Banshee Family Training Record

Page 69

Torches hung on the walls on both sides of the passage, barely illuminating the interior of the cave. However, this huge passage was now deserted, with hardly any people coming and going.

The group followed Diao Desi into the massive cave. As soon as they entered, they smelled a faint odor of blood. The rock walls on both sides were covered with large amounts of dried bloodstains, the traces of which had not yet faded, as if a shocking massacre had recently taken place here, and someone had spilled their blood inside.

It is probably the blood of those bull demons who once ruled this place.

Yun Chu'an pondered silently, and continued deeper inside. After passing through a long passage, a huge cave came into view, as if these snake demons—or rather, the former bull demons—had hollowed out the entire mountain to make it their dwelling.

In the center of the cave stood a massive stone pillar that seemed to reach the heavens and the earth, supporting the cave from collapsing. Around this pillar, several two-story platforms had been built within the cave, providing places for them to rest or to feast.

However, given Diao Desi's status within the family, he was not entitled to go upstairs for the banquet. He led his entourage around and slipped into a small cave nearby, saying, "We'll hold our victory celebration right here!"

Yun Chu'an followed him inside and saw a huge round stone table in the room, surrounded by simple stone benches.

He sat down in the corner, only to see Diao Desi suddenly look displeased, pat the stone bench next to him, and shout, "Why are you sitting so far away? Mickey, I told you, you're the biggest hero today. Come here, sit next to me!"

He gestured to the seat on his left, seemingly unsure of the specific rules their family followed. Yun Chu'an couldn't refuse, so he went over and sat down next to him.

The burly man stretched out his arm, put his arm around his shoulder, and said, "That's right. You all should take a good look at him and learn from his skills. If you make contributions in the future, the Huang Mang family will surely reward you handsomely!"

The other demon cultivators present exchanged glances, their expressions varying, but in the end they all nodded.

Yun Chu'an quickly replied modestly, "Not at all, sir. Today's victory is all thanks to your excellent command and everyone's concerted efforts. Without everyone's desperate struggle, I wouldn't have been able to take advantage of the situation and defeat that toad..."

Diao Desi feigned dissatisfaction and said, "That may be true, but no one can take away your credit. Otherwise, if others hear about it, they might think that my Huang Mang family is unfair in its rewards and punishments!"

As he spoke, a snake demon dressed as a waiter walked in. He was only at the second level of Qi Refining. Diao Desi immediately turned around, intending to show off his power, and deliberately said loudly, "Today I killed two poisonous toads at the seventh level of Qi Refining. According to the rules, bring over all of my brother's good wine!"

"If they ask about this, just say I'm throwing a victory celebration banquet to reward my capable subordinate!"

He said this, and the man responded and left. Yun Chu'an's heart clenched, and he whispered, "My lord, I am but a field mouse, I cannot accept such an honor."

Diao Desi waved his hand, in high spirits: "I don't care what you think, I care what I think. If I think you can do it, then you can, even if you can't."

"Don't worry, my brother is a generous man. I don't have much to give you personally, but I can take you directly to his treasure vault later. There are all kinds of spirit stones, medicines, weapons, and magical artifacts there!"

He made such a boastful claim, but the more he said it, the more sweaty Yun Chu'an became!

Damn, am I going to go into the treasure vault of that Foundation Establishment stage snake demon next?

His heart was pounding. He and Ziyangcai exchanged a glance, both feeling that the situation was spiraling out of control in a direction they couldn't have predicted.

They waited, and soon, large portions of fish and meat were served on the table, filling the room with a rich aroma. The demon cultivators at the table, including the two goat demon cultivators who had cultivated into spirits, began to feast.

The waiter brought over a jar of fine wine. Diao Desi took it and personally poured a full cup for Yun Chuan. The latter had no appetite at all and awkwardly smiled to deal with the guy's enthusiasm. Even though the meat in front of him was cooked to perfection, he ate it with no taste.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, it gradually got dark. Diao Desi was already quite drunk, while Yun Chuan barely ate anything, his heart filled with worry.

He just wanted to leave as soon as possible, but he had a premonition that he would have to meet Diao Desi's brother tonight.

Finally, at that moment, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open, and a tall, thin figure stood in the doorway, staring gloomily at the people at the table in the room.

Already somewhat drunk, Diao Desi saw the newcomer and immediately shouted, "Brother—!"

Yun Chu'an, who was already lost in thought, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that the person in question had arrived.

He remained calm and pretended to know nothing. He looked up, his face blank, towards the door. He scanned the visitor with his "Qi Observation Method" and discovered that the visitor's cultivation level was only at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

not him?

Suddenly, he was confused. He turned his head and glanced at Ziyangcai, only to see that she also looked bewildered and was cautiously shaking her head.

It's really not him.

Then, the gloomy snake-clan cultivator at the door looked at Diao Desi and said, "These people are so badly injured, yet you still insist on drinking with them. This is not appropriate."

Diao Desi complained, "I was the one drinking! Besides, Third Brother, if the intelligence hadn't been wrong, and the Toad Clan had suddenly gained several enemies at the sixth or seventh level of Qi Refining, they wouldn't have been so badly injured!"

“There’s also someone who’s exceptionally skilled with knives, and his knives!” he said, taking out three captured knives from his dimensional bag. “Did your previous intelligence mention this? We weren’t on guard at all!”

He vented his anger with such accusations, and his words turned the snake demon's face a deep purplish-red: "You—how could you say such things in front of outsiders!"

"Idiot, come see me again tonight after you finish drinking!"

The author says:

Author's note: This is an extra chapter to acknowledge the 620 monthly votes received. Please vote with more monthly votes!

Chapter 165 My brother wants to see you!

Having said that, the snake demon angrily turned and left, ignoring his foolish younger brother. Yun Chu'an remained calm, listening to their argument without showing any emotion.

What's going on? These guys don't seem very reliable at all.

Wasn't it said that their eldest brother was very shrewd and reliable?

Could it be that he delegated power so completely that he didn't even bother to check on things, to the point that he could make mistakes in the enemy's situation?

He observed and pondered, then saw Diao Desi shake his head and sigh, "Forget it, I have to go find my third brother. You guys, you can drink slowly for now. He hasn't mentioned your rewards yet; I have to go ask him for them..."

As he spoke, he stood up, beckoned the other four snake demons in the room to follow him, and walked out drunkenly, closing the door behind him.

At this moment, only these few outside helpers remained in the room, guarding a large table of meat and vegetables, waiting there.

The others were both excited and expectant. After working hard all day and drinking with Diao Desi for most of the day, they were finally about to receive their wages.

Only Yun Chu'an, gazing at the empty chair, frowned, feeling immense pressure in his heart.

Beside him, Liu Mengshen didn't seem to be under much pressure. Subconsciously, she seemed to firmly believe that he would definitely get through this ordeal and would be fine. At this moment, she was only focused on putting delicious food on his plate, urging him to eat more.

Beside him, the short, thin, dark-skinned cultivator carefully observed his expression, thought for a moment, and then revealed a fawning expression: "Fellow Daoist Mickey, why are you so worried?"

It would be unimaginable for someone at the sixth level of Qi Refining to fawn over someone at the fifth level of Qi Refining, but considering his combat prowess during the day and his brilliant achievements at the end, it doesn't seem so surprising.

Yun Chu'an snapped out of his daze and replied dismissively, "It's just a trivial matter, not worth mentioning."

He was clearly unwilling to talk more, but the short, dark-skinned monk went out of his way to flatter him: "You can talk about it, in case there's anything we can do to help. Hehe, we'll all be working for the Yellow Python Clan in the future, so we should look out for each other."

Yun Chu'an glanced at him, then looked at the others and noticed that the two goats were clearly dissatisfied, while the caterpillar cultivator was looking at him with a fawning expression.

He suddenly thought that perhaps these guys might have some use, and could be used to take the bullets for them in a critical moment.

Suddenly, he put on a warm and welcoming smile, which made the short, dark-skinned cultivator feel flattered: "Speaking of which, fellow Daoist, you know our identities, but we still don't know what race you are?"

The short, dark-skinned monk quickly said, "I am a mosquito that has cultivated into a spirit. Don't worry, everyone. Sucking blood is something only female mosquitoes do. We male mosquitoes only ravage them and vent our anger for those who are sucked blood!"

He suddenly told an extremely vulgar joke, which immediately made Yun Chuan, Liu Mengshen, and Ziyangcai look embarrassed, while the two goats and the caterpillar burst into laughter, filling the air with a joyful atmosphere.

Yun Chu'an glanced at him sideways, and the latter seemed to realize that he had said something wrong, and began to feel uneasy.

But he didn't blame the male mosquito too much. He nodded and said, "Indeed, we should help each other since we'll be working for Diao Desi from now on."

He said something meaningless, but the two goats next to him couldn't sit still any longer. They leaned over and whispered, "Are you really planning to keep working for him?"

The mosquito cultivator looked at him: "What? We live right here, do you think we can escape the influence of the Yellow Python Clan?"

“I didn’t mean to avoid the Yellow Python family,” the goat said. “I meant, Diao Desi!”

The mosquito cultivator and the caterpillar looked puzzled, and then the goat continued, "My brother and I discussed it, and we both think this guy is too stupid. He's nowhere near as capable as his brother. There's no future in following someone like him!"

"So I think we should think of a way to get rid of him and let his brother come back to take care of us. That way, we'll have a chance to eat meat and drink soup in the future!"

He said this with great sorrow and indignation. Because of Diao Desi's stubbornness, his brothers were the most seriously injured in today's battle, and therefore, his resentment was the greatest at this moment.

Yun Chu'an's heart clenched, and he hurriedly said, "No!"

The group looked at him in confusion. Yun Chu'an lowered his voice and quickly said, "Everyone, it's precisely because he's stupid that we want him to be our leader!"

"The python is insatiably greedy. Do you really expect them to genuinely treat us as their subordinates? You saw it during the day; he was just using us as cannon fodder!"

"Luckily, he's an idiot with limited abilities. We can support each other and protect ourselves. If it were his brother, wouldn't he have squeezed us all dry?"

Based on facts and reasoned arguments, he concluded: "In short, I'm on our side. It's true that we need to unite, but we can't drive Diao Desi away. Instead, we need to appease him, make him feel that everything is fine, and then we can each seek benefits for our families. We absolutely cannot let his brother come back!"

The two goats looked hesitant as they listened, exchanged a glance, and both felt that it was somewhat beyond their comprehension.

The mosquito cultivator opened his mouth wide, then opened it again, and exclaimed in genuine admiration, "You're really bold!"

Yun Chu'an ignored him and looked at the caterpillar: "What do you think?"

The insect still gave a fawning smile: "You're amazing, you're smart, I'll listen to you."

With these words, he instantly secured his position as leader of the small group. Yun Chu'an sat up straight and, in an unquestionable tone, declared, "Then let's do it this way!"

The others had no further objections, lowered their heads, and appeared submissive to him, agreeing to this plan that might not have been the most advantageous for them.

Yun Chu'an breathed a sigh of relief, observing the expressions of the group. Since he had not known of their existence beforehand, he had not made any plans and couldn't think of anything to say to continue winning them over.

Just as he was racking his brains but still came up empty-handed, the door to the room suddenly opened in front of him.

Diao Desi stood at the door, looking slightly nervous. He looked at Yun Chuan and said, "Mickey, come here for a moment. My two older brothers want to see you."

Upon hearing this, Yun Chu'an froze.

Is it finally coming?

He feigned a slightly frightened expression and cautiously asked him, "Sir, what is it?"

Diao Desi shook his head: "I'm just asking you about some things that happened during the battle today. There's not much. Just answer honestly."

He took a deep breath, and his face regained its ingratiating yet somewhat nervous and awkward smile: "Okay, I'll be right there."

As he spoke, he stood up, wiped his mouth, deliberately dirtied his clothes, and acted as if he had little manners or upbringing. He then followed in his footsteps, and together they walked deeper into the Cave of Ten Thousand Snakes.

The author says:

Author's note: This is an extra chapter to acknowledge the 630 monthly votes received. Please vote with more monthly votes!

Chapter 166 A New Emperor, A New Court

The two of them passed through the main hall in the middle of the cave. It was already night, and the snake demons had all gone home. More and more people were coming and going in twos and threes. Some of them even crawled through the cave in their true forms, which were giant pythons ranging from ten to several tens of meters long.

The number of people didn't seem small, but Yun Chu'an glanced at them with his "Qi Observation Method" and found that there wasn't a single Foundation Establishment stage among the snake demons coming and going. He then concluded that his previous judgment was correct: the Yellow Python Clan was indeed internally weak, with many gaps.

If that's the case, then things are easier.

Thoughts arose in his mind, but he remained expressionless and continued forward with Diao Desi.

Soon, they reached the end of the cave, into another small cave. An oil lamp was lit on a stone table there. Two muscular men, both dressed in coarse brown linen clothes and with triangular eyes, sat on either side of the table, their expressions serious as they stared at him.

Yun Chu'an glanced at them; the two were at the eighth and ninth levels of Qi Refining, respectively. He was somewhat surprised that his Foundation Establishment stage elder brother was still not waiting for him here.

Diao Desi cupped his hands to the two people in front of him and said, "Second Brother, Third Brother, this is Mickey, the rat demon I told you about."

The two snake demons in front of him exchanged a glance, then fixed their gazes on him. Diao Desan spoke first and asked, "During the battle with the poisonous toad today, did you use a spell that could harden your body?"

"Try using it again, and show it to both of us."

Yun Chu'an's mind raced. This time it was Ziyangcai, not Banzhi. The name "Mickey" had never appeared before, yet the two snake demons ignored it and were only concerned with his magic.

Considering that Diao Desi hadn't even remembered the name of the fourth company's platoon leader during the day, it's reasonable to assume that these three brothers were unaware of their eldest brother's specific arrangements and were simply being forced into this situation.

So he bowed his head and clasped his hands, looking extremely submissive: "My lord, I dare not use it. This is not some kind of magic, but a talisman for my own survival. I have only three that I can use after much hardship. I used one during the day, and now I only have two left."

Immediately, the snake demon was somewhat surprised. He had thought this move was a world-shaking secret technique similar to that of the Yellow River Dragon Prince, so after hearing about it, he originally wanted to force the rat demon to hand it over so that they could learn it.

There are hundreds of demon cultivation families of varying sizes in the mountains. Based on their experience, each family should have such secret methods, only their value differs. In their view, the field mouse family should be no different.

So, it's a consumable?

"Where did you get this talisman?" De San continued to ask.

"Your Excellency, I drew this myself, based on my family's ancestral records," Yun Chu'an said.

Beside him, De Er, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly lit up: "You drew this? How long does it take you to draw one?"

His greed was palpable. Beside him, De San frowned slightly: "Brother, I haven't finished asking yet!"

He is at the ninth level of Qi Refining, with a higher cultivation level, so even though he is the younger brother, he has more say.

After saying that, he looked at Yun Chu'an again: "How come I've never heard of your family having such a secret method before?"

This remark drew Diao Desi's displeasure: "Brother, I found him myself, and he's the hero of today, you..."

Diao Desan glared at him and interrupted him: "Shut up first, wait until I finish asking your questions!"

Then, the burly man's eyes remained fixed on Yun Chu'an: "Now it's my turn to question you."

His domineering and authoritarian manner displeased Diao Desi, but he dared not retaliate immediately. Yun Chuan took in the behavior of the three brothers and said, "Reporting to my lord, for more than a year, I have been in seclusion researching this talisman. I did not achieve any results before, so I dared not tell anyone."

"Even now, there are only a few of these. If they can save my life in a critical moment, I'll be content."

Diao Desan pinched his chin and stared at him, as if he wanted to see through him inside and out.

“Ban Zhi, what’s that?” he suddenly spoke again. “Is that the name? I remember my elder brother mentioned it. He was the contact person he arranged for your family.”