Chapter 43

Demon Realm, the Far North, Haoyue Palace.

The grand doors of the main hall were tightly shut, and Cangshan paced back and forth inside, his towering figure causing the stone floor to tremble.

“Shan Douzi, stop pacing. You’re making me dizzy,” said a female demon lord, leaning against the pillar at the hall’s entrance, arms crossed.

She yawned.

The female demon lord had striking features, with sharp eyes and eyebrows.

She was half a head taller than the average female demon, exuding an aura just as intense as Cangshan’s.

Yet she incongruously wore a soft, pale yellow long dress.

“We’ve searched the entire demon realm, but there’s no sign of the master,” Cangshan rumbled, his voice so deep that it made the dust in the hall flutter.

The female demon lord sneezed.

“Of course not. If he were so easy to find, what would be the point of being the lord of Haoyue Palace? He’s probably out playing somewhere. Stop worrying needlessly.”

“The master is in trouble,” Cangshan frowned, shaking his head.

“I can’t sense his presence.”

“Even you can’t sense him?” The female demon Lord’s expression became serious as she stroked her chin.

“That’s impossible. The Lord is demigod. If he had died, there would have been signs across the three realms. Why is everything so calm?”

Just as anger began to rise on Cangshan’s face, the female demon lord gestured toward the objects on the table.

“Ask that pig. It surely knows.”

On the table, a wooden pig was sound asleep next to a donkey.

Cangshan was puzzled, and the female demon lord snorted lightly.

“If the Lord were really in trouble, would it still be dreaming here?”

The pig’s ears twitched, and before it could fully open its eyes, the female demon lord had already caught it. She grabbed its ear and lifted it, leaving the pig dangling in the air.

“Stop pretending to be asleep, you dead pig. Where exactly did the Palace Lord go?”

The wooden pig’s four short legs flailed in the air.

“Hey, hey, hey, a gentleman uses his mouth, not his hands! Put me down, you iron lump!”

“Shut up! I’m a woman, not a man.”

“How would I know? He’s over a few decades old, and I’m not his mother…”

“Both Zhen Yu and Chang Quan have gone to Phoenix Island. If the lord doesn’t appear before the end of the Wutong Martial Banquet, do you think that Zhen Yu won’t take the opportunity to overthrow our Haoyue Palace and steal the Demon Gathering Banner? He’s already wiped out the Demon Tiger Clan.”

The wooden pig’s short legs stiffened, and it slowly turned its head.

“The Demon Tiger Clan has been wiped out?”

The wooden pig, usually carefree, showed a rare hint of sadness in its big eyes. The female demon lord loosened her grip on its ear, and the pig took the chance to fly up into the air.

“What, you know someone from there?”

This mysterious pig might have some connection to the Demon Tiger Clan.

“I only managed to save a few cubs. They’re being raised in the rear hall.”

Hearing that there were still some survivors, the wooden pig quickly returned to its usual self.

Throughout the ages, rise and fall were common occurrences.

It flew back to the table and stood on the little wooden donkey.

“I don’t know where he went either…”

Seeing the female demon lord raise her iron hand to pounce on him again, the wooden pig quickly added, “But I know if we find one person, we’ll find him.”

With that, one Iron and one Mountain in the hall simultaneously turned their gaze toward the wooden pig.”

(T/N: Mountain here refers to cangshan… because shan can be translated as mountain… whereas iron refers to the female demon lord.)

Bai Shuo squatted in front of the courtyard, fiddling with two copper coins, and looked pitifully at Fan Yue.

“Disciple, we’ve run out of spiritual beads. We’ll be eating sweet potatoes again today.”

This was the far west of the city of Nanhai, surrounded by dilapidated thatched huts. Bai Shuo had traded a low-grade spiritual herb for this place from the local landlord, Zhou Baopi.

The thatched hut was simple but very clean, and Fan Yue had tidied it up thoroughly inside and out.

The young man, bare-chested, was chopping firewood. When he heard Bai Shuo’s dejected voice, he quickly lifted some dry grass, revealing a tightly bound chicken underneath.

The chicken, its mouth stuffed with rags, glared at the two of them in fury.

Bai Shuo’s eyes lit up.

“Where did this come from?”

Fan Yue gestured south.

About a hundred meters to the south of the small courtyard was another thatched hut where a blacksmith lived.

The head of the household was a half-immortal woman named Hua Hong, famous in the area for her fiery temper.

She forged excellent iron and raised excellent chickens.

Bai Shuo and his disciple often found themselves short on money, and every few days, they would steal a chicken from the neighbor.

Once, Hua Hong caught them and chased Bai Shuo halfway down the street. Since then, Bai Shuo had nicknamed her “Big Iron Flower,” and the two became famously antagonistic.

Bai Shuo quickly understood and cautiously peeked over at the neighboring hut, still a bit scared.

“Did Big Iron Flower see you?”

Fan Yue quickly shook his head.

“Good disciple!”

Bai Shuo grinned, patting her belly.

“Let’s make beggar’s chicken tonight! Quick, get to work! Here, the firewood.”

Bai Shuo handed the portrait she had just bought from Shopkeeper Zhi for thirty spiritual beads to Fan Yue without a hint of reluctance.

Fan Yue nodded, took the portrait, and without hesitation, grabbed the gagged chicken and began preparing it.

Bai Shuo rocked back and forth in the old rattan chair Fan Yue had made for her, counting on her fingers.

Kunlun, Yunxiao, Daze… none of them were the ones, nor was it the Lord Jinyao of the Heavenly Palace, the four lords of Wind, Fire, Thunder, and Lightning, or Zhen Yu from Cold Spring Palace in the Demon Realm, Chang Quan from Jingyou Mountain, or any of the elders. It’s said that the old three-headed dragon king who dominated the Yuanling Swamp a thousand years ago is still wandering the lower realms.

Bai Shuo pondered for a while and realized that even ten fingers weren’t enough to count.

Now that she had left Piaomiao, she no longer had to worry about Ah Zhao every day, and she could finally dedicate all her time to searching for someone.

Now with one foot in the immortal realm, she recalled the events of that night in her childhood. Although she couldn’t remember the person’s face or name, she remembered that the nine-headed serpent demon who had tried to kill her was a tough character, likely a mid-level demon lord.

The person who defeated that serpent couldn’t have been ordinary.

In the three realms, the only ones with such high spiritual energy are the leaders and elders of the immortal and demon palaces, not many, but not few either.

But all these people held high positions and possessed deep spiritual energy. Even if she were fortunate enough to become a supreme immortal, she might not get to see them.

Nanhai City is the largest immortal city in the immortal realm, and she had long heard that Shunfeng Pavilion knew everything about the three realms.

As long as you could pay, you could buy any information.

She had a low status and could only use such a foolish method.

Bai Shuo firmly believed that even if she couldn’t remember the person’s face, she would recognize him if she saw his true essence depicted in a portrait.

She felt the empty Qiankun Bag and was worried.

Life was tough, and she still had to support her little disciple.

When would she ever be able to earn enough spiritual beads?

While Bai Shuo was lamenting over her hardships, the fragrant beggar’s chicken was already placed before her.

The chicken was cut neatly, accompanied by peach blossom brew and a few strips of spicy-sour radish to cut the richness.

Though life was frugal, Fan Yue managed to make it flavorful.

Bai Shuo glanced at the corner under the tree and saw that a few jars of peach blossom wine had been buried there again, and the radishes he had just dug up were drying on the fence.

She silently watched her busy little disciple and picked up a piece of chicken to eat.

My god, it’s delicious!

Despite being a demigod, where did he learn this?

Could it be that Haoyue Palace was so poor that the palace lord had to do manual labor to survive?

“Master?”

Fan Yue noticed Bai Shuo staring at him and leaned forward to pour her a cup of peach blossom brew.

“Here.”

“Ah! You damned Taoist! Did you steal my chicken again?”

Before Bai Shuo could take the cup, a furious voice rang out from a nearby courtyard, accompanied by the sudden lighting of a lamp.

Bai Shuo and Fan Yue exchanged a glance, both staring at the beggar’s chicken on the wooden table, and simultaneously grabbed the chicken and stuffed it into their mouths.

Thud, thud, thud!

They wolfed down the last bite of chicken just as a towering figure appeared at the courtyard gate.

The person had broad shoulders, a thick waist, and was slathered in heavy makeup.

The iron hammer in her hand slammed into the ground with a bang, making the entire thatched hut shake three times.

“Hey, Little Sister Hua.”

Bai Shuo, standing on the scattered chicken bones, quickly wiped her greasy fingers on her back and grinned as she greeted her.

“Why aren’t you resting so late?”

The blacksmith Hua Hong’s eyes, as large as bronze bells, scanned the small courtyard.

Not finding her chicken, she suspiciously stared at the master and disciple.

“What are you doing?”

“W-We’re eating radishes…” Bai Shuo quickly picked up a small plate of radish strips, looking dejected.

“No business today, so Mu Mu dug up a few radishes. We’ve been eating nothing but vegetables all day, and it’s not filling. Look at me, I’ve gotten so skinny from hunger.”

Hua Hong’s gaze lingered on Bai Shuo’s belly, softening slightly.

She squinted and asked, while her iron hammer creaked in her grip, “Have you seen my chicken? I’m missing one today.”

My god, she has over a hundred chickens; how can she tell if one is missing?

Bai Shuo cursed silently, her leg trembling, and her mustache fluttered as she quickly said, “Sister, it really wasn’t me this time. It must have been Scholar Zhu from next door. When I came back earlier, I saw him with a big cloth bag and a head full of dust. I was puzzled because the scholar usually doesn’t even lift a finger at home, only reading and writing. How could he look so disheveled today? Turns out he stole your chicken!”

Hua Hong looked at Bai Shuo’s indignant expression, then raised an eyebrow at Fan Yue.

“Is what your master said true?”

“Yes, I saw it too. He was carrying a big cloth bag.”

Fan Yue nodded, following along without hesitation, completely serious.

“Damn that scholar, I’ll chop him up!”

Everyone in the area knew that Master Bai’s little disciple was an honest person, so Hua Hong immediately turned and left with her iron hammer.

After the mountain-like figure disappeared next door, Bai Shuo exhaled a long breath, her belly round and full.

“My god, I almost suffocated… hic… hic…”

Before Bai Shuo could finish her sentence, the savory aroma of the meat burst from her throat, causing her to hiccup repeatedly.

She had eaten too quickly and was now choking!

Fan Yue quickly handed her the peach blossom brew.

“Master, don’t rush, have some of this.”

Bai Shuo took a big gulp of the wine, finally able to catch her breath, while chaos erupted next door with chickens squawking and dogs barking amidst a barrage of curses.

“Hurry, shut the door before Big Iron Flower comes looking for trouble again!”

Bai Shuo hastily tore off her two fake mustaches, grabbed Fan Yue, and dashed into the hut.

As the moon rose above the willow trees, the world grew quiet.

Bai Shuo took a hot bath, changed into a clean long dress, and lay comfortably under the tree, gazing at the moon.

Her quiet and obedient little disciple was diligently peeling sunflower seeds for her. Under the moonlight, the side profile of the young boy was serene, as if he embodied the tranquility of the mountains and rivers basking in the sun and moon.

The fine hair on his forehead was visible in the moonlight, leaving Bai Shuo breathless and captivated.

Bai Shuo had never paid close attention to Fan Yue when he was a big demon. Despite being called “Master” day in and day out, she had never really looked at him closely.

It turned out the boy had such a beautiful face.

“Master?”

The young disciple turned his head, noticing Bai Shuo staring blankly at him.

He frowned in confusion.

“Disciple, from tomorrow on, remember to smudge some dirt on your face before going out to the market with me.”

Fan Yue, puzzled, touched his face.

“Why?”

“Because you’re too ugly. We don’t want to scare away the lady customers, do we? We need them to make a living.”

Looking like this, what if one of those ladies really takes you away?

Bai Shuo waved her hand, her expression unchanged, making up the excuse without a hint of guilt.

“I have to protect your innocence. When you regain your memories one day, you’ll probably slap me to death if I don’t.”

She muttered quietly, suddenly feeling a bit choked up at the thought of her little disciple disappearing one day.

“Disciple, when do you plan to finish your training?” Bai Shuo suddenly asked, gazing at the moon.

The young disciple’s expression changed, and he turned his head in a panic.

“Master, are you abandoning me?”

“No, no, I was just saying. You’ll grow up eventually. People grow up, and they need to start their own lives. You can’t stay with your master forever, can you?”

“I won’t grow up.”

Fan Yue smiled shyly.

“Master, I’ll always stay with you. Wherever you are, that’s where I’ll be.”

The boy’s smile was sincere, filled with dependence, making Bai Shuo overjoyed.

The clouds in her heart dispersed as she slapped the boy’s shoulder.

“Good disciple, so filial! Tomorrow, if I earn some spiritual beads, I’ll take you to eat roast suckling pig at Yuanyang Tower!”

“Okay!”

The boy nodded happily, his face full of excitement.

Under the moonlight, their shadows overlapped, the scene so warm and cozy it seemed like a glimpse of the mortal world.

Not far away, in a dim corner, a female demon lord nudged the stern, mountain-like Cangshan beside her, pointing toward the courtyard.

“Shan Douzi, do you think our palace lord…”

Then she patted her head,”….has become idiot?”

Cangshan stared stiffly at the boy grinning foolishly in the courtyard, then awkwardly averted his gaze.

The next day, at the familiar street corner, the familiar master-disciple duo was there.

Bai Shuo had just directed Fan Yue to set up their stall and hadn’t even started calling out for business when a group of people appeared in front of her.

“Are you Taoist Bai?”

The person asked, their voice deep and serious.

“Can you predict fortunes?”