"Shopkeeper, how much silver?"
"Pay what you think is fair."
Shopkeeper Lin’s casual remark made Monkey clutch his coin purse in alarm.
’Who does business like this?’
’Did that last incident give this Shopkeeper a taste for easy money?’
’I’m no Xie Yutang, who can order two measly side dishes and then slap down a Mid Grade Immortal Talisman without a second thought.’
"You’ve got a point. With all the men and their mounts, it’s hard to keep a running tab. How about I just settle up when we’re ready to leave?"
Monkey gave an awkward laugh and turned to help the others unload their cargo.
Soon enough, the group filed upstairs and swarmed into a single room, after which all went quiet.
"Sigh."
Lin Shu glanced impassively toward the stairs.
’You could say their acting is good, but then they go and do something as stupid as cramming eight people into a single room.’
’It’s like they’ve written "We’re plotting something big" right on their faces.’
’But to say this group was inexperienced... In all of Shihu City, numerous Steward Disciples, and even the Immortal Descendant Chen Xiangzhu, had brushed past them and observed them at length.’
’And yet, not a single one of them detected anything strange about their auras.’
’For a group of Little Demons to have mastered such a profound Breath Concealment technique... it was completely at odds with their poor, shabby appearance.’
Lin Shu had no interest in the loose silver in their pockets, but he was quite curious about this technique of theirs.
His split soul wasn’t with him at the moment.
He slowly closed his eyes.
The Body Tempering Technique had sharpened this body’s senses, giving him keen ears and sharp eyes.
While it wasn’t enough to let him eavesdrop on the conversations in the second-floor room, things changed when he factored in the faint trace of the Mountain God Wind-Riding Divine Technique he had acquired.
A slight breeze drifted through the hall, flowing through the cracks in the building.
The currents of air slowly converged, carrying faint whispers with them as they flowed into Lin Shu’s ears.
’It seems this group of Little Demons has already made up their minds.’
Xie Yutang was assigning Gu Nanzhi to handle the evacuation and resettlement of the Laborers.
"Wait outside the mine. Once we make our move, you’ll unfurl the screen and get those people out of Yongzhou Pass immediately. Take them to Qinghe Ridge."
"That’s the Qingming Demon General’s territory. I’ve already made inquiries. This Demon General enjoys forging weapons and has a dozen or so villages under his control, many of them populated by wanderers. He’ll take in these Laborers."
"Smithing is hard work, but at least they’ll be able to survive, and they’ll get food and a place to stay."
"But whatever you do, don’t get close yourself. Even though you’re a Scattered Demon without allegiance to a banner, he might not trust you. If he mistakes you for a spy from another Demon General, it could lead to a misunderstanding."
"Okay," Gu Nanzhi agreed softly.
After the plans were laid out, the Little Demons weren’t particularly nervous. In fact, the mention of allegiance banners seemed to make them even more excited.
"It’s a shame we don’t have a Demon Banner. If we get lucky and actually pull this off, we won’t have a name to claim the glory."
"Ah, whatever. Let’s just treat it as practice."
"As long as the eight of us survive, we’ll be able to raise our own banner someday and make a name for ourselves. Then some Demon Monarch will take notice and recruit us, haha!"
The Little Demons’ expectant laughter served to ease the fear in their hearts.
Downstairs, Lin Shu slowly opened his eyes.
’So there are this many rules and customs among Demons.’
’You don’t just need a Core Formation Cultivation, you also have to establish a banner with a title before you can even be called a Demon General.’
’Then, all their deeds are counted as merits and recorded on that banner.’
’Only after building up enough of a reputation can they be recruited by a more powerful Great Demon and finally have a patron to rely on.’
’Then why was that Old Demon surnamed Xu so unwilling to raise a banner?’
He had nothing better to do, so Lin Shu simply treated it as listening in on some gossip. It was useless information, but he found it rather interesting.
Just then, someone came strolling toward the inn.
It was a familiar face.
It was the same Jade Disciple who had stopped the Liu Family’s retinue on the street earlier.
"Fan Qingyang, disciple of Yu Duchuan."
"I come on my Master’s order to deliver an Inheritance Spiritual Light to you all."
This disciple didn’t look very old, perhaps in his twenties or thirties.
But his speech and bearing carried a certain dignity, setting him completely apart from the other disciples undergoing their trials at Yongzhou Pass.
"Thank you for your trouble."
Lin Shu stood and reached out to accept the Spiritual Light.
He had read about it in the Rotating Jade Scroll.
Besides being a trial ground, Yongzhou Pass was equivalent to a prefecture and could also serve as a domain for adult Immortal Descendants.
Yu Sheng and her peers were just passing through on their trial.
But Yu Duchuan, the man Fan Qingyang had mentioned, was an Immortal Descendant who had chosen to remain here after coming of age.
They were typically granted around ten Earth Cities, giving them a status similar to that of a City Lord.
As the disciple of such a City Lord, Fan Qingyang’s status was far above that of other disciples when he traveled among the subordinate Earth Cities. Even Stewards had to defer to his commands.
"The Great Shun Dynasty has been making moves lately. Remind your Master to be careful."
Fan Qingyang offered the advice casually, wasting no breath on the recent conflicts within the city, nor on Lin Shu himself.
In their eyes,
these Cultivators—whose Jade Liquid had yet to reach Perfection and who lacked both techniques and Magical Artifacts—were just children squabbling, no matter what they did.
"Understood. I will inform my Master."
Lin Shu watched him leave, his gaze falling to the Spiritual Light in his hand.
This sliver of light was clearly much weaker than the one Yu Qiheng had given him back at the Old Woodshed.
’After all, it was only exchanged for a thousand merit points. It’s probably the equivalent of a monthly stipend.’
The Yu Family dared to entrust this to their disciples for two reasons: one, they knew the disciples wouldn’t dare embezzle it; and two, it was something that a Cultivator couldn’t absorb on their own anyway.
He walked upstairs and pressed the Spiritual Light into the space between Yu Sheng’s eyebrows.
’So many things are happening at once. It seems there are Merit and Sin Coins to be earned at every turn.’
Lin Shu was already starting to feel like he was being stretched too thin.
Under these circumstances, Yu Sheng had to have enough power to protect herself.

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