Chapter 49
Translator: Rosana
Editor: PlayerProphet
It was only once hundreds of people gathered in the field that Bai Yang stepped forward and rebuked them.
“Listen up, all of you. From now on, I’m the leader of the guard. Zhong Shuo was your leader, and I know some of you are dissatisfied with that, but it doesn’t matter. Now that he’s left, I’m your new Commander, so you have to follow my orders. Understood?”
Everyone responded with, “Understood,” in unison.
What?
Not one objection? Really?
He even made a show of being arrogant and showing off, but the group of guards only responded with one word– Understood!
Bai Yang, once again, felt frustrated.
But he quickly recovered. It would be fine. There was plenty of time. He’d get out of it, somehow.
He dismissed the crowd and an adjutant stepped forward. “My Lord, there are still some things that need to be done in the Commander’s office,” he said. “Your Lordship, please follow me, I’ll walk you through them.”
“Just do it yourself. I’ve only just arrived and you’re making me work. I haven’t even partied yet!” Bai Yang barked and sashayed away right in front of their faces.
After leaving the Guard Commander’s office, Bai Yang didn’t know what to do. He decided to just wander the main street but ran into Zhong Shuo again.
“Are you here to check the garrisons?” Zhong Shuo asked.
Bai Yang: “….” I’m not and I’m not going to.
Zhong Shuo looked elated and led him away by the hand. “Come, come, come, I was just looking for you. We can check the garrison together..”
“No…” Bai Yang considered struggling, but he was already pulled away by Zhong Shuo. Zhong Shuo was so strong that Bai Yang couldn’t rip his arm away from his grip, and he was dragged to the nearest stronghold.
He could hear a few guards talking faintly behind him.
“Lord Zhong and Lord Xie’s seem to get along well! In the future, if we ever meet Lord Xie, it’ll be like meeting Lord Zhong. We better listen to him.”
“Lord Xie came to check the garrisons as soon as he arrived. He’s really diligent!”
“His Highness seems to be very fond of him if he trusted Lord Xie with the Guard Commander position. Let’s stay vigilant..”
Bai Yang, having heard their conversation, was about to burst into tears.
He wished he could grab them by their shoulders and shout, “No! You have to listen to me, it’s not like that! I don’t want to be the Guard Commander! You guys have to protest this!”
However, other people couldn’t hear his inner voice.
The next day, Bai Yang went to see the Demon King. The Almighty Demon King’s expression was soft, almost like warm tea. It made Bai Yang surprised at the unexpected favor.
The Almighty Demon King only asked about the change in command. Bai Yang reported according to the facts; the basic formalities for restructuring hadn’t been completed yet. As it turns out, before Bai Yang even set foot into the Commander’s Office, the Demon King had already ordered the guards to obey Bai Yang and to complete the transfer process as soon as possible.
As such, everyone came to know that the Almighty Demon King favored Bai Yang, and the guards were terrified of offending him. They treated Bai Yang like he was just short of a G.o.d.
Bai Yang was speechless and frustrated by his failure.
It continued like this for a period of time. The Demon King would summon him every day without fail to ask him about how the restructuring was going, and Bai Yang would answer curtly. It was only after the basic formalities were finally done that the Demon King stopped asking.
That day, the Demon King summoned him to the palace again. Yet, as soon as he arrived, before he reached the main hall, someone appeared at his side. Based on the person’s clothing, they seemed to be a palace servant.
“Lord Xie, please come this way.”
“His Highness has summoned me,” Bai Yang said. “If there’s a problem, tell me about it after.”
“This is His Highness’s command,” the servant replied. “Lord Xie, please come this way.”
What the h.e.l.l is the Almighty Demon King up to now?
Bai Yang, suspicious, followed the servant out. The servant led the way to the side palace next to the main hall.
The side palace was bare, s.p.a.cious, and clean. The layout of the room was gorgeous.
There were a few servants inside, all who looked… burly. They looked plain and were all very old. In short, they weren’t the type of people Xie Ze Tian would be interested in.
“Greetings to Lord Xie.”
Bai Yang looked around. “Why did you guys bring me here?”
“Lord Xie,” the servant who led him replied, “His Highness said your Lordship will begin patrolling the Palace of Eternal Darkness in order to ensure it’s safety. Thus, His Highness asked us servants to clean and prepare this palace for Lord Xie to live in.”
It turns out they’re giving me a house.
Bai Yang was a little shocked.
The Demon King sure is interesting. The spare room he had in the palace before was small and remote. Now, the Demon King was giving him a palace to live in.
Bai Yang was stunned anew at the favor he was getting.
Isn’t the Demon King going overboard? When Zhong Shuo was the Guard Commander, he wasn’t spoiled like this.
The Guard Commander is indeed in charge of the Palace of Eternal Darkness’s security and, but living in the palace seemed strange.
“Is Lord Xie satisfied with these arrangements?” The palace servant asked when he finished.
Bai Yang: “Satisfied, extremely satisfied.”
Someone gave me a palace to live in! What else is there to be unsatisfied about? Do you want me to live in the main hall? At that point I’d be trying to usurp the throne.
The servant led Bai Yang around the palace and gave him a rundown of the situation. Bai Yang nodded along, showing that he understood. Afterward, he headed for the main hall to thank the Demon King.
When someone gives you a palace, it makes sense to thank them for it.
Arriving at the main hall, Bai Yang found the Demon King going through official doc.u.ments. The Demon King was very diligent, especially after what happened. If he ever wasn’t at work, then he was on his way to work.
If Bai Yang had walked in on the Demon King working like that before, he would have thought the Demon King was an ambitious schemer. No matter how early or long he worked, Bai Yang would have thought it was indicative of his ambitious nature. He didn’t feel great toward someone whose goal was world domination. Now, after getting to know each other for a while, Bai Yang found it was rare to have such a diligent boss.
It must be a case of the point of view changing based on where you stand. He used to look at the Demon Realm and the Demon King through the lens of the Male Lead and the cultivation world, but as a demon and looking through the lens of the Demon Realm, he could see the Demon King was a very good king.
The Demon King had ruled the Demon Realm for three thousand years and had always acted with attentive dedication to the demon race. He stabilized the borders to benefit the people. Even recently, he was able to find all the traitors in his midst with a minimal amount of soldiers and strangled the crisis in its cradle in exchange for long term peace at the borders. It was a miraculous feat.
On the other hand, all previous demon kings also wanted to unite the two realms, but not one was able to succeed. It was only this Demon King who was able to break through the barrier between realms and send spies to gather strength and disrupt the Human Realm. His tactics were clever.
When Bai Yang thought about it that way, the Demon King was really incredible.
“Did you see your palace? Are you satisfied with it?” The Demon King’s cold voice echoed from above.
Bai Yang responded, “I’m satisfied, extremely satisfied. Thank you, Your Highness.”
After hearing Bai Yang express his satisfaction, a smile bloomed on the Demon King’s handsome face. “It isn’t the best since it was done in a hurry. I know you like beautiful things, I’ll order the palace servants to find some rare treasures to decorate it soon.”
“Many thanks, Your Highness.” Bai Yang grasped his fist and said, “I don’t think it’s necessary to do that, Your Highness. The palace is already decorated beautifully.”
In the novel, Xie Ze Tian was someone greedy for pleasure. Anything he touched had to be the best, but Bai Yang wasn’t like that. Even if he was, he wouldn’t dare to act like it. He was in the Palace of Eternal Darkness, not his own home. If his demands were too high and his palace became too flamboyant, it would look like he was trying to outshine his host. He might as well complain that his life was too long.
The Demon King seemed puzzled.
“Your Highness allowing me to live in a palace is already showing too much favor,” Bai Yang explained. “If the decoration is too extravagant, I’m afraid I’ll be criticized for it.”
The Demon King sneered, his self-confidence confusing Bai Yang. “Who would dare criticize that?”
Bai Yang: “…”
Indeed, the Almighty Demon King’s words were akin to an imperial edict. Who would dare say he was wrong?
Bai Yang didn’t want to live in the palace. It was too close to the Demon King and made him feel trapped.
“Your Highness, there has never before been a Guard Commander who lived in the Palace of Eternal Darkness. If I live here, wouldn’t it be against regulation?” Almighty Demon King, isn’t it enough that we meet during the day? At least let me go home to get a good night’s rest.
The Demon King didn’t hear his inner thoughts and waved his hands. “The situation is different now. Besides, you’re the only one who knows about my condition. I’m worried something will happen at night, so I want you to guard me at my side.”
So that’s the reason.
Bai Yang had a sudden realization.
The only ones who knew about The Demon King’s qi deviation were the heavens, the earth, Bai Yang and the Demon King. There was no way to know when it would flare up, so of course the Demon King would want to find someone he trusted to stand guard.
No wonder he found me a palace right next to the main hall.
He had even considered how close the two palaces were. With just a few steps, you would arrive at the other. It turns out this was the reason.
The Demon King had spoken, so Bai Yang, as a loyal subordinate, could not refuse. “Then this subordinate thanks Your Highness.”
“There’s no need for thanks. This is what you deserve.” The Demon King glanced at him.
The meaning behind that glance was so profound that Bai Yang couldn’t understand it.
The next day, Bai Yang moved into the Palace of Eternal Darkness and began his new career.
Although he was technically the Guard Commander, he, one, hadn’t controlled anything since the moment he arrived, and two, he didn’t want to be the commander. Therefore, he slacked off every day, wandering here and there. He acted picky and ordered others around in an arrogant manner. He was waiting for his subordinates to run out of patience and complain to the Demon King. Then, the Demon King would have to fire him.
However, the more he acted out, the more respectful his subordinates became. The Demon King never said anything about his negligence. With one eye open and the other closed, he never mentioned his behavior at all.
Bai Yang slacked off all day long right in front of the Demon King’s face, so if the Demon King didn’t say anything, what could anyone say? Who would dare to say anything?
No one could compete with blatant favoritism like that.
After a while, the Demon King couldn’t ignore it any longer, so he called Bai Yang over. “I don’t see you doing anything all day,” he said. “Are you being lazy?”
“Everything’s done by the adjutants,” Bai Yang replied indifferently, “so I don’t need to do anything. If I did everything myself, why have subordinates?”
Like a rogue, he talked as though his self-righteousness was justified.
After he finished speaking, he waited for the Demon King to get angry. He didn’t expect the Demon King to pause and say, “that makes sense.”