Chapter 77: The Debt Owed to the King of Hell

It was obvious that a severe internal conflict had erupted within the Azure Cloud Sect.

One of the three major families, the Qin clan, had used the Feng family to eliminate the former sect leader and her supporters. From then on, the Azure Cloud Sect was under the sole control of the Qin clan.

“Why don’t we go take a look inside the sect?” Feng Ke’er tugged at someone’s sleeve.

Feng Jiu gave a wry smile. “Given the current situation, do you still dare to impersonate Qin Heng? They probably already know you’re an impostor.”

“W-what!” Feng Ke’er stared in shock. “You mean, they already know! But then why would they tolerate me all this time? That’s impossible!”

From her observations, in the cultivation world, cultivators might not always repay kindness, but they never failed to exact revenge. If Qin Ruhua and the others learned of Qin Heng’s death and her involvement, and that she’d fooled them so thoroughly, they’d probably want to kill her a dozen times over to vent their hatred.

“They’ve set up a new protective array at the outer gate, much stronger than the previous one—at least a thousand times more powerful, with layers upon layers of restrictions. It can rival even the inner gate’s defenses.” Feng Jiu paused, then pointed in the direction where the “Holy Envoy” had vanished. “That person is Feng Yulin. Now, he’s the Holy Envoy of the Feng clan, and the Azure Cloud Sect is completely dependent on the Feng family. Earlier, when he said you were an impostor, the Qin clan might not have believed it. But now, even if you are genuine, as long as he claims you’re fake, the Qin clan will treat you as such. Besides, your breath-concealing talisman is useless in front of ‘her’! Still dare to go back, girl?”

A chill ran down her neck. Feng Ke’er shrank back and forced a sheepish smile. “Better not, then.” Honestly, she was just curious and wanted to dig up some gossip—it wasn’t worth risking her neck over.

Meanwhile, at the mountain gate, the Qin clan’s patriarch, seeing the Holy Envoy disappear from sight, rose to his feet and commanded his disciples, “That person possesses unfathomable cultivation. He’s adept at disguise and impersonation. From now on, close the gates tightly, increase patrols on every peak, keep your eyes wide open, and don’t let a single suspicious person slip through.”

His order was acknowledged by all.

Unknown cultivation, skilled in impersonation—wasn’t he talking about her? Feng Ke’er shivered uncontrollably.

Forget it, she was just an extra, not even a supporting character. Since it was risky to stay and watch, so—time to leave!

Feng Jiu raised an eyebrow at her. “Staying in the Azure Cloud Sect is impossible now. I’m planning to find a quiet place to go into seclusion. What about you?”

Feng Ke’er lowered her head, staring at her toes as she mumbled, “I plan to wander, to temper myself.” In this world, she was an outsider through and through. Home was wherever she found her people. Calling it a journey sounded poetic, but really, she was just drifting wherever the wind took her.

A fleeting hint of mockery flashed in Feng Jiu’s eyes as he nodded slightly. “You’ve advanced too quickly in your cultivation. Roaming about and gaining experience to consolidate your realm is a fine idea.” Then, he clasped his fists before his chest and said in a clear voice, “Since your mind is made up, I wish you a safe journey.”

Such was the nature of their equal contract—a loose relationship between parties of equal standing. If there was business, they’d talk; if not, it was fine not to meet for a thousand years. Feng Ke’er sighed inwardly, looked up, and returned the salute, “Likewise. May you ascend to golden immortalhood soon and have your wishes fulfilled.” He was determined to strive for greatness to chase after his old crush; as for her, the bystander, if she didn’t slip away now, when would she?

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Flashing a bright smile at him, she waved her sleeve with a flourish. “Birdbrain, goodbye.” With that, she tapped her toes and leaped off the cotton cloud, spun around, activated her Wind Riding Technique, and in the blink of an eye was already thirty feet away.

Ha! She really left without a trace.

That wretched girl—so fickle! Feng Jiu stared after her graceful figure, feeling inexplicably odd inside.

He knew his own temperament well—aloof, lazy, averse to trouble, and not one to take on responsibilities, with Xiao Xi being the sole exception. In over a hundred thousand years, he’d never once thought of forming a contract with anyone.

The contract with Feng Ke’er had been forced by circumstances. Though he’d never thought to break it, he’d never taken it seriously either.

Now the brat herself didn’t take the contract seriously—leaving just like that, clean and decisive, without causing any trouble. By rights, he ought to be happy, yet why did he feel so empty inside?

Hmph! He always did the rejecting—when had anyone ever left him behind?

He pressed a hand to his forehead. That must be it!

So, Feng Ke’er had barely gone five miles when a flash of red appeared before her. The little boy in red stood proudly atop a cotton cloud, blocking her path. “Hey, girl, you still owe me a hundred demon crystals. Trying to skip out on your debt?”

“One hundred first-tier fire demon crystals, right? I already gave them to you. Don’t you remember?” Nearly colliding with the cloud, Feng Ke’er braked hard, frowning in deep annoyance. What was this, blatant extortion?

“Can’t say I remember that.” The little boy snorted shamelessly.

Oh, please.

But really, adults shouldn’t quarrel with children. Especially not when the child was this adorable—she just couldn’t bring herself to refuse him.

What was a hundred first-tier demon crystals? She had plenty—giving him another batch was no big deal. She’d just treat it as humoring a kid.

Wait, you say? This imp had a child’s face but a mind ten thousand years old—a genuine fake youth!

Well, if you could transform into such a stunningly cute child, whether you were ten or a hundred thousand, she’d still give you a hundred demon crystals.

With good grace, Feng Ke’er took out a hundred fire ant demon crystals from her storage pouch and smiled, “Catch them, count them carefully!” With a wave of her hand, the crystals flew to him in a neat ten-by-ten square.

Nice, her practice had paid off—her accuracy had improved again.

Stupid girl, you really take me for a toothless toddler! Feng Jiu ground his teeth, swept his sleeve, and gathered the crystals. “Of course, there’s no need for you to worry.”

Yet even after taking the goods, he didn’t budge an inch from her path. Feng Ke’er was puzzled. “Birdbrain, do you need something else?”

Feng Jiu shook his head.

Not wanting to chase him off directly, Feng Ke’er patiently gestured for him to go. “Then I’ll be off. Take care.”

Feng Jiu pretended not to understand, still unmoving.

Now she saw through him: he was just looking for trouble for the sake of it.

Fine, this mountain is yours, this tree is yours—she couldn’t be bothered to play guessing games. She’d just change direction!

After all, the world was vast—she could make a home anywhere.

Changing direction, she turned and sped off.

Stupid girl! Feng Jiu was exasperated. Hadn’t he made his intentions clear enough? Honestly, in all his ten-odd millennia, this was the first time he’d tried to make someone stay—he had no experience at all. Usually, others did everything they could to stay by his side, while he was always the one eager to send them away.

Watching her run further and further, he had to shout, “Hey, you! Stop!”

Something was off, definitely off! Did he want her to sneak into the Feng clan’s lair with him and needed a lookout? That was way too dangerous. Just forget about her. Feng Ke’er’s heart skipped a beat. Instead of stopping, she gathered her energy and ran even faster.

Feng Jiu stamped his foot and gave chase.

But her rudimentary Wind Riding Technique was no match for the cotton cloud. In a blink, she was blocked again.

You ancient old demon, fake youth!

Her patience exhausted, Feng Ke’er scowled. “Birdbrain, what do you actually want?”

“Nothing much!” Feng Jiu bluntly held out his right hand. “Hand it over.”

“What?” Feng Ke’er stared blankly at his palm, confused. She hadn’t taken anything from him, nor owed any overnight debt. What did he want?

“Demon crystals!” Feng Jiu snorted coldly.

Feng Ke’er sighed in relief. “Didn’t I just give you some? Ten by ten, exactly a hundred.”

“Not enough.” Feng Jiu asked, “Tell me, how many days late were you? Didn’t I tell you that for each day late, you owe ten times the amount?”

So, ancient times had loan sharks too. No wonder he was the ancestor of loan sharks—his skin was thicker than a city wall, compounding interest until it was outrageous. Hmph, did he think she was a pushover? Feng Ke’er blinked. “Did you ever say that?”

“Didn’t I just say so?” His shamelessness knew no bounds.

Unbelievable! And this was a so-called celestial being? Feng Ke’er fumed inwardly, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t outrun or outfight him—what else could she do? If this were modern times, she could call the police and have him locked up for fraud. In this era, though, might made right.

“Fine. How many first-tier fire demon crystals do you say I owe?” Feng Ke’er quickly calculated in her head—luckily, she’d only been three days late. One day, one thousand; three days, three thousand—she could afford that.

Just treat it as spending money to avoid trouble! Once this was over, she’d immediately break the contract and never deal with him again.

Feng Jiu gave a dry cough, counted on his fingers, and started calculating with a flourish. “For every day late, you owe ten times more. You were three days late. So, the first day, you owe me one thousand one hundred demon crystals. The second day, adding the first, you owe me twelve thousand one hundred. The third day...”

“Wait!” Feng Ke’er panicked—at this rate, she’d owe him well over a hundred thousand demon crystals. Was he trying to ruin her? Not even the King of Hell would charge such interest!

“What’s wrong? Can’t pay?” Hiding his triumph, Feng Jiu clenched his fist and coughed. “No matter. I have plenty of time—I can wait. Take your time paying me back.”

Take her time? He was worse than the most notorious loan shark! Three days’ delay, and a hundred crystals ballooned to over a hundred thousand—who dared pay slowly? Feng Ke’er was both amused and exasperated. So this whole charade was just to keep her around?

“Still tenfold interest per day? Hmph, do you think I’m stupid?” Steeling herself, she asked on purpose. Fine, it didn’t matter where she stayed. Since he was “so sincere,” she’d play along!

Feng Jiu caught the teasing in her eyes and felt his cheeks burn. Turning away, he muttered through gritted teeth, “Just pay me back for this time first!”

Thanks to Luofanfu for the pink ticket.

Dear friends, the Mid-Autumn Festival is here. I wish you all happiness, may you be blessed with full moons and blooming flowers, and sweet dreams every day.

(End of Chapter 77: King of Hell’s Debt)