Zhao Ci stared at Feng Kucha's state of undress, feeling like his eyes had been tainted.
Feng Kucha felt a little awkward under his gaze. "You could've given me a heads-up you were coming. You've been waiting long?"
"I called out to you a couple of times."
Zhao Ci rubbed his brow and pointed at the kicked-open door of the Practice Room. "The soundproofing in here must be too good, and you were working so hard you didn't hear me!"
Feng Kucha slapped his thigh. "Tell me about it! Let me tell you, what I can't stand most are murderous, thieving demons. This Cat Demon here killed seven people last month. A man like me, who despises demons with a passion, has no choice but to give her a good thrashing, right?"
With that, he kicked the Cat Demon and cursed, "It's your lucky day. My brother's here. Scram for now. I'll deal with you later!"
The Cat Demon looked as if she'd received a royal pardon. She scrambled up, chains in hand, and fled toward the Practice Room.
Judging by the bloodstains on her body, she must have been through a great deal of torture.
[Feng Kucha's Current Wish]: I actually want to keep going right now. Wish Fulfillment Reward: Enlightenment Value +10, Reconnection Talisman x1.
'It's a blue one.'
Zhao Ci raised an eyebrow. "Don't stop! Evil must be completely eradicated. You continue, I can wait!"
Feng Kucha was overjoyed. "That's my brother! Just wait for me to beat her to death, and we can talk business afterward."
Hearing this, the Cat Demon's face turned deathly pale.
[Mao Ning's Current Wish]: This human pervert has too many tricks. I want to escape this hell, even if it means going back to the Demon-Slaying Bureau! Enlightenment Value +10, Torture Talisman x1.
This wish was also blue.
However, Zhao Ci had no intention of fulfilling it.
Feng Kucha was a bit of a pervert. He wasn't interested in women, but he had a huge interest in Banshees. He didn't like the ones that hadn't transformed, nor did he like the fully transformed ones. He specifically liked these half-transformed, "unripe" ones. His tastes were quite extreme.
Of course, that wasn't to say he had no moral compass.
These Banshees were all rented at a high price from the Demon-Slaying Bureau's death row. Every one of them was steeped in evil and unworthy of sympathy.
The Cat Demon looked pitiful only because her cultivation had been sealed by the Demon-Binding Rope. Otherwise, ten Feng Kuchas wouldn't be able to withstand a single swipe of her claws.
'Demon-Binding Rope…'
Zhao Ci smacked his lips. The Feng Clan primarily cultivated the Gold and Wood Divine Treasures. Their ancestral Gold Element Divine Pattern corresponded to the Divine Technique, Demon-Binding Rope. Relying on this, they became the number one Beast Taming Family in the Great Yu.
Through beast taming alone, they handled thirty percent of the Great Yu's land transport and seventy percent of its canal transport, and they could even produce flying mounts.
With their side business in Alchemy, they held a firm seat among the Upper Three Families of the seven great Merit Clans.
'Truly a powerhouse.'
'It would be great if I could cultivate the Demon-Binding Rope in the future. Tying up a Fox Demon or something would be a lot of fun.'
'But I can't be like Feng Kucha and go for just any trash.'
[Hint]: Wish fulfilled. Reward obtained: Enlightenment Value +10, Reconnection Talisman x1.
[Reconnection Talisman]: Affix to a target to resume an interrupted state.
Zhao Ci was speechless.
'This Talisman Paper is a bit odd. Resume an interrupted state?'
'Seems like it could be used to extend a state of sudden enlightenment.'
'But the cultivation system of this world doesn't seem to have the concept of sudden enlightenment.'
'Whatever. I'll hold onto it for now.'
「A moment later.」
CREAK!
The door opened again.
Feng Kucha walked out, his clothes now neat and tidy. Someone else then entered the Practice Room and escorted the unconscious Cat Demon away. Judging by the new shackles she wore, she was probably being sent back to the Demon-Slaying Bureau.
Zhao Ci was shocked. "Kucha! Are the Banshees at your house all single-use?"
Feng Kucha looked a bit uncomfortable. "It's mainly that this Cat Demon's sins were too great. I got angry and went a little too hard on her."
'Any demon who dares leave the deep mountains and sneak into the Central Plains to suck the life force of commoners is bound to be deeply sinful.'
'Still... are you sure you only used your *hands*?'
Zhao Ci pursed his lips. "You spend all your monthly salary on this. Isn't that a bit extravagant?"
Feng Kucha shrugged. "Doesn't matter! My old man feels guilty, so he's not shy about giving me money. Have you eaten? Let's go out!"
Zhao Ci shook his head. "No need. We can just eat something here."
"Works for me!"
Feng Kucha nodded and gestured for Zhao Ci to take a seat.
The food at the Feng Mansion was excellent, no worse than what you could get at a restaurant.
The two of them chatted as they ate.
But as they continued talking...
Feng Kucha sensed something was off. He looked up and asked, "Did you come to see me about something? You usually ask me for dog training tips, but today you keep asking about the Feng Family's businesses."
Zhao Ci didn't hide it and stated his purpose directly. "I've established my own residence!"
"Oh, you established your residence... Wait, what? You established your own residence?"
Feng Kucha looked baffled. "What's wrong with you? Why torture yourself like that? Are you trying to get rid of your monthly salary?"
Zhao Ci shrugged. "I just felt that lazing around and waiting to die was pointless. I wanted to try my hand at something serious."
"You... you're insane!"
Feng Kucha suddenly thought of something and looked at Zhao Ci warily. "You didn't come here today to try and recruit me, did you? Let me be upfront. I consider you a brother, but if you try to make me one of your Mansion Officials, don't blame me for turning my back on you!"
"Is it that serious?"
"Of course it is! If I become your Mansion Official, I'll lose my allowance. With that measly official salary, how am I supposed to afford my... demon-slaying activities?"
"..."
[Feng Kucha's Current Wish]: I hope Zhao Ci doesn't use our friendship to rope me into being a Mansion Official. Wish Fulfillment Reward: Enlightenment Value +1, Binding Talisman x1.
Zhao Ci pursed his lips.
He knew recruiting people wouldn't be that simple.
Still, he hadn't expected such a strong reaction from Feng Kucha.
So he dropped the subject. "Relax! Even if my place were a pit of fire, you'd have to jump in yourself. I'm not going to force you."
[Hint]: Wish fulfilled. Reward obtained: Enlightenment Value +1, Binding Talisman x1.
[Binding Talisman]: Affix to a target to forcibly restrain them, severely restricting their movements for a period of time. Effects vary depending on the target.
"Good!"
Feng Kucha breathed a sigh of relief, then grinned. "But it's no big deal. In the future, if you're short on cash but still want to live it up, just come find me. Establishing your own household may restrict outside income, but you can always come here for a free meal. So, tell me, what did you need my help with?"
Zhao Ci considered for a moment. "I'm planning to start a business to get things moving, but I don't know where to begin. If it's convenient, I'd like to take a look at your family's Beast Taming Arena and Pill Workshop."
Feng Kucha chuckled. "If you're asking, then of course it's convenient! But Alchemy and beast taming aren't things you can learn just by watching. Don't get ahead of yourself!"
Zhao Ci scoffed. "I'm not that cocky. I just want to see if there are any related side businesses, like buying up used medicinal ingredients or selling spirit beast manure. I'm all about being practical."
Feng Kucha was speechless.
He had trouble imagining a Prince shoveling manure.
After dinner, the two left the Feng Mansion.
The Feng Family's main industry was beast taming, but the Beast Taming Arena smelled awful, so it was built in the Lingge North Suburb. It was a bit far, and since it was already getting late, they wouldn't be able to make it today.
The Pill Workshop, on the other hand, was just in the west of the city, a short walk away.
This was a street lined with Pill Workshops; nearly every one in Lingge City, large and small, was located here.
From low-end Qi Cultivation Pills to high-end Pattern Condensing Pills, each had its own market. The street was bustling even at night, filled with the city's Cultivators.
The Feng Family owned several high-end shops here. The front halls were too crowded with customers to see anything of value, so Feng Kucha led Zhao Ci directly to the back.
The back was quieter, but by no means empty. Each Alchemist was trailed by a throng of Alchemy Apprentices, and there were scores of laborers washing and chopping medicinal ingredients.
The scene felt deeply familiar to Zhao Ci, as if he were back in his past life, slaving away as a research grunt in a lab.
As they walked, Feng Kucha chattered on, completely ignoring the chorus of "Greetings, Young Master" that followed them.
"Honestly, I wouldn't recommend you get into Alchemy. It's a really tough business to break into."
"Pills are expensive because of the complex synergistic properties of their ingredients, which requires a powerful Alchemist to balance. As for the raw materials, most of them aren't actually that pricey. The herb suppliers are all desperately undercutting each other to secure a contract with a Pill Workshop, so there's really no money to be made there."
"All the best Alchemists are concentrated in the Zhu, Feng, and Yang families. The Zhu Family, needless to say, is the undisputed number one Alchemy family, with their inherited Divine Treasure being primarily Fire and secondarily Wood. Our Feng Family's Wood Element Divine Treasure is decent enough for us to get by. The Dian Nan Yang Family specializes in venom-craft and poisons, so they can carve out a niche with some of their strange Pill Formulas."
"As for the other, smaller clans, they just can't compete with the three of us. Even the Imperial Family is always trying to poach Alchemists from our families."
"And don't even get me started on that bastard Zhao Yong. Why is he so successful in the Pill Realm? It's only because he's backed by the Zhu Family! It gives him a legitimate excuse to poach Alchemists from his mother's clan for the Imperial Family. Without them, he's nothing..."
It had to be said, while Feng Kucha was a hedonist, he was surprisingly knowledgeable.
Listening to his explanation, Zhao Ci felt as if things were suddenly much clearer.
After listening to him for a while, the two of them passed through the back area and arrived at a quiet courtyard.
The courtyard contained a single, windowless building. A large iron door bore a plaque with the two words "Alchemy Room" written on it.
Feng Kucha grabbed Zhao Ci's sleeve and headed for the iron door.
Zhao Ci was surprised. "Are we allowed in?"
"What's the big deal?"
Feng Kucha grinned smugly. "In the Feng Family, I, Brother Kucha, can do whatever I want! Forget the Alchemy Room, I could even take you to see the spirit beasts giving birth! The more you see, the more ideas you might get."
With that, he pushed the door to go inside.
Unexpectedly, the patterns on the iron door flared with a brilliant golden light.
Feng Kucha let out a pained cry and was sent flying backward.
Zhao Ci jumped in alarm and hurried over. "Are you okay?"
"COUGH COUGH! Don't worry, COUGH! It's nothing!"
"Didn't you say you could do whatever you want in the Feng Family?"
Lying half-sprawled on the ground, Feng Kucha craned his neck and retorted, "Well, am I not horizontal right now?"
Zhao Ci was speechless.
'Fair enough. He is horizontal.'