Chapter 38: The Banquet (Part 2)

Great Wilderness Mountain Region.

Langlang Mountain.

Mountainside.

At a raucous and lively evening banquet, a riot of monsters danced and reveled.

“I think this spot is just right. The rest of you can get lost now...” Lu Fei, his voice calm, addressed the gray-furred rat demon sitting before him at the stone table.

In an instant, the surrounding monsters fell silent, thinking perhaps they had misheard. But soon, realization dawned; their eyes lit up, and curiosity flickered on every face.

Among the interested parties, the crow monster stared wide-eyed at his big brother, thinking how brazen—and how impressive—he was at this moment. The little pig demon, Redhide, fixed his gaze on the five monsters at the table as soon as his brother's words fell.

As for Grayhide the rat demon, he was secretly overjoyed. He had just been pondering how to coax the white-faced tiger demon and the dim-witted bear beside him into dealing with that white-furred wolf who had stolen his points as bear chief. Now the wolf appeared right before him, boldly provoking both the tiger and the bear in public. Wasn’t this simply courting death? No more words were needed.

“Brothers, this is the one I told you about...” Grayhide, elated, had just begun to explain to the tiger demon beside him when—

With a dull thud, the edge of the stone table split and shattered under the heavy palm of the bear demon, who rose in anger.

At once, half the monsters in the open-air banquet turned their attention to this commotion.

“Look, something interesting’s happening again...”

“It’s the white-face and the blockhead bear—now this will be a show...”

“Quick, why isn’t the wine here yet? What good is a spectacle without drink? Are you trying to make me die of thirst?”

“Anyone taking bets? I put my money on the tiger demon and the three rats...”

“I’ll take that bet. I say the white wolf wins. They dare to take on five at once...”

“Ha! Earlier the toad demon stole the leopard’s seat, now the white wolf dares openly challenge the tiger and the bear. If it weren’t for the King and the General keeping order, these lowly beasts would be so scared of us they’d turn to jelly. I’d love to toss them all in the fryer and eat them as snacks...”

In the section reserved for minor leaders, a tiger demon chief glared coldly at the white-furred wolf who had caused the commotion.

“Be careful what you say...” Beside him, a fox demon chief was startled by his words and immediately cautioned him in a low voice. Turning to glance at the principal seats at the head of the hall—where the Grand Commander usually sat—he relaxed only when he saw them empty, then warned, “Don’t forget, our Grand Commander is also a white wolf...”

The tiger demon’s face paled as he realized his mistake; cursing one white wolf might as well be cursing the head wolf himself. Clapping his forehead in alarm, he muttered, “What a blunder...”

Under the flickering torchlight, before the King and Grand Commander arrived and before the wine and meat were served, Lu Fei’s confrontation with the rat demon had become the evening’s anticipated entertainment.

The minor leaders had deliberately not provided enough stone tables for the lesser demons—not for lack of stone, but for the amusement of watching the little demons fight over places.

Such situations were less common before the banquet began, but once the drinks flowed, chaos would truly erupt—especially with so few female demons and an excess of restless males. Only through brawling could they find some amusement.

Lu Fei knew that picking a fight would draw attention—he did it on purpose. Now that he had reached the strength of a third-tier demon soldier, only a step away from becoming a demon general, it was time to show off. Once he advanced, it would be easier to attract loyal followers.

What’s more, at this level, he could already look down on most of the lesser demons of Langlang Mountain.

With a sudden crash, the bear demon shattered the table, rising abruptly, eyes fierce as he glared at Lu Fei. “What did you just say?”

“Say it again!”

Facing the bear demon, who was actually shorter than himself, Lu Fei gave a cold snort. A powerful wave of demonic energy swept forth. The bear demon turned pale, staggering back several steps before regaining his footing, his eyes now filled with panic.

At the same table, the white-faced tiger demon sensed the incoming demonic energy and leapt to his feet, retreating several steps before falling into a defensive stance, his expression filled with shock and uncertainty.

Grayhide the rat demon shrieked and leapt backward, narrowly escaping the blast. His two rat brothers, however, were not so quick and were sent tumbling head over heels by the oncoming force, knocked clean off the table.

For a moment, all the watching monsters were stunned. Why, when they had the numbers, were they already acting as if they’d seen a ghost—before the fight had even begun?

But the cleverer, stronger demons saw what was really happening.

Yet none were as shocked as the crow demon and the little pig, Redhide, standing behind Lu Fei. When they felt the surge of power from their leader, they were truly astounded.

“When did big brother get so strong?”

“Was this the breakthrough he mentioned this morning?”

There was no time for questions; both stood guard, their hearts racing with surprise and joy. Redhide’s face grew more composed, while the crow stuck out his chest, head high and spirit ablaze.

Lu Fei glanced at the cowering demons before him, then cast a scornful look at Grayhide, who kept his distance in fear. With a sneer, he turned to the white-faced tiger demon nearest the table. “May I sit now?”

The white-faced tiger, his already pale face turning even whiter, nodded hastily. “Of course, of course...”

“Brother Wolf, my name is Whiteface. I just happened to be sitting here with Grayhide the rat. There’s nothing else between us...”

Eager to dissociate himself from Grayhide, the tiger demon forced a smile, hoping to appease the powerful white wolf.

Lu Fei merely waved him away.

Given permission, the tiger demon quickly turned and blended back into the crowd.

He was likely a second-tier demon soldier himself. Minor leaders never concerned themselves with fights among the lowest ranks, but now that Lu Fei was a third-tier demon, wantonly bullying others would draw unwanted attention from those higher up.

Besides, Lu Fei had no interest in being a spectacle for the others. Against lesser demons, overwhelming them with sheer power was enough.

By displaying his strength so openly, Grayhide would no longer dare trouble him and would avoid him henceforth.

As Lu Fei, accompanied by the crow and Redhide, sat down at the now chipped stone table, the crow could not contain himself and whispered, “Big brother, didn’t you say it was just a small breakthrough?”

But Lu Fei paid him no mind, his gaze fixed on the approaching figures of Black General, the Wolf Grand Commander, and the Bear Chief. His brows furrowed deeply.

For he saw that the Bear Chief’s severed arm—was whole again!