Archfiend

Chapter 21: Leaving for the Heavens Law Branch (1)

 But as if she wanted him to leave faster, Su Lianyue calmly left the bed after two hours and began to work. It made Xu Yangyi begin to suspect whether his skill truly was feeble or not.

“That’s not it.” Su Lianyue was glued to her computer as she quietly typed and said, “Anyways, I’m from Heavens Law too, and you were pretty controlled last night. It’s not like I can’t get up. If I was down for the count after a single night, that would be so over the top. Like one of those novel CEOs. But there isn’t a living thing that overbearing on Earth.”

Xu Yangyi laughed and suddenly regretted his restraint last night a bit.

“Your manager called me three times. The Demon Control Bell is already done, and not getting up isn’t doing me any favors, as well. Besides, I’m a person of the Bountiful Treasures Pavilion now.” Su Lianyue withdrew her gaze, looked at Xu Yangyi, and said somewhat complicatedly, “The reason I was willing to pay you with my most precious thing… is because you actually killed a berserker… Apart from you, I can’t request this from anyone else.”

On the table, she placed a bell. It was the one that Mao Ba’er wore on his neck. Su Lianyue weighed the bell in her hands, not even looking at it. She said softly, “The Bountiful Treasures Pavilion will take your berserker for 3 million.”

Xu Yangyi raised a brow. He was on the cusp of stepping onto the true path of cultivation and entering the grand river of struggle, the struggle of all things against fate. Wealth, scripture, companions, and land, these were the four directives of cultivation. The arrangement of wealth was the first. To cultivators, no matter how much wealth one possessed, there was never enough. However, the 3 million added together with the 5 million from Venture Pharmaceuticals was 8 million in total, enough for him charge into the middle stage of Qi Condensation.

He was originally at the pinnacle of the initial stage and only a foot shy of making the final push. In his killing of the berserker, Venture Pharmaceuticals’ 5 million along with Su Lianyue’s 3 million gave him the absolute confidence to assail the middle stage of Qi Condensation. 

“Is it really worth 3 million?” He looked into Su Lianyue’s eyes and asked.

“It’s not.” Su Lianyue avoided his gaze and said softly, “An intact berserker is worth 3 million. At most, yours is 500,000. A Qi Condensation demon isn’t worth that much money, but the body of a Foundation Establishment one is a bonafide treasure.”

“You didn’t have to…”

“However, it’s worth my little sister’s life.” Stony-faced, Su Lianyue gazed at her computer, yet Xu Yangyi sharply caught onto the glimmering tears at the corners of her eyes. “I don’t know how much money is needed to cultivate, and I don’t know what the branch is like, too.”

“I also don’t know if you can soar on roof tops and vault over walls, if the qi is abundant, and if you can meet immortal Foundation Establishment Seniors… I only know…” She turned her head and looked at Xu Yangyi. “you need money.”

“I can’t give you spirit stones, but I can give you the cash equivalent. Maybe my body isn’t worth much to you, but this 3 million is my real down payment.”

Xu Yangyi looked at her for a long time and nodded. “I don’t regret my first commission.” 

Su Lianyue lowered her eyes, not saying anything.

Like so, time peacefully drifted by between the duo, devoid of feelings. After a while, Xu Yangyi said, “I’m going to leave.”

Su Lianyue looked at her computer, and after the same period of time passed, she said calmly, “Are you going back to Heavens Law?” There was no need to respond. The answer went without saying. “Help me out with a little something, okay.” Su Lianyue’s laugh was like flowing water, and she stood up. “Help me get a picture… of what the branch is really like…”

“I’ve been in a fantasy, wondering what it looks like beyond that door… Mr. Xu, I really, truly am envious of you… Among China’s millions of failed students… I believe each of them wants to know what the place they yearn for even in their dreams is like.”

“Whether or not it’s like those things written in novels, spirit springs flowing and immortal beasts soaring in air. I’ve always, always really wanted to see it with my own eyes… but…” She flung her head back and laughed bitterly. “I didn’t have this chance.”

“Your life is on the verge of truly unfolding. You’re destined for a glory different from normal men, Mr. Xu…” She laughed and hung a necklace on his neck. “I wish you good fortune.”

“My sister’s photo is on the inside.”

Xu Yangyi felt the necklace on his chest, nodded, and spoke no further. He opened the door and left. Outside the room, the sun was shining brightly. When he returned to the sickroom, Mao Ba’er was lying down on his bed and reading. As Mao Ba’er saw Xu Yangyi enter, he cast his snout aside and sneered, flipping over.

“Have things been arranged?”

Mao Ba’er paid no attention to Xu Yangyi. Was the canine in a foul mood? Xu Yangyi raised a brow and slapped Mao Ba’er’s head but didn’t get a response.

“You don’t love me…” After a while, Mao Ba’er let out a faint sigh. “I’ve fallen out of favor… Bringing a woman’s scent to irritate my lonesome doggyself… Are you even human?” In the next second, he was kicked away onto the ground. [1]

“Pack up and contact the branch. See if there are enough students who have completed their mission that can be gathered for a plane. I’m going to go back to the branch in advance.”

Of course he was going to return ahead of time! Only Heavens Law or other cultivation powers could actually exchange spirit stones with the vast sum he had in his possession!

There laid the place where he would take flight. He was already impatient to tread into this magnificent world! He had left the ivory tower, killing his way into a new world! [2]

“No need.” Mao Ba’er shed his hair as if the one who wasn’t worried a moment ago wasn’t him. “The Nantong Province’s Fengyi City branch has already sent you a message requesting you to board a plane tomorrow night. There’ll be a plane headed back to the branch stopping by temporarily at Yuyang City Military Airfield.”

“A ‘request’ to board?” As he tidied his belongings, Xu Yangyi stopped his hand, and he faintly knitted his brows. “Heavens Law always contacts the branch after a mission, and the branch assigns a plane. Why have they taken the initiative to contact me here and now?

“Beats me.” Mao Ba’er shrugged his shoulders like a human. “Maybe there’s some filthy clandestine affair going on?” [3]

Xu Yangyi thought about if for while, but he didn’t know why, either. It was natural that he didn’t know. His correspondence back to the Heavens Law branch had drawn the interest of many people.

The two days passed by very quickly.

At night, the wind was like a blade, blowing upon Xu Yangyi’s face. His gaze fixed itself on the black sky, yet an unspeakable heat roiled within his heart, charging forth and dispersing into the tranquil expanse of night.

He… was finally going to graduate...

He was on the precipice of leaving behind his past life of thirteen years at the Yuyang City branch and heading towards a true brand-new world.

What would be there? In this diverse world, what was life like among the true coexistence of humans and demons on Earth? The ancient Vatican City, the City of Fog—London—and the City of Flowers—Huadu District—were said to be places brimming full of legendary werewolves and vampires… Would they have a similar organization like Heavens Law? Were the invincible knights and exorcists of myth truly fake?

In this world… how many living fossils existed? These living fossils… How did they latch on to the crowd like a parasite? The government… What kind of methods did they use to suppress these dwellers in the darkness while making two completely different kinds of organisms coexist at the same time on this little blue planet?

He had studied many things in school. Now, the expectations in his heart converged into a tide, incessantly eroding away at his mind.

After he graduated, he would have plenty of time to unravel the truth of this world. He would look under the light on the other side, the concealed rift of darkness of the past several millennia that words failed to explain. And… he would go through Heavens Law’s filtering process, the struggle of the entire country’s million cultivators to enter the central forces!

“No…” His gaze flashed, and he forcefully clenched his fist. “There’s also… you!”

“Wait for your death… you son of a bitch…” He narrowed his eyes and looked towards the sky. “Your greatest mistake was not killing me back then!”

Mao Ba’er was flying back in another airplane. His status wasn’t the same as Xu Yangyi’s, so he couldn’t ride on the same flight.

Buuuzzzzz… At this time, a thundering droning noise was heard from the sky. Xu Yangyi looked over and easily discovered a small tandem-motor military copter diving down to the still airfield.

He laughed because he saw a striking coiling dragon and sword on the airplane. A specialized aircraft from Heavens Law!

“Let’s go.” Below the aircraft’s propeller, Xu Yangyi looked at the copter that seemed to become bigger and bigger, lost in thought. “Let me… Let me run towards the truth I’ve waited thirteen years for.”

The truth of the world!

The truth of history!

The truth of humanity!

The aircraft slowly descended upon the airfield, and a tall man wearing camouflage walked out. Watching Xu Yangyi who was walking over, he raised his hand. “Halt.”

Xu Yangyi suppressed his heart’s fervor and walked right in front of the man. Clenching his right hand into a fist and placing it above his chest, he hammered down forcefully. “Heavens Law graduation exam student, Xu Yangyi, request to board the plane!”

The man didn’t speak but rather clenched his fist and beat it on his chest in kind. Afterwards, he gently flicked a bean-sized sphere of green light with his right hand that floated over in front of Xu Yangyi. After the sphere circled around Xu Yangyi’s eyes and fingers, it returned back to his fingertips.

“Pupil, match. Fingerprint, match.” The man’s face was stony, but he finally revealed a smile. “Welcome aboard, rookie! I’ll be your guide, Zuo Lun. I welcome you to the real truth unrecorded by historical texts!”

“Student No. 1, please, board the plane!”

Xu Yangyi slowly walked up and found that there were already nine people sitting. They were nine people with extremely similar auras to him.

It wasn’t a similarity of realms, but rather the reeking scent of blood… of just returning from a demon slaying. They had completed their graduation exams, and were like him, demon slayers who had their families annihilated by demons!

They were garbed in monotone camouflage. One was playfully blowing bubble gum, and another only sweeping his gaze downwards. The peaceful mood carried with it the iron of blood. Xu Yangyi...

Laughed.

He was fond of this kind of similar smell.

“Hi.” He raised his hand and waved apathetically, looking for an empty seat and planning to sit down there.

Bang! At this time, a hand suddenly pressed down on where he was going to sit.

It was a youth around 1.9 meters tall, also about twenty-one to twenty-two years old. He had strong brows and was extremely handsome. It wasn’t far-fetched to say he was a movie star. There was a long and narrow scar below his left eye, giving him an added wildness. His hair was unruly, his eyes were drooping downwards, and he was playing a game on his cell phone with his other hand. With his slender thighs lazily lying in the middle of the path, he was blocking Xu Yangyi’s way. 

There wasn’t a single person in his surrounding seats. The others preferred to sit together, but no one was sitting down with him. Zuo Lun glanced over and didn’t say anything. He walked over to the dedicated lobby, as if this was a common occurrence.

Xu Yangyi swept his eyes over the hand and in kind swept over the nebulous gazes of everyone else who had boarded the plane.

“Get lost.” The youth’s voice was rather gruff, not revealing any shred of emotion. His eyes had never left his cell phone.

Xu Yangyi smiled and gently placed his hands on his neck, lightly massaging it as it made cracking noises. Looking at the youth for three seconds, he said nothing further. He spun his waist, tucked his stomach, and kicked outwards!