The Grey Rat's Demon Path

Numerous demon corpses lay scattered outside the mountain hideout.

Xu Chang’an recognized several of them.

The Wild Boar Spirit, once over thirty feet tall, was now a gruesome sight, lying mangled and bloody on the ground.

This scene was entirely the Peacock Princess’s handiwork.

’One moment, they were full of life, majestic and imposing. The next, they were utterly destroyed, their bodies dead and their paths erased!

The Demon Path is fraught with peril, the future is uncertain, and no one knows what they will face next!’

These demons had returned to their stronghold just as they always did.

Having recruited a Quasi-second-rank Alchemist, all of them were in high spirits.

But who could have imagined, who could have predicted, that this very day would bring such an earth-shattering change!

In an instant, utterly destroyed!

They didn’t even have a chance to struggle before their lives were forfeit!

’The Demon Path is treacherous. One must always remain vigilant!’

A chill ran through Xu Chang’an’s heart.

Entering the mountain cave, he found the corpses of the Water Buffalo Demon and the Spider Spirit lying in plain sight.

Everything was just as it had been when he left, except that blood no longer seeped from the bodies, and the pools of it on the surrounding ground had begun to congeal.

Xu Chang’an scanned the area but didn’t touch the demons’ Storage Bags.

Instead, he gave the scene a quick once-over. After confirming everything was as it should be, he left the cave.

If one was going to put on an act, one had to see it through to the end.

As the Gray Rat Demon, his departure from this place had left a clear trail.

If Peacock Demon City dispatched demons to investigate, they should be able to follow the trail right back to him.

It couldn’t be helped; there was no other way.

With the Peacock Princess still alive, there was no hiding the fact that he had been there.

That being the case, rather than trying to force a cover-up, it was better to leave openly and return to Peacock Demon City.

After all, he was just a humble Gray Rat Demon with a weak cultivation, not a member of Cyan Eagle. He had only come to this place because he’d been tricked and coerced by the Water Buffalo Demon and the Spider Spirit.

He was merely a little Gray Rat Demon who had almost been led astray. It was only thanks to the Peacock Princess’s timely arrival that he was rescued from peril.

The Peacock Princess was truly his savior!

Such a good demon!

He, Grey Rat, would surely keep this act of grace in his heart and be forever grateful.

Xu Chang’an traveled at a leisurely pace. By the time he arrived outside Peacock Demon City, the sky was already beginning to pale.

The clouds clustered on one side of the sky as if flocking together for a gathering.

They seemed to be stained with blood, or perhaps blushing, suffused with a faint red hue.

The first light of dawn finally peeled away the thin veil of night, ushering in a brilliant and radiant sunrise.

The Great Sun gradually ascended, slowly drawing a pale blue curtain across the heavens and painting a breathtaking masterpiece across the eastern sky.

Xu Chang’an had a shop on Pear Blossom Lane, so he didn’t need to pay the two-Demon-Stone entrance fee for Peacock Demon City.

After presenting his shop’s deed, he entered the Demon City without issue.

It was still early, and Pear Blossom Lane was rather quiet.

Only one or two demons passed by now and then.

Many shops on Pear Blossom Lane were still shuttered. The Cyan Bull Demon’s Magical Artifact Repair Shop, however, was wide open.

Inside, several demons bustled about, working with great intensity.

Xu Chang’an glanced at the shuttered Cultivation Supply Shop across the street and thought to himself.

’I suppose I’ll never again see that Spider Spirit, the one who loved to use Illusory Transformation to appear in a red palace gown, a charming look on her face.’

’Some demons... you spend some time with them, and then they’re just gone, a fleeting memory.’

Opening the door to the Gray Mouse Elixir Shop, Xu Chang’an didn’t head upstairs. Instead, he took a seat in the shop on the ground floor and officially opened for business.

Before long, he would be joining the Flame Leaf Elixir Workshop as an Alchemist.

His days running this shop on Pear Blossom Lane were numbered.

"Morning, Grey Rat."

The Wart Hog Spirit, opening his shop door, greeted Xu Chang’an with a smile.

Xu Chang’an returned the smile.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before getting back to their own shops.

This scene was a near-daily occurrence.

Such was the daily life of the lane.

Life wasn’t a series of dramatic ups and downs or spectacular events, but was instead composed of simple, mundane moments.

Peacock Demon City acted swiftly. Just as night began to fall, demons from the city arrived to question him.

They were two demons at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, presumably members of the Demon City Law Enforcement Squad.

They questioned him about the previous night’s events—the cause, the course, and the consequences.

Xu Chang’an was extremely cooperative.

He was, after all, a victim who had almost been led astray; of course he had nothing to hide.

The two demons were quite professional, using a special image-recording Demon Talisman to document the entire process.

They questioned him repeatedly, grilling him from different angles to ensure he wasn’t lying.

At the end of the interrogation, they added one last thing.

"One last question. During this routine inquiry, did the Demon City Law Enforcement Squad employ any coercive, mind-altering, or illusory methods on you?"

Xu Chang’an, of course, answered that they had not.

For Peacock Demon City to have surpassed Red Cloud Mountain to become the largest trading hub in the Red Cloud Mountain Range... it seemed its internal rules and sense of order were indeed worthy of commendation.

"Sirs, I hope you might convey my gratitude to the Peacock Princess.

If the Peacock Princess hadn’t appeared when she did, I, Grey Rat, would not be standing here today, safe and sound.

I, Grey Rat, will forever engrave the Peacock Princess’s grace in my heart! I will sing her praises constantly and be eternally grateful!"

Xu Chang’an’s words were earnest, his emotions seemingly genuine.

In response to Xu Chang’an’s display, the two demons remained expressionless and simply turned to leave.

’The Peacock Princess’s status is far too noble. As if we could see her whenever we wanted!’

’Passing on a message? Utterly absurd.’

A visit from Peacock Demon City’s Law Enforcement was no small matter.

It prompted the neighboring Wart Hog Spirit and Cyan Bull Demon to come over and ask a few questions.

Xu Chang’an was naturally evasive, saying it was likely related to the Spider Spirit. Since they had been on good terms, the authorities had come to question him.