A Man Dies for His Confidant

Chan Yi rubbed his front legs together somewhat sheepishly. "I can, I can."

"According to the rules of the Mingchan Clan, we aren't supposed to divine major events before our emergence, but I often couldn't help but try to calculate small things in secret."

"As I calculated more and more, I eventually learned how."

As he spoke, he pulled several polished, shining shell fragments from his robes.

"Actually, when I was gathering the clan earlier, I secretly performed a divination."

"I used these."

Chen Zhou took the fragments and examined them.

They were pieces of Chan Yi's own carapace, ground very thin. They seemed to be quite old, their surfaces smoothed by years of handling.

"Alright, that makes things easier." Chen Zhou made a decision and returned the fragments to Chan Yi. He then turned to Wu Gou. "After you return, go to the Dingnai Hall and find the Heavenly Chef. Ask for a pine cone dish and bring it back to Chan Yi."

Wu Gou swallowed hard. "A pine cone from the unaging pine?"

Chen Zhou nodded. "Yes. Chan Yi lost a significant amount of his lifespan from that divination just now. The pine cone is perfect for replenishing it."

"While you're at it, have Hong Ling prepare some supplies—especially medicines that can alleviate the plague and help one adapt to harsh environments, as well as some talismans and arrays. We might need them."

Chan Yi stood frozen on the spot, his eyes wide.

He never expected this. He hadn't said a word, hadn't made a single request, and hadn't even shown any outward signs of distress.

But the Lord had seen through it anyway. The Lord knew he had sacrificed his lifespan for the song divination and was already preparing to help him recover it.

Chan Yi lowered his head, his eyes suddenly stinging.

He had originally felt it was nothing.

Demons enjoyed long lives. As a sixth-stage demon king, he could likely live for another thousand years if no accidents occurred.

Trading a mere century of life to repay Chen Zhou's kindness toward the Mingchan Clan seemed like an incredibly good deal to him. In fact, he felt it was almost too small a price to pay.

But he hadn't expected the Lord to be so observant. He had seen the damage to his lifespan at a single glance and specifically ordered Wu Gou to fetch a pine cone dish to restore him.

In that moment, a warm current surged through Chan Yi's entire body. All his previous subtle calculations and considerations regarding his future relationship with Chen Zhou vanished.

If what the Lord said was true—that the Mingchan Clan of the past had been killed by Purity and Filth yet none of the ancestors held a grudge—Chan Yi felt he could finally understand why.

A man dies for the one who knows him, and a demon serves with loyalty for the one who understands him. That was likely the truth of it.

Watching Wu Gou take his leave and quickly disappear underground with Diting, Chan Yi felt as if he had lived his eight hundred years in vain.

He felt truly lucky to follow such a Lord. Never mind losing a century of life; even if it cost him his life entirely, it would be worth it.

The Plague Rat watched Wu Gou leave before walking over to Chen Zhou's side.

"Lord, are you really going to let that little white snake come here?"

Chen Zhou nodded. "There's no harm in trying."

The Plague Rat scratched his head. "But this hellish place in Tianchi Province has such a harsh environment. Can she handle it?"

Chen Zhou said, "Su Xue will be with her, so it shouldn't be a big problem."

The Plague Rat thought for a moment and then asked, "What about this rat? What should I do?"

Chen Zhou glanced at him. "You and Purity and Filth stay here and guard this place for now. No one knows what Wan Xiu's next move will be."

"You must prevent anything from affecting this area. If you find anything unusual, immediately support Su Xue and Lian when they arrive."

"The Shilin is remote, but it is currently our foothold in Tianchi Province. We cannot afford to lose it."

The Plague Rat was a bit disappointed. "Huh? Just stay here?"

Chen Zhou smiled. "What's the rush? There will be plenty of work to do later."

He exchanged tens of millions of first-stage Flesh-Reconstitution Pills and tossed them to the Plague Rat. The massive pile formed a small mountain.

"Consider these the reserve food for the little demons for the time being. You're the boss, so look after them. Wait for my return from the Royal Capital before we make further plans."

After giving his instructions, Chen Zhou turned to Jian Huaishuang. "Let's go. We'll head to the Royal Capital first to take a look."

Jian Huaishuang nodded and followed Chen Zhou out.

Hearing this, the Plague Rat grew anxious. He knew the way to the Royal Capital best and was one of the confidants who had followed Chen Zhou the longest. Was he really being left out?

"Lord, are you really not taking this rat with you?"

"This rat is familiar with the Royal Capital! I stayed there for over a hundred years. I know where every pit and every hole is!"

"Let me go with you! I promise I won't cause any trouble!"

The Plague Rat spoke earnestly, desperately racking his brain for reasons to be included.

Before Chen Zhou could speak, Jian Huaishuang spoke up coolly. "No."

The Plague Rat glared at him. "Why not?"

Jian Huaishuang said, "The Lord has his own reasons for letting you stay here."

"Furthermore, I am the Lord's perfect vessel."

"If an accident occurs, I can provide the maximum support for the Lord to exert his full strength."

The Plague Rat jumped in frustration. "What do you mean? Are you saying this rat is useless?"

Jian Huaishuang gave him a flat look. "You are."

The Plague Rat was speechless.

"You just wait, you!"

"Once this Lord Rat has learned all the skills of that old man Purity and Filth, I'll use you as my first test subject!"

Jian Huaishuang ignored him and followed Chen Zhou away.

The Plague Rat stood there, watching their receding backs disappear into the end of the tunnel, stamping his feet in anger.

...

Chen Zhou and Jian Huaishuang passed through the tunnel and quickly returned to the surface.

The Hundred Corpse Wilderness remained deathly silent.

The gray-green sky hung over the rotting earth and the wasteland covered in human-shaped markings.

Chen Zhou stood at the cave entrance and looked back.

Many small demons, hearing that Chen Zhou was leaving, had gathered of their own accord. They stood at the edge, silently seeing him off.

Chan Yi stood at the very front, his eyes red. The Scorpion Demon stood beside him, looking equally reluctant to see him go.

Seeing Chen Zhou look over, Chan Yi opened his mouth to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.

The Scorpion Demon spoke up instead. "Lord... you... you must come back!"

Chen Zhou nodded. "I will."

The Scorpion Demon wanted to say more, but Chan Yi pulled at him.

The Scorpion Demon shut his mouth, merely staring at Chen Zhou with pleading eyes.

Chen Zhou waved his hand and turned to leave, with Jian Huaishuang following silently behind him.

"The Lord is gone," a small demon whispered.

"Yeah, he's gone," another echoed.

"Will he come back?"

"I don't know..."

"He probably will, right? The Lord said he would."

"That's not for sure. Powerful great demons have come before and said they'd lead us to a better life. And what happened?"

The small demons fell silent for a moment.

Yes, what happened?

Those great demons had either run away themselves, been killed by stronger monsters, or tricked them into going to their deaths.

Would this Lord be the same?

"Don't talk nonsense!" The Scorpion Demon slapped the back of the small demon's head. "Can the Lord be compared to those filthy things? Did you eat the pills he gave? Did you see the hundred corpse patchwork he killed?"

The small demon covered his head, not daring to make a sound.

Chan Yi walked over and, seeing the anxiety on the faces of the small demons, softly hummed an ancient song.

The small demons quieted down. Standing in place and listening to the song, the anxiety on their faces gradually dissipated.

They watched the two figures grow more distant and blurred.

Finally, they vanished completely.

Chan Yi stopped his humming and let out a soft sigh.

"Let's go. Back to work."

"The Lord said he would return, so he definitely will."

"Let's build our new home well and wait for the Lord to come back and stay."

The small demons looked at each other and then nodded, turning to crawl back into the new tunnels.

Chan Yi stood in place, looking out at the distant wasteland, and suddenly smiled.

In eight hundred years, he had performed divination many times. Every single time, it had been a disastrously unlucky omen.

Only that day had he divined an Upper-Upper Qian Hexagram.

Great fortune.

He believed in that hexagram.

He also believed in that man.