Wen Wen looked intently at the clown and asked, "What is the demonic sword?"
Whether it was 'sword energy crystals' or 'demonic swords,' Wen Wen was extremely interested in both.
Recently, he had been pondering what truly constituted his own sword.
Not a sword he forged himself, nor one he snatched, then this 'own sword' might have nothing to do with its ownership...
Wen Wen's ultimate conclusion was that it would be a sword that was in sync with his heart and connected by blood.
But how to obtain such a sword was Wen Wen's problem, which made him sensitive to any news about swords.
The clown hesitated for a moment before saying, "It is said to be a long sword of immense power, wreathed in demonic flames. With just this sword, Red Beard's strength would soar, turning him into a true 'big shot.'"
"That's why he's been frantically searching for rare metals, collecting special souls, and even capturing demons!"
"But how could a mere artifact blacksmith like him possibly forge such a thing? Even if he could, how could he protect it?"
It was clear the clown held a great deal of disdain for Red Beard, who was attempting to forge the demonic sword.
However, Wen Wen wouldn't take the clown's words as gospel. He turned to the buck-toothed old security guard and asked, "Do you know what this demonic sword Red Beard is trying to create is?"
The buck-toothed old security guard shook his head and said, "I'm just a security guard at the old inn. I don't know what the boss is up to."
"Is that so... I should deal with him first, then."
The old security guard clearly knew something, but he wasn't willing to tell Wen Wen.
Wen Wen didn't press the issue. Instead, he stood up and pulled the clown into a room. When he emerged again, the clown had vanished.
This clown's abilities weren't particularly strong, and Wen Wen didn't covet them. However, being an ability user at the assimilation realm, he could at least diversify the captive population of the containment facility.
Seeing the clown disappear into the room, the buck-toothed old security guard showed no curiosity. Instead, he looked at Wen Wen with a solemn expression and said,
"I don't know why you are in Chiya's room, but she is just an ordinary person. The matters of the old inn should not involve her."
"Oh? You care a lot about her?"
Wen Wen's voice rose slightly, and he looked at the ugly old man with a newfound respect.
The buck-toothed old security guard shook his head and said, "I have no right to care about others. It's just that she shouldn't have stepped into the old inn from the beginning. I just want her to leave safely."
"Isn't that caring..." Wen Wen turned around and looked directly at the old security guard.
In just these few sentences, the old security guard's image in Wen Wen's mind had shifted.
Based on Chai Yun's description, Wen Wen's first impression of the old security guard was that of a cruel, bloodthirsty pervert.
But upon careful consideration, most of the old security guard's actions were to prevent Chai Yun from being harmed by the guests.
Although the scenes were too bloody due to his tendency to bite people at the slightest disagreement, causing Chai Yun to only feel fear, Wen Wen, as an observer, could see right from wrong.
If not for his ferocity, Chai Yun, an ordinary college student, would not have been able to work safely for fifteen days in this old inn where everyone was an villain.
"Your personality is quite different from your appearance. But you should know that this is a den of iniquity. Why do you work in a place like this?"
The buck-toothed old security guard sat on the ground and let out a bitter laugh, "Besides here, where else can I go?"
Wen Wen looked at him deeply and sighed softly.
Yes, where else could he go?
Although he was an ability user, not a monster, with his aging, ugliness, and deformity, where else could he find a place to belong besides here?
Even though public opinion constantly condemned discrimination, discrimination was actually everywhere.
Verbal and physical violence were becoming rarer, but a strange glance, or a subconscious avoidance, was enough to harm them.
The Greater Washington District had more than six percent of its population with disabilities, but less than one percent could be seen on the streets.
It was difficult for a buck-toothed old security guard with his appearance to live comfortably outside the old inn, because only here did he not have to hide or falter due to his strangeness.
Aside from the old security guard, had not everyone else in this inn encountered similar problems?
The old woman with a severed limb on the third floor, the woman with her face hidden by a hood guarding the door on the fourth floor...
Except for Chai Yun, every staff member of the old inn seemed to be physically impaired.
This old inn was their place of livelihood, and also their place of peace.
Wen Wen remained silent for a good while before asking the old security guard, "I have another question. Why does this inn only allow villains to stay? What is this rule?"
The old security guard shook his head and remained silent.
He was a qualified employee and would not speak of his boss's secrets.
However, even if he didn't speak, Wen Wen could probably guess. Chai Yun had mentioned before that the old security guard would draw red marks next to some people's names.
"The clown mentioned earlier that Red Beard was looking for rare souls to forge the demonic sword. These so-called rare souls must have been selected from the guests of the old inn, right?"
Wen Wen suddenly began to understand why the Hunter Association had rarely intervened to apprehend Red Beard in recent years.
If all of Red Beard's victims were great villains and evildoers, then it was understandable for the association to turn a blind eye.
The old security guard's body trembled, and he said in astonishment, "How did you know that?"
"You didn't deny it, which means I'm right."
The old security guard suddenly slapped himself. He hated himself for accidentally revealing the secret.
"One last question, how do you judge good and evil?" Whether a guest could stay was decided by the buck-toothed old security guard, so Wen Wen was very curious about how he made his judgments.
"That is my ability..." the old security guard sighed and began to explain.
He remained tight-lipped about Red Beard, but he did not hide anything about himself from Wen Wen, especially since Wen Wen had just saved his life.
"Deception, theft, robbery, murder... all the wicked deeds in life, even without witnesses, leave traces on oneself. I call these traces karmic forces."
"And my eyes can see the karmic forces on a person. A person entangled in karmic forces is not necessarily a bad person, but someone with few karmic forces is definitely a good person."
Chaiya Yun had almost no karmic forces, which was why the old security guard protected her, intentionally or unintentionally.
"Karmic forces, interesting..."
The old security guard's explanation reminded Wen Wen of Yan Xiu.
Yan Xiu's mask could also allow him to see the filth on people. That so-called filth was likely the same thing as the karmic forces the old security guard mentioned.
So, Wen Wen tidied his robes and said solemnly to the old security guard, "Then how much karmic force do you see on me..."
The old security guard complied, and as he looked at Wen Wen, a strange light flashed in his eyes. Immediately after, a line of bloody tears flowed from his eyes.
"You... you are engulfed in karmic forces!"