Amid the sparrow Zha Zha’s chatter, Mo Fan soon met his three new teammates.
“Woof!”
“What’s the little sparrow yapping about? Can’t you see I’m sleeping soundly?!”
A large yellow dog crawled out from a cave under a banyan tree, speaking in human tongue with a tone of clear displeasure.
“You dog, the sun’s practically burning your backside, and you’re still sleeping? Aren’t you afraid of sleeping yourself to death in that tree cave?!”
Zha Zha cursed, promptly dropping a splatter of bird droppings on the dog’s head, infuriating it into a loud howl.
“Zha Zha, is this toad the new guy?”
At that moment, a gruff voice sounded nearby.
Mo Fan turned to see a massive black buffalo approaching, with a large rabbit perched on its head, munching on a carrot.
“Yep, yep, that’s the ugly toad!”
Zha Zha nodded repeatedly, flying over to perch on one of the buffalo’s horns, its sharp beak pecking at the rabbit’s carrot.
“Get lost, this is my food! Go catch some bugs to eat!”
The rabbit glared, hiding the carrot behind its back.
“Tch! Stingy rabbit, it’s just a carrot, what’s there to be proud of!” Zha Zha scoffed.
“So, this toad’s the new guy?”
The yellow dog suddenly approached Mo Fan, eyeing him up and down with its dog eyes, a wisp of black mist emanating from its body.
In the next moment, the dog transformed, taking on a spiritual form.
It became a demon with long yellow hair, a slightly blackened nose tip, sharper than a human’s, and hands, though its body remained that of a dog.
Even so, it was far more advanced than Mo Fan, who only had a human head in his spiritual form.
“Since you’re a new demon, it’s only proper to offer a gift on our first meeting. Hand over your gift, and I’ll look out for you in the future!” the dog demon barked at Mo Fan, brimming with arrogance.
“Yeah, yeah, Little Toad, got any gifts to offer?”
Not far off, the rabbit demon on the buffalo’s head chimed in, too eager to even keep eating its carrot.
“Uh… what’s a gift?”
Mo Fan was baffled by the two demons’ words.
“What a dumb demon, doesn’t even know what a gift is. What did Lord Ding see in you?” the dog demon mocked.
“A gift is a benefit, you know!”
“Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you. This dumb toad’s called Lai Bao, kinda like your name, Lai Fu,” Zha Zha said.
“Lai Bao, a treasure’s arrived? That’s a good name, must be from Lord Ding’s mouth!”
The buffalo demon nodded, then said to the dog demon Lai Fu and the rabbit demon, “Alright, he’s a new demon fresh to the mountain, probably dirt poor with no gifts to give. Don’t make things hard for him!”
“Exactly, exactly!” Zha Zha hopped on the buffalo’s horn.
“Lai Bao, welcome to our patrol team. I’m Dali, the oldest here, been at Black Wind Mountain for over thirty years,” the buffalo demon said kindly.
“So it’s Brother Dali, I pay my respects!” Mo Fan quickly clasped his hands toward him.
“Human etiquette doesn’t work much here at Black Wind Mountain, so you don’t need to do that. Just be at ease and do your patrol duties well with us. Don’t drag Lord Heizi down,” Dali advised.
“Got it, I understand.”
Mo Fan nodded, then turned to the rabbit demon munching on its carrot atop Dali’s head, asking, “How should I address this brother?”
“I’m Hongyan, also named by Lord. You can call me Brother Hongyan. About that gift, you owe me one. When you get something good, don’t forget your brother!” the rabbit demon said.
“Of course, I won’t forget Brother Hongyan!” Mo Fan nodded with a smile.
New to the mountain, he naturally wanted to get along with these demons.
“Hey! We’re both surnamed Lai, so don’t forget your brother’s gift in the future!”
Seeing Mo Fan and Hongyan chatting comfortably, the dog demon Lai Fu grew anxious, worried he’d miss out on benefits.
“Got it, got it, brothers, rest assured. If I make it big, I won’t forget your kindness!” Mo Fan promised the demons with a smile, then shifted the topic, asking, “Do all you brothers live near this banyan tree?”
“Yep, I live in the cave under this tree, Zha Zha’s got a nest up in the branches, and Hongyan and Dali live on the hillside nearby,” Lai Fu said.
“Since you brothers have cave dwellings, where will I stay?” Mo Fan asked quickly.
New to this demon mountain, he needed to secure a place to live.
In the wild, he could just carve out a cave anywhere.
But this was Black Wind Mountain, teeming with demons who seemed to have their own rivalries. Unfamiliar with the place, carving a cave recklessly could lead to misunderstandings, which wouldn’t be good.
“Lai Bao’s right. Since you lot are expecting gifts from him, you ought to help him out and carve a proper cave dwelling,” Dali said.
“Fine, fine! Lai Bao, you better remember your brothers’ kindness, and don’t forget those gifts…”
Dali seemed to hold some sway among the minor demons, as his words were taken seriously, and they began searching for a spot for Mo Fan’s cave.
“Lai Bao, any requirements for your cave’s location?” Dali asked.
“I like damp places, so it’d be best to carve a cave near a water source,” Mo Fan said after some thought.
“Toads liking damp places, that makes sense!”
Dali nodded, then said, “There’s a spring about a li behind the hillside where I live, where we get our water. Looks like it’s your lucky day!”
Mo Fan’s eyes lit up. “Then I’ll trouble you brothers!”
“Climb on, I’m faster, I’ll carry you there!”
Dali offered, and though Mo Fan politely declined at first, he couldn’t refuse and hopped onto the buffalo’s broad back.
“Brother Dali, I wanna ride you too!” Lai Fu’s dog eyes gleamed.
“Sure, you carry me for a stretch first?”
Dali glanced at Lai Fu, who immediately backed off, saying nothing more and running ahead.
“Lai Fu loves taking advantage of us minor demons. Lai Bao, you’d best watch out for him,” Dali warned kindly.
“Got it, I understand,” Mo Fan nodded.
From his brief interactions, he’d sized up his new colleagues’ personalities.
Sparrow Zha Zha was a chatterbox.
Dog demon Lai Fu loved taking advantage.
Rabbit demon Hongyan was stingy.
Buffalo demon Dali was honest and, so far, seemed the most reliable of the four.
Soon, the five demons reached the spring.
Mo Fan’s face lit up at the sight.
It wasn’t just a trickle but a deep pool, several zhang wide.
As he approached, a refreshing coolness hit him, the air thick with moisture, instantly making him feel at ease.
“Lai Bao, this is the spring. What do you think?”
“If it works, point out a spot, and we’ll carve your cave!”
