Chapter 11

Leaving the grand hall, Ning Wuque was in a good mood.

He came from the future and naturally understood the importance of personal relationships. He was confident that he could rank in the top ten, and with the added connection to Zhang Qing, it would be even more secure.

In this era, the county examination did not use anonymous names. The top ten candidates were decided by the county official and several examiners together. The chief examiner's opinion had a significant impact on the rankings. For Ning Wuque to make his way in this world, having a title was extremely important.

Moreover, the saying "knowledge changes destiny" was particularly fitting at this time. If Ning Wuque could become a scholar, his family's living conditions would also improve.

Although he had the blood of a wolf demon, Ning Wuque still considered himself human at heart. Glorifying the family name and reaching the highest ranks of government were what every scholar aspired to. Demons seemed too distant for him.

Thinking about the path he would take in the future, Ning Wuque absentmindedly walked toward the back courtyard. The light snow that had started in the morning was now drifting down with the breeze.

Just as he stepped into the back courtyard, a sudden fragrant breeze blew past, and Ning Wuque looked up to see a flustered young lady rushing toward him.

Ning Wuque was taken aback. He was quite handsome, but he didn't expect someone to throw themselves into his arms like that.

Before he could react, his body had already moved. He sidestepped, avoiding the woman who was charging at him. There was a "thud" as the young lady crashed into the snow, landing in an extremely awkward position.

"Miss, I told you the snow is slippery..." A young girl in her prime ran out from the courtyard, glared at Ning Wuque, and anxiously went to help the young lady up.

"Ouch..."

The young lady groaned in pain, getting up with the girl's help. She rubbed her slender waist, her beautiful face and delicate features twisted in pain. She glared at Ning Wuque, who was still dazed.

"You silly scholar, why did you dodge? Didn't you know to catch me? Ouch, it hurts so much..."

Ning Wuque finally came to his senses. It wasn't a case of a beauty throwing herself into his arms; the young lady had simply run too fast and slipped, just happening to fall toward him. But where did this woman come from in the back courtyard?

Blinking, Ning Wuque looked at the young lady innocently and smiled, bowing. "Miss, you're fine now, aren't you..."

"Spit, you're still smiling. What do you mean 'fine'? My waist is about to break. Xiao Tao, help me back to my room."

The young lady, supported by her maid, looked pained, rubbing her waist and glaring fiercely at Ning Wuque as she limped back into the courtyard.

"You silly scholar, how clueless." The maid, still supporting the young lady, turned and glared at Ning Wuque.

Ning Wuque scratched his head and muttered, "What's going on? So strange."

He glanced at the young lady, who was already at the door of her room. Her graceful figure, tall and slender, with a perfect curve, was dressed in a fluffy fox fur jacket. Her black hair flowed down, and she wore a simple white dress that trailed on the ground. On her feet were a pair of small leather boots. She looked beautiful and delicate, especially as she rubbed her waist, adding a touch of fragility that made one want to protect her.

Seeming to sense his gaze, the young lady turned and glared at Ning Wuque again, then stormed into her room, slamming the door.

"Glare all you want, if you glare at me again, I'll drink you up!"

Ning Wuque's mind echoed with an advertising slogan, and he shook his head, shivering. Where had his thoughts gone?

"Seeing a beauty fall, only I could do that." Looking at the human-shaped imprint in the snow, Ning Wuque smiled wryly. He could have easily caught the young lady, and she wouldn't have fallen.

There were about five or six rooms in the back courtyard, and the young lady's room was right next to Ning Wuque's. He entered his room, still picturing the young lady's angry face, and shook his head with a smile.

"Probably Zhang Qing's niece or something, a rich young lady."

The White Cloud Temple had few visitors, especially in winter. Who else would bring a female relative besides Zhang Qing?

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Ning Wuque calmed his mind and quickly entered a meditative state. His consciousness entered a hazy white space.

Thousands of blood-red characters floated in the space, emitting a faint blood glow. Ning Wuque focused on the characters, trying to understand their meaning.

This was a demon script, the most important part of the demon race's heritage. It contained not only an overview of the demon race but also a cultivation technique called the "Taiyin Decree," which only wolf demons could practice.

Ning Wuque didn't dare to practice in the White Cloud Temple. If he made any noise, he would surely be punished by Daoist White Cloud.

Ning Wuque focused on the part about the demon race. As a half-demon, he thought, it was important to understand the history of the demon race.

According to the legend, after Pangu created the world and the primordial gods perished, life appeared in the world, known as the primordial gods. There were the chaos of the dragon, phoenix, and qilin races, and after the great calamity, the witch and demon races emerged. The witch and demon wars led to the creation of humans by the Holy Mother Nüwa, and the prosperity of the human race. The witch and demon races retreated to the background. Later, the Battle of the Gods and the rise of Buddhism followed.

None of this was directly related to Ning Wuque or his heritage, but it made him realize that this was a world of immortals and Buddhas, a dangerous world with the Jade Emperor and countless deities and buddhas flying around and terrorists everywhere.

The demon race had declined but still existed in this world. There were also many righteous people who fought against demons, but that was a different matter.

Ning Wuque suddenly thought that if there were really a Heavenly Court and the Buddhist world, then the great journey of Xuanzang to the West couldn't be far off.

"Journey to the West!" Ning Wuque smacked his lips and thought about his current cultivation level.

"Still, let Xuanzang go on his journey. What does it have to do with me?"

Putting aside thoughts of the great journey, Ning Wuque focused again on the demon script.

Although the demon script was only a thousand characters long, it contained a wealth of information. Each character held a piece of information that could only be understood intuitively.

Although he didn't dare to practice, Ning Wuque's mind was still on the "Taiyin Decree."

In the world, all things, from plants and stones to tigers, wolves, snakes, and rats, could become demons. The most difficult part of demon cultivation was developing intelligence. Once intelligence was achieved, one could be called a demon. With their natural advantages, demons started at a higher level than human cultivators.

After developing intelligence, demons could instinctively absorb the essence of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, and form a demon core. Those who didn't understand cultivation could consume blood and flesh to form blood qi, the lowest form of demon cultivation, with little potential.

With a demon core, demons could continuously accumulate demon qi and, after transcending the tribulation and transforming their form, achieve power comparable to immortals.

"Is it that simple?"

Ning Wuque rolled his eyes. He thought cultivation would be much harder. Unfortunately, the "Taiyin Decree" only described the cultivation process for demons, not humans, which was a bit disappointing. He really wanted to know what level Daoist White Cloud had reached, as having such a powerful person watching him every day made him uneasy.

"I should find a chance to leave here. Daoist White Cloud doesn't take disciples, and staying here isn't a solution."

Ning Wuque pondered. He had considered learning Daoist techniques from Daoist White Cloud, but Daoist White Cloud had said they had no connection. Given Daoist White Cloud's rigid personality, he would never change his mind.

From the fact that Daoist White Cloud had been monitoring him for over a month just because he suspected Ning Wuque was a demon, it was clear that Daoist White Cloud would never take him as a disciple.