In the darkness, more than a dozen pairs of eyes shone with eerie light, like venomous snakes hidden in a cave. They all stared at the sect leader, waiting for him to speak.
The sect leader, who had been lazily sitting, finally spoke. His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn’t spoken in decades. Each word he spoke carried a lot of weight.
“Why aren’t the lights on?”
A demonic sect steward respectfully replied, “Sect leader, you forgot. Last time during the meeting, you said you attended a higher-level conference, and how the atmosphere there was like, and also that our Yanjiang sect lacks the atmosphere of the demonic sect.”
“I thought about it, and it seems that’s the case. Our Yanjiang sect has the lowest level among all the branches, perhaps that’s the reason.”
“I thought to myself, in the stories, don’t they say that the demonic sect likes to plot schemes in dark places? So I deliberately didn’t let the servants light the lamps.”
“You know what? Not having the lights on really creates an atmosphere for doing bad things.”
Obviously, this steward was very aware of his own behavior and knew that the demonic sect was not a good place.
The sect leader remained silent for a long time, wondering if the steward was hinting that he should retire from the sect, or that the Yanjiang sect hasn’t had a salary increase in a long time, or that they should buy insurance for the demonic sect members?
It shouldn’t be about retiring from the sect.
The other party had always been doing bad things tirelessly, and they didn’t discriminate between friend or foe. They did bad things outside and even worse things to their own people within the demonic sect. They were truly a bad seed.
It wasn’t about a salary increase either.
The demonic sect’s salary was linked to the local finances and was three times that of local officials. It was already very high. Yanjiang County was a remote small county, and the Yanjiang sect’s salary couldn’t be on par with the headquarters.
It definitely wasn’t about buying insurance. Most demonic sect members didn’t have heirs, so who would they compensate if they bought insurance?
Moreover, the Fallen Money Chamber of Commerce wouldn’t allow the demonic sect to buy insurance. If they sold personal accident insurance to the demonic sect, the demonic sect had the confidence to make the Chamber of Commerce pay until they had no pants left.
“Let’s turn on the lights first.”
“Yes.”
The steward breathed a sigh of relief, lit the lamp, and suddenly the entire hall lit up.
The sect leader spoke again, “Everyone has heard about the rumors about Xiao Qin. Don’t spread them anymore, or else outsiders will laugh at us.”
“Everyone can see Xiao Qin’s behavior. He does all sorts of evil deeds. Once caught by the government, even beheading is too light. It’s enough to prove that Xiao Qin’s behavior is in line with our demonic sect’s teachings.”
“As for the rumors that Xiao Qin is from the righteous path, it’s nonsense. Anyone who can join the demonic sect has passed the test of the sect leader.”
“The sect leader’s evaluation of him is ‘demonic to the bone.’ The sect leader’s evaluations are never wrong.”
Qin Yuanhao bowed, “Sect leader is wise.”
Qin Yuanhao felt a little better. He made up his mind that when he went back, he would definitely kill the person who spread the rumors!
The sect leader didn’t mention Qin Yuanhao’s matter again, and saying those two sentences was already a gesture of goodwill for giving him a chair.
“Today, everyone was called here because the headquarters has a task for us.”The leader paused and said, “Headquarters requires recruiting new disciples from all over.”
Qin Yuanhao and the others were surprised. They didn’t expect this. The Demon Cult hadn’t recruited on a large scale in thirty years. For the past thirty years, people had only joined through personal introductions.
For example, Qin Yuanhao wanted to recruit the Tiger Demon, but unfortunately, the Tiger Demon guarded Song Mountain and refused to join the Demon Cult.
“As you all know, in the past hundred years, many geniuses have risen to fame, but they can still be defeated by unknown youngsters. Countless undiscovered ruins and paradises have appeared in this era of opportunities and challenges.”
“The five major sects, top-tier sects, and first-tier sects all have talented disciples. The rare double spiritual roots are now common, allowing these geniuses to truly grow. This world doesn’t need to fight anymore.”
“If you want to compete, you have to do it now!”
“If you seize the opportunity, you can turn rain into a dragon, soar to the sky, and become immortal!”
“But opportunities are not easy to come by. The damn Great Xia Dynasty and the five major sects have increased their attacks on us, causing many of our fellow disciples to perish.”
“If you want to gain a foothold in this world, you must expand the number of our Demon Cult disciples. The four major demon cults have reached a consensus on this matter.”
“What you need to do is to spread the news of our recruitment through your own channels and try to gather the demonic cultivators in Yanjiang County and nearby counties who are willing to join our Demon Cult.”
Someone worried, “Will such a large-scale recruitment give the orthodox sects an opportunity to infiltrate our Demon Cult?”
He was not the only one with this question. Many people present had the same doubt.
The Demon Cult had always been cautious. If a few more orthodox sect spies appeared, the situation of the Demon Cult would be in danger.
The leader shook his head, “This recruitment is organized by the Demon Lord with his supreme divine power. It is impossible for anyone from the orthodox sects to pass his test.”
The questioning voices disappeared, replaced by endless enthusiasm.
For the people of the Demon Cult, the Demon Lord was an omnipotent existence, the god of the Demon Cult. He would definitely lead them to glory!
…
After the meeting, Qin Yuanhao immediately used his connections to find out who wanted to frame him.
Through various means, he finally traced it back to a small tavern.
“The guest was eight feet tall and eight feet wide, with a face full of pockmarks. He was a muscular man who looked like he could eat three children.” The tavern owner gestured, very impressed with Lu Yang’s appearance.
According to the description, Qin Yuanhao quickly drew a portrait that was very different from the real Lu Yang.
Lu Yang and the others had spread rumors in the tavern after disguising themselves.
Qin Yuanhao’s expression was cold. How dare they spread rumors when they stood out so much? Did they think he was easy to bully?It was already late at night. The Great Xia Dynasty did not have a curfew. Qin Yuanhao and his gang were eating barbecue on the street. There were pork skewers, beef skewers, roasted lamb leg, grilled chicken feet, grilled chicken legs, roasted pig skin, grilled tendons, grilled beef tendon, grilled river shrimp, tender grilled oil waist, grilled leeks, grilled potatoes, grilled eggplant, and grilled wet tofu…
The grilled meat was tender and well-seasoned, with an endless flavor. When coated with the deep-colored secret sauce and stimulated by the charcoal fire, the fragrance was overwhelming and the oil sizzled.
Pork was skewered with bamboo sticks and grilled over a large fire pit. The fatty meat was not greasy and the lean meat was rich in flavor.
The lamb leg was roasted in a clay oven, combining baking and braising. It was evenly heated, crispy and tender, and delicious.
The chicken feet were first braised and then grilled, with tendons, skin, and crispy bones. The texture was rich and satisfying.
The chicken feet were grilled raw, and the temperature was precisely controlled to prevent excessive loss of moisture and oil. The skin, meat, tendons, and bones reached a balance of taste and texture.
Potatoes were braised, grilled, and smoked, with a secret soy sauce. They were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a fine sandy texture.
The few people were greasy after eating their fill.
After eating and drinking enough, Qin Yuanhao arrogantly commanded his men, “You guys, go and search the city for these people. Don’t come back if you can’t find them!”
“Yes, boss!” The gang responded and scattered.
Qin Yuanhao finished his barbecue, feeling satisfied and temporarily forgetting about the annoying rumor-mongers. At the same time, he did not notice Lu Yang lurking underground.
Few people paid attention to what was under their feet, and Qin Yuanhao was no exception.