Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

When Brand asked that question—how did Du Wei know the person who had come was him—

in fact, he was very puzzled deep down.

Because in his view, according to His Excellency the Duke's personality, the prime suspect should have been Gascogne, not him.

On the other side,

seated in the chair, Du Wei calmly looked at Brand and slowly said, "Since we're going to retrieve the mask together, why can't it be you?"

Upon hearing this,

Brand burst into a sudden laugh.

He waved his hand and said, "Your Excellency the Duke, let's move past the earlier topic for now. You should know, my visit this time isn't to discuss the mask, but rather to talk about you."

Du Wei responded noncommittally, "Me?"

"Yes... you..."

Brand's tone was very complex, "Have you ever considered that you shouldn't have come to the Vanity Sect? It's not suitable for you here."

Du Wei said with a smile, "I don't feel that way. Here, I can sense a feeling of belonging; I like this organization."

Brand let out a cold laugh, "That doesn't sound like something you would say. Although my understanding of His Excellency the Duke isn't extensive, my memory of the Du Wei before regaining your memories is very vivid."

"Calm, rational, hardly ever likely to make a mistake."

"It's surprising that someone like you would choose to join the Vanity Sect, even with the prior contact with Mercer. I don't think you would identify with us, and even less so since you are His Excellency the Duke."

"It's a problem that everyone can see; I don't believe you can't."

On the other side,

Du Wei stood up, looking indifferently at Brand.

He said, "It seems you know me very well."

Brand instinctively took a step back, his voice grave as he said, "Your Excellency the Duke, I have no other intentions. I just want to remind you that you shouldn't have come to the Vanity Sect. It's best you leave as soon as possible, the further, the better."

"Because no one will welcome you."

"We won't tell you either, what we are truly doing. Frankly, whether you genuinely want to join or achieve your own goals, the Vanity Sect harbors ill will towards you."

"To be exact, it harbors ill will towards all of us."

"And this ill will, it precisely stems from every one of us, with no one left out."

Du Wei's tone was icy, "From your words, I've heard something different. Your attitude towards me seems a bit excessively kind. Do you know me?"

What he meant was, the other person knew His Excellency the Duke.

And possibly, he might have had some connection with that part of himself.

Brand dared not meet his gaze and immediately looked away.

"I don't want to answer that question. I only wanted to warn you this time: take the chance to get out while you're not in too deep. Otherwise, you'll end up like one of us."

To be honest,

it's rare for anyone to refer to themselves as a "thing."

Because the term itself carries a derogatory connotation.

Du Wei looked at Brand, his eyes still ice-cold.

He knew the other was hinting at something.

The information revealed through the words proved that the other person knew His Excellency the Duke very well, whether it was pretended or not wasn't of much significance anymore.

Moreover,

it appeared that the Vanity Sect was hiding even deeper secrets.

And he, on the other hand, had plunged headfirst into it.

However, Du Wei never had the right to choose from the start; it was his only course of action.

He accepted, he bore the responsibility.

Therefore, he said indifferently, "If all you wanted was to tell me this, then please go back. Right now, my only concern is how to bring back the mask."

Brand, clenching his teeth, said, "It seems your memory truly hasn't fully recovered, otherwise, you wouldn't make such a choice."

Speaking of which,

he seemed somewhat displeased.

So he said resentfully, "The Demon Spirit in that mask has been completely unleashed, and the person who died was killed by Ryan Hamel."

"That man's strength back then was almost equal to Alfaria's, and he was always collecting things related to the Demon God, yet he was not influenced by the Demon God."

Du Wei asked, "Who is Alfaria?"

Brand replied, "The leader of the Vanity Sect, the one ultimately giving the orders. He is very fearsome, and he is fusing with the second artifact related to the Demon God."

"So can you imagine how strong Ryan Hamel must have been when he was alive?"

"If he hadn't died so early, maybe he could have become a god of this era."

"Who knows what he did to the Demon Spirit inside the mask before he died."

Having said that, Brand turned and left directly.

Before leaving, he dropped one more line: "If you insist on retrieving that mask, I'll accompany you this one time, but after this, I won't help you again."

At the same time, he sighed inwardly, telling himself, "Moreover, you've really disappointed me. It seems like the years have erased traces of the man you once were. You are no longer the person I admired, and I will no longer remember that you didn't kill me in the end."

"Perhaps, like when you achieved Armored Divinity Ascension, I will become your enemy once again."

"And aside from me, at least Gascogne will certainly try to find a way to kill you."

...

Brand came quickly and left just as fast.

Honestly,

he made Du Wei very puzzled.

The other party seemed to truly bear goodwill, as the information revealed in his words was simply too much.

But even if Du Wei racked his brains,

he couldn't fathom why Brand would act this way.

"Who could it be?"

Du Wei closed the door, and his aura became erratic and uncertain.

He was now considering something.

If Brand said he would help him only once, was the other party's motive built on some favor that he, as His Excellency the Duke, owed him?

If that was the line of thought,

Brand might be someone like Matthew who had survived from the Victorian Era.

Then the Gascogne who bore malice towards him, could he also be such a person?

Thinking more boldly,

could the entire Vanity Sect be made up of people from the Victorian Era?

Just as he thought of this, Du Wei dismissed the idea.

He said, "That's unlikely."

For starters, Pope Ferun was not from the Victorian Era, and then there was Mercer doing menial tasks, which left at least two out of the equation.

Among the remaining ten, even if Brand and Gascogne were old acquaintances of his, it was impossible for the others.

Because that would mean the strength of the entire Vanity Church would be absolutely above Matthew's.

They would have no need to fear Matthew.

And just then,

suddenly, the Envelope fluttered out of Du Wei's pocket.

But it was behaving very strangely, trembling madly as if it had been driven insane.

Lines of text also started appearing frantically.

[Master, I fucking remember who this idiot is now. This Brand, to hell with him, when we were in the Victorian Era, it was this idiot who led people to capture me, and even tore me in half. If I hadn't acted well, I would have been tortured into becoming an imbecile like those shadows.]

[I would recognize that idiot even if he turned to ash; he was that garbage hunter named Corrine Dowqui.]