Fox Spirit: One Sword Sweeps the World

Page 102

Back then, although Lord Fengqi was in charge and no foolish monsters dared to cause trouble, Tushan was truly poor.

Every day before dawn, Li Daniu would go out to collect bird eggs and dig for wild vegetables. If he was lucky, he could catch a fat rabbit; if he was unlucky, he could only gnaw on tree bark. He had to carefully plan his meals and often woke up hungry at night.

My stomach is rumbling...

It was louder than the night owls in the mountains.

What happened next happened quickly.

One day, Lord Fengqi disappeared, and in his place appeared a girl in red with fluffy fox ears.

That's Miss Honghong.

Li Daniu squatted behind the demon horde, watching without any emotional fluctuation.

Does it matter who's in charge?

As long as he doesn't go hungry and the demons outside don't bully him in Tushan, that's fine.

What truly made him realize that his life had changed was Miss Rongrong.

The girl always wore a green dress, carried an account book in her hand, and had a gentle smile with her eyes crinkling.

But this girl, using some unknown method, made Tushan richer day by day.

First, a shop called "Red Thread Fairy Jewelry" opened at the foot of the mountain, and later they set up some kind of "Tushan Industry Alliance," where even wild fruits and herbs from the mountains could be exchanged for shiny copper coins.

Li Daniu no longer has to go out to find food before dawn. The Tushan canteen provides three meals a day. In the morning, there is millet porridge with pickled vegetables. At noon, there is brown rice with stewed meat. In the evening, he can also have a bowl of hot soup.

Occasionally, during festivals, Miss Rongrong would ask the kitchen to add extra dishes, and he could devour two large pieces of braised pork knuckle, eating until his belly was round and full, and even walking felt energetic.

Now, after lunch every day, Li Daniu moves a small stool to sit under the old locust tree and basks in the sun, holding a piece of sugar cake in his hand.

That was a welfare benefit that Miss Rongrong had arranged for the long-term residents to receive.

He respected Miss Honghong from the bottom of his heart, after all, it was Miss Honghong who kept Tushan in check, and no one dared to act recklessly.

But if we're talking about admiration, it's definitely Miss Rongrong. It was Miss Rongrong who allowed an ordinary little demon like him to live a good life with plenty of food and candy.

The only thing that made Li Daniu shrink back was the mention of Miss Ya Ya.

Back then, he was greedy and stole some grapes from the back mountain. He had just taken a bite when he was caught red-handed by Miss Ya Ya, who was wearing red.

Without saying a word, the girl raised her hand and punched him, leaving half of his face swollen for three days, preventing him from eating properly.

From then on, Li Daniu would avoid Miss Ya Ya whenever he saw her, not because he disliked her, but because he was genuinely afraid of being beaten again—he would remember that pain for the rest of his life.

Life went on like this, basking in the sun, munching on sweet cakes, and listening to the laughter from the Red Thread Fairy Shop in the distance. Li Daniu felt that this was probably the most wonderful scene in his demon life.

Li Daniu, with a few copper coins he had just pulled from his pocket, stretched out in front of his dilapidated wooden door, exuding a sense of comfort from head to toe.

He had only stretched it halfway when he suddenly sighed and scratched the back of his head.

If there's anything he regrets in this life, it's that he's still just a minor demon.

Back when he first took human form, he wasn't this lazy and listless person he is now.

Back then, his gray fur hadn't even completely faded yet, but he dared to storm into the Black Bear Demon's cave on the other side of the mountain with a broken wooden stick in his hand, shouting "Fight against heaven, fight against earth, fight against gods and demons!" He thought that sooner or later he could cultivate into a great demon who could summon wind and rain.

Every day before dawn, he would squat on the highest cliff of Tushan to absorb energy, and at night he would study the basic cultivation manual given to him by Miss Rongrong until midnight, but he just didn't have the talent for cultivation.

When Miss Honghong was born, she was a little demon who didn't even know any decent magic.

Later, Miss Honghong became the Demon King, ruling over a group of demons, but he was still a little demon who couldn't defeat the lynx spirit.

Even now, Miss Honghong has become a powerful demon queen who intimidates both the human and demon realms, while Li Daniu is still that little demon who spends his days figuring out where to sneak a bite of meat.

"Hey, why are you thinking about that?"

Li Daniu patted his face, shaking off those useless thoughts.

"Lying down is so nice!"

He shook his head, thinking to himself with a smug look on his face.

"If the sky falls, Miss Honghong, Miss Rongrong, and Miss Yaya will hold it up. If things get really bad, there are still those powerful demons to support us. Why should I, a little demon, have to worry about it?"

"As long as I can eat and drink my fill every day and bask in the sun, that's better than anything else."

As he was pondering this, he suddenly remembered that he had heard from the little fox spirit next door that morning that Miss Rongrong's Red Thread Fairy Shop had launched a new drink called "Pomelo Fairy Dew," which was said to be sweet and had a refreshing fragrance.

His eyes lit up, and he tucked the copper coins into his pocket and headed down the mountain, humming a little tune he had made up.

Ah—! The sun is shining brightly, the cows are living a wonderful life…

Before he could finish the word "zī," Li Daniu's voice suddenly caught in his throat.

His eyes widened as he looked at six people dressed differently standing on the mountain path not far away—they were humans!

His heart skipped a beat. He was about to back away when the next second, the faint magical energy emanating from those people pressed down on him like a mountain, making it difficult for him to even breathe.

My chest felt tight and my legs were trembling.

In all his years of life, he had never felt such a terrifying aura, a hundred or a thousand times stronger than the oppressive aura he felt when he accidentally stumbled upon Miss Ya Ya's temper tantrum back then!

At this moment, one of the men, dressed in a brocade robe and with a long sword at his waist, noticed him. He frowned and subconsciously reached out to press the hilt of his sword. The movement was so fast that Li Daniu's heart jumped into his throat.

Before the sword could be drawn, the man seemed to remember something, released his grip, and waved at him with a somewhat unnatural smile on his face—that was the head of the Zhang family.

Beside him, a man in a plain-colored robe with a gentle demeanor and a man in a Taoist robe nodded at him. They were Wang Quan Shou Zhuo and Dongfang Gu Yue.

The young man standing in the middle, dressed in white with a handsome face, smiled gently at him when he saw him trembling with fear.

But Li Daniu felt that behind that smile lay a power he couldn't understand—it was Mu Qinghan.

The head of the Qing family on the other side also nodded to him. Finally, a man dressed in coarse cloth and looking quite easygoing walked over and patted him on the shoulder. The pat wasn't very strong, but it almost made Li Daniu's legs go weak and he kneel down.

"Hello, little ox," the man grinned, his voice booming, "you're quite sturdy."

That's Old Man Mu.

Li Daniu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his throat seemed to be blocked, and after a long time he could only squeeze out a "You... hello...".

He felt his lips twitching uncontrollably, trying to force a friendly smile, but to others, that smile looked worse than crying.

Just then, he suddenly felt his pants were damp, and a warm liquid flowed down his leg—he had urinated.

He felt both ashamed and afraid, but dared not move an inch. He could only stand there, terrified that any movement he made would displease these important figures, which would truly bring him endless trouble.

He watched helplessly as the six people walked into the depths of Tushan, chatting and laughing. Only when their figures disappeared at the end of the mountain path did he collapse to the ground with a thud, a single tear uncontrollably rolling down his cheek.

Only then did he realize that his pants were already soaked through, and the wind made them feel chilly. But he didn't care about that; he just lay on the ground, panting heavily, his heart pounding as if it were about to jump out of his throat.

"My goodness..."

He lay sprawled on the ground, muttering weakly.

"I was so scared, waaaaah..."

He's not dead yet.

He shook his head and decided to go back and change his pants before buying the "Pomelo Dew".

Chapter 123 Auspicious Golden Carp

Tu Shan Rongrong's eyes curved into two crescent moons, and her tone was warm.

"Why didn't you say anything when you arrived, Young Master Mu? I would have had my demons prepare fine wine and go to the mountain pass to welcome you."

Her gaze swept past Mu Qinghan's tall figure and landed on the elderly men behind him.

These individuals possessed powerful auras and abundant magical power, and should represent the pinnacle of the Dao Alliance's combat strength today.

Tu Shan Honghong leaned against the pillar.

She looked at the several powerful human warriors who were now obediently following behind Mu Qinghan, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

It seems... Mu Qinghan has truly gained the support of the entire Dao Alliance.

In just a few days, how did he manage to persuade those old guys to put aside their prejudices?

That skill and boldness are truly impressive.

She subconsciously turned her head to look at Tu Shan Ya Ya beside her. She saw that the girl had her hands tightly behind her back, her chin, which she usually liked to raise, was slightly lowered, but her eyes were surprisingly bright.

Whenever Mu Qinghan's figure moved through the crowd, her gaze would follow him intently, and the corners of her mouth would unconsciously curve upwards into a slight smile.

Mu Qinghan seemed to sense the intense gaze and turned to exchange a glance with Tu Shan Ya Ya.

A faint smile appeared in his eyes, like a spring breeze brushing across a frozen lake.

The next second, Mu Qinghan touched the ground with his toes and instantly appeared in front of Tu Shan Honghong.

“Miss Honghong,” he said in a steady voice, taking out stacks of neatly folded Xuan paper from his sleeve. The edges of the paper were still imprinted with the cinnabar mark of the Dao Alliance.

"As agreed, I have brought representatives from the Dao Alliance to discuss and negotiate with Tushan."

"This is the alliance agreement we have drafted, as well as the detailed rules for resource allocation and business district division. You can take a look."

Seeing this, Tu Shan Rongrong slowly stepped forward and took out a stack of equally neat papers from her sleeve with her other hand.

“Young Master Mu is very thoughtful. We in Tushan have also drafted a set of terms, which we can discuss together.”

Several Dao Alliance elders immediately gathered around. The Zhang family patriarch pointed to the "spiritual fruit sharing" clause in the alliance agreement and spoke in a low voice with Tu Shan Rongrong.

Old Man Mu held a pen and occasionally marked revisions on the edge of the paper.

Tu Shan Rongrong occasionally spoke, and in just a few words, she pointed out the core of the dispute between the two sides in a calm tone.

Under the pear tree in the corner of the courtyard, Tu Shan Ya Ya still stood in the same spot.

She pursed her pink lips, her gaze sweeping over the talking crowd and fixing firmly on Mu Qinghan.

He was listening intently to Wang Quan Shouzhuo's words, his brows slightly furrowed.

Ya Ya quietly raised her hand to tidy her hair, her eyes filled with his image.

When Mu Bingkuai is serious...

He's actually quite handsome...

The discussion continued until the setting sun painted the river red, casting long, narrow shadows of bamboo.

Wang Quan Shouzhu carefully folded the agreed-upon details of the alliance, tucked them into his sleeve, and bowed to Tu Shan Honghong.

"Now that the terms have been initially finalized, I will return to the Dao Alliance to inform all my fellow Daoists and put everyone at ease."