The timeline shifts back to seven days ago.
Although his memories had long since become blurred, seeing Jiang Keke’s current appearance through his divine sense reminded Yun Heng of the game “eagle catching chicks” that he used to play as a child two lives ago.
“I will reiterate one last time. There are no members of the demon race here for you to search for, only my master’s luggage.”
“If anyone dares to search without his permission, they will be making an enemy of the entire Changsheng Yun family.”
Jiang Keke stared expressionlessly at a demon inspection team of more than twenty people, emphasizing every word.
The demon inspection department was one of the core law enforcement agencies in human territory, with influence spreading across the entire human cultivation world.
Many times, they did not even show respect to the ruler of a nation.
However, the Changsheng Yun family was an existence that even the head of the demon inspection department had to treat with great deference.
“… Little sister, our artifacts really did capture the aura of the demon race from your master’s luggage.”
The leader of the demon inspection team was a rugged, burly man who was nearly 3 times as tall as Jiang Keke. Yet, facing such a tiny girl, he still explained patiently.
Afterward, the man pointed at Yun Heng, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed in meditation.
“Please rest assured, we are old acquaintances of Young Master Yun. We truly only wish to perform a simple search of the luggage. I guarantee we won’t act recklessly…”
He had no choice but to be patient. If he truly dared to bully Yun Heng’s small book boy right in front of him, he and the twenty people behind him would be saying goodbye to their positions by tomorrow.
Neither Yun Heng nor Jiang Keke was particularly strong; any member of this demon inspection team could easily crush them. But…
Would anyone truly dare to knowingly provoke the eldest young master of the Changsheng Yun family?
At the very least, this team did not dare.
“Then why didn’t you wait until my master finished his cultivation before asking to inspect?”
Jiang Keke snapped coldly. She didn’t back down an inch, maintaining a stance that she would never show mercy, regardless of whether she was in the right.
The burly man looked at Yun Heng hesitantly, his eyes signaling the bitterness in his heart.
Orders from above were to immediately investigate unconventional demon auras, and after finishing this area, they had to rush to twenty-three other regions without stopping.
‘Damn demon race, why the hell do you have to sneak into human territory for no reason?!’
“It’s like this,” a short-haired woman dressed in a martial outfit stepped out from the team. She cautiously moved forward two steps, stopping immediately when she saw Jiang Keke’s hair practically standing on end in a defensive stance.
She explained in a low voice, “Young Master Yun has entered a state of ‘unity of heaven and man’. If we disturb him now, it could easily lead to a cultivation deviation…”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Keke quickly covered her mouth with both hands. However, after remembering that Yun Heng seemed fine despite how loud she had been just now, she put her hands back on her hips. She continued to snort coldly, pretending not to understand.
‘When did this book boy get so clever…?’ Yun Heng thought.
At the same time, he felt quite helpless. He had simply intended to act as the “fisherman” by killing two ghosts to seize their spiritual energy and the spiritual herbs they guarded.
Unexpectedly, he had triggered some kind of “code,” causing his cultivation to surge suddenly, forcing him to meditate to digest it.
This was a completely unexpected variable.
If he delayed any longer, he wouldn’t just fail to deal with these inspectors; he wouldn’t even have time to open the hidden realm.
If he couldn’t enter the hidden realm today, he would have to wait an entire year for the next opening…
The pros and cons were clear at a glance.
Thinking of this, Yun Heng simply stopped trying to manage the chaotic spiritual energy rampaging through his body.
He allowed his meridians to be damaged and his cultivation to plummet rapidly, falling from Level 3 to Level 1.
Then, enduring the intense pain of bleeding from his seven orifices, he stumbled toward the group of people whose mouths had dropped open in shock.
He waved his hand tiredly. “… Go and get me two Great Restoration Pills. They’re in the purple trunk, in the grid at East three, South five.”
After directing Jiang Keke to work, Yun Heng sat down directly and asked with a casual smile, “Has something happened recently? You’re so paranoid that you’re even searching my things?”
He naturally knew why the demon inspection department was searching for the demon race on such a large scale; after all, Ling Yao’s wanted posters were hanging everywhere.
As the only two remaining “sprouts” of the flood dragon lineage, Ling Yao was fleeing through the northern human territory, while the other was fleeing through the south.
The policy the human race currently practiced was a “closed-door policy.” Forget a lowly race like the demon race, even the dragon race, who were worshipped like gods by some human cultivators, would not dare to “smuggle” themselves in.
“… Young Master Yun, I cannot speak of this matter. If you wish to know, you may speak with your father.”
The man cupped his fists toward Yun Heng. “It is my duty, and I am deeply sorry. Please, Young Master Yun, make it easy for us.”
Yun Heng raised his eyelids and glanced at him. “This won’t be followed by a line like ‘otherwise, we will do such-and-such,’ will it?”
The man remained silent.
The short-haired female cultivator who had explained things earlier also retreated back into the team.
Although none of the twenty members held weapons, they all lowered their heads, clearly prepared to take action.
If Yun Heng truly harbored a demon, or even one of the “flood dragon race,” then even the Changsheng Yun family could not protect him.
Attempting to do so would imply that the Yun family was trying to oppose the entire human race.
Yun Heng laughed.
“It was just a small joke, why so serious? Fellow Daoist Lu, I didn’t see you this flustered when we were drinking before.”
The man was stunned. “Young Master Yun, you still remember me?”
‘Actually, I don’t remember, but your undergarment is showing, and it has your surname embroidered on it.’
“Aren’t we old acquaintances? Isn’t it normal to remember you?”
Yun Heng smiled faintly and took the great restoration pill from Jiang Keke, tossing it into his mouth without looking.
It was crunchy and tasted of herbal medicine.
Lu Dahan’s old face turned red. He rubbed his nose and said nothing.
‘A bunch of clever people…’
Yun Heng chewed the pill, feeling his meridians gradually warm up. His gaze lingered on the short-haired woman’s face for an extra second before he gently waved his hand. “Please, suit yourselves.”
There were twenty-four people in total, the same number as the group that had tracked down Ling Yao in his previous life.
Although Yun Heng did not remember exactly who those twenty-four people were, before Ling Yao had executed him in his past life, this short-haired woman had been right beside her.
In other words, if he didn’t deal with this team, they would certainly find Ling Yao tomorrow and carry out their duties.
If Ling Yao hadn’t been reborn, she, who was currently only at the Qi refining stage, would likely be executed on the spot.
However, since she possessed the Jiao clan secret treasure, it was impossible for a group of foundation establishment and golden core cultivators to scatter her soul.
Even by the most conservative estimate, she would inevitably become a human nuclear bomb in the future timeline, stirring up storm after storm of blood and slaughter against the human race.
This was far too uncontrollable.
And if Ling Yao had been reborn…
“Go on, search! Finish up quickly and get lost!”
“… I’m not just saying this, Master Yun, but I looked away for one second and you pull a stunt like this. You threw away a great chance to increase your cultivation just to play the hero.”
“Now look at you. You’ve become a broken puppet! Serves you right for the pain!”
“Also, look at what time it is, and you’re still putting on airs with that ‘East three, South five’ nonsense! Why couldn’t you just say the small grid in the top-left corner?!”
“Really, if I couldn’t find it, wouldn’t you have fainted on the spot? With that fragile little body of yours, if you get seriously ill again, I don’t even want to think about it…”
Jiang Keke grumbled while she distressedly helped her master up, limping toward a nearby large tree.
Whenever Yun Heng looked over, she immediately put on a look of disgust as if he were a burden, her face practically screaming her disappointment.
Yun Heng smiled and shook his head.
However, he truly had no strength left to argue with Jiang Keke, so he let her nag in his ear like a mother hen.
Minutes and seconds ticked by.
When the demon inspection team finally found a single black demon feather in a very inconspicuous corner of the luggage pile, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Yun Heng looked at that black demon feather and fell into a brief memory.
In his previous life, although Ling Yao had already taken a shapeshifting pill, her features still matched the wanted poster, so she was under heavy suspicion.
It wasn’t until this black demon feather was found that they were barely persuaded to back off by Yun Heng’s rhetoric:
‘The world is vast; how can such things not exist? You can’t find two identical leaves, but similar leaves are everywhere. I will reiterate one last time: this is my friend. If anyone dares to touch her, speak to my artifact first.’
Back then, he had been somewhat similar to the current Jiang Keke.
Thinking of this, Yun Heng automatically applied the “mother hen” image to Jiang Keke and couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth turn up.
“I told you my master wouldn’t hide any demons!”
Even though she had been nervous a moment ago about whether Yun Heng was actually hiding a demon, Jiang Keke immediately began to show off again once it was confirmed to be a false alarm.
If Yun Heng hadn’t stopped her, she would have probably climbed onto the demon inspection team’s faces to mock them.
“Apologies, this was indeed our mistake. We will help you reorganize your luggage right away.”
Lu Dahan brought five or six team members over to bow to Yun Heng, while the rest were responsible for putting the luggage back.
“No matter.”
Yun Heng smiled. “Humans and demons walk different paths. Besides, it is common knowledge even for children that ‘those who are not of our race must be eliminated, no matter how far away they are,’ is it not?”
Fate is not fixed.
The butterfly has already flapped its wings.
In that case, when the future development of things remains unclear, being a similarly unrestrained “angel investor” might be a good choice.
“As the saying goes, the military and the people are one family. It wasn’t easy to meet you again, Fellow Daoist Lu. I wonder if you would do me the honor of having another drink with me tomorrow at 2:00 PM?”
With Jiang Keke’s help, Yun Heng slowly stood up. He shook hands warmly with Lu Dahan, his gaze sweeping across everyone one by one, his expression becoming increasingly kind.
“Of course, it would be even better if everyone came together. That would make it more lively.”
His empty sleeve revealed an arm that was pale with a hint of blue, clearly a weak and frail frame.
Lu Dahan had intended to refuse, but looking at the warmth in this “frail scholar’s” eyes, he subconsciously shivered.
This was not an invitation.
It was… a threat.
Only then did Lu Dahan remember that even though the eldest young master of the Yun family had been away from home for many years, he had never suffered a loss.
Even if he lost at gambling, he only lost the interest.
And now, the demon inspection team had embarrassed him so thoroughly in front of his favorite book boy. Naturally… Yun Heng intended to settle the score.
After weighing the situation in his heart, Lu Dahan finally steeled himself and accepted: “In that case… I shall respectfully obey.”