The annual husband selection month has arrived again, and everyone in the demon realm is on edge.
The ground began to tremble, and something rushed toward this place like a tidal wave.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, "They're here!"
The once bustling street became deserted in an instant, with all the shops closed.
Not far away, in an inconspicuous little house, a farmer inside watched tremblingly through a small hole in the window as a group of demonic cultivators rode past on magical beasts.
The demonic cultivators seemed to be used to this scene. They didn't linger for a moment, as if they were just going through the motions, and then they left.
A little beggar next to the farmer tried to peek out, but the farmer pressed him down. He looked a little confused, his hair was messy, and he didn't know why someone had called out to him. Then the farmer dragged him into the dilapidated little house.
It wasn't until much later, when those demonic cultivators had probably gone quite far, that the farmers dared to come out of their houses and resume selling the steamed buns.
Other shops in the vicinity gradually opened their doors, and the street soon became lively again.
The farmer looked at the still dazed little beggar and, unable to bear it, handed him a steaming hot bun.
"You should go now, I won't charge you for this."
The little beggar was still looking at the place where the demonic cultivators had left in the distance.
Seeing his curious look, the farmer didn't mind and explained a few more words: "They are from the Demon Palace. It's almost the Demon Lord's month of choosing husbands. They will grab good-looking people from the streets to be the Demon Lord's husbands. If you encounter them, you must avoid them. I heard that the Demon Lord is ugly and bloodthirsty. No one who wants to be the Demon Queen can come out alive."
The little beggar nodded, clutching the bun tightly; he would definitely avoid it.
The old farmer looked the little beggar up and down: "But don't worry about someone like you, the Demon Lord only likes good-looking people."
A customer standing nearby, dressed in ordinary clothes but with a burly build, saw this and said, "Old farmer, you've done a good deed again. But I don't think you need to worry. The Demon Lord doesn't like people as old as you."
The farmer laughed heartily: "You can't just talk about me, everyone on this street is avoiding me."
After buying the steamed buns, the customer kindly said to the little beggar, "You seem young, you must have encountered some difficulties. I heard that the wages for menial laborers in the Demon Palace are quite good, you could give it a try."
Farmer: "Is that so? Then why is no one dares to go?"
The customer tossed out a sentence and strode away, his voice still echoing far away: "Perhaps it's the unknown that causes fear, but what the eyes and ears see and hear isn't necessarily the truth. Old farmer, your steamed buns are truly exceptional."
The little beggar clutched the bun in his hand and looked at the farmer: "Thank you, thank you, I will return it to you."
The farmer waved his hand: "Go on, kid."
After the little beggar left, the farmer shook his head and muttered, "No fewer than ten people have said that to me, and not one of them has come back."
However, he wasn't doing it for any reward, but simply to do something that would give him a clear conscience.
The little beggar ate his steamed buns in big bites and headed towards the Demon Palace. At that moment, in his mind, there was no place safer than the Demon Palace, and since no one dared to go there, it was the best place for him to hide.
He walked for two days and one night without eating anything, and was so hungry that he was almost dizzy. Finally, he arrived at the gate of the Demon Palace.
Along the way, he passed through some villages, and the villagers were either extremely ugly or covered their faces everywhere. It wasn't until he saw a handsome man smear dirty mud on his face that he guessed the reason.
However, he didn't encounter any more kind people like the old farmer along the way, and he was determined to repay him properly in the future.
This demon palace was quite different from what I had imagined. Instead of being gloomy and eerie, it was grand and radiant with golden light.
Looking up, the pillars on either side of the Demon Palace's gate were incredibly massive, towering into the clouds with no end in sight.
Upon seeing the job posting on the notice board, he tore it off and took it to the recruiting demon soldier.
There was a long queue in front of the job registration table, mostly people dressed in tattered clothes and looking dirty.
Soon it was the little beggar's turn. The demon soldier didn't even look up, and was writing and drawing in his notebook.
"Name?"
"Thank you—thank you, Shanzhi."
Which zhi?
The little beggar hesitated for a moment, and seeing the demon soldier's impatience, he quickly said, "One or two."
"age?"
"nineteen."
"Take the sign to Granny Chen, and she will arrange work for you."
Xie Shanzhi took the sign; it was somewhat heavy, made of metal, and had the character "Spring" on it.
He looked into the distance and saw several old women of varying ages.
An older woman stood with her hands on her hips and shouted loudly, "All those with the 'Spring' brand name, come to me!"
Seeing a large crowd gathered there, Xie Shanzhi quickly walked over. At first glance, he was not particularly noticeable in the crowd.
The old woman led the group for quite a distance. Several luxurious carriages sped by along the way, drawing envious glances from many. Fortunately, they finally entered the Demon Palace.
Before them stretched a long corridor that seemed to have no end. Xie Shanzhi thought it was probably an illusion, but instead of continuing forward, they changed direction and walked in front of a house. Chen Mama finally stopped.
This place feels like a transit point.
The old woman pointed inside the house: "Go inside and wash up, then change your clothes before you come out."
The house wasn't particularly luxurious; it was just an ordinary dwelling.
Xie Shanzhi chose a cubicle and scrubbed himself clean. He had been wandering for too long, and the water he scrubbed was black. He didn't stop until the whole bucket of water had turned black.
I picked up the clothes and put them on. I looked at the old clothes next to me and felt a little reluctant to throw them away, even though they were tattered and dirty.
He took the old clothes and walked out the door, but Granny Chen was not there. He didn't know where the group of people from before had gone either. He was about to go and ask around.
A deep voice came from not far away: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and follow me."
He looked up and saw a group of men dressed in all sorts of clothes walking in a line.
The burly demon general leading the way turned around and saw Xie Shanzhi standing alone. He quickly called for him to keep up, afraid that no one would be left behind.
Xie Shanzhi was completely confused, but he still ran a few steps forward and quickly caught up. Was that the group of people just now? They were handsome and dressed in luxurious clothes.
He sensed something was wrong; he must have gone to the wrong door after taking a shower. This group of people wasn't the menial workers who were applying for the job.
He quickly ran ahead and called out to the Demon General.
The burly demon general turned around and saw it was this man again! It was this young man who had tried to escape while he wasn't paying attention! He had to properly present such a beauty to the Demon Lord.
He then gave a loud "humph" and shouted, "You, shut up! Don't get any funny ideas, stick close to us, or don't blame me for being impolite."
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