Outside the Spirit Beast Courtyard.
A burly man holding a crescent-shaped shovel squatted dejectedly in a corner outside the courtyard.
*Slap!*
A sudden slap sent the man stumbling. He immediately grabbed his shovel and roared, “Which bastard snuck up on me?!”
*Slap!*
“Damn your mother!”
Before he could finish, another slap landed. Then, two familiar faces appeared before him. “Third Brother, it’s us!”
“Huh? Big Brother! Second Brother!”
“Why’d you hit me?!”
Third Brother rubbed his stinging cheek, looking quite aggrieved.
“You cursed us, you dog! Who else would we hit?!” The man with a long saber strapped to his back growled fiercely. He glanced at the Spirit Beast Courtyard and asked, “Where’s the guy you were supposed to tail?”
“Big Brother, speaking of that, I’m thrilled! That kid’s filthy rich!” Third Brother’s face lit up with excitement, completely forgetting the slaps. He eagerly recounted what he’d witnessed to his two brothers.
Hearing how lavishly Mo Fan spent, the two grew excited.
“Looks like a real fat sheep!”
“This kid seems young but struts around the market so brazenly. He must have some tricks up his sleeve. Alright, Third Brother, keep tailing him. Second Brother and I will round up some help!”
“If we pull this off, it’ll keep us living large for a long time!”
“Got it!”
“I was just fretting over not having cash to hit up Red Flower Tower, and now someone’s delivering it to us!” Third Brother grinned.
*Slap!*
“Big Brother, why’d you hit me again?”
“You good-for-nothing! We’re cultivators now, not some mortal bandits. Stop obsessing over women and focus on raising your cultivation!” Big Brother scolded.
“Exactly, Big Brother’s right, Third Brother. Get it together! Only with strong cultivation can you bed the finest women!” Second Brother chimed in.
“Big Brother and Second Brother are on another level. I’m ashamed of myself!” Third Brother said.
“Hahaha…”
…
Mo Fan swept through the courtyard and emerged with the red-robed woman, followed by a chubby little demon.
“You’re done so soon, Fellow Daoist?” The fat shopkeeper greeted him warmly. He glanced at the distracted red-robed woman, frowning slightly, then looked at the demon trailing behind.
It was a plump, fair-skinned demon, its legs still not fully transformed, sporting short, stubby hooves instead. The demon wasn’t tall, only about one meter thirty or forty, resembling a short gourd.
“Hm, the demons here are decent, but there’s too few. Bring in more next time!” Mo Fan smiled at the shopkeeper and headed for the door.
“Fellow Daoist, don’t you need a beast-control collar?” the shopkeeper called out.
“No need!” Mo Fan waved dismissively without turning back and stepped out of the Spirit Beast Courtyard, the short gourd demon hurrying after him.
The fat shopkeeper frowned at Mo Fan’s receding figure. He turned to the red-robed woman and said sternly, “What’s wrong with you? Such a big client, and you didn’t follow through properly? He only bought one little demon!”
“I… I…” The red-robed woman snapped out of her daze, about to explain, when the shopkeeper continued, exasperated, “Xiaochun, how many times have I told you? Your job isn’t just to guide guests through the courtyard—it’s to make them empty their spirit stone pouches! Why don’t you get it? Sometimes you need to show off your assets a bit! The more demons sold, the more spirit stones you earn!”
“Manager Zhang, it’s not like that. Listen to me! That guest didn’t just buy one demon—he bought out every demon in the courtyard worth fifty low-grade spirit stones or less!” Xiaochun said.
“What?!”
“You… what did you say?!” The shopkeeper’s eyes widened, but then he frowned. “That’s not right. If he bought so many, why did I only see one?”
At this, Xiaochun’s face showed a hint of fear. She swallowed hard and stammered, “B-because… he ate all the others!!”
“What?!”
…
As Mo Fan stepped out the gate, he heard the shocked exclamation behind him but paid it no mind. His gaze casually flicked to the burly man in the nearby corner.
Perhaps sensing he’d been spotted, the man looked embarrassed, quickly turning to face the wall, avoiding Mo Fan’s eyes.
“…”
Mo Fan was speechless, ignoring the dim-witted fool. He turned to the short gourd demon behind him. “Forgot to ask earlier—what’s your name?”
“I-I don’t have a name, but you can call me Mr. Pig!” the demon said nervously.
“Mr. Pig?” Mo Fan’s brow furrowed, then relaxed. He chuckled, “Suits your true form well enough. But let me warn you: from now on, you’re my demon. Don’t even think about running, or you know the consequences!”
“I-I understand!” Mr. Pig gulped.
The scene in the courtyard was still vivid in his mind.
To him, this lord before him was a killing god, devouring over twenty demons in one go. That was terrifying!
His methods were far more horrifying than the demon-catchers who’d captured him. How could he dare flee from such a fiend?
His legs were already trembling!
“Why didn’t you eat me too, my lord?” Mr. Pig hesitated before asking.
“Because you can read,” Mo Fan said, grinning at him. “I’m a demon who loves learning, so I couldn’t bear to kill a talented demon like you.”
While selecting demons earlier, Mo Fan had noticed this pig demon writing on the cell floor. Intrigued, he watched for a while, seeing it write over a dozen characters. Realizing it was literate, he decided to keep it.
Mo Fan’s visit to the market wasn’t just to broaden his horizons but also to find a chance to learn human writing.
However, he found that cultivators and demons here were generally aloof, except for vendors who were eager to sell. Finding someone to teach him to read was nearly impossible.
This pig demon’s literacy sparked his interest, which is why Mr. Pig was spared.
“Because I can read?” Mr. Pig was stunned, not quite understanding. What did literacy have to do with it?
“You’re a demon too, my lord?” Mr. Pig shifted focus.
“Mm. So, no need to call me lord. Just call me Master from now on,” Mo Fan said, nodding. “By the way, where’d you learn to write?”
“From a private school, with a human boy,” Mr. Pig said, his tone low, his expression downcast.
“So you ate the kid and got caught by demon-catchers?” Mo Fan asked, frowning.
“No! I didn’t!!” Mr. Pig’s emotions surged, his voice agitated.
“Sounds like you’ve got a story. I’m a demon who loves stories. Care to share?” Mo Fan asked, curiously eyeing the demon he’d bought.
