. Fang Cheng had caused a huge mess, so he definitely needed to keep Pei Tang in the loop. No, wait. It was not a mess he caused. He had been slaying demons and doing good. The bad stuff was Li Shuyan's doing. Then again, he could not blame Li Shuyan either. He was now Fang Cheng's little brother, and like Fang Cheng, he was a righteous cultivator who upheld justice.

So all the blame lay with that masked bookseller. Damn demon. How dare you corrupt my little brother. I will find you one day. With that settled, Fang Cheng took out paper and a brush from his storage ring and wrote down everything that had happened in Xiangshi City. He emphasized that Li Shuyan had received the inheritance and was clearly innocent. He also recorded in detail how he had killed Li Jinghong. Good people do not lie, unless it is a white lie.

After writing, he placed the letter in a flying sword, set the location with the sword talisman, and activated it. The sword shot into the sky and vanished into the clouds. About an incense stick's time later, the flying sword returned. Fang Cheng opened the letter inside. It was still a simple sentence.

"Take Li Shuyan back to White Flower City. I will handle the rest." His boss was truly great. No scolding, no punishment, and he even cleaned up the mess for him. How wonderful. Fang Cheng laughed and handed the letter to Li Shuyan. Li Shuyan read it and nodded slightly.

"Just as expected. The Hall of Eternal Life is dealt with. But we still need to be wary of Dark Night's madmen making sneak attacks." Fang Cheng chuckled.

"Dark Night? I hope they come. Hehe. I will throw them all in the pot together. Of course, Ascended Realm cultivators should stay away. I cannot digest them yet."

"No need to worry about that," Li Shuyan replied.

"The Ascended Realm great cultivators will not have time to come after us. They are all gathered in the Great Sheng capital, busy with meetings to resolve the celestial realm's communication problem."

"Oh, right. I almost forgot our celestial realm is broken." Fang Cheng nodded. There had been too much going on lately, and he had nearly forgotten about that. But even if all the immortals above died, it would not affect him much. He just needed to refine the demon sword and complete Pei Tang's two small goals.

"There is nothing left for us in Xiangshi City. Let us go back to White Flower City." Fang Cheng stood up and brushed off his clothes.

"No, Brother Fang. Do not forget why you came to Xiangshi City in the first place." Li Shuyan waved his hand. While waiting for the reply, he had learned about Fang Cheng's two goals. As a follower who had received the inheritance, he also needed to offer advice. Li Shuyan said, "Xiangshi City has been devastated. Most of the city is destroyed, and the people's homes are in ruins. If you step forward now and announce that you slew the demon, it will reassure the people.

On top of that, these homeless people will be grateful to you, and many will become dependent on you. When you suggest taking them back to White Flower City, they will not refuse."

"Holy shit. You are absolutely right, Brother Li. I almost forgot." Fang Cheng clapped his hands and laughed.

"This great deed of saving the people must be spread far and wide. Let everyone in Great Sheng know who Fang Cheng is. Let them know there is still a cultivator in this world who never forgets his original purpose, slaying demons and upholding justice!" Li Shuyan continued, "I will also draw the masked man's portrait. Though he wore a mask, I remember his build and physique. We can distribute the portraits to the people of Xiangshi City. If they see the masked man, they will recognize him.

That way, we might find the demon who corrupted me."

"Well said, Brother Li. We cannot let that damn demon get away!" Fang Cheng nodded in agreement. This new little brother was clearly the brain of the operation. Good. From now on, he would not need to think. He could save his brain power for digesting delicious things. Hahaha... hiss, hiss, hiss...