Chapter 74: The Plan

The Hour of the Ox—deep into the night, when all was still.

At the foot of Xixia Mountain, a scattering of crude, uneven caves huddled together, each sealed with a wooden door, from within which a chorus of snores rose and fell.

This was the dwelling place of the Mouse Family.

All the mouse clans on Xixia Mountain—the Mouse Family, Tian Jia, Tu Family, Shi Family, and dozens more—seven or eight hundred mouse demons in total, lived here.

The mouse tribe worked the hardest jobs in the mountain: farming, hunting, gathering, and all the menial labor in Luoyun Cave—cleaning, chores, and the like.

The Mouse Family’s Shu Da oversaw the laborers in Luoyun Cave.

Among the cluster of caves belonging to the Mouse Family, the largest one belonged to Shu Da.

Inside, Shu Da and Shu Er sat cross-legged, facing each other with their eyes closed.

The air pulsed with a strange ripple. In the corner of the cave wall, a small hole gaped.

A mouse crawled out from within, its eyes red, glancing at Shu Da before walking straight to his side and standing motionless.

Soon, a second mouse also crawled from the hole, its eyes just as red, coming to stand beside Shu Da.

Then a third, a fourth, a fifth… In no time, the floor was swarming with mice. All had glowing red eyes, standing utterly still, like puppets.

Shu Da raised his right hand. From the bodies of these mice, green sparks of light floated up, drifting into his palm and condensing into a softly glowing Green Light Orb.

Shu Da pushed the orb toward Shu Er.

The orb slowly floated into Shu Er’s body. Shu Er shuddered, his muscles swelling as his bones crackled loudly.

His face broke into an expression of pure bliss.

After a few breaths, Shu Er’s body calmed. He opened his mouse eyes, face shining with joy, and blurted out, “Big Brother, I did it!”

Shu Da opened his eyes and clapped a hand over Shu Er’s mouth, hissing in a low voice, “Keep it down, you idiot!”

At once, the red glow vanished from every mouse’s eyes.

Awakened from their trance, the mice found themselves in a strange place, surrounded by two towering figures.

One after another, they squeaked in alarm, scurrying around the cave in a panic, searching for a way out.

Shu Da stood up, strode to the door, and opened it, letting the swarm of mice escape.

Shu Er’s face was alight with excitement. He sprang to his feet, clenching his fists and throwing a few punches, his fists whipping the air with startling force.

He turned and whispered to Shu Da, “Big Brother, reaching Body Tempering Peak really does feel incredible! I’m so much stronger than before. Your cultivation method is truly amazing!”

Shu Da eyed the bulging muscles on Shu Er’s arms, nodding with satisfaction.

He lowered his voice and said, “Notify our people in the morning—the plan moves ahead of schedule. Tell everyone to get ready.”

Joy and excitement sparkled in Shu Er’s eyes.

He asked, “Big Brother, you mean… today, you and I will condense our Jindan, ascend as Grand Demons, and seize this mountain?”

Shu Da nodded.

“It’s a little rushed, but we can’t wait any longer. Word is, Hong Huzhi was killed by a Human Cultivator from Xichuan. That old cat loved his precious son more than his own life—now that his boy is dead, he’ll surely gather the Grand Demons from nearby mountains to stir up trouble in Xichuan.”

“The Demon-Slaying Bureau on the human side is no pushover either. Once that old cat stirs things up, who knows how it’ll escalate? So we have to act first—before he can do anything, we ascend as Grand Demons, finish him off, and seize the mountain as soon as possible!”

Shu Er’s mouth nearly split his head in two with his grin. He said excitedly, “Don’t worry, Big Brother, I’ll make sure everyone gets the message!”

Luoyun Cave was filled with rows of white cloth, strung from wall to wall.

In the ring-shaped passage from the lower cavern to the main hall, Shu Da led a group of mouse demons, carrying long wooden tables and benches out of storage toward the hall.

The cave lord, Hong Lao San, was preparing an elaborate funeral for his son, Hong Huzhi.

Every lesser demon in the cave was expected to participate.

Tonight, all the minor demons would gather in the hall for a banquet, so the tables and benches needed to be set up, the hall cleaned and decorated.

As the head of the laborers, this was Shu Da’s responsibility.

The tables and benches were extremely heavy.

The mouse demons worked in pairs, shouldering tables and benches as they trudged up the stairs, sweat pouring down their faces with exhaustion.

Shu Da stood tall and broad, over three meters high.

He went bare-chested, muscles knotted and bulging, easily carrying a heavy table all by himself, not breaking a sweat.

Behind him, his slightly shorter brother, Shu Er, also bare-chested, hauled two sturdy benches without any sign of effort.

The brothers, both at Body Tempering Peak, towered above the other mouse demons.

Each carried the heavy tables and benches alone, walking calmly at the front of the line, far ahead of the others.

Shu Er glanced back at the crowd of mouse demons struggling far behind.

He felt even more like a general towering over a flock of chickens, his shifty, mouse-like face brimming with pride.

Sidling up to Shu Da, he asked, “Big Brother, you’re sure this method will let us both condense our Jindan and become Grand Demons tonight?”

Shu Da shot him a fierce glare. “There are lots of ears around—be careful what you say, you idiot! This is a critical moment!”

Shu Er immediately fell silent, clamping his mouth shut and focusing on his work.

After several trips back and forth, the mouse demons finally finished hauling all the tables and benches from the storeroom to the hall, arranging them neatly.

Twelve across, ten deep—a hundred and twenty tables, two hundred and forty benches.

Each table could seat about ten demons, enough for a thousand lesser demons to feast in the hall.

Hauling and arranging such massive furniture was a grueling task.

Even with their strength, the mouse demons collapsed to the ground after the work, too exhausted to move.

On the dais, the throne and the chairs below each had a small table, wiped spotlessly clean by the mouse demons assigned to cleaning.

Shu Da stood atop the dais, surveying the hall below, checking for tables out of alignment and directing the lesser demons to adjust them.

Shu Er, behind him, stared greedily at the grand throne atop the platform.

He climbed the steps, walked over to the throne, and ran a hand across the tiger pelt that covered the seat, thinking,

“If Big Brother’s method works tonight and we both condense our Jindan to become Grand Demons, we can take this mountain and become Xixia Mountain’s new Mountain Lords! By then, we’ll have matching thrones, side by side—one for me, one for Big Brother!”

“That Hong Yanzhi, that little cat demon, is a real beauty—what a shame to kill her. I’ll have to persuade Big Brother to keep her as a concubine. And her maid, Lin Xue, that snake spirit—she’s truly gorgeous, though she’s still unconscious. Once she wakes up, I’ll beg Big Brother to let me have her for a wife!”

Gazing at the throne, Shu Er’s face twisted into a lecherous grin, as if already imagining himself seated atop it, issuing orders to the whole mountain, with Hong Yanzhi and her beautiful snake spirit maid flanking him, left and right.

He stroked the throne, unable to help himself: “What does it feel like to actually sit on this throne?”

Glancing around, he saw Shu Da was still checking the tables and benches below.

The other mouse demons were sprawled out resting or busy cleaning, not one paying him any attention.

Gathering his courage, Shu Er sat himself on the throne.

“Ohohohohohoho! Soft, comfortable! Truly wonderful!”

Shu Er leaned back, arms draped over the armrests, one leg crossed over the other, his face radiant with satisfaction.

Sitting here—this was true grandeur! From this perch, he could overlook the entire hall, every corner clear to his eye.

He was basking in his own pride when he suddenly saw, outside the hall, Hong Yanzhi passing the door with her attendants.

She happened to glance inside. Cat and mouse met eyes from a distance.

Shu Er jolted in fright, tumbling from the throne and pretending to dust the tiger pelt, patting at imaginary dirt.

Bad luck—why did this tigress have to show up now?

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hong Yanzhi pause, turn around, and stride swiftly into the hall.

The she-demon was coming for trouble! Panic welled up inside Shu Er; he was at a loss.

……

At that moment, Hong Yanzhi herself was feeling vexed.

She’d thought that with her brother dead, Hong Lao San would no longer pressure her to marry, and she could avoid marrying that Lang Buping she despised.

Who would have guessed Hong Lao San had already reached an agreement with Lang Qianxing of Yellow Wind Mountain: she still had to marry Lang Buping as planned.

Hong Lao San was willing to forgo the bride price, but Yellow Wind Mountain had to assist Xixia Mountain in seeking revenge on the Yang Family of Xichuan and the Beast Taming Sect.

What’s more, any son born to Hong Yanzhi and Lang Buping would bear the surname Hong, to inherit Xixia Mountain’s legacy in the future.

Lang Buping, having received this good news from his father, was overjoyed.

Taking advantage of his visit to offer condolences on his father’s behalf, he now followed Hong Yanzhi everywhere, hardly leaving her side, already acting as though he were her husband.

Unable to shake him off and thoroughly disgusted, Hong Yanzhi could only use the excuse of checking the preparations to get out of the cave for some air.

Passing by the hall, she glanced inside and saw Shu Er, that lecherous mouse demon, sitting proudly atop the grand throne.

Already in a foul mood, she instantly found an outlet for her anger.

She sneered, anger flashing across her lovely face, turned, and strode arrogantly into the hall, her full chest heaving with every step.

Lang Buping, waving his fan, hurried after her.

“Yanzhi, my dear wife, didn’t you say you wanted to go out? Why are you here again? Wait for your husband—don’t walk so fast!”

All the mouse demons in the hall, seeing Hong Yanzhi enter, scrambled to their knees, bowing their heads to the floor.

Shu Da, checking the tables and benches, saw Hong Yanzhi storming in and was alarmed.

Could she have discovered what he planned to do tonight?

But then he thought, if the plot had truly been exposed, surely Hong Yanzhi would come with Hua Ban and a squad of guards to arrest him, not alone.

This she-cat always liked to flaunt her status as the cave master’s daughter; she’d never come after him solo.

A little relieved, Shu Da knelt and said, “This humble one greets the young mistress. Greetings, Young Master Lang.”

Hong Yanzhi ignored him, stomping right past toward Shu Er.

Shu Er lay prostrate, his forehead pressed to the ground, not daring to look up.

Shu Da blinked in confusion, unsure how his brother had managed to provoke this demoness now.

Hong Yanzhi strode up to Shu Er and, without warning, lashed out with a vicious kick to his face.

With a miserable howl, Shu Er’s massive frame was sent flying over ten meters, crashing into a pillar before collapsing heavily to the ground.