Chapter 25: The Caravan
Fu Shaoguang was unaware of the Cicada Demon's thoughts.
For the next two days, he truly "lay flat."
Aside from his daily Qi-gathering cultivation and basic survival needs, he sprawled on his bed, too lazy to move.
Even when Zhu Yun spent ages shouting from below to invite him out to play, he didn't go, merely poking his head out before retreating back inside.
It wasn't until the Cicada Demon visited again that he pulled himself together, using cold dew to clear his head. He couldn't help but shiver before focusing on practicing the zither.
One taught earnestly.
The other learned diligently.
The rapport between the two insects gradually improved.
Fu Shaoguang's progress was visible to the naked eye.
Spending time together day and night, he noticed the Cicada Demon seemed to value his zither progress exceptionally. He didn't care to guess why, but took the opportunity to ask Dan Gui about health preservation through the Dao of Music.
After all, the Cicada Demon's Family had been established in the Yushan Demon Market for three generations, boasting a deep foundation. As a short-lived species, they might have researched life extension.
He had an "it's worth a try" mindset.
He hadn't expected to truly find an unexpected gain.
Dan Gui gave an answer after only three days of consideration.
Fu Shaoguang wasn't stingy either. Pretending to have had a sudden realization, he occasionally proposed concepts from the Five-Tone Health Preservation Method of his previous life, inviting the Cicada Demon to explore them together, merging the musical health wisdom of two worlds.
He had only just glimpsed the threshold of the Dao of Music.
But with the Cicada Demon's help, it was a good start.
Days and months marched on, morning and evening rotated in turn.
In a flash, the day to enter the Demon Academy arrived.
That evening, Gongyang Yang came to pick him up. Fu Shaoguang burrowed into the goat's wool, which was both effortless and warm.
The Headmaster's study.
Most of the Instructors had come.
They crowded around the desk, wanting to know if Fu Shaoguang could write a poem and what it would be.
Holding the brush, Fu Shaoguang wielded it with flair, grandly writing the poem "ink plum blossom":
"Beside my Family's Inkstone Washing Pond stands a tree,"
"Each blossom that opens bears a faint trace of ink."
"It seeks no one's praise for its beautiful hue,"
"Leaving only Demonic Qi to fill the universe."
Once the poem appeared, the Instructors were full of praise.
Only the Toad Instructor had a long face.
"Oh, my Contribution Points, my heart aches!"
The next moment, Headmaster Ji Mo praised him repeatedly, her elegant face blooming with a smile. As expected, with a wave of her hand, she directly awarded twenty Contribution Points.
Toad Instructor: ╮(╯＿╰)╭
"Heart hurts so much, it's so hard being a toad!"
———
The joys and sorrows of demons are not shared.
Headmaster Ji Mo's joy was dozens of times greater than the Toad Demon's pain.
With her elegant aura, she stared at the "ink plum blossom" poem without blinking. First, she shook her head in disdain, finding the handwriting eyesore like never before, and immediately picked up a Wolf-hair brush to transcribe it.
Fu Shaoguang: o(one︿one+)o
That was a bit of a sting.
"Headmaster, you're going too far."
Setting down the Wolf-hair brush and blowing the ink dry, Headmaster Ji Mo looked at the pleasing Zanhua Small Regular Script with increasing satisfaction. She became so mesmerized that she began chanting like one possessed: "It seeks no one's praise for its beautiful hue, leaving only Demonic Qi to fill the universe..."
Over and over, line by line.
The other Instructors, however, were full of envy.
Especially the old Goat Demon, whose eyes were terrifyingly bright.
A mental storm brewed as insights flooded in.
Headmaster Ji Mo went into seclusion.
Walking out of the study and facing the burning gazes of the Instructors, Fu Shaoguang, who had sensed the situation, gave a cheeky grin, quickly fluttered his wings in a salute, and then slipped away.
From the moment he realized he was the first Mayfly Demon in the Demon Market and was destined not to be low-key, from the moment he knew he had to work hard to earn money for cultivation resources and was destined to attract prying eyes, from the moment he decided to curry favor with Empress Yuli for life extension, Fu Shaoguang knew he couldn't be ordinary.
Thus, he devised a plan for fame.
One poem a month—stunning yet within reasonable limits. Any more, and trouble would follow.
The Demon Academy Instructors did not make things difficult or force him.
This was partly because masterpieces are not easily obtained—this poem was surely the result of Fu Shaoguang racking his brains, and his inspiration would likely be exhausted for a while—and partly because Headmaster Ji Mo would most likely become a Great Demon after her seclusion.
Fu Shaoguang had a Great Demon as a patron.
It was best for them to stay on good terms with him.
"Brother Zhu, congratulations."
"Same to you, Brother Gongyang."
The Instructors congratulated one another.
The fact that a Dharma Realm Great Demon was about to be born in the Yushan Demon Market, and was also the Headmaster of the Demon Academy, was a great thing for them and the entire market.
The Cicada Demon Dan Gui happened to be looking for Headmaster Ji Mo to report on Fu Shaoguang's zither progress. Hearing this, in addition to being happy, he suddenly remembered something and hurried away from the Demon Academy, flying toward a bamboo forest.
This was an opportunity to see the Empress.
He had to seize it before the other demons reacted.
"Demon Friend Fu is truly my lucky star."
———
Fu Shaoguang was unaware of this interlude.
At dawn, his lessons ended.
Lying in the goat's wool, the Three Demons walked together for a stretch.
Zhu Yun's pig tail wagged happily as she said excitedly, "It'll be the Moon Goddess Festival soon! We'll get several days of break then, and we can eat so much delicious food. This Duan Month Festival is truly a blessing for us."
However, no demon echoed her.
Gongyang Yang looked at her with an accusing face, unable to believe his friend was so averse to learning. It was truly more than a goat could bear; if it weren't for the Duan Month, he would have loved to beat her black and blue.
Fu Shaoguang poked his insect head out with an equally accusing look, feeling that this Little Pig Demon couldn't see reality. Wouldn't it be better to graduate early? Then she'd never have to come to the Demon Academy again.
Hmph~!
Zhu Yun gave a sheepish smile, her eyes darting around as she immediately changed the subject: "Do you know? After this Moon Goddess Festival, the Demon Market will form a caravan to go to the Human Race."
Fu Shaoguang:!!!
Gongyang Yang:???
Zhu Yun huffed twice, deliberately keeping them in suspense.
She wanted her two friends to beg her, and then she would mercifully tell them the details.
The tables had turned; it was her time to be impressive.
But there was no "then."
Seeing her two friends' unfriendly gazes, the memory of past beatings surged into her mind. Zhu Yun shivered, her bristles standing on end. The whole pig suddenly snapped to her senses and immediately explained:
"I also found out when I went looking for food at noon and accidentally eavesdropped on my parents. They said the Great Yu Dynasty outside the mountains is recovering and rebuilding, and the Human Race is gradually regaining its Origin Qi. The towns at the foot of the mountain that were mostly deserted are getting lively again. Empress Yuli intends to re-form a caravan to trade with the Underground Demon Market in the towns and the Ghost Market at the mass graves."
Fu Shaoguang understood.
Zhu Yun's father owned the third-largest restaurant in the Demon Market—a place of mixed characters where demons came and went, making it the best source of information.
There's no smoke without fire.
It might really be true.
Moreover, the "Demon Market Records" also documented similar things: the Demon Market often had caravans that went to the Human Race, passing through towns and cities to trade with the Underground Demon Market.
It wasn't until over thirty years ago, during the chaos of the human world, when many demons, monsters, and ghosts took the opportunity to stir up trouble—some leaving the mountains to cause havoc, others targeting the Demon Market.
Only then did Empress Yuli cut off the caravans.
Now that the Human Race was stabilizing, most of the demons who had committed evil back then had either died outside or were lingering in the mortal world, while the few who fled back to the mountains didn't dare cause trouble. Resuming caravan trade was indeed possible.
Zhu Yun said excitedly, "My dad is already preparing. He plans to make a secret batch of Cured Meat to give to the caravan. If you have anything, prepare it quickly. My dad says traveling trade is very profitable."
Hearing this, both demons were tempted.
Because his own grandfather was holding him back, Gongyang Yang had tasted the sweetness of earning money through tutoring Zhu Yun and now placed more importance on it; his financial outlook had shifted.
After returning home, Fu Shaoguang continued to ponder this question: what unique item did he have, or what could he do to make a fortune?
If he could escape his financial predicament, he could focus on his cultivation and concentrate on the matter of life extension.
After thinking it over, he had an idea.
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