Scourge Messenger

Chapter 129 The Perilous Land of the Demonic Path
Yan Qing grabbed her fingers and tried to pry them outwards, but Shang Xinlei quickly pulled them back, saying, "They're going to break! They're going to break!"

"Hmph." Yan Qing lowered her head and began to eat the fried dumplings.

"You still haven't answered me," Shang Xinlei asked. "What exactly do you want from this thief's den, you pig?"

"To control the Thieves' House," Yan Qing said calmly, "the safest place in the world is the Thieves' House, and the most convenient place is also the Thieves' House. As long as I control this place, I will always be invincible, and I can go anywhere. No one can trap me, and no one can threaten me."

"At that time, I will be able to take off my mask and no longer need to hide my identity."

When Shang Xinlei mentioned Shang Xuanwen, Yan Qing realized the flaw in his thinking: So what if it's the main city? Wasn't Shang Xuanwen still assassinated repeatedly in the main city? There were also frequent rumors in the Pingcheng military camp that the emperor of Nevernight City was killing people indiscriminately in the streets. The main city is not absolutely safe.

Even if he becomes stronger, there's always someone stronger, unless he cultivates all the way to the ninth level. In comparison, the Thieves' House is the most reasonable target. Once he becomes the master of the Thieves' House, Yan Qing will have no more worries.

Ultimately, his thought was still simply to survive, not to pursue any grander goals. It's just that before it was about 'finding a way to survive,' and now it's about 'finding a way to live better.' But that's how things often are. Powerful ministers who usurp the throne are initially loyal ministers, and emperors who unify the world are initially just rebels who have fled to the mountains. No one knows how far they can go; they just take it one step at a time.

Since I can walk, I will keep walking.

Seeing Yan Qing's gaze gradually harden, Shang Xinlei couldn't help but smile, her eyes crinkling into a smile.

She said slowly, "Then you're probably going to be disappointed. In the future, I will be the only one to control the Thieves' House. But if you beg me by clinging to my leg, I might be able to let you stay here as a servant."

"You're done eating, you can go now." Yan Qing ignored her, finished the last fried dumpling, and prepared to run away.

"It's not dessert yet!" Shang Xinlei called out to him, bringing out two more large cups of ice cream from the room—what kind of secret realm could produce ice cream?

Yan Qing had no choice but to sit down, since he couldn't waste food.

"Look, you've even eaten the bandage. Shall I take it off for you? Otherwise, it'll attract bugs."

"It does attract bugs, and the bugs can even talk."

"Insects can talk?...Get lost!"

Unable to win the argument, Shang Xinlei stomped on Yan Qing in frustration. However, Yan Qing dodged quickly and locked Shang Xinlei's long legs with his own, making it impossible for her to pull them out.

While they were strategizing under the table, Yan Qing suddenly remembered something: "Do you know where there are any third-level secret realms that can be entered at will?"

Now that Rat Monk has gone to Xuanwu Lake Military Town and Night Four Rivers Ten is stationed in Pingcheng, he already has enough first and second level secret realms. He could try to find a third level secret realm, maybe he can get a secret technique book or other advanced manuals. Although there are also third level secret realms in Xuanwu Lake Military Town, Rat Monk obviously doesn't have the strength to enter in a short time, and he might not even be allowed to enter.

Previously, Yan Qing had probed Gai Louxian about why he didn't send Jiang Shiye to the second-level secret realm for some fun. Gai Louxian subtly told him that the resources inside the second-level and above secret realms were invaluable, and the process of 'conquering the secret realm' itself was a treasure worth a fortune.

How to organize troops, how to allocate tokens—these are secret strategies that others have tested with countless lives. If you were to simply steal their methods, wouldn't they suffer a huge loss?
Therefore, even if the Rat Monk has the strength of a third-level cultivator, others may not let him in.

"A third-level secret realm that you can just enter at will? That must be a dangerous place for demonic cultivators." Shang Xinlei blurted out.

"A perilous place of demonic cultivation?" "There are five perilous places of demonic cultivation in the Central Plains: Yunmeng Marsh, Shu Road Mountain, Worry-Free Cave, Happy Forest, and Liangshan Marsh." Shang Xinlei gazed at him: "These are places that even a messenger of the demonic path would definitely know about..."

"I don't know!" Yan Qing said firmly. Since you can see through my facade, I won't pretend anymore: "Why are these places considered dangerous places for demonic cultivators?"

"Because these places all have high-difficulty secret realms, and are far from the three main cities, the terrain is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and the environment is extremely harsh. As long as these conditions are met, they will basically become dangerous places for demonic cultivators." Shang Xinlei introduced: "For example, Yunmengze in Liang Kingdom is a swamp shrouded in mist all day long. If troops are stationed there, the soldiers will quickly become restless and riot. Moreover, many things cannot be produced by themselves, and it is extremely troublesome to transport them in from outside. After weighing the options, we can only give up."

"But places that the righteous path of the imperial court looks down upon are treasure troves for the demonic messengers. Demonic messengers who have committed crimes and have nowhere to turn will take the initiative to flee to dangerous places, and over time they will become a scourge to the local area. At this time, even the imperial court does not dare to conquer them at will, unless there is a Foundation Establishment leader leading the team. Otherwise, even third-level messengers will mostly never return."

"But if Foundation Establishment messengers are dispatched, these demonic messengers can easily disappear into remote and dangerous places. The Foundation Establishment messengers can't do anything about them; they can't just catch them like rats. Even if a Foundation Establishment messenger goes to great lengths to clean up the area, new demonic messengers will soon take over the dangerous place again. In the end, any place that is far from the emperor's reach and has resources will inevitably become a gathering place for criminals. The five most dangerous places are all like this."

"There are no rules in this kind of place; if you have the biggest fist, you can enter the secret realm."

Yan Qing pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, according to what you said, the messengers in the Demonic Path's Perilous Land are more like rogue cultivators than demons."

As for criminals, Yan Qing didn't bother to mention them. Which country didn't his alternate account have a criminal record? Where there is injustice in the world, there are criminals, not to mention that the righteous path isn't much better.

Shang Xinlei countered, "What kind of rogue cultivator are you talking about?"

"They are messengers who hide in secluded places, do not participate in external conflicts, and cultivate themselves alone."

"What about his cultivation resources? Without spirit jade, he can't even activate his token. How is he supposed to cultivate?"

Yan Qing immediately understood Shang Xinlei's meaning: "What if it's a rogue cultivator who discovers a wild secret realm? For example, a messenger in a dangerous place in the demonic path."

“You must understand that developing a secret realm is not a simple matter. Most secret realms allow more than ten people to enter, and it takes the labor of hundreds of people to move the secret realm’s resources out. And that doesn’t even mention how to use the resources,” Shang Xinlei said. “If a rogue cultivator discovers an easy-to-develop wild secret realm, then his life’s mission will be to establish a family, occupy the secret realm, join the imperial court, and use the secret realm’s resources to communicate with the outside world.”

"The reason why the Demonic Path's Perilous Land is so perilous is because the secret realms inside are extremely difficult to develop. Most of them are third-level secret realms. Even military towns find it extremely difficult to obtain resources from them, let alone a group of rogue cultivators. Rogue cultivators can at most obtain some scraps from them. As for the treasure chests inside, forget about them. Even if there are any, they are the exclusive possessions of the Demonic Path's giants."

Yan Qing thought it made sense. Most independent cultivators were poor, and if they could really develop the resources, there was no reason not to take advantage of the resources that randomly spawned in the secret realm. But to utilize the resources, they needed to organize manpower, and organizing manpower would inevitably lead to the establishment of villages and towns, and the creation of power. With so many bottles and jars, it would be impossible for independent cultivators not to join the imperial court; this was what it meant to consider the bigger picture.

Shang Xinlei said, "Of course, there may be some rogue cultivators like you, who occupy secret realms on their own and would rather not fully develop them than expose them, but they are very, very few. The vast majority of rogue cultivators are rootless duckweed. If they do not join the imperial court or a noble family, they will almost certainly turn to the demonic path."

Even as she ate dessert, a hint of gloom still lingered in Shang Xinlei's eyes, clearly indicating that she had a very negative impression of the Demonic Messenger.

"Why are you so sure?" Yan Qing asked.

"Because of Lingyu."

Shang Xinlei said, "Spirit jade is the foundation of all the messenger's power, but without the support of a powerful force or a secret realm, where can rogue cultivators obtain spirit jade? Without spirit jade, they are no different from ordinary people. Even a group of farmers could easily take them down with pitchforks. Whether to protect themselves or to bully others, they will almost always take the same path: plunder."

(End of this chapter)