He Yuzhu returns in Siheyuan

Chapter 878 The Monkey Demon Isn't Stupid

"The Dragon Clan's affairs are none of my concern." He ground the gravel with his toes, making a soft "crunch" sound, his voice as calm as a mountain stream. "Their territory, their cultivation methods, even if they were delivered to me in a package, I wouldn't bother to look at them." As soon as he finished speaking, he looked up at the monkey demon, his gaze sharp as an eagle's, his tone now carrying an undeniable certainty. "It's not me looking for you, it's my boss who wants to see you. He says he wants to discuss a business deal with you. Whether it goes through or not is up to you."

Upon hearing this, the monkey demon unconsciously tightened his grip on the tree branch, his knuckles turning white. His mind raced: he had planned to set off in a few days to cultivate in the Dragon Clan's deep-sea secret realm—he had heard that the spiritual energy there was more than ten times richer than that of Flower Fruit Mountain, and the thousand-year-old corals on the seabed could nourish the demon core, greatly aiding in breaking through to the transformation stage. This was an opportunity he had been waiting for for a hundred years.

But this Zhang in front of him was clearly not someone to be trifled with. The spiritual energy emanating from him was steady and heavy, like black iron pressed down at the bottom of a mountain, and he was more than one realm higher than him. If he insisted on disobeying, he might get a severe beating. If the other party had murderous intent, with his current level of cultivation, he might not even have a chance to escape.

He wrapped his tail around the tree trunk twice, then suddenly released it, leaping down from the ten-foot-high branch. He landed silently, leaving only a gust of wind carrying the scent of peaches. A perfunctory smile instantly appeared on his furry face, but his eyes remained warily narrowed: "Since it's your boss who invited me, I naturally have to give him some face—after all, I'd like to enjoy a few more days of peace and quiet on my Flower Fruit Mountain."

But in his heart he was secretly on guard: Forget about who's the boss or who's the second-in-command, let's go and see what's really going on first.

“Alright, I’ll go with you.” He patted the peach fuzz and dust off his clothes, gestured to Zhang Lei with his chin, and said, “I want to see what kind of person your boss is, that he would even look up to a mountain spirit like me and want to talk to me about some earth-shattering matter.”

Having said that, he followed with light steps, but his eyes were like radar, always paying attention to the movements around him—which bushes were hiding snakes and insects, which rocks were good for hiding, he remembered them all, ready to run away if anything went wrong, relying on the agility he had honed in the mountains, he might be able to escape.

The tiger demon squatted on a large, ten-foot-high blue rock, its front paws slowly sharpening, the claws gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light, leaving deep white marks on the stone surface, with stone chips falling down in a flurry. It spotted the monkey demon in the distance; the creature clutched a gleaming iron rod, its tail curled behind it, hurrying towards the edge of the forest as if it had some urgent business.

"Monkey demon, where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?" The tiger demon grinned, his voice rough and hoarse like rolling thunder, making the leaves around him tremble. It was as big and strong as a calf, its mottled fur gleaming in the sunlight, exuding an aura of intimidation even when it was just sitting there.

The monkey demon stopped and turned around, twirling the iron rod in its palm before striking the ground with a "thud," raising a cloud of dust. It raised an eyebrow, a sly glint in its crimson eyes: "The humans have sent someone to talk to me. I'll go see what's going on."

The tiger demon scratched its head, its face looking simple-minded, the "king" character lines on its forehead all scrunched up. Still preoccupied with its cultivation spot in the Dragon Clan's sacred ground, it panicked upon hearing this, leaping abruptly from the bluestone. The loud thud as it landed shook the ground and even made the nearby bushes tremble. "You're going to talk to humans? Are you crazy?" its voice rose even higher. "Haven't you seen Lady Long Jiao sending people to watch us every day? Colluding with humans at this critical juncture, aren't you afraid the Dragon Clan will punish you, skin you alive, and tear out your tendons?"

The monkey demon chuckled, flicking its tail, the tip sweeping across the pebbles on the ground. "Are you stupid? What real promises has the Dragon Clan ever given me? Nothing but empty promises. They talk about a spot in the Holy Land, but once those brother and sister recover and are free, they'll probably be the first to deal with us cannon fodder." It weighed the iron rod in its hand, still stained with dried blood, a shrewd glint in its eyes. "I dealt with the first two groups of human cultivators, but the ones coming later are unfathomably strong. I can't beat them; a direct confrontation would be suicide. It's better to negotiate and see what they can offer—some rare treasures, or letting me go to human territory to make a living. It's better than being a foolish pawn here."

The tiger demon wanted to say something more, but seeing the monkey demon's confident demeanor, it swallowed its words. It knew that in terms of strength, the monkey demon was far more agile, moving as fast as the wind; and in terms of cunning, it was far inferior, always speaking its mind. Since the monkey demon had already said so, any further words would be superfluous and might even make it seem like a fool.

"Alright, you decide for yourself," the tiger demon said gruffly, turning to walk towards the demon race's training ground. "I still need to practice my newly mastered Tiger Roar Technique. I just got the hang of it yesterday, and it shook the mountain sparrows around me so badly they fell off their feet." It shook its head, feeling that some things couldn't be rushed. It was better to hone its skills first; in a desperate situation, having a claw in hand was always better than having one empty.

The monkey demon shook its head, watching the tiger demon's sturdy back. That simpleton, that's all he's got. It said nothing more, turning to look at Zhang Lei standing not far away—the human cultivator was dressed in a gray cloth top and carried no weapons, not looking like he was there to fight. The monkey demon followed him out of the forest, its mind racing: It wanted to see what these humans were really up to—were they genuinely seeking peace and a new route, or did they have ulterior motives, trying to use the negotiations to uncover the demon race's secrets?

In a clearing at the edge of the forest, Wang Ran paced back and forth, his hands behind his back, the soles of his boots crunching over the withered leaves. Behind him stood two guards, their hands on the swords at their waists, their eyes warily fixed on the depths of the forest.

When he saw that it was a monkey demon who came out, Wang Ran was stunned for a moment. He originally thought that it would be an older demon, such as the black bear spirit that was said to be able to tear a tiger apart, or the nine-tailed fox that was as cunning as a fox. He did not expect it to be this slick-looking monkey, who was only a little taller than an average person and was carrying an iron rod in his hand, looking more like a street thug.

However, he did not show the slightest contempt. Instead, he put on a polite smile, cupped his hands, and said, "This must be the demon cultivator in charge of the Misty Forest, right? I am Wang Ran. I have come here on the orders of my master. I do have important matters to discuss and have no ill intentions." He deliberately softened his tone as he spoke, trying to appear gentle, but in his mind he was quickly calculating: This monkey demon could represent the demon race, so either he was strong enough or he had some influence in the demon community. In any case, he had to keep him calm first.