Chapter 131: We Once Corresponded
Tang Thirty-Six’s manner of speaking had always been the most hateful thing in the world. Even when he wasn’t swearing, no one liked it.
But Chen Changsheng liked it, because Tang Thirty-Six was his best friend, and even more because whenever he needed help the most, this guy would always show up. Moreover, this guy understood his true thoughts better than he did. Whenever he didn’t know how to choose, listening to this guy was never wrong.
Tang Thirty-Six’s words certainly had no logic, yet inexplicably they carried a strange persuasiveness.
“How did you get here?”
Chen Changsheng was very worried about Tang Thirty-Six’s health.
Judging by Tang Thirty-Six’s complexion, that strange high fever seemed to have subsided, but his body should be very weak, otherwise he wouldn’t be sitting in a wheelchair.
Tang Thirty-Six said, “How could such an important historical moment lack my presence?”
Old Master Tang stared at him with a frosty face, ready to scold him.
“Don’t force me to air the family’s dirty laundry.”
After saying this, Tang Thirty-Six began to cough.
Ye Xiaolian quickly patted his back.
Tang Thirty-Six waved his hand, took a pure white handkerchief from his sleeve, and pressed it to his mouth, his brows slightly furrowed as if in pain.
Whether it was Old Master Tang or Chen Changsheng, neither could tell if this affected, literary pose was real or fake, so naturally they didn’t press further.
Xu Yourong glanced at Ye Xiaolian. Ye Xiaolian lowered her head in shame, and she knew that the two of them had never gone to Cold Mountain but had turned back halfway.
Tang Thirty-Six ignored all this and said to the Demon Lord, “Forgot to introduce myself.”
The Demon Lord said, “I know you.”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “Yeah, back then in White Emperor City you were really rude to me. Didn’t expect that ten years later I’d be the one to expose your tricks, did you?”
The Demon Lord said calmly, “Your talent for talking to yourself is indeed number one in the world.”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “It seems you really don’t know who I am.”
The Demon Lord said with slight mockery, “Do you think that makes you Su Li?”
Tang Thirty-Six said seriously, “Allow me to introduce myself. I am your pen pal.”
The Demon Lord was slightly startled. “Pen pal?”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “Yes, Your Majesty, I’ve read all your letters, and the first four letters sent to you were all written by me.”
The Demon Lord looked at Chen Changsheng very seriously and said, “That’s a bit much.”
Chen Changsheng explained earnestly, “I’m not good at dealing with people, and we weren’t familiar at first. I was afraid writing would be too awkward.”
The Demon Lord recalled the contents of those letters and said with emotion, “I thought you had considered me a kindred spirit from the very beginning.”
“Your Majesty, I still regard you as a kindred spirit and am still willing to be your best friend.”
Tang Thirty-Six said to the Demon Lord, “So, old friend… give me that thing in your hand.”
The Demon Lord looked at him quietly and suddenly asked, “Where does your confidence come from?”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “I don’t know, but even my grandfather won’t play cards with me.”
The Demon Lord said, “If Old Master Tang won’t even play, your card skills must be quite impressive.”
“My card skills are actually ordinary, far inferior to my grandfather’s or the Saintess’s, but I have one move that can win against anyone.”
Tang Thirty-Six said seriously, “I’m best at flipping the card table. If I can’t flip the table, then I bet everything I have.”
“The Tang family is the richest in the human race. If you bet everything with someone, you’re sure to win every time.”
The Demon Lord said with slight mockery, “But if you want to bet everything with me, I’m afraid you don’t have as many chips as I do.”
That was true. No matter how wealthy the Tang family was or how deep their foundation, how could they compare to the ruler of the demon domain?
Tang Thirty-Six said seriously, “That may not be the case.”
A voice suddenly rang out in the hall: “I’m in.”
The speaker was Xu Yourong, her expression very calm.
Wang Po also put the Huaiyuan Academy on the line.
More and more people joined in.
Chen Changsheng and Old Master Tang said nothing. Everyone knew what they would do.
Tang Thirty-Six sat in his wheelchair, staring into the Demon Lord’s eyes, his expression more serious than ever before.
This gamble wasn’t about the Tang family or the Li Palace, but the entire human race.
The Demon Lord was silent for a long time, then suddenly said, “Are the conditions in the letters still valid?”
Chen Changsheng said, “Of course.”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “I’ll give you the best deal. Count it as the eleventh letter.”
“Fine.”
The Demon Lord tossed the stone pestle toward Tang Thirty-Six.
Tang Thirty-Six reached out with his right hand, caught the stone pestle, glanced at it twice, and tossed it to Old Master Tang.
Such an important divine artifact, something that could change the fate of the world, was treated in their hands like a worthless trinket.
Including Chen Changsheng, no one was surprised by Tang Thirty-Six’s performance.
No matter how precious something was, he never took it seriously. Years ago in White Emperor City, when he tossed the Divine Staff of the State Religion to Chen Changsheng, it was just as casual.
Only Ye Xiaolian, pushing the wheelchair, knew the truth was otherwise.
She clearly saw that when Tang Thirty-Six caught the stone pestle, the clothes on his back were instantly soaked through. He was clearly extremely nervous.
The Demon Lord looked at Tang Thirty-Six and asked, “Aren’t you really afraid?”
Tang Thirty-Six said with righteous indignation, “I’m not an idiot. How could I not be afraid!”
The Demon Lord said in confusion, “Then why do you appear so calm, with no visible flaws?”
“Maybe it’s because I’ve been relatively wealthy since I was a child.”
Tang Thirty-Six added, “Both materially and spiritually.”
…
…
In the final conversation that night, Shang Xingzhou had mentioned that the Black Robe might have some other tricks, but told Chen Changsheng not to worry too much.
Now it seemed that the Black Robe’s final trick should have been this matter, but he hadn’t expected the Demon Lord’s opposition to be so strong.
Whether or not the Starry Sky Kill could still be used, it was now in Old Master Tang’s hands. Even if the Black Robe appeared, he probably couldn’t snatch it away.
But that altar was still there, meaning the threat hadn’t been completely removed.
“Where is the altar?” Chen Changsheng asked.
The Demon Lord lightly waved his sleeve. Demonic flames flowed, gradually revealing the scene hidden within. Snow Old City appeared faintly.
In one place, the demonic flames were darker, like unreal night with no trace of light remaining.
The altar was there.
Wang Po silently memorized that location, then turned and left the demon palace.
“What about the Demon General and the Second Demon General? And where is the Black Robe?”
Chen Changsheng looked at the Demon Lord and said, “Since we’ve reached an agreement, why not let both sides shed less blood?”
The corners of the Demon Lord’s mouth twitched, carrying a hint of self-mocking smile as he said, “Haven’t you realized yet? I’m now all alone.”
…
…
“All alone” was a term used by human emperors to refer to themselves and wasn’t suitable for the Demon Lord.
Just like those black steles on the hillside—neither their size nor shape was really suitable for use as tombstones.
Thousands of black steles represented thousands of high-ranking demons who had died on the battlefield.
The closer to the mountaintop, the more noble the buried demons’ identities.
Of course, except for that unlucky heir of the Pantagruel family, the nobles of Snow Old City rarely died on the battlefield.
The cemetery was filled with wailing—noble ladies crying for their dead sons, or lovers broken into several pieces.
Many nobles, their faces covered in dust, stared blankly at the night sky.
They knew the cemetery had been set up as an altar by the military advisor, sending news back to the Holy Light Continent. So why had no pillar of light descended to take them away?
The human army had already broken into Snow Old City. Why were they still standing here?
Shouts and the dense sound of hooves came from the night, likely human cavalry clearing out the remaining resistance in the city.
Those nobles were numb, not even showing fear, as if they hadn’t heard those sounds.
Wang Po stood on the mountaintop, watching the weeping women and the walking-dead nobles, silent.
His gaze moved across the cemetery, sensing the energy contained within those black steles, confirming that the Demon Lord hadn’t lied. This should be the altar.
But he still felt something was wrong. This altar shouldn’t be enough to forcibly tear through space, let alone connect two distant continents.
Was it, as the Demon Lord said, that this altar needed to be used in conjunction with the Starry Sky Kill to fully function?
As Wang Po pondered these questions, in a remote corner on the eastern slope of the hill, a gravedigger in tattered clothes, hunched over, was about to leave.
That gravedigger had just dug a new grave and placed an ordinary high-ranking demon corpse inside.
The gravedigger in the cemetery, the corpse in the grave—everything seemed normal. But considering that Snow Old City had just been breached, this was very abnormal.
A calm gaze fell on that gravedigger, watching him slowly walk toward the grassy slope.
Just as the gravedigger’s figure was about to disappear beneath the line where the grassy slope met the night sky, Wang Po’s voice rang out.
“One more time?”
The gravedigger stopped.
The night wind stirred his tattered clothes, revealing that it wasn’t a hunchback—he was naturally very short.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally turned around and said, “Fine.”
His voice was still that hoarse, unpleasant sound.
The rust on his helmet gleamed eerily under the starlight.
The grassland before Mount Norilang was their first encounter. The swamp before Snow Old City was their second.
Tonight’s cemetery was another encounter, and perhaps the last.
The Demon General drew his great blade from the night wind and walked toward Wang Po.
…
…
(The matter of the letters was mentioned in the previous volume. Ten years ago, Tang Tang thought Chen Changsheng wanted him to help write love letters… Also, that line about being both materially and spiritually wealthy isn’t particularly fitting here, but it was a comment I prepared for Tang Thirty-Six three years ago when I started writing Ze Tian Ji. I’ve been waiting to use it but never found the right opportunity. Now that the book is almost finished, I was afraid I wouldn’t get to use it. Friends, we should all strive to be such people.)