Chapter 140: Lele, the Master of Persuasion
On the way to Yeyuan City, Mo Cunzhi helped Yu Le deal with a group of scheming demons.
The few troublemakers Yu Le had planned to deal with slowly were taken care of by him first.
“Ah, although you haven’t officially been crowned queen yet, the queen has already started helping me solve problems,” Yu Le said.
For the second time, Yu Le heard the news and rushed over with a group of subordinates to “rescue” the queen, even striking a pose, but by the time he arrived, the action had already ended.
When he arrived, Mo Cunzhi had already left, leaving behind a group of devastated demons.
These demons, who had suffered at the hands of his senior brother, no longer dared to shout about capturing the queen to threaten the King of Bliss.
Their feelings now were probably like monsters trying to capture Tang Sanzang but ending up with Sun Wukong instead.
As they were locked up one by one in cages, some of them yelled in frustration and regret from within their cells:
“King of Bliss, you did this on purpose! You deliberately used the new queen to test us! You tricked us! So cunning!”
Yu Le rubbed the sword marks on the pillar in the grand hall, feeling both relieved and a little frustrated.
The heroic rescue he had planned couldn’t be carried out. His senior brother, too—why did he have to leave so quickly?
“At his speed, he should already be close to Yeyuan City by now, right?” he asked.
“Yes, My Lord. Our people have reported seeing him near Yeyuan City.”
“Then I suppose it’s time for me to head to Yeyuan City and meet the Lord of the Demon Palace.”
Yeyuan City was the largest city in the demon world, and the Demon Palace, where every Lord of the Demonic Path resided, was located within the city.
This single city housed nearly one-third of the demons and demonic cultivators in the demon world.
Currently, the Lord of the Demon Palace was named Xie Que. He had risen to prominence within the Demonic Path, and because of the uniqueness of his cultivation techniques, he defeated many natural-born demons and, as a demonic cultivator, successfully seized control of Yeyuan City.
It was said that he was once a cultivator of the Immortal Path, but due to his cruel and unpredictable nature, anyone who dared to mention his origins died a horrible death. As a result, no one dared to investigate his past.
However, there were some rumors circulating privately that he had once belonged to the Immortal Path and was the legitimate heir of the Shangshan’s Xie family.
*
When Mo Cunzhi arrived in Yeyuan City, he immediately sensed how different it was from the Kingdom of Bliss.
The Kingdom of Bliss was like blood covered with a veil, while here, there was no pretense at all.
Survival of the fittest ruled, with constant killing; bloody scenes occurred openly in the streets. Mo Cunzhi suppressed his urge to intervene, frowning as he walked down one of the streets.
Here, the weak could easily become nourishment for the strong, while the strong became prey for the even stronger, like a cage where venomous creatures were raised to fight each other.
As Mo Cunzhi walked through the city, his aura stood out sharply from the surrounding demonic cultivators, drawing attention both openly and covertly.
The malice and greed in their eyes were undisguised.
But due to his obvious level of cultivation, few dared to make a move.
“Heh, now this is strange. He looks like an immortal cultivator, doesn’t he?”
“No, no, I see a faint demonic aura around him. It’s hard to say.”
“Still, he’s a new face, isn’t he? Coming to our territory like this, there’s no way he’s getting out.”
“His cultivation’s impressive… turning him into a puppet would be even better.”
Mo Cunzhi cast a cold glance around, sending a nearby demon cultivator who had been making a sneaky move flying with a flick of his finger. He shrugged slightly, and the Gu worms that had crawled onto him were instantly sliced into pieces by invisible sword energy and fell to the ground.
The demonic cultivator who had released the Gu worms screamed as his cheeks caved in from the backlash.
This display of power shocked those nearby, and most of the demon cultivators withdrew their attention, though a few still eyed him greedily, plotting something.
Suddenly, there was the crack of a whip, and a beast-drawn carriage arrived on the street, stopping next to Mo Cunzhi.
Seeing the Demon Palace’s emblem on the carriage, the surrounding demon cultivators’ expressions changed, and they hurriedly made way.
The beast-drawn carriage’s curtain was half-lifted, revealing a face Mo Cunzhi recognized. The man wore a complex expression.
“Brother Mo, it’s really you… There are too many eyes here. How about joining me at a nearby inn to talk?”
Mo Cunzhi hadn’t expected to see Xie Ji in the demonic realm.
Xie Ji had always despised demonic cultivators. Mo Cunzhi had personally witnessed the madness that overtook him after becoming one.
The two of them had once fought side by side to exterminate demons. Now, one was a demon, and the other a demonic cultivator, meeting again in the heart of the demonic realm—it felt like a cruel joke of fate.
The carriage arrived at the inn’s back courtyard, where a servant helped Xie Ji down from the vehicle.
It was then that Mo Cunzhi noticed that Xie Ji no longer had his legs.
Seeing Mo Cunzhi’s gaze, Xie Ji smiled bitterly and explained in a low voice, “These legs… they were a gift from Xie Que.”
His blood-related older brother, Xie Que, had secretly practiced demonic techniques, rapidly increasing his cultivation at the cost of his sanity. He had even devoured their parents to further his cultivation.
Despite his hatred, Xie Ji had gone to seek refuge with him, but Xie Que treated him as nothing more than a source of blood for cultivation. In a short time, he had consumed the flesh and blood of both of Xie Ji’s legs.
Sitting by the window, Xie Ji struggled to rise and poured a cup of tea for Mo Cunzhi.
“In the past, I acted recklessly and nearly misunderstood you. I’ve gone through many hardships since then and never got the chance to personally apologize. Now, all I can offer is this cup of tea to express my regret.”
Mo Cunzhi remained still, sitting upright without even laying down his sword, and replied in a calm tone, “No need. I truly am a natural-born demon. You never misunderstood me.”
Xie Ji froze, his expression shifting several times before settling into a bitter smile. “Regardless of that, today I realize my own faults. This cup of tea is still in your honor.”
Mo Cunzhi still didn’t move, and Xie Ji’s bitter smile deepened. “You don’t trust me, do you? You’re afraid I’ve poisoned the tea.”
With that, Xie Ji raised the cup and drank it down in one gulp.
After setting down the teacup, Xie Ji spoke, “I heard you were captured by the King of Bliss from the Wuyue Immortal Sect. Knowing your pride, I figured you wouldn’t tolerate such humiliation and wondered how I could help you. I didn’t expect you to escape on your own.”
There was a probing look in Xie Ji’s eyes, and though well hidden, Mo Cunzhi saw through it clearly.
He silently observed his former friend, as if scrutinizing a reflection of his own past—full of prejudice and stubbornness.
“What is it you want to say?” Mo Cunzhi asked.
With such directness, Xie Ji stopped beating around the bush and got straight to the point. “I want to help you, and I want you to help me.”
“Fallen as we are, you must feel the same way I do, Brother Mo—resentful. The ones who have caused us so much pain are Xie Que and the King of Bliss. I want to make them pay!”
He took a breath, his voice filled with bitterness. “Sooner or later, those two will clash. When they do, that’s our chance. We need to find a way to make sure they both lose—or better yet, both die…”
Mo Cunzhi cut him off. “You and I no longer walk the same path, and I will not conspire with you today.”
He stood to leave, and Xie Ji, in disbelief, gripped the table for support, exclaiming urgently, “Do you mean to say you don’t hate the King of Bliss at all? Don’t you want revenge?”
Mo Cunzhi didn’t answer and continued toward the door.
Before meeting Yu Le, he hadn’t even known what love or hate truly meant. But after meeting him, neither love nor hate could remain pure.
Without looking back, Mo Cunzhi walked out. Xie Ji’s expression darkened, and in his anger, he grabbed the teacup and hurled it to the ground, shattering it into pieces.
At a time like this, what on earth is Mo Cunzhi thinking? Could he really be planning to, as the rumors say, obediently serve as the King of Bliss’s queen? Ridiculous!
A servant silently entered the room, kneeling to clean up the mess.
Xie Ji gave a cold order, “Have someone keep a close eye on him. The moment he tries to leave Yeyuan, report to me immediately.”
“Yes, King Hanxiao.”
Hearing this title, Xie Ji’s expression darkened.
In the Demon Palace, he had been mockingly given the title of “King” due to being Xie Que’s younger brother.
In reality, he held no power. Even a random demon general in the palace had more authority than him, and he had to offer up his own flesh and blood for Xie Que’s cultivation.
If things continued like this, not only would he be unable to kill Xie Que, but he would also soon die at Xie Que’s hands.
Mo Cunzhi’s appearance was his chance, and he couldn’t afford to let it slip away.
After composing himself, Xie Ji got back into the beast-drawn carriage, ready to return to the Demon Palace.
The beast pulling the carriage moved slowly but steadily. As Xie Ji sat inside, he suddenly felt a jolt, and an envelope slipped through the curtain and landed in his lap.
A pale green jade pendant fell out of the envelope. It was his younger brother Xie Xun’s personal jade.
Xie Ji’s expression tensed as he grabbed the letter and opened it.
The servant driving the carriage suddenly heard Xie Ji’s voice from behind the curtain: “Drive the carriage out of the city.”
The servant didn’t object, silently guiding the carriage forward, his gray hat covering his face.
The beast-drawn carriage slowly stopped outside the city, and Xie Ji, sitting inside, frowned and scolded, “Why have you stopped? Keep going.”
The driver lifted the curtain, revealing a stranger’s face, and Xie Ji realized the driver had been switched.
The stranger dragged him out of the carriage and unceremoniously dropped him into a wheelchair.
Seeing the person waiting under a tree in the distance, Xie Ji ignored the stranger, clutching the jade pendant in his hand as he demanded, “What have you done to Xie Xun? Where is he now?”
Yu Le turned around to look at him and replied, “What kind of question is that? I saved your brother.”
He waved his hand, and a tall, slender woman carefully carried the frail and unconscious Xie Xun out of the shadows.
The woman was Qi Ling, who had once been hidden by Xie Xun in the Xie family, only to later be taken away by Xiao Niang and her companion.
Seeing the anger on Xie Ji’s face, Yu Le said, “The Xie family thinks both you and your brother have become demonic cultivators, and that your branch of the family is finished. They didn’t see the need to keep Xie Xun around to cause trouble. He can’t cultivate, and a simple illness would have taken him.”
“Luckily, my people arrived in time, or your brother would be dead.”
Xie Ji was filled with hatred, and now that hatred extended to the entire Xie family.
After being exiled by the family for becoming a demonic cultivator, Xie Ji had lost all contact with Xie Xun. Still, he had believed that the large and prosperous Xie family wouldn’t abandon a sickly member like Xie Xun, even if he couldn’t cultivate.
“How strange,” Yu Le continued with a laugh. “Back then, you stabbed Xie Xun without hesitation. I thought you didn’t care whether your brother lived or died.”
“What do you want?” Xie Ji asked through gritted teeth, his eyes reddening with rage.
“I’m here to help you,” Yu Le said, stepping closer. “To help you kill Xie Que.”
His eyes knowingly lingered on Xie Ji’s missing legs. “You’ve seen Xie Que’s cultivation method firsthand. Your body won’t last much longer. So, what do you say? Will you work with me?”
“You’re the one who caused all this, and you expect me to cooperate with you?!” Xie Ji shouted in anger.
Yu Le found his reaction amusing and laughed to himself before replying, “You hate demonic cultivators because of your brother Xie Que, and you hate him for killing your parents. You hate me because I turned you into a demonic cultivator. But doesn’t that mean your deepest hatred should be for Xie Que?”
“If you won’t work with me to kill Xie Que, are you saying your hatred for becoming a demon is greater than your grief over your parents’ deaths?”
“Of course not!” Xie Ji denied fiercely.
Yu Le sneered, “It seems you don’t hate Xie Que enough. I’ve given you such a good opportunity, and you still won’t take it.”
“Think carefully, Xie Ji. No one else can help you kill Xie Que but me.”
His voice was soft, laced with mockery. “You went to Mo Cunzhi, didn’t you? And he wouldn’t help you deal with me, would he?”
Xie Ji’s face showed shock, his cheek twitching. “How did you…”
Yu Le patted his shoulder, clearly enjoying himself. “This is your only chance. You work for me, and I’ll help you get revenge for your parents.”
“If you accept, we’ll all be happy. If not, your brother will die, and you’ll wish you were dead.”