In recent years, although he still didn’t know what a demon was, constantly struggling with it had become Evan Parker’s only source of enjoyment, making it so that when he was alone, he never felt bored at all. Moreover, his cultivation had improved thanks to the baleful energy it emitted, which he controlled bit by bit to regulate the speed of his progress. If not for this, Evan Parker would have long since been bored out of his mind, not knowing what to do with himself.

Likewise, the benefits gained from his battles with it could almost influence Evan Parker’s entire life. The phenomenon of going astray in cultivation, which people in the martial world feared like a tiger, now seemed utterly laughable in Evan Parker’s eyes. Not to mention that no interference could cause his mind to lose focus, just the superhuman recovery ability of his meridians alone was enough to make those so-called martial arts prodigies, who were said to appear only once in a hundred years, feel ashamed. All of this was thanks to the tempering of that baleful energy.

If someone were to come at this moment to exorcise evil and uphold the righteous path, it was possible that Evan Parker would hesitate, perhaps even consider helping this so-called demon resist. In his eyes, there was no distinction between good and evil. His years in the military had not instilled such concepts in him—there were only orders and execution. He had never roamed the martial world, and although he had heard of those so-called battles between good and evil, they had nothing to do with him.

From the mouths of traveling merchants and even couriers, Evan Parker had heard some martial world rumors, but he always treated them as mere stories, never dividing good and evil in his heart just because of hearsay. Besides, who could really say who was good and who was evil? Could one really judge a person as bad just because they practiced some unorthodox martial arts? If that were the case, there were far too many such people in the military—most of them were his own comrades. Should they all be eliminated as well?

Chapter Four: Sudden Trouble (Part 2)

Evan Parker didn’t dwell on this, simply continuing to live his seemingly peaceful life as always. In the eyes of outsiders, he still went hunting in the dense forest every day, then visited the teahouse by the official road at the foot of the mountain. Now, Evan Parker rarely sat in meditation atop the mountain; when he had free time, he would go sit by Fist Mark Lake on the other side of the mountain, and had even made a fishing rod, pretending to fish. In the eyes of others, there was nothing unusual about him.

However, the peaceful life he had always known was broken by the arrival of the large group led by the so-called great general he had mentioned. It seemed that this time, the general’s mission—whether for public or private reasons—would make many in the court aware of this place. And given the general’s status, it was likely that many martial artists would also become interested in this area.

For the past few days, Evan Parker had been hesitating, unsure whether he should once again explore the lake. The scene from his last time in the lake was still vivid in his mind, and the painful lesson of having his cultivation crippled made Evan Parker somewhat hesitant.

The youngest had returned to the capital and would probably be bedridden for several months. In order to save those two personal attendants, thinking that Evan Parker would intervene, he had used martial arts in this place at any cost—surely, that would not end well. Fortunately, it was only used once, and after Evan Parker’s warning, he would likely be more cautious. The soldiers he brought would probably face quite a bit of trouble as well, but those were matters for after they returned to the capital. The headaches would be for the general to deal with!

Today was very unusual. Normally, not a single person could be seen here for half a day, but today, nearly a hundred people appeared on the official road. Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be ordinary craftsmen, each carrying tools. Where could they be headed? Perhaps to repair the checkpoint barracks up ahead? That seemed very likely.

“Are you Master Qin?” A chubby middle-aged man, beaming with a broad smile, cupped his fists and greeted Evan Parker.

Nodding, Evan Parker confirmed that he didn’t know this man. How did he know his surname was Qin?

“All right, we’ve arrived. Everyone, take a break!” The middle-aged man, seeing Evan Parker acknowledge him, smiled even more broadly. He turned and called out to the large group behind him, and those following immediately put down their tools and sat down to rest on the spot. Judging by their accents, they were all locals, and most of them were craftsmen. Evan Parker had no idea what this chubby middle-aged man was up to.

Seeing Evan Parker’s confusion, the middle-aged man came over with a fawning smile and said, “Master Qin, please don’t misunderstand. These are all craftsmen from our county. I am the county magistrate’s advisor, and this time, I have been ordered by the magistrate to come here and renovate your manor for you!”

“Manor?” Evan Parker found this quite amusing. It wasn’t strange for the county magistrate to send people here—after all, given his relationship with the general, it was surely beyond those people’s comprehension. Just based on the general’s deference toward him, the county magistrate would never miss a chance to curry favor with the general. But building a manor in this desolate place—who would live here? Evan Parker alone?

“This is the magistrate’s order, Master Qin. Rest assured, these are the best craftsmen we have, and the work will surely satisfy you.” The middle-aged advisor clearly didn’t understand Evan Parker’s thoughts and simply followed his instructions.

As for such bureaucratic customs, Evan Parker had no particular opinion. Besides, if benefits were delivered to his door without any demands on him, why not accept them? “Advisor…”