Chapter 63: He Can’t Escape

Chapter 63: He Can’t Escape

Wang Wei from the Xiang City branch?

The man thought for a moment. It seemed like there was such a person. He couldn’t help but be surprised. “Does your Xiang City branch actually have spare manpower to guard the place? And you even have the capacity to bring someone like you, a mere Third-Rank, to attend the Nether Sacrifice?”

“Hah, you have no idea,” Chen Yin said, grumbling. “After that whole mess at the Heavenly Beauty Summit blew up, the entire Xiang City is under martial law.”

“Our branch master figured that, since it’s hard to move around and there’s a risk of exposure, we might as well come to Xianyun Prefecture together. Attending the Nether Sacrifice would also help us lay low for a while.”

“I see…” The man, now understanding, nodded. “That works out then. My name’s Zhao Han, a Second-Rank from the headquarters. Since you’re free anyway, you can tag along with me for some errands.”

“If you do well, I might put in a good word for you with your branch master. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get promoted to Second-Rank at your branch.”

“Deal! Brother, whatever you say goes!”

Chen Yin cheerfully rubbed his hands together and followed Zhao Han with a grin.

Zhao Han was pleased too. He had just managed to trick a fool from the branch into running errands for him, which meant the next few days would be much easier.

“So, Brother, what are we doing now?”

“Guard duty.”

“…Oh.”

<+>

Guard duty was even duller than expected.

Xianyun Prefecture was already a barren wasteland, and the headquarters of the demonic faction was located in an even more remote spot. All one could see was yellow sand and dust, with not a single soul in sight. It was hard to imagine what they were even guarding.

After just a short time on guard duty, both men grew bored and sat idly by the entrance, chatting to pass the time.

“Brother, you don’t look that old. How’d you become a Second-Rank at the headquarters so young?”

“Ah, just lucky. I pulled off a small merit a while back and got promoted.”

“Impressive, Brother! So what’s your usual work like at the headquarters? Same as us at the branch?”

“Probably about the same. Go on missions when there’s work, run errands like serving tea when there’s none. Honestly, it’s probably less comfortable than your branch.”

Zhao Han sighed as he spoke, “You guys in Xiang City have it good—flourishing city, plenty of opportunities for profit. When you’re free, you can enjoy the pleasures of the city. But us at the headquarters, stuck in this wasteland every day, what’s there to enjoy?”

“Brother, don’t say that! The headquarters is surely better than the branches,” Chen Yin said, continuing to probe for information.

“You mean cultivation techniques? That depends on talent.”

Zhao Han, puffing on the pipe Chen Yin had given him, spoke with a weathered expression. “Only the demonic cultivators of the headquarters can practice the true demonic arts, but it all boils down to innate talent. I have a buddy who’s talented. Didn’t take him long to be promoted to First-Rank. Now he hangs out with the branch master and elders, living the good life.”

“Someone like me, though? No chance. My cultivation’s stuck at the Chengmen Realm with no progress in sight.”

Chen Yin smiled flatteringly. “Don’t say that, Brother. Just keep working hard, and I’m sure you’ll become a favorite of the elders.”

As they chatted back and forth, Chen Yin managed to glean a rough understanding of the demonic faction’s structure.

The sect was divided into a headquarters and branches. Each branch's members were ranked from First-Rank to Third-Rank in descending order. The total number of members in each branch wasn’t particularly large.

Above the branch members were the elders and branch masters, with the branch master typically being an elder-level figure.

At the very top was the current leader of the demonic faction.

The position of the Saintess appeared to be extraordinarily revered within the sect, allowing her to act without being bound by anyone’s orders—even the sect leader’s.

By the time their idle chat ended, their shift was nearly over. When the next pair of guards arrived to take over, Zhao Han led Chen Yin deeper into the headquarters.

The inner workings of the demonic faction’s headquarters were located underground. It was even larger and more labyrinthine than Chen Yin had imagined. Interconnected passageways crisscrossed like an enormous spider’s web.

Chen Yin followed behind Zhao Han for a while before he couldn’t help but ask, “Big Brother, what are we doing next?”

“The Saintess has been meeting with the Sect Leader for a while now. She should be returning soon,” Zhao Han said as he stroked his small mustache. “That Saintess doesn’t have many hobbies, but she’s obsessed with tea. Every time she comes here, she’s always eyeing the good tea in our stock, and she’s picky as hell about it.”

“Since she’s coming back, I’ll have to figure out how to brew her tea again. Ugh, I’m basically a servant. How unlucky.”

Hearing this, Chen Yin’s eyes flickered with an idea. He immediately volunteered.

“Big Brother, brewing tea is my specialty! Back in Xiang City, I ran a tea house.”

“Really?” Zhao Han gave him a suspicious look, but since someone was willing to take over such a menial task, he was all too happy to oblige. He clapped Chen Yin on the shoulder.

“Good lad. With your diligence, you’ll climb the ranks in no time!”

“Go ahead. The kitchen is the third room to the left. Once the tea is ready, bring it to the fifth room—the Saintess’s quarters.”

“And remember,” Zhao Han added with a final warning, “be respectful when you see the Saintess. If she’s in a bad mood and beats you up, there’s no one you can complain to.”

Chen Yin nodded quickly.

With everything settled, Zhao Han stretched lazily and muttered to himself, “Ah, finally I can get some decent sleep.”

“Take it easy, Big Brother!” Chen Yin called after him.

Once Zhao Han’s figure disappeared, Chen Yin dropped his cheerful expression and briskly made his way to the kitchen, keeping his head low.

Upon entering, he shut the door and scanned the room carefully. After confirming it was safe, he slowly closed his eyes.

Ripples formed in the void before him.

Chen Yin extended his broad hand and gently placed it on Luo Luo’s trembling head.

“...Don’t rush,” he said calmly.

“...I know.”

Luo Luo kept her head down, her entire body quivering as she tried to suppress overwhelming emotions.

Her reddened eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and her tightly bitten lips evoked a pang of sympathy. Her fox ears and tail drooped low in despair.

“Luo Luo… Luo Luo will hold back… I won’t cause trouble for Young Master…”

“Don’t worry,” Chen Yin whispered. “I promised you. I’m here to settle the score for you.”

“…He won’t escape.” Chen Yin turned his gaze coldly in the direction Zhao Han had left.

In truth, from the very beginning—

When Chen Yin first encountered Zhao Han, the servant contract between him and Luo Luo had allowed him to sense her intense emotional turmoil.

He didn’t even need to ask to guess what had happened.

This man was one of the demonic cultivators responsible for abducting Ya Ya and the others.

Chen Yin could practically feel how hard Luo Luo was restraining herself, resisting the urge to leap out of the void and demand to know where Ya Ya and the others were.

Of course, he didn’t mind taking out this scum in one swift move.

But for now, the more pressing issue was extracting information about Ya Ya and the others.

Especially now that he had confirmed Xiang’er was also at the headquarters…

Chen Yin pondered carefully as he brewed the tea.

The Nether Sacrifice would last several more days.

For now, Xiang’er’s situation wasn’t urgent. It was more important to first determine the whereabouts of Ya Ya and the others.

Thus, after soothing Luo Luo and sending her back into the void, he finished brewing the tea, plated it neatly, and slowly pushed open the kitchen door.

But the moment he stepped out—

A sudden burst of searing pain erupted from his chest as blood sprayed forth.

The tray of tea crashed to the ground.

Chen Yin looked down at the dagger embedded in his chest. Then, turning his head, he glanced at the figure lurking behind the door.

All he saw was a shadowy void and a chillingly elegant voice.

“A dignified disciple of the Misty Spirit Sect, colluding with demonic cultivators?”

“It seems I made the right choice.”

“…You truly deserve to die.”

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