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Yesterday is boring, today is boring, tomorrow is boring, good storys are never boring!

The Cannon Fodder Turns His Sister Into A Soaring Phoenix C346

Chapter 346: Senior Brother, Ye faces Hu

On the fifth day of July in the year 2112 of the Immortal Calendar, Nangong Cheng’s obituary notices were plastered all over the streets and alleys of Tianan.

This incident caused a stir among the cultivators in the city. The next day after hearing the news, most of the cultivators hurriedly packed their luggage and left Tianan City as if running for their lives.

The once prosperous capital city of the Emperor Sect was now sparsely populated. There were all kinds of fruits and vegetables with wooden signs scattered on the streets and no one was taking care of them. There were also no disciples of the Emperor Sect who usually formed groups to patrol the city for security. Autumn had arrived, and it was getting colder in Tainan City, with a cold wind blowing.

Ye Anping was walking alone on Changyu Street, the most prosperous street in Tainan City, but what he saw now was a deserted street.

Most of the shops on both sides of the street had their doors open, but they were empty inside. He suddenly remembered what Ye Ao said when he came back from the Moon Shadow Sword Sect – “When did you go and something didn’t happen?”

To put it bluntly, problems arise wherever he came from.

After returning to the Hundred Lotus Sect, Ye Ao would probably look at his obedient and sensible son with strange eyes again.

After walking along the street for a while, suddenly the fragrance of soy sauce came from not far away.

Looking around, he saw a shop specializing in roast chicken. The roast chicken shops in the city had closed one after another. Feng Yudie had been looking for shops to buy roast chicken all over the city in the past few days. Yesterday, she even set up a grill in the backyard of the inn to grill it herself.

Ye Anping hesitated for a while and then decided to buy some for Feng Yudie to take back, to save her the trouble of eating roast chicken all day long.

The person running the roasted chicken shop was an old cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining. However, his temples were gray and his face was full of wrinkles. He looked like he was almost in his sixties. At the moment, his back was facing him, marinating a plucked old chicken.

Ye Anping took out a few spiritual stones from his storage bag and knocked on the wooden platform,

“Boss, grill two roast chickens.”

The old cultivator turned his head when he heard the sound and looked at Ye Anping with a little surprise. But after seeing his advanced cultivation in the foundation building, he quickly smiled back and bowed in response.

“Please wait a moment, senior. It’ll take a bit to bake. How about you suggest a location, and I’ll deliver it to you later?”

“No worries, I’ll wait.”

The old cultivator swiftly placed two marinated roast chickens into the oven, wiped his hands with his apron, and then retrieved the spiritual stone Ye Anping had handed him, putting it back into his purse. He kindly reminded me, “You should leave the city soon, senior. I heard the Monster Clan is less than ten miles away. They might enter the city in a few days. A handsome young man like you will surely be captured by them.”

“Why haven’t you left yet?”

“Oh! I’m too old to wander anymore. This city is my home. I’ve been selling roast chicken here for most of my life. I can’t just up and leave.”

“Aren’t you afraid the demons will come and kill all the cultivators?”

“Kill or not, living a few more years or fewer years, it’s all the same to me.”

The old cultivator seemed indifferent to life and death, waving his hand nonchalantly. “It’s just that the Demon Emperor single-handedly entered Tainan City and killed the Emperor of the Central Domain. Who could have imagined this? One of the Immortal Family’s Five Saints died just like that. From my perspective, the four realms will likely descend into chaos.”

Ye Anping was silent for a moment before replying, “That’s a bit too pessimistic. I think it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

“Oh!” The old cultivator raised an eyebrow. “What are your thoughts, senior?”

“Throughout history, the turnover of rulers is common. It’s just that cultivators’ longevity makes the cycle much longer.”

“So you mean the Demon Emperor won’t harm the people in the city!”

“Although monsters may appear beastly, they’re not much different from humans. They have desires, emotions, sufferings, and difficulties. I foresee Tianan City becoming a place where humans and monsters coexist.”

“The feud between humans and monsters runs deep. How can it be resolved?”

“It won’t be resolved quickly, but it will diminish over time. It might be wise for the boss to prepare more roast chicken. After the demons enter the city, we can sell it to them. Roast chicken is highly valued among the demon clan, second only to spiritual stones.”

The old cultivator seemed a bit puzzled, turning to retrieve the roasted chicken from the boiler with an iron hook, wrapping it in an oilcloth, and handing it to Ye Anping. He inquired, “What should I call you, senior?”

“Liang Xiao Liu.”

“Got it, Senior Liang. I’ll remember that. If it happens as you said, in the future, when you come to my shop to eat roast chicken, I’ll take full responsibility.”

Ye Anping chuckled, taking the two roast chickens and departing.

As he walked along the street, the distant sound of war drums echoed from the west gate of Tainan City.

Dong Dong——Dong——

The booming drums shook the earth, making it seem like the entire city was trembling.

Ye Anping paused to glance, witnessing countless demon soldiers with animal head insignias entering the city under the “Fox” banner. Without lingering, he hurried back towards Liuyue Inn.

Yue Xuanming had previously come to consult him, following the script laid out by Si Xuanji,

—Once the Demon Emperor led the demon clan into the city, Yue Xuanming would bring the Heavenly Execution Court to greet them. Through the Demon Emperor’s assistance, Heavenly Execution Court would unite the remaining disciples of the Emperor Sect, merging the original divisions like the Alchemy Division and the Martial Arts Division under Heavenly Execution Court, establishing a human sect within the demon tribe to assist the Demon Emperor in governing the vast central domain.

Though the script was brief, there were numerous details to consider. However, this no longer concerned Ye Anping.

Ultimately, the Central Domain would become the domain of the demon clan, with the Demon Emperor Hu Mu serving as its nominal ruler. Therefore he was merely the nominal ruler of the Central Domain?

That was because he held the “Nine Dragon Heavenly Seal.” Only those possessing the “Nine Dragon Heavenly Seal” could freely manipulate the spiritual energy of the Central Domain. Originally, in the game, the Heavenly Seal was with Feng Yudie, representing another significant opportunity for her.

Ye Anping had intended to deliver the Nine Dragons Heavenly Seal to Si Xuanji a few days ago, but Si Xuanji suggested storing it temporarily with him, to be borrowed later when needed.

Later, Ye Anping planned to give the “Nine Dragons Heavenly Seal” to Feng Yudie. However, upon hearing that the Nine Dragons Heavenly Seal required a bite from nine dragons to change ownership, Feng Yudie promptly fled.

With no other option, Ye Anping reluctantly stowed the Heavenly Seal in his storage bag, planning to find a suitable place to bury it upon returning to the Hundred Lotus Sect. Its potent spiritual energy made it difficult to conceal entirely, even within multiple storage bags.

It was worth noting that Nangong Cheng had used a specialized sealing coffin to contain the Heavenly Seal’s power.

Carrying the Nine Dragons Heavenly Seal was similar to waving a torch in the dark, any observant cultivator could detect his presence from afar.

Lost in thought, Ye Anping returned to the street where the Liuyue Inn was located, carrying two roast chickens. The innkeeper of Liuyue Inn had absconded with the staff a few days earlier, leaving the street desolate. Even at noon, only a few scattered cultivators could be seen strolling along the street.

Pushing open the inn door and finding it deserted, Ye Anping called out, “Senior Sister Feng, I’ve brought back the roast chickens. Come and have them while they’re hot.”

After a while, footsteps and the sound of a door opening emanated from the second floor. Feng Yudie, with her disheveled hair, jumped down from the second-floor railing, appearing as though she had just awakened from a nap.

Spotting the roast chickens in Ye Anping’s hands, she wasted no time in snatching them away. “Roast chickens! Where did you get them? I searched all day yesterday and couldn’t find any in the city.”

“Just on the adjacent Changyu Street, there’s an old cultivator who’s been selling roast chickens for decades.”

“Oh! Thanks, Master Ye!”

Grinning at Ye Anping, Feng Yudie hugged the two roast chickens and bounded back upstairs, closing the door behind her to enjoy her meal in peace.

Ye Anping sighed wearily, taking a moment to pour himself a cup of tea before planning to tidy up later and depart Tianan with his junior sister and companions. As he settled down, a door on the second-floor corner swung open once more. Liang Zhu and Tong Zilan emerged from the room.

Liang Zhu still donned the golden robe of the Heavenly Execution Court, while Tong Zilan had changed into a sky-blue silk gown.

Although her attire bore the style of a casual cultivator and the fabric was not of the finest quality, perhaps due to the prestige of being a former empress, it still exuded an undeniable elegance.

Tong Zilan smiled and nodded at Ye Anping, greeting, “Good afternoon, Young Master Ye.”

“Afternoon,” Ye Anping replied, offering them freshly poured tea. “The demon clan has just entered the city. I was planning to leave Tianan shortly. What do you think?”

“We’ll follow Young Master Ye’s lead,” Tong Zilan replied.

“Then let’s depart once my junior sister and the others return. With flying swords, we should reach the town by nightfall,” Ye Anping suggested.

Ye Anping raised an eyebrow as he noticed Liang Zhu gazing at him with a hint of resentment in his eyes. He was curious and asked, “Brother Liang, is something the matter?”

Liang Zhu remained silent for a moment before retrieving a jar of wine and three porcelain bowls from his storage bag. He mixed the wine in the bowls, then arranged them on a table, lighting red candles.

Ye Anping felt a sense of familiarity with the scene, recalling the time when they had become sworn brothers and Liang Zhu had performed a similar ritual.

Once Liang Zhu finished the preparations, he turned to Ye Anping and furrowed his brow. “Come, let’s swear our oaths.”

Ye Anping hesitated, glancing at the three bowls filled with wine on the table.

Three…

He immediately turned his head to look at Tong Zilan.

Tong Zilan stifled a light laugh, stood up, and performed a standard courtesy, saying,

“I will henceforth be your adopted sister, Young Master Ye, and I hope Sixth Brother will take good care of me.”

“…”

Ye Anping’s mind raced, and he suddenly turned to look at Liang Zhu, receiving only a disdainful smile in return.

“So… Brother Liang, were you and Senior Tong discussing this just now?”

Tong Zilan nodded in affirmation and replied, “Yes, the identity of the second princess Ahting should remain buried in Tainan City with the demise of the Emperor Sect. She has only seen me once since birth. If we were to suddenly tell her that I am her biological mother, she would certainly find it quite strange. So I thought it best this way. Although there is a blood relation, it cannot compare to nurturing grace. Moreover, it wouldn’t be good for her to know that her biological father abandoned her in pursuit of enlightenment.”

Ye Anping fell silent for a moment, shrugged slightly, walked over to the altar crafted by Liang Zhu, and picked up a bowl of wine, “Since you and Brother Liang have discussed it, then I won’t say much more.”

The three of them lined up from tallest to shortest, following the tradition of “dying in the same year and month” as they swore their oath, drinking wine and smashing bowls, then bowing three times to the candlestick.

As Ye Anping prepared to return to his seat, Liang Zhu lightly pressed his shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze, and said, “Lao Liu.”

“…?”

Liang Zhu closed his eyes for a moment, then glared at him, reminding me,

“You are Ahting’s sixth uncle!”

“…”

Ye Anping blinked in confusion and nodded, “Um.”

“It can only be uncle, got it!”

Ye Anping was somewhat speechless, giving him a look of disbelief, but suddenly wondered if Tong Zilan had said something to him. Like marrying Ahting to him or something? He expressed his bewilderment with a slight pout, glancing at Tong Zilan beside him, and quickly responded, “Senior Tong, Ahting is like a daughter to me, and I’ll surely take good care of her from now on.”

“Tong, about that, I believe in your intentions, but please allocate 15% to Miss Ye, take 15% for yourself, and the remainder can be kept for me. I’ll handle the distribution to Senior Sister Feng later.”

“Understood.”

Ye Anping returned to the table and sat down, pondering silently.

In the game, after the Emperor Sect incident, there would be a considerable hiatus in the main storyline due to Feng Yudie’s severe injuries caused by the Demon Emperor.

During this break, many exclamation marks would appear on the Central Domain map, mostly related to side missions involving conflicts between the demon race and human cultivators.

To put it simply, in the following years, human cultivators in the Central Domain would form small factions similar to the Dragon Slaying Society, reclaiming some scattered immortal cities on the borders from the demon clan.

Though these side missions offered rewards, he didn’t particularly need to pursue them now that he had raided the Emperor’s secret treasury.

With that in mind, he needed to start preparing to form his core. Unlike in the game where forming a core was as simple as clicking the mouse button, in this world, it required enduring the thunder tribulation.

Pei Lianxue would need to form the Golden Core of Heavenly Dao, which meant facing the Forty-Eight Heavenly Thunder Tribulations. With the Snow Spirit Sword and the Extreme Water Spiritual Root, she should manage it fine.

But just because Pei Lianxue was prepared didn’t mean he was. Despite his golden finger, his aptitude was that of an ordinary cannon fodder with water and wood spiritual roots. He needed to prepare more thoroughly to avoid being struck down by thunder when the time came.

“Brother Liang, did you manage to sell that pair of secondary Golden Cores before?”

“… ”

Liang Zhu took a sip of tea and coughed, glancing at Tong Zilan beside him, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as he replied,

“Got a few potential buyers, but they’re not too reliable.”

“No rush then,” Ye Anping nodded, gesturing with his hand, he pulled out a lump of black cotton from a glass bottle in his storage bag, saying,

“Hey Liang, could you help me sell this stuff? Should fetch a good price…”

Liang Zhu paused, looking at the bottle in Ye Anping’s hand, then asked,

“Fox fur!”

“Yeah, tail hair from a Demon King. Waterproof and fireproof. Tried burning it with a Fire Talisman before,” Ye Anping confirmed.

Liang Zhu, seemingly unfazed, struggled to find words, but Tong Zilan beside him looked horrified, as if she’d seen a ghost.

“Sixth brother… um, pardon my curiosity, but is that golden elixir you mentioned earlier related to what I heard about Yun Tianchong, the head of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect, years ago…?” She tentatively asked.

Ye Anping chuckled, gesturing with his hand,

“Seventh Sister might live in a palace, but she sure keeps up with the gossip.”

“Um… thanks, Sixth brother,” Tong Zilan mumbled nervously.

Tong Zilan pursed her lips, swallowing hard, finally realizing that her young and ambitious sixth brother might have a bit of a complex personality.

Liang Zhu rubbed his nose, sighing,

“Can’t sell it.”

“Can’t sell it? You can sell any golden elixir, why not this one?” Ye Anping questioned.

“The biggest black market in the Four Realms is in the Central Domain. But now it’s under the control of the Demon Emperor, no one dares to deal with it,” Liang Zhu explained.

Ye Anping shrugged, looking at Tong Zilan,

“So, what do you think, sis?”

“It’s unfortunate… Seventh sister, would you like it? I’ll give it to you as a gift to mark our meeting as sworn siblings.”

Tong Zilan quickly shook her head, saying, “Seventh sister politely declines.”

“Never mind, I’ll make a felt ornament for my junior sister later.”

Ye Anping sighed and retrieved the bottle of fox fur, but at that moment, a small hand suddenly reached out from the side and grabbed the glass bottle.

“I’ll buy it! How much?”

Turning to look, Ye Anping saw Xue Tianqiao sitting on the chair with a cunning smile, blinking her bright eyes at him.

“Name your price, I’ll take it!”

With Xue Tianqiao around, naturally…

Ye Anping paused for a moment, then turned to see a fox spirit wearing a blue robe with a large tail hanging behind him, staring at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

“… … ”

Ye Anping was shocked. He hadn’t expected Hu Mu to come alone. But almost simultaneously, a “ding-ling” sound rang in his mind, which eased his tension slightly.

After a brief hesitation, Ye Anping released his grip on the bottle and handed it to Xue Tianqiao.

Once Xue Tianqiao got the bottle, she hurried back to Hu Mu, wagging her tail and looking at him expectantly, saying, “Master, give me the spirit stone quickly. I want to buy this…”

“… …”

Hu Mu’s cheeks bulged as he took a deep breath through his nose.

Ye Anping glanced over, adding with a smile, “Greetings, Supreme Being. Would half a million spiritual stones be acceptable for this junior?”

Upon hearing this, Hu Mu’s ears perked up, and his eyes flashed with hostility, causing the temperature in the inn to drop. Liang Zhu and Tong Zilan looked at him with shock, as if asking—Are you out of your mind?

However, Xue Tianqiao admired Ye Anping with her eyes, as if saying—Wow! You’re so bold, daring to challenge him in front of my master.

She smiled and quickly added, “Master, half a million spiritual stones, it’s worth it.”

Hu Mu was about to speak when he felt a small hand squeezing the tip of his tail. He turned to see Si Xuanji behind him, twirling the tip of his tail with surprise on her face, as if asking— Wow! Did your fur grow out so quickly?

Hu Mu gritted his teeth slightly, admitting defeat, but still dignifiedly took back his tail from her hand, then glanced at Ye Anping.

When he saw Ye Anping’s spiritual aptitude, he glanced back at Si Xuanji and asked, “Why are you defending him?”

Si Xuanji smiled and walked over to rub Xue Tianqiao’s head, then walked around her to Ye Anping’s side, sat on his lap, grabbed his cheek, and scolded, “Mr. Ye, you’re truly fearless. If I hadn’t intervened and scared this fox, you would have been in trouble.”

Ye Anping smiled bitterly and played along, standing up and saying, “Greetings, Demon Emperor. My previous remarks were just a joke, I hope you won’t take offense.”

Hu Mu watched the interaction between the two individuals and felt somewhat puzzled. Could this elderly woman possibly be pursuing a younger partner?

However, he didn’t comment and simply approached, taking a seat at the table. Seeing this, Tong Zilan and Liang Zhu quickly stood up and moved aside.

Si Xuanji glanced at Hu Mu and said, “So, let’s settle on five hundred thousand spirit stones.”

Hu Mu glanced at Si Xuanji silently, upholding the virtue of respecting elders and showing kindness to the young. He waved his hand and took out a small spirit bead from his storage bag, placing it on the table as a gesture of reward.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Ye Anping said with a smile as he accepted the spirit bead. Seeing that Si Xuanji was now acting as a shield for him, he decided to be direct and asked, “Is Your Majesty here regarding the matter of Hu Yulan?”

Hu Mu listened, his stern brows twitching slightly as he slowly turned his gaze towards Ye Anping, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes. Then, his gaze shifted to Si Xuanji, as if he suspected that she had informed Ye Anping.

Si Xuanji was also puzzled. Leaning into Ye Anping’s embrace, she raised her head to look at him and asked, “Master Ye, where did you hear this name?”

“A few days ago, Senior Sister Feng told me. Didn’t she have a scroll of heavenly Dao? After checking the Demon Emperor, I found out about the death of Hu Yulan. So, I was wondering if this is related,” Ye Anping explained.

Hu Mu furrowed his brow slightly and asked, “So, who is it?”

“The leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect,” Came the reply.

Hu Mu’s eyes flashed with anger. “What?”

“As for Bai Yurou, she didn’t manage to escape from the Eastern Domain. She died from the poison,” The response continued.

“…Let that girl come out and talk to me in person,” Hu Mu demanded.

“Sir, you injured her severely before. She’s still bedridden,” was the explanation.

Hu Mu glared at Ye Anping but noticed the lack of fear in his demeanor, which piqued his curiosity.

A cultivator with dual spiritual roots, yet he had earned the favor of the old Danyue, showing no fear in front of him…

After observing Ye Anping for a while, Hu Mu stood up, flicked his tail, and then lifted Xue Tianqiao’s collar, who was playing with fox fur. His figure turned into black mist and dissipated in the inn.

Ye Anping breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at Si Xuanji on his lap, saying, “Thank you very much, Miss Xuanji.”

“You’re quite daring, talking to the Demon King without batting an eye. If you had made even the slightest mistake just now, I couldn’t have saved you. And my mother isn’t here either,” Si Xuanji remarked.

Unsure of how to respond, Ye Anping awkwardly chuckled, imitating Feng Yudie’s silly laughter.

Si Xuanji shook her head indulgently, then grabbed his cheek and said, “Why are you laughing? You suddenly seem so foolish. Anyway, let’s go pack up. We’re heading back to the Western Domain soon, aren’t we?”

Comment

  1. EliIsTheBest says:

    Hmm

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