I Reloaded the Save File! [Transmigration] - Chapter 37

In order to ensure his life wouldn’t be taken, the junior did not dare to conceal anything this time, honestly recounting everything he knew.

“I was originally just an ordinary rogue cultivator. Then, the Boss found me and said he could teach me cultivation methods and help me become stronger,” the junior said, feeling that the pressure the two gave him was too strong. He simply plopped down on the ground. “I had just reached the Foundation Establishment stage then. When someone who seemed much more powerful than me offered help, of course, I agreed.”

“If I hadn’t agreed, I was also afraid the other party would get angry,” the junior added weakly.

“After that, I followed the Boss to cultivate. After about a year, the Boss taught me a special mental cultivation method that increased my cultivation speed tenfold…”

The junior’s experience was actually very simple: he was lured by the speed of cultivation and, in order to become stronger, directly abandoned his conscience. He did whatever the Black Boss told him to do.

“I only know that the Boss seems to have connections with the Demon Realm. A lot of things are provided to him from there,” the junior said, observing Mo Xiao and Zuo Wuyi’s expressions while confessing.

He was fully aware that people without utility were not fit to live. While confessing his experience, he also had to demonstrate his value to exist, so he wouldn’t be silenced after speaking because he was deemed worthless.

“This is the eighth time we have come to place these things. According to the Boss’s plan, after we finish placing these eggs, we will leave those spiritual artifacts, spirit stones, and other items nearby, so that cultivators can start using them,” the junior said cautiously.

“As for exactly what the Boss wants to achieve, I only vaguely know a little, but I don’t dare to be certain.”

Mo Xiao and Zuo Wuyi remained silent throughout. Only after the junior stopped, looking at them anxiously, did Mo Xiao give a quiet “Mm.”

“Is that all you know?” Zuo Wuyi followed up with a question.

“Sirs, I have already told you all the confirmed information. Everything else is just my own speculation, which might be wrong, so I dare not say it,” the junior said, seeing Zuo Wuyi making a gesture to attack, and quickly added, “But sirs, I know, I know where the Boss connects with the people of the Demon Realm!”

“Speak,” Mo Xiao drew her sword slightly and asked with a frown.

“If I go near that place, I will definitely recognize it, but I can’t say the specific name!” the junior said hurriedly, afraid that if he was one step too slow, his neck would be severed by the sword.

“But I can guarantee it won’t be too far from here, because the Boss’s ability is limited. Even with the aid of a formation, he can only move freely within a certain range! As long as the two sirs give me a little time, I can definitely find the location!”

What the junior said was true; he remembered the location where the Black Boss contacted the Demon Race. However, he revealed this information to save his life. Until he found a way to escape, he probably wouldn’t ‘find’ that location.

Mo Xiao contemplated for a moment, then directly struck and destroyed the junior’s cultivation. She said coldly, “Do you want to walk yourself, or should I knock you out and take you away?”

The junior spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Feeling his empty Dantian, his heart was filled with resentment, and the idea of perishing with Mo Xiao instantly sprang up.

“Lost cultivation can be regained, but a lost life is truly lost,” Zuo Wuyi, who was most sensitive to this kind of villainous aura, immediately issued a warning.

The junior shrank his neck, and the courage that had just sprouted in his heart was shattered by Zuo Wuyi’s words. Life truly was singular. As long as he could survive, it wouldn’t be a problem to cultivate back to the Golden Core stage.

Life is important. Life is important. A wise man doesn’t suffer temporary setbacks. As long as I live, perhaps my cultivation can surpass theirs in the future!

While the junior was self-numbing, Mo Xiao brought him to the City Lord’s Mansion.

As soon as the City Lord heard that Mo Xiao and Zuo Wuyi had arrived, she immediately put aside her work and came to the main hall to meet them.

“City Lord, we seem to have found the reason for the demon beast anomaly,” Mo Xiao did not spend time on pleasantries, throwing out an explosive piece of news in her first sentence.

The City Lord was stunned at first, then her expression turned serious. “Fellow Daoist means that the cause of the demon beast anomaly is man-made?”

Mo Xiao nodded. As expected of a high-ranking City Lord, she immediately grasped the main point. “City Lord, please look. This is what we found in the woods outside Nanfeng City.”

Saying this, Mo Xiao took out a black egg. This egg was retrieved from the Black Boss’s spatial ring. The Demonic Qi on the egg had not fully integrated into it, and if one looked closely, the abnormality was apparent.

“This aura…” The City Lord took the egg from Mo Xiao’s hand, held it for a careful inspection, and her expression grew increasingly solemn. “Fellow Daoist, is the aura attached to this from the Demon Race?”

Mo Xiao nodded. “I have had encounters with the Demon Race. This egg is indeed tainted with Demonic Qi.”

“Where did the Fellow Daoist find this? Can you tell me the specific location?” The City Lord’s tone became urgent. If the Demon Race was truly behind the demon beast tide, then their objective was most likely to destroy Nanfeng City.

“City Lord, please don’t worry. We have already searched and brought back almost all the black eggs,” Mo Xiao said. “We also encountered two people working for the Demon Race. However, one has died, and the one who survived is his subordinate.”

“Fellow Daoists encountered the enemy?” The City Lord frowned. “Were the two Fellow Daoists injured? Such people are not worth pity; Fellow Daoists, don’t worry about killing them.”

“Where did the Fellow Daoist place the one who survived? Is it convenient for me to meet him?” the City Lord immediately followed up.

As soon as the City Lord spoke, her image in Mo Xiao and Zuo Wuyi’s eyes became even more upright. Whether the action was deliberate or not, the fact that the City Lord was concerned about their injuries first, rather than other matters, was already rare and commendable.

“City Lord, don’t worry. That person’s cultivation has already been destroyed by us. He’s being watched by the guards at the entrance and can’t run away,” Zuo Wuyi explained, preventing the City Lord from being too anxious.

“City Lord, this spatial ring contains all the contaminated eggs, along with some spirit stones and herbs. Please keep it safe for now,” Mo Xiao handed the spatial ring to the City Lord to enhance her credibility.

“Good. I will invite my strategist to study this and see if there are any clues,” the City Lord solemnly accepted the ring.

“As for this…” After handing over the spatial ring, Mo Xiao then took out the spatial pouch containing the Black Boss’s corpse. “City Lord, here is the body of the deceased cultivator. Might I entrust it to you temporarily?”

To be honest, Mo Xiao felt somewhat impolite to hand over a corpse. However, the current situation was special, and handing it over to the City Lord was certainly more appropriate than keeping it as outsiders.

“The two Fellow Daoists are very thoughtful. I truly don’t know how to thank you both,” the City Lord had calmed down by this time. After accepting the spatial pouch, she bowed deeply to the two of them.

“Thank you both, Fellow Daoists. Once this matter is thoroughly investigated, I will certainly reward you handsomely!” the City Lord made a solemn promise.

Mo Xiao did not avoid the gesture, accepting the salute with Zuo Wuyi. “City Lord, the clues we have gathered are currently limited to this. We fully entrust the subsequent handling of this matter to the City Lord.”

“As it should be. This incident occurred near my Nanfeng City, so it is naturally my responsibility,” the City Lord was also very satisfied with the performance of the two. These people, who showed their genuine nature, were the kind she admired.

Next, the City Lord inquired about some details, such as the Black Boss’s techniques and his method of appearance.

When the questioning was mostly complete, the City Lord stood up, intending to leave. “The two of you, I must first discuss this matter with my strategist. I can only excuse myself for now.”

“Then we won’t trouble the City Lord any further,” Mo Xiao also stood up from her chair and said politely, “We will likely remain in Nanfeng City in the near future. If the City Lord needs any assistance from us, please do not hesitate to say so.”

The City Lord nodded, personally escorting the two to the entrance, and once again offered a solemn thank you. “I will remember the kindness of the Fellow Daoists.”

When they were close to returning to the inn, Zuo Wuyi bumped Mo Xiao’s shoulder. “Are you very keen to help that City Lord? Do you think she is an upright, good person?”

Mo Xiao’s posture barely changed, only slightly swaying with Zuo Wuyi’s force. “What do you think?”

“If you ask me, I think you saw injustice and drew your sword to help,” Zuo Wuyi said, turning her head to look at Mo Xiao, observing her expression.

Mo Xiao smiled faintly. “Not entirely. The City Lord is indeed a good person; she seems very righteous.”

“Then what other reasons are there?” Zuo Wuyi pressed.

“The Demon Race is currently our opposing side. As Orthodox Cultivators, we have an obligation to deal with the Demon Race,” Mo Xiao said. “Moreover, your background dictates that you are highly likely to become a member of the Demon Race in the future.”

“Knowing ourselves and our enemy ensures victory in every battle. We can use this situation to gather intelligence on the Demon Realm,” Mo Xiao said, glancing at Zuo Wuyi. “The Demon Race is inherently cruel and respects the strong. Although you told me you eventually became the Demon Lord, I imagine you must have gone through many hardships, right?”

“If entering the Demon Realm and becoming the Demon Lord are unchangeable events, then we should clear out the enemies in advance. That way, whatever you want to do later will be much easier and more convenient.”

Zuo Wuyi stood rooted to the spot, listening in a daze. She understood what Mo Xiao said at the very beginning. After all, the Demon Race and Cultivators have always been opposites. But what were those latter remarks?

What does ‘knowing ourselves and our enemy’ mean? What does ‘highly likely to become a member of the Demon Race’ mean? What does ‘clear out the enemies in advance’ mean?

“Mo Xiao, in your heart, am I already the future Demon Lord?” Zuo Wuyi barely regained her composure and asked with a slight stutter.

Mo Xiao nodded. “Didn’t you say so? Your biological father was the previous Demon Lord, and you are his only child. If you were in the Demon Realm now, you should be the Young Lord of the Demon Realm, right?”

Zuo Wuyi coughed twice. “Actually, the current Demon Lord still has several adopted sons, but they are preoccupied with internal conflict, and the Demon Lord doesn’t favor them.”

Most importantly, their ambitions would grow larger and larger, and eventually, some even harbored the thought of usurping the throne. That was why the Demon Lord utterly rejected them and instead sought her out, the child he had once ruthlessly abandoned.

“Understood,” Mo Xiao nodded. “Your enemies are those so-called adopted sons. Can you estimate their current cultivation levels?”

“Huh?” A question mark slowly appeared above Zuo Wuyi’s head. “Mo Xiao, what did you just ask me?”

“Their cultivation, the current cultivation levels of those adopted sons,” Mo Xiao repeated.

“…” Zuo Wuyi spoke with a complicated expression. “If I recall correctly, they are basically all in the Nascent Soul stage now. When I went over, one was in the early-Transformation stage, one was in seclusion attempting to break through to Transformation stage, and the rest were all in the mid-to-late Nascent Soul stage.”

“Good,” Mo Xiao calculated the time in her mind. If the strongest among them was in the early-Transformation stage two hundred years from now, then two hundred years ago, the most powerful among them should only be in the Nascent Soul stage.

“Good what?” Zuo Wuyi asked, a ridiculous conjecture forming in her mind. “Mo Xiao, you’re not planning to go directly to the Demon Realm and kill those people, are you?”

Hearing Zuo Wuyi’s words, Mo Xiao looked at her with a very strange expression. “Wuyi, are you possessed? I only said ‘good’.”

“Moreover, what kind of place is the Demon Realm? There is no source of spiritual energy there. If we were to go, we would have to be fully prepared,” Mo Xiao said. “I’m not so arrogant as to think I can flatten the entire Demon Realm with one person and one sword.”

It should at least wait until she reached the Grand Ascension stage and had cultivated a complete Sword Dao.

“Are you not planning to take this opportunity to deal with them?” Zuo Wuyi countered. She didn’t believe Mo Xiao would ask these questions for no reason.

“If the timing is right, I might consider it,” Mo Xiao stroked her chin. “For example, if the mastermind behind this incident is one of them, then he might have left the Demon Realm, and I could strike first.”

Zuo Wuyi remained silent. Her silence indicated she was in shock, diligently trying to revise her rigid impression of Mo Xiao.

They say a leopard never changes its spots. Perhaps she had been mistaken from the beginning, having been deceived by the person wearing a white shirt who looked so cultured and noble.

Wuwu, yet she seemed to like this serious, yet secretly ‘bad’ Mo Xiao even more!