Demon, don't come any closer!

Chapter 18 Uncle, I want to take care of you in your old age

Those who achieve great things throughout history...

They can endure what ordinary people cannot.

The Demon Master is the head of all officials in the Sun and Moon Demon Court, second only to the emperor and above all others.

Before he rose to prominence, he was once insulted as a traitor who served three masters. But when the Demon Master assisted the Ancestor of All Demons in opening the Sun and Moon Demon Court and pacifying the world, only his good reputation remained in the world.

With the Qin dynasty having conquered the five states, its momentum was established, and it was about to unify the world, creating an unprecedented human empire with a territory rarely seen in the world.

It stretches from the sea in the east to the desert in the west.

It is ranked alongside the Mermaid Empire and the Giant Empire.

This is a golden age rarely seen in the history of humankind, both ancient and modern.

Of the seven kingdoms that once existed, five were destroyed, leaving only Qin and Chu. This was a war of unification.

At this crucial juncture, if one cannot achieve meritorious service, how can one climb step by step to the top, leave a mark on history, and shine for eternity?

A young boy stood in a dark corner beside the mansion, constantly encouraging himself and searching for reasons to convince himself to let go of all pride.

As a descendant of the Zhao state, especially one connected to the Zhao royal family, Zhao Gao knew that being entrusted with such an important task by the Black Ice Guard was a chance to defy fate. Only by handling things well could he gain the approval of the Black Ice Guard and thus complete his identity transformation into an official of the Qin state.

I've been in Lang County for three days now, and I've gathered enough information. This mansion in front of me belongs to a newly risen underworld boss in Lang County.

The other party has connections to all levels of society, colluding with both the legitimate and criminal worlds, and can even influence demons and monsters.

He is a complete traitor and should be eliminated in the future. The king has conquered five kingdoms and his ambition is boundless. How could he tolerate demons eating people with impunity in the empire?

All demons must be wiped out, and those who collude with demons must be exterminated.

To purify the world, sweep away all evil influences, and create a clean and pure empire.

The Black Ice Guard sent him here precisely to gather intelligence on Lang County: how many demons there were, what their strength was, who was colluding with the demons, and the names of the traitors. When the army arrived, he was to hand over a list.

To complete the mission flawlessly, one cannot simply wander among the common people; that will only yield superficial information. One must immerse oneself in the process to grasp all the details.

Dou Changsheng, who was in the mansion before them, was the target Zhao Gao had chosen.

It wasn't a blind choice, but a selection based on multi-faceted investigation. Others, such as Constable Wang and Magistrate Zhang, were veterans of Lang County and had their own trusted confidants, making it difficult for outsiders to gain their trust. Only Dou Changsheng was different; he had just risen to prominence and was facing a situation where no one could be trusted. It would be easy for me to become Dou Changsheng's confidant, and then, by relying on Dou Changsheng's connections, I could thoroughly understand the situation in Lang County.

After a while, I finally mustered up the courage to walk to the door and start knocking on the door knocker.

Fifteen minutes later.

Dou Changsheng sat upright under a dense tree in the courtyard, watching a thinly dressed young man approach. After thinking carefully, he had no recollection of him and coldly said, "My Dou family has no one like you."

When his relatives and nephews came to visit, Dou Changsheng naturally had to see them, but he never expected to meet a complete stranger.

Zhao Gao quickly said, "Uncle."

"I went to the prefecture when I was young and only recently returned to Lang County, so you are naturally unfamiliar with me."

Dou Changsheng carefully examined the young man before him. He had a rather handsome appearance and was not bad-looking. There was a high chance that he was from the Dou family in the north of the city, because there were no ugly people in the Dou family in the north of the city. Even the most picky monsters could not find fault with him and would say that he was good after eating him.

Dou Changsheng reached into his pocket and pulled out a money pouch containing about thirty incense coins. He tossed it to the boy and said, "Call me uncle, take this money and spend it."

"If you've just returned to the county and don't have a place to stay, your family won't shortchange you on a bed or a meal."

Zhao Gao didn't take the money bag. Instead, he knelt down in front of Dou Changsheng with a thud, his head hitting the ground hard with a dull thud. He must have exerted a lot of force.

With his forehead touching the cold earth, Zhao Gao spoke in a deep voice, "Uncle."

"I've come here this time intending to make a fortune with you."

"I've had enough of poverty. I want to be rich, live in a mansion, and have servants to wait on me."

Dou Changsheng's nonchalant expression vanished instantly, his eyes fixed intently on the young man. He never expected that the Dou family would have such a talent. What rumors had they heard?

Dou Changsheng couldn't help but ask, "Do you know what I do?"

"You want to get rich with me?"

Zhao Gao immediately replied, "I know."

"Your reputation for warming wine and slaying demons in Chenjiazhuang has spread throughout Lang County. You've also become friends with Tiger Lord of the North City. Now, in both the legitimate and criminal worlds of Lang County, who doesn't give you face?"

"When outsiders come to Lang County to make a living, they must first come to pay their respects to Uncle. If Uncle does not agree, they have to get lost."

"No, not only humans, but even demons need Uncle's approval."

Dou Changsheng shook his head and said, "That's outrageous."

"Demons are wild and untamed; how could they possibly care about my attitude?"

"As for the Chenjiazhuang incident, it's been less than a day since it ended. Not to mention outsiders, even most locals in Lang County wouldn't know that you've already learned to speak so eloquently at such a young age."

Dou Changsheng slowly stood up, patted Zhao Gao on the shoulder, and said, "Go back to the county and live a good life. Even if life is tough, at least it will be stable."

Before Zhao Gao could speak, a servant hurried over and stood beside Dou Changsheng, whispering, "An old man carrying a bundle has come from outside. He wants to see the master."

Dou Changsheng looked at the sky. The last ray of sunlight had disappeared, and it was completely dark. What was going on?

No sooner had Manager Li left than his nephew arrived, and now another guest had come. He slightly raised his hand and said, "Please invite him to the main hall. I will be there shortly."

The servant hurriedly left, and Zhao Gao quickly said, "Uncle, may I go and see for myself?"

"Uncle, don't worry, I won't say a word. I'm just going to broaden my horizons and open my eyes."

Dou Changsheng hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. His nephew was too nice to talk to. Since it wasn't anything serious, he figured it wouldn't hurt to meet him. He led the boy to the main hall, where they saw an old man with a sallow complexion and a goatee.

Upon seeing the other person for the first time, Dou Changsheng frowned. Zhao Gao, standing behind him, had his eyes light up and stared intently at the old man. Because the other person was not human, his features were very obvious. He was very satisfied with his choice. As long as he followed Dou Changsheng, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to understand the detailed information about Lang County.

Dou Changsheng looked at the package, which was bulging inside. He became secretly wary, because he suspected that there was a corpse inside, since the old man was not human.

Before Dou Changsheng could speak, the old man spoke first: "Master Dou."

"I come from Fenglaikou. Our innkeeper runs an inn that caters to merchants and travelers from the prefecture and county."

"Recently, County Lieutenant Lin has been coming to our door frequently, each time with a large number of soldiers."

"Master Dou, you know these scoundrels are no good. They extort money and bribes. Even if my boss has a large fortune, he can't withstand this kind of abuse."

"I came to the county this time intending to ask Magistrate Zhang to intervene, but I didn't expect that Lang County would produce such an extravagant person as Lord Dou. As the saying goes, the people don't associate with officials. Asking Magistrate Zhang is not as good as asking Lord Dou to intervene."

As if sensing the confusion in Dou Changsheng's eyes, Zhao Gao stepped forward, deliberately lowered his body, and whispered to Dou Changsheng, "Fenglaikou, Longmen Inn."

"They specialize in selling human flesh."

"It wasn't just demons who came to our door, but also some local evil spirits and heretics."

Dou Changsheng felt a strong smell of blood rushing towards him. Demons were eating people, and people were eating people. The world was in chaos.

The old man stroked his goatee and slowly said, "We understand the rules. As long as Master Dou can deal with County Magistrate Lin, we will pay the protection fee ourselves."

"Our Dragon Gate Inn has always believed in making money through harmony and treating people kindly, adhering to the principle that if you are good, I am good, and everyone is good."

Dou Changsheng resolutely refused, saying, "You've got it wrong. I can't control the situation in the county."

The old man didn't insist. He picked up the package, turned around, and slowly left. Once the old man had disappeared from sight, Zhao Gao immediately said, "Uncle."

"Look, I'm not making this up; your reputation has already spread far and wide."

Dou Changsheng sighed. "What a great reputation it is to slay demons while the wine is still warm. Why are the demons not afraid of it and instead come to us for help? What went wrong?"

Dou Changsheng waved his hand, signaling Zhao Gao to go back first. All his good mood today had been ruined by the Longmen Inn. Openly running a human flesh business, there were many shady things going on here.

The old man's words were so familiar, similar to Cui Shuyu's. I hope I misjudged him.

Zhao Gao left reluctantly, turning back every few steps, showing great reluctance. After leaving the main hall, he did not leave the mansion but chose a side room instead.

I started thinking about the Dragon Inn. The fact that the Dragon Inn was able to stay open and wasn't besieged must mean it was colluding with powerful figures. We'll soon find out who's backing it up, and that'll be a great achievement.

However, Zhao Gao couldn't understand Dou Changsheng's attitude. The other party actually refused. Could he be a good person?

This idea was extinguished by Zhao Gao as soon as it came to mind. How could someone who colludes with demons be a good person? It's because the other party doesn't trust him that he's behaving this way. We'll just have to wait and see how things develop.

The next day, I received some news.

The county government issued an order for County Lieutenant Lin to return with his troops and personally oversee the county seat. There were reports that a band of bandits had gathered and might attack the county seat, and there were even rumors that the bandits were actually Qin people in disguise.

Zhao Gao immediately realized that someone didn't want County Magistrate Lin to target the Longmen Inn.

Meanwhile, after receiving the news, Dou Changsheng also realized that he had become Cui Shuyu's front man.