I pointed in the direction where Yaoyao was. "Four powerful demons with blue energy are holding Yaoyao hostage there. I don't know what they're up to."
Bai Qingcheng narrowed her eyes again and looked, but the fog obscured the ground.
"Just four?" she asked.
"Just four," I confirmed. There were other demons in the mountains, but the closest were on a mountaintop two kilometers away. The low-level imps were likely busy with construction.
"You two go down the mountain and get Yaoyao," Bai Qingcheng said.
I guessed she would fly over from her side, so I pulled Wu Qian and we went back down the mountain the way we came.
On the way, Wu Qian kept scolding me for being so disrespectful to Bai Qingcheng, saying that preserving my life should be the priority.
"Is she going to kill me?" I said with a pout, annoyed.
"You? What's stopping her? Do you know how the previous 201 died?"
"...Don't tell me it was her?"
"The previous 201 had been in love with Qingcheng for a long time. One time, when he was drunk, he hugged Qingcheng from behind. She snapped him in half right there, in front of their superior!" Wu Qian finished, glancing back at the mountaintop to make sure Bai Qingcheng couldn't hear.
She couldn't; Bai Qingcheng had already gone down the mountain from another direction.
"Wouldn't she be punished for killing her direct superior?" I asked, frowning. At that time, 201 should have been positioned around 202 or 203.
"Of course she would be. After taking care of 201, Qingcheng knew she had made a grave mistake and turned herself in. However, the higher-ups knew Bai Qingcheng's strength and also knew that the former 201 did have a problem with inappropriate behavior when drunk. They didn't pursue it too severely, just a symbolic detention for a few days, and then she was released and reinstated as 201."
"Was the former 201 human or a demon?" I asked Wu Qian.
"Human. The eldest son of the Southern Star Gate's sect leader. Because of this incident, the Star Gate issued a bounty of one hundred million for the capture of Bai Qingcheng. And guess what happened next... The Star Gate was annihilated by Bai Qingcheng!"
"Just because of this bounty thing?" I asked in surprise. Was she that unreasonable?
"No, it was because the Star Gate attacked Bai Qingcheng and failed. They accidentally killed one of Bai Qingcheng's subordinates. Bai Qingcheng became enraged, flew to Guang Zhou Prefecture overnight, and wiped out all three hundred-plus members of the Star Gate to prevent future trouble!"
"What is this Star Gate? They dared to confront Shabia directly?" I asked, confused. Shabia represented the official government, so wasn't that equivalent to confronting the imperial court?
"Let me put it this way: the Star Gate is Shabia's biggest financier. Shabia spends enormous amounts of money. Relying solely on the court's support, frankly, would cause dissatisfaction among other departments. So, Shabia has always had external support units. Every year, half of Shabia's funding comes from the Star Gate. Their eldest son also paved his way with money, and it took three generations for him to reach his position."
"...And Bai Qingcheng still dared to act?"
"That's why I'm saying, don't try to reason with her. She never reasons. And don't try to touch her bottom line. Her bottom line is incredibly high. Let alone being touched by a man's foot, sometimes just being looked at a few extra times could result in her gouging out that man's eyeballs!"
"...Such a brutal person, why does the court still heavily rely on her?" I asked, confused.
"Because she's capable! With just the cannon fodder and lackeys in Shabia, how can they contend with the demon race?"
That was true. Among human experts, reaching the initial stage of purple energy was already a rarity. But a purple energy human couldn't even defeat a powerful demon with blue energy.
Perhaps I should be more careful with this "Ghost's Bane" from now on. She even killed her financial backer. What was I, a reincarnation of Bai Ze, compared to her? Especially since I only had a reputation, nothing more!
As we spoke, we reached the foot of the mountain. Wu Qian and I returned to the cement road and continued walking towards Yaoyao.
"Let's hurry," I said.
"What's wrong?" Wu Qian asked.
"The battle over there has already ended."
"Ah? So soon? What was the result?" Wu Qian asked.
"Four little demonesses encountered someone who liked to annihilate entire sects. What other unexpected outcome could there be?" I said with a wry smile. I hadn't seen the scene yet, but through my Qi-sensing technique, I could already imagine the tragic state of affairs...