Chapter Eighty

"What?" Hearing Su Yang's words, the weasel demon was momentarily stunned, then its face twisted in anger as it swiftly reverted to its true form—a small yellow-furred weasel with beady eyes.

With a bang, the weasel demon's body was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. Before it could even scramble to its feet, Su Yang was already upon it.

The sound of bones snapping echoed in the room; Su Yang broke the weasel demon's limbs, and even its chest bones, leaving it a crippled creature tossed atop the carriage as he made his way towards the Wang family.

Upon returning home, the servants went out to unload all the grain, while Su Yang dragged the weasel demon into an empty room and questioned it, "It's late at night—why were you racing around the streets, causing chaos?"

The weasel demon remained silent.

"If you don't speak, don't blame me for resorting to torture."

"I'm hungry. I was searching for someone on the street to fill my belly. That's why I was wandering."

"Nonsense! If you dare lie to me again, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"We demons don't lie. If you're going to kill me, just do it."

"I won't kill you. I'll flay you!"

Su Yang wasted no more politeness. He drew his Black Serpent Dagger and began with one of the demon's legs, first pulling out all its yellow fur, then slicing open the skin. He made an incision, then peeled away a palm-sized patch of hide from the flesh beneath. The agony was unbearable, and the weasel demon howled in pain.

But this was only the beginning. With every swing of the Black Serpent Dagger, Su Yang shaved off a thin slice of flesh from the demon's thigh.

The torment of being flayed alive caused the weasel demon's body to tremble uncontrollably, its mouth uttering wails as if in hell itself.

Su Yang paused and asked, "You're looking for an old wild weasel demon of the seventh rank, aren't you?"

"Tell me honestly what you know, and I'll grant you a swift death. Otherwise, I'll flay you alive. I'll give you the time it takes for half a stick of incense to consider."

With that, he sprinkled some medicinal powder to staunch the bleeding on the demon's wounds.

In the end, seeking a quick end, the weasel demon confessed everything about itself and the events that had transpired. Su Yang was astonished; he never expected a nest of weasel demons to be entrenched in Yanggu County.

The one referred to as Lord Weasel possessed profound strength, already at the sixth rank of wild demons, with many followers under him. To Su Yang, they were all like a trove of old medicine.

All he needed to do was wait at the gates of the Huang residence; anyone leaving from there was certain to be a weasel demon—a valuable source of medicine.

Now that he had ample resources for cultivation, recruiting ninth-rank martial artists would be much easier. He should be able to meet his family’s progress requirements in the next couple of days, provided the nest of weasel demons was large enough.

The weasel demon he killed last night was the steward of this group, though they had no idea it was his doing; otherwise, the weasel demons would not be searching aimlessly for clues.

After granting the eighth-rank wild weasel demon a swift death, Su Yang returned to his room. Silver Lotus lay on the bed, still unable to recover, her pitiful gaze full of silent pleading.

Unable to bear tormenting her further, Su Yang held her close and slept.

As for the bodies of the weasel demon and the black-furred rat demon, they were stored together. Since expelling the poison required more incense, Su Yang decided to leave them for now.

...

Early the next morning.

On the status panel, two points of incense had already appeared. Su Yang went to the Zhou family market and secured a stall, spending some grain and putting up a sign.

Recruiting ninth-rank martial artists.

Requirements: absolute loyalty. In the first year, at least two doses of ninth-rank old medicine will be provided to aid the advancement to eighth rank. After one year, resources will be allocated according to merit. Candidates must be willing to bear certain costs. If interested, contact the stall owner.

Not only did Su Yang put up signs at the Zhou family market, but also at the markets controlled by the Feng and Wei families in Yanggu County, each watched over by two servants.

Many families in the market were recruiting ninth-rank martial artists; the Su family was just one among them. Some were even recruiting eighth-rank martial artists, though success was rare. The Wang family’s generous rewards drew the most attention, and soon many ninth-rank martial artists came to inquire.

"Two doses of ninth-rank old medicine in the first year? That's quite the offer. Most small families couldn't afford such a quota."

"But there's mention of bearing certain costs—what does that mean, exactly?"

"Shall we go over and take a look?"

"It won’t take much time anyway. Let's go check it out."

The group of ninth-rank martial artists exchanged glances and approached the stall to learn the true location of the interview.

...

Anyone interested was informed by the stall owner of the real interview location, where the master himself would assess them.

...

"This is the interview place?"

"Feels like a joke, doesn’t it?"

"Never mind. Let’s go in and ask."

"Is the person recruiting us the brothel owner?"

A group of ninth-rank martial artists entered the brothel, led by a servant who had been forewarned, guiding them to a particular room.

Inside, elegant music echoed; Su Yang sat behind a curtain, before him a young courtesan whose eyes brimmed with affection, as if she longed to melt into Su Yang’s embrace.

Young and handsome, skilled in both literature and martial arts, graceful and charming—he was her dream lover. As she played the zither, she silently pondered how to win his heart, even becoming his concubine if he would redeem her.

"Master, the martial artists have arrived," the servant called from outside, then brought eight ninth-rank martial artists inside. They lined up, curiously peering at the figure behind the curtain.

Such generosity piqued their curiosity about who truly sat behind the curtain.

"To join me, you must accept a very harsh condition. If you're unwilling to truly serve, you may leave now."

Su Yang's voice came from behind the curtain. Two among them exchanged glances and left, leaving six ninth-rank martial artists.

"Don’t think you can muddle through. If you join me, I will employ a method that allows me to decide your life and death at any moment—your fate will be in my hands. If you cannot accept this, leave now."

This time, all six remaining martial artists promptly departed, leaving not a single one behind. Su Yang felt a touch of embarrassment and turned to the young courtesan playing the zither. "Never mind them—continue."

"Master, the condition of controlling others’ lives and deaths is a bit too harsh. If you remove it, I’m sure you could recruit many ninth-rank martial artists," the courtesan said softly, her eyes glistening as she gazed at Su Yang, hoping for his favor.