The terrifying scene Mo Fan had imagined did not materialise. Instead, his surroundings turned pitch black, as if he had fallen into some abyss, yet everything around was damp.
Had he been swallowed into the belly of that wild boar monster?
Mo Fan’s heart was filled with uncertainty, but he quickly realised who the wild boar was.
So, the demons of Black Wind Mountain had never dared to reveal the true form of their Demon King because the Black Wind Mountain Demon King was a wild boar demon. No wonder it looked so hideous.
Though swallowed, Mo Fan felt no immediate danger, and his tense emotions relaxed somewhat.
“Mas… Master, are you there?”
“Mr. Pig, are you there?”
“Big Dumb Ox, you’re not dead, are you?”
At that moment, a familiar voice reached Mo Fan’s ears, belonging to that rascal, the red-eyed rabbit demon.
“I’m still here!”
In the darkness, Mr. Pig responded.
“Stingy Rabbit, if you can’t talk properly, don’t talk at all. Damn, what bad luck!”
The ox demon, Dali, grumbled. The trial had made even the usually steady him grow irritable.
“I’m here too.”
Mo Fan spoke up at the right moment, then asked, “Zha Zha, Old Six, Old Eight, are you all alright?”
“Master, I’m fine, just my legs are trembling a bit, not quite obeying me. Are we in the underworld?” Zha Zha’s distressed voice sounded.
“Dead Sparrow, don’t bloody talk nonsense!”
“Exactly, we’re still alive and well!”
Old Six and Old Eight spoke up one after another, cursing at Zha Zha.
Hearing that these fellows were still alive, Mo Fan couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, then asked, “Dali, you’ve been through trials before. Do you know what’s going on here?”
“Reporting to Master, we’re currently inside the Demon King Grandpa’s pouch!”
“Based on past experience, Demon King Grandpa should be taking us directly to the Demon Spirit Valley. It’s the quickest and least effort.” The ox demon Dali replied in a deep, muffled voice.
“I see!”
Mo Fan nodded, his heart no longer gripped by fear. As long as there was no danger, everything was manageable.
“Wow! We’re really not dead!”
“Great, great… that scared the hell out of me!!”
The sparrow Zha Zha shouted excitedly.
“Oi, you bloody fool, can you keep it down? Can’t you be quiet for a bit?”
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice piped up from the side, sounding somewhat annoyed.
“None of your damn business. I want to make a racket, so what?!” Sparrow Zha Zha retorted fearlessly.
“Ow, who the hell poked my arse?”
“Damn it, who farted? Ugh… that’s bloody foul… ugh…”
“Is there a weasel demon here? Have you no sense of decency?!”
“Who the hell are you talking about? Just because I’m a weasel demon doesn’t mean it’s my fart!”
“…”
Before long, the demons in the pouch space erupted into chaos, creating a noisy ruckus, making Mo Fan wish he could swallow them one by one just to get some peace.
“Shut up, all of you!”
“You’re giving this king a headache!!”
Suddenly, the Black Wind Demon King’s voice echoed in the pouch, startling all the demons.
“And no farting in this king’s pouch, or I’ll eat you all!!”
“Instead of bickering, you’d better cultivate properly, lest you get killed by other demons later!”
After the Black Wind Demon King’s scolding, the demons finally quieted down, not daring to shout anymore.
“Master?”
In the darkness, Mo Fan heard Dali’s voice and immediately responded, “I’m here.”
“Can I ask you for a favour?” Dali’s voice was low and heavy.
“What is it?”
Mo Fan’s brow furrowed slightly, instinctively sensing something bad.
“I know you’ve been to the human realm and are a fierce demon, so I’d like to ask you to take me there to have a look if you ever get the chance!”
“Is that all?” Mo Fan was taken aback.
“I’m not actually a wild demon from these mountains. Long ago, I had some experience in the human realm.
I remember the village I stayed in was called ‘Crouching Ox Village’. I was born there.
I also remember my mother was in that village. Later, she was struck by lightning while ploughing and died. The master’s family was decent enough; after eating her flesh, they buried her bones under the big paulownia tree at the village entrance, saying that after a lifetime of toiling like an ox or horse, she deserved a good resting place.
Oh, right, there’s a legend in Crouching Ox Village that the mythical phoenix lives in paulownia trees, so if you’re buried under one after death, you’ll be blessed by the phoenix and have a good rebirth.
I didn’t believe it then.
I don’t believe it now, especially after becoming a demon.
But I still want to go back, not because of the phoenix blessing, but because I miss my mother.
She toiled her whole life without ever awakening from her ignorance, living as a foolish beast. But to me, she was the truly great being who gave birth to me.
After becoming a demon, I swore I’d become an immortal this lifetime, or at least a mighty Demon King like Grandpa, so I might have the power to revive my mother.
But I fear I won’t achieve that…
So, Master, I really hope you can take me back, even if it’s just to be buried with my mother!”
The ox demon Dali’s words touched Mo Fan’s heart, but he angrily cursed, “Dali, what the hell are you blabbering about? I’m your master! If I don’t let you die, you dare die?!”
“Master, I’m old. I’ve been in Black Wind Mountain for over thirty years and haven’t amounted to much of a demon, not like you, so fierce. I narrowly escaped a few times before, but this time, I have a feeling I won’t make it…”
“And because you’re my master, I’m entrusting my final wishes to you.”
“Get lost! You’d better stay alive for me!”
“And you little bastards, not one of you is allowed to die. Want me to collect your corpses? Keep dreaming!!”
Mo Fan roared, shouting into the darkness.
“Dali, what’s wrong with you? You’ve gone and pissed off Master!”
The rabbit demon Red Eye suddenly scolded, then chuckled, “Master, don’t worry. We’ve worked so hard to become demons; we’re not ready to die!”
“Besides, didn’t Demon King Grandpa say? If we’re fierce enough in the trial, we might even be rewarded with those demon maidens!”
“I’m not afraid of you laughing, Master, but I’ve had my eye on that Snow White Demon Maiden for a while. This time, I’ll seize the chance, cut off a few ears, and ask Grandpa Demon King for her!”
“She and I are both rabbit demons. Our offspring will surely have pure bloodlines, and they’ll be even fiercer than me!”
“Pah! You greedy rabbit, aiming high, daring to eye the Rabbit Demon Grandma. Careful, or Demon King Grandpa will roast you first!”
Sparrow Zha Zha grumbled, then said, “Master, I don’t have such grand demands. I’ve only got these two pounds of flesh. As Mr. Pig would say… oh, right, ‘demon dies, arse to the sky, screw it all’!”
“…”
Mo Fan was speechless. His heavy mood nearly broke from this damned fool’s nonsense.
“Ahem… it’s ‘man dies, balls to the sky’…”
In the darkness, Mr. Pig coughed appropriately, then said, “Master, I don’t know what to say. Becoming a demon is already the greatest fortune of my life. If I die, it’s only because my strength wasn’t enough. Then, Master, you can eat me; at least it’ll fill your belly.
Of course, if I survive by luck, I’ll follow you for life, Master!”
Mo Fan didn’t respond. He understood everyone was pessimistic about the upcoming trial. As for Old Six and Old Eight, they remained silent.
Mo Fan didn’t know what they were thinking and didn’t ask.
He knew he couldn’t protect these little demons forever. They would have to face it themselves eventually.
“I’ve done enough. Whether you survive depends on your own fate!”
Mo Fan sighed inwardly.
After an unknown amount of time, the Black Wind Demon King’s voice echoed in the pouch again.
“Children, we’ve arrived. This king will let you out to breathe!”
