Chapter 304 - 295: Blue Banner Raven Lord, a City Full of Demon Fiends

Chapter 304: Chapter 295: Blue Banner Raven Lord, a City Full of Demon Fiends

Yingjing City, Southwest Silk Lane.

An old yet magnificent manor was situated there.

It was originally the manor of a Commandery Prince from a previous dynasty, but was now occupied by the Mu Shulu Clan of the Blue Banner.

Before the manor, gray walls, cyan tiles, and a Vermilion Gate created an imposing and austere atmosphere.

At that moment, deep within the manor, in a sumptuously decorated hall, Chen You was kneeling on the ground, head lowered in a humble posture.

"I thought you’d finally made something of yourself, gathered the full head count ahead of schedule, and rushed over to claim your reward.

"I never expected... that you’d actually brought trouble here, desperately wanting me to bail you out."

At the head of the great hall, a man sat enthroned, holding a teacup and sneering endlessly.

He wore a navy-blue long robe with an indigo Manchu jacket embroidered with gold patterns over it. His hair was meticulously combed back, revealing a smooth, clear forehead.

His braided queue was jet-black, and though his face had some wrinkles, parts of his skin were so exceptionally delicate that it was impossible to tell his true age.

Chen You knelt before this man like a groveling dog, all of his usual arrogance and aggression completely suppressed, appearing more obedient than ever.

"This man’s martial skill is extraordinary. I truly had no other choice, so I dared to bring him here, hoping you, my lord, would handle the matter for me..."

"Extraordinary martial skill?"

The man at the head of the hall didn’t speak, but a cold voice rang out from his left rear: "You’ve fought him?"

Chen You turned his lowered head slightly toward the source of the voice and replied respectfully, "I have.

Even with my Spirit Awakening complete, I wasn’t even qualified to touch the hem of his clothes."

"Has he Entered the Dao?"

the voice asked again.

Chen You answered, "I don’t think so.

I told him about the method of organ installation for Entering the Dao, and he seemed exceptionally interested."

After Chen You finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

A moment later, the voice that had questioned him spoke again, but this time, it was addressing the Mu Family Patriarch in the main seat.

"From the sound of it, he must be an expert at the Inner Sensing realm, perhaps even Heart Sensing."

The sallow-faced Mu Family Patriarch lowered his head, gently blowing on the tea foam in his cup, and said slowly, "In that case, he really is excellent material for a Tributor.

If we were to take him in, once he Entered the Dao, he would become another great expert on par with you..."

Hearing this, the kneeling Chen You’s expression darkened, and he was just about to speak.

Suddenly, the Mu Family Patriarch’s tone shifted, and he sighed softly, "What a pity, a real pity. He’s come at the worst possible time."

"If he had come a little earlier, or a little later, I might have given him a position as a Tributor."

Chen You swallowed the words that had been on the tip of his tongue, his expression returning to calm.

He had anticipated this outcome.

’One knows their own family’s business best.’

In recent years, the Mu Family had been ruthlessly suppressed by several rival families, losing a full forty percent of their head-count quota within the capital.

On top of that, this year’s repeated failures with the Magic Sacrifice had left the revered Raven Lord agitated and dissatisfied. The manor was running short on blood-food and Human Pills. They could barely afford to support their current Tributors, so how could they have the spare resources to recruit a new one?

If not for this, he would not have proactively cooperated in bringing the man to Yingjing.

’That hatred from being dissected with a dinner knife for days on end... I would have had to swallow it all on my own, unable to even dream of taking revenge.’

Thinking of this, Chen You hurriedly spoke up to state his position: "This man is young, but his Martial Dao strength is profound, and his Qi Blood is inhumanly vigorous.

If we offer him to the Raven Lord, the next Magic Sacrifice is certain to succeed!"

Chen You paused, and fearing this wasn’t enough, gritted his teeth and added, "The group of men I brought with me this time can also be contributed, to add more fuel to the fire for the next Magic Sacrifice!"

"You’ve certainly thought of everything, haven’t you? Hmph."

From the main seat, the Mu Family Patriarch shot Chen You a sidelong glance and let out a cold sneer.

Seeing Chen You bury his head low in "fear and trepidation," he finally nodded slowly and said, "But you’re not wrong, boy.

The most pressing matter is to get this year’s Magic Sacrifice completed.

It’s not just about appeasing the Raven Lord; we also need to find a way to help its power grow even stronger.

The Wuchen Grand Competition is imminent. After all these years, it’s about time the official rank and title of my Mu Family... got a promotion."

"CRACK!—"

As he spoke, the Mu Family Patriarch’s expression suddenly turned sinister and savage without any warning. He violently crushed the teacup in his palm and cursed through gritted teeth, "The Cyan Banner Ninggu Clan and the White Banner Chaha Clan have joined forces to bully my Mu Family, and those hateful old dogs from the Shu Family, cowardly and useless, just stand by and watch...

In this Wuchen Grand Competition, as long as we can suppress the Shu Family, the position of Blue Banner Lord should be mine for the taking!"

As the man spoke, a damp, sinister, and cold aura gradually filled the hall. The room was deathly silent; Chen You even held his breath.

After a short while, the man’s cold and indifferent voice sounded again.

"Alright, let’s proceed with this plan. Have someone bring that blood-food over as soon as possible.

The Raven Lord is starving. Don’t let it... wait too long."

"Yes."

...

"Young Master Fu, look. That’s Yingjing City."

Fu Juemin, on horseback, followed the direction Ma Liu, their guide, was pointing and looked up.

An ancient, magnificent, colossal city stood at the edge of his vision.

The capital of ten dynasties, Yingjing was far larger and held much more weight than Shenghai.

Throughout history, the city had undergone countless expansions.

From a distance, Fu Juemin could only see a small fraction of the colossal city’s outer silhouette—the mere tip of the iceberg—making it impossible to take in its full view.

Outside Yingjing City lay a vast, open plain. Figures approached from all directions across this plain, converging at the several gates beneath the city walls into a few long, winding streams of people.

As Fu Juemin rode closer to the magnificent, colossal city, the many Demon Souls lying dormant within him grew more agitated with each step.

When he used the Perception of his Demon Souls to gaze upon the city again, he "saw" that above the vast, ancient capital, beneath a gray and oppressive sky, plumes of demonic and fiendish aura—some large, some small, some thick, some faint—were rising straight up like columns of wolf-smoke from signal fires...

"It really is... a city full of Demon Fiends."

Fu Juemin squinted, muttering under his breath.

"What did you say, Young Master Fu?"

Ma Liu, walking ahead, heard his voice and turned his head.

"Nothing."

Fu Juemin brushed it off coolly, then turned his head to the side and couldn’t help but ask, "Yingjing City doesn’t stop refugees from entering?"

They had now reached the front of the city. Beneath the walls, the entrance was split into several gates.

There were guards on duty, but they only seemed to be directing traffic, sending different people toward different gates. As for those entering the city, there was no inspection or examination whatsoever.

People leaving the city, however, were checked strictly. Each person was thoroughly questioned about their reason for leaving, and some even had to present a "Travel Permit."

Fu Juemin was currently looking at a nearby entrance designated for refugees. He saw large groups of them queuing up and filing in, and the guards at the gate weren’t stopping them in the slightest. They were even helping to maintain order.

"Yingjing City never stops any living person from entering."

Ma Liu replied with a grin, giving Fu Juemin a meaningful look. "Young Master Fu, just think about it for a moment and you’ll understand. These refugees... they’re ’hard currency’ in the city. The Nobles up top wish that every person in the world who can’t survive would run to Yingjing."

Fu Juemin didn’t reply, just turned his face away with an indifferent gaze.

He looked up at the gate he and his two companions were entering through and saw two mottled, blurry ancient characters carved above it—Qi Hua.

Looking at the people entering through this gate, most were like Fu Juemin and his companions—at the very least, their faces were clean and their clothes were tidy.

"Hahaha—"

Suddenly, a burst of laughter accompanied by the sound of urgent hoofbeats came from the other side.

Fu Juemin looked toward the sound and saw a group of richly dressed young men and women galloping out of another empty city gate not far to his left.

Each one had a spirited expression, some carrying bows on their backs, others holding foreign rifles... judging by their posture, they seemed to be heading out of the city to hunt and amuse themselves.

No one dared to stop this group. Ma Liu sidled closer and whispered to him, "These are all Nobles from the Banners... Young Master Fu, if you plan to stay in Yingjing for a long time, you’ll need to learn how to read people.

You can tell the background of most Nobles by their attire. The four banner colors—yellow, Profound, Purple, and Chi—are ones we absolutely must not offend..."

Fu Juemin grunted in acknowledgment, nodding faintly to show he understood.

Gu Shouyu, who had been silent beside him the whole time, was looking around curiously. Every now and then, he would whisper a few quiet words to the Oil Paper Umbrella he held in his arms.

Passing through the Qi Hua Gate, they entered an incredibly wide main street.

The road, paved with bluestone slabs, had been worn smooth and shiny by countless carriages, horses, and pedestrians.

Both sides of the street were lined with storefronts of gray walls and cyan tiles, packed tightly together and stretching so far into the distance that one could not see the end.

The street was bustling with pedestrians—vendors, coachmen, porters... their various sounds blending into a buzzing drone.

But to Fu Juemin’s ears, the sound seemed to be filtered through some sort of layer. It sounded bustling, yet he felt there was no "vitality" to it, only a dry, empty noise.

On the street, people in long robes, short jackets, Western suits, and tattered clothes came and went, their shoulders rubbing as they passed.

But everyone seemed to walk in a very "orderly" fashion—staring straight ahead, their steps hurried, rarely glancing around. Occasionally, someone would look up, but only to shoot a quick glance at something before immediately lowering their head and quickening their pace.

Just then, a group of children ran past their three horses, singing as they ran: "Red lanterns, white lanterns, hanging high on the city tower.

One for you, one for me, making Yingjing oh-so-bright.

..."

Ma Liu, their guide, grew annoyed at the sound. He brandished his horsewhip to scare the children and started cursing, "Get lost!

I’ll have you all captured and used for Alchemy later!"

The children singing the nursery rhyme cried out, "WAAAH!" in fright and scattered in an instant.