The floor of the Hall was now completely filled with monsters, roughly numbering in the thousands at a glance.
The lesser demons whispered among themselves, the Hall echoing with noisy chatter.
At the exit of the passage, two burly Tiger Demons stood guard.
When they saw Hong Yanzhi and her party emerge, both Tiger Demons steadied their breath in their dantians and shouted loudly, “The Demon Princess arrives!”
All the monsters immediately ceased their discussions, and the Hall quieted considerably in an instant.
The little demons stood up in unison from the ground and shouted, “We respectfully welcome the Demon Princess!”
A thousand monsters shouting at once made the sound shake the heavens, the ground trembling slightly, with dust seeming to fall from the dome above.
Lin Xue couldn’t help but worry in her heart.
Did any of you monsters ever learn physics? Do you even know about resonance?
Shouting this loudly—don’t end up bringing this cave down on yourselves!
Hong Yanzhi walked up to the side of the throne.
But she didn’t take the highest seat; instead, she kept walking down to the first seat on the lower left, turned, lifted her skirt, and sat down.
Lin Xue followed closely, never leaving her side.
Dingdang, with a clanging of his long spear, came to stand below the platform, standing at attention to the left and right.
After sitting down, Hong Yanzhi addressed the lesser demons below coldly and proudly, “Be seated.”
The thousand lesser demons shouted together, “Thank you, Demon Princess!”
Then each bent over and sat back on the ground, the Hall filled with the sound of animal hide and cloth rustling.
Standing behind Hong Yanzhi, Lin Xue looked out over the audience and saw that within this demon cave, the monsters fell roughly into three groups, each sitting together.
One group consisted of feline beasts who had attained spirit form—Tigers, Leopards, Wildcats, Hunters, and the like.
Most of these carried weapons and wore leather or hide armor, and looked to be of higher status, likely serving as patrols or guards, tasks requiring martial strength.
There weren’t many of this group, just over two hundred.
Another group was made up of other kinds of beast demons.
At a glance: wolves, bears, pigs, dogs, cows, horses, sheep, deer, rabbits—all kinds of animals, plus some bird demons. This group was also small, perhaps two or three hundred.
The last group was the Rat Demons, all dressed in coarse gray linen, doing all the filthy and exhausting tasks: cleaning, emptying latrines, tending fields, construction, and the like—clearly the lowest in rank.
This last group was the largest by far, about seven or eight hundred, making up more than half.
Lin Xue was a bit surprised.
She hadn’t expected that one cave could house so many monsters.
Now that all the monsters were gathered in the cave, she finally saw a few female demons.
She noticed a strange phenomenon: the male monsters, when taking human form, usually only transformed their bodies, leaving an animal head atop their necks.
Some even still had animal forelimbs, merely learning to walk upright like humans.
But the female demons, without exception, always fully transformed into human form first, though keeping a few beastly features—ears, tails, fangs, and such.
Not all were beauties, but they looked youthful, lively, and had a unique charm—quite pleasing to the eye.
However, these female demons were extremely rare.
Out of over a thousand monsters in the cave, there were only a few dozen females—a severe gender imbalance.
No wonder these monsters usually acted like they’d never seen a woman before.
At that moment, Lin Xue could feel hundreds of gazes from the audience below constantly sweeping over her.
She lowered her eyelids, refusing to meet their eyes.
Hong Yanzhi sat in her chair, hands gripping the armrests, her face icy as she coldly commanded, “Bring all the Tian Jia elders and children here!”
“At your command!”
Below, Hua Ban Tongling immediately stood up, leading a squad of Cat Demons toward a side chamber and bringing out a group of thirty-five tightly bound Rat Demons.
Among them were both males and females, old and young, all tied securely so only their legs could move.
The Cat Demon guards forced these thirty-five Rat Demons to kneel facing Hong Yanzhi.
All of them looked ashen, trembling all over.
A few adult male Rat Demons still had unyielding expressions, their eyes faintly shining with anger.
Hong Yanzhi stared coldly at the Tian Jia monsters below and called, “Bo!”
The oldest Rat Demon of Tian Jia lifted his head and replied in an aged voice, “This little one is here.”
Hong Yanzhi asked coldly, “Tell me, how have I treated your Tian Jia all this time?”
Tian Bo kept his head bowed and replied, “To answer the Demon Princess, you have always looked after Tian Jia.”
Hong Yanzhi gave a cold snort. “Because Pingping has always served me diligently, I have shown extra kindness to your Tian Jia, always assigning you the easiest tasks.”
“Last month, my thoughtless younger brother, taking advantage of my absence, caused Pingping’s death. After I found out, did I not immediately punish him severely, beat to death the subordinate who incited him, and half-kill all those who took part? Did I not also compensate your Tian Jia with spirit medicines?”
Tian Bo still bowed his head. “Yes, Demon Princess. You punished the killer at once, gave us comfort, and made amends.”
Hong Yanzhi’s face remained taut. “I believe I have offered your Tian Jia an apology sincere enough.”
“But today, your Tian Shiqi had the audacity to launch a sneak attack on my brother in public, stabbing him. My brother is still bedridden and unable to get up.”
“Tian Bo, tell me yourself: according to our Clan Rules of Xixia Mountain, how should I deal with your Tian Jia?”
Tian Bo trembled all over and replied in a shaky voice, “According to the Clan Rules, anyone who offends their superiors, plots rebellion, or harms the Master of the Cave or their family—will have their entire family executed, none left alive!”
Hong Yanzhi asked coldly, “Tian Bo, have you anything more to say?”
Tian Bo’s tears fell as he said, “That boy Shiqi was always closest to his sister Pingping since childhood. After Pingping died, he clamored for revenge. I tried to persuade him; he said nothing, so I thought he’d let it go. I never expected he would cause such disaster today.”
“It’s all my fault for not teaching my son well. I am willing to accept punishment and death.”
“But the rest of my Tian Jia are all innocent—especially a few grandchildren who have only just gained spirit form. They know nothing and had nothing to do with this. I beg the Demon Princess, for the sake of our Tian Jia’s diligence and Pingping’s memory, to show mercy and at least spare the lives of those newly awakened grandchildren.”
Looking at the kneeling Rat Demons of Tian Jia below, Lin Xue did indeed see a few little monsters with youthful, bewildered, and terrified faces.
She too believed that punishment should not extend to the innocent family members.
To have the entire family punished for one crime—it truly made no sense.
But this wasn’t Blue Star, nor the modern world.
She couldn’t change reality; all she could do was watch coldly from the sidelines.
Hong Yanzhi spoke coldly, “There’s a human saying: ‘A country has its laws, a family its rules.’”
“Though we are monsters, we also have our Clan Rules of Xixia Mountain!”
“Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. With rules, they must be followed!”
“Since your Tian Jia violated the Clan Rules, then I can only enforce them!”
“Today, Tian Jia begs me for mercy. Tomorrow, Tu Family will do the same. The day after, Shi Family also pleads for leniency. If so, what use is the Clan Rules?”
Tian Bo collapsed to the ground, lips trembling, unable to speak.
Suddenly, an adult Rat Demon from Tian Jia stood up, glaring at Hong Yanzhi and shouting, “I, Tian Jiu, have something to say!”
A Cat Demon behind him struck him down with a spear, forcing him to kneel again.
Hong Yanzhi looked at him with some surprise and asked, “Tian Jiu, speak whatever is on your mind. Let me hear it.”
Tian Jiu knelt on the ground, face full of resentment.
“I am not convinced! There’s a human saying: ‘Even a prince who breaks the law should be punished the same as the common folk!’ Our Clan Rules of Xixia Mountain also state that monsters are forbidden to deliberately harm each other’s lives; those who injure are severely punished, those who kill must pay with their lives!”
“Young Master Huzi deliberately killed our Pingping. I ask the Demon Princess—why was Young Master Huzi not executed to pay for Pingping’s life? Are these rules only made for us Mouse Tribe?”
His words rang out with conviction, and many little demons in the Hall started murmuring. The hall buzzed with whispers.
Lin Xue noticed Hong Yanzhi’s long fingers gripping the armrest tightly, clearly angered.
Hua Ban Tongling below shouted, “Silence! Silence! No whispering!”
Gradually, the Hall quieted again.
Hong Yanzhi snorted coldly.
She took a deep breath and said, “The Clan Rules state: those who deliberately harm another monster’s life must pay with their own. My brother’s actions were unintentional—Pingping’s death was an accident, not by design.”
“I punished him severely the moment I found out, and confined him for half a month. That is the maximum punishment allowed! What more do you want?”
Tian Jiu sneered.
“Yes, when your Young Master kills or injures, it’s always ‘unintentional.’ When we little demons do the same, it’s always ‘deliberate.’ The rules are set by your Hong family, and your mouth decides what they mean. Say whatever you like.”
Hong Yanzhi ignored him, turning her head toward Hua Ban Tongling below, her face dark as she asked,
“Hua Tongling, according to the Clan Rules, what is the penalty for openly defying one’s superior?”
Hua Ban bowed and replied, “To answer the Demon Princess: openly defying a superior—twenty slaps to the face.”
Hong Yanzhi demanded, “Why isn’t it being carried out?”
Hua Ban immediately drew out a thick wooden plank, went up to Tian Jiu, and struck him forcefully across the face, left and right, again and again.
Blood and teeth flew from Tian Jiu’s mouth, leaving him unable to speak.
Hong Yanzhi looked askance, glaring down at the thirty-five Rat Demons of Tian Jia, her tone icy as if from a frozen cellar. “Anyone else have an objection?”
The Rat Demons of Tian Jia were all frozen in terror.
Hong Yanzhi raised her hand. “Hua Tongling, carry out the sentence!”
Hua Ban replied, “At your command!”
Then, thirty-five Cat Demons, each holding a broadsword, lined up behind the thirty-five Rat Demons of Tian Jia, raising their blades in unison.
Hua Ban waved his hand.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The broadswords fell as one.
The thirty-five Rat Demons of Tian Jia were beheaded at once.
The air was thick with the scent of blood.
The Hall was silent, all the little demons keeping their mouths tightly shut.
The atmosphere was oppressive and heavy.
Hong Yanzhi stood up and walked to the front of the stage, announcing to the assembled monsters below,
“Tian Shiqi maliciously harmed my brother, committing the crime of rebellion! According to the Clan Rules, the thirty-five members of Tian Jia are executed here and now as a warning! Let all the monsters of the mountain take heed and obey the rules from now on! Otherwise, Tian Jia’s fate awaits you!”
“Dismissed!”