The sky darkened, and the mountain fortress grew lively, brightly illuminated and bustling with activity.

Before coming, Yan Qing had imagined countless times what the Demon Path Evil Land looked like, but all he could guess were scenes that wouldn’t even be approved by mysterious websites. After all, a place where a bunch of thugs, mountain bandits, and murderers gathered; could it be anything close to a civilized city?

So he never fantasized about mingling into the mountain fortress and colluding with the Demonic Messenger. It’s not that he wanted to boast his correct moral views; he simply couldn’t bear the sight of suffering in the Mortal World. Thus, the atmosphere near the Ping City Military Camp was greatly improved, because Yan Qing occasionally manipulated Ye Si to go into the city to buy daily necessities. On the way, if he encountered Baibao or anyone else daring to bully the weak, he couldn’t even bother to ask; he’d just get rid of them.

This naturally attracted a lot of criticism, but firstly, Ye Si had Jiang Shi as a backing, and secondly, the two of them constantly raided the Secret Realm, boosting Ping City’s GDP. Anyone daring to cause them trouble, the Baibao eating meat and drinking soup behind them, would be the first to refuse. Initially, Yan Qing was ready to flip the table, but gradually everyone instead adapted to his moral boundaries.

Even at Shu Dao Mountain, Yan Qing never intended to change his style. From choosing the name ’Rabbit Heroine,’ he was already mentally prepared. Although Pharmacist’s Wish now became Great Guardian and negotiated cooperation with Prajna to explore the Corpse Bone Forest, if anyone dared to commit atrocities before his alternate account, even Blood Phase had to die.

He couldn’t change the world, but the world had no chance of changing him.

However, the scene before him left Yan Qing somewhat dumbstruck: The open space in front of the Demon Slaying Hall was divided into three areas. One area had a stage where a troupe performed operas, with the audience cheering below; another area hosted dozens of gambling tables with Pai Gow and dice abundant, gamblers shouting and yelling; and the last area had a few long tables laden with wine jars, where a group of rough men drank and beat time as they danced with bare torsos.

If it weren’t for over half of them having red names, this place looked like an ordinary village, where a group of people gathered to chat and seek fun after a day of toil.

"If you’re interested, you can come back and try it too," Prajna said from behind them. "Except for Beiyou, who doesn’t like places with many people, the poor monk and Blood Phase often mingle with everyone. The mountain fortress is boring and quiet, only in crowded places can moods improve."

"Would any troupe be willing to come to such a place?" Pharmacist’s Wish asked.

"Of course they would. Next month, there will even be a dance troupe cultivated by the Jie Family coming. Many workmen struggling outside would return specifically for this," Prajna replied.

"The poor monk knows what you’re thinking. Actually, in the beginning, most people were afraid to come to the fortress. That’s why we emphasize Changle City’s public security so much. People who don’t dare to come to the fortress might dare to try Changle City, which offers more fun than the mountains. Many are willing to go down for distraction. Later, when everyone realized we indeed kept our word, gradually more were willing to come up the mountain. After all, the pay from the fortress is twice that of Changle City, but getting to the fortress only takes half a day."

"It seems quite costly."

"Every month, the income from the fortress and Changle City is divided into ten parts, half for the Great Guardian, and the other half for posts like these," Prajna pointed to various facilities in the fortress. "Without paying ten times the price, who would be willing to come to the fortress to build walls? Can you expect these arsonists and murderers to fix roofs?"

"Can’t you just not pay them?" Rabbit Heroine asked, puzzled. "Or detain them to work as oxen and horses."

Prajna cast her a sideways glance, "Your accommodation isn’t bad, right? Although it can’t match the grand inns in Chang’an, it has everything necessary, and the structures are solid."

"To build a house, you need carpenters, masons, blacksmiths, bricklayers—the bigger the house, the more people needed. Just abducting people from outside to work, how many years would it take to complete the fortress? Quality cannot be guaranteed, and the poor monk doesn’t want to hear the dripping sounds inside during rainy nights, just like the annoying sound of a wooden fish."

"Moreover, we need many things from outside. Pillaging can’t solve every problem, but reputation and Spiritual Jade can."

Blood Phase sneered, "In the end, it’s because there are too few people nearby. If it were a Military Town, would you need this hassle? Just conscription suffices, who would dare disobey? In this world, only the righteous can be shameless, many people let them squander."

"How often do these gatherings occur?" Rabbit Heroine asked.

"Every day," Prajna replied indifferently. "The Demon Dao is just a group of people who feel abandoned by the world, blaming the heavens and earth, sick individuals. Living in drunken stupor is the only effective medicine; even drunk, they sleep with one eye open, let alone when awake? If they aren’t intoxicated, they would kill everyone they encountered at night."

Yan Qing’s heart moved; Prajna’s words didn’t sound like she was describing others but as if expressing her own thoughts. Indeed, everyone yearns for a good life, do evildoers love living in gloomy, eerie places filled with screams and bloodshed? The Demon Path Evil Land is a deadly land for the righteous, yet it’s the only shelter for the Demon Dao. If it can’t even relax here, what’s the difference between inside and outside the mountains?

Perhaps Prajna and the others spent so much to make the mountain fortress lively because only by seeing bustling crowds could they faintly feel a bit of warmth.