After listening, Lord Rat curled his lip, but the hostility in his eyes dissipated significantly, and the fiendish qi around him subsided slightly.
The female demon’s actions were indeed a breath of fresh air in a place like the Southern Region.
"Fine, I’ll take it that you’re sensible."
Lord Rat breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the unharmed humans. The mission assigned by his master was more than half complete; the people were found, and their condition was much better than expected.
He turned his head and sized up the female demon named Su Xue.
"You said you were a rabbit orchid spirit?"
Su Xue felt her blood churning slightly from the backlash of Poison-Wing’s malevolent aura, but she had recovered quite a bit by now. She maintained the dignity of a demon king and nodded slightly.
"Yes."
Lord Rat grew even more curious. He circled around Su Xue twice as if examining a rare species, clicking his tongue in wonder.
"Strange."
"I never would have thought—I really never would have thought that in this foul, miasma-choked dump of the Southern Region, a flower like you could grow. One that doesn't carry poison, but instead resists it?"
Lord Rat reached out a claw, wanting to poke Su Xue's long ears. He wasn't annoyed when she subtly dodged him, but instead gave a mischievous chuckle.
"Is this what they call: 'Where venomous things dwell, an antidote must be found within seven paces'?"
Su Xue looked at Lord Rat, her gaze earnest. "Since you have come to save people and are not a bloodthirsty fiend, could you please show mercy?"
"If these humans stay with me, though their lives are meager, they can at least survive."
"If they leave this boundary, the Southern Region is filled with poison; there will be no place left for them."
Lord Rat’s eyes darted around as he flashed a wicked smile. He rubbed his hands together and looked at Su Xue with a beaming expression, looking very much like an old landlord calculating his harvest.
Now that the location and condition of the human-livestock were confirmed, the mission was mostly done. But knowing his master’s temperament, how could just bringing the people back be enough? If he didn't trick this ready-made demon king into coming along, wouldn't it seem like he, the Auspicious One, was incompetent?
"Lord Rat can’t make the call on this; I have to report to the master for a decision. However..."
He grinned, revealing a row of stark white teeth. "Since you can help Poison-Wing suppress malevolent aura, you might be able to help my master as well."
"Come with us. Bring your people and these surviving humans."
"The Southern Region is about to change. Following my master is far better than hiding in this Poison Flame Mountain!"
Su Xue was stunned. She hadn't expected Lord Rat to make such an invitation. Leave the shelter she had operated for so long to join an unknown master?
"Who is your master?" Su Xue asked through gritted teeth.
Lord Rat puffed out his chest, looking proud. He pointed a finger toward the sky with an expression of shared glory.
"Listen well, my master is the Bone God!"
"A very merciful, very powerful god dedicated to saving humanity from fire and water!"
"So, how about it? Do we have a deal?" He imitated Chen Zhou’s tone when tricking people, though he was a bit clumsy at it.
"As long as you submit to my master, those humans are protected!"
"Even that bald plague-chicken who can't even save himself right now—if the master is in a good mood, he might just pull him out too."
Just as Su Xue was weighing the pros and cons and hesitating, a sharp cry of alarm and anger suddenly echoed from the cave entrance.
"Who dares to behave wildly in Poison Flame Mountain!"
It was the Poison Pheasant Fairy, who had rushed back to the rear mountain in a panic. She had intended to follow her brother Poison-Wing's hint to create chaos, release some of the human-livestock, and then take her own people to report back. Instead, as soon as she returned to Poison Flame Mountain, she found the demon guards at the gates were all dead.
Upon entering the cave, she saw the usually fragile Sister Su Xue standing before a reaper shrouded in black qi. The demon was sitting cross-legged on a stone, holding a cup of tea Su Xue had handed over, smacking his lips with a look of disdain. "Tsk, what kind of weak tea is this? It's as bland as water."
"Fiend, let go of Sister Su Xue!"
Poison Pheasant Fairy was horrified, thinking Su Xue was being held hostage or perhaps suffering some humiliation. That was the gentle and fragile Sister Su Xue who needed her and her brother's protection!
Without thinking, the brilliant tail feathers behind her snapped open, transforming into a sky full of poisonous fire arrows that shot toward Lord Rat.
"Tsk, how annoying."
Lord Rat didn't even look. He just waved a hand, and the fiendish qi from his temporary peak second transformation of eerification exploded. The poisonous fire arrows sputtered out before they could even get close. Even the Poison Pheasant Fairy was forced back by the sheer pressure, only stopping when she slammed into the rock wall.
Lord Rat’s figure blurred, appearing directly in front of Poison Pheasant Fairy, and he slapped her on the forehead.
Smack!
"What are you screaming for? I’m the one complaining the tea is bland. Who’s bullying her?"
Poison Pheasant Fairy saw stars from the slap and fell flat on the ground. She discovered with horror that she didn't have a shred of strength to resist this man in black.
Peak second transformation?! Where did this monster come from!
'It's over...' Poison Pheasant Fairy felt despair in her heart. Her brother’s life was still uncertain at the Black Bone Hall, and now their home was being raided by such a powerful enemy. Even if she and Sister Su Xue teamed up, they were probably no match for this demon. Was Poison Flame Mountain really going to perish today?
"Poison Pheasant, stop." Su Xue quickly spoke to intervene. She hurried to Poison Pheasant Fairy's side, shielding her from Lord Rat’s gaze.
"He isn't one of Jade Toad's men. He is here to save these humans."
"What?" Poison Pheasant Fairy was stunned. Save humans? There were demons like that in the Southern Region?
Su Xue grabbed Poison Pheasant Fairy's hand and spoke urgently. "Listen, Poison Pheasant, there’s no time to explain."
"I sensed just now that your brother’s life is hanging by a thread at the Black Bone Hall; I can no longer protect his life from here. You saw Jade Toad's attitude. If we and these humans are sent to the Black Bone Hall, the only result will be becoming materials for Jade Toad’s cultivation."
"Instead of that, it’s better to trust them once and take a gamble."
Su Xue helped Poison Pheasant Fairy up and looked at Lord Rat.
"Please forgive her, Excellency. She is the sister of Poison-Wing and is a bit hot-headed. She didn't mean to offend you."
"The current Jade Toad is very wrong. I don’t want to sit and wait for death anymore."
"Jade Toad?" Lord Rat’s eyebrows shot up at the name.
"You keep calling that old toad 'Jade Toad.' What, are you close to him? Doesn't everyone else call him the Thousand-Eyed Toad Saint?"
Upon hearing this, Su Xue’s gaze became a bit distant, as if she were lost in a long-forgotten memory.
"Close? Oh, we were close."
"A thousand years ago, there were no such things as the Four Great Demon Kings in this Southern Region. There were only two great demons: Jade Toad and me."
"Back then, Poison-Wing was still an egg. Thousand-Tangle was just a vine that had barely broken through the soil. Azure-Scaled wasn't even a jiao yet; he was just a water snake."
Su Xue gave a bitter smile. "To us, they are all juniors."
This revelation shocked even Poison Pheasant Fairy. She had always thought Sister Su Xue was just a plant demon king with high cultivation; she hadn't expected her to be so ancient.
Then Su Xue fell silent. Once, her relationship with Jade Toad had been quite harmonious. Su Xue was a plant demon, not at all suited for combat. Despite her high cultivation, she was essentially just a big dose of nutritious flesh and blood to other demons. It was Jade Toad who had provided her with much protection, blocking countless covetous eyes.
Su Xue’s eyes held a touch of nostalgia. "Back then, Jade Toad would still listen to me. He was willing to restrain his subordinates from slaughtering every last mortal. Back then, the Southern Region wasn't as foul as it is now. We thought things could stay peaceful forever."
"But five hundred years ago, everything changed."
Su Xue’s eyes were filled with sorrow. "Jade Toad seemed to obtain something. He began to devour his own kind. He even tried to devour my demon body to seize my special abilities."
"We had a falling out. I fled with heavy injuries and later met Poison-Wing. Using my life-protecting abilities, I helped Poison-Wing suppress his malevolent aura and successfully eerify. The other two demon kings slowly rose as well, and the Four Great Demon Kings eventually held each other in check. But Jade Toad's growth was extraordinary. Soon, even the other three demon kings together were no match for him. From then on, the Southern Region became his personal domain."
Lord Rat listened with great interest, stroking his chin. "A sudden betrayal five hundred years ago, abnormal growth in strength... Heh, that old toad definitely has problems."
He looked at Poison Pheasant Fairy.
"No wonder. I was thinking it was odd that Poison Flame Mountain had three leaders. It turns out the Four Great Demon Kings of the Southern Region are actually five."
Poison Pheasant Fairy was still immersed in the secrets Su Xue had revealed, and being teased by Lord Rat made her glare in anger.
"None of your business! Who knows if you're lying? You don't look like a good person at all."
But she understood in her heart that Sister Su Xue had no reason to lie about this. Lord Rat’s cultivation was too high; if he wanted to kill them, they had no way out. He didn't need to bother persuading Su Xue, nor did he need to meddle in the Southern Region's mess and face the Toad Saint.
Furthermore, she had also vaguely noticed the changes in the Toad Saint over the last few centuries.
"Lying? Lord Rat’s word is his bond!" Lord Rat lifted his head. "Hurry up and decide. Lord Rat doesn't have time to waste with you!"
Su Xue looked at Poison Pheasant Fairy, her gaze firm. "Poison Pheasant, trust me this once."
Poison Pheasant Fairy looked at Su Xue, then thought of her brother's uncertain fate at the Black Bone Hall. She bit her lip.
"Fine. Sister Su Xue, I'll listen to you. But if he dares to lie to us, I'll fight to the death to peck him to pieces!"
"Pfft, with what?" Lord Rat sneered dismissively. "Go cultivate for another few hundred years, little plague-chicken."
"Who are you calling a little plague-chicken!"
"Whoever answers is the one!"
Watching the bickering rat and bird, Su Xue shook her head helplessly, but her heart felt slightly more at ease.
Lord Rat, feeling smug for winning the argument, immediately made arrangements.
"Since it's settled, move fast. Chaiwang City is now my master's territory. We’ve cleaned it out, and it's guarded by paper people. It's perfectly safe."
He pointed at Poison Pheasant Fairy. "You. You're responsible for taking these hundreds of thousands of burdens to Chaiwang City."
"Don't tell me you can't do it. If you can't handle this little thing, your brother really will become a roast chicken."
As soon as she heard about saving her brother, Poison Pheasant Fairy perked up. Thumping her chest, she said, "Don't worry. As long as these human-livestock don't drag me down, I'll definitely deliver them!"
Although she complained that the human-livestock were burdens and felt they were the reason her brother and Su Xue were in trouble—believing they would have fled the Southern Region long ago if not for protecting them—for her brother and Su Xue, she would still fight to the death to protect these mortals, just as she always had.
"But you better protect Sister Su Xue too. If she loses even one hair, I'm not done with you!"
"I know, I know. You're so noisy." Lord Rat picked his ear. "Get lost with your burdens already. Don't waste Lord Rat's time on serious business."
"As for you..." Lord Rat looked at Su Xue.
Su Xue's gaze was steady. "I will accompany you to the Black Bone Hall."
"That's more like it. Let’s go, let's go. Go see your old acquaintance. If we’re too late, I’m afraid he’ll be roasted crisp by the master’s Hatred Fire. We won’t even get a drop of soup then."
Rate on N.U.
