Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 53: The Diabolic Creeds’ Large-Scale Recruitment

In pitch-darkness, a dozen pairs of eyes glowed with a mysterious light, as if they belonged to poisonous snakes hiding in caves. These dozen pairs of eerie eyes were fixated on the branch leader, silently waiting for him to speak.

Finally, the branch leader who was sitting lazily spoke in a hoarse voice that sounded like he hadn't spoken for several decades. Every word he uttered carried a weight to them.

“Why are the lamps not lit?”

An administrator respectfully replied, “Branch Leader, have you forgotten? During the previous meeting, you gave high praise for the atmosphere at the meetings with higher-ups. You even mentioned that our Yanjiang Branch doesn't have the atmosphere of a diabolic creed.

“After thinking about it, I realized that it was indeed the case. Perhaps this was the reason for the Yanjiang Branch ranking the lowest among the branches. That got me thinking, don't the stories often mention that we diabolic creeds like to plot sinister schemes in dark places? So, I deliberately didn't let the servants light the lamps.

“Actually, you know what? Not lighting the lamps really gives off the atmosphere of us doing evil deeds.”

It was evident that this administrator was very clear about his own actions, aware that diabolic creeds were not places for doing good deeds.

The branch leader fell silent for a long while. Is this administrator hinting to me that he wants to leave the creed? Is he hinting that the Yanjiang Branch hasn't had a raise in budget for a long time? Or is he hinting that we should buy insurance for the members?

He's probably not planning to leave the creed.

He has been industrious in doing bad deeds and doesn't differentiate between friends and enemies. Not only does he do evil outside, but he also sabotages his own people in the diabolic creed. He's no doubt a bad egg.

It's not about increasing our budget either.

The diabolic creed’s budget is linked to the local treasury and is already an enormous sum, considering that it is three times that of local officials. As Yanjiang Commandery is a remote and small commandery, its budget can't possibly be at the same level as the headquarters.

It's even less likely that he's requesting to buy insurance. Most members of diabolic creeds don't even have successors; who will the payouts even go to? Besides, the Luodi Merchant Guild won't let diabolic creeds buy insurance. If they were to sell life insurance or accident insurance to diabolic creed members, the diabolic creeds would be confident of making the merchant guild pay through the nose and not even have money left for their underwear.

“Let's light the lamps first.”

“Understood.” The administrator gave a puff, and specks of flame fell onto the lamps, igniting the wicks. In an instant, the entire hall became bright.

The branch leader spoke again, “Everyone may have more or less heard about the rumors regarding Little Qin. Stop spreading them; don’t let others see us as a joke. We are all witnesses to Little Qin’s character. He’s evil to the core and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do. If he gets arrested by the authorities, even decapitation is a light punishment for him. That’s enough to prove that Little Qin’s character is a good fit for our creed’s doctrine.

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“As for the talk of Little Qin being a member of the righteous path, that’s just utter nonsense. Those who can join our creed have all passed the creed leader’s tests. The creed leader’s assessment of him was ‘diabolic nature to the bone.’ Our creed leader’s judgment definitely won’t be wrong.”

Qin Yuanhao bowed. “That is wise of you, branch leader.” He felt slightly better. After I get back, I’m determined to slaughter the ones spreading the rumors!

The branch leader made no mention of Qin Yuanhao’s matter again. He had spoken those few lines simply because of Qin Yuanhao’s favor in gifting him the chair.

“The reason I have gathered everyone here today is that the headquarters has assigned us a task.” He paused for a bit. “They request branches from all locations to recruit new disciples.”

Qin Yuanhao and the others were taken aback. The diabolic creed hadn’t conducted a large-scale recruitment for thirty years. New members in the recent thirty years had joined only through referrals. One example was Qin Yuanhao’s attempt at recruiting the tiger demon. Unfortunately, the tiger demon was insistent on staying at Pine Mountain.

“I believe everyone here is aware of the news regarding the Great Era. Geniuses of the era would rise, renowned experts could be defeated by some unknown youngster, and countless undiscovered ancient cave ruins would appear once again. This is an era of fortuitous opportunities and challenges.

“The Five Great Immortal Sects, S-Class Sects, and First-Class Sects are teeming with geniuses. Once scarce, Dual Spirit Roots are now a common sight instead. If we let these geniuses truly grow up, we can forget about competing in this Great Era.

“If we want to fight, now is the only time!

“If we grab hold of the fortuitous opportunities, we’ll be able to encounter the rain and transform into dragons, soaring through the Nine Heavens and becoming carefree immortals! However, fortuitous opportunities aren’t so easy to grasp. The damn Great Xia Dynasty and Five Great Immortal Sects have intensified their efforts in suppressing us, and many of our comrades have fallen.

“To secure a place in this Great Era, we must expand our diabolic creed and gain more followers. The Four Great Diabolic Creeds have already reached a consensus on this. What all of you need to do is to disseminate news of the diabolic creeds’ recruitment through your own channels. Try to gather all the diabolic cultivators from Yanjiang Commandery and nearby commanderies or those who are interested in joining our creed.”

Someone voiced a concern, “If we recruit on such a large scale, wouldn’t we give the righteous path a chance to infiltrate the diabolic creeds?”

He wasn’t the only one with this question. The diabolic creeds had always been cautious for survival. If a few undercovers from the righteous path wormed their way in, the diabolic creeds would be in a precarious position.

The branch leader shook his head. “This recruitment is organized by the creed leader with his almighty powers. Those from the righteous path can never pass the trials he sets.”

All skepticism vanished, replaced by boundless fervor. The creed leader was an omnipotent figure in the diabolic creed. They believed him to be the guiding star that could lead their Everlasting Creed to glory!

~~~

After the meeting adjourned, Qin Yuanhao immediately touched on his connections to find out who was trying to frame him. Through multiple means, he finally traced the source to a small tavern.

“That customer was eight feet tall, eight feet wide, and had a face full of pockmarks. He was a burly fellow who looked like he could eat three children for a meal.” The tavern owner gestured, having a vivid impression of Lu Yang.

Based on the descriptions, Qin Yuanhao soon drew a portrait that looked nothing like the real Lu Yang.

After all, Lu Yang and the others had disguised themselves before entering the tavern to spread the rumors.

Qin Yuanhao’s eyes were frigid. You dare to start a rumor when you’re so conspicuous? Did you think I’m a pushover?

It was already late at night, but there was no curfew in the Great Xia Dynasty. Qin Yuanhao and his gang of underlings were enjoying barbeque on the streets—there were pork skewers, beef skewers, roasted lamb legs, roasted chicken feet, roasted pork rind, roasted beef tendons, roasted cow trotters, roasted river prawns, tender-grilled kidney, grilled chives, roasted potatoes, grilled tomatoes, roasted tofu...

The grilled skewers were tender and well-seasoned. They were bursting with flavor. Slathered with a dark-colored oily secret sauce, they would sizzle and a fragrance would assault the nostrils when they were grilled over charcoal.

The pork was skewered on long bamboo sticks and grilled over a large pot of fire. The fatty parts were rich but not greasy, and the lean parts bore an intense meaty flavor.

The lamb legs were placed inside the tandoors and barbecued. With the combination of stewing and roasting, the heat was evenly distributed, resulting in just the right crispness and tenderness while encompassing a fresh fragrance.

The chicken feet were first stewed in lu sauce and then grilled. The presence of the tendons, skin, and crunchy bones offered a bountiful texture, and chewing on them was pure satisfaction.

The chicken legs were grilled raw. It required precise control of the fire to prevent excessive loss of moisture and oil so that the skin, meat, tendons, and bones could achieve a balance between flavor and texture.

The potatoes were barbecued while wrapped then smoked, finally adding a secret sauce. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside with a fine texture blessing the mouth.

All of them ate until their mouths were covered in oil. When they were full, Qin Yuanhao arrogantly ordered his underlings. “You lot, go and search the whole city for these few people. Don’t come back until you find them!”

“Roger, Big Brother!” The underlings replied in unison and split up.

After finishing his barbeque meal, Qin Yuanhao was content and temporarily cast aside all thoughts about the annoying rumor mongers. At the same time, he didn’t notice Lu Yang lurking underground.

Few people pay attention to what is beneath their feet.

And Qin Yuanhao was no exception.