Chapter 131 – The Places of Darkness (2/2)

Li Qingshan unfurled the mental map of the Green province.

Zhou Wenbin stroked the map gently. “What a nice thing.” Countless specks of light lit up on there like the twinkling stars of the night sky.

“The places that light up all have people with status in the government. Even fifth layer Qi Practitioners would not be bold enough to kill a first layer Qi Practitioner Hawkwolf guard like you publicly. However, there’s nothing like that beyond the specks of light. There is only strength. You must remember this. As long as they have absolute confidence, people will be bold enough to attack you over the contents of your hundred treasures pouch. Not only will your wolf hide fail to protect you at times, it can even draw in hostility.”

Li Qingshan looked at the mental map he had gone through many times already and gained a new understanding. The stars were bright and clustered, but they would never surpass the immensity and darkness of the night sky. These remote mountains and marshes were lawless lands. They were the place where daemons and demons danced, a battlefield for cultivators.

A revelation like that brought him far more help than a few additional Qi Gathering pills. It gave him a completely new understanding with respect to his identity and position. However, not only did he feel no fear, but he even felt enlightened instead.

As it turned out, he was still worrying about how he could finish off Zhuo Zhibo without raising too much suspicion if Zhuo Zhibo decided to turn against him, but now, these areas of darkness beyond the light brought him convenience. He could openly slaughter everyone and anyone before pushing all of the blame onto an unknown, powerful cultivator or some terrifying daemon passing by.

Zhou Wenbin failed to see any fear on Li Qingshan’s face at all. That was an emotion that every single cultivator of orthodox origins would reveal when they heard something like this for the first time. Even Zhou Wenbin himself had not been an exception, which was why he decided to remain in the light for his entire life, protecting himself and distancing himself from that world of darkness.

He could not help but admit that there really was something different about this teenager. He seemed to have a deep interest in battle, slaughter, chaos, and disorder, but he was not like a brainless madman who lived to fight. Instead, he was courageous but not reckless.

Perhaps he was more suited to joining some large sect instead of walking down the path of the Hawkwolf Guard or the Academy of the Hundred Schools. Basically every large sect prefered disciples like this. Whether it be for purging demons or for purging the orthodoxy, they all required people who could fight.

In the eyes of ordinary people, cultivators seemed to have detached from the mortal world, avoiding all contact with the bloodshed and affairs of mortals, only needing to meditate and chant everyday, dwelling in the wilderness. They would be able to elongate their lives or even achieve eternal life.

If it were based on their true intentions, who would be bold enough to take risks and fight with people? Who didn’t want to walk the path of longevity peacefully, devoting all their time to making spiritual artifacts and talismans, refining pills, and ingesting medicines, spending all their time cultivation and seeking enlightenment instead of learning techniques? However, this path was riddled with far too many hardships, and it was just far too crowded.

Everyone required pills and medicines, but there was a limit to spiritual herbs. Everyone required blessed lands to cultivate in, but there was a limit to nice dwellings. They could choose to stand aside and watch others enjoy the pills, medicines, blessed lands, and rapid cultivation. Meanwhile, they themselves would gradually decline before turning into a pile of bones in a grave, or they could contend with others and see who was better.

Not only did they have to contend with the heavens for their fate, but they had to contend with humans for victory.

Even if peace was brought to the world, and there was harmony among all people, wouldn’t the daemons, demons, ghosts, and monsters hidden in the darkness want to regain the upper hand and rule over the nine provinces? In this wilderness without order, who knows how many sects had been established and destroyed. They could only follow the most primitive principle—survival of the fittest. Only the strongest would be respected.

Between the Sword Collection palace and the Umbral Yin sect, one wielded swords, while the other controlled ghosts. Perhaps they were not the sects that were the best at cultivation, but they each possessed their advantages. They had followed this principle and survived and thrived under it.

Li Qingshan stowed the mental map of the Green province away. He said, “Since I’ve already offended them, I might as well offend them a little more. I have this identity, so if I don’t use it, it’ll be a pity.”

Zhou Wenbin knew that it was impossible for him to have any chances at reaching a compromise or reconciling after killing the people of the Sect of Clouds and Rain in public. Thinking about his youthful mentality and his lingering anger, he said, “Fine then. I’ll give around another dozen guards to you. Although this set of accounts can’t take them down, it’s enough to press them and make them spit out some silver.”

At this moment, a caretaker came over and reported, “Sir, there’s a fatty at the door wishing to see you. He said he’s the district magistrate of Qingyang city. These are his documents.”

Zhou Wenbin smiled. “Looks like your old boss is here.”

Li Qingshan smiled as well. “Maintaining peace in the city is the job of the vice magistrates in the first place. Wouldn’t sending sir Ye instead of me be more appropriate?”

Zhou Wenbin waved his hand. “You go tell him that. I’m going to start cultivating, so let him know to see me tomorrow.” Clearly, he did not take an ordinary person like Ye Dachuan seriously. All he needed to do was pay him a little more silver for the sake of the prefect.

Li Qingshan arrived at the front of the government office. He saw Ye Dachuan pointing around with the advisor. “Look, now this is a big city. Big cities are just different. Although it’s a little worse compared to Clear River city, it’s way better than that shitty place of Qingyang.” The advisor was delighted as well as he stood beside him. Finally, he felt like he had achieved some success after following this fatty.

“Sir Ye, it has been quite a few days. How have you been?”

Ye Dachuan turned around and saw Li Qingshan in his Black Wolf uniform. Although he knew Li Qingshan had actually become one, he still could not help himself. “Y- you’ve really…”