Chapter 119: The Murder Deal

"No one knows what he is carrying..."
"In any case, he is likely still being hunted by people from the Central Region."
Song Yan furrowed his brow, thinking to himself that this affair involved far too many complications. Because of something that might not even exist, the entire cultivation world of the Chu Kingdom was now in disarray.
After a moment of contemplation, Song Yan asked, "Is that person currently in Changping?"
Sheng Nian shook his head. "I don't know. It's just a possibility."
"..."
Song Yan let out a long sigh. "If he isn't here, aren't you just wasting your time?"
"Wasting time or not..." Sheng Nian grinned. "Aren't the six great sects doing the exact same thing?"
"..."
Fair point.
"As for the demonic cultivators, the rest of us—myself included—are just making up the numbers. The core involves the faction from the Yellow Springs Path, and of course, the demonic cultivators from the Abyss of Bones. They must have information regarding that person."
Song Yan remarked, "You tell me all this—aren't you afraid I'll report it to the six great sects?"
"What those people live or die for has nothing to do with me." Sheng Nian spread his hands. "I'd love to see them dead."
Song Yan was stunned. He had almost forgotten that the man across from him was also a demonic cultivator.
Demonic cultivators, in truth, fall into many categories. For instance, the "Yellow Springs Path" that Sheng Nian mentioned clearly belonged to a group with a complete orthodox lineage, possessing well-established mentorship and cultivation systems. While Song Yan did not know the specific differences between various demonic lineages, he understood that this class was much like the orthodox sect disciples.
In Changping, the most common sort were the "rogue" demonic practitioners who understood only crude techniques or had stumbled upon mere scraps of a demonic lineage by chance. Until now, he hadn't been sure which category Sheng Nian belonged to. Judging solely by the formidable combat prowess the man had displayed in the forest, he likely belonged to a demonic faction with a proper lineage.
"Furthermore, even if that person really is in Changping and is indeed carrying some lost treasure from the Central Region, is that something a small fry like us could ever get our hands on?"
Sheng Nian’s expression turned mysterious. "I didn't call you here to talk about such trifles. Mainly, I want you to help me kill someone."
"..."
Song Yan paused, and looking at the serious gaze of Sheng Nian, he suddenly chuckled.
"That’s a coincidence. I happen to have someone I want you to help me kill, too. It’s a disciple of the six great sects, which makes it inconvenient for me to act. Besides, you’ll probably want to kill this person even more than I do. You’re getting a great deal."
"..."
Sheng Nian stood there, stunned. For some reason, looking at Song Yan’s warm and genial smile, he felt a sudden, inexplicable chill in his heart.
He had asked for help with a hit, yet before he could even ask who the target was or what their cultivation level might be, Song Yan was already considering the terms of the exchange.
"..."
A voice deep within his heart whispered, "I told you that boy’s demonic nature was stronger than yours."
...
An hour later, Song Yan left the Yin Yun Pavilion. He wandered through the Hanshan Market for a while, purchased some Yellow Springs Meditation Pills, and after spending half a day, returned to the city of Changping.
He first sought out his team leader, Dai Rui, and provided a detailed account of his encounter with the demonic cultivators.
"At the time, I was returning from Hanshan Market and got lost; I wasn't sure of my exact location." Song Yan donned a look of recollection. "Based on what happened later, I must have been in the northern part of the county."
He claimed only that he had inadvertently stumbled upon a skirmish between them and, by playing the role of the fisherman reaping the rewards, had taken the lives of the remaining demonic cultivators.
"Hey, Senior Brother Dai, how much merit can the lives of these few earn me?"
Song Yan took out the items related to demonic cultivation from the five Qiankun bags and displayed them before Dai Rui. His eyes shone, appearing entirely indifferent to the fact that demonic cultivators were prowling nearby—acting exactly like any other disciple of the six sects who cared only about accumulating enough merit to return to their home sect as soon as possible.
Dai Rui pondered for a moment before speaking slowly, "Junior Brother Song, this matter is not so simple."
"?"
Song Yan gave a soft sound of surprise. "Senior Brother Dai, what do you mean?"
Dai Rui picked up five identical, tattered pages of demonic scriptures from the pile. "This technique... it is a fragment of the Blood Sacrifice Demonic Seeding Scripture." His gaze was extremely grave, filled with a deep sense of unease. "These five... they are disciples of the Demonic Seeding Path!"
"Ah?!"
Song Yan took the opportunity to display an expression of utter shock. In truth, this item had been planted by Sheng Nian after he rummaged through the pile of belongings, specifically to forge evidence.
Dai Rui spoke in a low voice, "Previously, the six great sects only possessed a sliver of information regarding the Yellow Springs Path. I never expected that the shadow of the Demonic Seeding Path would appear here as well..."
"This matter must be reported immediately! Junior Brother Song, you have performed a great service! Come with me to the Lianheng Pavilion to report this to the elders!"
"Yes."
Song Yan’s expression also grew serious, as if he had been struck by the severity of the situation described by his senior brother.
The two left the Yangwu Courtyard and headed toward the complex of buildings at the edge of the county city.
"Senior Brother Dai, the six sects have been united and stationed here for over half a year. Why have these demonic cultivators suddenly appeared here?"
"I’m not entirely sure of the specifics, but these demonic cultivators never act without profit..." Mentioning the demonic cultivators, Dai Rui’s face remained calm. "One can guess; it’s nothing more than rumors of heavenly treasures or precious spiritual objects that draw these people like flies scenting rot, flocking here in droves..."
He wanted to continue, but seemed to think of something. "...That was indeed the case initially. Now, perhaps it is not so simple. The Yellow Springs Path and the Demonic Seeding Path—two demonic lineages—have not appeared in the Chu Kingdom simultaneously for a very long time."
"Sigh... This is not something we can intervene in. Let the elders decide."
At the Lianheng Pavilion, the elders listened to the detailed report from Dai Rui and Song Yan, all of them furrowing their brows.
Technically, five disciples of the Demonic Seeding Path were not a major issue. At most, they were at the seventh level of Qi Refining and couldn't stir up any real trouble. But in the eyes of these elders, the situation was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
If a single disciple could randomly run into five of them just by stepping out of the city, they dared not imagine how many more were hidden within the jurisdiction of Changping County. Even more concerning was why the Yellow Springs Path and the Demonic Seeding Path had met here.
The current six great sects lacked effective means to monitor and detect demonic cultivators. Even today, they still did not know the purpose behind these people's arrival. That was what made demonic cultivators so troublesome.
"Your strength is quite impressive," one of the elders said, with a hint of praise. "Although you said they were fighting amongst themselves, it is truly not easy to kill a seventh-level Qi Refining demonic cultivator without sustaining any injuries."
Song Yan’s expression remained unchanged, his tone neither humble nor arrogant. "That person was already exhausted at the time; it truly didn't take much effort."
The elder nodded and said nothing more. Being able to eliminate five demonic cultivators without effort was, in any case, a good thing for the six great sects.