Chapter 7: Men Turn Bad When They Have Money

The night was deep and dark, with dense miasma spreading across the marshland.

Taking advantage of the thick darkness, a dark shadow fled through the forest, clearly severely injured, clutching its chest and breathing heavily.

It glanced back from time to time, and suddenly, as if seeing something terrifying, a look of horror flashed in its eyes. It sped up and plunged into this deep purple, highly toxic miasma-filled forest.

No matter how formidable his swordsmanship might be, how could anyone withstand the demonic fog and poisonous miasma? If he wanted to chase in here, he’d have to consider whether he had the life to survive.

As long as… as long as he could hide in this poisonous miasma… he could catch his breath for a while. Once Old Third brought people to rescue him back to the Demon Realm from underground, even if those hypocritical cultivators from the Cultivation World were powerful, how could they possibly find him on Demon Realm territory…

A pale green sword light drifted down like bamboo leaves, effortlessly slicing through the thick, dark miasma.

The wolf demon only felt his body lighten before his back slammed into something.

Wide-eyed, he looked down in disbelief—the sword light had already pierced through his shoulder blade, pinning him to an ancient tree.

A young man in white robes walked unhurriedly through the miasma.

The wolf demon was utterly bewildered.

How was this possible? He wasn’t afraid of the demonic poison miasma?! Any human cultivator who touched even a trace of this miasma would immediately have their flesh rot and fester, like an inescapable bone-deep affliction.

“If you can’t figure it out, that’s about right. With your dumb dog brain, how could you possibly understand?”

A childish voice suddenly rang out.

The wolf demon turned toward the sound. Sitting on the hilt of the sword that had impaled him was the faint silhouette of a little dragon, plump and round, leisurely swinging its chubby tail tip.

“Did you really think your underlings’ self-destruction could stop the boss? He just let you go on purpose to see where you’d run.” The little chubby dragon clicked its tongue disdainfully. “But you’re way too slow—it took you a whole day to get here.”

The little chubby dragon turned its head to look deep into the dark forest, propping up its small face. “But just as the boss thought, it really is the Demon Realm.”

It couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholy, skillfully pulling out a demon-binding rope and starting to tie up the wolf demon amid his stream of curses.

It had thought they could finish up and go home in a day, but now it seemed that wasn’t happening.

Sigh, the first day away from home, and it already missed Sang Ying so much.

The wolf demon was tightly bound, and the next step was to escort him to the Immortal Alliance.

The little chubby dragon disliked the wolf demon and naturally didn’t want him on the sword. Instead, it tied him to the hilt with a rope like a kite, muttering under its breath, “Those Immortal Alliance disciples are way too slow. If they could keep up with the boss, we wouldn’t have to deliver him.”

Flying on the sword was extremely fast. The wolf demon, dangling behind, let out continuous, miserable howls: “Aaaaah—”

Xie Lingyu said calmly, “Luo Qing, it’s noisy.”

The little chubby dragon confidently gestured “leave it to me,” flicked its tail tip, crouched down, and gathered strength before leaping up for a flying kick. The wolf demon’s head jerked to the side, and he fell unconscious.

The world fell silent.

Under the dim night sky, Xie Lingyu gazed into the distance, remained quiet for a few seconds, and then took out the Glazed Mirror.

Jingxi, left alone in the mansion while everyone else was out, was tidying up Sang Ying’s empty bed when she suddenly received this message:

【Is she feeling better today?】

Jingxi’s expression stiffened.

Just a quarter of an hour earlier, seeing that Sang Ying had slept the entire day without leaving her room, she had thought to call her up to eat something before going back to sleep. But when she went in, she found the person had vanished without a trace—and Lengmian was gone too.

She immediately understood what was going on—the Glazed Mirror had contacted Sang Ying, and Sang Ying had quickly replied.

【I promise I can take good care of myself and take my medicine on time. I also promise I’ll be back before Xie Lingyu returns home—he definitely won’t find out!】

【Sister Jingxi, this is the request of a lifetime for me (sparkling eyes)】

Jingxi sighed. The Sword Lord always indulged the young mistress in whatever she wanted to do, never opposing her.

There was only one exception: when he was away from the Cultivation World, she was not allowed to leave the house.

The Sword Lord always notified her in advance before leaving on long trips, and this time was no exception.

The young mistress was in poor health and rarely went out normally, always obediently staying at home. But this time, despite being unwell, she insisted on going out—it was truly because the situation with the merchant guild was too critical.

And when it came to the Yunshui Merchant Guild, Jingxi felt even more troubled. She simply couldn’t understand what this couple was thinking.

One secretly founded one of the four great merchant guilds behind her husband’s back, concealing her identity.

The other pretended not to know, yet made excuses to take on cases from various factions to help clear the guild’s name.

【The mistress is feeling better now. She’s taken her medicine and is already asleep.】

Xie Lingyu stared at the message for two seconds, the tension in his brow easing slightly as he put away the Glazed Mirror.

In a flash of sword light, he arrived above the territory of the Immortal Alliance.

The Alliance Leader and representatives from various factions were already waiting in the inner hall. The reception officer greeted him with a bow, ordered his subordinates to escort the wolf demon bound by the demon-binding rope to the prison department, and led him into the hall.

Xie Lingyu followed with an indifferent expression, but as he raised his gaze, he suddenly spotted the person Jingxi had said was already asleep—hiding in the crowd, ducking her head and crouching low, desperately trying to conceal herself behind the Immortal Alliance disciples.

Xie Lingyu: “…”

…

There were simply too many Immortal Alliance disciples around. A female cultivator craned her neck to look, catching only a glimpse of a white figure.

“Ah, that’s the Qingyu Sword Lord. My younger brother idolizes him. Wasn’t it the Tianxing Ranking finals yesterday? He even skipped class to watch the match.”

The female cultivator turned her head and saw Sang Ying, wearing a fluffy fox headpiece that covered her completely, tiptoeing as she hid behind a tall, burly disciple.

“…What are you doing?”

Sang Ying coughed lightly. “The wind gave me a headache. It’s too windy over there, so I’m hiding.”

She refused to believe Xie Lingyu could recognize her this time, even with her disguise! Once he went into the inner hall to discuss matters with the department head, she would seize the chance to slip away. Sang Ying pricked up her ears, listening carefully to the commotion over there, but then she heard the young man’s footsteps come to a halt.

“Sword Lord, what’s the matter?” the reception officer asked, noticing Xie Lingyu had stopped.

Xie Lingyu spoke calmly. “The situation with this case is urgent, and time is of the essence. Saving lives takes priority, so I won’t engage in pleasantries with the family heads and elders. Please convey the message, Officer.”

Sang Ying’s heart leaped with joy—perfect, he was about to leave.

But before she could rejoice for more than two seconds, the people from the inner hall emerged—members of the four great families and the Yaochi elder.

With their cultivation base and abilities, they naturally didn’t need a formal announcement to hear such a close conversation. The moment they heard he was about to leave, they couldn’t stay seated and rushed out. After all, the ones in danger were the biological daughter of one family head and the next Saintess.

“Sword Lord, please wait!”

As soon as these prominent figures emerged, they set up a soundproof barrier, isolating all the disciples in the outer hall. The Immortal Alliance disciples could only see their figures.

Sang Ying studied for a moment, then formed a divination formula and quietly slipped in to eavesdrop.

“Does Sword Lord have any leads, being in such a hurry? Could you share them with this old one? I am truly anxious and restless,” the Yaochi elder said with a grave expression.

The representatives of the four great families chimed in in agreement.

The Demon Realm and the Cultivation World were like fire and water, and it had only been a few years since things had settled somewhat. If cultivators from their factions were to enter the Demon Realm to search for someone, it would undoubtedly cause a major uproar.

At that point, forget about finding anyone—it would likely lead to another great war. If a conflict broke out, delaying the rescue would be disastrous.

They had considered asking veteran demon cultivator masters for help, but those old masters had various grudges and grievances with their families, some dating back years. It would be enough if they didn’t take advantage of their misfortune—how could they possibly help?

Thus, Xie Lingyu, a demon cultivator who held no grudges against the four great families and had just claimed the top spot on the Heavenly Ranking, was the most suitable candidate to handle this matter.

Under the intense gazes of the anxious onlookers, Xie Lingyu remained expressionless, uttering only two words: “No leads.”

As soon as he spoke, the faces of the representatives from the great families darkened.

It was both unease at the negative response and dissatisfaction with Xie Lingyu’s attitude.

After all, they were elders of great families, while Xie Lingyu, despite being the Heavenly Ranking champion, was merely a disciple of the Wu Wen Sect.

Even though he had married the daughter of the former sect leader, who had inherited the position, everyone knew that the real power in the Wu Wen Sect now lay in the hands of others.

As the atmosphere grew tense and cold, the young Immortal Alliance leader fanned himself with a folding fan and stepped in to mediate: “Everyone, let’s not be so hasty. Lingyu has captured a wolf demon this time, and the Alliance has also brought back the heads of the two merchant guilds involved. If you’re anxious, why not go interrogate them?”

The Yaochi elder and a representative from one of the families immediately left for the prison department.

The Immortal Alliance leader opened his fan and smiled. “I know everyone is worried, but since Lingyu has decided to go to the Demon Realm, he must already have a plan. Isn’t that right, Lingyu?”

Behind the cover of his fan, the Alliance leader frantically winked at the white-robed young man: I told you about your wife’s guild trouble as soon as it happened, and I stopped them from interrogating her. At least give me some face!

Xie Lingyu glanced at him coolly before shifting his gaze away.

“Mhm.”

Only then did the family representatives look slightly relieved. “If Sword Lord needs anything, just say the word. Our families will spare no effort to assist.”

This was nothing more than the polite rhetoric commonly exchanged among noble families, and no one took it seriously. However, the aloof white-robed young man nodded slightly. “Then I thank you. Luo Qing.”

The Luo Qing Sword unsheathed in response, its tip holding a long sheet of paper that nearly touched the ground. The Sword Spirit’s childish voice read aloud: “One hundred bundles of demon-binding ropes, one hundred bundles of Immortal-Binding Ropes, ten boxes of premium flying vermilion cinnabar, ten boxes of premium Tianchi paper…”

In the corner, Sang Ying, who had been eavesdropping, slowly covered her face.

…Was he here to stock up?

Had she been giving him too little pocket money? Should she give him more?

But whenever she drank tea, she often overheard the wealthy ladies next door saying that men change when they have money—they start looking for mistresses.

“Seven-colored spirit grass… Oh, right, and you can’t fly on swords in the Demon Realm, so all travel must be by carriage. Wait a moment, let me calculate how many spirit stones we’ll need.”

The Luo Qing Sword muttered as it calculated, while the standing family representatives twitched at the corners of their mouths.

Sang Ying: “…”

Perhaps a bit more pocket money would be better, hmm… would two hundred be too much?

Among them, the fourth-ranked Lin family did not send an elder today but rather the family head’s son. He took out a storage ring and spoke earnestly, “I have already ordered my subordinates to fetch the items Sword Lord needs. Today, I only brought two hundred thousand spirit stones with me. Please use them for urgent matters, Sword Lord. Once my sister is rescued, my family will surely offer a generous reward.”

The other major families also grew serious and quickly gathered the required items. Two storage rings were handed over to Luo Qing Sword for safekeeping.

“Additionally, I need an Immortal Alliance disciple to assist me and accompany me.”

As the soundproof barrier was withdrawn, the Immortal Alliance disciples in the outer hall clearly heard Xie Lingyu’s words and immediately grew excited, a faint restlessness stirring among them.

Upon hearing this, Sang Ying suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

The Immortal Alliance leader waved his fan and said, “No problem. The disciples are all here anyway. Choose whomever you wish to take with you.”

Sang Ying nervously clutched her fox headpiece, watching as the young man in white turned around. His cool and indifferent gaze fell directly on her, and he spoke unhurriedly.

“The female cultivator in the thirteenth row, sixteenth column, wearing a fox headpiece.”

In an instant, the gazes of every disciple in the hall turned toward her.

Sang Ying: “…”