THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS
Chapter Twenty-Five — Recruitment

A sharp gust of wind split the air.

A figure appeared instantly before Long Kui and Long Jie.

When they recognized who it was, both straightened immediately.

Long Jiu stood there, his single eye burning with excitement.

“Who arranged that formation just now?”

The two exchanged a glance.

Finally, Long Jie answered carefully.

“It was the Luo family steward… Zhuo Fan.”

Long Jiu froze.

“Him?”

He turned back toward the estate and examined the golden barrier surrounding it. The longer he looked, the more unsettled he became.

“A true formation master doesn’t merely understand formations,” he murmured. “They spend decades comprehending the laws hidden within heaven and earth themselves.” His voice lowered. “I’m already old, yet I can only arrange third-grade formations. How did someone his age casually construct a fifth-grade array?”

He sounded as if he were questioning them.

But also himself.

Long Kui and Long Jie could only smile bitterly.

How could they possibly know?

Zhuo Fan kept producing impossible things one after another until disbelief itself became exhausting.

Even they, descendants of one of the Seven Houses, no longer dared look down on him after witnessing this.

In some ways, they even felt inferior.

Long Jiu continued studying the array for a while before suddenly grinning.

“Go bring that boy here.” He paused. “No. Invite him.”

The siblings blinked.

Invite?

For someone as proud as Long Jiu, that word alone carried enormous weight.

A short while later, inside a pavilion in the estate’s rear garden, Long Jiu personally brewed tea at a stone table while waiting.

Soon, Zhuo Fan arrived with Long Kui and Long Jie.

The moment Long Jiu saw him, he burst into laughter.

“Brother Zhuo, come sit.”

Long Kui and Long Jie both froze again.

Brother Zhuo?

Long Jiu held an extremely high position within the family. Even they addressed him respectfully as Uncle Jiu. And Long Jiu himself was notoriously arrogant. Across the entire Tianyu Empire, very few people had ever truly entered his eyes.

Yet now he was calling Zhuo Fan “brother.”

Zhuo Fan, however, accepted it naturally.

In a world where strength ruled above all else, titles meant little. If his strength surpassed theirs one day, even becoming Long Jiu’s grandfather would not feel excessive to him.

“Why did Brother Jiu call for me?”

Zhuo Fan sat casually, poured himself tea, and immediately adopted the brotherly title without shame.

Long Jie still looked slightly dazed.

Long Kui rolled her eyes internally.

Shameless.

This bastard really knew how to climb upward the instant someone offered him a hand.

Yet Long Jiu seemed delighted instead.

Because if Zhuo Fan accepted the title, then their relationship became closer — and negotiation became easier.

“Brother Zhuo,” Long Jiu said directly, “since you’ve already called me brother, I won’t waste words.” His eye sharpened slightly. “Someone capable of arranging fifth-grade formations should not be buried in a tiny clan like the Luo family.”

He leaned forward.

“Join Hidden Dragon Pavilion.”

Long Kui and Long Jie both stiffened.

They had guessed Long Jiu wanted to recruit Zhuo Fan.

But they never imagined he would move this quickly.

Or offer this much.

“I guarantee you the status of Pavilion Worshiper,” Long Jiu continued. “Even our family patriarch would treat you with courtesy.”

That position stood above ordinary elders.

Only the most terrifying experts or rarest talents could receive it.

And now Long Jiu was offering it to a teenager.

Yet after seeing the Nine Heavens Coiling Dragon Array, neither Long Kui nor Long Jie could argue against it.

A fifth-grade formation master deserved exactly this treatment.

Zhuo Fan smiled faintly but said nothing.

Truthfully, he had expected this from the moment he revealed the array.

Any force in the empire would desperately fight to recruit someone capable of fifth-grade formations.

Even the emperor himself would lower his posture for such a person.

“Brother Zhuo,” Long Jiu asked again, “what do you think?”

Zhuo Fan finally spoke.

“I have conditions.”

Long Jiu waved a hand grandly.

“As long as Hidden Dragon Pavilion can provide it, ask for anything.”

Zhuo Fan’s eyes shifted toward Long Kui.

“Then having her pour my tea, wash my feet, and warm my bed shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Long Kui’s face exploded red instantly.

“In your dreams!”

Even Long Jiu coughed awkwardly.

“Little Kui… that’s not possible…”

Zhuo Fan burst into laughter.

“I’m joking.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“There’s already one spoiled young lady in my household. Why would I need another?”

Long Kui nearly exploded again.

But before she could speak, Zhuo Fan’s expression changed completely.

Serious.

Cold.

Controlled.

“I want the Luo siblings…” He spoke each word carefully. “To live safely for the rest of their lives.”

Silence fell instantly.

Long Jiu froze.

Long Jie froze.

Even Long Kui’s anger disappeared.

None of them had expected this.

Zhuo Fan’s condition was not wealth.

Not status.

Not power.

It was the safety of the Luo family.

For a moment, genuine respect surfaced in all three of their eyes.

Even Long Kui looked at him differently now.

“Good.”

Long Jiu nodded solemnly.

“As long as Hidden Dragon Pavilion exists, the Luo family will remain safe. Not only this generation — their descendants will also remain safe.” His voice carried complete sincerity. “You have my word.”

Zhuo Fan smiled faintly and lifted his teacup.

“Then that’s settled.”

Long Jiu immediately relaxed.

“Excellent.” He laughed. “From today onward, you are a Hidden Dragon Pavilion Worshiper. I’ll report the matter to the family immediately. In three days, Ah Jie will escort you to the main headquarters.”

“Wait.”

Zhuo Fan raised a hand.

“I never said I agreed.”

Long Jiu’s smile vanished.

“What?”

His face darkened instantly.

“Brother Zhuo,” he said slowly, “were you playing with me?”

Zhuo Fan shook his head lightly.

“If you had invited me one minute earlier, I would have agreed immediately.” He glanced toward Long Kui. “My condition would have remained exactly what I just said.”

“Then why now?” Long Jiu demanded.

Zhuo Fan slowly turned toward Long Kui.

“Miss Long.” His voice cooled. “Do you remember what you said earlier?”

Long Kui blinked.

Then her expression shifted slightly.

Zhuo Fan rose to his feet.

He extended a fist before them.

“Ten years.”

His voice rang through the pavilion with absolute certainty.

“In ten years, I’ll place the Luo family above the Seven Houses.”

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Then Zhuo Fan drained the remaining tea in one swallow, slammed the cup onto the table, and turned away.

Long Kui stared at his back, her heart trembling strangely.

Ten years.

A ruined clan surpassing the Seven Houses in ten years?

Impossible.

Completely impossible.

Even with a fifth-grade formation master, the foundations of the Seven Houses were far too deep to overcome so easily.

And yet…

When Zhuo Fan spoke, he sounded so certain that she could not even find words to mock him.

“Little Kui,” Long Jiu finally asked, “what exactly did you say to him?”

She remained silent.

Long Jie sighed and explained the earlier argument.

After hearing everything, Long Jiu shook his head helplessly.

“I warned you both long ago.” He sighed. “Do not strike a man in the face. Do not expose another’s weakness openly.” He looked toward the distance where Zhuo Fan had disappeared. “You humiliated the Luo family. Of course he wants to prove you wrong.”

Long Jie hesitated.

“But what he just said…” He frowned. “It’s impossible.”

Long Jiu stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“With a fifth-grade formation master backing them, the Luo family may never surpass the Seven Houses…” He paused. “But they will absolutely become leaders among secular clans.”

Then he sighed again.

“We were one step away from recruiting a fifth-grade formation master as our Worshiper.”

His single eye drifted toward Long Kui in disappointment.

Elsewhere—

Zhuo Fan walked back toward the Luo family residence alone.

His thoughts churned violently.

What a perfect opportunity.

If he had accepted Hidden Dragon Pavilion’s invitation, the Luo family would have gained permanent protection. His heart demon would likely weaken greatly as well.

Yet he had refused.

All because of one sentence from Long Kui.

Daydreaming.

A weak clan dreaming beyond its place.

Zhuo Fan hated those words.

In the Demon Path, destiny was not accepted.

It was seized.

Anyone who stopped dreaming had already surrendered to fate.

And surrendering to fate was the one thing Zhuo Fan could never tolerate.

He would prove it.

To Long Kui.

To the Seven Houses.

To heaven itself.

Even a dying family standing at the edge of extinction could rise above everything.

Now he no longer protected the Luo family merely to eliminate his heart demon.

Now he did it for his Dao.

Nothing in this world was impossible.

If heaven blocked his path, then he would tear heaven apart.

One day, he would drag this broken clan to the peak of the world with his own hands.

As long as he, Zhuo Yifan, still existed—

Nothing was impossible.

Bang.

He slammed the door open and entered the hall, murderous determination still radiating from him.

Luo Yunshang, Luo Yunhai, and Commander Pang all jumped slightly at the sight.

Luo Yunshang hesitated before speaking carefully:

“Zhuo Fan… what did Elder Jiu want?”

“He invited me to become a Hidden Dragon Pavilion Worshiper.”

The three immediately fell silent.

Though sadness flashed through their eyes, Luo Yunshang still forced out a smile.

“Then… congratulations.” Her voice sounded strained. “Hidden Dragon Pavilion isn’t something the Luo family can compare to. Your future there would be much brighter.”

Truthfully, they had already expected this outcome.

Someone capable of arranging fifth-grade formations would absolutely attract the Seven Houses.

A talent like Zhuo Fan was never meant to remain inside a tiny family like theirs.

Seeing their expressions, Zhuo Fan snorted lightly.

“Why are you all acting dead? I refused.”

Everyone froze.

Then joy burst across their faces almost immediately.

“Why?” Luo Yunshang asked instinctively.

“No reason.”

Zhuo Fan turned toward his room.

Then he paused slightly without looking back.

“My lady.”

His voice turned calm and cold.

“From now on, all matters concerning the Luo family — large or small — are decided by me. Don’t interfere.”

Luo Yunshang blinked.

Then nodded blankly.

Wasn’t that already how things worked?

Why did he suddenly feel the need to say it aloud?

Before she could think further, Zhuo Fan’s voice echoed one final time through the hall.

Quiet.

But absolute.

“From this day forward, I am the Luo family’s Grand Steward.”

A brief silence followed.

Then—

“Within ten years…”

“I will raise the Luo family above Hidden Dragon Pavilion.”

His figure disappeared down the corridor.

Leaving the remaining three standing there in stunned silence, unable to recover for a very long time.

[End of Chapter Twenty-Five]

Chapter Twenty-Six — Catching a Bandit

For more than ten days, Zhuo Fan disappeared.

Not completely.

But close enough.

Inside the courtyard Hidden Dragon Pavilion had provided, almost no one saw him again. Not Long Kui. Not Long Jie. Not even the three remaining members of the Luo family.

After making that impossible declaration in front of everyone, Zhuo Fan locked himself inside his room and cultivated with a severity that bordered on madness. He saw no visitors. Answered no questions. Accepted no interruptions.

Only in the deepest hours of night did he release the Blood Infant to hunt.

Its target remained the Cai family.

Which meant the past dozen days had been miserable for Cai Rong.

Every night, guards vanished.

No bodies.

No screams.

No blood.

Just empty spaces where living men had been.

The Cai patriarch had nearly lost his mind. In his eyes, this had to be the Luo family’s revenge. Or worse — Hidden Dragon Pavilion acting on the Luo family’s behalf.

No ordinary force could erase his guards one by one without sound or trace.

Only one of the Seven Houses could do something so terrifying.

So Cai Rong spent each night trembling beneath his blankets with his son, terrified that the next person to disappear would be him.

Death itself was not always the worst part.

Waiting for it could be worse.

For more than ten days, the Cai father and son lived inside that waiting.

Cai Rong had considered begging Nether Valley for protection. But ever since Nether Valley took his family’s ancestral technique, their attitude had changed completely. They no longer cared whether the Cai family lived or died.

That left Cai Rong cursing the Demon Path behind locked doors.

Unreliable bastards.

Zhuo Fan saw everything.

And smiled coldly.

As for the Sun family, he had sent the Blood Infant there several times as well. But Elder Jian was stationed inside, and the Blood Infant had nearly been discovered more than once.

In recent days, several more powerful auras had appeared around the Sun estate, so Zhuo Fan stopped entering.

Surveillance from the gate was enough.

On this particular night, after the Blood Infant devoured the life essence of more than ten Cai family guards and circled the Sun estate from a safe distance, it began returning toward the Hidden Dragon Pavilion courtyard.

Then something caught Zhuo Fan’s attention.

A trace of hidden aura.

Barely there.

Inside his room, Zhuo Fan opened his eyes slightly.

He guided the Blood Infant toward the source.

Soon, in an alley directly across from the courtyard, he saw a figure in black hiding within the shadows.

The figure’s gaze remained fixed on the Luo residence.

Zhuo Fan’s mouth curved.

“No one dares monitor Hidden Dragon Pavilion territory openly,” he murmured. “So this one is scouting.”

Black Wind Mountain had finally arrived.

He still remembered the conversation he had overheard between Elder Jian and the others. The ones moving against the Luo family this time would not be the Cai family or the Sun family.

It would be the bandits of Black Wind Mountain.

That way, even if the Luo family were wiped out, Nether Valley could deny involvement.

There was only one problem.

How exactly did a gang of mountain bandits plan to break into a Hidden Dragon Pavilion estate?

This was not Cloudbound Villa anymore.

Zhuo Fan frowned slightly and ordered the Blood Infant to attach itself silently behind the black-clothed scout.

The figure noticed nothing.

After observing the courtyard for a while, the scout seemed satisfied and withdrew.

The Blood Infant followed.

Half an hour later, the figure arrived at an inn, vaulted through a window, and entered a room.

The Blood Infant drifted to the window and looked inside.

Six or seven large men were waiting.

Beside them stood a young maid, perhaps sixteen or seventeen years old.

All eyes turned toward the scout.

“Miss,” the maid said, immediately offering a cup of tea. “How did the investigation go?”

Zhuo Fan paused.

A woman?

He had not expected Black Wind Mountain to send a woman to lead the attack on the Luo family.

Were they underestimating him that badly?

Then the scout removed the black head covering.

Dark hair spilled down like silk.

Her eyes were clear and sharp. Her skin was pale and smooth. Beneath the severe black clothing, her beauty was startling — rare enough that even the men in the room briefly forgot themselves and stared.

Until she glared at them.

Every man lowered his head at once.

“Xiao Cui,” the woman said. “Brush and paper.”

The maid hurriedly brought the inkstone, brush, and paper forward.

Without another word, the black-clothed woman lifted her sleeve and began drawing. Her strokes were quick, precise, controlled.

Within a minute, a complete map of the estate appeared on the page.

Zhuo Fan’s brows lifted slightly.

Not bad.

She had only observed the courtyard for one night, yet she had reproduced its structure almost perfectly.

Black Wind Mountain had not sent her for nothing.

“Look carefully,” the woman said, pointing to the map. “This is the estate layout. Here, here, and here — heavy guard positions. The four corners are each held by Bone Tempering experts.”

The men studied the map.

Their expressions grew heavier with every word.

“Miss,” one of them said, wiping cold sweat from his forehead, “this is Hidden Dragon Pavilion. How are we supposed to break in? From the look of this place, we’ll all be dead before reaching the front gate.”

The woman waved a hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry. Senior Brother has already contacted Nether Valley. When the time comes, they’ll create an excuse to draw the guards away.”

Her voice turned cold.

“Once that happens, we rush in, kill the Luo family, and capture Luo Yunshang.”

Zhuo Fan’s eyes narrowed.

Capture Luo Yunshang?

Not Luo Yunhai.

Not him.

Her.

Interesting.

He was not worried. Even if Hidden Dragon Pavilion’s guards were lured away, the Nine Heavens Coiling Dragon Array still protected the estate. These people would only be marching to their deaths.

What interested him was Black Wind Mountain’s relationship with Nether Valley.

Were they simply being used like the Cai family?

Or was the connection deeper?

“Miss,” one of the men said hesitantly, “there are things you may not want to hear, but this concerns the brothers’ lives…”

“Speak.”

The woman’s tone was direct.

The man swallowed.

“What exactly is the young chief’s relationship with Nether Valley? Why would Nether Valley listen to him? Even if they help us this time, Hidden Dragon Pavilion is still one of the Seven Houses. If we offend them, there’s nowhere in the world we can run.”

He looked around at the others.

“And when that happens, will Nether Valley truly protect us? If they abandon us afterward, we’re dead.”

“Hmph.”

The woman’s gaze turned cold.

“So in the end, you’re afraid to die.”

The men lowered their heads.

“After everything the old chief did for you, this is how you repay him?” Her voice sharpened. “To heal his injuries and avenge him, what does it matter if we gamble our lives?”

Shame appeared on every face in the room.

The woman swept them with a hard look.

“Withdraw. The plan proceeds as arranged. No more objections.”

“Yes!”

The men cupped their fists and answered together, voices heavy as iron.

When they left, the hesitation in their eyes was gone.

They were ready to die.

Zhuo Fan frowned.

There was a trap here.

Not just for the Luo family.

For these bandits as well.

He rose slowly inside his room and opened the door.

Now it was his turn to move.

Inside the inn room, after everyone left, Xiao Cui clapped her hands softly.

“Miss, you were amazing. You really looked like the mountain chief just now.”

The black-clothed woman sighed and shook her head.

“If Father were healthy, his presence would be far stronger than mine. No one on Black Wind Mountain would dare question him.”

“Miss, they still respect you very much,” Xiao Cui said quickly.

The woman smiled bitterly.

“Don’t comfort me, Xiao Cui.” Her eyes dimmed slightly. “I only hope that after this mission, we can obtain the Returning Dragon Palm and heal Father’s injuries.”

“With your filial heart, Miss, your wish will definitely come true.”

Xiao Cui smiled brightly, her eyes curving like crescent moons.

The black-clothed woman looked at her and smiled as well.

Then a quiet sigh drifted into the room.

“Little girl,” a man’s voice said lazily, “being filial and getting what you want are two different things.”

Both women stiffened.

The voice continued:

“And who told you the Returning Dragon Palm can heal injuries?”

“Who’s there?”

The black-clothed woman spun toward the sound.

Xiao Cui turned with her.

At some point, Zhuo Fan had appeared by the window, sitting there casually with one knee raised, smiling at them as if he had been invited.

“Don’t panic,” he said pleasantly. “I mean you no harm. I only want to invite you both somewhere so we can clarify a few things.”

He even extended a hand in a polite gesture.

The black-clothed woman grabbed Xiao Cui and retreated two quick steps, eyes full of wariness.

She had not noticed him enter.

If he had wanted to kill her, she would already be dead.

“Who are you?”

“Ah. Right.” Zhuo Fan dipped his head with exaggerated courtesy. “I haven’t introduced myself.”

He smiled.

“Zhuo Fan. Steward of the Luo family.”

“The Luo family?”

Her pupils contracted.

Then hatred flashed through her eyes.

“If you’re with the Luo family, then die.”

She raised two fingers and stabbed forward.

Thunder cracked between them.

A sharp, piercing sound tore through the room as lightning gathered around her fingertips, violent enough to seem capable of puncturing the sky.

Zhuo Fan’s eyes narrowed.

“Qi Gathering Stage Nine.”

Then his smile deepened.

“And a Spirit-grade technique?”

He had not expected this girl to possess that level of cultivation.

With a Spirit-grade technique on top of it, she could likely fight even early Bone Tempering experts.

Unfortunately, she had met Zhuo Fan.

And below Bone Tempering, Zhuo Fan no longer cared who stood before him.

Because he had the Blood Infant.

His hand formed a seal.

A red light shot from his body and entered hers in an instant.

Screech.

The woman’s charging body froze mid-strike.

Only the lightning at her fingertips continued hissing wildly.

Her eyes widened in horror.

“What… what did you do to me?”

Zhuo Fan smiled.

“Nothing much.”

His tone remained light.

“I just took control of your body.”

He reached forward and tapped her raised fingers.

“Extinguish.”

The lightning vanished instantly.

The Blood Infant lived on blood.

And through blood, it controlled the body.

Once blood vitality was seized, everything else followed. Unless someone possessed overwhelming strength and could forcibly break free with origin energy, resistance was meaningless.

And that was only when the Blood Infant was weak.

If it ever reached Saint-grade, even Emperor-level experts would struggle against it.

That was the true terror of the Blood Infant.

“Come with me.”

Zhuo Fan wrapped one arm around the black-clothed woman’s waist and lifted her easily.

She could not move.

Could not resist.

Could only be held against a strange man’s chest, furious and helpless.

“Miss!” Xiao Cui cried.

Zhuo Fan glanced back.

“Oh. Right. You too.”

He moved again.

One hand struck Xiao Cui lightly at the shoulder.

The maid’s eyes rolled back as she collapsed unconscious.

She was only a servant girl and had not even entered the Qi Gathering Stage. Subduing her took no effort.

And so, just before dawn, Zhuo Fan left the inn carrying one woman under each arm, heading calmly back toward the courtyard.

[End of Chapter Twenty-Six]