CH 83

Lu Yuliu struggled hard not to let her curiosity show on her face and maintained an elegant and composed smile as instructed by Luo Wusheng.

The young girl had a sense of familiarity with this scene…

Seated in the main position, facing Miss Kirin’s question, Luo Wusheng interlocked his hands on the table.

“As I mentioned yesterday at the Six Gates, the purpose of that blood mist demonic being in the royal city was merely to divert your attention, thus covering up the true preparations of the Demonic Race within the city… I presume that after my words yesterday, you also discovered some suspicious activities through your investigation, right?”

“…Well, indeed, as you said, there were some suspicious movements from certain prominent families in the royal city, but that alone cannot be decisive evidence.”

Miss Kirin responded, but shook her head. “We also sent people to investigate later on, but they couldn’t find anything abnormal.”

“After all, the Demonic Race has been planning for more than three years. If it were so easy to find any traces, they would have been exposed long ago, and I wouldn’t have had to come here today to reveal it.”

Luo Wusheng smiled dismissively.

“Three years?” Miss Kirin seemed to be sensitive to this timeframe.

“That’s right, it was the year when the former emperor of the Immortal Nation disappeared.”

Luo Wusheng narrated, “Three years ago, there was a brief period of turbulence in the Immortal Nation due to the emperor’s disappearance.”

“Although the current Empress is extraordinary and quickly minimized the impact of the emperor’s disappearance after ascending to the throne against public opinion, she has also been governing the Immortal Nation with great diligence and efficiency, like an exemplary ruler…”

“But that year of turbulence was still enough to be exploited by those with ill intentions, especially the demonic tribes that had long harbored designs against the Immortal Nation.”

The demonic lands were where the Demonic Races resided in this world.

Countless demonic tribes existed within, with a demonic nation standing tall.

There was a deep-seated enmity between the Immortal Nation and the demonic nation.

It all began when the former emperor of the Immortal Nation, after reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul stage in his cultivation, created a heavenly pond outside the royal city using his extraordinary powers, as rumored, to achieve the legendary “immortality without crossing the heavenly tribulation.” He then wreaked havoc in the demonic lands, suppressing the demonic nation’s queen beneath the depths of the heavenly pond, thereby gathering the fortune of the human race.

Who was the queen? The ruler of the demonic nation, a formidable Nascent Soul stage demonic being!

In the present era where Nascent Soul stage cultivators couldn’t avoid the heavenly tribulation, the Nascent Soul stage was considered the pinnacle of the world!

Everyone believed that with the emperor’s actions, the Demonic Races would surely seek revenge. However, as time passed day by day, news came first of a change in the position of the demonic nation’s ruler.

The news of the demonic queen no longer being in power? Was she abandoned by the Demonic Races like that?

People who heard this news found it absurd.

But shortly afterward, something jaw-dropping happened.

The heavenly pond took shape, and the fortune of the human race returned, yet the arrogant Immortal Nation’s former emperor suddenly disappeared.

That same year, the Demonic Races launched small-scale wars at the border of the Immortal Nation, claiming to reclaim their queen.

However, it was all just minor skirmishes, causing people to suspect whether the new ruler of the demonic nation merely used this as an excuse to consolidate their own position within the Demonic Races.

“Are you suggesting that the skirmishes the Demonic Races stirred at the border during that year of turbulence were meant to create chaos and secretly prepare for their plot against the Immortal Nation?” Miss Kirin, as a talented investigator of the Six Gates, quickly understood what Luo Wusheng wanted to express.

“That’s right.”

Dealing with intelligent people is always easy.

Luo Wusheng nodded and continued, “Since Miss Kirin has already reached this point in her thinking, I won’t continue to keep you in suspense.”

“According to the information I have, the main forces of the Demonic Races in the royal city are three prominent families…”

“They are all located in the northern part of the city: Zhu Family, Niu Family, and Yang Family.”

At this point, Luo Wusheng looked towards Miss Su from the Su Family, who had suddenly shown a dazed expression upon hearing the names of the three families. “Now you should understand why I asked you to come as well, right?”

The Su Family, just like the three families mentioned by Luo Wusheng, is a prominent household located in the northern part of the royal city.

In the intelligence gathered by his junior sister the night before, Luo Wusheng had discovered an interesting fact.

The Su Family was also involved in this matter.

“The Su Family is involved in the pharmaceutical business within the royal city. They purchase large quantities of low-priced pills from nearby alchemy sects and sell them in the royal city, making a profit from the price difference.”

“However, about three months ago, those three families monopolized the supply of pills that were originally provided to the Su Family, but at higher prices… Of course, this kind of thing doesn’t pose an immediate problem since the Su Family had sufficient stock of goods, and the pills were properly preserved, so there was no risk of damage.”

“However, this situation has continued until now…”

Luo Wusheng narrowed his eyes.

Miss Kirin on the opposite side seemed unaware of this information and looked towards Su Susu beside her.

Miss Su from the Su Family nodded with an unpleasant expression on her face.

That was also the reason why she had been so troubled these past two months, to the point of seeking solace in fireworks.

Although she had no interest in inheriting the family business and was content being a spy for the Six Gates, seeing her family members sigh and lose their appetites on a daily basis made her extremely anxious as a filial child.

“Is there a connection between the pills and the Demonic Races hidden in the royal city? Can the Demonic Races use the pills to conceal their presence?”

Miss Kirin quickly understood the context and made a conjecture, then looked at Luo Wusheng.

However, Luo Wusheng shook his head.

“The presence has long been concealed. Almost every day, Demonic Race members who appear no different from ordinary people enter the northern part of the royal city. Without external forces to trigger it, no one can detect their true nature.”

Upon hearing these words, a hint of confusion appeared in Miss Kirin’s eyes beneath her mask.

Knowing that she hasn’t experienced the original storyline, it’s certain that Miss Kirin doesn’t fully understand the intricacies. Luo Wusheng continued:

“The Demonic Races spent three years preparing, so it’s not feasible for them to rely on concealing their presence day after day, given their numbers.”

“Therefore, under the supernatural power of the new leader of the Demonic Races, their demonic energy was completely depleted and transformed into a drop of sealed demonic blood. Their strength is at most at the Foundation Establishment stage, and their appearance has fully transformed into a human form. Unless they are carefully examined by a Nascent Soul cultivator, it is difficult to detect any clues.”

“As for those pills… they are merely a smokescreen. They value one particular type of low-level pill called the ‘Blood Igniting Pill’.”

“The Blood Igniting Pill is originally a life-risking pill used by low-level cultivators to exhaust their hidden potential. However, with the Demonic Races’ physical bodies, they are not concerned about the side effects. In fact, after consuming more than ten pills, they can ignite the sealed demonic blood within their bodies and restore their cultivation and supernatural abilities.”

“In the future, when the Immortal Nation faces external enemies sent by the Demonic Races, these hidden Demonic Races within the core of the Immortal Nation will be able to reawaken their demonic powers, creating internal chaos and weakening the defenses of the royal city.”

His words fell silent.

The hall was filled with silence.

Absurd.

That was the first thought that crossed the minds of the women present.

Even Lu Yuliu, who had been keeping an elegant smile on her face, unable to let her curiosity show, found it difficult to maintain her composure.

The words spoken by this disciple of the Demon Sect were far from something that could enter one ear and leave the other.

Miss Kirin’s aura was momentarily in disarray.

She had indeed speculated that this disciple of the Demon Sect might know a lot of information unknown to her, which could help her avoid many detours in her investigation.

But she never expected him to directly throw out the answer.

And this answer was truly astonishing.

If everything Luo Wusheng said was true, then the demonic troops were already stockpiled in the royal city, while the city’s defenders remained oblivious.

This meant that once the turmoil began, the Immortal Nation would be caught off guard and forced into a defensive position.

Miss Kirin fell into contemplation.

“If that’s the case… if you hadn’t mentioned it now, the large-scale purchase of pills by the three northern families would likely have been overshadowed by other events…”

Even the Six Gates, which were specifically responsible for investigating anomalies, failed to notice anything strange about that matter. How could they expect the Nascent Soul cultivators who were busy with countless matters and often absent from the city to notice?

This directly allowed the Demonic Races, who might have been exposed due to the large purchases of pills, to once again enter the safe zone.

But then, the sound of a chair moving came from the side.

Su Susu, who was brought to the meeting by Luo Wusheng, had an unpleasant expression and stood up from her seat.

“Two months… The Blood Igniting Pill can be stored for less than six months, and it has been over three months since the three families started purchasing pills in large quantities. If it’s really a scheme by the Demonic Races… that means there are at most two months left?”

After recalling her knowledge about the Blood Igniting Pill just now and understanding the connection, she couldn’t suppress the panic growing within her, causing her to lose her composure for a moment.

“Perhaps.”

Luo Wusheng smiled indifferently.

At this point, his words were already sufficient.

He didn’t have much knowledge about this matter either.

After all, in the original storyline, Lu Yuliu’s role was merely to serve as an introduction. Once Lu Yuliu herself attracted the attention of the Empress after discovering traces of the Demonic Races, she played almost no part in this matter.

Even the various pieces of information that Luo Wusheng mentioned earlier were mostly things that the Empress later recalled because of this matter when she interacted with Little Yuli, a key character in the future. This allowed Luo Wusheng, who only retained a small amount of the original memories, to be aware of them.

“…How do you know so much?”

After a brief silence, Miss Kirin’s gaze towards Luo Wusheng carried a hint of seriousness.

She found herself increasingly unable to see through this disciple of the Demon Sect.

Initially, she had some interest in the young man before her.

At first, she simply found his behavior unpredictable. Despite being the disciple of the Demon Sect, he wanted to manage a Demon Artifact Pavilion that was already on the verge of collapse.

Then, when she witnessed him refining that terrifying high-grade Artifact and shattering the calamity clouds with a single strike, she began to consider recruiting this Demon Sect prodigy who was completely different from the rumors. She placed a few more expectations on him and felt that a favorable relationship could be established.

So much so that when the Demon Artifact Pavilion counterattacked and became the number one refining pavilion in the royal city, she was surprised to find that she had no trace of astonishment in her heart.

But now–

Miss Kirin felt that she had underestimated this disciple of the Demon Sect.

The planning of the Demonic Races… and even the schemes personally concealed by the new leader of the Demonic Races…

Normally, should it be this easy to expose?

Just the concealment that can only be seen through by Nascent Soul cultivators has already significantly reduced the possibility of exposure.

However, the young man before her continued to speak calmly, directly revealing the Demonic Races’ arrangements in the royal city, and even casually mentioning how these arrangements were achieved.

How was this possible?

But when Luo Wusheng heard the question, he didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he made a gesture, directing Miss Kirin’s gaze towards the side where Lu Yuliu was standing.

The true protagonist of this world at this moment felt her face going numb.

Maintaining an elegant smile on her face amidst so many shocking revelations, only she knew the effort she had put in.

Several times, she had almost wanted to disregard that annoying guy, Luo Wusheng.

But she held back.

(Consider it a return gift for him unconsciously helping my Master restore her Sword Heart earlier…)

As the young girl was thinking, she suddenly realized that she had become the focus of everyone’s attention. Subconsciously, she looked towards the Demon Sect Holy Saint who had pushed her forward.

Luo Wusheng lightly smiled.

“I forgot to introduce Miss Kirin to this lady earlier… This is Lu Yuliu, a disciple of the Sword Pavilion. She is representing the Sword Pavilion in the competition for the Immortal Ranking in one month.” (Tn: Sword Sect = Sword Pavillion)

Lu Yuliu, who was being introduced, looked puzzled.

Why did the introduction suddenly start? Did it have anything to do with her conversation today?

Thinking this in her mind, she instinctively displayed an elegant and composed smile to her surroundings, and nodded gently.

Miss Kirin was also unsure what kind of trick Luo Wusheng was playing. After nodding and exchanging greetings with Lu Yuliu, her doubts grew even stronger.

What she thought was similar to what Lu Yuliu thought, but she had an additional question.

Why was this young girl, with only a late Foundation Establishment cultivation, able to maintain a smile from beginning to end? How could she remain unruffled in the face of such mind-boggling news?

Could it be…

“To be honest, everything I said just now… was the information that Miss Lu had gathered during her investigation, but she couldn’t speak about it directly, so I’m taking care of it on her behalf.”

After Luo Wusheng finished speaking, a faint smile formed at the corner of his mouth.

Wonderful, how wonderful.

Although he may have stolen some of the spotlight from the true protagonist and likely accelerated the progress of events, he didn’t actually want to steal the main character’s role. After all, the protagonist still had to rely on this event to attract the attention of that person within the imperial palace and gain acceptance in the harem.

If such an important plot point were to be stolen, who knows what changes would occur in the timeline.

Lu Yuliu, who was originally smiling and nodding, froze in place.

She finally remembered where the sense of familiarity she felt tonight came from.

Wasn’t it the same as when she maintained a smile in the Sword Pavilion, fooling her Master and the peak masters?

No, she didn’t want to take the blame for Luo Wusheng anymore!

In that instant, all thoughts of elegance, composure, and nodding with a smile were thrown out of her mind.

“I didn’t do it, it wasn’t me!”

The young girl immediately spoke up, cutting off the development of the situation in the direction she had guessed, before anything could happen.

Sensing Miss Kirin’s gaze returning to her, Luo Wusheng’s expression stiffened slightly.

Looking at Lu Yuliu again, he felt a tinge of frustration.

(Lu Yuliu! I already gave you an opportunity but you blew it away, you’re useless!)