Chapter 26: The Twenty-Sixth Day as Cult Leader (Part 1)

Only after Yang Xu raised his cane and gave him a round of educational beating did Zhang Daniu finally bare his teeth and choose to adopt some gentler methods.

He would threaten them verbally first. If those refugees refused to listen… then they could not blame him for being ruthless.

Zhang Daniu squeezed his fists, grinning, as the violent impulses that had been suppressed in his heart began to stir restlessly.

But when he truly found the homeless refugees outside the city and saw their skin-and-bones bodies and dim eyes, all the strength in Zhang Daniu’s body suddenly drained away. He could only helplessly scratch at his hair. Asking him to beat up this group of frail, weak fellows? He really could not bring himself to do it. Sure enough, working over bandits in the mountains suited him better.

Zhang Daniu used practically one hundred and twenty percent of his patience to select a few refugees with families and invite them to the Demonic Cult.

He had thought this matter would be full of difficulties, but when he actually stated the benefits offered to the refugees—which was that they would be able to eat their fill—Zhang Daniu clearly saw light burst from the depths of their eyes. It was a fervent look, the look of people who had finally seen hope.

“R-really? As long as you can give our girl one mouthful of food, we’ll do anything!” A man whose hands were even rougher than Zhang Daniu’s gripped his hand dryly and kept thanking him. “Thank you, thank you, benefactor. We’ll set out right away!”

After asking several families in a row, every one of these refugees agreed with wild joy. Even if it were a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, as long as their children and wives could survive, they would rush toward it without hesitation.

In short, Zhang Daniu obtained the number of refugees the Cult Leader wanted without the slightest effort. The only problem was that not a single one among them could read or write.

“Anyone who can read and write would have gone into the city to find work ages ago. Who would be starving with us like this?”

Some of the refugees spoke with envy in their eyes.

“Then that’s bad.” Zhang Daniu scratched his head and muttered in distress, “The Cult Leader told me I had to find a scholar. Where am I supposed to find one for him? Do I have to go into the city and catch one?”

His voice was not loud, but it was still enough for those paying attention to hear. To fight for his own interests, one refugee immediately said, “Strongman! I know where there’s a scholar. There’s a Confucian scholar outside the city nearby who occasionally brings us some rice porridge to drink. Just hearing him speak, you can tell he’s learned. Strongman can look for him. He’s about forty or so, with a very long beard, and he even has a treasured sword at his waist!”

“Nearby?” Zhang Daniu’s eyes lit up. Finding a scholar among this group of refugees was not easy, but since there was a ready-made one delivering himself to his doorstep, then Zhang Daniu would not stand on ceremony.

Thus, Zhang Daniu immediately led people to search the surroundings. Sure enough, they saw a Confucian scholar past the age of forty, wearing a sword at his waist, squatting on the ground and drinking thin porridge unhurriedly.

When he heard Zhang Daniu invite him up to the Demonic Cult, this Confucian scholar reacted more fiercely than anyone else. His eyes widened, and he angrily rebuked him, “You scourges of the Demonic Cult have always brought disaster upon the jianghu. Fine, today you’ve set your sights on this old man too! This old man is irreconcilable with you! Even if I starve to death, even if I jump from here, this old man will never submit to the Demonic Cult. Pah!”

No matter how Zhang Daniu tried to persuade him, this Confucian scholar refused to listen. He hated the Demonic Cult to an extraordinary degree and had even already drawn his sword.

Faced with this situation, Zhang Daniu thought it over in his head. He had persuaded him. He had threatened him. If the other party still refused to agree, then he could only adopt the final measure.

So Zhang Daniu smiled honestly, clenched his fist, and punched the Confucian scholar straight in the eye.

“Ah—!”

…

In the end, Yang Xu, who had been in a good mood and was planning to go out to practice martial arts, lifted the curtain only to discover an elder in Confucian robes tossed into his courtyard, his mouth stuffed with a cloth and his entire body tied up tightly. His mood could only be described as extremely horrified.

Zhang Daniu was nearby, smiling shyly at him and saying in distress, “No matter how I tried to persuade him, he wouldn’t listen, so I had no choice but to tie him up. I can only trouble Elder to help me convince him. The Cult Leader is still waiting for them to enter our cult willingly.”

Yang Xu: “…”

Yang Xu nearly lost his breath.

You, you, you… No, Zhang Daniu, you stupid goose! How did you really tie the man up and bring him here?!

Fine, so you tied him up, but why throw him to me? Are you dragging me down with you??

But when he thought of how this was the Cult Leader’s mission, even if Yang Xu was unwilling to do this sort of shady deed, he could only brace himself and take it on.

Seeing the old Confucian scholar’s neck and face flushed red as he wanted to denounce them but had his mouth blocked, Yang Xu hurriedly settled the man inside first. Only then did he remove the cloth and apologize with a smile. “I’m sorry. I’ll untie you right now!”

Unexpectedly, the first thing the old Confucian scholar did after being freed was point at his nose and launch into a furious tirade. “Fine! As expected of a publicly recognized Demonic Cult villain. Since you could not argue against this old man, you forcibly kidnapped me. Despicable! Pah! Today, this old man has fallen into your hands. Kill me or carve me up as you please. This old man will not even furrow his brow!”

Seeing how fierce this man was, Yang Xu hurriedly comforted him with a bitter smile. “Those were just disobedient juniors acting on their own. Calm down. May I ask your esteemed name?”

But even though he had assumed a fully humble posture, the old Confucian scholar merely sneered and did not fall for it at all. “That trick is useless on this old man! We of the righteous path, even if our bones are crushed and our bodies smashed, will never reveal anything to Demonic Cult villains.”

His temper was as stubborn as an ox, and his attitude was unreasonable. It fit very well with the disposition of a scholar who insisted on going his own way. Seeing that this man would not cooperate when spoken to gently, Yang Xu’s eyes shifted, and he deliberately pulled a stern face to threaten him. “Fine, you Confucian scholar. I’ll tell you the truth. It is the Cult Leader who wants to recruit you. If you still refuse to tell the truth, then once you reach the Cult Leader, you will be served with the whip. Those old bones of yours probably will not last long—”

He had thought this threat would scare off the old Confucian scholar, but Yang Xu never expected this Confucian scholar to be so different from ordinary scholars. He was not even afraid of threats. With a lift of his chin, a trace of awe-inspiring righteousness faintly leaked from his expression. “It is merely whipping and torture. What is there to fear? Across the world and throughout the jianghu, chivalry and righteousness come first. The Demonic Cult is a group guilty of countless evils, and everyone has the right to execute them. Never mind recruiting me. Even stepping into this place makes this old man feel filthy!”

“This old man’s life is nothing but rotten anyway. What is there to fear in death? No matter what you Demonic Cult villains want to do, this old man will never agree. I might as well smash my head against that pillar and end it all!”

“…” Yang Xu was rendered speechless by him.

This was the first time he had seen someone with such a staunch character, someone who would sacrifice his life for righteousness rather than drag out an ignoble existence. Looking at the fist-sized bruise on this man’s face, Yang Xu knew his words were certainly not false.

Even Yang Xu could not help admiring him from the bottom of his heart. Such a chivalrous man was worthy of respect no matter where he was. He was also very rare.

Just then, he accidentally saw the old Confucian scholar stand up, revealing a lotus pattern embroidered on the collar of his outer robe. Yang Xu could not help freezing slightly before blurting out, “The Qingyun lotus pattern. This… Could you be a disciple of Qingyue Sect?”

A hint of surprise also appeared in the old Confucian scholar’s eyes. Although Qingyue Sect had indeed once used the Qingyun lotus pattern for its unified sect clothing, that had already been more than twenty years ago. Only inner sect disciples of Qingyue Sect knew about this matter. How did this Demonic Cult villain before him know it?

He could not help stopping in place and carefully studying Yang Xu with a suspicious gaze. Suddenly, his eyes widened. He had actually seen a shadow of the Qingyun lotus pattern on the inside of Yang Xu’s collar too. “You… You also once joined Qingyue Sect?”

The two of them looked at each other. Though they clearly did not know each other, they felt the familiarity of a long-awaited reunion.

Yang Xu took a deep breath and made a swift decision in his mind. Since they were both disciples of Qingyue Sect, and this man was upright and unbending, and his own identity had been exposed… then he might as well say it all and get this man to join his camp. If this man could obtain an important position in the cult, it would be a good thing for them too!

“Since you know my identity, I will not hide it from you. You are right. I was indeed once a disciple of Qingyue Sect. Because my temperament is steady, the sect required me to infiltrate the Demonic Cult as a spy and investigate Demonic Cult intelligence!” Yang Xu grasped the old Confucian scholar’s wrist and spoke in a low voice.

“And now, as you also know, the Demonic Cult has a new Cult Leader. This new Cult Leader’s martial arts are mysterious and powerful, and he has ambitions to unite the world. Everyone in the jianghu respects and fears him. Therefore, all the major sects have successively sent several more spies into the Demonic Cult, with me receiving them!”

“So that is how it is…” After hearing the whole story, the bewilderment in the old Confucian scholar’s eyes gradually dispersed. He regarded Yang Xu with deep respect and saluted him. “Forgive this old man for not knowing the truth and being discourteous earlier.”

“But you all have devoted so much effort to our righteous path, even going so far as to sacrifice yourselves for righteousness and endure humiliation to achieve your purpose. This old man truly admires you. Please accept my salute!”

Yang Xu hurriedly helped him up. Once the old Confucian scholar rose, he paused before finally introducing himself. “This old man’s name is Xu Sheng. When I was young, I joined Qingyue Sect and once dreamed of wandering the jianghu to uphold justice… Only later, some things happened, and I began studying again and put on Confucian robes. Recently, I passed by this place and heard that refugees had become a disaster outside the city, so I could not help wanting to contribute some strength. Unfortunately, I was tied up and brought here by a Demonic Cult disciple!”

At the mention of this matter, Xu Sheng still looked full of indignation. Who would have expected that merely passing by this place by chance would lead to such misfortune?

His words made even Yang Xu feel his face flush slightly. After all, Zhang Daniu could be considered one of his people. He could not help coughing lightly and explaining, “Actually, it is because the Cult Leader recently issued an order requiring us to find some scholars for the cult… We were afraid the Cult Leader would be displeased, so we resorted to this bad plan. We have truly offended you.”

But his tone soon shifted. “However, I did not expect to encounter a senior fellow disciple here. Perhaps this is also a kind of fate. The Cult Leader currently needs manpower. If Senior Brother resists and refuses to comply, I am afraid you truly may die here. Senior Brother is a man with great aspirations, and as your junior brother, I truly feel regretful… Why not pretend to join the Demonic Cult with me, while actually becoming a spy for the righteous sects and investigating intelligence? What do you think?”

Yang Xu impatiently said what he was thinking, then looked at Xu Sheng with an expectant gaze.

But Xu Sheng’s expression revealed some struggle and hesitation. He stood unmoving where he was. In the end, he merely shook his head calmly. “All of you are hiding within the Demonic Cult, and this old man admires you beyond measure, but I cannot become talent like you… This old man has always been stubborn by nature. I would rather shatter as jade than remain whole as tile. I cannot endure humiliation to achieve my purpose. Thank you for your proposal, but this old man is set on death and asks for nothing else!”

Yang Xu could not help showing regret. But seeing that his character was so unyielding that he was not even willing to put on an act, Yang Xu could only sigh helplessly. “Since you have no intention of doing this, I will no longer persuade you.”

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