Chapter 26: Fortune Favors the Bold, Starvation Claims the Timid
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Moon Goddess Festival.
The Demon race uses this day to celebrate the first full moon of the New Year.
The Demon race believes that the Moon Goddess was born on this day; while its truth is unverifiable, the legend has persisted.
Later, the Human Race adopted this festival as well.
It is known as the Reunion Festival or the Lantern Festival.
Imitating the Demon race, they roll dumplings into balls because their roundness perfectly resembles the full moon of the fifteenth, symbolizing family reunion.
The Demon race also borrows customs from the Human Race, lighting lanterns during this festival to express their adoration for the Moon Goddess.
While recalling the records of the Moon Goddess Festival from ancient texts, Fu Shaoguang rolled dung balls together with Gongyang Yang and Zhu Yun.
That's right, dung balls!
Rolling dung balls is a custom unique to the Yushan Demon Market. It was initiated by a Pill-Rolling Master and has been passed down for about sixty years.
In addition to rolling Osmanthus Balls to offer to the Moon Goddess, the demons must also roll dung balls to offer to Empress Yuli to thank her for her protection. Caravans from over thirty years ago even specialized in producing these dung balls, which were quite popular in the Demon Markets outside the mountains.
Before the Moon Goddess Festival, the Demon Academy specially invited a veteran Pill-Rolling Master to give them a lecture on 'waste' and teach them the techniques of rolling spheres. There were many processes involving strength, timing, and kneading, each with its own requirements.
To summarize the Pill-Rolling Master's proud rhetoric at the time: 'Night soil (excrement) is an important resource for the Demon race, a treasure brewed within a demon's body. Unlike humans, whose waste is all the same stench and the same lump—uniform and devoid of character—demons are different.
Demon dung comes in complex varieties with many uses. Their appearances differ vastly, their scents each have their own merits, their tastes have individual strengths, and the substances they contain vary. Not only can they be used for medicine, poison research, incense making, metallurgy, and life extension, but they are also highly sought after by Vegetation Demons.
The Human Race is also quite jealous and covetous of this.
To prevent humans from lusting after it, ordinary animals have also developed the fine tradition of eating their own droppings.'
This heavy-tasting curriculum left a deep impression on Fu Shaoguang and broadened his horizons. Although he didn't believe it entirely, he didn't dismiss it either.
At the same time, he once again realized the differences between humans and demons, gaining another research direction for health, longevity, and wealth—the Thousand-Scent Longevity Paste was proof of that.
Shifting his gaze to watch Gongyang Yang and Zhu Yun playing... rolling with great joy, Fu Shaoguang felt no discomfort. Back in the day, he had been even wilder than them.
The dung balls were composed of the droppings of Mayflies, Goat Demons, and Pig Demons. They were rich in nutritional value and had a pungent, intoxicating scent.
As the dung balls were created one by one, Fu Shaoguang moved all six legs to roll them into bamboo tubes. Besides Empress Yuli, there was also Headmaster Ji Mo. Since Gongyang Yang was a frequent visitor to the Library Cave, they also had to prepare a portion for the Old Wutong Tree Demon.
He packed up three portions.
They continued rolling. If a caravan really came, these dung spheres would be entrusted to them for resale.
Even the smallest mosquito is still meat.
———
That night, a jade plate hung in the sky, its bright light shining over the rivers and mountains.
He handed the dung balls for Empress Yuli to the demon managing the matter, delivered the portion for Headmaster Ji Mo to the demon servant at her Immortal Cave, and finally finished delivering to the Old Wutong Tree Demon.
Fu Shaoguang lay nestled in Gongyang Yang's warm cashmere, wandering through the streets and alleys with Zhu Yun to admire the lanterns.
"Hmph hmph, it's so lively! It smells so good!"
"Baa, these are more realistic than human lanterns."
"It is indeed quite interesting."
Lanterns appeared one after another in the Demon Market.
In addition to the green lanterns seen daily, there were also real flower lanterns, launched jointly by Firefly Demons and various Flower Demons.
The Flower Demons provided the blossoms, and then the fireflies lit them up.
The Firefly Demons could cast light techniques in various colors like red, yellow, and green, each matching the color of the flowers.
Thus, the Demon Market was a riot of colors tonight.
There were various styles like lilies of the valley and lantern flowers.
Flower lanterns could be seen everywhere—in the sky, on the ground, on the water, and in the trees. Thanks to Zhu Yun, the little wealthy pig, Fu Shaoguang received a delicate small flower lantern.
Looking at the marvelous flower lantern, he felt he could chat with the Firefly Demons in the future. Since they both worked with light techniques, he might find some inspiration.
Fu Shaoguang also saw Ghost Pipe Demons, creatures that could emit a pure white light on their own. He heard their tribe was very successful in the Ghost Market.
He would find an opportunity to exchange ideas with them later as well.
Additionally, there were Lantern Monsters!
They had low intelligence, were born from skeletal remains, and liked to appear in groups.
At midnight, they returned home.
Fu Shaoguang offered up the flower balls, sacrificed to the full moon, and drew in the lunar essence. This night, the moonlight on Yu Mountain gathered into points like stars, dazzling and magnificent.
Finishing his cultivation, he soaked an Osmanthus Ball and began to drink. Fortunately, he had stockpiled some Osmanthus in autumn, dried it, and packed it away; otherwise, he would have had to spend money on Materials.
After feeling seventy percent full, Fu Shaoguang admired the moon until drowsiness hit him, and he fell asleep unknowingly.
The following evening, the setting sun gave birth to the evening clouds.
A notice was posted at the entrance of the Demon Administration Office, announcing the news that a caravan was about to be formed. It would set off in two months. Whether buying or selling, all demons had to hurry and prepare.
As soon as the news came out, the Demon Market was in an uproar.
"Coo coo coo!"
"Baa baa baa!"
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
...Even the visiting demons who came to browse the market or visit relatives were excited; they could also request the caravan's help.
It was just that the fees were quite high.
The demons all began to busy themselves.
———
In addition to cultivating, practicing techniques, and learning the zither, Fu Shaoguang was also busy with this matter. He didn't work alone and asked Gongyang Yang and Zhu Yun for help.
He provided the ideas while the two demons did the work. The proceeds were split sixty-forty: he took sixty, and the two demons took twenty each.
Fu Shaoguang composed stories, and Gongyang Yang wrote them down. This little Goat Demon's calligraphy was decent; although youthful, it was slightly... just a tiny bit better than his own, making it barely usable.
He had already made inquiries.
Demons in the city had more literary cultivation than those in the mountains. A significant portion of them gained enlightenment by listening to scholars read books and recite poetry, and some demons frequently held literary gatherings.
It shouldn't be hard to earn some money by writing an exciting storybook. Even if it failed, the cost of trial and error wasn't high.
As for poetry, one poem a month was enough; too much would be counterproductive.
To make the storybooks more targeted, Fu Shaoguang not only consulted the old Goat Demon but also the Sparrow Demon who ran a bookstore and did storytelling, as well as the Magpie Demon who had once been a merchant—the very same Magpie Instructor who taught the cultivation classes.
He learned that there were several Demon Courtesan Houses in the city specifically for entertaining curious human men. They not only made a fortune but also aided in cultivation.
He also learned that the city's Underground Demon Market traded with humans year-round. If something suited human tastes, it could also fetch a good price. Furthermore, stories about forbidden love and the bizarre were very popular among humans.
After considering the combined information, Fu Shaoguang carefully selected stories from'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio' such as 'Yingning', 'Xiao Cui', 'Bai Qiulian', 'Judge Lu', and 'Xiao Qian'. They should sell well.
Even in the Ghost Market, some stories should have a good market. However, to be safe, Fu Shaoguang also wrote the first three chapters of the 'chronicles of the great sage'.
Of course, he changed some parts that didn't fit this world and added some personal settings. For example, the Patriarch Bodhi was a Demon Ancestor who was a Bodhi tree spirit, the woodcutter was a firewood spirit, and the Handsome Monkey King wasn't named 'Wukong', which carried too much Buddhist flavor.
Judging by how Gongyang Yang and Zhu Yun repeatedly asked for the next volume, classic stories were equally applicable in another world.
Zhu Yun, this foodie, was of no low caliber.
She not only knew how to eat but also how to cook, and her skills were quite good.
In his past life, to earn money for medical bills, Fu Shaoguang had been a food blogger for a while. He knew how to make cakes using ancient cooking utensils and taught the method to Zhu Yun.
He wasn't afraid of raising suspicion.
After all, his teeth weren't great. Although he mainly drank dew, he couldn't do so forever and needed other nutrients. Combined with his plans for dietary therapy, he had spent a lot of effort on food over the past six months, especially after breaking through his realm.
Zhu Yun and Gongyang Yang were both well aware of this.
The way Zhu Yun looked at him was filled with even more sympathy.
Fortunately, this Little Pig Demon didn't disappoint him; the cakes she made were soft, waxy, and sweet.
She even used her snacks for the next year as a guarantee that these pastries would definitely sell big.
After some thought, Fu Shaoguang went to Pig Dad and signed another agreement, splitting the profits fifty-fifty with him.
Meanwhile, little Zhu Yun switched to making various flavors of egg tarts.
This kind of pastry was named 'Golden Crispy Cake' by Fu Shaoguang.
Two months later.
The mountains were a deep indigo, the waters a soft blue, and the greenery intertwined. All things stirred during the Awakening of Insects, and spring flowers bloomed.
The carefully organized caravan departed from the Demon Market.
On a treetop, Fu Shaoguang was full of anticipation.
Fortune favors the bold, while starvation claims the timid.
Whether he could focus on cultivation in the future would depend on this venture.
For this, he had invested half of his net worth. After deducting the expenses of the past two months, he only had three taels of silver left on him.
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