Archfiend Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Leaving for Heavens Law Branch (Three)

Lilac snapped her fingers and a stack of materials appeared in her hand. With a casual wave of her hand, they flew into everyone's hands in a manner that could not be refused, and she laughed: "This is the CSIB's specific introduction. Everyone, please be relaxed, we are China's civil servants. Remember how the civil exam spread about like wildfire several years? We've got the difference of substance in comparison to some bogus units. The benefits and retirement guarantee are better than what others can imagine. Even if everyone is halted in Qi Condensation — and believe me, eight out of ten cultivators stop right before Foundation Establishment like me. However, all of you have the same opportunity as myself, and that is to become a VIP."

This was multi-level marketing scam, right? Right?

These words turned in everyone's hearts a good several times, however, no one said anything.

Xu Yangyi simply didn't care whether or not the other was multi-level marketeer. He only cared about a single matter — would the CSIB be able to bring him true benefits.

Taking the materials the moment the flew into his hand, he looked at the CSIB introduction that wasn't seven pages long and the list of famous cultivators. It appeared that CSIB could make things sail smoothly.

On the eighth page, there was a row of large characters: Beijing University, Huaqing University, and the tenth greatest educational institution in China had joined hands to establish the cultivation world's largest lecture hall for the latest issues: from Biological Transformation to Darwin's Theory of the Analysis of Demons' Weaknesses. 

"Huu…" Xu Yangyi gently exhaled, forcefully pinching his fist.

This was something he definitely desired!

And it seemed there were no strings attached?

No, no way!

He understood if clearly. Every demon had a crystal they had carried with them since ancient times. They had their own demon forms, and these demon forms… were biological organisms!

If it was a living organism, then it had a weakness.

Biological organisms were divided into many classifications: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, species, and beneath species there were also sub species. Vegetation also had variants, and every category had their own suborder, subclass… and a majestically glittering crystal; these things were all the origins of a demon!

In the last several billion years of changes in Earth's history, every demon, every ancient fossil, had an origin that they abided by among the Earth's several billion years of history. He had always been very distinct about his own position, never faltering.

And that was… a true demon slayer.

One was not to take take action until a mortal strike could be delivered.

He continued to look.

It was obvious that their possession of university resources, famous Chinese biologists, and favorable connections with geneticists were the CSIB's greatest trump. This publicity material was of their own sufficient effort. For example, the second article: Evolution of Demons, Territory Awareness, The Comparison of Hunting Grounds and Natural Organisms, and as well as Deducing Routes in the Future. 

The third article: Huaqing Biology, International Sociology Professor Cao Liangwei in Regards to the Complements Between Human Society and Demon Society, Competitions, and the Definition of Mutual Expulsion.  

The fourth article: How did Taobao, QQ, and WeChat discover the demons concealed in human society in the progressively interweaving information age. How to differentiate whether they could be classified as undergoing the process of erasing their tracks.

"Fairly interesting…" The gaze in Xu Yangyi's eyes faintly flashed. He was quite willing to listen to what Lilac had to say next.

At the very least, the bait the other hand set down had indeed invoked his interest.

However, while the students discussed it, Lilac's voice didn't echo out once again. As Xu Yangyi lifted his gaze from the materials, a snow-white hand had already cupped his lower jaw.

"How about it? Interested?" Lilac's charming face came closer to his, and her rosy lips leaned on his earlobe, only nearly a centimeter from sucking on it. It was so much that one could even imagine her nimble tongue like that of a true lilac, tracing an arc on his ear.

Everyone's gaze swept over nonchalantly, clearly unable to understand why Lilac seemed to have a special interest for the last person that had come.

Were there few rank ones? There were twelve cities in Nantong Province, equal to twelve rank ones! There was one even sitting at her side, but on the contrary, why didn't she recognize him like Xu Yangyi? 

"If it's interesting…" Lilac's sweet shoulder bumped into the other once again and coiled her hair around her hand. A languid enthrallment seeped into her husky voice: "Won't you consider our unit? Yuyang City's Rank One, Student Xu Yangyi? Big Sis will be waiting for you~"

"We'll even make an exception… Are you not intending…" Lilac pursed her lips and snapped her fingers. A paper unhurriedly drifted over...

In between her bosom!

Lilac's deep cleavage squeezed down on the resource paper, and she winked. She said lowly at the side of his ear: "Are you not intending on giving Big Sis an answer?"

"This is a specially-drafted contract for the Rank One. Others won't be the same; it won't have Big Sis's digits on it~~"

"Oh? I said how could Zuo Lun be so willing to have tea with me. He even said it was the newest tea gathered from Mount Emei…" His voice not yet falling, a sneer could be heard coming from the door. Just as the sound of laughter fell, it immediately turned into a fierce shout: "Scheming whore, be gone! Our 'Featherwood Guard' has yet to even recruit people; when did it become your turn!"

Everyone was dumbfounded. Xu Yangyi took advantage of situation to break away from Lilac's clutches, calmly surveying at everything.

No, no, no… let us properly figure things out, what the heck is going on?

We haven't even graduated, but we've been given pamphlets… Moreover, it wasn't even a single person sent, but rather two?

Wasn't the CSIB a state agency? Was there another even more powerful unit?

"Are you trying to flush people out and rope them in by not giving it to them straight?" The person who had come was a woman with short hair, a square face, and around thirty years of age. In the same camouflage, she appeared like a man, and her voice was rather coarse, as well: "Hmph, Lilac, you got the nerve to try and fool these young chicks?"

The students who were looking at her appearance and listening to her voice that was like a silver bell with endless expectations suddenly jolted up in their seats with straight backs.

The transformation from silver bell to barbell was far too swift. So quick that they couldn't accept it.

Lilac snorted coldly: "Little chicks? Students, listen up. The Featherwood Guard regards you all as such! We will hold you as colleagues, but she will take advantage of you without your consent!"*

"I can't be bothered with your crap." The short-haired woman's gift for the gab was evidently nothing to brag home about. She turned her head and looked at everyone: "Greetings, students, I've come to introduce myself. I am C-Lotus…"

"All girls are designated based on flowers. Our Featherwood Guard isn't like those pansy-ass government departments. Everyone, have you ever thought of the question, how long would it take to respond to a problem if you joined a government branch?

"For example, you find a spirit stone vein — hey, don't look at me like that, it's just a lucky bullshit example. There aren't many spirit stone veins on the entire Earth; it's nothing but a figure of speech." Lotus glanced at a student: "At the same though, if someone saw it, what would we be done? Report it to the government branch? Haha… they would wait, right. Wait for a month and see whether or not they would get on it. But by the time that moment comes, everything will be already left high and dry!"

"However, our Featherwood Guard ain't the same! We don't got so much red tape, and we're one big family of a guild. Our president is a Chinese Core Formation expert, an existence at the peak of the world! You feel like doing something, sure, then go do it, go snatch it! But once you take possession of it, you have to continue report it to the guild. You guys think that if you join the CSIB, you'll be able to take immediate action if you don't wait on comments from the Top Brass. Who will pardon you when the blames falls on you because there are four other Core Formation masters?"

"Hehe… but it's just nothing but a pack of mercenaries moonlighting as private detectives. What are you doing speaking so highly for?" Lilac was disinclined to feign the slightest courtesy as she riposted with equal harshness: "Their treatment and research techniques are wholly incapable of matching up to our unit's! Any mission that is accepted and accomplished will have a bonus upon completion! It wasn't completed? Hehe… sorry… even if it is completed, does everyone dare to guarantee they can complete a mission every time without a scratch? Theirs is a unit without an occupational injury organization, and it also doesn't even have retirement insurance in particular! Moreover, they don't provide medical insurance!  It's extremely irregular! They can be simply classified as an impoverished, rag-tag group!"

"However, even the prices starting from our lowest missions begin at five million US dollars!" 

"Hahaha, it's truly a joke as great as the heavens. Like setting up a stall in the supermarket and boasting of riches." Lilac chuckled with her waist bent over: "Has everyone thought of where spirit stones come from? Have you thought of where those priceless treasures originate from? I'll tell everyone, the CSIB has a special operations office known as the Office for Special Geological Exploration. If any of you are sure that some place has a spirit vein or rare treasure, you can use them for surveying. Of course, all of your gains will completely belong to you. Other wildcat departments don't have this condition. Our special exploration office, hehe… these words are unpleasant to listen to, but our ancestors have been dealing with those things for a long time now."

She paused and looked at Lotus provokingly: "Do you know of the Wealth Repossession Captains? All of them hold post in the CSIB!"**

"I can't be bothered with your crap!" Lotus snapped and yelled, looking deeply at everyone. In kind, she snapped her fingers and a stack of resources appeared, flying into everyone's hand: "The Featherwood Guard and the CSIB can both be called one of China's Big Three. Our history is as long as theirs, and our hotline number is 010-8675-2341. I welcome any student to consult us…"

Lotus spoke while rummaging for a twice as thick dossier that swiftly came out from the pile of resources. Lilac's eyes glimmered, and took out the contract from her bosom with a swish. Just as Lotus was brusquely going to foist if onto Xu Yangyi, it was slapped away into the air by Lilac.

CSIB's contract was placed before Xu Yangyi.

"You wanna go?" Lotus slammed the table, her eyes glowering.

"Why don't you come try me?" Lilac sneered and stood up, not losing in might in the least bit.

Two similarly formidable waves of spiritual pressure seemed to grind against one another like a millstone in the airplane. In kind, both we're equally matched.

"What? You wanna get the others, then take 'em, but you wanna snatch up two of the Rank Ones, as well? I'll accompany you straight through eating, chatting, and sleeping. You wanna squeeze in and seal the deal? I'm going to sit at his side, too!"***

Xu Yangyi silently took the materials and swept his eyes over it, yet didn't have the time to look at it carefully.

"Hehe, who doesn't want a Rank One? Even if they didn't pass the graduation exam, based on the recommendation of their branch and their credits at school, they're an important training target! Speak less of your haves and have-nots, the Featherwood Guard must have these two!" 

"Psshh… It's yours just because you said so? Is the CSIB a least bit worst than your Featherwood Guard? When we chase after prospects, when have we not been generous?" 

"Just on the basis of your bloated government agency?" 

"Psshhh… And on the basis of your ragtag circus that's better kept under the table? Let me ask, can you provide others the opportunity with a study abroad exchange? Can you provide them with a government-issued medal? Can you provide them with systemic provincial-grade treatment? Low-class things will never do for high-class needs!"****

The silver bell and the barbell collided, and as this suddenly coming out on full swing on the airplane, the two women were soon sticking together, face to face, scowling coldly at each other. The others could speak no longer.

"So in the end, it all comes back to Number 9310's report that he killed a berserker, huh…" Finally, Lotus faintly laughed in bitterness, keeping her voice under control so the others couldn't hear her: "It's been ten years… Eleven years ago, a mutant maneater appeared in Runjiang City. After the examinee died without a whole corpse, there wasn't another situation of an assessment deviating, not to even mention the other was killed. This is the first time after ten years, but you've really set your heart on this more than me."

"What about it?" Presently, the two of them had simply torn up and thrown out the window the most fundamental of face. Already, Lilac had completely abandoned her desire to keep up pretense, jitterily kicking the handrail on the side. With a boom, the steel handrail had suddenly bent.

She looked at Lotus coldly: "Momma is warning you, ugly. That Chu background is great. I don't want to give him up to you, but the CSIB Nantong branch mentioned that Xu cannot be lost by any means! You dare try to scramble over him with me!"

"Is Mama afraid of your CSIB? You might've scared the rookies more or less, but you want to scare me?" Lotus glared and shot back hatefully: "That Chu is yours! Our Featherwood Guard's Nantong branch mentioned Xu's name in kind for acquisition!"

* Take advantage of you without your consent: 想/上. I had to do some digging to understand what this means. From what I found, it is exactly what I have translated it as, but it also has the context of "rape" or "forcing oneself on another, no matter what the other does".

** 摸金校尉 - literally: Steal Gold Captain. This word has its roots way back during the Three Kingdoms period. From what I read, this rank was devised for people to take wealth from tombs to supply the army with. A tricky bit about this here is the rank of captain. Depending on what time period, be it early Han, or Tang, the rank has a higher status or medium status respectively. Can be thought of as either a rank just below general or captain respectively. 

*** Accompany straight through eating, chatting, and sleeping. This is a Chinese idiom that I had a tough time deciding to localize or not, but I decided against it, but we will see. Refers to an idea that a woman accompanies a client through eating, chatting, and sleeping, so pretty much it refers to an idea of following straight through with everything. This is the newer version. The old version had dancing instead of sleeping. Boy, times have changed.

**** 下里巴人永远做不了阳春白雪 this refers back to two different songs during the warring states period that represent the ideals of art between different states. From what I read, 下里巴人 refers to an everyday music/song for the common folk. 阳春白雪 - in kind, refers to art/music for the noble class. In this way it kinda separates the ideas of the nobility/common men

Chapter end