Chapter 191: Conditions
by 夜阑妖歌Chapter 191: Conditions
Lu Qingyuan usually followed Wen Ying's lead without questioning, initially because the other party held leverage with a hostage, but later on, it became a habit of theirs.
Speaking of hostages, Lu Qingyuan suddenly recalled that he had only been asking about his cousin's situation, but never inquired if the Devil Mirror Demon could return his cousin to the human world.
Feeling like his cousin would give him a good beating if he found out, Lu Qingyuan broke into a sweat. Taking advantage of the fact that he remembered now, he hurriedly asked, "Do you have any way to bring my cousin back to the human world?"
"Wen Ying, is it Lu Qingtao?" The demon paused for a moment before pondering seriously, "He's currently teaching at a school in the Demon Realm, and we pay him for his services."
Lu Qingyuan replied, "N-No, I'm not asking about his current situation in the Demon Realm."
"I was just joking," Wen Ying chuckled, then switched to a more serious tone. "This is an area of ignorance for me. I'll ask around when I return to the Demon Realm this time."
Lu Qingyuan was overjoyed. "Thank you so much!"
Wen Ying responded, "No need, don't be too formal with me. Just don't expose our relationship."
"I won't say a word."
Lu Qingyuan felt that after divulging the secret of the Magic Mirror Demon, his days were probably numbered.
Despite the Magic Mirror Demon's amiable and approachable demeanor, without any intimidating presence, in reality, it was someone who could easily produce a myriad of deadly demonic potions – he imagined his corpse would be dissolved without a trace.
He would never forget the sensation of Wen Ying presenting him with an array of vials containing potent demonic poisons back then.
Wen Ying hadn't seen Lu Qingtao for quite some time. With the recent winter break, he had been busy running around in the Human Realm and hadn't paid attention to the human teacher's current situation.
After dismissing Lu Qingyuan's summon and sending him back to the Demon Realm, Wen Ying immediately went in search of Lu Qingtao.
With students on holiday, the gates of the Lucifer Demon Academy were tightly shut, leaving only a small side gate open. The gatekeeper, recognizing Wen Ying's demonic aura as that of a student, didn't utter a sound as he passed through.
Wen Ying rushed to Lu Qingtao's dormitory, and his keen sense as a demon told him that someone was inside.
"Hello, I'm Wen Ying. Is Teacher Lu Qingtao here?"
Perhaps hearing the name 'Wen Ying,' the person inside quickly opened the door. Peering out from behind it was Lu Qingtao. Upon confirming that it was indeed Wen Ying, the visible wariness on his face dissipated, replaced by a warm smile.
"Wen Ying, is there something you need at this time?" Lu Qingtao opened the door wider, gesturing for Wen Ying to come in and sit down.
Wen Ying stepped in and scanned the surroundings. If this were the human world, such an employee dormitory would be a luxury that ordinary workers could only dream of. He casually asked, "Teacher, do you like this dormitory?"
Lu Qingtao handed Wen Ying a canned drink. Upon hearing Wen Ying's question, he exclaimed, "In the Demon Realm, this is my favorite place."
"I've heard that this dorm was modeled after the human world after His Majesty the Devil visited," Wen Ying said. "Does the human world have similar accommodations?"
"No," Lu Qingtao replied firmly. "Many employee dormitories in the human world have terrible conditions. This place has spacious single rooms with bathtubs and sofas, almost like a hotel."
It was touching. If such working conditions existed in the human world, Wen Ying would have been more enthusiastic about overtime.
With a purpose in mind, Wen Ying asked, "So, Teacher, do you want to return to the human world now?"
If Lu Qingtao expressed a desire to go back, Wen Ying had a plan in mind. He could incorporate Lu Qingtao into the first class of demons going to the human world for exchange and learning.
Lu Qingtao chuckled. Facing Wen Ying, he felt relaxed and could converse like friends. He said with a smile, "Wen Ying, I'm not an idiot. You specially came to my dorm during the break to ask me this; there must be a reason."
Wen Ying shrugged. "I've been using my brain too much lately, so I've become a bit careless."
Pausing for a moment, Wen Ying continued, "Actually, I've met an exorcist, coincidentally named Lu Qingyuan."
"Lu Qingyuan?!" Lu Qingtao's voice rose in surprise.
Wen Ying nodded. "Yes, your cousin. He asked if I had any news about you, so I told him a while ago. Then today..."
In the Human Realm, Lu Qingyuan's eyelids began to twitch uncontrollably.
Just as Wen Ying was about to say that Lu Qingyuan had asked him to bring Lu Qingtao back to the Human Realm, he suddenly had a premonition that such a revelation might not sit well with the exorcist. He quickly changed his words.
"He's been trying to figure out how to bring you back to the Human Realm."
Lu Qingtao was stunned by this information. He felt that fate was truly mysterious – he happened to be brought to the Demon Realm, and coincidentally encountered this demon mirror... Wait, an exorcist?
Noticing Lu Qingtao's sudden blank expression, Wen Ying waved his hand in front of him. "Teacher, what's wrong?"
"My cousin is an exorcist?" Lu Qingtao asked, dazed. "Such a profession actually exists? I always thought it was just an urban legend."
Right, Lu Qingtao had spent the past half a year in the Demon Realm and was unaware of recent events in the Human Realm.
Wen Ying filled Lu Qingtao in on the major happenings, starting from the extremist group's creation of a portal in Mu City's square, all the way to their Class One's upcoming enrollment in the Exorcist Academy next semester.
As Wen Ying narrated, he omitted the intricacies of the conspiracies, presenting only the superficial aspects in an objective manner.
Lu Qingtao's expression grew even more dazed. Having spent so many years in the Human Realm without incident, it was a stark contrast to the immense changes that had occurred in just half a year since he arrived in the Demon Realm. It felt as if he had entered a parallel universe.
The Calamity Department? The Exorcist Association? The Church of the Archangels? An extremist faction's invasion?
Wen Ying gave Lu Qingtao some time to absorb the information overload before sitting down and slowly sipping his canned drink.
Lu Qingtao eventually recovered, asking with a mix of hesitation and anticipation, "Can I return to the Human Realm?"
"I believe you've had some thoughts about what I mentioned earlier," Wen Ying chuckled. "When demons make their first trip to the Human Realm and need to stay for half a year, they might experience various forms of discomfort. Thus, a mentor who is familiar with both them and the Human Realm is essential."
Lu Qingtao had never considered this. Upon hearing this, his surprise could hardly be concealed. No place was better than one's own home. His parents must have been worried sick after his disappearance for so long.
Observing Lu Qingtao's expression, Wen Ying stated with certainty, "You want to go back."
Lu Qingtao nodded. "Thank you for your trouble."
Overwhelmed by joy, something suddenly crossed his mind, and he hesitantly asked, "Will one mentor be enough?"
Wen Ying stood up. "You were both carefully selected by Feng Luo, and if I were to bring you both back to the human world..."
Though he didn't finish his sentence, his meaning was clear.
Lu Qingtao's expression of joy dimmed slightly. "It's already more than enough that you're willing to take me back. I don't even know how to thank you." This demon mirror was the best devil he had encountered in the demon world.
Regardless of what other devils might say about Wen Ying, Lu Qingtao found him to have an excellent character. This demon mirror was practically an angel.
Wen Ying blinked. "Your cousin has already expressed some gratitude on your behalf."
Lu Qingtao was taken aback. As Wen Ying walked towards the door, he said, "This plan may not succeed, so I'm giving you a heads-up."
"That's okay."
After leaving the faculty dormitory, Wen Ying stood downstairs for a moment, then took out his phone to call the Devil King.
Before arriving in the demon world, he only had one phone. After coming to the demon world, he acquired another phone from there, and upon returning to the human world, he got yet another phone for his devil identity in the human realm.
The Devil King answered the call again. Wen Ying shared his idea, and the Devil King replied, "You can be the mentor for this."
Wen Ying replied naturally, "Your Majesty the Devil King, my identity is rather sensitive. If I appear too familiar with the human world, other demons might become suspicious."
"And there's Wu Fei. Actually, I'm afraid that if I agree to your request, Feng Luo will come to me with a sour face to protest. You probably don't know, but that kid once followed me wherever I went just to change my mind. He wouldn't say anything, only stare at me, even when we were at a bar."
Wen Ying was astonished; he hadn't known Feng Luo had done such a thing.
"Your Majesty, could I just bring one person along?" Wen Ying attempted to coax, his heart filled with anxiety. He didn't know if the Devil King would become angry after being refused.
The Devil King didn't get angry. Instead, he said, "Ask Feng Luo. If he agrees, so do I."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Wen Ying was delighted.
The Devil King laughed heartily. "Help me formulate a preliminary plan for conquering the human world."
Wen Ying hesitated, then said, "…Alright." He felt guilty; it seemed he was betraying both humans and demons.
Was the Devil King sincere, or was this a subtle reminder to him?
With the Devil King's permission, Wen Ying hurried to find Feng Luo.
Wen Ying knocked on Feng Luo's door. Feng Luo emerged to open it, giving the seemingly harmless Wen Ying a quick once-over before stating bluntly, "If you have something to say, just spit it out."
Wen Ying's smile turned ingratiating. "Teacher Feng Luo, can I bring a human to the Human Realm as our class's life guidance counselor?"
Feng Luo's gaze sharpened instantly. "No way."
Wen Ying's smile softened into obedience. "How about this? For the entire semester in the Human Realm, I won't use my account with the Demon Realm's Judgement Bureau to report anything about you there."
Feng Luo remained silent.
"Or... shall I post more about Lai Yehua?" Wen Ying ventured cautiously.
Feng Luo's expression grew inscrutable. After a moment, Wen Ying, maintaining his obedient demeanor for quite some time, saw Feng Luo nod his head haughtily and regally.
Wen Ying grumbled inwardly: He was obviously tempted the moment I mentioned posting more about Lai Yehua, yet he pretended to deliberate for so long.
Feng Luo spoke in a serious and earnest tone. "Post about the festival incident."
Wen Ying replied, "Okay." Their relationship was truly terrible.
Lai Yehua sneezed in his study.
Inquiring Feng Luo about how to send Lu Qingtao to the Human Realm, Wen Ying was answered, "Through a teleportation array. I'll take care of it."
Leaving Feng Luo's residence, Wen Ying called Lu Qingtao to share this delightful news with him.
Lu Qingtao was so thrilled that he immediately started packing his luggage, ready to depart at any moment.
The day finally arrived for the Exorcist Academy's first-class demons to sign their contracts. Not only were the students eagerly anticipating it, but all exorcists, both domestically and internationally, were also looking forward to this event.
This day arrived amidst the eager anticipation of all.
The Exorcist Academy permitted reporters from the Flowering Country to conduct filming and live streaming. Half an hour before the contract ceremony began, the live stream channel was opened. It was immediately flooded with viewers, causing it to crash. Eventually, the officials had no choice but to open multiple additional channels to ensure smooth transmission of the live broadcast.
At eight o'clock on Sunday morning, the bonding process between the Exorcist Academy students and the first-year pupils from the Lucifer Demon Academy in the Realm of Devils officially commenced.
Numerous individuals who would typically slumber until the afternoon or even evening roused themselves early in the morning, all for the sake of watching the live broadcast at eight. There were also night owls who, in order to ensure they would be wide awake the following day at eight, had gone to bed unusually early on Saturday night.
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