Chapter 631: Water Reveals the Truth

Li Banfeng sat by Chu Yaoxian's bed, listening as she recounted the various past events of how she met He Jiaqing.

It was evident that Chu Yaoxian greatly admired He Jiaqing, and she cherished the fate that brought them together. However, she cherished her own life even more, and she held nothing back when it came to disclosing what needed to be said.

Li Banfeng did not kill Chu Yaoxian. Instead, he instructed her to manage her territory and cultivate her connections diligently, requiring her to report her progress every two days.

This was not a casual arrangement; they had signed a contract with detailed stipulations for the reports. If Chu Yaoxian failed to report on time, she would face severe consequences.

The next morning, Li Banfeng left Chu Yaoxian's territory and called Old Luo: "Contact Liao Zihui. Stop all of He Jiaqing's business. Don't let him ship any goods that have arrived at the station, and confiscate any goods that are halfway through transit!"

Old Luo immediately went to the Security Affairs Hall. About an hour later, he called back.

Li Banfeng thought there might have been an issue at the Security Affairs Hall, but Luo Zhengnan replied, "Seventh Master, Director Liao has agreed and given instructions to proceed. The owner of the Wondrous Sound Phonograph Store insists on seeing you. He says he has important information to tell you in person."

Important information?

Li Banfeng immediately thought of the situation in Inner Amikan. Ling Miaosheng had said that once he recovered his memories, he would inform Li Qi at once.

Li Banfeng's guess was correct. Ling Miaosheng had indeed recalled many things and was pacing anxiously in the phonograph store, just waiting for Li Banfeng to arrive. Shortly after noon, Li Banfeng entered the store, and Ling Miaosheng promptly led him into a room in the back hall.

This room had no phonographs, no musical instruments, not even windows.

"Seventh Master, this is a room I specifically set up to prevent eavesdropping. I can't vouch for other places, but I guarantee there are no 'hooks' here."

Ling Miaosheng was a high-level Insight Cultivator, roughly at the eighth level of cultivation. After his trip to Inner Amikan, his combat prowess might have increased even further. The room he designed could indeed ensure privacy within a certain range.

With his memories complex, Ling Miaosheng organized his thoughts and recounted the important details to Li Banfeng one by one: "Mr. Li, I fought a war in Inner Amikan against the Demon Army." Li Banfeng blinked, remaining silent.

He didn't know why Ling Miaosheng had fought in Inner Amikan, nor did he know the origins of the Demon Army.

Ling Miaosheng explained, "After arriving in Inner Amikan, I quickly recovered my previous memories. I once lived in a place called Shattered Snow City for a long time, and I had some friends there who helped me. I intended to repay their kindness.

When I reached Shattered Snow City, I encountered an invasion by the Demon Army. I joined Shattered Snow City's army and fought with them for over a month.

I was wounded in the battle and almost lost my life. Through that conflict, I witnessed the most shameless aspects of human nature among the Demon Army.

I documented this experience in musical scores, hoping to awaken these tragic memories through music. For a while, I even felt these efforts were futile.

Shattered Snow City was on the verge of falling to the Demon Army, and I once believed I had no chance of surviving Inner Amikan. In despair, I suddenly received news that Outer Amikan had intervened.

They first sent a large quantity of weapons, and then dispatched troops to join the fight. The situation in Inner Amikan was similar to Puluo Prefecture: gunpowder was difficult to ignite, and electromagnetic signal propagation was severely restricted.

The Outer Amikan army was highly unaccustomed to this mode of combat and suffered heavy losses in Shattered Snow City. However, they did not give up and eventually won the war several months later.

I asked my friends in Shattered Snow City why Outer Amikan had participated in this war.

They found out that the Demon Army was infiltrating outwards. Their members had appeared in many places in other prefectures, even including Huanguo.

Amikan was heavily infiltrated by the Demon Army. If Inner Amikan fell to them, Outer Amikan would face the dilemma of being attacked from both front and back." "The Demon Army is in Huanguo too?"

Ling Miaosheng nodded: "That's just a conjecture. Amikan won't release any information until there are concrete clues." Li Banfeng pondered for a moment and asked, "Who makes up the Demon Army?"

Ling Miaosheng sighed: "It's hard to believe, but the Demon Army is entirely composed of Amikan people. My friends in Shattered Snow City told me these people were born on that land, but their souls come from hell.

At the beginning of the war, all towns were completely unprepared for them. By the time they were prepared, they no longer had the strength to resist this group of enemies." Li Banfeng said, "The Demon Army is composed entirely of Amikan people. Does that mean the Demon Army is a native Amikan dark energy organization?"

Ling Miaosheng nodded slightly: "You could interpret it that way." Are there also Amikan-composed dark energy organizations in Huanguo?

Li Banfeng searched his memories. Yes, there were, but none had gained significant influence.

If they were native to Amikan, would they also be native to Huanguo?

Ling Miaosheng hadn't recovered many memories, so Li Banfeng couldn't verify this with him. "When did the Demon Army originate?"

Ling Miaosheng thought carefully: "It's been a while. My friends said it seems like several decades." This could be verified by others.

Li Banfeng parted ways with Ling Miaosheng and rushed towards Mount Prosperity-Decline.

Late at night, Cui Tik, the God of Prosperity-Decline, was sitting halfway up the mountain, delivering a sermon to a group of strange creatures.

"Prosperity and decline represent rise and fall, life and death, the most magnificent journey of life. Exploring the mysteries between prosperity and decline is equivalent to a love for life. This love must not only be expressed in words but also manifested in the actions of each of us!"

As he spoke, Cui Tik tore open his robe, revealing four large characters on his chest: "I love life!" A group of strange creatures sat in a circle, watching silently.

They knew Mount Prosperity-Decline was different now. On this mountain, one could no longer see all four seasons in a single day; only vast white snow remained. However, foraging and hunting on the mountain no longer incurred the punishment of the God of Prosperity-Decline.

They also knew that the God of Prosperity-Decline was different from before. Although Cui Tik used a disguise, his demeanor and speech were very different from Rong Sijiao. Yet, the current God of Prosperity-Decline was very approachable, even if some of his words were not easy to understand.

A female deer transformed into human form, lowered her head, and slowly approached Cui Tik, performing a devout bow.

She hadn't fully understood the God of Prosperity-Decline's words, but she agreed with one point: love must be manifested in action.

"God of Prosperity-Decline, I need your help to resolve a doubt, a doubt stemming from life," the female deer said, revealing her chest. "Please bestow these five characters upon me; I wish to have 'I love the God of Prosperity-Decline' emblazoned on my chest!"

Cui Tik confirmed earnestly, "Do you want them bestowed upon you, or tattooed onto you?" The female deer, with tears in her eyes, replied, "I'll follow your lead!"

Cui Tik's expression was solemn as he slowly extended his hand. He was about to touch her.

A cold gust of wind swept through, scattering accumulated snow on the ground. Li Banfeng emerged from the snow, startling the female deer and the strange creatures, who all scattered to the side. "God of Prosperity-Decline, I have something to consult you about."

Cui Tik looked at the strange creatures, focusing particularly on the female deer's chest. He carefully observed the size, noting that the five large characters "I love the God of Prosperity-Decline" would fit perfectly there.

But with Li Banfeng present, Cui Tik reluctantly dismissed the strange creatures: "Go down the mountain and reflect on the life force of prosperity and decline yourselves. Return at dawn tomorrow and tell me your insights."

The strange creatures descended the mountain one by one. Cui Tik, with a solemn face, asked, "What on earth do you need to come to me about at this hour?" Li Banfeng asked seriously, "God of Prosperity-Decline, I need your help to unravel a mystery, one concerning the Demon Army!"

"The Demon Army?" Cui Tik shook his head. "I've never heard of them."

Seeing Cui Tik's expression, Li Banfeng's heart sank. It seemed Cui Tik didn't know much about dark energy users during his time in Inner Amikan. Just as Li Banfeng was about to leave, Cui Tik suddenly asked, "You mean the Demon Lord's Servants, don't you?"

The names were so different; could there be a connection?

Li Banfeng considered it and realized there might indeed be a connection. Amikan's language was not Ling Miaosheng's native tongue, nor was Puluo Prefecture's language Cui Tik's. These were names translated by two different people, so discrepancies were perfectly normal.

Li Banfeng began with a preliminary confirmation: "Are all the Demon Lord's Servants Amikan people?" Cui Tik thought carefully: "In Amikan, they are all Amikan people." "What if they are not in Amikan?"

Cui Tik was silent for a moment, then looked at Li Banfeng and said, "Can I not answer that question?" "Is there a difficulty?"

"You could say there's a difficulty, because the Demon Lord's Servants and I share a common pursuit to some extent.

In my homeland, I once wanted to join the Demon Lord's Servants, and I even swore an oath never to betray their organization or its members.

Although I ultimately did not join their ranks due to ideological differences, an oath is an oath. There are some things I cannot reveal too much to you, at least not proactively."

Cui Tik's meaning was clear: there were things he couldn't explicitly state, but he could help Li Banfeng deduce them. Li Banfeng first asked, "What is the nature of your disagreement with the Demon Lord's Servants?"

"Both they and I are keen on slaughter, but in my view, slaughter makes life more valuable; it's a manifestation of the highest respect for life.

The Demon Lord's Servants, however, see slaughter as a means of trampling on life. Their actions are filled with contempt and desecration of life, which I cannot tolerate.

What's even more intolerable to me is that their motives for slaughter are tainted by a great deal of ignorant loyalty. Sometimes it's heartfelt blind devotion, other times it's merely an excuse to trample on life. This baseness and hypocrisy are truly nauseating."

Li Banfeng asked, "To whom do they pledge allegiance? Is it the Inner Prefecture?"

Cui Tik replied, "That depends on the location. Amikan refers to it as the Demonic Realm, while Lavsha refers to it as Chernobog's Domain. Incidentally, Lavsha is the true origin of the Demon Lord's Servants, though the organization has a different name there."

That single sentence clarified many things.

The Demon Lord's Servants originated in Lavsha, but in Amikan, their members were native Amikan people. By this inference, their members in Huanguo would be native Huanguo people.

Cui Tik continued, "I greatly admire their members. Although they don't belong to any Daoist sect, they have mastered spells from many nations, many of which have long disappeared from this world."

Mastering many spells.

Li Banfeng asked, "There's an organization in Huanguo called the Hundred Demons Workshop. Have you heard of it?"

Cui Tik was noncommittal: "Hundred Demons Workshop... with a name like that, they must be very close to demons, perhaps as close as a servant is to their master." Li Banfeng rose to leave, but Cui Tik asked him to wait a moment.

He prepared a vial of potion, stoppered it, and handed it to Li Banfeng: "I have a collaborator named Du who might also be getting very close to demons lately. This potion would be a lifeline for him, but a deadly pathogen for others.

Take this potion. I believe my collaborator will be very cooperative with you." Was he talking about Du Wenming?

When had Du Wenming ever collaborated with Cui Tik?

Li Banfeng took the potion. "You don't plan to collaborate with him anymore?"

Cui Tik shook his head: "If he becomes a servant of demons, our collaboration should end.

And even if our collaboration were successful, its inherent value cannot compare to the friendship we share." Cui Tik picked up a watering can and watered the small flower in the tin can.

Li Banfeng took the vial and left Mount Prosperity-Decline.

On the way, Li Banfeng called Luo Zhengnan, instructing him to immediately inform Liao Zihui that the Hundred Demons Workshop was an organization sent by the Inner Prefecture, and had recently incited a war in Amikan. He emphasized that Shen Jingye must handle them with extreme caution.

Luo Zhengnan went to the Security Affairs Hall and relayed the message to Liao Zihui, who immediately dispatched someone to pass the information to Shen Jingye.

Shen Jingye replied on the spot: "Please inform Director Li that I will relay the relevant information to my superiors. I have already made arrangements for the next steps, so please tell Director Li not to worry..." At that moment, Li Banfeng was sprinting towards Iron Gate Fortress.

Shen Jingye's deployment was indeed appropriate, but Li Banfeng remained uneasy.

Although there might be regional differences among the Hundred Demons Workshop branches, an organization capable of causing Amikan such trouble certainly couldn't be handled solely by the Dark Star Bureau. Furthermore, there was Du Wenming.

That rascal was simply too familiar with the Dark Star Bureau.

Du Wenming danced his way into Drum Garden Farm.

Li Banfeng's concerns were well-founded. Du Wenming was exceedingly familiar with the Dark Star Bureau, knowing their patrol habits, their shift changes, and even the blind spots in their drone patrol routes. He knew it all inside out.

Nearing the cells, Du Wenming circled the perimeter and quickly sensed a rift near the boundary.

This rift was a natural entrance to a wormhole. Yu Yaoming's electromagnetic cannon could automatically lock onto both the entrance and exit of a wormhole and tear them open wide enough for humans to pass through.

Du Wenming could sense the entrance's location and could even dance directly into the narrow opening. The crucial question, however, was whether he could get out. Exits were much harder to find than entrances. Every time Du Wenming entered a wormhole, he had to mentally prepare himself for the possibility of being trapped inside for life.

As things stood, he had to take the gamble. Du Wenming gritted his teeth and entered the wormhole. Running in a fixed direction to the other side, he groped for less than twenty minutes before finding the exit. A weight temporarily lifted from his heart, Du Wenming emerged from the wormhole and stood beside the cells.

The rest would be easy.

A suspect named Lei Yuze was sitting in his cell, staring blankly.

He was terrified. He didn't know what crime he had committed. He had gone through immense hardship to become a formal member of the Hundred Demons Workshop, and he hadn't even had the chance to learn a single real spell before being confined to this place.

In his distress, he suddenly noticed another person in the cell, staring at him expressionlessly. Lei Yuze looked towards the door, and at that moment, he felt an urge to call for help.

Du Wenming motioned for Lei Yuze to remain calm. He entered the cell and whispered, "I was sent by the Workshop to rescue you. Workshop Master Pei asked me to inquire: has the task given to you by the Workshop been completed?"

"Yes, it's done!" Lei Yuze answered without thinking.

In truth, he didn't understand Du Wenming's words, and the Hundred Demons Workshop had never assigned Lei Yuze any special tasks, as he had only just become a formal member. But if he didn't answer according to this person's line of questioning, the other party might not rescue him.

Du Wenming then asked, "What was the task assigned to you by the Workshop?"

Lei Yuze thought for a moment and replied, "The Workshop Master has ordered that the contents of the task cannot be revealed to anyone." Du Wenming's face darkened. "If you can't tell me the task, I won't take you out."

Lei Yuze didn't relent: "I cannot disobey the Workshop Master's orders!"

Du Wenming frowned slightly: "Then you'll have to suffer a bit."

Lei Yuze knew something was wrong. He wanted to scream for help but couldn't make a sound.

Du Wenming twisted his right ankle clockwise, and Lei Yuze's ankle twisted accordingly, his toes turning directly behind him. In excruciating pain, tears streamed from Lei Yuze's eyes. Du Wenming paused, surprised. A core member of the Hundred Demons Workshop shouldn't be this fragile.

He twisted Lei Yuze's left ankle again, and as the left foot twisted, Lei Yuze nearly fainted from the pain.

After some torture, Lei Yuze told the truth: "The Workshop Master didn't give me a task. I only became a formal member last month."

"Last month..." Du Wenming froze for a long time. With a slight twist of his neck, Lei Yuze's neck twisted a full circle, his spine fractured, and Lei Yuze died instantly. This person was not a core member.

What about the others?

Du Wenming entered several more rooms in succession. Soon, he reached a conclusion: none of these people were core members. Where were the core members?

A twitch ran across Du Wenming's forehead; he realized he had been tricked. He found the wormhole entrance and immediately slipped inside.

This time, however, he wasn't so lucky. After an hour, he still couldn't find the exit.

At the Dark Star Bureau, in the interrogation room, Shen Jingye was interrogating core member Geng Shunxi.

Yesterday, Chen Changrui discovered a hidden danger at the farm, and Shen Jingye immediately increased security measures.

But Shen Jingye knew very well that merely tightening security wouldn't solve the problem. Overnight, he had escorted the core members of the Hundred Demons Workshop back to the Dark Star Bureau and sent some less important, ordinary members to Drum Garden Farm.

News arrived from Drum Garden Farm: a suspect's body had been found in the cell.

The Hundred Demons Workshop's eagerness to silence witnesses led Shen Jingye to conclude that these core members held important secrets.

According to the information Li Qi had uncovered, this organization was capable of waging war in Amikan, which meant they could threaten the security of the entire Huanguo.

Shen Jingye had the Judgement Carrier's intensity increased: "This is your last chance. Tell me, what are your recent plans?" Geng Shunxi curled up in the seat, tears streaming down his face, and said, "Our recent plan is to sell off all the organization's assets and disband all members.

We never intended to oppose you. We are just ordinary magic enthusiasts. Why are you treating us like this?" With those two lines of tears, the Hundred Demons Workshop gained public support from various quarters.

Tonight, Shen Jingye disregarded those tears.

Even if it cost him his official position, he would get to the bottom of this matter!

Du Wenming emerged from the wormhole, looking back at the boundary with lingering fear.

It took him a full three hours to find the wormhole's exit, and even then, his success largely depended on luck. Dark Star Bureau agents had already discovered the bodies in the cells, and the entire farm was on high alert.

Shen Jingye had issued an order: the killer must not be allowed to leave the farm. But he never imagined the killer would turn out to be Du Wenming.

Du Wenming was intimately familiar with all of the Dark Star Bureau's operational plans. He left the farm in less than twenty minutes, and after getting into his car, he immediately contacted Pei Yurong.

"Workshop Master, we've been tricked. The Dark Star Bureau moved our core members elsewhere." "So, you failed." Although her tone was calm, Pei Yurong was furious.

Du Wenming said, "It's too early to call it a failure. I know where the core members are, but now I need your cooperation. Send some people to create incidents in the city, making as much noise as possible."

Pei Yurong thought for a moment: "You want to 'lure the tiger away from the mountain,' but who is the tiger?"

"The Dark Star Bureau agents are the tigers. If I can draw out even one, my chances increase. Make sure to create a big commotion..." Before he finished speaking, Du Wenming slammed on the brakes as a figure suddenly flashed in front of his car.

He looked closely and saw someone reaching out, trying to hitch a ride. Hitchhiking was uncommon in Huanguo.

Du Wenming didn't want to bother with the person and was about to drive around when he suddenly saw the person outside the car raise their head and smile at him.

The person wore a hat, obscuring most of their face, but the slender cheeks and mustache on the upper lip still sent a shiver down Du Wenming's spine. Boss Lu!

Why was he here?

Du Wenming floored the accelerator, but the car wouldn't move. A line of minute characters on the ground tightly embraced the wheels.

Du Wenming quickly contacted Pei Yurong via his communication device: "Workshop Master, I've run into an enemy, Boss Lu from Lu Family Bookstore! You know him. I need your help!" The white sedan was densely covered with characters, and Du Wenming was already surrounded.

Pei Yurong said, "Don't panic, I have a way to save you."

She called Liu Cuishan and whispered, "Activate the 'line' at Lu Family Bookstore."

Liu Cuishan said, "Workshop Master, the 'line' at Lu Family Bookstore is meant to be used only at critical moments..." Pei Yurong snapped, "This is a critical moment!"

Liu Cuishan quickly called a few subordinates and swiftly set up a magic array.

On the road, dense characters continuously tore at Du Wenming's sedan, distorting the car body. Du Wenming was trapped inside, unable to move or get out.

The space inside the car was too narrow, making it difficult for Du Wenming to perform his Dance Cultivation techniques. He could only make two arm movements, trying his best to dispel some of the characters with his dance moves.

Du Wenming's methods were very limited, while Boss Lu's characters were endless. He had brought the full set of "Embroidery Frost Collection" today with one goal: to take Du Wenming's life without any physical contact.

In Boss Lu's view, physical contact was uncivilized. More importantly, Du Wenming had a sickness, which made Boss Lu determined not to touch him at all. Du Wenming's dance moves were gradually unable to withstand the surging onslaught of characters. Once the characters seeped into the car, Du Wenming would be unable to escape.

Boss Lu revealed a faint smile, then suddenly felt a tremor in his heart. Something had happened at the bookstore.

He opened a volume of the "Embroidery Frost Collection," and on one of its illustrations, he saw the state of his bookstore. The bookstore was already closed, and the main hall was completely dark.

The magic box inside the counter had opened its lid on its own.

Boss Lu wasn't too surprised; he knew the magic box was no ordinary item.

The counter's material and lock were both very special. Whatever came out of the box, it wouldn't be able to get past the counter. But the next scene made Boss Lu's heart pound.

A man emerged from the box, which was only a foot wide.

Without seeing his face, Boss Lu recognized him just by his slender figure. Laughing Thousand Hands!

The Ancestor of Thief Cultivation had emerged from the magic box.

This was the magic box that the Hundred Demons Workshop had sold to Boss Lu! Why would Laughing Thousand Hands be involved with the Hundred Demons Workshop?

There was no time to think about this now, because the lock on the counter couldn't stop Laughing Thousand Hands at all! Laughing Thousand Hands easily opened the counter and entered the main hall.

He was about to walk towards the bookshelves.

Laughing Thousand Hands had stolen from Lu Family Bookstore before; he knew the bookshelves contained special formations.

If, at this moment, there was a rift in the Three-Fork Boundary, Laughing Thousand Hands would only need to circle a specific bookshelf twice at a particular speed to slip into Puluo Prefecture. If he entered the bookstore in Puluo Prefecture, Laughing Thousand Hands would steal countless items, and might even take Yu Yaoming!

What to do?

If he went back now, it would mean letting Du Wenming escape.

If he didn't go back now, he could lose everything. A cold wind blew, and the characters surrounding the sedan dispersed with it.

Du Wenming poked his head out of the car window, looking around. He didn't see Boss Lu anywhere.

Inside Lu Family Bookstore, Laughing Thousand Hands was just approaching the second row of bookshelves when he suddenly saw Boss Lu emerge from behind them. "My esteemed guest, our store is closed for the day. If you wish to buy books, please come earlier in your next life."

Laughing Thousand Hands looked up and chuckled, "Zhou Badou, you want to kill me? Is it that easy?"

Dear readers,