“Have you already asked Little Lian about this?”
Father Bai’s expression turned serious upon hearing his wife’s words as he asked.
“No,” Bai’s Mother shook her head and said.
“I didn’t want the girl to think we were constantly monitoring her movements, so I didn’t ask.”
“Even regarding that girl, I only asked for a general overview and didn’t pry too much.”
Hearing this, Father Bai nodded in approval.
“That is the right approach. We suppressed Little Lian too much in the past. Now that she has found her freedom, we shouldn’t interfere too much in her affairs.”
“Then what about the matter with the Devil? Are we just going to leave it be?”
“Of course not!”
Father Bai stood up abruptly, his voice resonating.
“This could potentially endanger Little Lian’s safety. How could we ignore it!”
After finishing his sentence, he realized his reaction was a bit over the top.
He looked at Bai’s Mother, only to see her wearing a ‘just as I expected’ expression while looking back at him.
“Ahem, I was just worried,” he coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment.
“It’s fine. I feel the same way.”
Bai’s Mother shook her head.
“So, what did the Clan say? Are they agreeing to Team Leader Lin’s invitation to send extra personnel to participate in the security for the Xuantian Martial Tournament?”
“The Clan agreed.”
Father Bai sat back down on the sofa and said, “Though some of those stubborn old fools were still unwilling to help the people from the Regulatory Division. They kept saying they should handle the Spirit matters themselves, while we Exorcists only need to maintain the Human World.”
As he spoke, Father Bai couldn’t help but sneer.
“A bunch of archaic old fogies. They’re completely out of touch with the times. No wonder they’ve been unable to step into the Void Refining Stage for so long and are being surpassed by us younger generations.”
Bai’s Mother didn’t mind her husband’s complaining.
After all, acting as an elder in the Clan meant it was normal to clash with those stubborn elders who prided themselves on their seniority.
“Which elder is leading the team this time?”
Bai’s Mother asked again.
“It is Great-grandaunt Qiu Yin,” Father Bai replied.
Bai’s Mother was stunned.
She looked at Father Bai in surprise and asked, “Her? But I remember she hasn’t stepped foot out of the Clan for 100 years. Why would she suddenly— “
“Who knows? Maybe it was just a whim,” Father Bai shrugged, indifferent.
“But with the martial assurance of that Great-grandaunt, I expect this Xuantian Martial Tournament should proceed safely without any incidents.”
“… Do you realize that saying something like that in a television drama is a guaranteed sign that something is bound to go wrong?”
Bai’s Mother was silent for a moment before looking at her husband helplessly.
“… Huh?”
***
“Duke, news has come from that person. The Bai Family has officially confirmed they will participate in the security for the Xuantian Martial Tournament. It is currently unknown if they will join the Regulatory Division in the encirclement against us later.”
Before the throne, the young man dressed as a butler reported to the Demon Grand Duke.
“Oh? To be able to get news from the Bai Family in real-time… it seems our ally’s status is quite extraordinary.”
On the throne, the Demon Grand Duke swirled the red wine in his hand.
He didn’t seem to care much about the butler’s report, instead focusing on a different topic with interest.
The young butler nodded.
After a moment of silence, he couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked, “Duke, do we not need to do anything about the Bai Family’s involvement in the Xuantian Martial Tournament?”
“Of course not.”
The Demon Grand Duke shook his head and casually tossed the wine glass away, letting it dissipate into the air.
“Since the Bai Family is involved, it will inevitably have a significant impact on our plan.”
“Then you— “
The young butler was startled.
He then watched as the Demon Grand Duke slowly stood up from the throne, casually tilting his somewhat stiff neck.
“Since the Bai Family is getting involved, we will simply accelerate the plan. As long as the preparations are mostly ready before they arrive, even if they send out those ancient Cultivators, it won’t matter.”
The young butler quickly moved to the Demon Grand Duke’s side, following respectfully behind him as they walked out.
He continued to ask, “What about the Blood Banquet cultists who are being hunted by the Regulatory Division? Should we lend them a hand? Many Bishops have been asking us for help.”
Hearing this, the Demon Grand Duke gave him a strange look.
“Blood Banquet? What does their encirclement have to do with us?”
The butler was stunned.
“You mean— “
“Don’t worry about them. They are of no use to us now. When it’s time to abandon someone, they should be abandoned,” the Demon Grand Duke said casually.
“Moreover, the expansion of the Blood Banquet’s power isn’t exactly good news for us. Their appetite has always been difficult to satisfy.”
“Who knows, if we ever encounter trouble, the first ones to kick us while we’re down wouldn’t be the Exorcists or the Regulatory Division, but these cultists from the Blood Banquet.”
The young butler understood the Demon Grand Duke’s thoughts.
Although he knew that this level of betrayal was commonplace for a Devil, he still couldn’t help but feel a chill in his heart.
He was not a Devil from Hell; his identity was merely that of a human assistant raised by the Demon Grand Duke.
Despite being raised by the Duke, perhaps due to the difference in their species, he would always feel out of place when it came to these kinds of thoughts and motives.
But perhaps that was exactly why the Demon Grand Duke had raised him.
For a Devil, betrayal was a daily occurrence, but for a human—at least for some humans—it was an extremely difficult decision to make.
Humans might be as prone to betrayal as Devils, but there were also those as loyal as hounds.
The Demon Grand Duke seemed to notice the emotional shift in the young butler by his side, but he didn’t care at all.
“Duke, do you need me to prepare a car for you?”
The young butler seemed long accustomed to such things.
His emotions only wavered for a moment before returning to normal as he asked respectfully.
“Yes, prepare it.”
The Demon Grand Duke nodded, his gaze shifting toward the north.
It was as if he could look through the layers of buildings and see the grounds where the Xuantian Martial Tournament was being set up.
“Next, we shall visit those mad scientists and see if they can provide us with some fresh surprises regarding the Spirits, just as they claimed.”
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