Chapter 1: Cornered

"I... don't think so..." Sun Yuan replied, unsure of where this conversation was going.

Wang Weihan slung an arm around Sun Yuan's shoulder with a suggestive grin as he said, "One of the young mistresses of our clan is at the right age for marriage. Before you get your hopes up, she's only a branch lineal descendant. A direct lineal descendant of our clan would be out of the question for Night Demon."

"I understand," Sun Yuan replied with a fawning smile.

"This young mistress of ours is seventeen years old, and she's a real beauty. If Night Demon can marry into our clan, that would be a win-win situation for everyone."

This was a very common maneuver from these prominent clans. They would often use a not very significant young mistress of their clan to bind a prodigy to their clan through marriage.

If that prodigy displayed tremendous potential, then they would be granted immense resources, but even if they didn't pan out, it wasn't like the clan stood to lose anything.

Sun Yuan fell into deep thought.

The Wang Clan was a very powerful clan, so this could be a brilliant opportunity for Fang Che.

Furthermore, given Fang Che's aptitude, Sun Yuan was fully confident that the entire Wang Clan would invest heavily into him in the future.

However, the lingering doubt in Sun Yuan's mind was whether this was a genuine offer.

His instincts were screaming at him that something wasn't right, and he was eager to leave.

"I can't make a decision on that. I'll have to contact our pope to see what he says," Sun Yuan said in a cautious manner.

"That's fine, Brother Sun. We never asked you to make the decision, all we're asking is that you pass on the message. Not only is this an opportunity for Fang Che, it's also a much-needed blessing. He killed a lot of Generals from the main church during the Parasite Ascension Project, so right now, a lot of people want him dead, and your One Heart Church won't be able to protect him.

“Our Wang Clan is willing to extend him an olive branch in this time of peril as we don't want to see such a bright prospect fall so early, and we're willing to take a bet on his potential. Before you ask, I can tell you that none of the Generals of our Wang Clan perished during this edition of the Parasite Ascension Project, so we bear no ill will toward him.

“Our young mistress became rather enamored with Night Demon after hearing stories of his feats, and that's why we decided to approach you for this conversation."

Sun Yuan didn't know what to make of his situation.

The Wang Clan trio had displayed impeccable hospitality, but he could sense that there was some distance between them, like some type of invisible barrier.

Sun Yuan had done his best to maintain ambiguity, and he hadn't made any promises, but unfortunately, his reaction from earlier meant that he was unable to deny his knowledge of Night Demon.

"You can easily find out how he performed in the Parasite Ascension Project by asking around, and once you do, you'll understand why our Wang Clan is so impressed with him. Even though our young mistress is a branch lineal descendant, we're still not just going to marry her off to some nobody.

“Of course, if you don't want to help, then we can speak directly to Pope Yin instead. Playing matchmaker is never a bad thing. Let's exchange contacts so we can keep in touch, and make sure to tell us when you come to the capital in the future so we can get together again."

After leaving the Spring Breeze Pavilion, Sun Yuan returned to his residence, still feeling quite muddled in the head. He had drunk a lot, but not enough to be inebriated, yet he was almost feeling a little tipsy from what he had heard.

Back when he left, Night Demon had still only been a Warrior Master, so how had he become a General so soon?

On top of that, he had secured the top spot in the Parasite Ascension Project! It all sounded way too good to be true, but this was easily verifiable so, there was no way that the trio from the Wang Clan had deceived him.

After some thought, he left his residence again.

No communication could be received in the world of divine power injection, so he had to leave.

After emerging from the non-communication zone, he sent a message to Fang Che: "You took part in the Parasite Ascension Project?"

Fang Che's response was immediate.

"I did. Are you back, Master?"

"And you secured the top spot?"

"That's right."

"You must've made a lot of enemies, right?"

"Of course. Enemies must be made on the way to the top."

"I see. I'm still in Xuanwu City. I'll talk to you later."

"Come back soon, Master. I really miss you."

A warm smile appeared on Sun Yuan's face.

Despite Night Demon's rapid progression, it seemed that he was still very attached to him.

"Make sure to work hard in your cultivation. You're in a lot of danger right now, so you have to grow stronger as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Master."

"Once I get back, I'll show you that saber manual that I was telling you about."

"Yes, Master."

Sun Yuan then contacted Qian Sanjiang as the latter was the most easy-going of the One Heart Church's top elders.

As for the likes of Mu Linyuan and Yin Shengong, they were too far above him, and he didn't dare to disturb them.

"Sun Yuan? Are you back?"

To Sun Yuan's surprise, Qian Sanjiang seemed eager to chat, giving him a detailed rundown of Night Demon's recent feats, and only after hearing what he had to say did Sun Yuan truly come to realize just how much danger Night Demon was in.

He knew that he had to report this matter to Yin Shengong, so he mustered up some courage, then informed Yin Shengong of his interaction with the Wang Clan.

Yin Shengong was also at a loss for what to do, so he sent a message to his contacts in the main church to do some investigating.

As it turned out, the Wang Clan trio had been telling the truth, and none of their clan's Generals had perished during the Parasite Ascension Project.

This put Yin Shengong in a very difficult dilemma.

What does the Wang Clan want? Are they really just impressed with Night Demon's potential, or do they have ulterior motives?

However, it didn't take him long to arrive at a decision.

"Turn them down!"

The only thing saving Night Demon at the moment was the confidentiality of his identity. Even if he could receive the protection of the Wang Clan through a marriage alliance, his identity would undoubtedly be leaked, and there was no way that even the Wang Clan could protect him from the collective wrath of the entire main church.

Sun Yuan immediately understood the reasoning behind Yin Shengong's decision.

"Find a way to leave the capital, then adopt a false identity and travel to the White Cloud Prefecture to protect Night Demon at all times."

This was Yin Shengong's followup instruction.

"Yes, Pope Yin."

***

That night, the Wang Clan trio had met up with some others to discuss this matter.

"Do you think they'll accept?"

"No chance," Wang Weihan replied. "However, we're only probing for some information, and not only have we gotten the information that we desire, there was a little bonus on top."

"What bonus?"

"The bonus is that Sun Yuan clearly has very close ties with Night Demon. He tried to hide it, but his reaction to the mention of Night Demon clearly indicated that they're much closer with each other than he let on."

"I see."

"The fact that Sun Yuan is being so cautious indicates that Yin Shengong holds this disciple of his in very high regard, so Yin Shengong is most likely going to be the main force of opposition for our plans. However, the One Heart Church has been ordered to go into lockdown for overhaul, so Yin Shengong won't be able to go anywhere in the near future."

"So you're saying..."

"My brother must be avenged!" a young woman declared with a resentful expression, and there were several grief-stricken figures with her.

"Alright, in that case, I'll get Sun Yuan to return to the One Heart Church, and you can send people to tail him in secret."

"Thank you, Brother Wang. Our three clans will not forget your help!"

The very next day, Sun Yuan received notice that he was permitted to leave the capital and return to the One Heart Church.

He knew that the Wang Clan had most likely pulled some strings behind the scenes.

However, he couldn't resist the orders, and Yin Shengong had instructed him to return as well, so he packed up his things and left his residence.

As soon as he emerged, he was greeted by the sight of Wang Weihan and a young woman, standing behind whom were two other men that seemed to have been her personal guards.

"Going back so soon, Brother Sun?"

Sun Yuan knew that there was trouble afoot, and he replied, "I'm afraid so. Regarding what we discussed yesterday..."

"It's alright, don't worry about it," Wang Weihan interjected with a warm smile. "This is the girl I was telling you about. Her name is Wang Yun'er, and she's my niece. She's really enamored with Night Demon! She insisted on going back with you to see Night Demon for herself, and I couldn't turn her down, so here we are."

Sun Yuan: "......"

You want me to take her back so she can go on a date with Night Demon?!

"Please look after her well, Brother Sun."

Clearly, Wang Weihan wasn't going to be taking no for an answer, and Sun Yuan's heart immediately sank slightly.

Wang Yun'er strode forward with a shy look on her face as she said, "Just treat it as if you were escorting me to the White Cloud Prefecture for a sightseeing trip. As for whether I get to meet Night Demon or not, that'll be up to fate. What do you say?"

A hint of infatuated anticipation flashed through her eyes at the mention of Night Demon, as if she really were an enamored little fangirl.

Sun Yuan couldn't say anything, and his stance in the matter hardly mattered anyway.

"It's going to be a long journey..."

"That's fine," Wang Weihan interjected as he clapped his hand together, and four Unicorn Dragon Horses trotted over from afar.

Sun Yuan's heart sank even further.

He had been completely backed into a corner with no option for refusal, nor any path for retreat.