Chapter 183 - 126: Interrogating the Demoness, Cultivator

At this thought, an idea suddenly sparked in Li Chang’an’s mind. "If you can tell me everything you know about Cultivators, I’ll agree to join your Demon Sect!"

Seeing his serious expression, the Demoness couldn’t help but snort.

Then, she burst out laughing. "Cultivators? That’s just stuff storytellers make up to get an audience. You don’t actually believe that, do you? You look pretty smart, but it turns out you’re just a moron!"

His hopes dashed, Li Chang’an’s mouth twitched.

He suddenly reached out, grabbing for the Demoness’s waist.

The Demoness had suffered at his hands before and was on guard this time. With a twist of her waist, she tried to dodge his grasp.

However, she had still underestimated Li Chang’an’s speed.

Or rather, she had severely underestimated his growth.

The only reason Li Chang’an hadn’t been able to handle this Demoness on the city wall last time was that his body was not yet fully developed, preventing him from using his full strength.

Now, although Li Chang’an was only a year older...

...the gap that had formed between them in that single year, both in terms of strength and Realm, was as wide as a chasm.

Li Chang’an’s hand shot out so fast it was difficult for the naked eye to follow, let alone for the Demoness, whose impression of him was still stuck a year in the past.

Caught completely off guard, the Demoness was instantly seized by Li Chang’an.

Before she could struggle, Li Chang’an wrapped an arm around her slender waist and, with his free hand, gave her rear a hard slap.

While the Demoness was red-faced and in disarray, Li Chang’an expertly sealed the meridians in her body. Then, he grabbed a rope from the carriage and bound her tightly.

Li Chang’an performed this series of actions with fluid grace, without a moment’s pause.

Only after she had been trussed up like a human rice dumpling did the slow-to-react Demoness finally snap out of it.

Looking up at Li Chang’an, she said, furious and ashamed, "You sneak-attacked me! You have no martial honor!"

She said the words, but the Demoness was still reeling from the shock.

The speed Li Chang’an had just displayed was simply too fast.

It wasn’t just that she was unprepared...

...even if she had been, she doubted she could have escaped his clutches.

’How is this possible?’

’When we fought in the latter half of last year, he could only get the upper hand with sneak attacks!’

’Why has he suddenly gotten so strong?’

The Demoness tried to struggle free, but no matter how hard she tried, she could only squirm like a worm, managing little more than a helpless wriggle.

"Why would I need martial honor to deal with a Female Demon like you?" Li Chang’an took the horsewhip from the driver, rubbing it against her rear for a moment before continuing, "I’ll ask you one more time. Do you know about Cultivators!?"

The Demoness gritted her teeth, clearly resolved not to say a word.

Li Chang’an didn’t hold back. He brought the whip down hard on her rear and asked again, "Do you know about Cultivators?"

She was fairly tough, so the lash of the whip wasn’t excruciatingly painful. However, the psychological humiliation was clearly ten, even a hundred times worse than any physical pain.

Especially in public, being spanked with a whip by a man...

Just the thought of this scene was enough to make the Demoness, Ran Qingqiu, go insane. She never dreamed things would turn out this way.

Panicked and enraged, she looked as if she wanted to tear a chunk of flesh from him with her teeth. "Either kill me," she spat, "or just wait for the Demon Sect to come and claim your life!"

Li Chang’an frowned and put the whip away.

With a CLANG, he drew his long saber and rested the blade against Ran Qingqiu’s neck.

Li Chang’an spoke calmly, "I don’t usually like to ask the same question three times. But for this, I’ll give you one more chance. Do you know about Cultivators?"

Feeling the cold steel on her neck, the Demoness finally felt a chill seep deep into her bones.

Whether it was her imagination or not, she sensed a cold, undisguised killing intent from him—the kind you’d find in an executioner.

’This guy... he’s an absolute madman, a deranged old monster!’

’But why is he so obsessed with Cultivators?’

’Could it be that Cultivators really do exist in this world?’

Faced with a choice between life and death, even a world-renowned Saintess of the Demon Sect like Ran Qingqiu knew when to yield. She obediently said, "I don’t know if Cultivators exist in the real world. I only know of them from folk tales and legends."

Hearing this, Li Chang’an frowned.

The answer was so mundane it bored him.

’He’d asked so many people, but none had ever heard of real Cultivators existing in the world.’

’It seems that Cultivator really did appear out of nowhere. I just don’t know if they stumbled in here by chance or if they already knew about this world all along.’

’Or maybe... the natives of this world are nothing more than a herd of fat pigs, penned up and raised by Cultivators. Whenever they get a craving for meat, they just pop into this pigsty of a world, eat their fill until their mouths are dripping with grease, and then head back.’

’But no matter which possibility was true, it wasn’t good news for me.’

’Because it meant I had no way of knowing how powerful Cultivators were, nor how to strategize against them.’

’I can only rely on blind luck and assumptions.’

Seeing him suddenly fall silent, the Demoness said cautiously, "I don’t know why you’re so concerned about this, but if you’re willing to let me go now, I can ask my master for you!"

"My master is a powerhouse in the Martial Arts Mythical Realm. If there’s anything in this world that even she doesn’t know, then the answer should be obvious."

Li Chang’an glanced at her, sheathed his long saber, and said coolly, "Let you go? That’s not out of the question. But it’s not my decision to make. I’ll take you to meet some people. If they’re willing to let me free you, I’ll consider it."

The icy coldness in his tone made Ran Qingqiu shudder involuntarily. She asked instinctively, "What people?"

Li Chang’an didn’t answer, simply bending down and slinging her over his shoulder.

He pushed open the gates of the Champion Scholar’s Mansion and strode inside. Only then did he answer, "I’m taking you to see my master’s wife and my two senior brothers. We’ll see if they’re willing to forgive you for the crime of killing their kin!"

Hearing that Li Chang’an was going to hand her over to his master’s bereaved family, the Demoness was clearly startled. She blurted out, "There’s a person responsible for every grievance! I admit I was wrong, but I was just hired for the job! The true mastermind is the Sun Family of Mountain City!"

Li Chang’an stopped in his tracks and raised an eyebrow. "Is everyone in your Demon Sect so loyal? I haven’t even started torturing you, and you’ve already sold them out?"

Ran Qingqiu’s mouth twitched.

But she had no fight left in her. She said wearily, "I’m a Saintess of the Demon Sect, not some two-faced hypocrite. Isn’t selling out your partners a standard operating procedure? Besides, the Sun Family of Mountain City aren’t my partners. They’re just opportunistic fence-sitters!"

Li Chang’an said no more.

He strode into the inner hall and casually tossed the Demoness onto the floor. "Master’s wife, Senior Brothers," Li Chang’an said coolly, "I have captured the Demon Sect Demoness who murdered Master. Let’s discuss what should be done with her."

...