The sword-bearer suddenly looked up and saw that person close his eyes and tuck the hand warmer into his sleeve, revealing a wrist with long, well-defined tendons. He asked, “Since you don’t trust me, why did you just save a demon…”

Owen Fletcher didn’t respond.

The one asking didn’t seem to expect an answer either; he didn’t open his eyes, and after a moment, he fell asleep again.

***

Logan Barrett was woken up by Henry Collins’s shouting.

“This isn’t right! I set the boat pole myself, fixed it to the west. By now we should’ve landed at Bailu Ford, so why the hell has the direction changed?! Great, now we’re going to be delayed getting to Zhaoye City…”

Who knows what business he had in Zhaoye City, but he kept urging Logan Barrett to hurry back.

But Logan Barrett would never agree.

That’s a demon’s lair—he’d have to be crazy to go there.

Logan Barrett listened with half-closed eyes for a while and finally understood: someone must have moved the directional boat pole in the middle of the night.

Henry Collins and the one-armed man slept like pigs, so it was obvious who did it.

But the immortal was still pretending to be a puppet, ignoring all the shouting.

“Stop yelling. Where are we headed now?” Logan Barrett asked, still sleepy, eyes half-lidded.

Henry Collins wilted, “Judging by the direction, we’ll have to detour through Chunfan City.”

Chunfan City…

Chunfan City??

Logan Barrett instantly perked up.

He still remembered what he’d heard earlier: there was an extraordinary man in Chunfan City named Ethan Brooks. If he wanted to go back, he could ask him for help.

The one who changed the boat’s direction was Owen Fletcher.

Could it be that this immortal had finally come around, believed what he said, and decided to seek Ethan Brooks’s help to send him back?!

Well, the sooner he was sent back, the sooner this body could be returned to that demon. Whether it was to be killed or imprisoned after that, it would have nothing to do with him.

Hopefully, this Ethan Brooks was a soft-hearted, kind person who would believe him and be willing to help.

***

They disembarked at the hour of the rabbit. The landing spot was marked by a white sheng banner, embroidered in blue with the words “Swallow Port” and a little swallow.

Though it was sunrise, Swallow Port was shrouded in mist, with only two young men carrying swords standing there—probably disciples from some sect.

As Logan Barrett crossed the wooden bridge, he saw their faces were grim, each with a wooden deity pendant the size of half a palm hanging from their necks.

Not only that, but on the embankment behind them, nearly every stone pillar was carved with a deity’s image, wrapping all the way around.

Henry Collins and the one-armed man squatted down as soon as they got ashore.

“There are even more statues here than a few months ago. I told you we shouldn’t take this route, shouldn’t take this route—this is going to kill me.” He held his head, looking truly miserable.

Before disembarking, Logan Barrett had heard him mention a few things—

He said that although the Immortal Capital had fallen, common folk still loved to carve deity statues. The more offerings and incense these statues received, the more spiritual energy they gathered. While they couldn’t destroy demons, they could make them uncomfortable.

Nowadays, most of the immortal sects were concentrated around Mengdu, Yuyang, and Langzhou, which were relatively safe. The rest of the land had to rely on small sects and these deity statues to get by.

But even so, it couldn’t stop the ever-growing arrogance of the demons.

After all, with the Immortal Capital gone, cultivators had no hope of ascension, and the path ahead was clear at a glance. Demons and heretics, on the other hand, found shortcuts everywhere, unrestrained and unconcerned with virtue. The more wanton they were with life and death, the longer they lived.

No wonder the demon lair Zhaoye City kept expanding, drawing more and more people.

In recent years, even Mengdu, Yuyang, and Langzhou had become increasingly chaotic, forcing ports, fords, and city gates to be covered in deity statues.

Swallow Port was one such place.

Compared to Henry Collins and the one-armed man’s reactions, Logan Barrett seemed strangely at ease.

He stood surrounded by statues, completely unaffected, even having the leisure to listen to the two sword-bearing disciples chat.

“What do you think will happen now that the Canglang Northern Region is destroyed? Won’t those demons and filth become even more rampant?”

“We don’t even know how many years we can hold out…”

“Sigh, who knows. Did you hear? The senior sister who went to the Canglang Northern Region yesterday said that demon Logan Barrett might still be alive! With the Northern Region in ruins, he could have already escaped.”

“Bah! Don’t say such unlucky things, it won’t happen.”

Logan Barrett thought to himself, Silly kids, it will. Not only has he escaped, he’s listening to you curse him right now.

He was just pondering whether it was feasible to ditch Henry Collins and the one-armed man outside the city, when he suddenly overheard another conversation—

One of the sword-bearing disciples couldn’t help but say, “If that demon really is out, where do you think will be hit first? Why am I so nervous?”

The other reassured him, “Don’t worry, no need to guess—it’ll be our Chunfan City.”

“……”

“Think about it, how many people in this city have a grudge against him? The Gao family, the Shen family, oh, and Mr. Ethan Brooks—his brothers, father, wife, and daughter all died at that demon’s hands, horribly…”

Logan Barrett: “……”

Logan Barrett: “Which sheng? Which sheng???”

Owen Fletcher lowered his head and said, “The Ethan Brooks you’re looking for.”

Logan Barrett was silent for a moment, then turned and walked away.

Looking for help? Forget it. He’d rather live a hundred years in this demon’s body.

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Volume Two: Chunfan City

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Chapter 5: The Hua Family