Chapter 385 – Identity and Suspicion (1/2)

Every single character on the report was the size of a cup, and the handwriting was horrid. It all seemed distorted, like homework that a young child had completed mindlessly. The content only seemed to reinforce this.

“It’s very wrong for daemons to kill humans… it’s not like the Green Vine mountain is completely right either. Why do they have to hold that Herb Gathering ceremony or whatever it’s called… Of course, it’s still wrong for daemons to kill humans. They need to be punished…” It was the same few sentences written in different ways, making no clear sense and swaying both ways.

“Commander, it’s not that I don’t want to write it. Sect master Green Vine just won’t cooperate, so I don’t know what to write either. Surely I can’t just make things up!” Li Qingshan laid out his hands and said helplessly.

“I don’t care. You’ll write it even if you have to make it up! Are you the commander or am I the commander?” Wang Pushi brought out his authority as the commander and forced Li Qingshan to yield.

“That’s far too unreasonable of you!”

“Hmph, where’s your arrogance now, kid? Now you understand what more authority means, don’t you?” Wang Pushi sneered.

Li Qingshan was angered too. He slammed the desk. “There was no point in the mission in the first place! What the hell do their deaths have to do with me? It’s not like I know them. The Green Vine Elder doesn’t make me, a puny Qi Practitioner, seriously at all. Where am I supposed to find so many of my own thoughts?!”

Right as the two of them glared at each other angrily, a gentle breeze ruffled their hair. They looked back at the same time. Before they knew it, Gu Yanying was already sitting on the long bench in the corner of the room with one leg on top of the other.

“Commander Gu.” Both of them started explaining at the same time. Wang Pushi hurried over from behind the desk and bowed towards Gu Yanying.

“More authority!” Li Qingshan sighed gently and received a vicious glance from Wang Pushi.

“Little bro Qingshan, do you have any problems with the mission from me?” Gu Yanying arrived in front of the desk in a flash and picked up the thin report.

“Your m- I don’t. I just feel that ten thousand characters is too much.” Li Qingshan was unable to grasp her movements at all. Compared to her, Bloodshadow seemed like he was crawling along the ground. Even if Li Qingshan transformed, he would not be her opponent. And, faced with her mysterious speed, he probably could not even escape.

“Ten thousand characters?” Gu Yanying smiled widely. “Old Wang, you’re abusing your position to resolve personal grievances, aren’t you?”

“I would never. Your mission should have been completed with one hundred percent effort. He has let you and the kindness you’ve shown him down with this half-assed report.” Wang Pushi completely ignored Li Qingshan’s furious glare.

“Yes.” Li Qingshan lowered his head, afraid to make eye contact with her just in case he gave himself away.

“Then you missed out on quite the show. The daemon visited the Green Vine mountain again. He almost killed the Green Vine Elder again, but Fu Qingjin interfered.” Gu Yanying leaned against the side of the table and crossed her arms.

“Commander, was the daemon slain?” Wang Pushi asked.

“He wasn’t. All he sent was a clone.”

“Just a clone possesses so much strength!”

“If his original body launched an attack, he might even end up eating Fu Qingjin too!” Gu Yanying glanced at Li Qingshan with a smile.

Li Qingshan listened quietly, but he had a feeling that Gu Yanying’s gaze had been fixed on him. Once upon a time, this had been the attention he could only hope for, but now, he felt very pressured.

Gu Yanying changed the topic. “Little bro Qingshan, tell me, just what is the daemon thinking?”

Li Qingshan said, “He wants to die.”

“Really?”

“He’s basically digging his own grave like this, defying the Treaty of Kings and disturbing the peace right now. Even daemons won’t spare him.” Li Qingshan raised his head and stared into Gu Yanying’s eyes. He could feel that Gu Yanying already knew something, as she had specially demanded for a report—a clear attempt to stir him up.

As a result, he composed himself a little. If it were a blessing, then he would not have to worry about it being a curse. But if it were a curse, it would be inevitable anyway.

Wang Pushi butted in and said, “How can it be that simple, kid? If the Dragon King of Ink Sea would hand over his clansmen so easily, he wouldn’t be one of the Ten Daemon Kings! If this is handled badly, it’ll probably lead to war.”

“The exact reason why I’m here is to handle this. No matter what the daemon is thinking, I hope he can settle down a little,” Gu Yanying said as she made her way out. Li Qingshan’s heart tensed up before he let out a sigh of relief.

However, she ended up stopping and looking back. “Oh right, be sure to rewrite it. Ten thousand characters, without a single character missing.”

Wang Pushi smiled and patted the stunned Li Qingshan’s shoulder.

What does Gu Yanying know? How much does she know? Should I run off and avoid this altogether? Though, it looks like she has no intentions of getting to the bottom of this, so if I just leave like this, that’ll be far too cowardly. It’ll make her laugh at me.

Speaking of which, she’s half a daemon too! Although she’s a little different from a half-daemon like me, she still might find me to be more relatable, right? Not only won’t she harm me, but she’ll even treat me very kindly and generously instead. If it weren’t for the fact that I already have a woman right now, this might have been a good opportunity to get close to her.

Stop dreaming. That woman isn’t some kind of goddess from your dreams. She has absolutely no issue with including the deaths of several tens of thousand of people in her plans. Who do you think you are to her anyway?

On Cloudwisp island, Li Qingshan stared at the verdant bamboo outside the window as his thoughts ran wild. Afterwards, he lowered his head and stared at the white paper on the table. He racked his brains and sighed painfully. “Ten thousand characters!”

Li Qingshan did not end up choosing to leave the academy. No matter what Gu Yanying was thinking, she did not seem to hold any bad intentions. He had a feeling that if she really did decide on dealing with him, he would be doomed even if he fled to the world of daemons.