Pfft!

Watching from the side, Cui Yebai chuckled,

"You tiger demon, talking about loyalty on one hand and selling out your Great King on the other. Truly the nature of a beast."

"Bah!"

The tiger demon, afraid of Zhang Kui, wasn't polite to him and spat disdainfully, saying:

"I, Fatty Tiger, am no dumb demon. I even learned for a couple of days with a scholar. Loyalty is important, but you also have to use your brain. Acting recklessly without loyalty and understanding the situation is the essence."

"By the way, that scholar looked a lot like you."

Cui Yebai was instantly speechless.

"Hahaha..."

Zhang Kui immediately laughed, "This guy learned to be slick and slippery. What kind of demon is your Great King?"

The tiger demon's eyes rolled,

"You haven't agreed to let me go yet."

Zhang Kui snorted,

"Alright, tell me and I'll let you go."

The tiger demon sneaked a glance at him and quickly shook his head,

"No way, you'll definitely regret it afterward, saying something like eradicating evil or turning around to catch me again."

The tiger demon's eyes showed a hint of pride,

"Hmph, I'm very clever, don't think you can trick me."

Zhang Kui was silent for a moment, then shook his head,

"Troublesome, so much fuss, might as well just kill you."

Saying this, he suddenly produced the Lu Li Sword.

"Wait, wait..."

The tiger demon became anxious, desperately twisting its body, "Why are you so hot-tempered, let's discuss a mutually beneficial solution."

Seeing Zhang Kui unmoved, the tiger demon had a sudden flash of inspiration and groveled on the ground, flattering:

"Taoist, do you still need a mount? Fatty Tiger is willing to serve by your side."

Mount?

Zhang Kui sneered,

"You're cunning, if you sneak away, who knows how many people you'll harm."

"Wronged, wronged, I'm very honest, I may look fierce, but actually I'm timid..."

The tiger demon was instantly anxious, hurriedly explaining, and in its panic, it even wagged its tail and opened its big mouth.

"Meow~"

Pfft!

Zhu Sheng, who was drinking and watching the fun, spat out a mouthful of wine and shook his head in amusement.

"I've always heard of cats imitating tigers, but never tigers imitating cats. Brother Zhang, this guy is quite interesting, you could keep him around for amusement. If you're worried, you can use this."

Saying this, he pulled out an object from his pocket and tossed it over.

Zhang Kui caught it with one hand, it was a bronze collar with a bell, ancient and elegant, with runes faintly visible.

Zhu Sheng took a sip of wine and sighed:

"This is my Cloud Gate Beast Ring, originally used to subdue the ape demon at home, but the White Ape is now deeply into swordsmanship and has become the sect's guardian, so it's no longer needed. I might as well give it to Brother Zhang."

Zhang Kui glanced at the tiger demon at his feet,

"This guy is cunning, he probably won't be willing to wear it."

"I'll wear it, I'll wear it..." the tiger demon quickly nodded.

Under Zhu Sheng's guidance, Zhang Kui put the beast ring on the tiger demon, and then took a bead from it and placed it in his personal space.

The tiger demon immediately felt a thread of its spirit being drawn with the bead, its face turning grim.

Zhang Kui glanced at it sideways,

"What, you're not satisfied?"

The tiger demon quickly tucked its head,

"Satisfied, satisfied, this collar looks exquisite, I, Fatty Tiger, like it very much."

Everyone was speechless for a moment, such a cowardly demon was truly rare.

Since he had subdued it, Zhang Kui lifted his foot.

Fatty Tiger shook its body all over, the wounds on its head healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. It cautiously looked at Zhang Kui and said:

"My Great King... no, that guy is not a local Qingzhou demon, but a mountain demon from Dianzhou."

"Originally, he occupied Ye City searching for the 'reincarnated one', but after hearing that the National Guardian True Man had emerged, he was scared away, abandoned the city, and fled here, seizing a wolf demon's lair to proclaim himself king."

Zhang Kui nodded, "I know all this, what's the situation with the Demon Alliance now?"

Fatty Tiger shifted its body,

"Taoist, you might not know, originally ten Grain Avoidance Realm old demons came to the southwest, plus three evil cultivators. Under the call of the Nine-Child Ghost Witch, they formed an alliance for self-preservation."

"But seeing that the National Guardian True Man ignored them, no one took the alliance seriously anymore. However, recently a rumor has been spreading, forcing the demons to consider the alliance again."

"What rumor?"

"They say the National Guardian True Man was looking for that demoness, but in reality, she's the reincarnated person..."

"What?!"

Zhang Kui's eyes widened, then he sneered coldly.

"No wonder. I always felt that Tianji Zi, the old bastard, was acting suspiciously, first hiding away, then hastily searching for someone. Turns out this was his real intention."

"That's impossible..."

Zhu Sheng was somewhat doubtful. "I know about the bounty for the Stone Man Tomb. Although the cultivation skill that reaches the Mahayana Realm is precious, if the National Guardian True Man wants credit, he can earn it from the court; there's no need to do such a thing."

"Hmph, in any case, that old bastard definitely is up to something."

Zhang Kui snorted coldly, disliking Tianji Zi even more.

Zhu Sheng shook his head, lowered his head, and gently stroked the sword box,

"Brother Zhang, don't be annoyed. The human heart is a ghostly land, full of petty affairs. No matter where you go, you can't escape them. Regardless of how turbulent the mortal world is, what we do remains unimpeded."

"Well said!"

Zhang Kui nodded in agreement, smacked Fatty Tiger on the head, feeling the softness of the tiger's fur, then patted it a few more times.

Fatty Tiger felt immensely aggrieved but dared not resist, so he closed his eyes and resigned himself to fate.

Beside them, Cui Yebai understood what the two intended to do, and he immediately expressed his respect, cupping his hands and declaring:

"You two are truly heroic figures, I am in awe."

Fatty Tiger, lying on the ground unpleasantly, provocatively said:

"Taoist, be very careful, the scholars I've met are expert deceivers, full of cunning schemes."

"Hahaha..."

Cui Yebai laughed and said, "You, Tiger Demon, prey on the weak and fear the strong, how could you understand my aspirations?"

Saying this, he turned around, took out a scroll from the book box,

"Please take a look, Daoist."

Zhang Kui took it and unfolded it. It was labeled "Haizhou Atlas," followed by a map that not only included the Qian Dynasty, Ghost Rong, Peacock Buddha Country but also the sea islands, densely drawn with bizarre and strange demons.

Cui Yebai sighed:

"My ancestor was a sea merchant who traveled far and wide, leaving behind this map. I go to the Capital City, seeking neither fame nor fortune, but to serve in the Maritime Bureau. Within my lifetime, I aim to complete this map!"

Zhang Kui looked down carefully. It was his first time knowing the world's appearance. Hearing this, he immediately praised:

"Such ambition, you scholar are not bad."

Saying this, he handed over a flask of warmed wine.

Cui Yebai was often mocked at home when he spoke of it. Seeing Zhang Kui's praise, he became extremely excited, taking the flask and gulping several mouthfuls.

With the excitement from the wine, he began recounting the stories passed down from his ancestor.

The Sea Immortal Mountain is actually a giant turtle...

The Mirage Demon under the sea, its illusionary realm can actually produce Immortal Grass...

A giant ghost ship, suspected to have an immortal's remains...

Not just Zhang Kui and Zhu Sheng, even Fatty Tiger was entranced, its eyes wide, tail swishing back and forth.

In the ancient temple under the night sky, with the scattered moon and stars, amid these strange tales, most of the wine Zhang Kui brought had been emptied...

Thud,

The scholar finally collapsed to the ground, hiccuping with laughter, "Come and go, into the cold and warm seasons, the courts are not my aspiration...hic...the rivers and seas...the rivers and seas are where I leave my life..."

...

The sky gradually brightened, and Cui Yebai quickly got up, looking around with a dazed head.

The campfire had extinguished, and there was no one around, as if the Daoist, sword hero, and demons from last night were all but an illusion dream.

Suddenly, he looked towards a small blue cloth bundle beside him, opened it, and found some dozens of silver ingots and a handwritten note with a few scribbled lines:

The land of danger in Qingzhou—do not linger; a little silver as travel expense, in hope you never forget your original intent, may we meet again someday to seek the splendid scenes at sea together.

"Extraordinary people..."

Cui Yebai exclaimed, cupping his hands towards the outside of the temple,

"Yebai will surely not betray the Daoist's wishes."

Saying this, he tidied up, took one last look at the dilapidated temple, and headed towards Qu City.

By dusk, upon arriving at Qu City, he saw hundreds of black-clad knights riding out, raising dust and making a roar.

"Astronomical Bureau..."

Cui Yebai was startled and quickly hid. After the cavalry passed, he frowned.

"What are the people from the Astronomical Bureau in such a hurry for?"

Then he shook his head and merged into the crowd.

On the other side, as the Astronomical Bureau's cavalry finally arrived at the foot of a mountain after sunset, there stood an old Taoist with white whiskers, his forehead engraved with the Tai Chi Diagram, none other than Tianji Zi.

Tianji Zi snorted coldly,

"All useless; even after finding them, they let them escape. Release the Soul-Seeking Crows, this time she must not be allowed to run away!"

"Yes, True Man!"

A guard from the Astronomical Bureau nodded, took a wooden cage from his back and opened it, from which several crows flew out, flickering like ghostly shadows, and disappeared into the night sky.

Tianji Zi looked at the endless mountain ranges under the night sky, with crackling electric flashes across his body, and his expression grew increasingly grim...

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