"Who would write a letter to the tiger demon? Isn't this tiger demon always hiding from cultivators, not letting anyone know its whereabouts?" The three of them couldn't understand. Given the tiger demon's cautious nature, outsiders shouldn't know about its existence.
"Nian Nian, what does the letter say?"
Meng Jingzhou cleared his throat and read with a heartfelt tone: "Brother Tiger, it has been a while since we last met. How have you been?"
"Brother Tiger acts carefully and doesn't want to reveal himself to righteous cultivators, only targeting mortals. This cautious approach to cultivation is admirable, but it is still slow in the end. With the great world approaching, many heroes are rising, and various forces are eyeing the central continent. Shouldn't Brother Tiger seize this opportunity to leave home, break away from the Qiongqi lineage, and sneak into Song Mountain from the demon realm?"
"Be careful… You two, stop pushing me! Can't I read this to you?" Lu Yang and Man Gu squeezed Meng Jingzhou in the middle, trying to look at the letter.
"You read too slowly."
"I'll read faster, just move aside."
Meng Jingzhou pushed them away and continued reading: "Being cautious is not a big mistake, but in this recovering great world, being bold can help seize opportunities, take risks, purify bloodlines, and transform into a pure-blood Qiongqi, which is essential for establishing a foothold in this great world."
"I, your younger brother, dare to suggest that Brother Tiger and his partner join our Yanjiang Branch, hunting cultivators together for greater ambitions!"
"There is a token from your younger brother in the letter. Brother Tiger can come directly to Yanjiang Branch with this token to find me, and I can recommend Brother Tiger to become an elder."
"Your younger brother, Qin Yuanhao, sends this."
The letter wasn't long, but it revealed a lot of information.
Lu Yang analyzed, "The letter says the tiger demon doesn't want righteous cultivators to know about it. This wording is unusual; normally, one wouldn't directly refer to 'righteous cultivators' unless the writer is on the opposite side. So, Qin Yuanhao is a demon cultivator?"
This also explained why some cultivators knew about the tiger demon but didn't report it.
In the central continent, the righteous side held absolute power, while demons, monsters, and ghosts were natural allies. For instance, the tiger demon harms people not directly but instead uses ghostly figures to lure them in.
The tiger demon has the Qiongqi bloodline and is definitely at the Golden Core stage, so it's reasonable for demon cultivators to try to win it over.
"So, the Yanjiang Branch is a stronghold of the Demon Sect?"
Meng Jingzhou nodded, "The Demon Sect likes to use place names as their strongholds, but I wonder which Demon Sect this Yanjiang Branch belongs to."
Just like the righteous cultivators have five major sects, demon cultivators have their own factions called the Four Great Demon Sects.
The Demon Sect is a religion, not a sect, with the main difference being whether they believe in a powerful existence.
The beliefs of the Four Great Demon Sects vary; some say they represent four immortals, while others claim they are just four incarnations of a single immortal. The opinions are mixed.
The Demon Sect reveals very little information to the outside world, and their movements are shrouded in mystery. The Great Xia Dynasty and the five major sects have searched multiple times but still haven't found the Demon Sect's main base.
Whenever righteous cultivators eliminate a large number of Demon Sect strongholds, the members of the Demon Sect seem to spring up like mushrooms after rain, making it impossible to wipe them out completely.
The Demon Sect is indeed mysterious, with strange methods and ruthless hearts, instilling fear in others. However, it's not that the righteous side is too strong; it just makes the Demon Sect afraid to show themselves, forcing them to work in the shadows.
If anyone could find the Demon Sect's lair, the five major sects wouldn't need to intervene. The Great Xia Dynasty could send troops, and in five days, they could turn the Demon Sect upside down and eliminate all their hideouts in a month.
This is the confidence of the righteous side.
Demon methods are ultimately not something that can stand in the light.
Lu Yang shook the letter and pulled out a bone token, which had a special aura left by that Qin Yuanhao from the Demon Sect. Outsiders couldn't imitate it.
Man Gu said, "Can we use this token to join the Demon Sect?"
Finding a Demon Sect stronghold is a big deal, worth much more than taking down two tiger demons.
Lu Yang shook his head, "No, if we use his token to join the Yanjiang Branch, Qin Yuanhao will definitely find out."
"And we don't even know where the Yanjiang Branch is. How can we join?"
"What should we do then?" Man Gu asked.
"Since it's called Yanjiang Branch, it should be in Yanjiang County. We can go there and inquire if anyone named Qin Yuanhao exists, follow him to find the Yanjiang Branch. We can claim to be his younger brothers in front of the tiger demon, and since our cultivation won't be higher than the tiger demon's, we can take him down. Then we can use the token and say we are old friends of Qin Yuanhao, here to seek him out, only to find out he has died."
"Good plan." Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu's eyes lit up.
"Let's keep looking to see if we can find anything else useful." Lu Yang eagerly urged Meng Jingzhou to keep searching.
Meng Jingzhou turned over a plant that was bright red like blood, about the size of a palm, and it gave off a strange vibe.
"Blood-tinged Grass? Why does it have red markings?" Meng Jingzhou wondered. The main use of Blood-tinged Grass is for detoxification, and its veins are usually blue, resembling rivers flowing on the ground. Why is this one red?
Lu Yang squatted down to examine it and then said, "You forgot, Blood-tinged Grass is primarily used as a main ingredient for detoxifying pills for humans, but it’s different for demons."
"Blood-tinged Grass can refine bloodlines. It's possible that the tiger demon has been using its blood to nourish and mature the Blood-tinged Grass, making it adapt to the Qiongqi bloodline. At this rate, in a few months, the Blood-tinged Grass will fully mature. After the tiger demon consumes it, its Qiongqi bloodline will become purer, allowing it to reach the Golden Core stage."
The "blood" in Blood-tinged Grass is named for this reason.
Lu Yang learned about Blood-tinged Grass from a young herbal master.
"Now this Blood-tinged Grass can no longer be made into a detoxifying pill; it can only be used by demons to purify their bloodlines," Lu Yang said.
"In that case, you should keep it and sell it at the market in the sect on the fifteenth of every month. It should fetch a good price." Meng Jingzhou handed the herb to Lu Yang and Man Gu.
Many people in the sect raise demon beasts, so herbs that can enhance bloodlines are quite valuable in the Wenda Sect.
Lu Yang and Man Gu pushed the responsibility back and forth, but in the end, Man Gu accepted the Blood-tinged Grass without hesitation.
Meng Jingzhou reminded Man Gu, "Don't eat the Blood-tinged Grass. The ancient Man tribe is a branch of the human race, and the Blood-tinged Grass won't benefit your bloodline."
Man Gu let out a regretful "oh."
Legend has it that the ancient Man tribe originated from a romantic proposal. In ancient times, humans lived in scattered tribes, and the strongest in a tribe was called a warrior.
One day, two tribes met. A male warrior from one tribe took a liking to a female warrior from the other tribe and proposed, "Hey girl, if you smile for me, I'll marry you."
The female warrior smiled and swung a rock back at him. They ended up wrestling, and in the end, the female warrior came out on top, dragging the male warrior into her home, and they didn't sleep all night.
Ten months later, the first warrior of the Man tribe was born.
(End of Chapter)