Grasping Evil

Chapter 258: Recruitment from the Misty Rain House

As Li Ban tried to open his mouth to question Lu Bei, Jing Yun saw through his intention from the look on his face and held him down.

“General Li Ban! Our priority comes first…” Jing Yun reminded him using telepathy.

“Fine. Let’s settle the matter regarding the World Passage first!”

Li Ban withdrew his gaze but his spirit sense still lingered around Ning Fan, secretly spying on him.

Li Ban knew that this person was Lu Bei. Moreover, he had already learned about the shocking news where he eliminated three Spirit Severing Realm demons on his own.

However, the longer he studied that person in such a close distance, the more familiar he felt about him.

Such eerie but familiar feeling… Could he be Zhou Ming?! No. Impossible! The last time I met him, he was just a Harmonious Spirit Realm ant. Besides, I had already destroyed the ancient teleportation formation right after it was activated. There was no place where he could survive in the Void Realm, let alone appear in a place like this… Besides, I don’t believe that a Harmonious Spirit Realm ant is able to cultivate and obtain the power to kill Spirit Severing Realm experts within just tens of years! But…what’s the explanation for this familiar aura and my previous demon partners?”

Li Ban’s mind was a little troubled.

After exchanging conventional greetings with some of the guests, Ning Fan withdrew his expression and steadily sat beside Lu Wan’er.

Deep inside, he was sneering.

The current Li Ban is no longer equal to me! It’s why he could not even see through my Sense Falsifying Art!

Such person has come to Luo Yun Province together with Jing Yun and they will probably look for me in the future. There will be lots of chances to kill him!

As for Lu Daochen, after privately exchanging glances with Ning Fan while nodding his head in good faith, he moved on to greet the other guests. He did not even have a deep conversation with Ning Fan, not to mention explaining to him about what they were going to cooperate in.

Those who could enter the Encompassing Heaven Hall were mostly Late Nascent Soul Realm experts and the members of influential forces in the Luo Yun Tribe.

As maidservants, the Flower Demoness and the Wind Demoness stood at Ning Fan’s sides while helping him to refill the wine in his cup.

Lu Wan’er was sitting on his right-hand side while the green-dressed lady from the Misty Rain House was sitting on his left.

Seeing the two women serving Ning Fan, Lu Wan’er’s eyebrows knitted together. Her woman’s intuition told her that the relationship between Ning Fan and the two women were not simple.

“They are…”

“My concubines…” Ning Fan smiled and answered without trying to conceal that fact. After all, there were some things he had to let Lu Wan’er know bit by bit.

“Oh…” Lu Wan’er appeared to be a little dispirited. Her disappointment was not because of the fact that Ning Fan had concubines. She was disappointed because Ning Fan did not tell her about it and took in concubines on his own…

Right. In the past when Lu Bei tried to behave like a hedonist, he used to ravage countless women…

Quickly, she refreshed her thoughts and replaced her disappointed look with a smile and introduced the green-dressed lady to Ning Fan.

“This is the most popular courtesan of the Misty Rain House - Yao Fei. She is my one and only friend in the province. In the past when Lu Tianming tried to force me into marrying him by surrounding me within the Misty Rain House with his troops, it was her who aided me in my escape.”

“He surrounded the Misty Rain House with soldiers…” Ning Fan frowned. He did not expect that Lu Tianming had done such a thing.

If he had known it earlier, he would have probably finished that man off even if Lu Daochen was there to stop him.

But what was more beyond his expectations was that Lu Tianming did not attend such an important banquet.

Half of it is probably because he was critically injured by me and the other half is because he is afraid of me. It’s why he doesn’t dare to appear in front of me again…

He is quite a cunning kid, quite slippery like an eel. Apparently, he learnt quite a lot about the behaviors of a typical young master. As soon as danger approaches, his shadow disappears…

“This is not the main point!” Lu Wan’er rolled her eyes at Ning Fan, pouting her lips. The disheartened feeling that she felt earlier had completely vanished like an evaporating cloud. Although she was wearing a sulky face, she was touched by Ning Fan’s reaction.

Lu Bei frowned because of my sufferings…

“*Chuckle* So this is Lu Bei, the person whom Little Sister Wan’er praised excessively and incessantly. Hmm. This person is truly extraordinary. I can’t see through him at all with my current cultivation level…”

“Big Sister, you are just at the Late Nascent Soul Realm. Of course you can’t see through him! Besides, since when did I praise him…”

“You dare to deny? Weren’t you telling me about him non-stop in the past few days? You even said that ‘If I can marry Lu Bei, I will never regret it for my entire life’…”

“I didn’t say that!”

Lu Wan’er’s face blushed in embarrassment. Although Ning Fan was sitting between the two of them, his presence was disregarded as Lu Wan’er began to frolic with the green-dressed lady.

The frown on Ning Fan’s face gradually loosened up.

In the banquet, there were not many of them who could gain his attention.

The two generals of the Luo Yun Tribe - the Fourth General, Lu Qing and the Sixth General, Lu Zhan were not enough to make him be afraid of them.

On the other hand, the three generals of the Pure Flame Tribe - Jing Yun, Li Ban and another general were all Early Spirit Severing Realm demons. Therefore, they were incapable of making Ning Fan feel fear.

As for the other Nascent Soul Realm guests, none of them were significant at all.

Among them all, he only looked highly at two individuals. The first one was Lu Daochen. This man might just be a Mid Spirit Severing Realm expert, but his combat power seemed to be matchless among the experts at the same cultivation level as him. As an Honorable Demon General entitled as the Cloud General, he had inherited the Power of Bestowal which contained the cloud element ability. If he displays that unique power, he would be able to fight against a Late Spirit Severing Realm expert within a short period of time!

The second one was the green-dressed lady, Yao Fei, who was sitting right beside him.

On the surface, she might be emanating a Late Nascent Soul Realm qi, but in actuality, her cultivation level was at the Late Spirit Severing Realm!

This woman’s identity is surely complicated. A Late Spirit Severing Realm being… She isn’t a Demon General nor an Honorable Demon General but she is allowed to stay in the Luo Yun Province…

Speaking of which, a Late Spirit Severing Realm old monster will choose to become a courtesan in a brothel? Moreover, despite her role, her Primordial Yin is still intact.

“May I ask what kind of place is the Misty Rain House? I can see that Lady Yao Fei still has a pure body… You seem to be very uncommon for being able to keep your chastity in a place like that.” Ning Fan asked as he took a mouthful of wine.

“That’s natural. You’re probably unaware that the ladies in the Misty Rain House never sell their bodies. They only demonstrate their talents like playing the qin, singing and dancing, particularly Big Sister. When she plays the qin, half of her face will be shrouded with a veil and the audience will be separated from her by a curtain. It’s not easy to see her complete, beautiful face.” Lu Wan’er was afraid that Ning Fan would look down upon Yao Fei.

“Oh really… The Misty Rain House is really only a place for men to find entertainment. As the master of the house, Lady Yao Fei must be truly special in order to make those young masters of the province not dare to lay a finger on the ladies there…”

“You flatter me, Young Master Lu. I suppose even in the ‘Upper World’, no one would be so daring to touch my ladies…”

“I see…”

Ning Fan’s eyes shone with seriousness.

Yao Fei is actually a demon from the Upper World.

Of course, the Upper World here meant the Immortal Demon World - The Land of Demons.

From her tone, the Misty Rain House in the Land of Demons seem to be something similar to the influential forces of the Four Heavens Immortal World like the Lost World Palace and the Godly Void Pavilion…

So the reason this lady stayed at this place should be similar to that of the little devil girl and Bei Xiaoman - recruiting strong demons who possess the Immemorial Demon Bloodline?

This lady did not even try to hide her identity in front of me so much so that she even deliberately exposed a trace of her qi to let me know. Is it possible that she intends to recruit me?

However, there is something weird about it. If the Misty Rain House really is similar to the influential forces like the Godly Void Pavilion and the Lost World Palace, it’s impossible that Lu Wan’er doesn’t know about it.

Apparently, this Misty Rain House is different from those.

“Young Master Lu, do you aspire to ascend to the Immortal World…” Yao Fei asked.

“If I tell you that I harbor that aspiration, is Lady Yao Fei going to grant me a ‘spot’?”

“Then I have to see if Young Master Lu is going to behave properly as a demon…”

Ning Fan remained silent. Yao Fei’s answers were keen and sharp, verifying half of his guesses.

She really possesses the “spots” to ascend to the Immortal Demon World.

As for her last sentence, she sounded like she was threatening me to accept my identity as a demon. Apparently, she has found out that I am originally a human.

Well, it was not weird at all since Lu Daochen was also able to see through his identity.

He knew that his fake identity was unable to remain secretive under the eyes of people like Lu Daochen. Even so, Ning Fan still had to hide his true identity.

Before entering the Second World, he did not have much power. Therefore, he had to stay out from any unwanted troubles. But after the Second Bloodline Awakening, his power rose drastically, enabling him to protect himself in this foreign land. Now, even if Li Ban were to confront him, he had no fear at all.

Besides, if he engraves the “Speed” Spirit Seals on his Fu Li wings, his speed would then be able to rival that of a Late Spirit Severing Realm being. When the time comes, he would not have to fear experts like Wang Xiao!

Lu Wan’er had no idea what the two of them were conversing about. However, she did not mind at all.

As long as Ning Fan did not wear a look of yearning or a lecherous gaze when he is talking to Yao Fei, she would be at ease.

As nearly all of the main guests had arrived, the banquet finally started.

Plates of delicacies were presented to their respective tables like an endless stream. But before anyone of them could move their chopsticks, Demon General Jing Yun from the Pure Flame Tribe stood up!

Wearing a stern expression, he cupped his fists towards Lu Daochen. Those who roughly knew the true purpose of holding the banquet gradually placed their wine bottles on their tables. The atmosphere slowly became solemn.

The critical moment had finally arrived!

If the following discussion does not end up well, perhaps there will be an actual fight between the 3 generals of the Pure Flame Tribe against the 3 generals of the Luo Yun Tribe…

“Hehe. Demon General Jing Yun seems to have some words to speak… Please go ahead.” Lu Daochen chuckled. His eyes which were usually as narrow as a line opened wide.

“Then I shall go straight to the point. The reason I came is because of one thing - the map for the World Passage of the Third World! Cloud General, please hand over your map and join forces with our Pure Flame Tribe to awaken the Demon Marshal together!”

“How dare a rascal like you speak so insolently to the Honorable Demon General of my Luo Yun Tribe?! You’re courting death!”

The black-armored general Lu Zhan’s manly beard straightened and with a slap on his storage pouch, a giant halberd emerged in his hands. His body entered into a fighting stance.

Tens of black-armored Nascent Soul Realm soldiers who were hiding in the dark appeared with Nascent Soul Breaking Bows in their hands. Each of them were aiming straight at Jing Yun.

The latter’s face turned gloomy and he sneered, “The Demon Generals from the ‘Upper World’ are here. Lu Daochen, are you daring enough to shoot me? Do you want to be banished forever by the Immortal Demon World like Demon Marshal Lu Wu?!”

Translated by Tommy, edited by Roel