Chapter 32: Identity Swap.

After finishing their meal, the group strolled to the pier, pretending to be there for a walk, to walk their dogs, and to enjoy the scenery. In reality, they were keeping a close watch on everything around them, waiting for any little devil to lose their composure and slip up.

Nezha transmitted his voice to Xiaotian: "Can you smell it? Where is the strongest demonic aura?"

"goods."

"goods?"

“Those boxes,” Xiaotian nudged the ground with his nose. “Some smell lightly, some smell strongly, and the smell makes me dizzy.”

Nezha looked at Yang Jian, twirled the thin gold bracelet on his wrist, and asked him clearly whether he wanted to make a move here.

Yang Jian calmly replied, "It's not too late to fight after we've explored the area for a few days."

The docks were bustling with people, and shirtless laborers toiled away, sweating profusely as they unloaded crates of goods from the large ships. The foreman, a tall, thin man with buck teeth, shouted orders from behind, cracking his whip at anyone who slacked off.

Jiang Huaisu was biting her nails in a corner, looking conflicted.

She felt a pang of pity and wanted to stop the foreman. But firstly, she was just passing by and could only intervene temporarily, not permanently; secondly, the mission was at a critical juncture, and if she went up and made a scene now, the monsters would sense the danger and flee in terror.

"Since there's something wrong with the goods, shouldn't we find a chance to sneak in and pretend to be helpers?" She snapped out of her thoughts and mouthed the question to Yang and the other two.

“That’s right. I was just discussing with Yang Jian via telepathy who would be the most suitable person to infiltrate.”

"Aren't you coming together?"

“It’s less likely to be discovered when one person is there,” Nezha explained. “Besides, they probably already know that Yang Jian and I have gone down to the mortal realm to subdue demons. The fact that the two of us are operating openly will actually lower their guard.”

"Wait a minute," Jiang Huaisu said warily, "So you mean... you want me to go?"

Nezha patted her on the shoulder: "I'm rooting for you."

Suddenly entrusted with such an important task, Jiang Huaisu felt a little nervous. She looked at Nezha, then at Yang Jian. "What if the foreman doesn't accept me?"

“You are stronger than ordinary people, which gives you an advantage in work. There’s no reason for him not to hire you.”

"Then, I don't need to hide my monster identity anymore?"

"You should, but you can't hide it perfectly. Let the foreman think you're some nobody demon passing by who wants to pretend to be human and make some quick money."

Jiang Huaisu took a deep breath: "I understand."

As the only newbie in the team, she certainly had a natural advantage. When acting alone, as long as she didn't deliberately cause trouble, the chances of alerting the enemy were very small. Moreover, as a demon, she could more easily infiltrate the enemy's camp.

After all, the monsters knew nothing about her origins and background, unlike great gods like Nezha and Yang Jian, who had long been thoroughly studied.

Nezha placed a sound transmission talisman in her palm: "This can transmit sound over long distances without consuming magic power."

How far?

"As long as it's not as far as the sky to the earth."

Jiang Huaisu touched the surface of the talisman; the rough texture inexplicably calmed her down. "This is good; it's more convenient than the transmission talisman."

Nezha, seemingly lost in thought, turned his head away uncomfortably: "...You can't say that, each has its advantages. The transmission talisman is more discreet."

"Okay, I'm going!" Jiang Huaisu's face showed a tragic and resolute look, as if she were going to face a mountain of knives and a sea of ​​fire.

Yang Jian reassured him, "Don't worry, Nezha and I are nearby, we won't put you in any danger."

Nezha stared intently at Jiang Huaisu: "These monsters are extremely cautious. Once they notice you, they will definitely use all sorts of methods to test and verify your identity. Once this phase is over, I can take your place."

"Take my place? Are you going to impersonate me?"

"Pretty much. If we really get a chance to sneak into their hideout, we'll switch identities then."

This was originally part of the plan.

Jiang Huaisu thought that if she personally took charge of everything, there would be fewer flaws. But if she followed Nezha's plan, there would be more room for manipulation.

“Okay, let’s work together from the inside and outside to try and take down their hideout in one fell swoop.” Jiang Huaisu mentally prepared herself and walked towards the foreman.

However, her attempt was unsuccessful. As soon as she expressed her intention to work as a helper, the buck-toothed foreman impatiently told her to get lost.

"Little girl, you're so skinny, you don't even have a pound of meat on you. You think you can help carry goods? Don't make fun of your old man."

Jiang Huaisu had been watching the spectacle as Nezha was teased by the scarred man, but now the boomerang had hit her. She felt a headache coming on, unsure how to convincingly portray a facade that made it obvious she was faking it.

Jiang Huaisu pondered for a while, then stood in front of the foreman, briefly revealing the demonic mark between her brows. She then picked up a large box beside her, a simple, honest smile on her face.

"Foreman, I've always been strong since I was a child, so moving these things is no problem for me! Please take me on, I'm really short of money right now."

The foreman frowned, said nothing, but didn't chase her away again. He looked her up and down, as if he was considering it.

Jiang Huaisu pressed her advantage, adding another box to her load. The two large boxes were stacked together, yet she still carried them steadily.

How old are you?

"Uh, seventeen, I guess." Actually, she couldn't remember very well herself, so she just made up a number.

The foreman pulled out a money bag: "We do manual labor. If you have the skills, I might as well take you on."

Jiang Huaisu's gaze followed the money pouch in his hand.

The foreman pulled out two copper coins and gave them to her: "Your daily wage is twenty coins, settled after dinner. Today is the first day of work, so these two coins are an extra bonus for you. Do a good job. If you do well, you'll be rewarded; if you don't, you'll get whipped."

This sudden change in attitude made Jiang Huaisu feel that her performance had worked, and the foreman must have seen through something.

To solidify her image as someone desperately short of money, she haggled with the foreman for quite some time, raising her daily wage to twenty-five coins. For a demon to be so pathetic, having to fend for herself under humans, speaks volumes about her low level of cultivation.

Very good. She was extremely satisfied with her performance. At this level, she had just managed to slip up, yet remained vulnerable enough not to be seen as a threat by the other party.

Yang Jian and Nezha had already disappeared to find some hiding place. Jiang Huaisu worked diligently all afternoon, moving box after box of goods. No clues were found yet, but her skills in moving goods were gradually becoming more proficient.

This immersive work experience almost made her forget the purpose of her trip. When she received her wages, the satisfaction and joy in her eyes were genuine, showing that she was fully engaged in the work.

The next day, she arrived at the dock early and started working. The foreman approved of her performance and didn't punish her with a whip for the time being.

By the third day, she was able to exchange a few words with the foreman, knowing that his name was Tu Zhi, and those who were on good terms with him could call him Boss Tu.

Given her diligence, hard work, and strength, on the fourth day, Tu Zhi assigned her to unload cargo from another ship. This shipment used larger and sturdier crates, indicating that the contents were obviously more valuable.

But this ship had less cargo, and it was unloaded very quickly.

Jiang Huaisu recalled the feel of the goods when she moved them and felt that they might contain living things. Because when she almost tripped and fell down the steps, she heard a very slight sound from one of the boxes, like a fish blowing bubbles.

Xiaotian told her through a sound transmission talisman that this batch of valuable goods was imbued with an unusually strong demonic aura.

The box had a strangely styled seal on it, and Jiang Huaisu didn't dare to open it for the time being, fearing that the signs of opening would be discovered when the goods were loaded and inventoried later.

However, she reasonably guessed that it might contain unformed demon cubs, but she didn't know why they were being moved as cargo. Could it be that the demons were using this method to conceal their movements?

She was only responsible for unloading the goods and had no idea where they ended up.

Yang Jian and Nezha did some tracking and investigation, and found that some of these goods were sent to restaurants and taverns, some were sent to mansions and residences, and some embarked on long journeys to more prosperous towns.

The route looks normal.

These highly socialized demons seem to be genuinely engaged in business, profiting from it. They're simply using this method incidentally to divert the demon population.

By the ninth day, Jiang Huaisu had fully integrated into the dock community. Her coworkers had changed their address from "little sister" to "Sister Jiang," a way of showing respect for her strength. But she felt they could also call her "Big Sister," which sounded more imposing, just like in the TV series.

Tu Zhi's attitude towards her became much friendlier. That day, he took her into the cabin alone, seemingly having something to say to her.

Jiang Huaisu thought she was about to be assigned new tasks, but as soon as she reached a secluded spot, Tu Zhi glanced at her and bluntly said, "Girl, are you a demon?"

"......" So you finally found it?

Jiang Huaisu hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to readily admit it, but the buck-toothed foreman opposite her smiled knowingly: "Look to the right."

She turned her head as instructed. A bronze mirror hung on her right, and when her face was reflected in the mirror, a white magpie was seen peeking out.

A demon-revealing mirror?

In that instant, her first thought was that she was lucky she was playing herself; her demon form was genuine. Nezha was right; these demons would use all sorts of methods to test and verify her identity.

Tu Zhi dares to lay things out now because he had already secretly investigated her and no longer doubted her identity as a demon.

"This mirror is quite useful, but its effect on those with high magical power is limited. Only those with low cultivation will be affected." Tu Zhi took down the mirror and examined Jiang Huaisu with great interest. "How long have you been in human form? A hundred years?"

Jiang Huaisu honestly replied, "No."

She had initially been somewhat envious of this treasure, but after hearing Tu Zhi's explanation, she immediately lost interest. This bronze mirror sounded like a low-end version of the demon-revealing mirror in Li Tianwang's possession, somewhat useless. It was far inferior to Sun Wukong's future fiery eyes.

"Are you also... a demon?" Jiang Huaisu didn't forget to feign some panic at having her identity exposed.

"To be honest, I'm a rabbit demon." Tu Zhi adopted an elder's tone. "I see you're an honest child, and you're quite efficient. Now that we're being frank, I want to entrust you with an even more important task. Are you willing to take it?"

"What kind of work?"

Tu Zhi knocked on the cargo box: "Get on the train."

Jiang Huaisu understands this; it's the next step after unloading the goods.

The fact that Tu Zhiken assigned her this task indicates that she has indeed gained a certain degree of trust, but her position is still relatively peripheral, and she is still a long way from reaching the demons' lair.

Since things have come to this, we can only take it one step at a time.

"In addition, the wages have been increased to fifty copper coins per day." Tu Zhi took out a handful of copper coins and gave them to her. "I admire your choice to make money this way instead of directly robbing others."

"Huh?" Jiang Huaisu was puzzled as to why she was suddenly being affirmed for her law-abiding behavior.

Tu Zhi didn't seem like the kind of person with good character. Before she went into the cabin, she saw him bullying the laborers. The poor laborers were old and not strong enough. Not only did Tu Zhi withhold their wages, but they also had to be whipped every day.

As he spoke, Tu Zhi handed her a riding crop, his posture solemn as if he were passing on some kind of scepter of power. "I see you've already grasped this principle; you have great potential. Work hard from now on, and this foreman position might just be yours someday."

Jiang Huaisu took the whip, thinking to herself: What's the difference between this and the leader making empty promises?

However, things are progressing relatively smoothly so far. This promotion brings him one step closer to exploring the central area.

Jiang Huaisu dutifully delivered goods for several days, the furthest trip being by car to the city. There was a tall building there that only entertained high-ranking officials and dignitaries, and recently it had been importing large quantities of goods from the docks, seemingly preparing for some kind of banquet.

“I went to that tall building. The goods that have been delivered recently are all stored in the warehouse. They will probably only be used for the banquet.” Nezha sat in the truck with a blade of grass in his mouth, chatting with Jiang Huaisu through the curtain, and also sharing the latest clues and news.

Although both he and Jiang Huaisu possessed communication talismans, they mostly served as listening devices and were rarely used for chatting. For sharing important information, Nezha would still come to her in person.

The warehouse wasn't as crowded or noisy as the docks, and there was no one checking the cargo boxes daily. Jiang Huaisu figured that since she had managed to sneak into the warehouse, she should have had ample time to open and inspect the boxes. So she asked directly, "Is there anything special about those goods?"

Nezha recalled, "Most of them were seafood. Fish, crabs, shrimp... but some of them had already gained intelligence and were no longer ordinary animals; they could be considered demons."

After observing for this period of time, we can basically conclude that there are two types of goods. One type is ordinary food resources. After passing through the hands of the monster merchants, they have been tainted with a little bit of demonic energy. It is very faint, and probably only a dog like Xiaotian with a nose can smell it.

Another type is the unformed demon cubs, whose only difference from ordinary food is whether or not they have developed sentience. But at least they have already embarked on the path of cultivation, and their demonic aura is much stronger.

Jiang Huaisu thought of a possibility and scratched her head: "Those little demons in the storeroom...could they also be ingredients for the banquet?"

At first, I suspected these little devils had ulterior motives, but it turns out they were just being transported as cargo? They've been locked up in the warehouse, and it seems they're being treated no differently than ordinary ingredients.

Jiang Huaisu remembered that her group had come to exterminate the man-eating demon gang, but now the situation had changed, and it turned out that people were eating demons?

Nezha, who has more experience dealing with demons, frankly said, "It's not that simple. The fact that demons are willing to give these things to humans to eat means that humans have also offered something of equal value. They must have reached some kind of deal."

The details are still unclear, but Yang Jian and Xiaotian have been gathering information in that building recently. If things go smoothly, they may be able to find out which human scoundrels are colluding with the evil demons before the banquet begins.

However, to her surprise, the progress was much faster than Jiang Huaisu had imagined.

That day, she had just finished counting the goods loaded onto the truck at the dock when she saw Yang Jian and Nezha descend from the sky in a very high-profile manner. Their brightly contrasting clothing colors made them look like two forest fire and ice people. They stood on the dock and attracted a lot of attention.

Nezha, holding a severed head in his hand, shouted, "We've chopped off the corrupt official's head! Those evil demons who colluded with him, step forward and we'll leave you with your corpses intact."

The grotesque human head had an excellent clearing effect, and the dockworkers quickly scattered in fear.

Tu Zhi and his gang of monsters hid in the cabin, neither daring to go out and confront Nezha, nor daring to escape back to their lair. If they lured the enemy in and exposed the location of their base, they would suffer a fate worse than death.

Tu Zhi was at a loss for what to do.

The once arrogant foreman now cowered in the cabin, trembling like a leaf. He clutched his ever-present whip, but it no longer gave him any confidence. Right now, its only use was to strangle himself to avoid the suffering that followed.

Tu Zhi took a deep breath and looked around the cabin. The other monsters were also trembling with fear; he couldn't count on them. Only Jiang Huaisu seemed relatively calm, probably because she was terrified.

Nezha was still shouting battles outside, and the information revealed in his words indicated that he and Yang Jian had followed the clues from that tall building to get here.

Jiang Huaisu understood that Nezha was taking precautions to clear her name, so that Tu Zhi wouldn't realize that there was a traitor at the dock.

She asked, bewildered, "Boss, shall we run away?"

"We'll escape, they won't chase us?" Tu Zhi was so anxious that his demonic power became unbalanced, his ears grew longer and longer, and his buck teeth became more and more prominent.

However, he still had to trick Jiang Huaisu into going out to her death, so he forced himself not to give the stupid girl a lash.

"Instead of cowering, take a gamble." Tu Zhi gave Jiang Huaisu a shove from behind. "The time has come to prove your worth!"

"Should we fight them?" Jiang Huaisu asked fearfully. "I don't dare."

"You, go and kill those two outside. If you succeed, I'll step down immediately and you can be the foreman."

Jiang Huaisu was extremely troubled, but it seemed there was no better option at the moment. "Will the wages also increase?"

"The price has gone up! One hundred coins a day!"

After a struggle, Jiang Huaisu appeared convinced, her demeanor a mixture of fear and defiance as she cautiously stepped out of the cabin. This perfectly nuanced performance made her feel she could contend for an Oscar for Best Actress.

Her conversation with Tu Zhi had been transmitted word for word to Nezha through the sound transmission talisman.

The rest is easy. Nezha just needs to play along and help her create an opportunity for Tu Zhi to escape, while also gaining his trust.

Previously, Tu Zhi had been operating on the shore, not giving them a chance to follow him into the demon's lair. Now that things have come to this, if Tu Zhi doesn't flee back to his hometown, then he would truly be exceptionally loyal.

Jiang Huaisu drew her soft sword and brandished it with great skill, perfectly embodying the fearless spirit of a newborn calf.

She pretended not to know Nezha and Yang Jian at all, and angrily scolded them for meddling in other people's business and coming to the demon race's territory to seek death.

The actor playing opposite her, Nezha, noticed her predicament and kindly took over the conversation, pointing his Fire-Tipped Spear at her and arrogantly saying, "You're the one who's looking for death."

Yang Jian said, "I'll deal with this little demon."

"No, I'll do it." Nezha stepped forward.

Yang Jian extended his three-pointed, double-edged sword and held it horizontally in front of Nezha: "You go and clean up the rest, this one is for me."

"She's mine!"

"mine."

The two exchanged barbs, and eventually, half-jokingly, they started fighting. The celestial hound, Xiaotian, promptly sided with its master, taking the opportunity to bite Nezha's leg.

Nezha chased after Xiaotian, with Yang Jian close behind, using his three-pointed double-edged sword to entangle Nezha's Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon), thus hindering his progress. "Nezha, calm down."

Tu Zhi secretly observed from the shadows, inwardly marveling at how skilled this little bird demon was at inciting hatred, managing to get those two to fight over who would take her life.

Jiang Huaisu gripped the soft sword and fell silent. In truth, she could no longer tell whether Nezha was really fighting or just pretending; in any case, he seemed quite engrossed in the role.

Two incredibly handsome men got into a fight over her, shouting lines that were easy to misunderstand. Under normal circumstances, Jiang Huaisu would have probably made up some internal monologues to make herself feel good.

Unfortunately, due to the special circumstances, she had to swallow her classic line, "Stop fighting!" and instead peek into the cabin below. It was all an act for the buck-toothed rabbit down there; hopefully, this audience member wouldn't disappoint them.

Tu Zhi hesitated for a long time, still unable to decide whether to escape. The remaining monsters, led by him, dared not act without his permission and could only cower in the cabin.

These terrestrial fairies mostly live above the water and rarely return to their nests. After all, their main base is built on the seabed, making entry and exit inconvenient. If they need to return to their nests, they usually don't travel by water, but instead use a teleportation array.

The formation was set up under the bulkhead of the ship's cabin, and Tu Zhi could activate it at any time by casting a spell.

The problem is that once the formation is activated, the two outside will inevitably notice and move closer. And once they enter the formation's range, they will all be teleported underwater.

Tu Zhi was terrified that these two living fathers would follow him back to their nest.

Yang Jian, Nezha, and Xiaotianquan were engaged in a chaotic battle on the other side. Jiang Huaisu strolled back to the cabin and said, "Boss, why aren't you running? They don't seem to have noticed you."

Tu Zhi said irritably, "They're not noticing now, but they'll notice if we make a noise later. Get away from the cabin and don't attract their attention."

"Oh, oh." So that's what you're afraid of.

The entire conversation was being listened to from the other end. Nezha immediately understood Tu Zhi's concerns. He threw out the Hun Tian Ling, seemingly to tie up the dog, but actually to send Xiao Tian further away. He and Yang Jian could then chase after the dog and run further and further away, maintaining a safe distance from Tu Zhi.

Seeing Jiang Huaisu standing there dumbfounded and not moving, Tu Zhi said anxiously, "What are you standing there for? Go find them! I thought your two moves just now were pretty good. Maybe you can use them to win by surprise."

The second half of that statement is pure nonsense. Tu Zhi would flatter her with any kind of praise in order to stall those two, hoping to use her life to pave a way for his own survival.

Tu Zhi chased Jiang Huaisu away and continued to watch the battle from inside the cabin. He watched as the two fought like wild horses, escalating from the ground to the sky. After Jiang Huaisu joined the fray, the situation became even more chaotic. Both of them rushed to attack her, yet they were constantly restraining each other, resulting in neither of them being able to kill her.

"Boss Tu, this is an opportunity..." The little demon in the cabin couldn't sit still any longer. "Let's activate the formation while they're fighting so fiercely!"

Tu Zhi thought so too. With Xiao Yao's encouragement, he became even more restless, sticking his head out to look again and again, constantly estimating the distance between the cabin and the two people.

Finally, Tu Zhi stood up, a faint light surging in his palms, his face filled with an urgent yet expectant expression. The other lesser demons realized that he was about to activate the formation, and immediately fell silent, each craning their necks and watching his movements intently, ready to run away as soon as the formation was activated.

The men fighting outside simultaneously stopped and looked towards the cabin. The commotion caused by the activation of the formation was considerable, and they had all sensed it.

Nezha grabbed Jiang Huaisu's hand and, with a clever illusion, silently switched places with her. At the same time, their appearances also changed rapidly, completing the transfer of identities in an instant.

"I will send a signal once I find the location."

After giving Yang Jian these instructions, Nezha rushed towards the cabin without looking back. He didn't forget to inflict additional injuries on himself, pretending that he had been thrown overboard.

Jiang Huaisu glanced helplessly at Yang Jian, who gave her a reassuring look: "Just pretend to be someone else."

Actually, she wasn't panicked; she just felt that Nezha going to the enemy camp alone was a bit... pitiful. Even if he could handle it by himself, wouldn't it be better to have a few more people with him?

But on second thought, it was indeed the best solution for Nezha to go ahead and scout the way. Before figuring out the route to the demon's lair, it was safer to hide his identity.

Before she could even calm down, Yang Jian's three-pointed double-edged sword was already in front of her.

She knew the match had to continue, and the two of them couldn't just stand there doing nothing, so she retaliated in a rather professional manner. Fortunately, they were far enough apart that the demon in the cabin couldn't see her flawed moves.

The Nezha below, disguised as an injured man, was very dedicated. As soon as he landed, he spat out a mouthful of blood and crawled laboriously toward the cabin. Sensing that the light of the formation was gradually dimming and seemed about to shut down, he quickened his crawling speed.

At this moment, an octopus tentacle emerged from the cabin, wrapped around Nezha, and pulled him into the cabin.

"Come quickly!" The octopus demon hurriedly dragged Nezha into the formation. It had watched the whole thing when Tu Zhi was fooling Jiang Huaisu, and it knew very well that Tu Zhi was just trying to trick Jiang Huaisu into going to her death. This silly girl had actually fallen for it.

The octopus demon was the last to enter the formation; all the other demons had already left. It thought that if Jiang Huaisu were left outside, she would surely die in the end.

The two people and the dog who were throwing the match breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Nezha successfully enter the battle.

Jiang Huaisu stopped her struggle with the air and looked worriedly in the direction where Nezha had disappeared.

The Hun Tian Ling nuzzled affectionately against her arm. She touched the smooth silk surface and sighed, "Your master never takes you with him when he fights."

The red silk drooped down, hanging on her forearm and swaying in the wind like a dried red ribbonfish.

Jiang Huaisu quickly said, "Oh, I didn't mean you weren't valued. Look, the Universe Ring and the Wind-Fire Wheels weren't taken either. Because none of you went, I was a little worried about him..."

The Universe Ring dimmed, and the Wind and Fire Wheels went out.

Jiang Huaisu dared not say anything more; if the Wind and Fire Wheels really went on strike, she would fall.

“There have been more dangerous situations before, don’t worry, he can handle it. If all else fails, we have me and the Heavenly Soldiers as backup.” Yang Jian landed calmly and climbed into the large ship. “There’s plenty of seafood here. Xiaotian, don’t you love fish? You can take some back to Guanjiang Estuary.”

Jiang Huaisu followed her in, smelling the aroma of seafood filling the room, and was somewhat tempted. "Could I bring a few boxes...?"

"For Sun Wukong?"

"Uh-huh."

Yang Jian had never met Sun Wukong, but he had already heard his name from Nezha.

Jiang Huaisu thought untimely, "With this friendship, when we besiege Huaguo Mountain in the future, will Yang Jian show some mercy to Sun Wukong? At least we can skip the part about setting the mountain on fire, right?"