As Mo Fan issued one appointment after another, the demon retainers were all filled with joy.
Even Zha Zha was deeply satisfied.
He had once dreamed of becoming Mo Fan’s personal attendant, but that wish had never come true.
Now, suddenly appointed as the captain of the flying team and concurrently the demon soldier instructor, he felt immensely fulfilled, as if he had ascended to the heavens in a single step.
“Great King, what about me?”
“What position will I hold?”
Seeing the other demon retainers receive new roles, Er Ha grew anxious and quickly asked.
“You don’t have a position for now. Just stay by my side!”
Mo Fan glanced at him, deciding his fate with a single sentence.
Er Ha’s face fell, looking as if he might cry. As a demon retainer, he naturally wanted some status. Seeing even a sparrow like Zha Zha become a captain while he got nothing, the sense of disparity hit him hard.
“Tiger Demon, why aren’t you thanking the Great King?”
“Don’t you know that being kept by the Great King’s side makes you his most trusted confidant?”
“Countless demons are probably jealous of you right now!”
Bai Xue timely reminded him, then looked at Mo Fan with anticipation. “Great King, what about me?”
“You?”
Mo Fan frowned slightly, looking at Bai Xue, momentarily unsure of what role to assign her. After all, given her extraordinary background, placing her in a group dominated by male demons might cause trouble.
After some thought, Mo Fan glanced at He Fei Fei nearby, an idea sparking. “How about this: you serve as the demon soldier commander under He Fei Fei?”
“Demon soldier commander?”
Bai Xue was stunned, then immediately said with reluctance, “I don’t want to be her commander!”
“Then what do you want to do?”
Mo Fan felt a headache coming on. He could tell this rabbit demon didn’t get along well with the crane demon.
“I… I want to stay with you, Great King!”
Bai Xue took a deep breath, looking up at Mo Fan.
Her words made Red Eye, the rabbit demon nearby, widen his scarlet eyes and perk up his ears.
“What? Stay with me for what?”
Mo Fan rolled his eyes.
“I…”
Bai Xue hesitated, then quickly shifted her tone. “Great King, you’re different now. You’re no longer a minor Ding Mu but the king of the entire Black Wind Mountain!
“As a king, you can’t do everything yourself. You need demons to tend to your daily needs.
“Though I don’t have the combat prowess of the team captains, I’m quite skilled at looking after you, Great King.
“So, please let me serve under you!
“That way, those scoundrels coveting my beauty won’t dare act recklessly.”
Bai Xue’s words made Mo Fan nod, finding some sense in them.
After all, Bai Xue’s beauty was too striking. Back when she performed a seductive dance, it had driven Red Eye to lose control. If she were placed among a crowd of demons, who knew what trouble might arise?
Thinking of this, Mo Fan gave a wry smile. “Fine, then you and Er Ha can stay by my side from now on!”
“Thank you, Great King!!”
Bai Xue’s face lit up with joy.
“Hmph! Vixen!”
He Fei Fei nearby pouted.
Red Eye stood there, looking utterly dejected.
“Smart Rabbit, don’t overthink it. This king would never steal someone’s love. Work hard, and when you’ve gained real skills, I’ll personally arrange your match!”
Mo Fan’s words reached Red Eye’s ears, instantly lifting the dejected rabbit demon’s spirits.
…
Days passed in a flash.
On this day, as Mo Fan was cultivating in his cave as usual, a savory aroma wafted in from outside. He knew Bai Xue was cooking.
Initially, he thought Bai Xue had practical life skills, but he hadn’t expected her to be clueless even about basic cooking.无奈之下, Mo Fan had personally taught her to make a few meals.
Bai Xue’s comprehension was impressive. After observing Mo Fan a few times, she could replicate his cooking methods effortlessly. So, for the past two or three days, she had taken on the cooking duties.
When Mo Fan stepped out of his cave, he saw Er Ha sprawled at the entrance, yawning boredly.
“Er Ha, you’re a demon retainer now, and you still can’t shake those beastly habits?”
Mo Fan was exasperated. This guy had already manifested a spiritual body, yet he couldn’t break his animal behaviors.
“Great King, I haven’t been a demon as long as Red Eye or Zha Zha. I spent more time as a mountain lord, so it’s hard to drop these bad habits quickly.”
Er Ha gave a wry smile, then said enviously, “But you, Great King, transformed into a demon around the same time as me. How come you don’t have many beastly habits?”
“Can you compare yourself to this king?”
Mo Fan snorted, then said, “You said those are bad habits. Get rid of them soon!
“We’re demons, not beasts. If other mountain demons visit and see your wild nature, won’t they mock us?”
“Got it, Great King. So, is it time to eat?”
“I can smell the meat in the pot. That rabbit demon said today’s stew is fatty lamb. The broth smells amazing!”
Er Ha’s mouth watered as he spoke, his tongue licking his lips, drool pooling on the ground.
“Useless thing, let’s go!”
Mo Fan kicked him lightly and headed toward a nearby cave.
To ease Red Eye’s concerns, Mo Fan hadn’t kept Bai Xue in his own cave but had opened a separate one for her nearby.
Soon, the three demons sat around a large iron pot, eating heartily.
Though rabbits were herbivores, Bai Xue was devouring the food with greasy lips, not caring about her image, eating no less than Mo Fan and Er Ha.
After the meal, Mo Fan looked at Bai Xue and asked, “I’ve been cultivating these past few days. Any news about Dali or Mr. Pig?”
After setting the rules, he had instructed Red Eye and Zha Zha to send lesser demons to search the surrounding territories for Dali and Mr. Pig.
“Not yet, but they’ve spread the news of Black Wind Mountain’s reestablishment as you ordered. If Dali and Mr. Pig are alive, they’ll surely hear soon!” Bai Xue said with a smile.
“Good. How are the Zhu brothers doing?” Mo Fan asked.
While he was cultivating, Bai Xue had been gathering intelligence on Black Wind Mountain, while Er Ha, too lazy for such tasks, was assigned to guard his cave.
“Zhu Wu came back a few days ago, bringing three highly spiritual beasts: a wild boar, a hedgehog, and a rat.”
“Good. I’ll head over later to help them transform into demons. It’ll bolster our numbers.”
Mo Fan nodded. Though the Zhu brothers hadn’t brought many spiritual beasts, it was a good start.
“Hm?”
Just as he spoke, Mo Fan sensed something and looked toward his cave.
Feeling two familiar auras, a smile spread across his face.
“Great King, what’s wrong?” Bai Xue asked, puzzled.
“Nothing. I’m full, so I’ll head back to rest.”
Mo Fan shook his head, but as he stood, Bai Xue said shyly, “Great King, I could also tend to your rest… If you’re willing, I can make you happy forever…”
“…”
Mo Fan was speechless.
When Bai Xue looked up, Mo Fan was gone, leaving only that darned tiger demon picking his nose…
