"Where is Little Yuan'er?"

"Disciple is here."

Dressed in a green robe, Little Yuan'er darted in from outside, resembling a lively lark.

"Go inform your senior brothers and sisters that the innocent must be treated kindly," Lu Zhou said calmly.

"Kind... kindly?"

Hearing these words from her master, Little Yuan'er's face was filled with disbelief.

"Go on."

"Oh, disciple will go right away."

Full of doubt, Little Yuan'er headed to the foot of the mountain.

When she relayed Lu Zhou's exact words to the three villains, Zhao Yue nearly stumbled to the ground.

"Oh my, Fourth Senior Brother, there's something off about Master's new approach... No matter how much he changes his style, he couldn't possibly say something like 'treat kindly.'"

Ming Shiyin looked at Little Yuan'er and asked, "Little Junior Sister, did Master really say that?"

Little Yuan'er nodded earnestly, "Master's exact words, the innocent must be treated kindly."

"It's over, it's over," Ming Shiyin paced back and forth.

"Fourth Brother, what do you mean by that?" Duanmu Sheng frowned.

"Master has committed countless evil deeds in his life. If he's truly trying a new approach, it can only involve 'kindness.'"

"That doesn't necessarily mean it's over," Zhao Yue chuckled.

"The problem is, I have no idea how to do good deeds!" Ming Shiyin was on the verge of tears.

"......"

Seeing the helpless expressions on her senior brothers and sister, Little Yuan'er coughed and said, "Senior Brothers and Sister, are you overthinking this?"

The three of them focused their gaze on Little Yuan'er and said, "Little Junior Sister is close to Master, is there some inside information?"

"Yes, yes, Little Junior Sister, tell us."

"There's no inside information, but Master did say one thing..."

"What did he say?"

A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled.

"Killing isn't the only way to solve problems."

The three were stunned.

"I knew it wasn't simple! Although Master is powerful... there's no way he could say something so profound!" Ming Shiyin slapped his thigh.

.

Meanwhile.

At the headquarters of Fierce Tiger Hill Stronghold.

"Stronghold Leader, there's a reply from Yan Yue Palace..."

"What does the letter say?" Zhu Honggong was overjoyed.

"The Palace Master of Yan Yue Palace said that the old demon of Jinting Mountain could kill the Celestial Sword Sect's leader Luo Changfeng in one move, his cultivation has recovered, and Palace Master Ye cannot assist the Stronghold Leader. The Stronghold Leader's strength is the weakest, so you must hide well."

Thud.

Zhu Honggong fell over.

His back was cold, sweat dripped from his forehead, and he felt uncomfortable all over.

Why is it like this?

How could Master be so powerful?

"Stronghold Leader!"

"Don't panic! Stay calm! With this king here, what are you afraid of?"

.

[Ding, trained Zhu Honggong, gained 50 Merit Points.]

Lu Zhou heard this notification and felt a bit puzzled.

He wondered why he gained Merit Points related to Zhu Honggong when he hadn't done anything to him.

Lu Zhou checked his personal panel—

Name: Lu Zhou

Race: Human

Cultivation: Profound Understanding Realm, Mind Orifice.

Merit Points: 244

Remaining Lifespan: 610 days

Items: Ji Tiandao Peak State Card*2, Fatal Block*3 (Passive)

Still pathetically weak.

Even though he discovered a new way to accumulate Merit Points, the two hundred or so points were a drop in the bucket compared to the thousands needed for items.

These Merit Points could only be used for a few lottery draws, nothing else.

"Lottery."

[Ding, this lottery draw consumed 50 Merit Points, obtained Baize]

[Baize, unique, permanent mount.]

Lu Zhou's cloudy old eyes widened in excitement, "Baize mount?"

This lottery was incredible.

Ji Tiandao must have had all sorts of dazzling cultivation techniques, weapons, and even rare mounts. After all, as an old demon who had dominated for a thousand years, he couldn't have lacked such accumulations. But now that Lu Zhou had replaced Ji Tiandao, he had nothing, dirt poor.

Unexpectedly, the lottery yielded such a rare mount.

In the Great Yan, where the world was bizarre and colorful, those who couldn't capture beasts or ferocious beasts as mounts would find ways to create flying chariots, practice flying swords, and travel through the air. But none of these compared to the prestige of having a mount.

In modern terms, Baize was like the luxury car of luxury cars.

It symbolized status and position.

The higher the level of the ferocious beast one could ride, the more powerful they naturally were.

"Baize," Lu Zhou commanded.

Above the Demon Heaven Pavilion, a mount with the body of a lion, two horns on its head, a goat's beard, and bathed in auspicious light, stepped on the clouds and arrived.

It landed in the courtyard of the Demon Heaven Pavilion.

Lu Zhou looked at the radiant Baize in the courtyard, stunned for a moment.

Even with Ji Tiandao's memories, being well-versed in the world, seeing Baize still made him feel excited.

Lu Zhou waved his hand.

Baize spun in place, as if drilling into the void, and disappeared.

.

The three villains at the foot of the mountain looked back at the Demon Heaven Pavilion on the mountain top, lost in thought.

"Did I see things? It seemed like there was a strong aura of auspicious energy just now."

"You didn't see things, I felt it too."

"New approach, Master is deliberately hiding his evil aura, just pretend you didn't see it."

"Yes, just pretend you didn't see it."

.

In the Demon Heaven Pavilion, Lu Zhou, having hit the jackpot with consecutive lottery draws, felt a bit elated.

With the remaining Merit Points, he decided to continue drawing.

"Lottery."

[Ding, this lottery draw consumed 50 Merit Points, thank you for participating, Lucky Point +1]

"Lottery."

[Ding, this lottery draw consumed 50 Merit Points, thank you for participating, Lucky Point +1]

Two consecutive "thank you for participating."

"Are you giving me a taste of sweetness first, and now trying to trap me?" Lu Zhou was speechless.

"Lottery."

[Ding, this lottery draw consumed 50 Merit Points, thank you for participating, Lucky Point +1]

"......"

Only 44 points left.

Couldn't draw anymore.

Lu Zhou helplessly closed the lottery function.

"Turns out it's all just a ploy."

However, he wasn't too disappointed or regretful. Overall, the returns were quite generous. Four lottery draws, obtaining the Baize mount, was very worthwhile.

.

Near the foot of Jinting Mountain.

Three middle-aged men, riding tall horses, looked in the direction of Jinting Mountain.

"Up ahead is Jinting Mountain... the lair of the old demon who dominates the Cultivator World, feared and avoided by all."

"Steward, why did the clan leader send Yuan'er to Jinting Mountain to become a disciple? The reputation here isn't good!"

"Do you think the clan leader wanted to? This old demon kills without blinking, the clan leader had no choice but to offer Little Yuan'er as a disciple."

"Hopefully, the old demon will help our clan through this crisis for Yuan'er's sake."

The steward at the front shook his head helplessly, "Let's hope so... I heard a few days ago, the old demon single-handedly repelled the Ten Great Masters and killed the Celestial Sword Sect's leader Luo Changfeng in one move. If the old demon is willing to help, the Ci Family will surely get through this crisis."

The three continued forward.

As they entered the forest.

A black figure, like a ghost, drifted in the sky, the voice eerie:

"Who dares trespass on Jinting Mountain?"

The three immediately dismounted, kneeling on one knee toward the sky.

"The Ci Family of Anyang City requests an audience with the esteemed masters of the Demon Heaven Pavilion..." The steward swallowed, cold sweat pouring down.

"The Ci Family of Anyang City?"

A hundred meters away, Ming Shiyin's figure left afterimages as he flashed over.

Duanmu Sheng and Zhao Yue appeared on either side as if out of thin air.

The three men widened their eyes, their lips trembling. Seeing was believing; the notorious demons of Jinting Mountain were indeed terrifying.

"Fourth Brother, the Ci Family of Anyang City is Little Junior Sister's clan," Duanmu Sheng said.

"I know... luckily, I'm smart... according to Master's new approach, we can't kill them now, we must treat them kindly, especially since they're Little Junior Sister's clan," Ming Shiyin nodded.

"Fourth Senior Brother is right."

These words left the three members of the Ci Family looking at each other in confusion.

Ming Shiyin smiled slightly, stepped forward, and helped the steward up, "No need for such formalities, please rise."

"Ah?"

The steward of the Ci Family was filled with countless thoughts; this must be a hidden threat, the more they acted like this, the less they should take themselves seriously, "I dare not, I dare not..."

"That's not right, since you're Little Junior Sister's clan, you're family. Family doesn't need such formalities. Come, come, don't be nervous..."

"I dare not."

Ming Shiyin frowned and kicked forward.

Bang!

The steward of the Ci Family fell face-first, looking extremely embarrassed.

"Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit, hurry up, all of you, get up the mountain and await your fate!"

Duanmu Sheng and Zhao Yue were taken aback.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm helpless too. Master's new approach is really awkward."