Chapter 130: Appearance

Life had settled into a routine. Everything in the Demon Realm continued as usual, perhaps even slightly better than before. After all, although the boss at the top was not some great philanthropist, she wasn't an exploitative demon either. The all-purpose tool under her command was equally dedicated to his duties. Vane managed the coordination of work exceptionally well, keeping everything in perfect order.

As for He Songning, his nature was simply that of someone destined to worry even in the cultivation world. Even after arriving in the Demon Realm, he instinctively labored with all his heart. Given a mess to handle, he still managed to make the work under his hands submissive and orderly, even personally going deep into the masses to teach people how to do this and that.

Who would have thought that just after he taught people about animal husbandry and researched the barren soil, he would be struck with a blunt club by someone trying to extort and blackmail him. Fortunately, he was a cultivator; otherwise, after walking that small path a few times, the grass on his grave would already be taller than a man.

Various religions were very prevalent in the South, but most were unorthodox, worshipping who-knows-what. It would be one thing if they were just eccentric all day, but if you refused to believe, they would chase you down to kill you, attempting "physical persuasion." He Songning seriously suspected that the reason so many people in the South believed in these messy religions was that everyone who didn't believe had been eaten.

To defeat "magic" with "magic," various "religions" used to resist those people were established. They were a mixed bag, similar to gangs, picking a random belief just to start a fight. Those who held sincere faith were very dissatisfied, and the various factions fought back and forth, killing each other with abundant martial virtue, which fit the style of the Demon Realm perfectly.

So, where did that group of expressionless, hair-raising people from the Demon Realm go when the South was first attacked?! How did everything change the moment the master was replaced? Or was that just how they behaved in moments of crisis? ...Even if it was the Demon Lord's crisis.

Initially, He Songning felt that at least this was a group of people gathered into a collective, perhaps not so barbaric. In the end, he was backstabbed by the style of the "simple" people of the Demon Realm, making him spit blood in rage and leave in a fit of fury.

—

Truly people of the Demon Realm! Utterly unteachable!

Then he continued to burn the midnight oil in the palace, handling official documents.

He Songning: "..."

The work still had to be finished; he had to continue his cultivation later.

Wang Yili was on patrol.

After finishing her patrol, she stood atop a mountain peak beside a small town, looking down. It had to be said that although the Demon Realm as a whole had not changed much, having a truly singular power pressing down from above meant those unscrupulous, powerful demonic cultivators and various monsters had to think twice before acting out.

Therefore, the major threats were gone. Usually, it was just minor squabbles. People throughout the Demon Realm could still support themselves without eating dirt; this was the best outcome.

Mhm...?

Below, a person clearly dressed in the style of the South walked out of the small town, drawing closer to the desolate hills. Not a trace of emotion could be seen on his face, as if a mask had fused into his flesh and blood, creating an added touch of the bizarre out of thin air.

Wang Yili narrowed her eyes.

Suddenly, a black, ghost-like thing broke free from his face for an instant. The man immediately revealed a hideously contorted expression of agony. But quickly, the ghost snapped back onto his face, and he became calm once more.

Wang Yili felt a sharp, sudden pain in her eyes the moment she saw that ghost. She instinctively closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the man's silhouette was gone. She only saw a blur of black, but after that sharp pain, even her consciousness remained hazy for a while.

...Just now, she seemed to have seen a suspicious person.

But no matter how she looked back, Wang Yili couldn't remember

why

she thought he was suspicious. Perhaps it was her intuition at work? And who was that? There were many strange people in the Demon Realm, but that person's damp, eerie quality made her skin crawl from just a single glance. He was clearly just an expressionless person.

Wang Yili quickly searched the vicinity but found nothing, nor could she find the man from before. The clothing that man wore seemed to have some specific origin.

Wang Yili turned her steps and headed for the South.

...

The Immortal-Slaying Pavilion.

The people passing back and forth to clean were quiet, but the martial arts training grounds were bustling. Further in was the place where the Master stayed; it was exceptionally silent. The servants moved with light steps, walking swiftly, yet making no sound at all.

The Master and the Protector beside her—or rather the butler, though everyone now tacitly called him Lord Vane—seemed to have become even more intimate. This was the thought of those who constantly speculated on the minds of those in power.

Although previously the two of them were like a flower and a bee—one quiet and without much thought, the other busily circling her—they seemed even closer lately.

Several servants kept their heads down, eyes fixed on their noses and noses on their mouths, pretending not to see Lord Vane's clingy behavior, despite his usual formidable aura.

He was peeling grapes for her. While feeding her, his shoulder would occasionally bump hers as if he couldn't help himself. He was more unrestrained than before. Usually, Lord Vane's smiles were light; toward the outside world, they were universally fake smiles, sneers, or sarcastic smirks, topped with a cold face. His smiles toward the Master were like a spring breeze, very gentle.

Now his smile seemed even more indulgent, his eyes overflowing with a dense affection that was about to spill over.

Zora was reading a book. She had no great fondness for text, but no real dislike either. After coming to this world, she found that reading books outside of cultivation was another important way to obtain information.

Moreover, books in the Demon Realm were truly explicit. This book was clearly written by someone who liked eating human flesh. At first, it described various agonies, saying he only ate people because he was so hungry he couldn't take it anymore. By the end, it turned directly into a recipe for human flesh that made people blanch, featuring various styles. Between the lines, the author was going mad, which then turned into pure justification as if it were only natural.

Zora casually flipped through a few pages.

After a while, the servants in the room retreated. Vane took the book from her hand and brushed against her fingertip.

Zora silently looked at the person who seemed to be radiating little pink flowers all over his body. Even though he wasn't smiling now, why could she still feel his emotions rushing toward her like waves?

Zora reached out and patted his head, and he smiled.

"Turi Qi seems to have become the Sect Leader," Vane said unhurriedly.

Zora: "He Songning told you?"

He was the only one who could know news from the cultivation world.

Vane: "When he came in, the December Sect should have already announced who the next Sect Leader would be. It’s estimated that in a while, it will be a certainty."

This seemed too fast, yet not that fast. Time for cultivators was a competition of talent and effort; a gap of a few years could allow a twenty-year-old youth to leave a hundred-year-old cultivator far behind. It was undeniably fast.

Vane continued: "Yiling Ke as well; she should have gained a firm foothold in Drunken Lu Bay. Song Zhihuai is still traveling abroad. You don't need to worry about any of them."

Zora turned her eyes to look at him. She wasn't worried.

"Everyone has their own place to go, yet because of the former Demonic Seed, I have nowhere to go in the cultivation world, and I even dragged you down."

He spoke piteously, yet his tone was light. This kind of calm attitude was even more effective at drawing one into sympathy.

Zora looked at him again. Actually, she hadn't been dragged down.

But the matter of the plot certainly couldn't be spoken of. Zora thought for a moment. She didn't realize at all that he was intentionally angling for sympathy. Instead, she pondered seriously and managed to squeeze out a word of comfort: "Don't be too sad. Didn't you say before that you spent a period of time in the most prosperous tavern learning the dishes made by the head chef? Perhaps that place could keep you."

After all, he had learned so well that the "blue surpassed the indigo."

"..." Vane was slightly stunned. He had clearly already forgotten about some tavern chef and only remembered how to cook. He was also used to Zora not taking his bait at all, and smoothly changed his tune: "He just liked spirit stones; it hardly counts as an apprenticeship."

Zora blinked, suddenly recalling the original matter. It felt like a strangely eerie fit for this cook's situation, and she said bluntly: "In the beginning, I also only liked your face."

Vane smiled and said: "My appearance is also a part of me."

Yet he breathed not a word about how wealth is also a part of a person.