Chapter 49: The Haunted Life

Given the situation in the place of exile, anyone who had a chance to leave had long since done so. Only Wu Jinliang had consistently followed him. Last time, Miao Yilan offered him an opportunity to stay at Bowang Tower, but Wu Jinliang still gave it up to continue following him.

Why? Wasn't it because Shi Chun possessed qualities that Wu Jinliang found worthwhile?

Wu Jinliang was the only one left by his side, both a brother and a friend. If Wu Jinliang were to look down on him, that would truly be a great disappointment.

Faced with the aggressive questioning, he replied, "I don't know. I'm not asking which faction you belong to, so don't ask about mine. If you insist, then I'm just a rogue demon. Let's talk about the current situation instead. How do you want to resolve this?"

His tone also softened. Since they were all cultivators of the demonic path, he didn't want to burn all his bridges. If they reported him to the Heavenly Court, he would have to hide for the rest of his life. And if he also offended the demonic path, then neither side, good nor evil, would tolerate him, making life impossible.

Feng Chi could understand why the other party refused to reveal details. If he was an undercover agent from a certain faction and exposed his identity on his own, that faction might not let him go.

So, she stopped pressing the issue and sneered, "How else can we solve this? Release the person immediately!"

Shi Chun said, "I'd like to release her, but if I do, will you let us go?"

Feng Chi raised an eyebrow and reprimanded him, "Are you out of your mind? A major event is approaching, and the Three Factions Blood Alliance has sworn an oath to unite forces, no longer engaging in internal strife, only fair competition. Otherwise, we will collectively punish the offender. As members of the Three Factions, we must uphold our promise."

Shi Chun said, "An agreement is an agreement, but even if you laid a hand on us, no one here would see it."

Feng Chi grew somewhat angry. "It's bad enough that the Heavenly Court demeans us, but what's the deal with looking down on ourselves? Do you think all demonic cultivators are as despicable as you?"

Shi Chun replied, "Whether one is despicable or noble, only those who survive have the right to choose who they become. You don't seriously think I'd stake my life just because you blurted out a few words, do you?"

Feng Chi asked, "Didn't you say the deed of sale wasn't on you?"

A deed of sale? After learning they were demonic cultivators, Shi Chun inexplicably felt that this item was no longer entirely safe; it might not serve as a shield. Even if it did, once he released the person, they might seize him and force him to hand over the deed, which would undoubtedly involve immense suffering.

However, after a moment of rapid thought, he changed his mind.

When such a situation first arose, anyone would think about how to escape, and he was no exception. But now that he realized he was also a demonic cultivator, and especially after discovering that demonic energy could resolve his long-standing cultivation problems, he was reluctant to flee.

The reason was simple: if he separated from these two demonic cultivators, where would he find other demonic heroes later? He couldn't just go around asking, could he? If inquiring worked, it wouldn't be up to him; the Heavenly Court would have done so long ago, and the demonic path would have already gone extinct.

Ultimately, it was an old habit ingrained from the place of exile: seeing an opportunity and wanting to seize it.

So he immediately changed the subject. "The biggest problem now is, if I release her, how will I get into Wukang Mountain?"

Feng Chi said, "How you get into Wukang Mountain is your business, not ours."

"Not your business?" Shi Chun shook the woman he held in his arms. "I sold her to completely sever Bian Weikang's relationship with her, so I could present my service to Bian Jixiong and facilitate my entry into Wukang Mountain.

"Now, if she also enters Wukang Mountain, what does that make me? It would seem I redeemed a brothel girl to become the Bian family's daughter-in-law. Wukang Mountain's reputation would be utterly ruined by me. If Bian Jixiong saw me face-to-face, he'd probably want to kill me. To still think of entering Wukang Mountain? That's not even a dream you can have.

"I can only enter Wukang Mountain if you don't. If you do, I can't. So tell me, does it concern you or not?"

This was the primary reason he decided to sell Xiang Lan'er after seeing the situation outside Liyun Tower; making money was merely a byproduct.

Feng Chi and the captive Xiang Lan'er were both stunned simultaneously. So this was the real reason the other party redeemed and then sold someone.

Earlier, Cen Futong had already revealed how he maneuvered this deal among various parties. Now, thinking about it, redeeming and then selling her was truly a brilliant plan that killed multiple birds with one stone: it pleased not only Bian Weikang but also Bian Jixiong, and incidentally, it also made money.

Clearly, if they hadn't run into her, this scheme would have worked out perfectly.

Naturally, Feng Chi didn't accept his reasoning. "Blame us? No one invited you; you stuck your hand into our business on your own. You brought this upon yourself."

Shi Chun said, "Given her identity, entering Wukang Mountain is already problematic. Wukang Mountain would normally never accept her. There's only one possibility: you've already made arrangements in Wukang Mountain. If that's the case, bringing one person in is the same as bringing two. How about you bring me along too?"

Feng Chi refused, "You go your way, and we'll go ours. There's no need to combine our paths. We won't accompany you."

Shi Chun said, "If talks break down, it's bad for everyone. Why force me to make Miss Xiang a scapegoat? How about this: take me into Wukang Mountain. I promise not to interfere with your affairs or compete for anything. If there's anything we can help with, just say the word. Once I get what I want, I'll return the deed of sale to you. If we can benefit each other, there's no need to cause trouble for everyone, don't you agree?"

"Not compete?" Feng Chi was somewhat confused. Could his objective be different from theirs, not aiming to control Wukang Mountain? She immediately asked, "What exactly do you want to do in Wukang Mountain?"

Shi Chun replied, "To find someone. I can't say anything more."

"Find someone?" Feng Chi was puzzled and looked towards Xiang Lan'er, as she couldn't make this decision.

Logically, there was no need to agree, but the hostage was in the opponent's hands.

It seemed the younger person in his grasp was the one who could make decisions. Shi Chun realized this and immediately said to Feng Chi, "Turn around..."