Lu Zheng glanced around. It was just past dawn, the city gates had only just opened, and farmers and vendors from outside were streaming into the city, while some were hurrying out. The gate was a bustle of activity, and their group lingering there drew attention.
“Quite the coincidence. We haven’t had breakfast yet, and meeting like this feels fated. How about we head to that porridge shop over there for a bowl?” Lu Zheng said with a hearty smile, stepping closer to the shorter scholar, his vitality surging.
A faint tiger’s roar echoed.
The two scholars shivered, their faces sour, as Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing escorted them to a porridge shop just inside the city gate.
“Shopkeeper, four bowls of porridge and eight steamed buns!”
“Coming right up, please wait a moment!”
The shop usually served early-rising common folk who entered the city hungry, rarely seeing scholars. The shopkeeper, feeling honoured, shouted the order loudly, serving them thick porridge and adding a complimentary plate of pickled vegetables.
“Enjoy your meal, gentlemen!”
Ignoring curious stares, Yuan Jing and Lu Zheng each grabbed a steamed bun and started eating with the pickles.
Lu Zheng glanced at the two scholars, pointing to the buns, urging them to eat.
The tall and short scholars exchanged a bitter look, reluctantly picking up buns and sipping porridge. With Yuan Jing and Lu Zheng eagerly reaching for the pickles, they didn’t dare compete.
“Why are you so scared? According to Great Jing law, as long as you haven’t done anything wrong, we won’t do anything to you,” Lu Zheng asked curiously.
Yuan Jing shook his head. “You’re mistaken, junior brother. If a demon commits a crime, they’ll be skinned and gutted. But even if they don’t, we can still deal with them, unless they’re registered in a prefecture or have joined a sect. Great Jing law protects humans, not demons.”
The two scholars stiffened further. The tall one looked like he might cry.
“I see,” Lu Zheng nodded, then frowned. “We don’t exactly look like vicious people, do we? Are we cultivators supposed to apprehend every strange being we meet? I’ve read in storybooks that humans and demons often coexist harmoniously.”
The two scholars visibly relaxed.
Yuan Jing nodded. “It depends on the person. Our Daoist sect is more lenient. Buddhists vary by faction. Martial artists generally dislike demons, and military folk would rather wipe them all out, especially since the three northern kingdoms covet Great Jing’s prosperous lands, backed by great demons.”
The scholars tensed again. Lu Zheng’s earlier display was clearly that of a martial artist.
Lu Zheng nodded in understanding. He wasn’t naive anymore, having studied the basics. He knew about the three northern kingdoms: Meng Tian, Tu Yan, and Yang Huang. They were founded in the barren northern mountains and snowy plains, with sparse populations but fierce warriors. Crucially, they were a mix of humans and demons, with great demons supporting them, clashing yearly with Great Jing, aiming to invade the south.
Lu Zheng easily likened it to conflicts between nomadic and agrarian peoples, but in an immortal-hero version.
Seeing the scholars’ fear, Lu Zheng offered a kind smile. “Don’t worry, we’re good people. As long as you act virtuously, we won’t harm you.”
The short scholar nodded repeatedly, while the tall one swallowed hard, managing a stiff smile.
“So,” Lu Zheng tapped his bowl with chopsticks, his smile growing kinder, “who are you looking for in the city?”
The two scholars fell silent, exchanging a glance, neither daring to speak first.
The tall one’s lips tightened, while the short one swallowed and said slowly, “Looking for a woman.”
The tall one nodded eagerly.
Yuan Jing: ∑(´△｀)?!
Lu Zheng: (O_o)??
Could they have misunderstood? Were these demons, newly transformed into humans, here to experience certain human pleasures?
Pingtan County, of course, had places like Fragrant Street and Spring Breeze Pavilion.
Lu Zheng licked his lips. “Well, you might be a bit early. Those places probably aren’t open yet. They’re usually livelier at night.”
“Ahem!” Yuan Jing coughed, the topic slightly awkward for him too.
The short and tall scholars exchanged a glance. Did they know where they were headed?
The short one blinked. “You know where we’re going?”
The tall one, surprised and delighted, asked, “Is there really such a place in the county?”
Poor lads. Though they were male demons, they were heading to professional establishments for legitimate services. Lu Zheng couldn’t judge from a moral high ground, as it was consensual and transactional.
“By the way,” Lu Zheng asked, “do you have money? Those services aren’t free.”
The short one looked baffled.
The tall one, shocked, said, “It costs money?”
Lu Zheng frowned. “Of course it does. You’re not planning to skip out after, are you?”
The two exchanged a shocked glance. How did he know?
Lu Zheng sighed, feeling like a seasoned guide advising novices. “That’s a crime. You can’t force transactions, abduct women, or reveal your true forms. Otherwise, it won’t be me dealing with you, but the officials from the Demon Suppression Bureau.”
The short one’s eyes darted, seeming to understand, and he nodded, about to thank Lu Zheng.
But the tall one spoke first. “What if the person we find is a common woman?”
What?!
Lu Zheng was stunned. Were they planning to pursue anyone they fancied, regardless of status?
“No way,” Lu Zheng said. “You can only go to Fragrant Street.”
“What if there’s no one suitable there?” the tall one asked.
“Pretty picky, huh? The women on Fragrant Street are quite beautiful,” Lu Zheng explained.
“But we’re looking for a virtuous, charitable woman,” the tall one clarified.
Yuan Jing: (⊙o⊙)
Lu Zheng: (°ー°〃)
The short one looked despairing.
Yuan Jing quietly set down his bun, while Lu Zheng’s smile grew kinder. “Come now, tell me, why are you looking for a virtuous, charitable woman?”
The tall one flinched, looking nervously at the short one.
The short one smacked his lips. “Heh, my brother was just joking.”
Lu Zheng glanced at Yuan Jing. “Funny?”
Yuan Jing shook his head. “Not funny.”
Lu Zheng turned back to the scholars, shaking his head with a smile. “I don’t find it funny either.”
The tall one was on the verge of tears again.
The short one forced a weak smile.
Lu Zheng asked kindly, “What are your true forms?”
Then, turning to Yuan Jing, he asked, “Is it polite to ask so directly?”
Yuan Jing nodded. “It’s fine. Demons don’t mind.”
“Got it,” Lu Zheng said, turning back to the scholars. “Just so I know whether to get a scarf or a pair of boots.”
“Wah!” The tall one burst into tears. “Senior, have mercy! We were wrong! We won’t look for anyone, and we won’t go to the Southern Border!”
Yuan Jing’s brow furrowed, and Lu Zheng’s eyes glinted.
The short one slapped his forehead. Done for!
This involved the Southern Border, no small matter. Yuan Jing looked at the short one sternly. “Will you confess, or shall I turn you over to the Yizhou Demon Suppression Bureau?”
The short one trembled, then said seriously, “Senior, I’ll confess!”
Sensing Yuan Jing and Lu Zheng’s intensity ease slightly, the tall one swallowed hard, cautiously asking the short one, “Are we really turning in Old Lady Yi? Isn’t she your kin?”
The short one gritted his teeth, meeting Lu Zheng’s playful gaze. “She’s a field rat, I’m a hamster. We’re not kin!”
With the tall one assisting, the short one dutifully explained the situation.
In the mountains a hundred miles north of Pingtan County lived Old Lady Yi, a demon with centuries of cultivation, a prominent figure in the region.
She kept a low profile, rarely appearing, her descendants acting on her behalf, building her reputation.
A few days ago, Old Lady Yi invited local demons to her cave for a gathering.
There, they learned she had struck a deal with a Southern Border shaman. They needed to find a virtuous, meritorious woman to hand over to the shaman. In return, the shaman promised land in the Southern Border for the participating demons to rule and dominate.
“The Southern Border,” Lu Zheng tapped the table.
Unlike the northern kingdoms, the Southern Border was even more chaotic. The north had human-demon coexistence, suppressing Buddhism and Daoism. The Southern Border, with its vast mountains and layered ridges, was a mix of humans, demons, ghosts, and shamans.
Compared to Great Jing and the northern kingdoms, Southern Border inhabitants were more primitive and devout.
Besides local tribes, remnants of fallen中原 dynasties often retreated there. Due to complex terrain and factions, no中原 dynasty could conquer the Southern Border.
Thus, it grew more chaotic, with diverse power systems, some bizarre, some ancient, often astonishing.
For instance, Lu Zheng’s *White Bamboo Curse* came from the Southern Border’s White Bamboo Sect, its origins long lost.
Later, unclassifiable power systems emerged in the Southern Border, some intricate and eerie, others vast and ancient, each shallow but broad, collectively termed “shamanism.”
Due to the region’s chaos, its people prayed for stronger protectors, making their worship more devout.
Such coercive worship was deemed heretical by Daoist Master Ming Zhang, shunned by true cultivators.
A Southern Border shaman seeking a virtuous, charitable woman in Pingtan County was likely after a sacrificial offering for some obscure ritual.
Lu Zheng looked at Yuan Jing. “Should we report this to the Yizhou Demon Suppression Bureau?”
Yuan Jing nodded. “Absolutely.”
