Chapter 19: You, the Great Demon

"Both of you, enough with the bickering," Ning Qi said helplessly, his expression resigned. "The matter has already happened. Arguing about who's right or wrong now is meaningless."

Qing Jin snorted coldly in response.

Zhou Ji rolled his eyes in exasperation—of course they all knew what had transpired.

"So, has that girl Shen been driven to the Eastern Wastes yet?" Ning Qi asked, turning to Qing Jin.

Qing Jin nodded.

"Qing Jin, everyone knows it's hard to survive as a frontier pioneer, but few realize that even becoming a pioneer lord isn't easy. At a minimum, it costs a hundred thousand military merits—only then does a family earn the right to open new lands and appoint a lord.

A hundred thousand merits—do you know how long that takes? Even a ninth-rank cultivation family would need at least five or six years, sending many clan members to guard the border and fight against foreign tribes to accumulate enough.

They're not fools. Why would they pay such a steep price just to send your sister to the frontier? If they wanted her dead, wouldn't an assassin be far more convenient?

I suspect the Ren family's motives are more complicated than simply wanting your sister dead."

Qing Jin nodded. He understood well enough. "That's what I think too. But the Ren family is powerful. All we can do is respond as best we can, one move at a time."

"So you've already made up your mind?" Ning Qi looked at him in surprise.

"If we can't make it among the human tribes, I’ll just take my whole family and seek refuge in Indeterminate City," Qing Jin replied. To him, leaving the human territories was nothing dreadful. Ever since he was a child, his second granduncle next door would regale him with stories about the foreign tribes, and as he grew, he found many of those tales to be true through his own encounters.

So despite his youth, he had a knack for making friends among the foreigners.

"Boy, your granduncle was a cult leader—he was poisoning your mind from a young age!" Zhou Ji frowned, genuinely worried.

If Qing Jin truly moved his entire family to Indeterminate City, the great metropolis deep in the Eastern Wastes where all races mingled, then their little circle would lose its strongest fighter.

"I've heard many foreign tribes in the Eastern Wastes regard humans as reserve livestock. Life for humans in Indeterminate City is harsh. If you can avoid it, it's best not to go," Zhou Ji muttered.

Qing Jin only curled his lips in response.

At least it was a way out. If that was Qing Jin's plan, then perhaps it was best for him never to return to his clan with his family. The Ren family was not to be trifled with. If they managed to intercept his family in Yinzheng City, then there would truly be nowhere left to cry for help. Ning Qi agreed. They all hailed from the fringes of the Eastern Wastes. Yinzheng was not far from the border of human-controlled territory.

If they were ever hunted by those cultivation families, the best place to disappear was indeed Indeterminate City, hidden deep in the wastes.

It was said that Indeterminate City, though called a city, actually sprawled across territory as vast as a small nation.

"That's my thought as well. If it comes to it, I'll get my parents out. The Eastern Wastes may be lawless, and the Ren family wouldn’t show us any mercy here, but outside the Dao Court’s shackles, even hiring powerful bodyguards is easier than in Yinzheng City," Qing Jin said.

Finding bodyguards was easier, yes—but you never knew their true intentions, and getting stabbed in the back was an even greater risk.

Of course, some people were simply born to thrive in the shadows—like Qing Jin, like Ning Qi.

Zhou Ji, on the other hand, was much better at dealing with Dao Court officials. When he tried to navigate the darkness, he was always the one who ended up swindled.

Ah, the past—best not remembered.

"By the way, Qing Jin, you really haven’t discovered any leads on those hunting you? Even secret troops have their masters," Ning Qi asked, still puzzled.

"The first time they tried to kill me, the leader called out, ‘You, great fiend, must die today!’"

Zhou Ji and Ning Qi burst out laughing.

"You, a great fiend! Qing Jin, what did you do to earn that title? You're just a minor Qi-refining cultivator—how did you get promoted to ‘great fiend’? Come, let me examine you in person—does the infamous Qing the Fiend look any different?" Zhou Ji teased, grinning.

"Maybe there's a notorious fiend who looks exactly like me?" Qing Jin replied with a wry smile, mocking himself.

"To think I used to envy that face of yours, always so popular with the ladies," Ning Qi laughed. "So, apart from being called a fiend, you have nothing else?"

"Nothing. The weapons they used weren't standard Dao Court issue, and apart from their killing style, no one would guess they were secret troops," Qing Jin said, his gaze sharpening.

"Just from their style? What if you’re wrong?" Zhou Ji questioned.

"When I was young, I saw the Dao Court's secret troops kill. The impression was unforgettable—the same chilling aura. It's unmistakable," Qing Jin answered coolly. Clearly, it was not a fond memory; his usually impassive demeanor grew cold in an instant.

"My master once said, in such chaotic times, today’s leader of the Dao Sect could become tomorrow’s bloodthirsty cultist. Faces, bodies, even gender can change, but habits forged in youth never lie.

The secret troops are all orphans, reared from childhood and forged through brutal elimination. Their habits, especially in combat and killing, become second nature. If you’re sure it’s them, then I believe you.

Your instincts have saved us more than once," Ning Qi said.

Qing Jin smiled at Ning Qi. That was a true companion—or rather, a true friend.

"So, now that you’ve decided to help your sister, did you call us here for a farewell meal?" Zhou Ji asked, puzzled.

"Farewell meal? Think again—I told you, I’m broke. The real reason I asked you here was to see if you’d be willing to come live with me on my sister’s domain," Qing Jin said.

"And what would I do there?" Ning Qi frowned. "You know as well as I do, cultivation needs resources. If we go to your sister’s domain, how will we get what we need?"

"Short of cultivation resources, in the Eastern Wastes? All you have to do is hunt around the territory—everything you need is there," Qing Jin replied with a confident smile.

"Oh, I see. So you called us here today to recruit two free bodyguards for yourself? You sly dog," Zhou Ji grumbled.

"The mountains are good, the water is good, and there are fierce beasts to catch. Neither of you has family burdens—what harm in living there a while?" Qing Jin retorted.

"Fine, but a year is the most I can offer," Ning Qi agreed. For Qing Jin’s sake, he could spare a year.

"Then I’ll stay a year as well," Zhou Ji added.

Qing Jin's lips curled in quiet satisfaction. That was enough—he’d only hoped for half a year from them.