Chapter 1 Is He a Successor of the Demon Lord?

Is Yuanshi Jun a successor of the Demon Lord? *That* Demon Lord, infamous throughout the lands?

Asano Ryo's face changed slightly, shocked by the Executor's words.

The Chizuru Group and the Five Elements Alliance didn't have a good diplomatic relationship, but they were closely connected with Ten罚 (Heaven's Punishment), so Asano Ryo truly heard about the Demon Lord not during his reign of terror in the mainland, but when he was sleeping with women in the West.

There was a time when the Chizuru Group's internal forum was filled with similar gossip.

First, a mysterious man from the mainland became the new darling of the Goddess Association.

Then, a mysterious man from the mainland captured the heart of a Ten罰 (Heaven's Punishment) Executor, and the two went to such-and-such place for their honeymoon.

Then, a mysterious man from the mainland was seen entering a top hotel with a certain noble lady.

Then, a noble lady and a cold and beautiful prosecutor fought fiercely in the streets, all because of a mysterious Chinese man.

Almost every other day, this mysterious man who appeared on the forum was always sleeping with women: beautiful Executors from Ten罰 (Heaven's Punishment), cold and beautiful prosecutors, daughters of aristocratic families, wives of important figures, and even infamous evil professionals.

One day, Asano Ryo curiously asked her teacher, Ryuuzaki Ichi, who this mysterious Chinese man was.

Her teacher said, "That guy is called the Demon Lord!"

The Demon Lord slept with so many women, including the forbidden fruits of important figures, wives of high-ranking officials, and high-quality women with many suitors, that he inevitably became a target.

Duels in public, insidious assassinations, and silent curses were countless, but this heretical figure who was driven by his lower half not only didn't die abroad, but also displayed terrifying combat power, defeating them one by one, two by two.

The number of orderly and evil powerhouses he beat was as many as the women he slept with.

Asano Ryo listened with endless longing, yearning for the power of that heretical figure, but also filled with fear for his reputation. After all, Ryo-chan was also a well-known beauty in the Chizuru Group.

What if one day the Demon Lord heard of Ryo-chan's beauty and crossed the ocean to Japan to demand her service?

Later, Asano Ryo realized that she had been worrying needlessly. Her beauty hadn't had time to become famous when that once-proud genius returned to Lingjing.

In Asano Ryo's mind, the Demon Lord was synonymous with evil and perversion, while Yuanshi Tianzun was an honest and trustworthy young man. The two were worlds apart. How could they be related?

If she had to find a common point, it would be that both of them were equally gifted.

Asano Ryo was lost in thought for a long time, and the Demon Hunter didn't press her, slowly savoring his sake.

"I like strong alcohol, but 14th Generation has shown me the beauty of sake." The Demon Hunter put down his empty cup, turned his head to look at Asano Ryo beside him, and smiled slightly, "Don't be too nervous, I'm just asking a few questions."

Asano Ryo suddenly came back to her senses and looked at Kambe Ichiro, who nodded.

Asano Ryo took a deep breath and lowered her eyes, "What does Executor-sama want to ask? I will tell you everything I know."

The Demon Hunter's deep blue eyes stared at Asano Ryo, and he said solemnly: "How many times have you entered dungeons with him? Have you ever seen a black crescent moon mark appear on his forehead when he clears a dungeon?"

Asano Ryo thought for a moment and shook her head: "No!"

The serious-looking blond youth suddenly asked, "Is it 'no,' or 'you didn't see it'?"

Asano Ryo lowered her head and answered truthfully: "I have only entered dungeons with Yuanshi-kun twice, once in a massacre dungeon and once in a gang dungeon. He wasn't by my side when the massacre dungeon was cleared, so I didn't see it. During the gang dungeon, he was already a Saint, and the mark on his forehead was a nebula."

The serious-looking youth nodded and said nothing more.

The Demon Hunter continued, "Report all the items he has used."

"This..." Asano Ryo frowned and quickly racked her brains.

How strange. Why is Heaven's Punishment asking about Yuanshi-kun's items?

That's right, they said Yuanshi-kun is a successor of the Demon Lord, so they want to further confirm whether he is a successor of the Demon Lord through the items Yuanshi-kun used?

Asano Ryo thought of this possibility and believed that she had guessed the truth.

If Yuanshi-kun didn't receive the Demon Lord's legacy, where would the Demon Lord's successor come from?

From this, she speculated that Ten罰 (Heaven's Punishment) was coveting the treasures left behind by the Demon Lord, and that's why they were investigating Yuanshi-kun.

The Demon Hunter said in a gentle tone, "You are in the same gang as him. You can't do things that betray him, but revealing item information isn't within the scope of betrayal. Since it's not betrayal, then speak freely."

Seeing that she had been silent for a long time, the Executor thought she didn't want to betray her gang members.

Kambe Ichiro frequently winked at Asano Ryo, signaling her to cooperate obediently.

Asano Ryo pursed her lips and said: "I understand, but I don't have deep contact with Yuanshi-kun, so I may not know all of his items. I... I'll say whatever I see..."

Seeing that the guests from Ten罰 (Heaven's Punishment) had no objections, she continued: "Yuanshi-kun has a set, composed of a water and fire-colored robe, earth-type boots, and a belt. He also has a weapon that can transform into three forms, namely a shield, a hand cannon, and a small hammer. He also has a red soft hat with its own space..."

Asano Ryo spoke while recalling.

In total, she spoke of four items and one set, namely the Zilei (Purple Lightning) Cannon, the Mountain God's Scepter, the Da Luo Star Disk, the Little Red Riding Hood, and the Sacrificial Heaven Set.

Asano Ryo chose them for a reason. First of all, these four items left a strong impression on her, and Yuanshi-kun frequently used them in dungeons.

Among them, the Mountain God's Scepter came from the massacre dungeon. As a participant in the dungeon, she could be 100% sure that it was unrelated to the Demon Lord.

Secondly, the Sacrificial Heaven Set was also obviously unrelated to the Demon Lord. Asano Ryo knew that the first-place prize in this year's Five Elements Alliance's arena competition in the Transcendence stage was the Houtu Boots.

The Chizuru Group had collected information on Yuanshi-kun, so they naturally wouldn't miss such important information as the arena competition. Of course, the Chizuru Group didn't know the attributes of the Houtu Boots.

In this way, only the Little Red Riding Hood, the Zilei (Purple Lightning) Cannon, and the Da Luo Star Disk could not be determined.

However, if they came from the Demon Lord, Yuanshi-kun wouldn't use them so frequently. Wouldn't that be blatantly saying, "Don't miss it, take a look, come and see me, this successor of the Demon Lord."

Although Asano Ryo didn't think Yuanshi-kun was a successor of the Demon Lord.

Of course, Asano Ryo still remembered Yuanshi-kun frequently using that wind mage's glove, but she couldn't sell Yuanshi-kun out completely, so it was enough to reveal a portion to deal with Ten罰 (Heaven's Punishment).

She couldn't say nothing, but she couldn't say everything.

The Demon Hunter frowned as he listened, then asked in detail about the functions of those items, and then looked at the serious-faced blond youth, saying: "That red soft hat seems to be the Little Red Riding Hood from fairy tales."

The blond youth said: "Not necessarily. That Little Red Riding Hood is said to have the ability to distort, but she didn't mention it just now... These aren't important, it's not that person's item."

The Demon Hunter nodded slightly, then took out his phone, opened a document, and handed it to Asano Ryo, saying: "Take a careful look and see if you have seen the items above."

Asano Ryo nodded, took the phone with both hands, and carefully browsed the document. The document contained images of many items, with simple descriptions of the item's skills.

The descriptions weren't very detailed, and were probably based on descriptions of the item's external abilities.

There were a total of sixteen items in the document, covering two major regions, both orderly and evil, and judging from the descriptions, the lowest grade was the Saint stage, and there were no Transcendents.

Of course, the Demon Lord seemed to have already been a Ruler when he made his name overseas?

After Asano Ryo finished looking at the image collection, she shook her head: "I'm sorry, I haven't seen Yuanshi-kun use the items in the image collection."

The Demon Hunter and the three youths exchanged glances.

Observing their expressions, Kambe Ichiro laughed heartily: "Ryo-chan has only met Yuanshi-kun twice, and both times were in dungeons. She's not familiar with him at all."

The frivolous and arrogant, but extremely handsome youth smiled and said, "If she's not familiar with him, how did he invite our Ryo-chan to join his gang?"

Kambe Ichiro laughed again, "Our Ryo-chan is a well-known beauty in the Chizuru Group. She's so cute. Cute beauties get preferential treatment wherever they go."

He was telling the guests from Ten罰 (Heaven's Punishment) that Yuanshi Tianzun was coveting Ryo-chan's beauty.

The frivolous youth looked at Asano Ryo's face and smiled knowingly.

Asano Ryo stood up gracefully, excused herself to go to the washroom, and left her seat. She had just reached the door when she heard the serious-faced youth say: "There's one more thing that we need Ms. Asano Ryo to cooperate with!"

Asano Ryo smiled and said, "Please speak."

The blond youth said: "Anything that happened at the banquet today must not be revealed to anyone, especially Yuanshi Tianzun. This is not a verbal promise. We need you to make a contract."

Asano Ryo's small fists clenched tightly in her kimono, but the smile on her face was still humble and gentle: "Okay."

After saying that, she stared at the blond youth, waiting for him to take out the contract item.

The blond youth's expression remained cold and stern, and he said lightly: "Stare into my eyes and swear to me."

Is he a Knight profession? Asano Ryo was a little surprised. The number of Knight professions was extremely small. It was the first time in her life that she had seen a living one.

Asano Ryo calmed herself down and stared into the other person's eyes. In those light blue eyes, golden light suddenly surged, sacred and majestic.

The blond youth said: "Follow me and say, 'I swear that I will never tell anyone about tonight's conversation. If I violate this oath, let me return to Lingjing.'"

"I swear that I will never tell anyone about tonight's event. If I violate this oath, let me return to Lingjing. I have witnessed it!" Asano Ryo repeated.

A faint golden glow spread out, turning into a breeze that swept through the izakaya.

Asano Ryo's heart skipped a beat. She felt that a rule was being established in the dark, and a force formed a shackle in her heart, which disappeared in a flash.

The contract was completed. The honored guests from Ten罰 (Heaven's Punishment) retracted their gazes and continued drinking. Asano Ryo opened the door of the izakaya and walked towards the washroom with small steps. She walked faster and faster, the small steps turned into a brisk walk, and the brisk walk turned into a trot.

Running to the washroom, she pushed open an empty stall, Asano Ryo leaned against the door, covered her chest, and breathed heavily.

Her expression became extremely terrified, and the composure and elegance on the wine table disappeared completely. There was only one thought in her mind: Yuanshi Tianzun is a successor of the Demon Lord!!

There was no mistake. She saw two familiar items in the image gallery: a ring that could change one's appearance, and a pair of blue wind mage gloves.

The wind mage gloves didn't need to be said, but she had seen that ring before, in the massacre dungeon.

While trekking through the primeval forest, Yuanshi-kun deliberately changed his appearance to avoid being targeted by evil professionals, and he was wearing that ring on his hand at that time.

If it was a collision of one item, it might be a coincidence, but the overlap of two items...

"I must remind Yuanshi-kun, otherwise he will be found out by Heaven's Punishment! But I have sworn an oath, I can't reveal..."

"I need an item that can exempt me from the contract, or a scapegoat item that can transfer the damage..."

However, not to mention whether such an item existed, even if it did, such a functional item was not something she could find.

Thoughts raced through Asano Ryo's mind, and sweat broke out on her anxious forehead.

Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat. Why not ask Yuanshi-kun? He had many treasures, and as a star figure in the Five Elements Alliance, even if he didn't have such an item, he would definitely have channels to borrow it from.

Why was she anxiously worrying on her own when she had such a big backer?

Thinking of this, Asano Ryo hurriedly took out her phone from the inner pocket of her kimono, opened the chat app, and sent a message to Yuanshi Tianzun: "Yuanshi-kun, there's an urgent matter I'd like to ask you about. I was forced to make a contract under the witness of a Knight. Is there any way to exempt myself from the power of the contract?"

After thinking about it, she added another sentence: "I don't need to completely resolve the contract, just transfer the damage or a scapegoat, once is enough."

Zhang Yuanqing was enjoying a drink with his beautiful mother-in-law, with wine glasses, candlelight, and a rich feast.

The location was in Fu Qingyang's villa.

The main business had already been discussed half an hour ago. The mother-in-law signed the contract without hesitation and chose the second option, buying 5% of the shares for 1 billion Federal currency, and then borrowing 1 billion Federal currency from the company as initial funds without interest.

After signing the contract, Fu Qingyang left, because he still had to go to the training room to practice his slashes, and had no time to deal with this annoying aunt.

Fu Xue said, "Hurry up and get out of here, don't disturb me and my son from catching up."

At the dinner table, Zhang Yuanqing diligently poured wine for his mother-in-law, saying that she was a real female powerhouse and that Guan Ya was far behind her. They would run the company together in the future, make it bigger and stronger, and have a pleasant cooperation.

Fu Xue scolded him, saying, "Don't think I don't know your little wolfish ambitions. You just want to tie me to your pirate ship, so that I can only go all the way to the end, but you have offered a price that I can't refuse. I admit it."

Fu Xue drank a lot of wine, the corners of her eyes and eyebrows were red, her eyes were blurred and charming, and her voice gradually became louder.

She said, "You don't know. The Fu family has no human touch at all. If you want to live well, you have to work hard. Even the mules in the production team aren't as tired as me."

Zhang Yuanqing said, "Oh, Mom, you live abroad and you actually know internet slang. We have to drink to that."

Fu Xue finished the red wine in one gulp and continued, "You simply don't know how hard it is for us orphans and widows. My talent is mediocre, my ability is mediocre, and I have no ability other than being pretty. I'm squeezed out by the dogs in the family every day. Good things never come my way. That girl Guan Ya is talented, but she's not ambitious. Not only does she not understand me, she also curses me. Don't think I don't know, your old lady is a Sentinel. Cursing me is fine, but she doesn't level up properly and she's still stuck in her level, the *******."

Zhang Yuanqing was shocked and said, "Mom, you're drunk, you're just talking nonsense. Do you even remember who Guan Ya's mother is?"

Fu Xue said aggrievedly, "Don't interrupt, I haven't finished yet. Even my friends bully me. As soon as they hear that I want to borrow money, they actually ask for half of the shares, and they even say it's what they deserve. I argued with her for a long time before she agreed to take only 10% of the shares. By the way, she also cursed you for being useless."

Zhang Yuanqing was furious and said, "Who is that friend of yours? Tell me her address, and I guarantee I'll beat her until she doesn't even recognize her own mother."

Fu Xue waved her hand and said, "Never mind her. Fortunately, you are filial and understand my difficulties. Come, son, let's have a drink."

After three rounds of wine, Fu Xue leaned on Zhang Yuanqing's chest and cried softly.

Zhang Yuanqing was about to call a waitress to move this drunken woman back to her room when his phone "dinged."

It was a message from Asano Ryo.

How to exempt from the power of the contract? If I had that ability, would I still need to wear a working hat and be intimate with Sister Guan Ya? Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.

"Ding!"

Soon a second message came.

Zhang Yuanqing held the drunken Fu Xue in one hand and held his phone in the other, frowning: "Once is enough? What happened to Asano Ryo?"

P.S.: Correcting typos after posting.