Chapter 45: Magnificent [Vote Requested]

If the commotion isn’t loud enough, then make it louder.

Having finished showing off, Lu Fei ran.

Startled by the sudden noise below, the monkey demon and snake demon, who had just finished their tryst in the tree, were first frightened, then shocked, and soon after, furious beyond measure.

Nothing wounds a male more than being called quick. Nothing offends a female more than being called ugly.

This wild demon, who knew where he’d come from, not only dared to trespass on their mountain, but had spied on their rendezvous and even ridiculed them.

Moreover, as two demons whose relationship was not officially sanctioned, the female snake demon was secretly meeting her lover—the monkey demon who guarded the little medicinal field—behind her partner’s back in the dead of night.

Their affair had been witnessed from start to finish by that wild demon.

How could she accept this? If word of it reached her mate, the minor chieftain, both she and the monkey demon would be doomed!

No matter what, that black wild wolf demon could not be allowed to escape—he must die!

“Hurry, catch him, kill him!”

Seeing Lu Fei’s figure dashing down the mountain, the snake demon shrieked in alarm.

“He won’t get away!” The tall, lean monkey demon’s eyes gleamed with vicious light. He was about to give chase, but then, sensing something amiss—the black wild wolf had appeared out of nowhere—he hesitated and said to the snake demon, “You stay and watch over the medicinal field here. I’ll catch that wolf brat and bring him back for you to deal with!”

“Go now! If Old Boar finds out, we’re both dead!” The snake demon, seeing the monkey demon dawdling, screeched in panic, heedless of anything else.

“Yes, yes!” At the mention of Old Boar, the monkey demon’s face changed. He quickly shot to the top of the tree, then leapt toward the trees in the direction Lu Fei had fled, covering great distances with each bound, moving at lightning speed.

But Lu Fei was even faster.

Hearing the angry roars behind him, Lu Fei, already far ahead, darted swiftly along the path he’d come. With his fur now dyed pitch black, he soon vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, back at the medicinal field, the snake demon watched her lover chase after the accursed black wild wolf. Chest heaving, she glanced left and right, but saw no other demons, her expression growing darker.

Now that she’d calmed a bit, she realized the wild wolf’s sudden appearance was rather suspicious.

Still, compared to being caught in an illicit affair, the loss of a few medicinal herbs was nothing—if they were discovered, that would be disastrous.

Besides, she had waited a while, and there wasn’t so much as a ghost in sight. It was better to leave now.

Old Boar might sleep deeply, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t wake. If he did and found her missing, she’d be in real trouble.

With this thought, the snake demon could wait no longer. Gritting her teeth, she wrapped her tail around the trunk and slithered down the tree.

Yet she didn’t leave right away.

She hid behind the tree for a while longer, but neither her monkey lover nor anyone else appeared.

Only then did she finally relax.

Wriggling her plump tail, she swiftly made her way up the mountain, disappearing into the night.

The forest quickly returned to silence.

At that moment, a small white head poked up beside the little medicinal field. Its long nose sniffed the air repeatedly, and its beady eyes darted back and forth. Sensing no danger, it scampered quickly to two plants blooming with yellow flowers and began digging vigorously with its paws.

Before long, the long-nosed white mouse had uprooted the flowering plants, plucked two small white fruits, and swallowed them whole. The yellow blossoms withered visibly in an instant.

Having eaten the fruit, the long-nosed white mouse didn’t try to burrow into the medicinal field—there was no way in; otherwise, it wouldn’t have needed its master’s help earlier. Instead, it ran to the nearby hole it had just emerged from and slipped back underground.

The forest was quiet once again.

Not long after, the monkey demon returned. Seeing his vanished lover, the ravaged medicinal field, and the only two mature blossoms now wilted, his anger finally burst forth. Baring his fangs, he roared with all his might.

...

Sinanlang Mountain.

Halfway up the slope.

The brook babbled cheerily as two wolves quietly drank from its edge.

Suddenly, both wolves lifted their heads, sniffed the air, and bolted away.

A moment later, a black figure appeared by the brook, heading straight for the deepest water in a low-lying hollow.

“So comfortable...” Lu Fei sighed with contentment as the mud and grime washed from his body.

But as pleasant as it was, he couldn’t linger.

Once he was clean, Lu Fei emerged from the stream, once again transformed into a spotless, snowy little white wolf.

Without delay, he skirted the night patrols of the lesser demons and made his way swiftly toward his stone cave dwelling.

Half an hour later, Lu Fei reached the cave, shifted into his half-demon form, and entered.

The snores of the crow demon and the red-skinned one still echoed through the cave.

Returning to the innermost chamber, Lu Fei found it empty.

He didn’t worry, but sat cross-legged on the ground to wait quietly.

He had done all he could to lure and provoke those two demons. Unfortunately, only the monkey demon had pursued him.

Lu Fei had always been fast, and after advancing to a third-rank demon soldier, he was even quicker. After his escape, the monkey demon had been delayed, and could only eat his dust. Soon, he was left so far behind he couldn’t even catch Lu Fei’s scent.

Still, while he could lose the monkey demon, he didn’t know if the little one would seize the opportunity.

He had done his best; all he could do now was wait.

Lu Fei had no mind for cultivation or meditation. Instead, he focused all his senses on the trace of consciousness he had left within the little one. But the distance was too great for a clear response.

Time ticked by.

At last, Lu Fei sensed his consciousness stirring again, drawing ever closer.

His face lit up with anticipation.

Regardless of whether the little one had succeeded in gathering the spiritual herb, Lu Fei was simply glad he’d made it back safely.

With the little one’s help, there would be many more opportunities to search for rare herbs in the future.

Of course, if by chance he had succeeded, all the better.

He had already experienced the effects of a piece of yellow essence firsthand. If he could obtain the two spiritual herbs from that small field, he would soon be within reach of becoming a demon general, and taking his place as a minor chieftain.

Feeling the little one’s approach through his consciousness, Lu Fei waited.

At last, the little one’s long nose poked up through the earth. Catching Lu Fei’s scent, it quickly wriggled its whole head, then its entire body, out from underground.

No sooner had it surfaced than the little one stood on its hind legs, threw back its head, and began to squeak triumphantly at Lu Fei.

Though he couldn’t understand exactly what the little one was saying, its proud and spirited bearing made him suspect—

Could it be...

Any disappointment Lu Fei felt at seeing its empty mouth and bare body quickly vanished, replaced by expectation and excitement.

Soon enough, after a round of squeaking that sounded like both complaint and the recounting of its efforts, the little one suddenly opened its mouth and spat out two pure white fruits.

The familiar medicinal fragrance of yellow essence wafted through the air once more.

Inhaling the intense aroma, Lu Fei’s face bloomed with a range of emotions—delight, excitement, gratitude, and elation—each more vivid than the last.