The truth behind the demon chaos was known to both of them.
There was a demon cultivator known as Lady Qixia, the foremost great demon in the southwest region of the Jin Kingdom. Her son had recently been killed by someone.
The killer happened to be the personal disciple of the Commander of Sinan Prefecture.
The cause was quite vulgar. It all started over a woman. Both men fancied her. In a fit of jealousy and rivalry, the disciple of the Sinan Prefecture Commander set a trap. He framed Lady Qixia’s son for harming the citizens of the Jin Kingdom and violating the “Fifty-Li Agreement”. He then killed him outright.
The so-called “Fifty-Li Agreement” was a pact reached between humans and demons to end their endless slaughter.
Within fifty li around human cities, towns, villages, and along official roads, as well as certain bodies of water, demons were forbidden to approach. If a demon trespassed, humans could kill it without question, regardless of whether it had done anything wrong. Likewise, if humans ventured beyond that fifty-li boundary, demons could kill without consequence.
Defined boundaries that must not be crossed were called the demon realm.
The land between those boundaries, where both lived side by side, was called the human world.
In short, both sides maintained a safe distance and living space.
Of course, there was still contact between humans and demons. Minor details could be negotiated, and with mutual permission, free passage between the two sides was allowed.
It was precisely because of this long-term interaction that the profession of “demon resolver”, like that of Master Yu Qi, came into being. Those who understood demons well enough to refine items targeted at or healing for demon cultivators were called demon resolvers.
Given the status and identity of Lady Qixia’s son, obtaining permission to enter the human world was no issue. But he could not simply go around slaughtering innocents. The disciple of the Sinan Prefecture Commander pinned exactly that crime on him.
How could Lady Qixia easily let go of the grudge over her son’s death? Naturally, she demanded that Sinan Prefecture hand over the murderer.
But who was the Commander of Sinan Prefecture? The emperor of the Jin Kingdom had bestowed upon him the title of State Preceptor and the honourary name “Earth Mother”. He was one of the few half-immortal realm experts in the world.
How could the personal disciple of such a person be casually handed over to an old demon for execution? Where would that leave the face of Earth Mother and Sinan Prefecture?
Sinan Prefecture naturally continued using the excuse, claiming that Lady Qixia’s son had violated the “Fifty-Li Agreement”.
Such excuses might work to suppress those without power, but a great demon like her would not swallow it. She directly stirred up chaos among demon cultivators as leverage.
It was said that Lady Qixia had put out word that she would offer ten “Sin Spirit Pills” as reward. Ten heads of examination candidates in exchange for one Sin Spirit Pill.
The Sin Spirit Pill was no ordinary item. One pill was worth ten million taels of silver.
The three major realms of cultivation, True Martial, Profound Scholar, and Half-Immortal, had been applied to certain professions to distinguish skill levels. For example, the refining ability of demon resolvers was divided into martial, profound, and immortal grades. The Sin Spirit Pill could only be refined by a demon resolver of immortal grade. Even Master Yu Qi, a profound-grade demon resolver, did not yet have the ability to make one.
For many demon cultivators, awakening spiritual intelligence in birds and beasts and then cultivating into demons involved many coincidences and opportunities. It did not mean that demon offspring could automatically become demons. The Sin Spirit Pill, however, could awaken spiritual intelligence in birds and beasts. Once awakened, they could naturally comprehend guidance and step into the path of cultivation.
The temptation of the Sin Spirit Pill was enormous for many demon cultivators. Some who were not short of money would even feed it to their pets.
One Sin Spirit Pill for ten candidates’ heads.
That meant one candidate’s head was worth one million taels of silver. If someone could not collect ten heads themselves, they could gather them from others.
The court and Sinan Prefecture were both trying hard to suppress this news. Once it spread, with one candidate’s head worth a million taels, it would not only tempt demon cultivators. Who could guarantee that no one besides demons would get involved secretly? The allure of so much money was extraordinary.
The stir caused by Lady Qixia’s move had already gone far beyond simply trading one hundred heads for ten Sin Spirit Pills.
Fortunately, both sides were still showing restraint for now.
Lady Qixia had only targeted officials so far. She had not massacred ordinary civilians. Otherwise, the consequences of rivers of blood would leave no way back for anyone.
Sinan Prefecture also knew that public opinion was against them. Aware of their wrongdoing, they had not acted recklessly and remained purely defensive.
How could the two masters dare get involved in such a matter? Master Yu Qi probed cautiously. “Does the lord wish for us two to participate in the escort?”
Lu Jiwei laughed heartily. “No need for the two masters to overthink. With this tense situation, I simply wish to borrow your reputations. Appear in front of the candidates. It might help put their minds at ease.”
Di Cang asked, “Does the lord mean the candidates already know about the demon chaos?”
Lu Jiwei sneered. “In these times, how many poor households that can barely fill their stomachs can afford to raise a scholar? Those who pass the provincial examination are mostly children of gentry families. They may not know what Sinan Prefecture did, but do not expect to hide news of trouble from them. Though I ordered the entire province to keep quiet about this matter, it is useless.”
Di Cang nodded to show he understood.
Master Yu Qi, however, frowned. Suddenly he said, “I just came from Youjiao Port. There are some things the lord should prepare for early.”
Di Cang looked at him with fresh interest. Lu Jiwei said, “Oh? I would like to hear the details.”
Master Yu Qi explained, “Youya has issued a public task again. It requires three ‘fire crickets’.”
Inside Youjiao Port stood a steep cliff. The people living on that cliff were the original founders of Youjiao Port. They had always controlled the rules there. Over time, that cliff came to be called Youya.
Youya would irregularly issue reward tasks. These tasks had nothing to do with the outside world. They were only issued to the various merchants within Youjiao Port.
There was no predictability to when tasks would appear. Sometimes several times a year, sometimes none for years. The nature of the tasks was also unpredictable. Youya never forced merchants to take them. In short, it was up to everyone. Those willing could accept. Those unwilling faced no punishment. The attitude was completely casual.
But one thing was certain. You would not work for nothing. Those who completed a task received a reward.
The reward followed the old rule.
Those who completed the task could make one reasonable and proper request to Youya.
In other words, as long as the request was not excessive, Youya would grant it.
The reward requests were limited to within Youjiao Port. Youya never interfered in matters outside the port. It would not help with things like murder or robbery.
As for how people completed the tasks, as long as they did not violate the rules inside Youjiao Port, Youya did not care what happened outside, even if it involved killing or looting.
Lu Jiwei grew even more puzzled. “Fire crickets? What are those?”
Di Cang looked thoughtful and clearly had no idea either.
Master Yu Qi said, “When the task first appeared, many people were completely baffled. They did not know what it was. That is normal. What kind of place is Youjiao Port? It is the place with the most rare and unusual goods in the world. If even the major shops in Youjiao Port do not have something, and Youya has to issue a task to find it, you can imagine how rare it is.”
“Many people searched through books and records for a long time before gradually figuring it out. It is a small creature similar to a cricket that lives in areas of underground fire and molten lava. It is extremely rare. No one knows why Youya wants this thing. The problem is that it hides deep underground and rarely comes to the surface. That alone makes it very difficult to obtain.”
“According to the descriptions in the records, it is like a spirit of fire. The specific habits are not clearly stated in the books. The recorder probably did not know much either. Lord Lu, do you know where the records say the fire crickets were discovered?”
Lu Jiwei chuckled. “Sir, that question stumps me. I rarely dabble in such curiosities. Are you implying they are within our Lie Province?”
Master Yu Qi gave the answer. “Not in Lie Province, but near it. In the Ancient Tomb Wasteland!”
The room instantly fell silent. No one was unfamiliar with that name. It was indeed right next to Lie Province.
It was called “Ancient Tomb” naturally because of its connection to graves.
Legend said that long ago, this world had many giants. They served the immortals as their strongmen. For some unknown reason, they all perished. Later, someone discovered a vast number of giant skeletons in one place. They remained undecayed after endless years. That place became known as the Ancient Tomb Wasteland.
“Living in areas of underground fire and molten lava…” Di Cang murmured thoughtfully. Suddenly he said, “After that wasteland was discovered to be a giant cemetery, because of the legend of the immortal strongmen, people seeking clues to immortality inevitably went there to dig. One dynasty even gathered an army to excavate it. The Ancient Tomb Wasteland has many tunnels leading deep underground. It might truly be the best place to search for fire crickets. The reason the records mention fire crickets being found in the Ancient Tomb Wasteland is probably due to that geographical advantage.”
Lu Jiwei stood up. He was not concerned with that. He walked to one side of the pavilion, pulled a rope, and whoosh! A cloth curtain dropped down, blocking the light.
But it was not a curtain. It was a large map. The complete map of the Jin Kingdom. Lu Jiwei stared at it with a frown.
Di Cang and Master Yu Qi also stood and walked to the map. They located the Ancient Tomb Wasteland right beside Lie Province.
The wasteland covered a vast area, roughly the size of one province. But because of its special environment, no human settlements had formed within it.
After examining the map for a while, Lu Jiwei pointed to three intersecting lines within the Ancient Tomb Wasteland. “The Ancient Tomb has three roads leading to the surrounding provinces. The one from southwest to northeast is also the closest route from Lie Province to the capital.”
Hearing the worry in his tone, Di Cang said, “Is the lord perhaps concerned that the merchants from Youjiao Port might take the opportunity to harm our Lie Province candidates?”
Lu Jiwei replied, “Whether it is possible or not, the two sirs should know better than I do.”
Master Yu Qi sighed. “This is exactly what worries me for the lord. When the date for escorting the candidates arrives, the people from Youjiao Port doing the task should also have reached the Ancient Tomb area. The temptation offered by Lady Qixia is considerable. It is hard to guarantee that those people will not try to grab some extra profit along the way. Lord, for safety’s sake, it might be better to take a detour.”