Chapter 18 He is Worth It

Clan Chief Qi Chen was secretly astonished at this sight. "My sister is decisive, cold, and ruthless in her actions. Now she's smiling just because someone gave her contact information? There must be a secret here."

Qi Xiao walked to a chair and sat down, looking at Xu Jingming. "You're Chi Tong's junior brother? What's your name?"

"He's called Wu Ming," Clan Chief Qi Chen explained from the side. "He came to visit you as soon as he descended into the Demon Vanquishing World."

"This is also my senior brother's request, so I naturally have to do my best," Xu Jingming said with a smile.

"Senior brother?"

Qi Xiao said softly, "It seems you know him in reality. What kind of person do you think your senior brother is?"

She and Chi Tong only had a brief encounter in the Demon Vanquishing World and had never met in reality. Now that they were about to connect, she was inexplicably apprehensive! She wanted to learn more about Chi Tong's real-life situation from this 'Junior Brother Wu Ming.'

"My senior brother?" Xu Jingming was slightly taken aback.

As an outer member of the Yuanchu Research Institute, everyone concealed their real information, so he knew very little about Senior Brother Chi Tong.

He only knew that Senior Brother Chi Tong was 719 years old this year and very close to becoming a ninth-order Source lifeform.

Moreover…

He was very rich! Most of the senior brothers and sisters had extraordinary backgrounds, but they all acknowledged that the third brother, Chi Tong, was 'super rich!'

And when the eight of them gathered to chat, Xu Jingming felt that Senior Sister Mona and Senior Brother Chi Tong probably knew each other in reality. As for the others, their real-life information should be absolutely confidential.

"I don't know much about my senior brother either," Xu Jingming said with a smile. "At least he's much stronger than me in terms of evolution."

"What about his personality in reality?" Qi Xiao pressed.

"Generous," Xu Jingming said.

"That's it?" Qi Xiao asked.

Xu Jingming thought for a moment and said, "He's quite rich, definitely richer than me."

Qi Xiao nodded, not paying much attention.

Rich?

She dealt with money all day long, and money was just a number in her eyes.

"Chi Tong's contact information." Xu Jingming took out a piece of stationery from his pocket and handed it to her. Qi Xiao reached out and took it, glanced at the contact information written on the paper, and then a flame rose in her hand, turning the paper to ashes.

"I understand," Qi Xiao said, getting up and smiling. "Thank you, Wu Ming." Then she disappeared out of thin air, having already left the Demon Vanquishing World.

Clan Chief Qi Chen eagerly sat down in the chair closest to Xu Jingming and asked, "What's the relationship between your Senior Brother Chi Tong and Qi Xiao?"

Xu Jingming shook his head and said honestly, "I don't know either. I'm just a messenger."

"You…" Clan Chief Qi Chen was helpless.

"Brother Qi Chen," Xu Jingming said, getting up. "Now that the matter is completed, I should take my leave."

Clan Chief Qi Chen got up to see him off. "Alright, Brother Wu Ming, if you encounter any trouble in Cheng An Prefecture, feel free to come to me. The Qi family still has some influence in Cheng An Prefecture."

"Alright," Xu Jingming said with a slight smile, then bid farewell and left.

…

Virtual World Network.

In Chi Tong's personal space, he had already changed his appearance, becoming a young man. He lay sprawled on the sofa, then sat up, then stood up and paced back and forth.

"Junior Brother Wu Ming said he gave her the contact information. Why hasn't she contacted me yet?" Chi Tong sat down again, his back straight, his brow furrowed.

"She won't… not contact me, will she?"

"No. Since she chose to meet Junior Brother Wu Ming and accepted the contact information, she should contact me," Chi Tong said, his concern getting the better of him.

Suddenly—

A contact message.

Chi Tong's heart trembled. He gently clicked and allowed the other party to enter his personal space.

A much younger Qi Xiao walked into the personal space. She had changed into a silver robe, matching her original silver hair. Her eyes sparkled with a strange light as she looked at the young man before her.

"Qi Xiao," Chi Tong said, already standing.

"Didn't we say that we shouldn't contact each other after we separated? Just treat it as a mind-training experience," Qi Xiao said.

Chi Tong paused slightly and said softly, "I recently failed in a demon-vanquishing heart trial."

"You failed?" Qi Xiao's expression changed, and she asked, "Are you seriously injured?"

"I'm fine," Chi Tong said, looking at Qi Xiao. "I failed in the mental confrontation with that heavenly demon because I felt that what the heavenly demon said made a lot of sense! If the meaning of life is only evolution, it would be too boring and pitiful. For the entire human race, evolution is important. But for individual humans, emotions may be more important than evolution."

At the critical moment of the mental confrontation, it was precisely because of his relationship with Qi Xiao that he failed.

He also truly realized that he had never been able to forget Qi Xiao. Qi Xiao's face was slightly red as she said, "Are you confessing your feelings?"

"Yes," Chi Tong nodded. "Do you agree?"

"Aren't you going to ask if I'm single in reality?" Qi Xiao looked at him. "And I know nothing about you in reality."

"I've always been single," Chi Tong said.

Qi Xiao also smiled and said, "Me too, then let's try getting to know each other first."

At this moment, Chi Tong's heart was filled with joy. He reached out and took Qi Xiao's hand, and Qi Xiao did not refuse.

"Sit down and chat," Chi Tong pulled Qi Xiao to the sofa to sit down.

Qi Xiao glanced at him with a smile before saying, "I won't hide it from you. My real name is Qi Yunxiao Moyun. Hearing my name, you should have guessed that I come from the Moyun family in the Hunter Cosmic Sector."

Chi Tong nodded. "The Moyun family is in the top 100 in the Hunter Cosmic Sector."

It should be known that the entire cosmic sector had a full 185 star alliances. Among countless ancient families, the Moyun family could rank in the top 100, which obviously had a profound foundation.

"The current patriarch of my Moyun family is 'Panli Moyun,' a tenth-order expert in the Yuanchu Research Institute," Qi Xiao said. "Of course, there are also three ninth-order Source lifeforms! The family territory spans more than 30 star systems."

Chi Tong nodded.

"And I," Qi Xiao said, looking at Chi Tong softly, "am the youngest eighth-order Star Domain lifeform in the Moyun family in this era. Whether it's the patriarch or the family elders, they all value me very much. Once you associate with me, they will also review your information. It may be a bit of trouble for you."

"You don't need to feel pressured either. Let's get to know each other privately first, without going public," Qi Xiao said, looking at Chi Tong. "Wait until you're ready before we go public."

"Okay," Chi Tong nodded. He could feel Qi Xiao's care for him, which made him vaguely feel that… this time taking the initiative to contact her might be his wisest choice.

He failed in his mind-training trial to vanquish demons, but Chi Tong felt that this failure was worth it.

"I've told you my identity in reality, what about you?" Qi Xiao looked at Chi Tong.

"I have to keep it confidential," Chi Tong said.

"Confidential?" Qi Xiao was stunned. "Why?"

"You should know that I'm a high-level Demon Vanquisher," Chi Tong said. "In fact, my true realm is the ninth realm." Qi Xiao was shocked.

The ninth realm?

"Yes, I'm not far from becoming a Source lifeform," Chi Tong nodded. "I'm an outer member of the Yuanchu Research Institute, and our real-life information needs to be kept confidential. This is also the rule of the Yuanchu Research Institute."

Qi Xiao smiled. "I didn't expect you to be a peerless genius. I also wanted to join a top force back then, but unfortunately, I was a little short and didn't pass the assessment."

She was already very outstanding, but the threshold for the seventeen top forces was too high. "What about your Junior Brother Wu Ming then?" Qi Xiao realized.

Chi Tong said, "Although he's using the name Wu Ming, so he's not afraid of others knowing he's from the Yuanchu Research Institute, you still shouldn't spread it."

Qi Xiao nodded. "I understand. How long do you estimate it will take for you to become a Source lifeform?"

"Probably within a hundred years," Chi Tong said without hiding anything.

Only then did Qi Xiao smile and nod. "That's good! Once you become a Source lifeform, those elders in the family won't have so many objections. You know, ancient families like the Moyun family have a lot of trivial rules. Only when you become a Source lifeform will they make an exception." Chi Tong nodded, enjoying the moment.

★Da Da Da★ Demon Vanquishing World, Cheng An Prefecture, Prefecture City.

"Senior Brother Chi Tong and Qi Xiao seem to have an unusual relationship," Xu Jingming thought, feeling relieved. After all, the matter that Senior Brother Chi Tong asked him to help with was completed smoothly, which could be considered settling a matter of his mind.

Back at the mansion, Xu Jingming saw Wu Qi talking to a few people.

"Young Master," Wu Qi said immediately when he saw Xu Jingming. "These five people were hired from the market this morning. They are all locals."

"Master."

The five servants respectfully saluted.

"This is Liu Fu, who will be watching the gate from now on," Wu Qi introduced. "This is Cheng Da Niu. He's quite strong and will do some chores in the mansion."

"Liu Fu (Da Niu) has met the Master." The two of them respectfully saluted.

"This is Aunt Zhang, who will be cooking for the mansion."

"These are the third girl of the Liu family and the young girl of the Gu family. They are maids to serve the Young Master," Wu Qi said.

"Liu Sanya (Gu Yu) has met the Master." Both maids were fair and beautiful, and also very well-mannered.

Xu Jingming smiled and said, "Uncle Qi, you're really fast. You've gathered everyone in the blink of an eye."

"There are quite a few people looking for work in the market," Wu Qi said. "I picked and chose and quickly selected them. Each of them will be on probation for a month first. If there are no problems, they will stay in the mansion for three years first."

Xu Jingming nodded. "Everything will be decided by you, Uncle Qi."

With manpower, everything in the mansion quickly got on track. Many places were cleaned up, and the lake was also cleared. The scenery of the mansion also became much more beautiful.

Night.

Xu Jingming sat cross-legged on the bed and took out a jade bottle from his pocket.

"Everything is ready. It's time to start mind-training to vanquish demons." Xu Jingming was very cautious. Killing demons was not difficult. With his strength, he feared nothing below the Earth Demon level. But refining demons was different.

"The first mind-training to vanquish demons, let's begin!" Xu Jingming pulled out the stopper of the bottle, and with a breath, a wisp of natal demonic energy rushed out of the bottle and entered Xu Jingming's mouth, where it was swallowed in one gulp.

Buzz! As soon as this mouthful of natal demonic energy entered his body, memories rushed into Xu Jingming's consciousness.

As he endured the memories, everything was as if he had seen it with his own eyes.

Xu Jingming saw a young man named Li Chong, who was the owner of a pharmacy in Liu County, Cheng An Prefecture. It was a family business passed down from his ancestors, and Li Chong carefully and meticulously managed it! He also had a beautiful wife and a pair of children, and could be considered a respectable person in Liu County.

In the past, his father had been managing the pharmacy, but only after his father passed away and Li Chong managed it himself did he realize how difficult it was for his father.

He had to take care of the officials in the county! Even if they spat in his face, he had to smile along.

And those who extorted money, he also had to greet them with a smile and offer silver. After all, he wasn't afraid of ruffians and gangsters, but he couldn't afford to offend the forces behind them.

Acting like a grandson everywhere, Li Chong finally understood the suffering his father had endured.

He endured it!

If he wanted to run a business, he had to endure all of this.

However, one day, while he was still in the pharmacy, he was directly arrested by the yamen runners and thrown into prison, accused of being the murderer in a murder case.

After being thrown into prison, Li Chong shouted injustice. Under the extortion of the yamen, he could only spend large sums of money, but before he could even get another trial, he was 'hanged' to death in prison.

Before he died, he learned the truth.

"You pathetic worm, Master Wang in the county is sleeping with your wife, so he wants to send you on your way."

Two murderers propped him up, put a noose around his neck, and hanged him, killing him instantly.

The memory ended there.

"Hahaha… laughable, isn't it?"

Li Chong, in the form of a demon, appeared, his blood-red eyes staring at Xu Jingming. "This world is laughable, isn't it? I worked so hard to run a business, but the officials cheated me, the gangs cheated me, and in the end, someone took my wife, harmed my children, seized my family property, and I died unjustly in prison."

"And the officials who treated human life like grass were high above, wielding great power."

"That Master Wang Kan is a tyrant in Liu County. He doesn't know how many lives he's harmed, but he's still living freely."

"In this world, good people work hard and still lose their lives! Evil people act recklessly, harm people's lives, but can enjoy wealth and glory to the fullest!"

"Is this world wrong, or am I wrong?" Li Chong, in the form of a demon, stared at Xu Jingming, his blood-red eyes filled with confusion. "Shouldn't I be a good person, should I be an evil person?"

"How pleasant it is to be an evil person, how dare anyone bully me like this if I were an evil person? I hate it, I hate it!" Li Chong's voice echoed in Xu Jingming's consciousness.

Li Chong's obsession was already impacting Xu Jingming's mind and consciousness.

The collision between obsession and mind was also the most dangerous time.

"Those two murderers said you were a pathetic worm," Xu Jingming's consciousness was very calm. "You are indeed pathetic, and you are also pathetically stupid."

"I'm pathetic, I'm stupid?" The demon Li Chong's obsession became even more frantic. "I was stupid for not being an evil person before! Isn't it much more pleasant now that I'm an evil person, a demon?"

"That's why you've been reduced to being refined by me," Xu Jingming's consciousness responded.

The demon Li Chong was stunned.

"I said you were stupid, and you still don't believe it. Evil people killed you, so you want to be an evil person?" Xu Jingming's consciousness continued. "Then if a dog bites you to death, should you become a dog?"

The demon Li Chong didn't know how to refute for a moment.

Evil people harmed him, so he felt it was better to be an evil person. Then what if a dog bit him to death?

"If a dog bites me to death, it's because the dog is too strong, and I couldn't beat it," the demon Li Chong finally argued a reason. "If it were an ordinary dog, I would have kicked it to death long ago."

"Evil people harmed you because the evil people were too strong, and you couldn't beat them," Xu Jingming said. "If it were an ordinary evil person, you would have sent a few guards to kill him long ago."

"The ruffians and gangsters dared to bully you because their gang was stronger than you."

"The officials dared to bully you because the government was stronger than you."

"The reason you're miserable isn't because you're a good person, it's because you're weak!" Xu Jingming said.

The demon Li Chong stared blankly at Xu Jingming.

"Even if you become an evil person, if you're weak, you'll be devoured by even stronger evil people," Xu Jingming continued. "Just like now, even if you become a demon, you, a single demon, will still be refined by me!"

"All because I'm weak?" The demon Li Chong muttered, he was somewhat convinced.

"You are indeed pathetic," Xu Jingming said. "If this world were a peaceful one, you could naturally be a wealthy man. But in this world, demons are rampant, and they can slaughter everywhere at any time. Any family, any force will try to strengthen themselves! Make themselves stronger! If they want to survive!"

"In such a chaotic world, weakness is a sin." Xu Jingming's conscious voice struck the demon Li Chong's obsession, and his obsession was already wavering.

This chapter was written a bit slowly, sorry.