Chapter 15: A Great Demon is Hidden Here
On a spacious platform, there were two elegant small pavilions on the left and right sides.
Ning Xuan sat in the left pavilion, while the right pavilion housed a dark, plump man in brocade.
That plump man in brocade was the eldest young master of the Fugui Chamber of Commerce, 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 born a dark and plump man, the other a “fitting young lady” of the Chamber of Commerce.
Of course, Liu Shirong also had a younger brother of similar age, his full brother – Liu Shihua.
The Fugui Chamber of Commerce was neither overly large nor small. Although its foundation was in Xinghe County, its trade routes spanned several prefectures, even reaching the provincial capital, and extended to the Western Regions. It could be said that in the eyes of ordinary people, it was an insurmountable behemoth.
The会长 of the Fugui Chamber of Commerce was not young. It was said that one year, while traveling for business, he had entered a miasma-filled land and contracted a sickness. Although he recovered later, the root of the illness remained, and his health declined year after year.
Therefore, the Fugui Chamber of Commerce needed to consider the issue of succession early.
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 ability,” specifically by letting these three manage a portion of the family’s business and seeing who could make a name for themselves before inheriting the Chamber of Commerce.
However, the Fugui Chamber of Commerce did not do it this way.
The heir to the Fugui Chamber of Commerce had long been decided, and it was the dark, plump man before them.
Yet, this dark, plump man was the most dissolute among the three. He indulged in eating, drinking, and entertainment, mingling with other fops daily, feasting and patronizing courtesans, hunting and horseback riding, or engaging in beast fights and gambling. In short, he enjoyed himself immensely, traveling everywhere.
In contrast, Liu Shihua and Liu Yushu genuinely managed the Chamber of Commerce, worrying about matters big and small below each day. Now, one had emerged as a shrewd and worldly young master, mature beyond his years; the other as an intellectual and charming lady, adept at socializing.
But the heir to the Fugui Chamber of Commerce was not those two, but this dark, plump man.
In the eyes of outsiders, this dark, plump man was merely bringing his own rooster to a cockfight with the eldest young master of the Ning Manor.
In reality, this dark, plump man had already become brothers with the young master Ning.
He was a fop.
But he was a fop who operated on the upper echelons.
He was the young会长. Although he did not need to toil with downstream matters, he needed to provide cover for the entire Chamber of Commerce, shielding it from calamities originating from above.
One must understand that no matter how chaotic things were below, at most, it would be a loss of money or a batch of goods. But from above… even a single snowflake falling from a high place could be a weight the people below could not bear, a disaster that would leave no room for recovery.
Therefore, this dark, plump man acted like a “child who scatters wealth,” making connections with influential people everywhere and cultivating good relationships.
And Ning Xuan was a crucial figure he aimed to befriend.
At this moment, the two sat in the pavilions, left and right, like marshals directing their troops. Young Master Ning’s “Golden Winged Thunder Duke” and Young Master Liu’s “Iron Beaked General” were already in their cages, “flexing their muscles.”
Cockfighting was a highly addictive gamble. To use words from Ning Xuan’s previous life, it was likely a fusion of “catching pets, raising them, and battling,” with a charm comparable to “Pokémon.”
Liu Shirong exclaimed, “Young Master Ning, my Iron Beaked General has undergone secret training and will not lose to you again!”
Ning Xuan retorted, “Heh, my Golden Winged Thunder Duke undergoes secret training every day.”
The lackeys on both sides followed behind, like soldiers shouting insults at a city gate, engaging in a fierce verbal battle.
The scene was incredibly lively.
The two young masters took sips of tea and drinks from the pavilions.
Liu Shirong pointed at Ning Xuan and declared, “I’ll put it out there today, if your Golden Winged Thunder Duke wins, I… I…”
Ning Xuan asked, “What will you do?”
Liu Shirong replied, “I’ll marry my sister to you!”
Ning Xuan burst into laughter, “You’ve got quite a plan, but I won’t marry her!”
Liu Shirong said helplessly, “What’s wrong with my sister? She has looks and abilities, and at your home, she can save you a lot of trouble.”
Ning Xuan responded, “Marriage is a grave matter, decided by parents and arranged by matchmakers. Liu Shirong, do you intend to make your own marriage decisions?”
Liu Shirong cupped his hands and said, “Then… then we must wager something, right? Otherwise, the fight won’t have any spirit. I’ll wager my sister.”
Seeing Ning Xuan remain silent, Liu Shirong changed his offer. “Forget it. If I lose, I’ll give you two free carriage slots on my Chamber of Commerce’s Western Regions route. Whether you want to send people or goods, those two slots are yours. I won’t charge you for the principal, you can keep the profits, and the losses are on my Fugui Chamber of Commerce.”
Ning Xuan knew that the Fugui Chamber of Commerce’s Western Regions route was a major line, with forty to fifty carriages of goods per departure. The assorted expenses along the way were considerable. Gifting him two slots was truly generous.
And with these two slots, he would essentially have an intelligence line extending to the Western Regions.
His understanding of the outside world was too limited.
The existence of Demonic creatures like the Mountain Crushing Bear Demon and the Ghost Shadow Horse Monkey made him realize the importance of intelligence.
He needed to have his own people who could bring him news from afar.
For instance, the “Ghost Shadow Horse Monkey,” with its seemingly lower physique of 3.5, was not something Ning Xuan intended to directly Refine Talismans from.
One only had one life. Since this Ghost Shadow Horse Monkey had appeared, he naturally wished to know as much as possible about its demonic arts, gather sufficient intelligence about it, and even personally kill a few before taking action.
After all, from his previous fierce battle with the Mountain Crushing Bear Demon, he had learned that if he wanted to Refine Talismans, he had to face the strongest Demonic creature in a Nightmare.
Intelligence was crucial.
He needed more intelligence.
He couldn’t explore intelligence himself, so he began to consciously try to acquire some “tentacles” that would reach outward.
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 various thoughts flashing through his mind, Ning Xuan smiled and said, “If I wanted to go to the Western Regions, would that be alright?”
Liu Shirong blinked in surprise. “Why would you go to the Western Regions?”
Ning Xuan replied, “I’m just asking, is that okay?”
Liu Shirong said, “Of course, it’s okay. It’s just that you, Young Master Ning, have a noble life. If something were to happen on the road, my Chamber of Commerce couldn’t bear such a great responsibility.”
Ning Xuan smiled. “I’m just asking.”
Then, he said, “If I lose, I’ll give you that Purple Shadow horse. You’ve been craving it for a long time, haven’t you?”
Purple Shadow was the second-best horse under his command.
Liu Shirong exclaimed, “It’s a deal!”
Ning Xuan commanded, “Open the cages!”
A guard in the center hurried in with a gong.
The cages on both sides were opened. The Golden Winged Thunder Duke flapped its wings, crackling, as if a statue of the Thunder Duke in a temple had come to life. The Iron Beaked 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 gong.
The two roosters immediately shot out like arrows, charging towards each other and engaging in a fierce battle.
The lackeys rushed forward to cheer them on, shouting things like “Peck it, peck it!” “Dodge, quick, dodge!” “Thunder Duke, cut its legs, cut its legs!”
Han Ba shivered all over.
Since they had killed the Bear Demon yesterday, their team had steadily advanced and largely determined the situation in the mountains.
The Bear Demons were all dead.
Miserably dead.
Bodies were piled up in stacks, not a single one alive.
The yellow-robed Daoist also wore a solemn expression. He picked out two from the piles of Bear Demon corpses: one, about ten feet in size, had its head blown off; the other was decapitated.
“If I’m seeing correctly, these two were the strongest among this group of Demonic creatures. If either of them had come out, we would have suffered at least half casualties to resolve them. If they had appeared simultaneously, our only option would have been complete annihilation.”
Han Ba remarked, “But they are all dead.”
He carefully scanned all the dead Bear Demons.
He had already examined the wounds.
“They were all blade wounds. Although some were quite exaggerated, they were still blade wounds,” Han Ba said. “Could it have been a Martial Artist?”
Before the yellow-robed Daoist could speak, the Daoist boy beside him was already amused.
“Old Han, this isn’t someone with profound martial arts who mastered some strange force. It’s a Demonic creature that wields martial arts…”
“A Demonic creature that wields martial arts…” Han Ba couldn’t help but shudder.
In his heart, Demonic creatures were terrifying in three aspects: first, their immense physique; second, their uncanny demonic arts; and third, their mysterious treasures.
And they could only rely on the mysterious power of the true masters to suppress and bind the Demonic creatures, then use various weapons to slay them.
Fortunately, Demonic creatures did not know martial arts and seemed unable to master fine control of strength. Even if they did, it was merely for show, the kind that would be easily defeated by him at the same level of power.
But…
He looked at the wounds on the bodies of the slain Bear Demons.
Swift and domineering.
He recalled the dying cries of the Bear Demon they had killed: “Save me, save me…”
Han Ba felt a chill run down his spine. He glanced at the yellow-robed Daoist, his throat dry, and said, “Venerable Master…”
The yellow-robed Daoist said grimly, “This might have been an internal conflict among the Demonic creatures. And here… there must be a more terrifying great demon hidden.”
Han Ba asked with a dry mouth, “What should we do?”
The yellow-robed Daoist raised his hand and pointed, making a golden, transparent talisman appear in the air.
He traced patterns on the talisman in the void, then flicked his wrist, and the talisman burned, sinking into the ground.
“Invoking the Celestial Master!”
(End of Chapter)
