A life of idleness in the world of demons

Chapter 55. The Hunchbacked Mountain Man
A dead person cannot take office.

When a person dies, the body and the spirit perish, and all things become empty.

However, Huang Cihe, who had died, continued to serve in his post.

Ning Xuan witnessed firsthand how the top scholar's head smashed against the chessboard, blood and brain matter gushing from the hole, his eyes wide open, dying with his eyes still open.

But he still took office.

Thinking of those three powerful demons, Ning Xuan already had several guesses in his mind, and he was more inclined to believe that a demon had disguised himself as Huang Cihe and taken office.

He thought about it again.

Good heavens, they truly have everything they need in terms of timing, location, and people.

First, let's talk about the geographical advantage. Shanyang Prefecture is suffering from severe demonic disasters, and its previous bureaucratic system has been almost completely destroyed.

As for the timing, the severe demonic disaster in Shanyang Prefecture was only because the underlings entered the scene early. Once the strong among these demons arrived, wouldn't they be like dough in the palm of one's hand—round or flattened at will?

As for the people, these demons protected the people, so in the eyes of the people, aren't they good officials?
Why would a demon want to become an official?
Ning Xuan's mind flashed back to the frozen corpses in Ping'an Prefecture, which were filled with dragon energy but lacked substance. He had already come to an unbelievable guess—the demons wanted to take the dragon energy away, plate and all.

However, he was also very curious: if a demon takes office and governs a prefecture, can he also gather dragon energy by winning the hearts of the people?

He was just curious, but he didn't know.

All of the above are his own guesses.

The world is far more complex than he imagined.

Shanyang Prefecture may be just a microcosm; many more similar and unbelievable things are happening everywhere.

As Ning Xuan pondered the matter, he felt utterly overwhelmed.

But then he thought about it.

Why does he have a headache?

The world of demons is indeed not simple, but the world of dragon energy is not so simple either.
Whatever, as long as we don't get him involved in the mess, as long as we don't provoke him, everything is fine.

He would just observe from the sidelines, never venturing too far, and never wanting to involve himself or those around him in danger.

If a demon can sit in the position of prefect, he might sit in another position, so he will only share this information with his elder brother and father at most. As for the fairy who is loyal to His Majesty, he will leave it to her.

With his mind made up, he stretched out his magnificent body more and more comfortably, letting the five maids around him serve him, kneading and stroking him, and occasionally opening his mouth to take a bite of the local grapes.

Since the demonic calamity began, the caravans have been stuck in traffic everywhere, making it really difficult to get a taste of fruit from afar.

Looking at the maids massaging his hands and legs, and pressing his head, they were all as fragile as paper, easily torn and shattered. Ning Xuan had to carefully control his qi and blood, and couldn't use any more force, otherwise, he really would kill these maids.

As for their appearance, these maids were no different from the young ladies of Chenxiang Pavilion. They looked alike, spoke in a similar tone, and treated him similarly. Even their hairstyles, perfumes, and stories were very similar.

These similarities and vulnerabilities gave Ning Xuan a feeling of boredom.

He began to miss the past.

The life of a playboy is truly fascinating; there are endless cockfights, countless horse races, endless wild beast hunts, and an inexhaustible supply of beautiful women.
Because the playboy is physically weak, even if he has feelings for a woman, he can only love one beauty at a time, and he can only love her to the point of exhaustion each time, unlike now.
Ning Xuan felt that he had become stronger, but life had become boring.

Just then, golden light surged around him.

Ning Xuan waved his hand.

The five maids hurriedly rose, bowed respectfully to the general who looked thin but was actually stronger than a bear, and then withdrew.

Ning Xuan sat up and glanced at his elder brother.

Ugly Slave lowered his voice and said, "You clearly told me that Huang Cihe was dead."

Ning Xuan said, "He is dead."

The ugly servant asked, "Then?"

Ning Xuan recounted all his guesses and what happened that day.

Ugly Slave sighed deeply after hearing this.

Ning Xuan knew that his elder brother thought he was too useless, so he got up, patted his shoulder and said, "Brother, you can go and investigate the demons in my Wangyue Mansion. Once you find them, I'll kill them and give you dragon energy to cultivate."

Ugly Slave nodded and then said, "The training of the plague warriors is quite good. That jade is really useful. I plan to build a personal guard for the plague warriors. General Qin has such a personal guard, so you should have one too."

“They have too much experience; let’s take it slow.” Ning Xuan said, then asked, “By the way, how is Father’s health?”

Ugly Slave said, "Mr. Taiyi is retired in Xinghe County. He's been in good spirits lately and keeps saying he wants to find you a good wife."

As he spoke, even the ugly slave couldn't help but laugh.

Ning Xuan said, "Tell Dad not to worry about this. The only girl I can marry right now is an ordinary girl with no background."

Ugly Slave said, "I've talked to him about it, but he seems to be possessed. I tried to persuade him a few times, but he actually glared at me and scolded me, saying that if he couldn't find you a good wife and a good background for the Ning family, he would die with regrets."

Ning Xuan paused for a moment, then said, "Alright, whatever makes Dad happy. I'll do whatever he arranges. If he brings a woman back, I won't even ask her name; I'll marry her without a second thought."

My father aged prematurely and didn't have much time left. He spent his whole life worrying about the Ning family and his son.

Ning Xuan would certainly not refuse this small wish.

Ugly Slave nodded, then changed the subject, saying, "Recently, some minor demons have appeared in Wangyue Manor. I'll go and find out more and then let you know. We'll..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ning Xuan waved his hand and said, "I'll handle this myself. Big brother, you wait to get the dragon energy." Then, he gently patted Chou Nu's shoulder and said, "Get stronger as soon as possible. You can't be worse than Fairy Yao Zhen, can you?"

Ugly Slave smiled and said, "They are from the Zixia Temple in the capital. Even their dragon aura was bestowed by the emperor. They can't compare."

Ning Xuan clenched his fist and said, "Never underestimate a young man's potential; one day..."

Ugly Slave laughed and said, "I'm past that age of being passionate, and you don't seem like that kind of person either."

The two brothers looked at each other and burst into laughter, creating a rather warm atmosphere.

Ning Xuan's boredom didn't last long.

Because the very next day after the ugly servant came looking for him, his long-lost crony, Liu Shirong, the eldest son of the wealthy merchant guild, arrived.

Ning Xuan rarely had the urge to engage in cockfighting, so he disguised himself slightly, put on a face-covering cloak, and went with Liu Shirong to the "Cockfighting Market" in Wangyue Prefecture to buy chickens and have them fight on the spot.

Because it was a gambling contest, a group of spoiled young men nearby were also attracted over, and everyone started betting on the cockfighting, having a great time.

Although cockfighting was boring, Ning Xuan saw his former cronies having so much fun, and he also felt a bit of their joy.

"Have you tried horse racing?" Liu Shirong asked.

Ning Xuan waved his hand.

The two left the cockfighting market and walked to a small lake next to Wangyue Mansion.

Ning Xuan said, "Aren't you going to mention that your sister married me?"

Liu Shirong said, "I can't afford to associate with you."

With a bitter expression, he said, "General Ning, please spare me. Our Liu family really can't afford to get involved in your affairs. If even the slightest spark of fighting breaks out on your side, it will be enough to wipe out my entire Liu family."

Ning Xuan sighed, "Let's go with horse racing, I haven't had enough fun yet."

Liu Shirong smiled mysteriously and leaned closer, saying, "I'll take you to an interesting place."

Then, he led Ning Xuan through a winding path until they arrived at an elegant mansion.

The mansion was filled with beautiful women.

She was a beauty Ning Xuan had never seen before.

A beauty from the Western Regions.

Liu Shirong smiled and said, "Brother Ning, please take a seat."

The banquet was for only two people, but the dishes and wine were just as good, including the "Pearl of the Western Regions" that Ning Xuan had eaten before.

After the banquet, a beautiful woman with a high nose bridge knelt on a brocade carpet, holding a curved-neck pipa in her arms and playing exotic music.
On the pomegranate-red carpet, an exotic beauty with glass chains adorning her ankles was dancing. When she saw Ning Xuan, she gave him a flirtatious wink, then suddenly began to spin. The jewels in her braids jingled, and her red gauze skirt swirled around her waist. A rose was between her teeth. As she turned past Ning Xuan, she abruptly stopped, bent over backward, and presented the rose to him.
Liu Shirong laughed heartily and said, "Brother Ning, Ashya has taken a liking to you."

Ning Xuan asked, "Does he have any background?"

Liu Shirong said, "What kind of background could a dancer from the Western Regions have? She used to drift like duckweed outside. It's a blessing for her that Brother Ning has taken her into his household."

Ning Xuan accepted the rose.

He doesn't actually have any beauties from the Western Regions in his household.

Then someone else can serve him from now on.

In the following days, Liu Shirong sent him many more treasures from the Western Regions.

Ning Xuan didn't take it for free; he bought it with silver as usual.

A few days later, Liu Shirong actually came to say goodbye, saying that he was going to the Western Regions.

Ning Xuan asked curiously, "With all these demonic calamities along the way, how come you still dare to go out so frequently?"

Liu Shirong leaned closer and whispered, "As long as you get the amulet to ward off evil spirits, you'll be protected by the hunchbacked mountain spirit and have a safe journey."

After saying that, he emphasized again, "It really works. The journey there was full of disasters, but ever since I got this amulet in the Western Regions, I haven't encountered any demons on the way back."

Ning Xuan asked in confusion, "What hunchbacked mountain man?"

Liu Shirong said, "It's a belief from the Western Regions. You need to be devout to make it effective."

Ning Xuan asked, "You believe me?"

Seeing his skepticism, Liu Shirong became angry and retorted, "The Mountain God can protect us, why don't you believe it? It's not just me, our entire chamber of commerce believes it! Because if even one person in a group isn't devout and doesn't worship the Mountain God, then it won't work. Brother Ning, why don't you try worshipping him?"

Ning Xuan said, "Let me see your talisman."

Liu Shirong didn't hide anything from him and directly took him to the Wangyue Mansion branch of the Fugui Chamber of Commerce. He respectfully brought out a wooden box containing a piece of peach wood soaked in tung oil. The edges were charred black from incense smoke, and the character "retreat" was written in the center.

The moment Ning Xuan saw the amulet, several pieces of information flooded into his mind.

【Fragrant Mouse】

[Demon-like Species: 10.0, Class Rat, Family Citronella, Species of the Spiritual Type]

[Heavenly Demon Talisman: Observe the arrival of the Heavenly Demon, trace its essence and blood, observe the root of its life, and forcibly refine the talisman. Failure to refine the talisman will result in death and the dissipation of one's cultivation; success will allow it to be used by oneself.]

[Should I practice talismanic cultivation?]

(End of this chapter)