Chapter 26#
The Magnificent Grand Demon Ba Snake#
So it was a demon. But then again, it wasn’t surprising — to appear out of nowhere in this remote and uninhabited mountain forest, one would naturally assume nothing but a demon.
“I’m Zheng, from the Ba Snake clan.” Lu Heng watched Bai smile at him, looking quite friendly, yet the strangeness of his behavior still made Lu Heng Can’t help it to ask, “Are you cold? Why do you keep shuddering?”
“No, no — it’s just my nature. I’ll be fine in a moment.” Bai’s voice trembled along with his shaking.
“…” Lu Heng was somewhat speechless.
This Bai was shaking so violently he looked ready to fall apart, yet he was still fighting through his nature just to strike up a conversation. Lu Heng, who had always been terrible at holding back his words, simply asked outright: “As fellow demons, how could you leave a whelp out here all alone!”
Bai’s cultivation was deeper than Lu Heng’s, and he had finally managed to slowly recover.
Lu Heng looked down at his short, stubby limbs and chubby little hands, and reluctantly accepted the label “whelp.”
And so Bai set up a thatched hut right beside Lu Heng’s bamboo dwelling. The two quickly grew familiar with each other. Bai was simple-hearted, and getting along with him was a very pleasant affair.
Bai was quite knowledgeable about demon affairs, and he answered all of Lu Heng’s various questions without holding anything back. Caring for whelps was a demon custom — every adult demon was obligated to serve as a guide for the young ones, introducing them to the various legacies of the demon race. Demons had always been more united than the human race, which was also why, despite their smaller numbers, their strength was by no means inferior to humanity’s.
One night, Bai mysteriously announced that he wanted to take Lu Heng to see something wonderful. Seeing his demeanor, Lu Heng’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued. The two wound their way through twists and turns until they arrived at the foot of a massive tree so large it would take four people to encircle it. Bai formed a hand seal, and the place that looked overgrown with weeds suddenly parted like clouds and mist, revealing a pitch-black cave entrance.
Above the cave entrance, there was no canopy of leaves to block the light. The moon was at its zenith, and the moonlight streamed straight through the gaps in the leaves to illuminate the bottom of the cave. Lu Heng peered down curiously, but could only make out a hazy glow — unable to see what lay below.
“There’s a spiritual herb down there. I’ve already been inside to scout it out — there’s no danger.”
Lu Heng released his divine sense to probe below, and just as Bai had said, there was nothing dangerous. On the contrary, a sensation drifted up from within that left him feeling wonderfully refreshed.
So Lu Heng boldly followed Bai, leaping down into the cave.
Inside the cave, tree roots intertwined and knotted together. From one particularly thick root, drops of jade-green liquid the size of beans seeped out, one by one, pooling into a spring about a zhang across. Within the spring, lotus leaves the size of palms lay in layered abundance. Nestled among the protective layers of lotus leaves, a pristine white bud peeked out shyly.
“This is the Thousand-Leaf Lotus, a spiritual herb.” Bai said, his tone that of someone presenting a treasure.
The Thousand-Leaf Lotus — for mortals, it could bring the dead back to life and restore shattered bones; for cultivators, it could enhance one’s cultivation. Its use for demons, however, was not significant.
Seeing the sparkle in Bai’s eyes, his face practically screaming “hurry up and praise me,” Lu Heng still played along and said: “You’re amazing — to find such a rare spiritual herb.”
“Not at all, not at all.” Bai rubbed his nose somewhat sheepishly. “I was just lucky. That day I came to this forest searching for spiritual herbs, and happened to fly right over the top of this tree. But a sudden burst of spiritual energy scattered my focus, and I tumbled straight off my flying artifact, landing right in this cave.”
Being knocked off a flying artifact by a burst of spiritual energy — that was quite the disgrace to the demon race. But perhaps it was a case of fools having their own brand of luck, for he had actually stumbled upon such a rare spiritual herb.
“Isn’t the Thousand-Leaf Lotus supposed to only grow on the snow mountain peaks where spiritual energy is pure and abundant?” Lu Heng was somewhat puzzled.
“What a pity for this old tree.” Bai said, somewhat wistfully. “This tree had already awakened its own sentience and was on the verge of becoming a demon. But for some reason, its main root was damaged, and the spiritual fluid produced by its heart accumulated over the years to form this small spiritual spring. And a Thousand-Leaf Lotus seed, heaven knows from where it came, took advantage of it.”
“Plants becoming demons — that was already a difficult thing. How truly pitiful, only one step away.” Bai looked quite empathetic, then rallied himself. “But the biggest beneficiary is me! A Thousand-Leaf Lotus that I couldn’t find anywhere across the entire continent, and I just happened upon it by sheer luck here!”
“What good does this Thousand-Leaf Lotus do for demons anyway? Why did you go looking for it?” Lu Heng asked.
“It’s actually for my wife.” Bai rubbed his nose again, shyly. “My wife is human, and she’s now with child. It’s always been difficult for humans to bear demon offspring, and her health is poor. I was worried there would be danger during the delivery, so I came searching for this Thousand-Leaf Lotus.”
“You’re already married?!” Lu Heng looked at Bai’s still somewhat youthful face, utterly stunned.
“I just have a baby face. Don’t go by appearances — after I survive one more heavenly tribulation, I’ll become a grand demon.” Bai puffed out his chest with great pride.
“This future grand demon, don’t you know there’s a human saying: ‘One can never be too careful’ — to bring me to such a precious spiritual herb so casually?” Lu Heng pressed on.
“This spiritual herb doesn’t do much for demons anyway. The most you can get out of it is some insight from watching it mature. Of course good things should be shared with one’s own kind.” Bai said, perfectly frank.
“Have you not considered that I might steal this Thousand-Leaf Lotus and trade it with cultivators for treasures useful to demons?”
“Right, that’s… right!” Bai’s face twisted as though struck by lightning. “No wait — how can you take the human side!”
Lu Heng finally couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing, doubling over. This Bai was far too entertaining — so simple he believed whatever anyone told him. He’d probably sell himself and still help the buyer count the money.
Only then did Bai realize Lu Heng had been teasing him. Puffing up indignantly, he said: “You’re just a whelp — how can you joke around with an elder like that!”
This time it was Lu Heng’s turn to be dumbfounded. Having transmigrated to this world for so long, this was the first time he felt an urgent desire to intensify his cultivation and shed this childish appearance as quickly as possible. And thinking of that, Lu Heng recalled the demon core that Min had gifted him.
Although in Lu Heng’s inherited memories, there had indeed been mention that a demon core given willingly, if one absorbed the cultivation within it, would have no negative effects. But that demon core had resided in the body of the Lord of Linyang. Recalling the gruesome state of all those servants in the courtyard, Lu Heng felt something was off about this demon core no matter what.
When Sikong had left, he had specifically instructed Lu Heng that the matter of the demon core should be confirmed only after returning to the sect and consulting relevant texts. Before he returned, LuHeng was not to absorb the cultivation within the demon core.
Now, with someone like Bai present who was intimately knowledgeable about demon affairs, Lu Heng took out the demon core and briefly recounted the whole story. Bai accepted the demon core, fed demonic energy into it for a careful examination, and then contemplated in silence for quite a while.
“A demon core given willingly — absorbing it to increase one’s cultivation would indeed have no ill effects. Among the demon race, this would also be an opportunity that comes only once in a thousand years.” Bai handed the demon core back to Lu Heng. “But upon closer inspection, I can’t help feeling that something about it is slightly off.”
Lu Heng nodded, saying that his own instincts also told him this demon core was somewhat strange.
Bai then said: “We demons have always possessed an innate warning system for dangerous things. Since you and I both feel this way, and given that this demon core was once taken by the Lord of Linyang who practiced dark arts — it would be better to exercise caution.”
He added: “But it would be a pity to miss this opportunity. How about this — once the Thousand-Leaf Lotus matures, I’ll take you back to my clan. We’ll have the demon core processed by a demon well-versed in such matters, and only then absorb the cultivation from within. That would be far more prudent. What do you think?”
Lu Heng was not a short-sighted man, and naturally had no intention of rejecting Bai’s proposal.
The Thousand-Leaf Lotus bloomed once every thousand years. When it flowered, the thousand leaves all fell away — only then did the spiritual herb enter its mature stage. Bai was waiting for the lotus to mature; Lu Heng was waiting for Sikong’s return. The two kept each other company.
A month or more passed. Sikong still hadn’t returned. Perhaps afraid Lu Heng might worry, he sent a message using a paper sparrow. The paper sparrow was round and plump, quite adorable — yet the voice it spoke was steady as still water and cold as moonlight: “Do not slack in your cultivation. Once matters at the sect are concluded, this poor monk shall return immediately.”
The contrast was simply too amusing.
Lu Heng imagined that when Sikong had been young, he must have had that same round, chubby appearance, yet spoken with such solemn seriousness. The more Lu Heng thought about it, the funnier it became, and he actually slapped the table in delight. He happily made the paper sparrow repeat its message again and again — until there came a gentle knock on the bamboo door.
Lu Heng carefully tucked the paper sparrow away and went to answer the door. As expected, the person outside was Bai.
“The Thousand-Leaf Lotus will mature tonight. Let us go observe the herb’s maturation together. With your exceptional comprehension, you might even have a sudden enlightenment,” Bai explained his purpose.
Of course Lu Heng would not miss such a fine opportunity, and accompanied Bai to where the Thousand-Leaf Lotus grew.
Around the great tree, Bai had already laid down layers upon layers of restrictive formations. He led Lu Heng inside, explaining that these formations had the effect of isolating spiritual energy. When the Thousand-Leaf Lotus bloomed, such a great treasure would surely produce extraordinary phenomena. If they didn’t block it to some degree, it might attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.
“You should also take your original form — it’s more conducive to enlightenment.” Bai had already transformed into a giant white rabbit as tall as a man, his mouth-parts moving with every word, quite endearing.
Lu Heng likewise shifted into his original form. But the moment he transformed into his snake form, Bai leapt violently to the side, then stopped. Though his face was covered in fur, Lu Heng could still tell it looked as if it might burst into flames from sheer redness.
Bai explained awkwardly: “Instinct — it’s instinct, that’s all.”
Lu Heng looked at the difference in size between them, spanning several orders of magnitude, and gained a profound new appreciation for the cowardice of the rabbit clan.
The bright moon overhead had silently climbed to its zenith above the two demons. The thousand lotus leaves within the spiritual spring began to slowly wither. The more they withered, the fuller the central bud became — until, at the moment every last lotus leaf crumbled into fine dust and drifted away into the air, the bud slowly unfurled.
“The full bloom of the Thousand-Leaf Lotus will take some time. Calm your mind and spirit, and feel the process of its maturation,” Bai said to Lu Heng.
Hearing this, Lu Heng hastily gathered his thoughts and settled into quiet cultivation.
The spiritual energy in the cave was so thick it was almost tangible. Fortunately, Bai’s formation technique was quite profound — not a single wisp of spiritual energy leaked out. Otherwise, this violent eruption of spiritual energy would certainly have been detected by nearby cultivators.
As the Thousand-Leaf Lotus slowly opened its petals, Lu Heng began to feel something was wrong. But before he could figure it out, something shot out of his storage bag, spinning dizzily in midair before plunging directly into his dantian.