Way of the Devil

Nine Bright Province. Egret County.

Lu Ning was completely covered in black robes. He strolled along the empty riverbank under a row of willow trees, and quickly reached an ancient manor with an ornate board nailed to the door.

The black robe he wore was clearly much larger than his person. Lu Ning was only seven years old, but the black robe on him seemed to be supported by something else as his height was increased to an adult’s. He covered his face with a white mask.

He had successfully disguised himself as a mysterious figure who roamed the lands.

“Mingxuan Workshop. This should be the place,” said the old man’s voice in Lu Ning’s head.

“Master, what’re we going to do next?” Lu Ning asked.

“After this, don’t move. Leave everything to me, just like all the other times.”

“Alright.”

Lu Ning looked up at the entire manor. It was shaped like a windmill which was laid flat on the ground.

He pushed the door open slowly and walked in. Two staff members quickly came to greet him. They introduced the carious ointments and medicinal powders available in the shop to him with familiar precision.

“Is there any problem? This Zhong Ruhuo appears the same as any other apothecary. There’s nothing unusual about him.”

There was a slightly smaller three-story tavern on the right of the store. On the third floor, several men and women in white fighting attire stood before a huge mirror and watched silently as the scene unfolded in the mirror.

“This is Zhong Ruhuo? To confirm that he’s Lu Ning, we must be ready to probe him,” said in deep voice a big and tall man who wore a mask that was half-silver in color.

“How exactly should we probe him? He’s the young master of the Prime Devil Sect. Me must be mindful of the consequences,” asked another girl in a gentle voice.

“How about the Cold Corruption?”

“A spirit poison? That should work. Deploy the test subjects, then.”

“Alright. Let’s try two subjects first.”

Lu Ning did not spend much time in the manor. When he walked out, he seemed to have bought a great deal. After he left the store, he walked in a direction that would lead him out of the city.

However, two pitiable girls suddenly fainted before him on the streets. They attracted quite the attention.

Lu Ning noticed this as well. He paused, and eventually went closer to have a look.

He quickly recognized the poison at work on the twin sisters.

“How did this poison end up here?” The old man’s puzzled voice sounded in Lu Ning’s mind.

“What now? Do we help?” Lu Ning was still kind-hearted. He could not bear to see other kids of his age suffer pain. He asked the question because he could not bear it.

“Do you want to help them? These girls have the rare Rootless Constitution. They’re highly compatible with the skill formulas you’re cultivating. If we can nurture them, they’ll be a great help to your future development,” said the old man drily.

“Let’s help them, then,” Lu Ning decided.

He moved quickly to the twin sisters. He asked the people gathered around about their family members. When he learned that they had none, added with the ragged clothes the girls were wearing, he immediately knew that the two of them were street children.

The outbreak of Evil Spirits had destroyed many families and caused many to become destitute and homeless. The situation of these girls was all too common.

“Swallow these.” Lu Ning extended a finger covered in a black glove from under his black robe. With a light flick, two red pills were shot precisely into the girls’ mouths.

It was an intriguing sight. After taking the pill, the two girls swiftly regained consciousness after a dozen breaths.

“Thank you for saving us, sir!”

After expressing their endless gratitude, the two girls followed behind Lu Ning and successfully attached themselves to him.

“It’s done.”

On the third floor of the tavern, several individuals in white smiled.

….

Lu Ning restored his original appearance. He had just reached home when a servant came for him.

“Young Master Ning, the master calls.”

“Is Dad back?” Lu Ning was immediately overjoyed. He hopped and skipped out of his bedroom, went past the little garden, and quickly reached Lu Manor’s Chess Pavilion. He saw Lu Sheng who was playing chess with someone else.

“Dad!” Lu Ning yelled and ran over. He plunged into Lu Sheng’s embrace.

“Mhm. Hey there.” Lu Sheng hugged his son with a smile. He gestured for his opponent to leave. The others around them were also instructed to leave. The father and son were quickly left alone.

Lu Sheng calmly extracted Lu Ning from his embrace, and, with a serious expression, said, “Ningning, dad wants to ask you something. You must answer me honestly, alright?”

“Just ask me, Dad. Ningning will answer honestly.” Lu Ning quickly nodded.

Lu Sheng looked at his fat son who resembled a ball. He kept quiet for a moment. After a long while, he slowly took out a roll of faint-yellowish parchment from his sleeve. He unrolled it softly.

“Ningning, do you recognize this?” He placed the parchment before Lu Ning and watched his reaction.

Lu Ning looked at the contents of the parchment with a puzzled look.

“Mystic Heart Violet Jade Pill. The improvement to the formula is as follows. Dove blood milk, 10 taels. Red thread worm, 10 taels. Yellow blanket fungus, three catties and eight taels. Three hollow bamboo worms. Four chrysanthemum dragonflies…”

This was a formula that appeared to be worth the price. Lu Ning scanned it swiftly and shook his head.

“I don’t recognize this. What is this, Dad?”

“This is a recipe for a medicine,” Lu Sheng said with a smile. “Are you sure? Think carefully, do you really not recognize this?”

“I don’t.” Lu Ning shook his head. He appeared lovable.

“Very well.” Lu Sheng put the recipe away. He ruffled Lu Ning’s hair. “Have you been anywhere nearby recently?”

“I haven’t. The places I went to were arranged for by the brothers and uncles of the manor. Don’t you know every place that I’ve been to, Dad?” said Lu Ning in all his naivety.

“Really?” Lu Sheng looked into his son’s eyes.

“Yes. I would never dare to lie to you, Dad,” said Lu Ning with a slightly wronged tone.

He truly did not know. Those recipes were improved upon by the old man while he controlled his body. He was far from capable of such a feat. Naturally, he did not know anything about this.

Basically, he did not know anything about going to other places as well. The other parts of the county were not much different from the local neighborhood. Under the old man’s control, he moved with incredible speed. Basically, he could be in the Autumn Moon County in the morning and arrive at the neighboring county 500,000 kilometers away in the afternoon.

Lu Ning did not know just how incredible a feat that was. He merely felt as if he had just walked a short distance when he was already 500,000 kilometers away. However, there was not much of a difference between the two locations, which made him think that he had not gone far.

“Ningning, this is important. Please don’t lie to me,” said Lu Sheng with a serious expression.

Lu Ning nodded. “The most I’ve been is to other places in the afternoon, but I didn’t go far,” he added after a slight hesitation.

“Very well.” Lu Sheng’s expression remained unchanged. He had an answer already. He spent the remaining time playing games with Lu Ning. Lu Sheng also made shapes with Yin Flames to entertain Lu Ning.

When Lu Ning had enough of fun, Lu Sheng sent him back to shower and rest.

Even when the little fatso’s figure could no longer be seen, Lu Sheng remained seated at the pavilion on his own. He was silently waiting for something.

In no time, two figures in white fighting attire with a tiny “Sacred” character on their chest walked quickly into the Chess Pavilion.

The leader was a delicate and pretty boy with sharp eyes. The woman who followed behind him had a seductive body, but she had shaved her head like a nun.

“Zi Hengzi and Hong Meizi of the investigations team pay their respects to Divine Lord Lu.” The two of them walked up to Lu Sheng and bowed slightly to show their respect. “The information you wanted has been delivered. By the way, what do you think about your son?”

The man appeared respectful, but his attitude was slightly scornful.

“You may investigate, but don’t leave any unnecessary negative influence on my son. That’s what we agreed upon. I’m sure that won’t be a problem, right?” Lu Sheng said drily.

“Of course.” Zi Hengzi nodded.

“Also, I want a copy of the investigation’s results. Can that be arranged?” Lu Sheng asked another question.

“Of course.” Zi Hengzi smiled.

Lu Sheng nodded. “Well, I’ll have my subordinates cooperate with your work to the best of my abilities.”

“Thank you for understanding, Divine Lord. We are very grateful.” Zi Hengzi was very satisfied with this. “If that’s the case, we’ll disturb your rest no more, Divine Lord. We’ll take our leave.”

“Do as you wish.” Lu Sheng lifted the cup of green tea before himself slowly and took a sip.

…

The First Sacred King’s investigations team entered the Autumn Moon County and spent about two months.

They carried out detailed investigations and surveillance regarding various aspects of Lu Ning’s life. As a result, they discovered many clues.

Lu Sheng did not meddle in their works. He secretly met with that Zi Hengzi for a few times. He noticed that his identity was slightly peculiar. He did not appear to be a local expert of Great Yin, and appeared more like a Devil Art Master from the World of Pain. However, he was weaker than the Devil Art Masters.

However, when he considered the fact that the Three Sacred Gates controlled the gateways to the three Worlds, it was not impossible for them to be capable of attracting Devil Art Masters to join their ranks.

He compared his own situation with the contents of the information as he kept an eye on the movements of Zi Hengzi and the investigations team. In truth, he was also suspicious of Lu Ning’s condition.

The information merely contained descriptions of common sense facts. They were not very helpful to Lu Sheng. According to the recordings, as long as a person attained the rank of a Weapon Grandmaster, their body would start undergoing unique and substantial changes.

Lu Sheng did not notice any substantial changes taking place on his body. The only thing he felt different about himself was his spirit.

Before he obtained the information, Lu Sheng had a feeling that his spirit seemed to be showing signs of merging with his Yin Flames. While he cooperated with the investigation on Lu Ning, the speed of the merging kept increasing.

Before this, he was unsure what kind of effect such merging would have. However, the records in the files gave him an idea. Perhaps the true substantial change of a Weapon Grandmaster was only beginning now.

After merging, Lu Sheng did not feel any change in himself. He decided to focus most of his energy on the investigations team. He was also curious what this First Sacred King’s investigations team of the Three Sacred Gates could find out about Lu Ning.

Just when Lu Sheng was starting to grow impatient, the investigations team came to see him again. They hoped to carry out a deeper investigation of Lu Ning.

“A constitution check?” Lu Sheng sat at the host’s table in the guest-meeting room. He looked down at Zi Hengzi and Hong Meizi. Cold blue torches burnt silently on the walls as they emitted their cold glow.

“Yes. We’d like to carry out a complete check. It’s also a form of guarantee for your son.” Zi Hengzi wore his usual smile.

“I won’t allow it,” Lu Sheng replied drily.

“Divine Lord, why don’t you give it some thought? If there’s something unpleasant hiding in your son’s body…”

“I don’t want to take any additional risks or bear their consequences. Let’s leave this matter at this.” Lu Sheng started to frown. Lately, his spirit was starting to show some unique fluctuations. His senses were not powerful to begin with, and now they were weaker. Hence, he did not wish for the investigations team to try anything new. It would also be difficult for him to handle if something awry happened.

“…Alright. Since you insist, Divine Lord. We have no choice but to report to our superiors.” Zi Hengzi shrugged helplessly.

“Do you as you wish. My sect has cooperated with your investigations for so long, yet you’ve found nothing. It’s your abilities that are limited, and you shouldn’t put the blame on others,” said Lu Sheng drily.

“You’re right, Divine Lord,” Zi Hengzi said with a smile. He was not angered. “Well then, we’ll be taking our leave.”

“Go. Send my regards to the Sacred King.” Lu Sheng closed his eyes slowly. The changes in his spirit made him tire easily.

“We will.” Zi Hengzi led Hong Meizi out of the meeting hall. They walked out of the yard and he turned around to glance at the entire hall.

The smile on his face deepened.

“Everything’s going smoothly.” Zi Mengzi reached out and patted Hong Meizi’s shoulder. “Let’s go. It’s time for us to reap our harvest.”

“We’ve successfully swapped the target. We used a spirit of the same age with a similarity of more than 95% percent as the substitute. Also, the implanting of the fake memories was also successful,” Hong Meizi projected her voice to him with a cold expression.

“That’s right. I didn’t expect the little guy to harbor such a rare treasure within him. This is called getting into trouble because of a cherished item.” Zi Mengzi smiled and he leapt into the air. With Hong Meizi, they flew far away.

******************

“Where… is this place?” Lu Ning looked around him at the dilapidated room with alert eyes.

He clearly remembered that he was on his way back to the Lu Manor. However, the instant he stepped into the manor, everything before his very eyes changed.