CHAPTER 89: CHAPTER 89: THE SCHOLAR WHO PICKS DEMONS

"Get in line, get in line! Lord Tianyu is about to bestow the meal!"

A loud, shrill voice, like a clanging gong, echoed throughout Red Flower Town. A Crow Demon, covered in black fur, with a bird’s head on a human body and wearing only a pair of large underpants, squatted on a withered tree, its blood-red eyes scanning the crowd below.

"Hurry up and get in line! If you don’t follow the rules, you won’t get to eat the bestowed food!"

"Yes, yes, yes, hurry up and get in line!"

"Those at the front, hurry up! Don’t bloody well waste time!"

Qi Xiu watched curiously as the Demonic Evil Cultivators formed an orderly and well-behaved queue in front of him. He was quite surprised. Just who was this Lord Tianyu? To be able to train these vicious, twisted Demonic Evil Cultivators to be as obedient as kindergarten children receiving snacks.

Just as the Demonic Evil Cultivators had lined up, two Crow Demons appeared at the head of the queue on the long, upward-sloping stone-paved street of Red Flower Town. They were huffing and puffing as they carried a glowing red iron cauldron. Simultaneously, a strong, exotic fragrance instantly diffused throughout Red Flower Town.

Smelling this aroma, the demons began to drool, their tongues lolling out, their eyes fixed greedily on the glowing red cauldron. They looked as if nothing would satisfy them short of diving headfirst into the pot.

"What in the world is this meal bestowed by Lord Tianyu?" Kicking the pale-faced man’s buttocks, Qi Xiu couldn’t help but ask.

"Lord Tianyu is one of the three Initiate Realm Demons presiding over Red Flower Town. He is benevolent and generous. To strengthen us Demonic Evil Cultivators, he bestows a meal on the first and fifteenth of every month. This meal is no ordinary thing. One bite is equivalent to the vital essence of a hundred living humans. So, whenever the day arrives, demons from all around rush over, hoping for a mouthful of the bestowed meal. You’re really lucky to encounter the meal on your first visit. But we’re a bit late; I reckon by the time it’s our turn, only the watery dregs will be left."

Rubbing his backside, the pale-faced man also stared longingly at the glowing red cauldron, licking his lips incessantly. Now that the Sect Aristocracy have all joined the ranks of demon slayers, it’s become terribly difficult for us demons to find humans to eat. Unless we launch a major assault on a city or attach ourselves to a powerful demon, attacking mortals одиночку will only invite retribution from the imperial court or the Sect Aristocracy.

"It’s... just given away for free?" It was hard to imagine beings like demons being described as benevolent and generous. Qi Xiu watched the glowing red cauldron, his gaze skeptical.

The two Crow Demons carried the large iron cauldron. Stopping before each Demonic Evil Cultivator, they would use a palm-sized iron ladle to scoop out a piece of crystal-clear, crimson substance, like jelly, that jiggled constantly. The demons, all slovenly and crude, would grab the red jelly with both hands and wolf it down in a couple of gulps. If any happened to fall to the ground, several nearby demons would scramble, stretching out their tongues to lick the spot clean. The scene made Qi Xiu’s stomach churn.

By the time they reached Qi Xiu and his companion, having distributed down the line, only some residue clinging to the edges and some thick, bubbling slurry remained in the cauldron.

SCRAPE! SCRAPE!

The harsh sound of the iron ladle scraping against the bottom of the pot made Qi Xiu frown repeatedly.

"Hold out your hand," the Crow Demon said to Qi Xiu, ladling out a spoonful of the watery jelly.

Frowning at the bizarrely red, intensely fragrant jelly, Qi Xiu waved his hand, gesturing towards the pale-faced man beside him. "Give it to him."

"Ah? Hahaha, good, give it to me, give it to me!" Not expecting such good fortune, the pale-faced man hurriedly nodded and bowed his thanks to Qi Xiu. He reached out, took the spoonful, and slurped it down.

"Heh, it seems you don’t realize what you’ve missed," the Crow Demon sneered, glancing at Qi Xiu before carrying the iron cauldron further down the line.

Soon, the large pot of red jelly was completely distributed. The last dregs of the potent broth were licked clean by the demons at the very end of the line, who almost resorted to chewing on the iron cauldron itself.

"Ah, that was satisfying!" Having consumed the so-called bestowed meal, the pale-faced man lay on the ground contentedly. Faint red Essence Qi flowed from his seven orifices, continuously enhancing his cultivation power. In just a few minutes, under Qi Xiu’s watchful eyes, the pale-faced man’s aura had improved significantly.

A hint of surprise in his eyes, Qi Xiu rubbed the Flood Dragon Pool Ring on his thumb. No wonder all these demons flocked to Red Flower Town. That bestowed meal could truly rapidly increase their strength.

The demons who had eaten the meal lay on the ground, absorbing the vast essence provided by the red jelly to advance their cultivation. Meanwhile, the poor souls who hadn’t received any prepared to leave, their faces etched with resentment. As they walked, they muttered, "Next time, I’m coming three days early to queue!" "Damn it, look at those arrogant fools, so what if they got one meal? What’s so great about it?" "Exactly! Next time we get some, we’ll show off too!"

Watching the Demonic Evil Cultivators leave with indignant expressions, Qi Xiu glanced around. Seeing that all the other demons were meditating with their eyes closed to absorb the essence, a glint flashed in his eyes. He turned and quickly followed the departing group of Demonic Evil Cultivators, clutching a bag-like object in his hand.

* * *

In an ancient, wooden building constructed from red pine, the simply yet elegantly furnished main hall flickered with an unusual, dim yellow candlelight. The floor was covered with a luxurious black carpet that seemed to be made from the fur of some creature. Three massive, mountain-like figures were gathered, their terrifying weight causing the floorboards and beams to creak ominously.

"How many came today?" one figure asked, its long trunk curling around a teacup on the table and pouring a viscous, bright red liquid into its mouth.

"Around two hundred," another figure, with a narrow face and a sharp beak, replied slowly.

"Too slow. At this rate, when will we gather five hundred Little Demons? The Sect Master of the Crimson Dawn Sword Sect has gone to the provincial capital and won’t be back for three months. Currently, the Crimson Dawn Sword Sect only has five elders stationed there, along with four to five hundred ordinary disciples. If we can gather five hundred Little Demons, we can unleash the Sky-covering Demon Skill and break the Crimson Dawn Sword Sect’s Mountain-protecting Formation. Then, the two counties under their jurisdiction, plus those four to five hundred disciples, will be ours for the taking. Second Brother, Third Brother, this is a heaven-sent opportunity; we mustn’t miss it!"

The figure seated in the place of honor was the largest, with golden hair and a commanding, wiry beard. Its voice seemed to possess some Divine Marvel, as if a single word could shatter the entire wooden building. It was truly terrifying.

"Eldest Brother, rest assured," the sharp-beaked demon said, lightly fanning himself with a folding fan, his tone firm and confident. "Although only a little over two hundred demons arrived today, the fame of our Red Blessing Paste has already spread. Over the past two months, the number of demons coming to our Red Flower Town has increased from a mere dozen or so in the past, to several dozen, and now to over two hundred today. I believe that the next time the meal is bestowed, the number of demons who come will surely not be less than four hundred. Gathering five hundred Little Demons is only a matter of time."

"We have Third Brother to thank for his hard work during this period. Once we conquer the Crimson Sky Sword Sect, Eldest Brother will definitely hold a celebratory banquet for you!"

"Ah, we are brothers, Eldest Brother. Why be so formal? Right, Second Brother?"

"Exactly, Third Brother is right."

"Second Brother! Third Brother!"

"Eldest Brother! Second Brother!"

"Eldest Brother! Third Brother!"

"..."

"Drink your tea, drink your tea..."

* * *

"Sigh, to come all this way and not get any of that Red Blessing Paste, what a waste."

In the deathly stillness of a dense forest valley, the sound of rustling footsteps drew nearer. Two pig demons, with human-like bodies, pig faces, and bulging bellies, trudged forward, grumbling. They wore bloodstained aprons and had boning knives tucked into their waistbands.

They were originally butchers from a scattered settlement a hundred li away. One day, they found a scroll caked in meat paste. After bringing it home and opening it, they were corrupted by the demonic energy attached to it, transforming into their current half-human, half-pig state. If anyone else had been transformed into such hideous creatures, they would likely have drowned themselves in a well long ago. But these two brothers not only didn’t grieve for long but, after their demonic transformation granted them inhuman strength, they fully unleashed the brutality and depravity within their hearts. In just a few days, they had wreaked havoc throughout their settlement of over a hundred people. Men and children were thrown into pots and cooked for food. The women suffered an even more miserable fate, tormented daily, finding no peace even in death.

"It’s alright," said Pig Da Li, the one with two tufts of yellow hair on his head, consoling his younger brother. "This bestowed meal happens every fifteen days. We’ll just come earlier next time."

"Oh, right! Those women we have back home are all starting to stink. Why don’t we look for a nearby village or market town and grab a few more to take back? Hehehe, living ones are always better than dead ones, right?"

"Exactly, exactly! Eldest brother, you’re the smart one!" Pig Er Li, who was missing half an ear, exclaimed, his small, beady eyes lighting up as he drooled and nodded eagerly.

Just as the two brothers walked arm-in-arm, bawling lewd songs and chuckling about capturing new "wives," the trees in the dense forest before them suddenly began to twist and writhe, striking seductive poses as if flirting.

"Hey, Eldest Brother, these trees... these trees have become spirits, heh!" Pig Er Li snickered, rubbing his piggish eyes, then puckered his lips and leaned towards a tree hollow.

"This isn’t right! Second Brother, we’ve walked into a trap!" Pig Da Li’s mind was clearly sharper. Realizing something was wrong, he frantically tried to circulate his demonic energy to resist the drug’s effects.

However, their transformation into demons was purely due to the demonic power sealed in that scroll. In terms of circulating their energy, they were less skilled than even a novice Loose Cultivator. Before they could even muster their demonic energy, their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed to the ground like overturned cockroaches, landing with a heavy thud.

"This letter arrived opportunely, aiding Huang Zhong to achieve success..." A leisurely singing voice drifted through the silent, gloomy forest.

Qi Xiu emerged, strolling casually with one hand behind his back. He calmly walked over to the two unconscious pig demons. He lifted his leg and aimed for a spot three inches below their navels.

BANG! BANG! Two forceful and heavy kicks landed.

The ground sank with a boom, sending a wave of earth half a meter high. Two of the pig demons’ original organs instantly vanished.

That’s better now. His thoughts flowing smoothly with satisfaction, Qi Xiu flipped his hand, took out the Gathering Yuan Treasure Bag, and collected the two pig eunuchs.

Forty-six, forty-seven. Hmm, at this rate, the supply of Gathering Yuan Pills will increase quickly.

"Standing at the camp gate, I call out loud: All you young warriors, listen to the true account!"

The melodious operatic voice rose again in the dark, oppressive forest. This tune, like a death knell, hovered over the heads of all demons.

There was no escape, no way out.

...