Chapter 58 Mountain Demon
Li Chang'an left Xuanling Immortal Mountain.
Wu Hui was slightly surprised when he first saw him.
The last time they met, he could see through Li Chang'an's cultivation level, but now he could not see through it at all.
This shows that Li Chang'an's current cultivation level is far above his.
"Li Chang'an, long time no see." Wu Hui snapped out of his daze and clasped his hands in greeting. "I forgot to introduce myself last time we met. Hello, my name is Wu Hui."
Li Chang'an's memory is still quite good now, so of course he still remembers him. He clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Hello."
"You came all this way to see me, is there something you need?"
Wu Hui nodded and took out a demon beast core from his storage bag. It was the one that had fallen from the demon beast that he and Yuheng had killed last night.
This demonic beast was at the late stage of the Golden Core realm, and he was no match for it. Most of the damage came from Yuheng Star Lord, who only ended the demonic beast's life with the final blow.
Despite this, the Jade Balance Star Lord still gave him the demon core.
"I've come here to make a deal with you," Wu Hui said. "This demon core belongs to a late-stage Golden Core demon beast, and I'd like to exchange it for some spirit rice."
Li Chang'an was slightly taken aback and examined the demon beast pill carefully.
This demon beast core was brighter than a pseudo-core stage demon beast core, and there seemed to be faint patterns inside.
"I remember you said that demon beast cores can help with cultivation."
So why use it to exchange for spiritual rice?
Wu Hui smiled and said, "This is a Golden Core stage demon core—no, a demon beast core. I am at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment, so I can only refine and absorb one-tenth of the spiritual power of this demon beast core."
The demon beast pill will disappear after one refining and absorption.
One-tenth of the spiritual power would only allow him to advance half a level in his current cultivation, which is not as good as absorbing a complete pseudo-core stage demon beast core.
“I remember you said in the live stream that you could use these demon beast cores to create spiritual soil, so I think this demon beast core might be of greater use to you.”
Wu Hui had once bought spirit rice at Xiaoping'an Supermarket. After eating ten catties of it, his cultivation level increased significantly.
Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, he felt that it would be more worthwhile to trade the demon beast core with Li Chang'an.
Li Chang'an understood and accepted the demon beast pill.
"Okay, thank you. Please come in with me."
He left a trace of his spiritual power on Wu Hui and led him into his home on Xuanling Immortal Mountain.
Wu Hui waited in the living room, while Li Chang'an went to the warehouse.
He stood in front of the box, lost in thought.
He doesn't lack inferior spiritual soil now, but this demon beast core also contains spiritual power. If it's buried in inferior spiritual soil, given time, it's estimated that the inferior spiritual soil can absorb spiritual power and reach the quality of good spiritual soil.
Thinking of this, Li Chang'an took out 100 jin of spirit rice from his warehouse and handed it to Wu Hui in the living room.
“I’ve estimated that I should give you a thousand catties of spirit rice, but my own stock is also running low, so I can only give you this much for now. I will give you the remaining nine hundred catties a month later. Of course, if you don’t mind, you can exchange it with me for other spirit vegetables in half a month.”
The demon core of that snake demon in the Golden Core stage last time created half an acre of inferior spiritual soil, and the spiritual rice produced from that half acre of inferior spiritual soil is now a thousand catties.
Although this demon beast core is not as good as the demon core of a high-level demon, if it can truly nourish high-quality spiritual soil, the planting time for spiritual rice will be shortened in the future, and it may even be possible to grow immortal rice, which is very profitable.
So, by only giving him this thousand catties of spirit rice, Li Chang'an is still the one who benefits.
Wu Hui was completely stunned.
After a long while, he stood up in disbelief: "How much?!"
One, a thousand catties? A thousand catties?!
He had calculated that, based on the effects of the spirit rice, he would reach the eighth level of Foundation Establishment after consuming 150 jin of it.
If I eat a thousand catties of it, wouldn't I reach the Golden Elixir stage?
One demon beast core was exchanged for a thousand catties of spirit rice.
Wu Hui was almost stunned by the news.
He shakily reached out and took the large bag from Li Chang'an's hand.
One hundred pounds is quite heavy, and his hand suddenly sank down.
“This…” Wu Hui looked at the spirit rice in the bag, then at Li Chang’an: “Thank you.”
Li Chang'an waved his hand, "It's nothing. If you have any more of these demon beast pills next time, you can come and exchange them with me."
Wu Hui nodded quickly.
He exchanged contact information with Li Chang'an, saying that he would come to pick up the spirit vegetables in half a month and did not intend to exchange them for a thousand catties of spirit rice.
He conducted an experiment and found that the spiritual energy in this spiritual rice can only be absorbed through consumption.
If he eats a thousand catties of spirit rice by himself, it will take him forever. He might as well switch to other spirit vegetables, cook them into dishes, and eat them together to absorb the spiritual energy.
After storing the hundred catties of spirit rice in his storage bag, Wu Hui touched the bag with relish, then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Chang'an before leaving Xuanling Immortal Mountain with satisfaction.
After he left, Li Chang'an went to the spirit rice field and buried the demon beast core in the inferior spirit soil.
*
That demon beast pill did indeed transform ten square meters of inferior spiritual soil into high-quality spiritual soil.
But the tea spirit said that the reason it had such good effects was because the spirit rice paddy itself had been soaked in the Ningjing River water for a long time and had absorbed a lot of the spiritual energy in the Ningjing River water.
Nevertheless, Li Chang'an was quite satisfied. He even considered staking out outside every night to obtain more demon beast pills.
However, the time and place of the monster rift appearing are too random. If it appears in other countries, he can only stay outside for four hours a day, so how can he make it in time to get there?
So we had no choice but to give up.
The lotus roots had been planted in the pond for some time now, and Li Chang'an added some more water. Looking at the wide pond, he wondered if he should raise something else in it.
Otherwise, it would feel like a waste to use these sixty acres of ponds only for growing lotus roots.
After much thought, Li Chang'an decided to buy some shrimp and crab seedlings.
But it's almost November now, and the weather is getting cooler, so it's not the season for shrimp and crabs to hatch in large numbers.
Li Chang'an searched on the Xia Guo Agricultural Network for a long time and finally found a breeding base in Shuiqiao Town, Wangjin City, which could raise seedlings off-season and had a high survival rate during transportation.
He immediately made a phone call.
Upon hearing Li Chang'an's request, the manager in charge said, "Currently, only crayfish have this off-season seedling cultivation technology; we don't have it for river crabs or prawns."
Li Chang'an paused for a moment, then said, "So the only thing we can buy are crayfish seedlings?"
"We also have prawn larvae, but very few, after all, it's already this season."
As for river crabs, there are really no good crab seedlings available unless you buy professional breeding crabs for propagation, but the price will be higher and the process will be more complicated.
Li Chang'an, however, was not afraid.
There are no distinct seasonal changes in Xuanling Immortal Mountain; it never rains or snows, and it is spring-like all year round.
He bought breeding crabs, believing that more river crabs could be bred in the environment of the sacred mountain.
Therefore, Li Chang'an ordered a batch of crayfish seedlings, shrimp seedlings, and six groups of breeding crabs.
The manager didn't want to persuade him any further, and only said that if any problems arose in the subsequent breeding, he could contact them at any time, as they had many experts.
Li Chang'an smiled and agreed.
The ordered shrimp larvae and crab seedlings arrived in half a month. The express delivery used temperature-controlled transportation, which was very expensive. The aquaculture base did not offer free shipping.
Li Chang'an is now considered a wealthy man, and he didn't even blink when paying for the express delivery.
After soaking the newly arrived shrimp larvae and crab seedlings in water for two days to disinfect and acclimatize them, Li Chang'an left a spiritual trace on each one before releasing them into the pond.
The water in the pond is now deeper, which is perfect for these shrimp and crabs to live in.
The Ningjing River is loved not only by spirits and creatures like mushrooms and tea, but also by shrimp and crabs. In addition, the mild climate ensures that each one thrives.
However, before Li Chang'an could even see the breeding crabs reproduce, he was greeted by an uninvited guest.
...
Late at night, Li Chang'an was meditating when he suddenly noticed some noise coming from the pond.
Immediately afterwards, the traces of spiritual energy left on one of the breeding crabs indicated that something had caught it.
Li Chang'an suddenly opened his eyes, summoned the black sword, and teleported to the edge of the pond.
The Xuanling Immortal Mountain is tranquil and peaceful at night.
A soft "plop" sound came from the pond, followed by a strange crunching or chewing sound.
Li Chang'an frowned deeply, and the next second, he used his spiritual energy to strike a corner.
"Boom—" Another dark blue-green spiritual force rushed forward, creating a loud noise.
Li Chang'an's figure disappeared from the spot, and he rushed towards that corner again.
His eyes were filled with resentment, and the Heavenly Thunder Talisman took shape, with several bolts of heavenly lightning striking down in front of him.
Ahead, a dark blue figure moved swiftly, nimbly dodging the bolts of lightning.
The cultivator could see normally in the dark, and Li Chang'an clearly saw the figure—
It was a small monkey, except that its face was blue.
Li Chang'an channeled his spiritual power and deflected the black sword, which drew an arc and swiftly blocked the animal's path.
The sharp, cold tip of the sword pointed at it with an oppressive aura, and the monkey immediately stopped in its tracks.
Noticing the commotion by the pond, Tianxuan came over as well.
He and Li Chang'an, one on the left and one on the right, blocked the monkey's escape route from the rear.
Li Chang'an approached step by step and asked, "Who are you? How did you get into Xuanling Immortal Mountain?!"
Then, his eyes narrowed: "Why did you eat my breeding crab!"
The breeding crabs that hadn't even laid their eggs yet were secretly eaten by this monkey, leaving not even a shell!
The monkey looked at the black sword in front of him, then at Li Chang'an and Tianxuan behind him.
"Woo-hoo—" the monkey cried out, its body trembling slightly, its blue face filled with confusion.
It looks like a wild monkey that has wandered into the human world.
Li Chang'an said, "The array at the entrance makes no exceptions for ordinary animals, unless your cultivation surpasses mine, or you are a monkey from Xuanling Immortal Mountain."
Since the completion of the sacrificial ceremony at Mount Kewolu, he has gone up and down the mountain dozens of times, but he has never noticed the existence of this monkey.
So, stop pretending.
You are not an ordinary monkey.
As soon as Li Chang'an finished speaking, a bluish-black mist rose from the trembling monkey.
The next second, its eyes showed a smug expression, just like a human's, as it looked at Li Chang'an.
However, a silver-white sword light flew over with overwhelming force, enveloping the monkey.
The bluish-black mist instantly dissipated, and the monkey, trapped under the sword light, was distorted in expression and kept whimpering.
Li Chang'an stared in surprise at the familiar sword light, then turned his head and saw the sword spirit slowly landing.
Then, the monkey suddenly spoke in human language again, and knelt down before the sword spirit amidst the sword light: "I was wrong, I was wrong! Please forgive me!"
“I am the mountain god who lives on Mount Wolu. If you release me, I will repay you.”
The sword spirit said coldly, "A mere mountain demon dares to call itself a god."
After saying that, he merely glanced at the monkey—no, the mandrill—and it trembled even more violently.
Li Chang'an asked in confusion, "Are you a mountain demon?"
When he was a child, he heard stories about mandrills from the village elders, but they were all terrifying stories, specifically meant to frighten and deceive children.
Some timid people will be so frightened that they burst into tears on the spot, which will make the old man telling the story happy and laugh heartily.
Recalling his childhood, Li Chang'an's eyes showed a hint of helplessness.
He looked at the mountain demon and said, "You are not the mountain god of Mount Wolu."
The mountain god of Wolu Mountain has fallen.
The mandrill shuddered and muttered, "I never said I was the mountain god of Mount Wolu, although I'd love to be..."
It was very soft, but all three people present heard it clearly.
Li Chang'an rubbed his forehead. "Since you're already a mountain god, why are you still stealing my crabs?"
The mandrill choked, sensing the speechlessness in Li Chang'an's tone.
Li Chang'an added, "Those are breeding crabs. They're raised to have offspring. If you steal one, my pond might lose tens of thousands of crabs in the future."
The mandrill said, "I was wrong. I didn't know it was raised by you. I was just starving."
It also felt a little regretful.
Stealing just one will result in the loss of tens of thousands of animals. Does that mean there will be no more to eat in the future?
Thinking of this, the mandrill became even more emotional and choked up as it said, "I have always lived on this Wolu Mountain, but I have hidden my whereabouts and kept to myself, not daring to let you know."
"Because I'm different from those mushroom extracts and tea extracts, I'm afraid of people."
Li Chang'an looked at it.
According to cultivation records and legends, mountain spirits are a type of monster that feeds on shrimp and crabs. Before this, there were hardly any shrimp or crabs in Xuanling Immortal Mountain, so it was indeed starving for a long time, and that much was true.
This guy only stole a breeding crab; it's not a capital offense.
But we can't just leave them unpunished.
Li Chang'an thought for a moment and said, "Senior, let it go for now."
The sword spirit glanced at him, then turned away, and the sword light vanished abruptly.
The mandrill lay on the ground, panting, as if it had survived a near-death experience.
Li Chang'an walked to its side, squatted down, and said, "I'm letting you go on conditions."
The mandrill raised its head, its blue face filled with confusion and apprehension. "Wh-what conditions?"
Li Chang'an sighed: "You have to compensate us for the loss of tens of thousands of crabs, right?"
How will you compensate me?
Li Chang'an grunted and pointed to the terraced fields on Wolu Mountain: "Help me farm, but let me make it clear beforehand that this is because you made a mistake and need to make amends. The harvested vegetables won't be distributed according to your usual practices. You won't get any of these vegetables. However, you can eat the shrimp and crabs when they grow up, if you are allowed to."
The mandrill was dumbfounded.
This tribe does indeed have this custom: farming alongside humans and splitting the harvest 50/50. Or they rent land from humans, sharing some of the harvest with them as rent.
As for why they love farming so much, it's because this is the path that their kind of spirits cultivate.
And now, even though it has made a mistake, this person wants to give it land to cultivate and let it eat shrimp and crabs?
The mandrill suddenly stood up. "Okay, okay, I will definitely plant them well."
Li Chang'an smiled with satisfaction.
The mandrill rubbed its hands together and smiled with satisfaction.
It felt it had gotten a great deal.
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The author's note: I saw the story of the mandrill in the documentary "Yokai Den" and thought the [droopy-eared rabbit head] was very cute.
In this story, the mandrill is defined as a type of spirit, similar to a monkey, with two legs, a blue face, and standing upright, it is about the height of a three- or four-year-old child. It doesn't eat people and is a benevolent spirit.
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