"Well done!" Li Yuanjiao praised, and Li Yuanping then summoned an old monkey.
The old monkey was now dressed in a Daoist robe, with shoes and socks on its feet, and a storage pouch tied around its waist. Its eyes were bright, its demeanor calm, and there was an inexplicable air of high cultivation about it.
This old monkey, with snow-white fur and neatly dressed, had learned to read and write but could not speak. It bowed respectfully and handed over two jade slips.
One was White Monkey's Travel Notes , an autobiography of the monkey demon. Li Yuanjiao skimmed through it briefly.
It turned out that this monkey demon was born in the Wu State's Mount Qingkong, originally a mountain monkey demon. It was unclear how many years it had cultivated, but it slowly gained wisdom after condensing the Profound Scenery Chakra, only to be captured and forced to grind medicine.
Later, when Qingkong Temple , which had captured it, was destroyed, it wandered to the Wu State's border and fell into the hands of the Slaughter Jun Gate . Again, it was made to grind medicine for over ten years until Slaughter Jun Gate was destroyed, and it finally ended up with the Yu Family.
The Yu Family, needing an extra pair of hands, saw its proficiency and continued to use it for grinding medicine.
"So, it is truly proficient in this field huh..."
What followed was the destruction of the market town. Li Yuanjiao skimmed through this part and then picked up the other jade slip.
This one, titled Medicine Grinding Notes ", recorded the properties and conflicts of over a thousand spirit herbs. Li Yuanjiao was amazed, and at the end were two alchemical recipes of unknown origin, Jade Sprout Pill and Clear Mind Pill .
Both were commonly used by Qi Cultivators and were already recorded in their family's alchemy books, holding little value. However, the detailed properties of the herbs made Li Yuanjiao smile, and he exchanged a pleased glance with Li Yuanping.
As for the cultivation method of this monkey demon, it had relied on breathing exercises before the Embryonic Breathing Realm. Afterward, it used a demon cultivation method granted by the Yu Family, but due to some spell, it could not recall the details.
Li Yuanjiao comforted the old monkey, giving it two bottles of pills. The old monkey did not hesitate and accepted them, tucking the pills into its pouch and bowing deeply.
"Family Head!"
As the brothers were speaking, Shamoli quietly approached, his expression a bit strange. He whispered into Li Yuanjiao's ear, "Family head! A pig demon has arrived at the foot of the peak, dressed neatly, claiming to be a demon soldier from Vermilion Cave and is here to pay a visit..."
"A demon soldier? Here to pay a visit..?"
Li Yuanjiao was taken aback. Although he had never heard of Vermilion Cave, he immediately thought of the Foundation Establishment Realm pig demon on the northern slopes of Mount Dali and asked softly, "What is its cultivation level?"
"Peak of the Qi Cultivation Realm," Shamoli replied in a low voice.
Li Yuanjiao frowned and responded, "Invite it up."
Shamoli nodded and left. Li Yuanping, pondering thoughtfully, then said, "It must be that the pig demon has something to discuss but does not dare to come personally due to our ancestor's reputation. So, it sent a lesser pig demon as a messenger."
"Indeed..." Li Yuanjiao agreed as he gripped the hilt of his sword, speculating quietly, "I have heard some rumors. It seems that as our family rises and our territory expands, these demons, deprived of live food and often killed by cultivators entering the mountains, have grown resentful."
As they conversed in low voices, a white pig about six chi tall quickly ascended the peak. Walking on two legs, with a fat head and big ears, it looked rather comical. If not for the bone fork it carried, its ferocity as a demon would be undetectable.
"Pig Two from the demon den of Mount Dali greets the great king of the Li Family..."
The pig demon bowed clumsily, its eyes furtively glancing at the old monkey, probably wondering about its unfamiliar cultivation method. Nonetheless, it respectfully addressed them.
"Are you the messenger of the mountain pig demon?"
Demons were always bullies, fearing the strong and preying on the weak. Moreover, this pig demon reeked of the consumption of many humans, with an aura of darkness about him. Naturally, Li Yuanjiao showed no kindness, calling out sternly and glaring at the pig demon.
"Yes...yes, I am."
Despite the pig demon's high cultivation level, it was terrified of Li Yuanjiao. It moved its large head nervously, not knowing how to soften its words, and said hurriedly, "Your esteemed den has monopolized hundreds of thousands of live sacrifices from the mountains below! My lord has not had a proper meal in years..."
It turned out that although the demon den of Mount Dali forbade its demons from leaving the mountain to consume humans, this restriction only applied to demon generals and those registered in the cave. Lesser demons and ordinary beasts were generally never controlled.
Although this pig demon was registered in the den and forbidden from leaving the mountain to consume humans, it could still send minor demons out to capture some people for occasional meals. The demon den of Mount Dali was far from human governance and wouldn't strictly enforce its rules.
After all, with so many demons coming and going, it was unlikely that demons passing through human territories would not eat a person or two. However, with the rise of the Li Family, the pig demon's live sacrifices had dwindled, naturally leading to discontent.
Seeing the pig demon's fearful and cowardly demeanor, Li Yuanjiao glared fiercely. The pig demon, scared out of its wits, spilled the rest of its complaints like beans from a bamboo tube.
"Your esteemed den is the master of this land, monopolizing all the live sacrifices from the mountains below... It is understandable that our den members are not allowed to scavenge. But... your esteemed den has repeatedly slaughtered my lord's soldiers lately. This is simply unreasonable!"
Hearing this, Li Yuanjiao and Li Yuanping exchanged a glance and immediately understood.
It seems rogue cultivators entered the mountains and indiscriminately killed demons, harming this pig demon's subordinates in the process...
The lesser pig demon, still trembling, kneeled on the ground and said in a low voice, "My lord hopes for some compensation in live sacrifices, just one hundred strong men."
Li Yuanjiao frowned upon hearing this and said, "There have always been rogue cultivators entering the mountains. They come for profit, kill demons, and flee. How can this be blamed on my family? Your lord is just looking for an excuse to extort us!"
He then let out a cold laugh, drawing his sword with a clang. The scales of the Dragon Coiling Pillar sword glimmered as he cursed, "Does he really think my family can be bullied so easily?"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, the Celestial Moon Slash technique flashed, slicing down toward the pig demon. Being at the peak of the Qi Cultivation Realm, the pig demon was quick to react, it ducked and summoned a thick black mist to enshroud itself.
Clang!
The Li Family's sword technique had a fierce start. The pig demon, having been caught off guard, suffered a minor loss. The moon-white sword qi pierced through the black mist forcefully, cutting a small chunk of flesh from the greasy face of the pig demon.
"Ah!"
Pig Two screamed, clutching its face and retreating several steps, saying hurriedly, "Misunderstanding! It is a misunderstanding!"
Li Yuanjiao, contemplating leaving the pig demon to perform a sacrificial ritual for the mirror, refrained from further action given the demon's background. Nonchalantly, he picked up a cloth from the desk to wipe his sword, the Dragon Coiling Pillar, and said harshly, "Tell your great king that if he has the guts, let him send someone else to test us. But he should beware of using his pig head to test the sharpness of my ancestor's treasured sword!"
"Yes, yes, yes..." the pig demon replied sheepishly as it kowtowed repeatedly.
Li Yuanjiao then commanded in a stern voice, "See the guest out!"
Li Yuanping quickly escorted the pig demon away, speaking kindly, "Escort Brother Pig down."
After Shamoli led the pig demon away, the old monkey also took its leave. Only then did Li Yuanjiao sheathe his sword, speaking softly, "This pig demon has grown suspicious and came to test our family... We cannot hesitate at this moment. Demons always bully the weak and fear the strong."
Li Yuanping agreed, saying in a low voice, "Regardless, this pig demon is restrained by the demon den and cannot descend the mountain. Even if it wants to trouble our family, it will at most send a few Qi Cultivation Realm demons, which would fall right into our hands. That is exactly what we want."