CFRSIO Chapter 34

“What’s going on with that farmer?” Zhang Qing’an, though not at the entrance, still heard the rumors. He ended the matters in the backyard hastily and walked over.

Standing before him was the Zhang family’s butler. Zhang Qing’an had originally not intended to keep this butler, wanting to cultivate his own influence. However, considering the butler knew quite a lot, he let the man stay.

Having been with the Zhang family for many years, the butler had previously worked closely with Zhang Quan. He naturally knew very well what Zhang Quan had done in the past. In a way, the butler’s competence far surpassed that of this young master. Suddenly being hit with a question, it was no wonder his expression changed.

“Young master, rest assured, I will handle this matter immediately,” the butler said quickly.

Zhang Qing’an looked at them with a hint of disdain. Zhang Qing’an wasn’t completely unaware of Zhang Quan’s affairs. He just didn’t expect his seemingly kind and benevolent father, despite the lack of any real father-son affection between them, to be the birth father. The reputation of the Zhang family could not be trampled on so easily.

“If this matter is not handled properly, you don’t need to continue staying with the Zhang family,” Zhang Qing’an said coldly.

Naturally, neither of them thought this was a dismissal. The butler knew too much to be easily dismissed, and the butler also knew what would happen if he left, so he naturally was unwilling to leave.

“Also, there is one more thing…” The butler’s subservient appearance truly made him look like an obedient servant. But they all knew this was far from a well-behaved servant.

“What is it?”

“The Chen family is also causing trouble, demanding more money.”

Zhang Qing’an frowned, showing some irritation about the matter the butler mentioned. Qing Shui mentally noted down this “Chen family,” thinking it might be useful.

“Since they want money, give it to them,” Zhang Qing’an was not foolish, knowing that if there’s one, there will be two. The money might be easy to give, but whether it’s easy to take is another matter. “Tell Zhang Da to go.”

Zhang Da was their Zhang family’s thug. Sending him to the Chen family might retrieve the money, but life wouldn’t be easy afterward. As the saying goes, it’s easier to meet the King of Hell than a petty official.

Having gotten the information he wanted, Qing Shui slowed his movements and retreated. However, he didn’t leave directly but went into other surrounding rooms. It was fortunate he did, as he saw many astonishing things.

After a brief glance, he immediately ran to find Kui Hua and the others. When in doubt, find Kui Hua first. If Kui Hua didn’t know, then find the Demon King, who would surely know what to do.

“Kui Hua, these things?” Qing Shui was still a bit stunned. Those things looked like torture devices, yet not ordinary ones. They always looked like they were nothing good. Now Qing Shui stood with Gao Da Tou and the others. Who could blame them? This matter was not to be investigated lightly. It was true that ordinary families, without money or power, and needing to feed their families, could not compete with such wealthy families. However, the Zhang family truly made one unable to look.

“The Demon King originally asked us to cause trouble here,” Kui Hua said.

When Qing Shui found them, he also took the two of them to see the “torture chamber.” The torture chamber was well hidden. If they hadn’t been so sensitive to scents, they wouldn’t have discovered these things. The smell of blood on them indicated what had happened before.

Before coming, Kui Hua had privately found Lin Yunliang and asked for his stance. Seeing that the man wasn’t very concerned about the Zhang family’s affairs, he understood. Lin Yunliang only had eyes for Zhang Qing’an. If anything truly happened to the Zhang family, Lin Yunliang wouldn’t care, let alone Zhang Qing’an’s scheme against Zhang Qing’an. Seeing Kui Hua’s demeanor, everyone knew he had a plan.

Meanwhile, Lin Yunliang was leading people to Ping Town. Ping Town was quite far, requiring a significant amount of time whether by boat or carriage. Lin Yunliang specifically bought a very comfortable carriage and asked Siam and Cang Shu to accompany him. Although Lin Yunliang felt a bit jealous inwardly, he had to accept it to make the person feel at ease and comfortable.

Traveling on the road, Lin Yunliang drove the carriage from the outside, while Cang Shu and Siam accompanied Zhang Qing’an inside. One was resting obediently, leaning against him, while the other was quietly by his side, allowing Zhang Qing’an to gently stroke it from time to time. With his head resting on Cang Shu’s soft belly and a well-behaved, adorable little cat by his side, life couldn’t be more comfortable.

Lin Yunliang outside wasn’t as fortunate. Because along the way, various troublesome matters kept appearing. Some things were following them. The movements were very small, and the traces were inconspicuous, but Lin Yunliang still discovered them. At the same time, he was also annoyed. These things were truly detestable. Lin Yunliang was not a good-natured person to begin with, and now that someone was harassing them, he certainly wouldn’t show them any pleasantries. He got up and left the carriage shaft. The horse could sense that these people were unusual, so it was very obedient, not daring to resist at all. Even if someone left now, it would still run obediently.

“Who sent you?” Lin Yunliang turned and approached the group. Amusingly, those little demons were snow demons. In this relatively warm region, they were starting to melt. Their features and bodies were clearly distorted, clearly unable to adapt to the local climate. Lin Yunliang appeared calm, but he was secretly smiling, thinking that An’an had never seen snow, perhaps he could take him to the north to see it. Of course, this would be after his leg was healed and after dealing with Shi Ren and Chu Shi. However, he thought this day should arrive soon.

It could be seen that the snow demons also really didn’t want to come here. This place was a habitable city for humans, but for them, it was torture. Yet, they had to obey the Demon King’s orders as minor demons. Seeing Lin Yunliang appear, before Lin Yunliang could even make a move, several minor snow demons fell to the ground first. Lin Yunliang silently took a few steps back. He clearly hadn’t done anything. They shouldn’t try to frame him. Moreover, why were their legs so weak? Why were they sent? He didn’t believe the people sent wouldn’t know the situation of their subordinates. This also…

When the few snow demons clearly saw who had arrived, they were terrified. The Demon Kings hadn’t been in contact with each other for a long time. These minor demons also hadn’t seen such powerful great demons for a long time. It was understandable that they were frightened.

“You are snow demons from the north, what are you doing here? Did Xue Mian send you?”

The few minor demons’ legs grew even weaker. They didn’t dare to call the Demon King by name. Only between Demon Kings could they address each other like that. The few minor demons were already disoriented by the weather here. Seeing their appearance, Lin Yunliang understood almost everything. “Is Shi Ren with your Xue Mian Demon King?” “What did Shi Ren promise Xue Mian?” “Where is Chu Shi? Is he also in the north?” “Oh, not only in the north, but also with your Xue Mian Demon King, right?” The few minor demons truly said nothing, but their reactions were enough to explain everything. It really was because of those two guys. A surge of anger rose in Lin Yunliang’s heart. He didn’t understand why Shi Ren kept coming to trouble him. It seemed he had to go find Shi Ren again.

“Lin Yunliang.” Zhang Qing’an, noticing the silence outside, felt his heart jump inexplicably and quickly called out.

“I’m here.” Lin Yunliang responded, using some demonic power to let his voice reach Zhang Qing’an’s ears. As for the minor demons in front of him, he had other arrangements. With a flick of his finger, a crystal ball appeared, trapping them securely inside. The few minor demons were so frightened that they couldn’t help but release cold air, causing frost to appear on the entire crystal ball. Lin Yunliang’s expression turned grim at that moment. Their desire to survive immediately kicked in, and they quickly restrained their rampant demonic power. The snowflakes on the crystal ball immediately disappeared. At least they wouldn’t act up like before. The entire crystal ball looked even more beautiful.

“You…” Before he could finish speaking, he saw the curtain being pulled open, and someone from outside leaned in, holding a sparkling object.

“A vendor passing by was selling this, so I specifically bought one,” he said, presenting the crystal ball containing the snow demons as if offering a treasure. The little snowmen inside were jumping around, looking lively and very cute. Zhang Qing’an accepted it frankly. Along the way, Lin Yunliang always bought him things: sometimes delicious pastries, sometimes grass-woven grasshoppers and mantises, sometimes beautiful hair crowns. In short, he had everything. At first, he would refuse, but after many times, and with Lin Yunliang’s constant “heard it but won’t change” attitude, Zhang Qing’an stopped caring. Besides, he quite liked the things this person gave him.

“So beautiful.” Zhang Qing’an took it, shaking the small ball. The little things inside also jiggled around, looking as if they were alive. “I’ve never seen snow before.”

“When you get better, how about we go to the north to see snow?” Lin Yunliang took Siam’s place and tossed the little cat out. He also hung the reins around Siam’s neck. Siam was very speechless. Fine, fine, he was indeed the most superfluous. He still held the reins, reluctantly going outside.

“Okay.” Zhang Qing’an agreed. “Have you been to the north before?” Zhang Qing’an admired Lin Yunliang, who must have traveled to many places as a merchant. But he would also be able to go to many places later.

“Yes, we even went skiing,” Lin Yunliang continued.

“Skiing?” Zhang Qing’an’s eyes sparkled, and he looked at Lin Yunliang with a happy expression. “It sounds very interesting. Can you do it too?” Zhang Qing’an thought his “we” referred to their group, so he asked.

“I can teach you,” Lin Yunliang immediately replied.

“Okay.” Zhang Qing’an was very happy. Cang Shu watched them, unable to help but mutter inwardly that the Demon King treated Young Master Zhang very well. At first, they didn’t quite believe Siam, but now, it seemed the Demon King truly liked this Zhang Qing’an. He already had an idea of Zhang Qing’an’s identity and would be even more fawning in the future. Lin Yunliang had no objections to this. With Cang Shu’s attitude, he would definitely take better care of Zhang Qing’an.

“Then, let’s stop here.” Seeing that the weather wasn’t good, Lin Yunliang said, got off the carriage, and led the horse down the main road.

“Where is this?” Zhang Qing’an lifted the window curtain and looked outside. It was quite lively outside, with people all along the road and many hurried pedestrians. They found an inn and requested a room. The innkeeper was initially hesitant to accept their business, as Lin Yunliang brought cats and dogs, fearing they would offend other guests. But seeing the other person in a wheelchair, he knew that the cats and dogs probably wouldn’t run around recklessly. Moreover, Lin Yunliang was really generous, giving a lot of money. Only then did the manager immediately take them to the backyard. There was a small courtyard in the backyard, which was usually cleaned. It was generally favored by young masters and ladies from wealthy families who preferred quiet. It was suitable for them to stay now. The waiter came to help lead the horse and watch the horse, while Lin Yunliang carried Zhang Qing’an down from the carriage. All this way, Zhang Qing’an had been moved around by Lin Yunliang, as he couldn’t walk. Over time, he had gotten used to it. Plus, he had always been well-behaved and had not committed any offense, so Zhang Qing’an hadn’t said anything.

“Guest, do you have any other requests?” The waiter saw them like this and had no reaction. He had seen many people and it wasn’t the first time he had seen such a scene, so he wouldn’t discriminate against them because of it.

“Bring some hot water,” Lin Yunliang thought for a moment and said. Along the way, he had only given him a simple wipe-down. It was better to let him wash properly to feel comfortable.

“Ah, please wait a moment.” Upon hearing this request, the waiter knew what they intended to do and immediately responded. Siam and Cang Shu were surrounding the crystal ball, one cat and one dog, meowing and barking, appearing quite harmonious.

“Are these little demons from the north? Why do they look so dull and silly?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen them before.”

“What do you think they’ll taste like? Spicy? Sweet?”

“I don’t know. It’s my first time seeing them too.”

“This ball is for coaxing Zhang Qing’an. If we were to leave somewhere, would Brother Lin be angry?”

“I don’t know. I don’t dare.”

“Why don’t you know anything!” Zhang Qing’an didn’t want to go into the house. He had been cooped up in the carriage all day and now didn’t want to go into the house. Naturally, he wanted to go outside to feel the breeze and get some air. There was a large tree in the small courtyard, a lush banyan tree, with a stone table and stone chairs placed under it. Zhang Qing’an asked someone to place him in the chair. Lin Yunliang hesitated for a moment, but seeing his enthusiasm, he didn’t stop him. He first let him sit down, then got a cushion, and placed him comfortably on the seat. He then sat to the side, watching the cat and dog squabbling, as if they truly understood each other. It was very cute. He also found it amusing seeing Siam look like he wished he could go up and give Cang Shu a good slap. Lin Yunliang was unloading things from the carriage and glancing over there. Seeing that the person, cat, and dog all seemed quite happy, he didn’t pay much attention.

“Let us go! We didn’t mean to come! We didn’t do anything!” The snow demons cried loudly. They were truly innocent. They hadn’t done anything, and they only came here because of orders. Who knew they would be so unlucky as to run directly into the Azure Cloud Demon King? Crying was useless, especially in front of them.

“We’ll tell you everything! Really!”

“Let us go!”

“They seem very pitiful,” Cang Shu said. Although he said that, he had no intention of letting them out. Besides, whether to let them out or not wasn’t something he could decide. Lin Yunliang watched the playing cat and dog and didn’t say anything. He knew this might just be the beginning. As expected, it was as he thought. As night fell, the sky darkened, and the surroundings became silent, but some things were different.

Zhang Qing’an’s face was rosy. It was said that wealthy families were accustomed to enjoying life and would have servants attend to their bathing, but the Zhang family was not like that. Zhang Qing’an was also not accustomed to such service. But in his current condition, it was inconvenient for him to move, so he had to rely on this person to serve him, which made him feel very awkward. Lin Yunliang wanted to tease him, but he dared not, fearing he might anger the person. Then it wouldn’t be good. Moreover, tonight seemed peaceful, but it was just the calm before the storm. He had to settle the person down first before he could be completely at ease. Siam was no longer following the original plot now. When they learned of the insectoid intrusion, he knew the original plot was unreliable, and many things that were not originally in the plot would appear. For example, Zhang Qing’an’s injury, which shouldn’t have happened. According to the original plot, Zhang Qing’an’s life was stable and smooth. The only situation where he would get into trouble was after Qingyun Mountain was gone, and the turmoil caused by other Demon Kings. Now that the matter of someone getting injured had occurred, the reference value of the original plot was very low.

After tucking the person into the quilt, Lin Yunliang also tucked Siam in to warm the bed.

“Rest well,” Lin Yunliang said. “Tomorrow I’ll take you fishing.”

“Okay.” Mentioning this, Zhang Qing’an couldn’t help but curve his eyes. Although they were going fishing, Lin Yunliang didn’t know why, but he had terrible luck. Fish rarely swam towards him. Even Siam and Cang Shu could catch fish, but Lin Yunliang always came up empty. Lin Yunliang also knew that his luck was very bad. Seeing the person smile, he didn’t feel troubled, only hoping the person would smile more and be happier. Not long after he walked out a few steps, he was surrounded.

Several people, whose faces couldn’t be seen clearly, surrounded Lin Yunliang. He didn’t know who sent them, but he knew there were many people who wanted his life. The number of people who wanted his life was definitely not small. It really was a headache. Cang Shu hid in the dark, ready to attack at any moment, while also being vigilant against those people to prevent anyone from acting sneakily. Cang Shu originally thought he could show off his skills, but he didn’t expect Lin Yunliang’s fighting skills to be terrifying. The attackers were not just the first wave; each wave consisted of five people. Their cooperation was tacit, indicating they had done this together many times. There were five waves in total. The first wave didn’t know Lin Yunliang’s depth and were mainly there to test him. However, the subsequent waves were clearly much more powerful. But Lin Yunliang’s abilities were not for show. Coupled with his status as a Demon King, he had a natural control over other minor demons. The weaker minor demons were even “defected” by Lin Yunliang’s commands and started attacking their own people. The scene instantly descended into chaos. This was their own people fighting themselves. It was truly a lucky break for Lin Yunliang. After dealing with them, Lin Yunliang then called out to Cang Shu.

“Sir, you don’t even have anyone left to fight, and you’re calling me?” Cang Shu wagged his tail unhappily.

“Clean up this place,” Lin Yunliang ignored the person’s complaints and directly ordered. He was getting more and more skilled at ordering people around now.

“Sir! You can’t do this!”

“Sir!” Lin Yunliang ignored them. He was tired and needed to rest, to conserve his strength and prepare to accompany the person fishing tomorrow. Even if his luck was bad, he still wanted to accompany the person to make them happy. Cang Shu barked a few times, then worried about disturbing others, especially Zhang Qing’an’s peaceful sleep. Lin Yunliang ignored him, so he could only grumble softly in complaint and then moved to take away and deal with the troublemakers. He smelled a very fragrant meat scent, and he hadn’t eaten much recently. This could be considered an extra meal for him! Not bad! Zhang Qing’an was not woken up, but Siam was.

[Host.] Lin Yunliang had just returned to his room when he received Siam’s message.

“What is it?”

[The guys who came had the aura of insectoids on them. It should be Zhou San’s doing.]

“I know.” Lin Yunliang had already noticed, or rather, had long guessed. “Zhou San should have already merged with Shi Ren.” Siam swayed, clearly shocked by what he said. [Are you… sure?] There were cases of protagonists being parasitized, but merging. Lin Yunliang used the word “merging,” indicating that this was no longer a simple matter to handle. Therefore, this matter did not need to be reported.

[I will report this to the Director immediately.] Siam said. [Also, if this small world is truly occupied by insectoids to this extent.] [You need to be mentally prepared; this mission will end early.] Lin Yunliang paused. “It’s fine, as long as he’s safe, it doesn’t matter.” “Also, will I be able to see him in the next mission?” [Yes, don’t worry.] If Siam were present, he would definitely see Siam’s twitching mouth. After Siam discovered the contractor’s mistake, he immediately looked into Lin Yunliang’s situation. Lin Yunliang came from a good family, but the kinship among his relatives was terrifyingly weak, making Lin Yunliang indifferent to most things. However, he didn’t expect to meet someone he had unintentionally met when he was lost as a child, even leading to the need to bring one more person on this mission. However, it was also good that this person would not affect their mission, and their presence could suppress Lin Yunliang’s violent emotions. It could be seen that people were still important. However, no one expected Zhou San to be so crazy.

“An’an!” Although the incident happened suddenly, Lin Yunliang still jumped into the water without hesitation. He swam desperately towards Zhang Qing’an. What exactly happened?