I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

What a good emperor. Ye Yong had never thought Zhou Suren particularly wicked while reading novels; it was merely a matter of differing stances. A friend had been killed, and he sought revenge for that friend—he was not in the wrong. The fault lay in poor choices of companions, and that friend had erred by having a reckless descendant, who, in turn, was none other than “Ye Yong.”

—

72 The Old Hand

Upon entering the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, Zhou Suren quickly reached the top floor.

Young Master Peng had his back to Zhou Suren, gazing out at the scenery beyond the window, silent and imposing.

“I have come alone as promised; may I ask your esteemed name?” Zhou Suren inquired. The other party’s cultivation surpassed his own, hailing from a family of demons. Zhou Suren could not assert his imperial authority before him, yet he would not appear subservient, for this was his territory, and it was the other party who had instigated the matter.

“You are not yet worthy to know this young master’s name.” Young Master Peng turned around and took a seat.

Zhou Suren sat across from him. Both exuded strong presences, though Young Master Peng’s was more overwhelming. He raised an eyebrow, his tone dripping with displeasure: “Who permitted you to sit?”

“Here lies my imperial city; as long as I desire, every inch of land can be mine to command.” Zhou Suren did not yield: “You dare to storm into my domain without a word? Do you truly believe I lack the courage to take you down?”

“Come, then, and try.”

The atmosphere crackled with tension, as if a great battle was on the verge of erupting.

“Why did you seek to kill that demon cultivator?” After a moment of locked gazes, Zhou Suren shifted the topic.

“I have a personal grudge against him.” Young Master Peng, wary of escalating the situation further, adopted a fierce demeanor, testing whether Zhou Suren was a weak human. Had Zhou shown any sign of fear, caught between standing and sitting, he could have easily dominated the negotiation. Yet, it appeared that a man who could ascend to the throne was not so easily intimidated.

“A personal grudge? To wield a treasure of the Void-Opening level, your cultivation must be at least that of a Demon King at the tenth tier. That demon cultivator is merely at the third tier of Spirit Transformation. You didn’t report your grudge earlier, yet you chose to send your subordinates to assassinate him on the very first day he was captured by the dynasty…”

“Are you questioning my personal affairs?”

“I have no interest.” Zhou Suren scoffed coldly: “However, you sent your men to breach the secret prison, killing a notorious criminal, causing me and the dynasty to lose face before the world, and plunging the imperial city into panic. Shouldn’t we settle this score?”

Young Master Peng sneered: “Speak, how many spirit stones do you desire? I can afford it.”

Spirit energy is the purest form of energy; demons can absorb it and transform it into demonic energy. Thus, it is not surprising that even demons, who possess spirit stone mines, would use spirit stones as currency.

“How much can you offer?” Zhou Suren tossed the question back to Young Master Peng.

Negotiation requires skillful rhetoric, and Zhou, born into the court, naturally possessed a greater mastery of words than the young master of a demon clan.

And so, the question was returned, leaving Young Master Peng in contemplation. He could not offer too little, lest he lose face; yet, he could not give too much, as he did not wish to hand over resources to the human race for free.

“What is the bounty for a third-tier Spirit Transformation demon cultivator in your realm? I’ll offer double, as if I’ve purchased his life.” Ultimately, Young Master Peng provided what he deemed a fitting answer that would not diminish his own prestige.

Zhou Suren smiled coldly, having anticipated this response. Since he could not act against him, he would extract a price. Of course, he would not demand too much, primarily aiming to teach the other a lesson while resolving the matter peacefully.

“The bounty for a third-tier Spirit Transformation demon cultivator within my dynasty is eight hundred high-grade spirit stones.”

In truth, the actual bounty was five hundred high-grade spirit stones. Even so, this was no small sum; most mid-tier sects combined would struggle to gather such an amount. Of course, the highest cultivation level among ordinary mid-tier sects would only reach the late stage of the Nascent Soul, and a bounty of five hundred high-grade spirit stones for a demon at the early stage of Spirit Transformation was already higher than market value offered by the Great Zhou Dynasty.

If it were an ordinary villain, upon hearing such a high price, they would have shouted something like, “Don’t be so greedy!” But Young Master Peng was a demon; he could not utter such degrading words, nor would he allow himself to be looked down upon by humans.

Eight hundred high-grade spirit stones doubled to one thousand six hundred was quite a blow to him; he possessed at most around one thousand high-grade spirit stones. However, lacking spirit stones, he could offer spirit plants as compensation. Overall, Young Master Peng could afford it.

“Hmph, to buy a Spirit Transformation dog’s life for one thousand six hundred high-grade spirit stones, your human race truly lacks worth.” Young Master Peng stubbornly held his ground: “But I cannot possibly carry that many spirit stones when I venture out. I’ll give you one thousand first, and the rest will be made up with spirit plants.”

—

“Your Excellency is a straightforward person. In that case, we need not calculate the price of the spirit herbs so meticulously; around sixteen hundred should suffice.”

Young Master Peng snorted coldly, unwilling to say more. He opened his storage bag and poured a thousand high-grade spirit stones onto the ground, then opened his storage ring, selecting spirit herbs of mediocre quality but decent value, tossing them down as well.

Zhou Suren merely watched, maintaining a smile.

The dynasty boasted a heritage of ten thousand years, accumulated over generations, yet if Zhou Suren wished to draw upon substantial wealth, he would need to consult Elder Gui. To put it plainly, he lacked for nothing, but asking him to produce such a large sum of spirit stones personally was quite the challenge.

Similarly, Young Master Peng hailed from a prominent demon clan, his background formidable, yet the family fortune bore little relation to him; what he presented now was merely his own savings.

High cultivation did not mean Young Master Peng could outmatch Zhou Suren in every aspect. In the art of negotiation and psychological insight, Zhou Suren was undoubtedly a seasoned veteran.

“Count it up, lest you claim I shortchanged you later,” Young Master Peng maintained a stern expression throughout.

“No need, I trust Your Excellency,” Zhou Suren replied, opening his storage bag and with a wave of his hand, the spirit stones and herbs flew into it.

In this world of cultivation, even if money were to fall to the ground, there was no need to bend down and pick it up, which would be a loss of dignity; at most, it would only allow the payer to vent some dissatisfaction.

With negotiations reaching their conclusion, Zhou Suren stood up: “I shall publicly declare that the demons who infiltrated the city have been captured. Your subordinates will return them later, but please keep them in check. Should they harm my people, I will assuredly take their lives, and then spirit stones will not suffice to settle the matter.”

“My dogs, I will manage them myself, no need for your interference,” Young Master Peng replied, his mood exceedingly foul and sullen. He called out to Zhou Suren, who was about to leave: “I have two matters I cannot comprehend. With Liu Xu’s exceptional stealth, how did you track and pinpoint his hiding place? Moreover, I clearly carried treasures capable of evading even late-stage Void Realm detection; how did you discover them?”

If everything had gone as Young Master Peng anticipated, the human race should now be floundering like headless flies, searching for clues, and he wouldn’t have needed to part with so many spirit stones. What had gone awry?

“Your Excellency, you underestimate the great Zhou Dynasty. With millennia of accumulation, what difficulty is there in finding a few treasures that can sense demonic energy?” In truth, it was quite difficult, for the demon race and the human race had not clashed in nearly ten thousand years, existing in a state of mutual non-interference. The dynasty’s development had been focused on competing with other human kingdoms, so most treasures in the vault were for killing and self-defense. There were indeed treasures aimed at demons, but they were mostly of lower grade.

The situation could only be turned to favor the humans thanks to Ye Yong’s “fortune,” a fact Zhou Suren could not reveal, for doing so would not only elevate Ye Yong’s reputation but also draw the attention of the demon race upon him.

Disregarding Young Master Peng further, Zhou Suren stepped off the balcony, leaping down and landing steadily on the ground.

Outside, the ministers and soldiers breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing His Majesty emerge safely.