A secret mission?
Hearing these words, the three elders immediately pricked up their ears.
The little white fox said, “You three are the elders I trust most. I now order you to secretly monitor the other elders.”
The Goat Elder reacted quickly and asked, “Lord, are you worried that the other elders will not teach Ye Changsheng their supreme techniques with full effort?”
The little white fox shook her head and said, “Humans and demons follow different paths. I am worried that when the other elders teach Ye Changsheng their supreme techniques, they will deliberately make things difficult for him.”
“You three must secretly keep an eye on things for me.”
“If anyone dares to make things difficult for Ye Changsheng, report to me immediately.”
The Bear Elder agreed at once. “Please rest assured, Lord. We will certainly monitor carefully. If anyone dares to make things difficult for Ye Changsheng, we will report to you at the first opportunity.”
“Good. You may withdraw now!” The little white fox waved her hand.
“Your subordinates take their leave.” With that, the three elders left the Lord’s sleeping palace.
As soon as they stepped out, the Goat Elder sighed. “Our Lord here has not even married the fellow yet, but she already takes such care of him. She truly is a husband-protecting demon.”
“Indeed. I really envy Ye Changsheng.” The Bear Elder’s tone shifted. “Old Goat, I envy you as well.”
The Goat Elder asked, “What is there about me to envy?”
The Bear Elder laughed. “Not only do you have a gentle and virtuous Rabbit Elder, but you also have a childhood sweetheart named Jingjing. In human terms, this is called enjoying the blessings of multiple lovers. This old bear envies you so much his eyes are bleeding.”
The Goat Elder’s face changed dramatically. “You old dog bear, do not talk nonsense. I do not know any Jingjing.”
“Hehe…” The Bear Elder chuckled and drifted away gracefully.
No sooner had he left than the Goat Elder’s ear was seized by the Rabbit Elder.
“Ow… Be gentle, it hurts…” The Goat Elder cried out in pain.
“Tell me, who exactly is Jingjing?” the Rabbit Elder asked coldly.
The Goat Elder said with a bitter face, “I do not know any Jingjing. Old Bear is jealous of me and probably trying to sow discord between us. Rabbit, you must not fall for his trick…”
“You will not say, huh? Fine. When we get back, you will kneel on a cactus.” The Rabbit Elder tugged the Goat Elder’s ear and headed straight for her own palace.
Along the way, they encountered many guards and demon clan citizens. Seeing the Goat Elder having his ear pulled by the Rabbit Elder, they pointed and whispered from a distance, some even snickering.
“Rabbit, let go quickly. Everyone is watching me make a fool of myself.” The Goat Elder pleaded. “Whatever the misunderstanding, can I not explain properly when we get home?”
“You dared to get involved with some Jingjing, yet you fear being laughed at?” The Rabbit Elder said fiercely. “If you do not explain clearly when we get home, I will make sure you cannot get out of bed for ten days.”
“Though I am a rabbit, my fighting strength is very strong.”
…
Back in the Lord’s sleeping palace.
After the Bear Elder and the others left, the little white fox prepared to wait outside the secret chamber for Ye Qiu.
Unexpectedly, just as she arrived outside the chamber, Ye Qiu emerged from within.
“I have finished reading the Great Emperor Heart Sutra. I have put the manual back in its original place.” Ye Qiu said.
“What are your thoughts?” the little white fox asked.
Ye Qiu let out a long sigh. “The difficulty of becoming an emperor is truly as hard as ascending to the blue heavens.”
“Indeed. The path to becoming an emperor is like thousands of troops and horses crossing a single-log bridge. It is as difficult as climbing the heavens. Otherwise, throughout eternity, it would not be possible for only those few to have proved the Dao and become emperors.” The little white fox then asked, “Ye Changsheng, do you still have confidence in proving the Dao and becoming an emperor?”
Ye Qiu said, “Actually, I have no interest whatsoever in becoming an emperor.”
“Ah?” The little white fox thought, Could he have been discouraged after reading the Great Emperor Heart Sutra and realising how difficult becoming an emperor is?
Apart from her and the Bear Elder, no other elders in the demon clan had read the Great Emperor Heart Sutra.
The reason she did not let the other elders read it was precisely to avoid affecting their Dao hearts after seeing it.
“Changsheng, do not lose heart. I…” The little white fox was about to comfort Ye Qiu when she heard him say,
“To be honest with you, my main purpose in coming to the cultivation world is to find my father, deal with a powerful enemy, and then help Fairy Hundred Flowers find the murderer who killed her master and fellow disciples. I have never thought about proving the Dao and becoming an emperor.”
“Let alone becoming an emperor, I have not even considered becoming a saint.”
“I just never expected that after arriving in the cultivation world, so many things would happen.”
“As for whether I have confidence in becoming an emperor, I can tell you that I am brimming with confidence.”
“Uh—” The little white fox looked surprised.
Ye Qiu said, “This world follows the law of the jungle, where the weak are prey to the strong.”
“Only by reaching the pinnacle of cultivation can one protect the people one wishes to protect.”
“Moreover, I have killed so many holy sons and holy daughters, offending several top forces. If I do not become an emperor, I will eventually die at their hands.”
“Therefore, not only do I have confidence in becoming an emperor, but I firmly believe that I will certainly become one.”
“What the ancients could achieve, I can achieve as well!”
After saying this, Ye Qiu’s aura changed, like a divine sword unsheathed, its edge fully revealed.
His gaze was extraordinarily firm, filled with absolute confidence.
So handsome!
For a moment, the little white fox was captivated by his demeanour, staring at him in a daze.
“What is with that look?” Ye Qiu restrained his aura and said, “Do you think that with my low cultivation, I am spouting arrogant words and appearing somewhat overconfident?”
“No.” The little white fox came back to her senses, shaking her head vigorously. “When I was young, a demon clan senior once told me that the stage is as big as the heart is.”
“If a person does not even dare to think about it, how can they possibly accomplish great things?”
“I was even worried that after reading the Great Emperor Heart Sutra you would be discouraged and lose heart. Now it seems I worried needlessly.”
“Ye Changsheng, hold firm to your conviction. I believe you will certainly become a Great Emperor powerhouse who shakes the past and present!”
Ye Qiu smiled. “Thank you for your encouragement. I will strive hard.”
“By the way, little white fox, I must also thank you for your warm hospitality during this time. However, I still have matters to attend to. I plan to leave the demon clan tomorrow with the old fellow.”
Leaving so soon?
“Ye Changsheng, as I said before, you may leave at any time. Rest assured, I will not stop you.” The little white fox continued, “However, your cultivation is currently weak, and there are so many enemies outside. Leaving the demon clan now, you might well encounter mortal danger.”
“For the sake of your safety, while you were studying the Great Emperor Heart Sutra, I took it upon myself to arrange something.”
Ye Qiu asked, “What did you arrange?”
The little white fox said, “Our demon clan has ten great elders. Each of them masters a supreme technique. I have ordered them to impart those techniques to you.”
This…
Ye Qiu did not know what to say. In his heart, there was only one thought. “The little white fox treats me well. We can have a deep… friendship.”
