Chapter 47: A Grand Undertaking

The next morning.

Lu Fei was awakened by the loud voices of Crow Demon and Redskin.

“I had a dream last night,” Crow Demon announced, his voice shrill and carrying easily, “I saw so many spirit herbs. They smelled wonderful! I ate a lot, and in the end, I became a powerful demon, just like the General—no, even stronger, like the King himself…”

From the tone of his voice, anyone could hear how delighted and envious he was of his own dream.

“You dreamed of spirit herbs… Have you actually ever seen one?” Redskin asked, his tone as always, honest, reserved, and wary, with no intention of indulging his second brother. “Do you even know what they look like? How do you know what they smell like?”

“I have seen them!” Crow Demon replied, a little flustered. “When I first came up the mountain, I saw three guys find something that looked like a tree root. It smelled great. When they handed it in, I heard Commander Ram say it was a spirit herb called kudzu root.”

“Those three ended up getting a reward from the King—a deer demon’s carcass. All the little demons were terribly jealous. They searched the whole mountain for more, but came up empty. I remember it clearly…”

Hearing Crow Demon’s fervent assertion, Redskin replied in his usual flat manner, “Fine, let’s say you’ve seen one. But dreams aren’t real, they’re just your fantasies…”

Crow Demon protested, “Of course I know dreams aren’t real! But to be a demon, you have to have dreams, otherwise, what’s the difference between us and wild beasts?”

Redskin remained calm, “If it’s not real, thinking about it won’t make it so. You’d be better off practicing your breathwork and meditation.”

“You…” Crow Demon was about to retort but was interrupted.

Suddenly Redskin said, “I think I’m about to break through, maybe in the next couple of days.”

“Uh…” Crow Demon muttered, “Talking to you is so dull…” With that, he gave up, rolled out of bed, and headed for the smallest cave. “I’m going to find Big Brother…”

Inside the inner cave.

As soon as the bickering started outside, Lu Fei tuned it out automatically.

He was long used to it.

Right now, he was completely focused on the virtual panel before him.

[Host: Lu Fei]
[Realm: Level 3 Demon Soldier (35/500)]
[Experience: 147/300]
[Soul Power: None]
[Technique: Demon Clan Breathwork (Proficient) (85/500)]
[Skills: Spear Technique (Beginner) (38/100); Archery (Beginner) (21/100); Harpoon Technique (Beginner) (15/100)]
[Abilities: Celestial Wolf Devours the Moon (Proficient) (7/500); Within an Inch (Beginner) (1/100); Surprise Attack (Beginner) (1/100)]
[……]

“My realm value increased by twenty-six points…”

Lu Fei quickly calculated the experience he’d gained from last night’s breathwork training.

He remembered that he had just advanced to Level 3 Demon Soldier yesterday afternoon, with only nine points left.

By the time they returned from the feast last night, it was nearly dawn.

After following the little one to the next peak to fetch the spirit herbs, it was already deep into the night—at least three or four in the morning, not long before sunrise.

So, he’d had at most five or six hours to practice.

To gain twenty-six points in realm value in that time could only be credited to the roasted meat he’d eaten the night before.

He still had some of that roast meat stored in his spatial pouch.

Feeling pleased, Lu Fei continued to examine the panel and saw that his “Demon Clan Breathwork” had also increased a few points in experience.

Nothing else had changed much.

However, when he noticed the “Surprise Attack” ability he’d learned from his third brother Redskin, he started to ponder what he should nurture next.

“Big Brother…”

At that moment, Crow Demon’s voice and shuffling footsteps approached.

Lu Fei dismissed the virtual data and looked up.

“I dreamed of spirit herbs last night and even smelled their fragrance, but Redskin said—”

Crow Demon began complaining at the entrance.

“You smelled the scent of a spirit herb…” Lu Fei paused, then realized that Crow Demon must have caught a whiff of the two spirit herbs he’d carried back last night, which had lingered on him, leading to the dream.

He replied, “Dreaming of spirit herbs—those treasures of heaven and earth—is a good omen. Maybe it means that tomorrow, or the day after, or even the day after that, you’ll obtain one yourself.”

Crow Demon’s eyes lit up at Lu Fei’s words, joy spreading over his face. “Big Brother always knows what to say…”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Just then, the harsh sound of a gong rang out again.

Lu Fei stood, glancing at the faint traces left on the ground by the little one’s tunneling. He stamped a few times to smooth them out, then, with Crow Demon’s flattery trailing behind him, walked out of the inner cave.

“Whoever is banging the gong must have drunk too much last night…” Crow Demon joked as he stepped into the bright sunlight, which was already strong enough to roast a demon.

“That’s perfectly normal,” Redskin replied. “If we’d stayed any later, we’d all have been drunk as well…”

Seeing the two of them ready to start bickering again, Lu Fei automatically tuned them out, remembering the two spirit herbs he’d stolen the night before.

Since everyone had slept in until they woke naturally, it was unlikely anyone had discovered the theft.

They made their way to the spot where the feast had been held the previous night.

Lu Fei led Crow Demon and Redskin to assemble obediently under Bear Leader’s command.

Just then, Black General appeared, riding a gust of black wind from the distant sky, landing directly in front of the assembled demons.

“General…” Wolf Commander and the sub-leaders immediately bowed in greeting.

Black General strode forward and addressed the assembly. “We are moving.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the little demons below broke into a buzz of chatter.

“We just moved, why are we moving again?”

“I just finished building my bed…”

“Where are we moving this time?”

“Silence!” Wolf Commander barked, and immediately all the demons fell silent.

“We are not leaving the Great Wilderness Mountain,” Black General continued. “But we are moving to a territory that truly belongs to us. There, we’ll have vast mountains, endless mortal beasts to eat, and plenty of spirit herbs and grasses…”

The words had barely settled before the little demons, undeterred by previous scoldings, began buzzing again.

“Really, endless beasts to eat?”

“I’ve said all along, this mountain is just bare rock—there’s nothing to eat…”

“What are spirit herbs and spirit grasses?”

But this time, Wolf Commander didn’t silence them.

Black General went on, “You all know how valuable spirit herbs and grasses are. If you want them, you’ll have to pay the price. I’ve allowed you to live too comfortably until now; it’s time for a change.”

“Once we reach the new peaks…”

He fixed the sub-leaders with a stern look. “Each leader must hand in ten spirit herbs every two months. How you divide this among your subordinates is your own business—I won’t interfere.”

“Of course…” Black General turned back to the crowd. “As long as you hand in the herbs on time, any others you find are yours. You can eat them or turn them in to Wolf Commander in exchange for weapons, armor, or even the flesh and blood of demons far stronger than yourselves.”

“And furthermore…”

Above, Black General laid out the new rewards, punishments, and regulations for the demon horde.

Below, Lu Fei stood quietly among the humming crowd, listening intently, though his heart was pounding with excitement.

...

Ps: Chapter 41 has been lightly revised: The minor tournament is now every three years, the major one every ten.