Beneath the spring pool.
Mo Fan gazed at the dozen or so golden dragon loaches in the bamboo basket, his heart brimming with excitement.
According to the information from the Dog Demon Laifu, these golden dragon loaches were second-stage loaches, their flesh containing spiritual energy comparable to low-grade spiritual herbs.
This meant the dozen golden loaches were equivalent to a dozen low-grade spiritual herbs!
At this thought, Mo Fan was tempted to devour them all immediately but soon restrained his urge.
“Since these loaches can be artificially cultivated, could they be nurtured further to reach the third stage?”
Mo Fan’s heart raced. Third-stage dragon loaches would be true graded spiritual herbs, far surpassing the second stage in potency.
After a brief hesitation, Mo Fan made up his mind.
Since these loaches could indeed be cultivated and evolved, he decided not to eat the golden loaches yet. Instead, he would feed them spirit stones until they all evolved to the third stage!
That would be equivalent to a dozen yellow-grade spiritual herbs!
Yellow-grade spiritual herbs, as Mo Fan knew, were highly coveted even by the demon generals of Black Wind Mountain.
If he could cultivate these dozen loaches to the third stage, he might be able to break through to the demon general realm in one go!
If that happened, what would a mere Scorpion Demon Blackie amount to?
He could crush it with a flick of his finger!
This thought swept away the gloom that had weighed on Mo Fan for days.
He suddenly realized that true fear stemmed from his own lack of strength. If his cultivation was powerful enough to make even the Scorpion Demon wary, what would he have to fear?
Once this idea took root, it was unstoppable.
“Since I can’t easily leave Black Wind Mountain now, I might as well stay. With these loaches aiding my cultivation, my progress will be swift. Not only will I not need to flee, but I might even carve out a bright future here!”
Mo Fan murmured to himself, his eyes growing brighter as if he could see a promising path ahead.
In his view, without these loaches or their potential for evolution, he’d likely have to escape.
Though his cultivation wasn’t high, after three demon transformations, he understood that as his cultivation grew, so would his need for spiritual energy. Relying solely on first-stage silver loaches wouldn’t be enough to reach higher realms.
But now, with loaches that could evolve to rival yellow-grade spiritual herbs, it was like a shot of adrenaline.
Leaving Black Wind Mountain to avoid the Scorpion Demon’s schemes would mean facing pursuit and halting his cultivation path, with no telling when he could resume.
At his current level, he didn’t dare venture into human territories to learn their ways. He couldn’t even handle demon hunters on par with demon lieutenants, let alone village guardians.
But staying in Black Wind Mountain, he could rely on these loaches to rapidly boost his cultivation. The biggest challenge would be the Scorpion Demon.
With his current cultivation speed, Mo Fan wasn’t too worried about the Scorpion Demon anymore.
With this clarity, Mo Fan felt immensely relieved.
Over the next few days, he patrolled the mountain as usual, occasionally checking the loaches’ evolution progress in the spring pool.
During patrols, he chose more secluded routes, making it easier to duplicate spirit stones.
After days of observation, he noticed golden loaches consumed spirit stones faster than silver ones. The hundred-plus spirit stones he’d invested were long gone, and he’d added nearly two hundred more.
This left his spirit stone stockpile low, forcing him to duplicate stones tirelessly.
At his current rate, he could duplicate three stones every quarter-hour, twenty-four in the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and over a hundred in a full day.
Previously, with that dead dog around, duplicating was inconvenient.
Now, patrolling alone, he had no such concerns. If he encountered familiar lesser demons, he’d quickly store the spirit stone in his internal space, avoiding their notice.
Thus, time passed until the eleventh day of patrol.
That day, as Mo Fan patrolled, he spotted Bull Demon Dali hurrying up from the mountain’s base.
As Dali approached, Mo Fan noticed his anxious expression and asked, “Brother Dali, what’s wrong?”
“It’s you, Laibao!”
Dali looked up, surprised to see Mo Fan, then seemed to hesitate as if wanting to say something.
“What’s going on?” Mo Fan pressed.
“It’s that damn stingy rabbit! I told him to patrol, but he went off gambling dice with other demons and lost five stones of meat!
Where’s a little rabbit demon going to get that much meat?
Zhazha suggested he come to you to fish some loaches from the spring pool to pay it off, but Red-Eye was too proud. He said he’d go catch something outside to settle it, and now he’s shirked his patrol duties. I can’t find him, and it’s driving me mad!” Dali gritted his teeth, frustrated.
Hearing this, Mo Fan understood. He knew Black Wind Mountain’s demons loved to play, and some were addicted to gambling, a habit learned from humans.
Dice games, being simple, were a favourite among the lesser demons.
Mo Fan realized Red-Eye had likely been set up. He asked, “Brother, do you know which lieutenant’s demon Red-Eye was gambling with?”
“You should know—it’s Rattlesnake under One-Eyed Lieutenant’s command!” Dali replied.
Mo Fan instantly understood, confirming Red-Eye had been set up. The rivalry between One-Eyed Lieutenant and Scorpion Demon was no secret.
“So that’s it. Where are you rushing off to, Brother?” Mo Fan asked calmly.
“Where else?
I’m going to the boss to settle this!” Dali shrugged, adding, “I feel something’s off. Red-Eye was likely framed, so the boss needs to handle this.”
With that, he started up the mountain.
“Wait, Brother!” Mo Fan quickly stopped him, saying, “If you go, this will blow up.
Red-Eye’s gambling is a small matter, but if the Great King learns he abandoned his post, he might end up in the frying pan.
Then our whole patrol team could be punished!”
Dali froze, realizing Mo Fan had a point.
“What do we do?
You’re sharper than me, Laibao. Think of something.” Dali looked to Mo Fan.
Mo Fan paused, then asked, “Did Rattlesnake set a deadline?”
“Not really, but we can’t keep delaying. At most, we’ve got until our patrol ends,” Dali replied.
“Then it’s manageable. If we can gather the five stones of meat in the next few days, we’re fine.
But first, we need to find Brother Red-Eye, or he won’t escape the charge of abandoning his post!” Mo Fan smiled.
“True, but who’s going to get the meat and find that stingy rabbit?”
Dali was stumped. They were on patrol duty and couldn’t wander freely, or they’d risk being reported and fried, as Mo Fan said.
“Does Laifu know about this?” Mo Fan asked suddenly.
“How could we tell that guy? If he finds out, it’ll reach the Great King’s ears in no time!” Dali snorted, clearly wary of Dog Demon Laifu.
“If that’s the case, and if you trust me, I’ll go find Red-Eye and help gather the five stones of meat!” Mo Fan smiled.
