Youyou looked back at the demons; the group had already moved quite a distance ahead, and soon it was their turn. She looked up and realized something seemed amiss.
Unlike the other groups of demons who were checked one by one and then entered the city directly, their group had a table set up in front of them. A demon dressed in similar clothing to the guards next to them was taking notes.
"What skills do you have?" Before the three could react, the man asked directly, "Can you briefly describe the type of activity, the time of day required, and the musical instrument used?"
"..." The three of them were stunned. What was going on?
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Seeing that the people didn't answer, the person registering them frowned, looked up and glanced at the three of them with displeasure, and said coldly, "You should understand that today is the city lord's big day. Not just any demon can enter the manor to celebrate. If you don't have the ability to please the city lord, you'd better get lost. Do you really think that the celebration gifts bestowed by the city lord are so easy to obtain?"
Youyou panicked, suddenly realizing they might have been in the wrong line. No wonder this line was the shortest among all the queues. Just as she was wondering what to do, Yuan's father, who was at the front, reacted quickly, glancing at the demons who had already gone in and instantly understanding what was happening.
He casually flicked his wrist, summoning a clear, melodious flute, and said with a gentle smile, "I can play the flute. I've prepared a congratulatory piece and come here specifically to celebrate the city lord's arrival!" He then played a short tune.
The demon registering the flute softened his expression, glanced at the flute in Yuan Qi's hand, wrote "Flute Player" in the register, waved for Yuan Qi to go in, and then looked at Feng Rong behind him and asked, "What else can you do?"
Feng Rong naturally realized what was happening and summoned a guqin, saying, "I can play the guqin." After saying that, she immediately plucked a few strings.
"Hmm." The person registering nodded in satisfaction and waved them through, writing down the name of the piece. Then, looking at You You at the back, they asked, "And you? What instrument do you play?"
“Uh…” Youyou froze for a moment before finally speaking, “Does whistling count?” She was a master at whistling.
Registration Demon: "..."
Feng Rong: "..."
Yuan Qi: "..."
An eerie silence fell over the scene.
In the end, Youyou still passed the test, not because of her skillful whistling that made several demon soldiers rush to the toilet, but because Yuan's father had a sudden inspiration and said that she was Feng Rong's zither attendant and needed to help Feng Rong carry the zither. The demon soldiers glared at her several times before letting her in.
Youyou: "..." Isn't whistling art?
Unlike the other demons entering the city, this group was led by two demon soldiers. They passed through several streets and headed towards a large palace at the innermost part of the city. Then they were led to a large courtyard on the west side, which was already full of people.
They were dressed in various styles, but what they held in their hands were not magical implements, but all sorts of props, mostly musical instruments, making them look like they were backstage.
Although they had suspected something beforehand, the three of them still discreetly inquired further. They then understood that the city lord of this demonic city had just successfully advanced to a higher level, which was why he was holding a three-day celebratory banquet within the city, open to all demons. On the last day of the banquet, the city lord would bestow a celebratory gift, reportedly a scattered demonic spirit.
The so-called demonic spirit is the enlightenment that high-level demons have gained in their cultivation, albeit an overflowing one. However, the city lord of this city is a Heavenly Demon. Obtaining even a trace of demonic spirit would be a significant benefit for demons with lower cultivation levels, which is why the city is so lively.
Those with a special skill were particularly lucky. Because the city lord enjoyed excitement and especially music and acrobatics, those who knew one or two of these skills could directly enter the city lord's mansion to perform, giving them the opportunity to get close to the city lord and, of course, making it easier for them to obtain demonic spirits.
Youyou was somewhat speechless. She hadn't expected that simply queuing in the wrong line would lead her directly into the heart of the Demon City's power. However, this also had its advantages. The moment she entered the City Lord's Mansion, Youyou sensed that the three volumes of the Yin Book seemed to be reacting, proving that one of the other two volumes might be right there in the City Lord's Mansion.
This actually made it easier for them to find what they were looking for. So the three of them discussed it telepathically and decided to stay in the city. After all, they had three days to search at their leisure.
The group stayed in the courtyard for about two hours before a demon who appeared to be in charge came in. He counted everyone in the courtyard, seemingly to confirm the songs they would be performing, and then arranged them in order before calling everyone to line up and follow him out.
Yuan Qi and Feng Rong came up with a impromptu performance of a zither and flute duet to handle the occasion. Although You You had never seen them play instruments before, she had to admit that it sounded quite nice.
As for Youyou... she's just an emotionless instrument-carrying machine, her job is simply to help Fengrong carry her instruments.
When the steward arrived, the three of them had just searched the area around the courtyard but found no trace of the Book of the Dead. For some reason, the Book of the Dead's presence was intermittent, and Youyou couldn't pinpoint its exact location.
Now that she had the opportunity to wander around, it was naturally even better, so she picked up her zither and followed Feng Rong out while sensing the surroundings.
There were many people waiting to perform in the courtyard, roughly a hundred or so. Their performance was conveniently located in the middle. The manager explained the rules to them as he headed towards the main hall. The closer they got, the denser the demonic energy became.
Moreover, it wasn't the kind of demonic energy that drifted everywhere in the Demon Realm. That kind of demonic energy also carried a faint sense of oppression, clearly emanating from the demon race, and there was more than one of them.
Youyou and his two companions were unfazed, but the other demons who went with them were clearly intimidated by the oppressive aura. They didn't dare speak, and all lowered their heads, not daring to look around, closely following behind the steward, barely daring to breathe.
"Xiao You, withdraw your divine sense." As the main hall drew closer, Yuan Qi's voice transmission rang in his ears, "The demons in the hall ahead are not simple. There are at least three of them with the cultivation of Heavenly Demons. Be careful not to reveal any traces."
"Alright!" You You nodded and immediately withdrew his divine sense from probing the location of the Yin Book. The cultivation level of the Heavenly Demon was comparable to that of a True God. Although it was not comparable to the God Race, this was, after all, the Demon Realm's home ground, and they should be extra careful.
Their group was going to perform, so naturally they couldn't enter through the main hall. The steward led them in through a side hall, where they lined up behind several screens to wait for their turn.
Because of the close proximity, the oppressive aura of the demonic energy was even more pronounced, causing several demons with lower cultivation levels in the group to tremble immediately. The steward frowned and ordered them to be dragged out. The three who were originally in the middle were immediately pushed forward quite a distance.
Well, it looks like it'll be their turn soon.
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