Transforming the false into the true, I am the only one in the world who possesses the true Dharma.

After saying this, He Shou put his hands behind his back, waiting for Xu Yan's surprised expression.

But after waiting for a long time, Xu Yan remained calm, which made He Shou look puzzled.

"You don't recognize me?"

Crane Head asked a question subconsciously.

Xu Yan nodded and said, "I don't know him."

Crane Head's lips twitched slightly: "How did you cultivate to the Five Elements Realm? Even the Seven Demon Kings of Qingyang County don't know?"

Xu Yan raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh, so it's the Demon King. What business does the Demon King have with me?"

He relied on the True Revelation Record to cultivate all the way to this level, so it's normal that he doesn't understand these things.

But it was rather strange that the demon king of Heshan would come looking for him.

Crane Head coughed lightly, temporarily putting aside what had just happened, and asked, "Actually, meeting you this time was quite a coincidence. As for why I sought you out, it was naturally for cooperation."

Cooperation?

Xu Yan stroked his chin, saying with interest, "I'm just a lowly steward, yet the Demon King is cooperating with me. I'm quite intrigued by this cooperation. What kind of cooperation is it?"

Xu Yan didn't know the extent of the Demon King's power.

However, being able to dominate Qingyang County for many years and being known as one of the seven great demon kings, its strength must be considerable.

He was merely a manager in Blackwater Street, and neither his status nor his strength could compare to Crane Head's.

Despite such a disparity in strength, the fact that Crane Head was willing to cooperate with him suggests there must be something fishy going on.

After a moment's thought, the crane-headed figure said, "I'm investigating a matter concerning a secret of Qingyang County. It's very important. Have you ever heard of evil spirits?"

He wasn't quite sure if Xu Yan knew, since he didn't even know his name, so it was normal for him not to know about evil spirits.

If Xu Yan truly doesn't know anything about evil spirits, then he can offer an explanation.

Xu Yan nodded and said, "I know."

Crane Head was slightly surprised: "You don't know my name, yet you know about evil spirits? Well then, I won't explain anymore. Let's get down to business."

"The high-ranking officials in Qingyang County, not only the Chensha Gang, but also the government offices, are filled with evil spirits."

Upon hearing this, the cave fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Xu Yan frowned and said, "An evil spirit? Don't evil spirits use their cultivation techniques to treat people as resources?"

The crane-headed creature shook its head and said, "Not only that, they will even take over and enjoy everything that humans or demons have. This is the most terrifying aspect of evil spirits. Once they take over, they will use this as the center and continue to spread outwards."

Xu Yan fell into deep thought.

This news was shocking enough; he hadn't expected it to turn out this way.

However, he still had one question.

Xu Yan asked, "You are a demon, why are you investigating this matter?"

Even if he is a demon king, he is still a demon. Why would he give up the carefree life of a demon king and insist on doing these things?

It's not simple no matter how you look at it.

Crane Head said calmly, "Because of the prefectural city, I have a deal with a force in the prefectural city. If I can help them find and eliminate the evil spirit, I can gain access to the prefectural city's connections. This is an excellent opportunity."

"What power?" Xu Yan asked again.

Crane Head smiled slightly: "The Exorcism Bureau is a professional institution in the Great Xuan Kingdom, specializing in eliminating evil spirits. This institution is still far away from you, so you don't need to think about anything else right now. How about cooperating with me?"

Exorcism Bureau?

Xu Yan got the gist of it but didn't press for more details.

Just as Crane Head said, he was only a manager of Blackwater Street and it wasn't time for him to understand these things yet.

"How do you want to cooperate?"

Xu Yan returned to the main topic and asked a question.

Crane Head thought for a moment and said, "You're a newcomer, and you even killed the head of another street for a few women. Your strength is also top-notch. Are you content to just hang around in Qingyang County? Be my inside man. If you have any news, you can use this to contact me."

After saying that, Crane Head threw over a jade tablet.

The jade plaque gleamed with a soft light, clearly indicating that it was no ordinary object.

Xu Yan stroked the patterns on the jade plaque and pondered, "What benefit would I get?"

Now that everything has been discussed and said, it's time to get down to business.

Since it's a business transaction, it should naturally benefit both parties.

Being an inside agent is no easy task; a slight misstep can lead to complete failure.

Xu Yan has no interest in this unless the benefits are significant enough.

Crane Head revealed a slight smile: "After it's done, you will gain the favor of the Exorcism Bureau, which is an immense benefit."

Xu Yan shook his head and said, "Compared to these unseen things, I prefer something more practical. Do you have any cultivation techniques?"

Crane Head frowned and said, "Do you know that cultivating multiple techniques will increase the danger you face every day? Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"It's all the same whether I die early or late," Xu Yan said calmly. "I'd rather die later than earlier."

The crane fell silent.

After a long while, he looked up and threw a martial arts manual at him.

"I came in a hurry and didn't bring much. You can take this Five Elements Realm cultivation manual first, consider it a small favor."

"If there's any big news later, I'll give you more."

Xu Yan took the manual without even looking at the cover, and casually put it into his pocket.

"Since there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

The matter had been settled, and all the benefits had been received, so Xu Yan naturally didn't want to stay any longer.

Crane Head nodded and said, "If you have any news, remember to contact me."

He didn't wait for Xu Yan to leave first; in a flash, he disappeared from the spot.

Xu Yan stared at the spot where the crane's head had disappeared, thinking to himself, "His strength is definitely above the Five Elements Realm, but that has nothing to do with me. Going back is the priority."

Thinking of this, Xu Yan unleashed the Gale-Slaying Kick and vanished from the spot as well.

……

Qingyang County.

Blackwater Street.

When Xu Yan pushed open the door, he saw Huang Yuxian sitting at the door, still awake.

At this moment, the moonlight shone on Huang Yuxian, who rested her chin on her hands and looked up at the bright moon in the sky.

Upon hearing the noise, Huang Yuxian turned to look at the door. When she saw that it was Xu Yan, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're back so late, I thought something had happened to you."

As she spoke, Huang Yuxian's nose twitched slightly, and she opened her mouth slightly.

"You have the aura of a demon on you. Did you encounter one?"

Xu Yan raised an eyebrow and said, "Your nose is very sensitive; you definitely ran into someone."

Huang Yuxian asked, "What happened?"

Xu Yan shook his head and said, "It's not convenient to say more."

He didn't give Huang Yuxian a chance to continue speaking and pushed the door open to enter.

As the door closed, Huang Yuxian's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

She always felt that Xu Yan had a secret, but Xu Yan was unwilling to talk about it, so she didn't continue to ask. She looked up at the bright moon outside the window.

……

After returning to the house, Xu Yan lit the oil lamp and took out the martial arts manual given to him by the crane head.

This is a manual of unarmed martial arts called Vajra Palm, which emphasizes powerful and heavy strikes, using true qi to transform into boundless force to injure people.

But that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that this Vajra Palm is a Five Elements Realm technique, and he only has forty-six taels of life money right now, so he's a bit strapped for cash.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Yan opened the Vajra Palm.

"Never mind those things for now, let's improve it as much as we can."