Chapter 43: Human Cultivators

Fu Li, Zhang Ke, and Song Yu got their tickets checked and then waited in line to board the train. Song Yu looked at the long and large metal vehicle with plenty of confusion. Clearly, they could directly fly to their destination, so why did they still need to ride this so-called fastest train in the human world?

Zhang Ke’s luggage was in his left hand, while his right hand held onto a large bag of food. The things on the train were expensive and not tasty; buying his own snacks would allow him to save a bit more money.

After boarding the train, the three of them sat down in their respective seats. Zhang Ke noticed that the woman in the seat adjacent to his was with a child and helped her to place her luggage onto the luggage rack. Upon turning back, he saw Song Yu take out a bag of pickled pepper chicken feet to gnaw on. Even the bones were not spat out.

“Eh?” All of a sudden, Fu Li sat up straight, his expression turning somewhat odd.

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Ke saw the change in Fu Li’s expression and thought that some great yao had appeared. His entire body stretched taut from the fright and he repeatedly turned his head to look around their surroundings.

“I feel the force of faith,” As a yao cultivator, it was his first time feeling such a thing. Although the force of faith was very weak, he had never once received offerings from humans or yao, which made him very sensitive to it.

“Force of faith?” Song Yu’s expression didn’t change. “What about it?” As a great yao who had the potential from birth to bring terror to humans, humans would make offerings to him every year to keep him away from them. Although this way of doing things was similar to ‘preventing disaster through financial loss’, he could still be considered to have received offerings from humans, so such a thing was not at all rare for him. “There’s no practical usefulness to this sort of thing. What decent yao cultivator would care about it?”

At this point, he shot a glance at Fu Li. “For an ordinary yao cultivator like you, it is indeed a rarity for someone to have faith in you.” After finishing this statement, he didn’t forget to lower his head and give the chicken feet a few more nibbles.

At the side, Zhang Ke curled his lips. So what if he was a great yao? Wasn’t he also scared witless by Fu ge?

Song Yu had evidently also thought of this, because he instantly corrected his attitude. “As expected of Boss, just your graceful bearing is enough to induce respect in humans.”

Zhang Ke, “…”

These ancient great yao seriously had innate boot-licking skills.

“Fu ge, what did you do?” In the current ideological climate of materialism, it was truly an extremely rare occurrence for someone to sincerely believe in another.

“I didn’t do much recently,” Fu Li thought carefully. “All I did was help a little girl to find her real body a few days ago. She suffered a fright and lost her soul. I got the police to bring her a Peace String yesterday.”

“Peace String?” Zhang Ke asked. “Is it the one that ensures a child’s safety?”

“En. I’ve enhanced it with my magic to protect the child from losing her soul again from shock. The bodies of ordinary people can’t bear such a thing happening too many times,” Fu Li’s spoke as if it was as simple as eating and drinking, but to an ordinary family, he was no different from a lifesaver.

Below the floor Fu Li used to stay on, Miao Miao very seriously paid her respects to the red string before letting the landlady tie it around her wrist.

“Miao Miao. Remember, you must not remove this string,” The landlady clutched Miao Miao’s shoulders, an unprecedented solemnity to her voice. “Since you have accepted this favor, we must not forget it. Whether or not you meet this big brother in the future, you must not forget the lifesaving grace he extended to you. Understand?”

“En!” Miao Miao nodded obediently. Her soft, tiny hands touched the red string on her wrist as she revealed an innocent smile, oblivious to what she had experienced.

Despite the fact that several bureau staff had already been dispatched, the sheer size of the management bureau meant that the departure of a few people wouldn’t render the place cold and cheerless. The entire bureau was like an immense machine that functioned by its own rules.

There were yao cultivators who came to register their marriage, yao cultivators who came to do divorce procedures, as well as yao who nearly got into huge fights over their heirs. Although they were yao, assimilation into the human race had led to them taking on many human habits.

The crested ibis that failed to make it into the bureau also came. This time, he came to file a lawsuit against the person who verbally attacked him on the cultivators’ forum. The cause of this incident was very simple – a certain cultivator brought up the topic of the national treasure, bringing about all sorts of praise for the panda’s cuteness. Someone eventually mentioned the crested ibis, and a confused cultivator asked without thinking if the crested ibis was also a national treasure.

After seeing this post, the crested ibis flew into a terrible rage and ran to the bureau to kick up a huge fuss, saying that he wanted this cultivator to give him an explanation.

There were constant blamers in the human world, and the yao world didn’t lack them either.

“If you don’t give me an explanation, I’ll complain to your superiors of suspected racial discrimination,” The crested ibis slammed the table. “I don’t care. That cultivator must publicly apologize on the forum post, otherwise I won’t leave today.”

“What’s with all the fuss?” Zhuang Qing walked down the spiral staircase. His icy gaze landed on the crested ibis and his brows furrowed slightly.

The crested ibis dared to display his might as the national treasure in front of other yao cultivators, but the moment Zhuang Qing appeared, he was so frightened that he went mute. Zhuang Qing usually didn’t appear for such small disputes, so why was he so out of luck today?

“M-Mr Zhuang,” The crested ibis stopped stamping his feet. His hands no longer swung about, and his voice trembled slightly.

Zhuang Qing’s voice was serene. “You’re the one making a fuss here?”

“No, I wasn’t,” The crested ibis’ thighs trembled, and he gave two dry laughs. “I don’t have any issue, so I’ll leave now.” Then, he turned and ran towards the door as if Zhuang Qing would swallow him whole if he ran even a bit slower.

Everyone watched the panicked back of the crested ibis in confusion. The boss was usually a bit more on the severe side, but he didn’t have the habit of willfully slaughtering the innocent. Why was the crested ibis who often sought the limelight this frightened?

In recent years, the crested ibis would join in the fun during every recruitment exercise. He didn’t do so for the sake of joining the bureau, but merely to flaunt his status as a national treasure. As long as it was a setting where he could show off, the crested ibis definitely wouldn’t miss out on it. However, when they thought a bit harder, they really hadn’t seen the crested ibis kicking up a fuss in front of the boss before.

The moment the crested ibis walked out of the main entrance of Chang Long Company, he scampered off in a mad rush. He ran for close to half an hour before leaning against a tree trunk to catch his breath. Many years ago when he had just gained intelligence and didn’t have a human form, he had seen Zhuang Qing once.

At that time, his vision was narrow and he had assumed that Zhuang Qing was an ordinary court official. He had even wanted to mix into his fleet for a meal. However, an anomaly suddenly cropped up that night. Countless yao appeared, saying that eating dragons or whatnot would increase their cultivation by five hundred years.

The human official dressed in splendid attire had drawn his sword and intentionally lured the yao beasts into the forest. The yao beasts threw aside the other humans and chased after that sole human. He had assumed the human possessed royal blood, but that human official had transformed into a dragon all of a sudden and tore into the other yao.

He had never seen such a ruthless fight. The dragon was attacked from multiple sides by innumerable yao, their bites leaving him drenched in blood. The yao beasts didn’t end up in much better condition either. Not only had they been bitten till their intestines spilled out of their bellies, they also hadn’t managed to preserve their yao cores. The terror had left him in shivers, not daring to emit even the slightest sound.

The battle lasted for an entire night. All the yao beasts were killed by the dragon, but the multitude of attacks had also broken the dragon’s tail. From head to tail, the dragon’s flesh was exposed. Just as he thought that the dragon had already passed on, it suddenly opened its blood-red eyes and stared in his direction. With a long hiss, it flew off.

That pair of blood red eyes had practically become the crested ibis’ nightmare, which was why he couldn’t help shaking all over the moment he saw Zhuang Qing, even if several hundreds of years had gone by since then.

After heading downstairs to pick up information, Zhuang Qing went to the dormitory to take a look at the Kunpeng. He knocked on the door and entered. The Kunpeng was sprawled over the table, his eyes staring heatedly at a bowl of not-yet-cooked cup noodles. He gazed at the cup noodles as if it was an exceptional delicacy. Even Zhuang Qing’s arrival couldn’t attract his attention.

Zhuang Qing was someone with a lot of patience. He leaned against the doorframe and waited till the Kunpeng opened the cover of the cup noodles and started drinking the soup. “Kunpeng daren.”

“Oh,” With cup noodles in the Kunpeng’s mouth, it wasn’t very convenient for him to speak, so he turned to look at Zhuang Qing, indicating for him to continue.

“You’ve gotten used to living here?” Zhuang Qing’s brows were very nice to look at and his looks was also that of a classic handsome man. If he were willing to join the entertainment scene, any snake or fox spirit would have to make way for him.

“Quite well,” The Kunpeng swallowed the food in his mouth. “Human things really are very interesting.” He glanced at Zhuang Qing. “You’re know very well that I have a habit of eating dragons, but you still dare to come here?”

“Kunpeng daren said that he won’t eat me, so I naturally dare to,” Zhuang Qing looked at the room that was over two hundred square meters. Apart from the bathroom at the corner and the dining table, the other areas were completely bare. He walked over to the dining table and sat down to wait for the Kunpeng to finish his cup noodles.

The Kunpeng ate at a very rapid pace. He polished off ten cups before placing down his chopsticks. “You have something for me?”

“I just have some minor questions that I would like to consult Kunpeng daren on, may I know if daren would be willing to clear up my confusion?” Zhuang Qing looked at the Kunpeng. He didn’t cower from the suppression of the Kunpeng’s cultivation.

“What do you want to know?” The Kunpeng very casually wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Did daren also choose to go into a deep sleep at the bottom of the ocean because daren felt that the yao race would soon face a calamity?” Zhuang Qing scrutinized the Kunpeng’s facial expression. “Quite a few great yao have reappeared this year. Is this a coincidence or is there some other heavenly mystery at work?”

“If it was a heavenly mystery, who would dare to divulge it?” The Kunpeng lowered his head and patted the oil stains on his tank top. “I woke up when I felt like it, don’t tell me I still need to consider the date?”

He would never reveal something as shameful as being sealed at the bottom of the sea for thousands of years even if he was beaten to death.

Even the Kunpeng didn’t know?

Zhuang Qing knew that the Kunpeng could be hiding something, but it could be seen from the Kunpeng’s expression that he too was not aware of the great yao’s reappearances. Was it really just a coincidence? But too many coincidences would inevitably imply something.

“I don’t know about the rest, but you’re quite interesting,” The Kunpeng took a few scrutinizing glances at Zhuang Qing. “I was preoccupied with fighting the rabbit spirit that night and didn’t realize that you’re not only joined to the nation’s fate but also possess great virtue of salvation. Did you save the world?”

“No, doesn’t seem like it,” The Kunpeng swiftly denied his own words. “Seems like it was accumulated throughout a few lifetimes. No wonder you can join with the nation’s fate despite your young age and status as a hybrid dragon. That is your greatest destiny.”

“Why is Kunpeng daren suddenly talking about this humble one?” Zhuang Qing wasn’t interested in his so-called previous lives. The death of a human was akin to the extinguishing of a lamp; each had their own affinity and fate, there was no meaning in delving into them.

“It’s hard to come by a dragon with a slightly stranger natal chart, so what if I’m a bit more curious?” The Kunpeng tapped his eyes with his hands and attempted to see the course of Zhuang Qing’s fate. But strangely, as if heavenly law was intentionally obstructing him, he could only see a glittering golden light, as well as… the purple qi of the imperial clan.

“Your biological mother was from a human imperial clan?” The Kunpeng finally understood why this dragon had such an odd natal chart. He might be half human but he possessed the purple qi of an excellent human natal chart. He might be half dragon but he was a golden dragon whose power was the purest among the dragon race. Furthermore, he was the carrier of an immense virtue of salvation. He had truly encountered all the good things.

“What a good natal chart, no wonder you have the fortune of a yao king. You would definitely have become the king of the yao race if it was a few thousand years ago. A pity that…” The yao race had declined.What king? What daren? Those were all things of the past

“A good natal chart?” Zhuang Qing gave a cryptic laugh, as if he had just heard a joke. “Many thanks to Kunpeng daren for the deceptive praise. This humble one is not concerned about how good my natal chart is. This humble one heard a rumor from the Zhuyan and wasn’t sure if daren has heard of it before.”

“Zhuyan?” The Kunpeng replied disdainfully, “What can trash that bullies the weak, fears the strong, and is the quickest to escape, know?”

“The Zhuyan said that the yao race has an emperor that cannot be trumped even if the yao kings were to join hands.” Zhuang Qing asked curiously, “Does such a mystical yao actually exist in this world?”

“Heh,” The Kunpeng sneered. “All living things in this world beget and restrain one another. The great yao don’t even cross swords, how can they revere another yao as emperor? At that time, the strong were respected. Rebellion was also carved into our bones, so there was never a yao who could be given the title of emperor. That trash Zhuyan is lying.”

At this point, he looked at Zhuang Qing with a smile yet not a smile. “On the contrary, you are the invisible emperor among the yao race.”

He had unified the yao race, established order, and was in possession of numerous subordinates as well as an enormous network of relations. Although he wasn’t the yao emperor, he was no different from one.

“Daren, it’s a free society now. Feudalism isn’t fashionable any longer, don’t joke with this humble one,” The corners of Zhuang Qing’s mouth pulled up, though there was no smile to be seen. “What do you think?”

“You’re a little yao who hasn’t even lived two thousand years, but you’re not even as interesting as a four-thousand-year-old rabbit spirit. Chatting with you is really boring,” The Kunpeng responded with resentment. “If not for the rabbit being absent, I wouldn’t be in the mood to chat with you for so long.”

“Perhaps it’s because Fu Li has similar likes as you?” They were both old yao spirits with peculiar brain circuits.

“That’s true,” The Kunpeng wasn’t aware of the implied meaning in Zhuang Qing’s words and nodded. “I’m going to bed. I’ll wake up when Fu Li’s back.”

He transformed into a large bird and lay down in a spacious and empty area. Flapping his wings, he said, “Doesn’t this put you at ease?”

Zhuang Qing walked over to the door and saw that the Kunpeng had already closed his eyes. He stared at his enormous body for a while. “Daren, this humble one did not have such intentions. It’s just that the yao race has declined and heavenly law’s intentions are unclear. The yao race needs daren’s help.”

The Kunpeng’s feathers moved, but he didn’t emit a sound.

“This humble one will take his leave,” Zhuang Qing closed the door for the Kunpeng.

The moving vehicle finally came to a stop at a train station in Sichuan. Song Yu kicked his legs that had gotten numb from sitting. They had spent more than eight hours traveling from the capital to this place; he felt like he had forgotten how to walk.

The train station was filled with humans that came and went. Some humans were petite in stature, yet they carried bags even bigger than him. Looking at them, Song Yu wondered if they would be squashed flat by their bags.

Upon leaving the train station, a little child came over to beg. Before Zhang Ke had the chance to remind them, he saw Fu Li place money in the child’s hands.

“Fu ge…”

Very soon, they were surrounded by several tiny children who watched Fu Li with anxious eyes as they waited for him to take out money.

“None of you are schooling?” Fu Li didn’t continue to take out money. “At your age, all of you should be enjoying the country’s mandatory education system. Who are your parents? I will report them.”

“Mice-catching dog, mind your own business!” Two men walked out from the corner and cursed Fu Li. They swiftly walked off while dragging along the beggar children, squeezing into the crowd.

“You dare to call my boss a dog?!” Song Yu pulled up his sleeves with the intention of charging over, but was held back by Fu Li.

“Don’t lower yourself to the level of those humans,” Fu Li said with creased brows. “I looked at their facial features, those children were indeed theirs. But aren’t humans the race which cares the most for their young? Why would they treat them in such a manner?”

“Fu ge, let’s go,” Zhang Ke sighed. “There exist all sorts of people in this world. Any kind of person can be found, you can’t lump them all together.”

Fu Li watched the tiny children who were dragged all over the place by the adults as if they were burlap sacks. His creased brows did not relax. Perhaps the humans were not as cute as he had thought.

“Where should we start?” Song Yu asked Zhang Ke.

Zhang Ke took out a yao-force monitoring device. Densely packed tiny dots with varying degrees of light could be seen on it. “Follow me.”

“You modern human cultivators even need to rely on these methods to find yao cultivators?” Song Yu pointed at the tiny green dot closest to them. “This one is only five meters away from us.” Both of them turned their heads simultaneously, looking at a small convenience store not too far in the distance. A paper sign hung outside, with the two large words ‘Carsick Post’ written on it.

Song Yu and Zhang Ke took two steps before noticing that Fu Li was still in a daze. “Fu ge?”

“En?” Fu Li regained his wits. Pointing at the convenience store, he said, “Let’s start with registering that vole spirit?”

Song Yu nodded and took the chance to flatter him, “As expected of the boss, making out his original form in one glance.”

“What do you three handsome guys want?” The vole spirit very enthusiastically welcomed his customers.

“Hello, we’re from the management bureau,” Zhang Ke held out his work pass to the vole spirit. “Please cooperate with us.”

“M-Management bureau?” The vole spirit no longer cared about running his shop. He pulled down the shutters and knelt on the ground with a plop. “I was wrong, don’t arrest me!”

Then, he started talking about how tough it was to do business and how there were some fake items among the goods he sold, but that the quality definitely wasn’t a problem and wouldn’t kill anyone.

Zhang Ke: He had only come to do registration for the yao census, yet he actually encountered a yaoguai selling fake goods?

After settling the vole spirit, the three of them had a meal at a small restaurant nearby before continuing their search for the next yao.

The areas the yao cultivators lived in was a bit more spread out. Although the majority were very cooperative, there were still many they had failed to register even after half a day had gone by. Zhang Ke looked at the green dots on the yao-force monitoring device and said dispiritedly, “Are all the yao gathered here?”

“Sichuan is an ancient city with many years of history. Moreover, there are many tall mountains and rivers here, which is beneficial to the cultivation of yao. It isn’t strange for there to be more yao cultivators.” Fu Li saw Zhang Ke’s disheartened look and said, “Give me a tuft of your hair.”

Zhang Ke touched his head and used a spiritual blade to cut off a tuft for Fu Li. “What use is this?”

Fu Li found some folded paper, placed the hair on top of it, and blew on it. The pieces of paper rose into the sky, rolled into a lump with the hair, and very quickly turned into many people with appearances identical to Zhang Ke.

“T-This is…”

“This is a very simple cultivators’ doppelganger technique,” Fu Li gave a few orders to the doppelgangers. “They inherit your memories and thoughts and will automatically vanish after completing the task.”

He paused. “It was said that the human cultivators in the past all knew how to use this sort of simple technique.”

Simple? All knew?

This batch of human cultivators might not be quite up to standard, thought Zhang Ke.