Wu Dayong arranged Wang Hong in a secluded courtyard behind Qingxu Tower. The place was adorned with various furnishings, and the craftsmanship of the furniture was exquisite.
For the next few years, Wang Hong would spend his time here.
His responsibility was to take on Alchemy commissions from customers and collect rewards. Additionally, he could assist in refining Pills for Qingxu Tower, which could be sold, but most of the Pills sold here were supplied internally by the sect, so it was entirely voluntary.
During his free time, Wang Hong could move around as he pleased, as long as it wasn't too far, and he could be contacted if needed.
As a second-tier Alchemist, this kind of experience was quite enriching.
After settling Wang Hong, he went to find Zhang Chunfeng and Elder Brother, who had come here before. Yesterday, he had inquired about their addresses from Senior Brother Shen Jian.
In the South City District, behind South City Street, there was an alley with neatly arranged houses of consistent architectural style.
This area was where Qingxu Sect arranged the residences for Foundation Building disciples.
Wang Hong found one of the houses, sent a Transmission Talisman inside these houses were protected by formations, and knocking on the door wouldn't work.
After a moment, the door opened, and Zhang Chunfeng walked out.
"Senior Brother! You're here too?"
Zhang Chunfeng was somewhat surprised to see Wang Hong.
"I was assigned to this place shortly after reaching Foundation Building. Let's talk inside," Wang Hong said, taking the initiative.
"Yes, yes, Senior Brother, please come in!"
Wang Hong followed Zhang Chunfeng into his house, which was smaller and simpler in decor compared to Wang Hong's solitary courtyard.
Zhang Chunfeng brewed a pot of Spirit Tea, and the two chatted about various matters concerning Jin'an City and the Boundary Mountain Range.
From their conversation, Wang Hong learned that hunting demons in the Boundary Mountain Range was not an easy task.
Humans hunted Demon Clan members, and in turn, Demon Clan hunted humans. It wasn't a situation where a large group of Demonic Beasts waited for humans to come and hunt them.
Within the Boundary Mountain Range, there were numerous birds and beasts, and among them were the eyes and ears of the Demon Clan. Therefore, Demon Clan often set up ambushes to kill human cultivators.
A few days ago, a team of ten people encountered an ambush by a group of Demonic Beasts in the Boundary Mountain Range. Two Foundation Building cultivators were killed on the spot, and several others were injured. Elder Brother, who was on the mission with them, was seriously injured and was now recovering at home.
In the process of hunting demons, injuries were common, and deaths were not rare.
As they discussed the Demon Clan, to the west of the Boundary Mountain Range, Yun Qingya quietly traversed the forest. In the West Zhou Demon Realm, humans wandering carelessly outside would become targets for numerous Demonic Beasts.
Demon Clan hunted humans for various reasons. Some were used as food, while those with better aptitude were raised and some even chosen to become Demon Clan's pets.
Because humans had higher intelligence, were easier to tame, and more useful, it was quite popular within the Demon Clan to domesticate human pets.
Yun Qingya was a native of the West Zhou Demon Realm. Until the age of five, she lived with her parents and a group of uncles in a secluded mountain cave. The family struggled to survive by gathering wild fruits and hunting small animals.
Due to her frailty from a young age, the uncles were not fond of her. However, her parents never blamed her and continued to cherish her like a pearl in their palms. Despite often going hungry and lacking proper clothing, Yun Qingya felt happy with the love of her parents. Even now, recalling those times brought sweetness to her heart.
Tragedy struck when she was five. One day, a group of Demon Clan members raided their mountain cave, capturing everyone. They killed all the adults, including Yun Qingya's parents. She witnessed a Demonic Beast knock her father down, biting off a leg, and blood flowed everywhere.
The small Yun Qingya, witnessing her parents' death, saw their eyes filled with reluctance, worry, and perhaps something else.
She and a group of children were then herded together and literally raised, locked inside another mountain cave. Food was thrown in casually every day, causing chaotic scrambles among the children.
The food varied from nearly spoiled wild fruits to leaves of wild vegetables, occasionally including some unidentified meat. Once, Yun Qingya found a human finger in a pile of minced meat, reminding her of her consumed parents. From then on, she chose to go hungry rather than compete for meat.
Some among them tried to escape, but they were quickly caught. Three children were tied to a bonfire, roasted alive in front of everyone. The smell of cooking flesh wafted in the air, and the screams lingered, ensuring no one dared to escape again.
After being raised for two years, Yun Qingya was sold to a Demon Clan member covered in black scales, with a humanoid appearance. She became this Demon Clan's human pet after being acknowledged.
Later, another human pet, seemingly aged fifty or sixty, was assigned to educate her. Every day, she learned the language, writing, and various customs of the human race. The teachings covered even the minutest details, such as walking posture and tone of speech. Failure to meet the requirements resulted in punishment.
At the age of eighteen, she was brought to Azure Void City. After spending some time there, she successfully joined Qingxu Sect.
In Qingxu Sect, she experienced care from elders and admiration from fellow disciples, momentarily forgetting she was just a human pet.
However, this happiness was short-lived. She received orders to cooperate with another human pet, subduing some Qingxu Sect disciples to become undercover agents for the Demon Clan.
Now, she moved cautiously, despite being someone's possession. If she were casually killed by passing Demon Clan members for dinner, her owner wouldn't seek revengeperhaps just compensating with a few Spirit Herbs.
Since the Demon Clan lagged in Pill Recipe refinement, their transactions seldom involved Pills, mostly consisting of raw Spirit Herbs.
After two days of stealth, she finally returned to her owner's cave mansiona not too large stone palace entirely constructed from blue stones.
At the upper part of the main hall, a Demon Clan member with tusks, covered in black scales with a thick tail, sat high. Two robust humans, apparently females, served this Demon Clan member attentively.
The two women were tall and muscular, with bulging muscles, facial hair, and a layer of fine beard on their mouths.
[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]