“I say, elder sister, our two families have fought for so many years; we both understand each other well enough.”
In the main hall of the Huang family ancestral manor, Old Master Huang sat in a chair with a dry tobacco pipe clamped between his teeth, puffing away:
“Back when your Hu family wanted to use my Huang family as a stepping stone to curry favor with your new master, you never asked if we agreed. Now that something's gone wrong with your Hu family, you come scurrying over to bring your bad luck to our doorstep?”
The old man squinted with a shifty glance. Though his face was clearly human, his pointed features gave off the sharp, rodent-like look of a weasel, a faint darkness lingering between his brows.
Throughout the main hall, dozens of weasels, both large and small, stood on their hind legs, their beady black eyes fixed unblinkingly on the guest.
“Brother Huang, speaking like that isn't very fair of you.”
Old Lady Ma sat cross-legged on a bench, drowsily half-closing her eyes, but when she spoke, it was the voice of the Hu family matriarch:
“Counting all the families in Beidong, who else besides that shameless Old Skinny Hui has rat pups capable of quietly tunneling beneath my Hu family's ancestral manor right under my nose? I came today to advise you: times have changed. This isn't the era where we Five Great Immortals could spit on the ground and have it ring like gold! The demons under heaven need someone capable to take charge. Don't look down on the Demon King of Qingmeng Mountain just because she's young—she possesses immense ability. If it were your Huang family, could you have brought all the demon beasts across the Southwest into total submission so quickly?”
“Elder Sister, that Old Earth Vat Hu Ban'er has weak knees; he drops to his knees whenever he sees a demon with a bit of power. But our Huang family has no intention of playing dog to a tiger cub.”
Old Master Huang chuckled:
“How long has that tiger cub even been enlightened? She hasn't even been weaned off milk! She's merely relying on some petty skill and a stroke of luck to boss everyone around. If you ask me, the Five Families of Beidong share the same roots. We ought to just trick that tiger cub into the secret realm and take her out together!”
The old weasel tapped his tobacco pipe, an eerie glint flickering in his eyes as he enticed:
“Our five families have suffered indignities in Beidong for all these years. The rise of the human race with their powerful artillery bullying us was one thing. But an unweaned tiger cub? That little runt thinks she can crap all over our heads? We'd do better to skin her and turn her pelt into a mattress!”
“No wonder you forced this old lady to come find you in person.”
At those words, the Hu family matriarch's expression twitched violently, a sudden wave of alarm rising in her eyes:
“Your Huang family intends to—”
“That's right! If we didn't push your Hu family a little, you wouldn't have come knocking, sister-in-law.”
Seated below, a slightly larger weasel chimed in boisterously:
“How many years have we been cultivating, and how long has that little tiger cub lived? She just got lucky and remembered things from her past life, at most reaching the second-revolution demon core stage. When we slaughter that tiger, all her inherited treasures will be split among our families! Why should we settle for the scraps she stingily dishes out like we're beggars?”
“Where do you get the confidence that our few families alone can kill her?”
The Hu family matriarch pulled down the corners of her mouth and swept a glance toward Huang Shiduo standing below, her expression wavering slightly:
“...Brother Huang, across the entire Five Families of Beidong, your Huang family is the most cunning. Old Skinny Hui is also the type who never casts his hawk until he sees the hare. If you didn't have some hidden trump card, he wouldn't dare make a move against my family. If you're sincere about making a deal, you'd better lay all your cards on the table so this old sister of yours can weigh the odds.”
A sharp glint flashed in Old Master Huang's eyes, as if assessing the truth of the matriarch's words.
After a moment, the wrinkled old man smacked his lips and tapped the table with his pipe:
“Elder Sister, to tell you the truth, regarding this newly manifested secret realm, my Huang family has already sent someone inside once. It's packed with treasures, but only my Huang family knows the method to enter. Anyone else can neither get in nor get out. On this point alone, forget the Demon Suppression Division or the Special Investigation Bureau—if pushed too far, my whole Huang family can just hide inside the secret realm, and even your Demon King of Qingmeng Mountain won't be able to touch us.”
The old weasel's eyes gleamed with sly cunning:
“Without my Huang family's method, that secret realm is strictly one-way—you can go in, but you can't come out. When the time comes, you find a way to lure that tiger cub there. With our families joining forces, even if we can't kill her, we can trap her inside until she dies. Besides, I heard that not long ago, Hu Ban'er was fooling around outside and you scratched him half to death? Isn't this perfect? You and that Hu Ban'er have bickered for so many years. Find a chance to get rid of that old good-for-nothing, and wouldn't the Hu family be entirely yours to command?”
Huang Shiduo stood below without any expression. The Hu family matriarch was inwardly startled, her eyes darting about.
This matter was real!
The Huang family had quietly claimed an entire secret realm for themselves!
When did this happen?
No wonder the Huang family refused to acknowledge the Demon King of Qingmeng Mountain for so long.
And no wonder a cunning old thing like Old Skinny Hui dared to act so brazenly.
She had wondered how the Huang family could be so generous as to hand a secret realm over to the authorities on a silver platter!
“...That shameless bastard has embarrassed us everywhere, but what you said isn't wrong, brother.”
The Hu family matriarch narrowed her eyes, seemingly swayed:
“But how do I know you aren't deceiving me? You must have someone take me inside so I can see it with my own eyes before I can be at ease.”
“Aiya, Elder Sister, I was waiting for you to say that!”
Old Master Huang smiled:
“We just need to agree beforehand: this must be kept strictly under wraps. That little wench from the Demon Suppression Division must not catch wind of it. No matter how our five families fight with that tiger cub, it remains internal business of the Demon race. If the Demon Suppression Division intervenes—”
“That's easy.”
The Hu matriarch said crisply, “That little wench has been gathering herbs on the snow mountain these past few days; she won't be coming down for at least ten days to half a month. And taking a step back, the fewer people dividing the spoils in the secret realm, the better.”
The fox and the weasel exchanged a look, each harboring their own hidden schemes.
Huang Shiduo stood below with his hands behind his back, raising his head slightly. His lazy eye drifted off to the side, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
...
“That old woman truly is sharp after all. Unlike that fool Hu Ban'er, who gave up his essence blood just because a white tiger cub frightened him! Ptui!”
Once the Hu family matriarch was seen off, the smile vanished instantly from Old Master Huang's face, a sinister gleam flashing in his eyes:
“Shiduo, in your view, does this Hu Yihua truly want to partner with us?”
“Old Master, whether she does or not, the initiative remains in our hands.”
Huang Shiduo said indifferently:
“When a fox has its tail caught in a beast trap, it will sever its tail to survive, only to bleed out and be collected by a hunter. But a fox caught that way lacks an intact pelt, and blood easily stains it. That is why experienced hunters set snares and fire a few shots when hunting wild game, driving them to flee in panic. Once the prey thinks it has reached safety, it plunges right into the snare, unable to escape. At that moment, pulling the trap in one swift motion yields a perfectly intact fox.”
“This old man truly didn't misjudge you back then.”
Old Master Huang laughed and patted Huang Shiduo's shoulder in approval. The latter pressed his lips together without a word, merely lowering his gaze in silence.
Only after the weasels in the main hall dispersed did Huang Shiduo follow them out, hunching over as he slipped out through a dilapidated burrow opening.
Once certain no one was tailing him, he hurried along the mountain ridge with swift strides.
Half an hour later, Huang Shiduo stood inside a rundown Old Night Bird Temple, appearing to wait for someone.
Hearing footsteps approaching, a look of joy surfaced on Huang Shiduo's face, but when he turned to look, he froze in surprise:
“You—why is it you?”
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