The next morning, while Zhou Hong was still asleep, Hei Xiao Lu, who had woken up earlier, rushed into the room and woke him up.
"Zhou Hong, wake up quickly, something bad has happened, it's a big deal."
Zhou Hong's eyes snapped open, and he looked at Hei Xiao Lu in confusion.
"What big deal has happened?"
"Just now, the City Lord sent a servant to invite you to the City Lord's mansion."
"What?" Zhou Hong wondered if he had misheard. The person Zhou Hong least wanted to see right now was the City Lord, and now he was being asked to go to the City Lord's mansion. No wonder Hei Xiao Lu had rushed to wake him up.
"Why does the City Lord want me to go? What does he want with me? Could it be? Have I been exposed?" Zhou Hong asked, bewildered.
"I don't know if you've been exposed, but the name on the invitation the City Lord sent was not your real name, but Xiao Cui."
"Let me see."
Hei Xiao Lu handed Zhou Hong an invitation. The invitation simply stated: "We kindly request that the maidservant Xiao Cui from your residence visit the City Lord's mansion."
Zhou Hong's face was filled with panic. He didn't understand why the City Lord had suddenly sent such an invitation.
"Zhou Hong, you mustn't go. Although I don't know why, it's always better not to go. If absolutely necessary, you can run away now and leave Wumeng City for somewhere else."
"This...!"
"Listen to me, safety first."
Zhou Hong felt that if the City Lord was suddenly inviting him, it was probably not because he had been discovered. Otherwise, the City Lord wouldn't have been able to remain so calm and would have come directly.
"How about we go ask my father and see what his attitude is."
Zhou Hong nodded.
Soon, Zhou Hong and Hei Xiao Lu arrived at Black Orchid the Great Demon King's cultivation chamber.
"What is it?" Black Orchid the Great Demon King opened his eyes and asked as he saw Zhou Hong and Hei Xiao Lu approaching him.
"Father, the City Lord suddenly sent an invitation, saying only that Xiao Cui should go to the City Lord's mansion. Have I been exposed?"
Black Orchid the Great Demon King furrowed his brow slightly and said, "Probably not. Otherwise, he would have come himself long ago."
"Then why is he asking Zhou Hong to go to the City Lord's mansion?"
"Based on my guess, it's probably not a big deal, but a very trivial matter. The City Lord's invitation was just a perfunctory sentence, and it wasn't even written by him, but by a servant."
After speaking, Black Orchid the Great Demon King looked at Zhou Hong and asked, "How old are you this year?"
"This... how should I put it?" Zhou Hong couldn't accurately determine his age, but he estimated he was around 200 years old.
"Between 200 and 300 years old," Zhou Hong replied.
However, Black Orchid the Great Demon King shook his head. "That shouldn't be right. If you are over 200 years old, then you have only cultivated to the fifth-grade demon, which is not a remarkable talent at all."
Hei Xiao Lu seemed to have guessed something and quickly said, "Father, are you implying that the City Lord suddenly sent an invitation to Zhou Hong because of Zhou Hong's strong talent? To recruit talent?"
"Yes, with such a perfunctory invitation, this is the only possibility. It's likely that Zhou Hong is not the only one who received this invitation, but also other demon cultivation geniuses in Wumeng City. Every ten years, the City Lord invites the top 30 demon cultivation geniuses in Wumeng City to dine at the City Lord's mansion. If I'm not mistaken, Xiao Cui's talent has placed her within the top 100 in Wumeng City, hence the invitation."
Zhou Hong looked confused. "How does the City Lord know about my talent? What level have I cultivated to?"
"Because your previous applications for spots were all registered with the City Lord. He can see it through his registry. Zhou Hong, think again, have you miscalculated the time? How many years have you been cultivating?"
"Over 200 years," Zhou Hong said with certainty.
"Then how could he invite you?"
At this moment, Zhou Hong remembered something and quickly said, "To be honest, I am not a native of the demon cultivation world. I ascended from the lower realm. Before I ascended, there was a waiting period, and I waited for over 100 years."
"Ah? You are an ascender?" Hei Xiao Lu exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes."
"My heavens, I've heard that the difficulty for people in the lower realm to ascend is simply hellish," Hei Xiao Lu said, looking at Zhou Hong with adoration.
"Heh heh, it was manageable."
Black Orchid the Great Demon King was also quite surprised. He could only imagine the cultivation environment in the lower realm. Zhou Hong had managed to ascend here from such a brutal environment.
"That makes sense. The waiting period before your ascension cannot be counted. After deducting the waiting period, it is your true cultivation age," Black Orchid the Great Demon King said quickly.
"Oh, oh, then in that case, my cultivation age should only be around 100 years, perhaps even less."
"Hmm, that explains it. With an age of around 100 years, cultivating to the fifth-grade demon, it's no wonder you're within the top 30 of Wumeng City."
"So, should I go? If I go, will the City Lord see through my true identity?" Zhou Hong asked with some worry.
"Since you are invited by the City Lord, he has already been watching you. If you don't go, you will surely offend him. My advice is to go. He invited you, which means you are of some importance to him. He won't search you casually. You can even conceal yourself from me, so dealing with the City Lord shouldn't be a major problem."
"Alright, I will act according to the situation then." Zhou Hong nodded, preparing to go to the City Lord's mansion.
After leaving Black Orchid the Great Demon King's cultivation chamber, Zhou Hong prepared to set off.
"Zhou Hong, be careful. Don't stand out. The City Lord is just inviting you for a meal and to win you over. Just follow along casually and don't show off unnecessarily," Hei Xiao Lu advised.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. But I'm a little curious, on his registry, doesn't it show my real name? Instead, it's registered as Xiao Cui?"
"Of course. I collected your soul imprint back then. I named the imprint 'Hei Lan Residence's Xiao Cui,' so the name he sees is this one."
"I see. Then I'm going."
"Mhm."
Zhou Hong left the Hei Lan residence and headed straight for the City Lord's mansion.
Hei Xiao Lu stood at the main entrance, watching Zhou Hong leave.
Unbeknownst to her, Black Orchid the Great Demon King appeared beside Hei Xiao Lu.
"Xiao Lu, this Zhou Hong is likely extraordinary," Black Orchid the Great Demon King sighed deeply. A few minutes ago, he hadn't felt this way.
"Why do you say that, Father?" Hei Xiao Lu turned to look at her father.
"Before, I didn't know he was an ascender. Now I know. Not only is he an ascender, but his cultivation age is only a mere hundred years. Compare that to you. Even with the excellent conditions in the demon realm, your cultivation age is 160 years. Yet he, in the harsh environment of the lower realm, only took 100 years. How incredibly heaven-defying is that?"
(No inspiration, only one update today.)