Chapter 39: Demonic Words and Dividing Money
Demon Administration Office.
Demons swarmed, their voices clamoring.
Various calls and spiritual fluctuations intertwined.
When the Three Demons arrived, the entrance was already surrounded by several circles of demons, a diverse mix of insects, fish, birds, and beasts.
Larger creatures like pigs, cows, and horses jostled each other.
Smaller ones like foxes, wolves, and dogs squeezed through legs.
Some insects and birds flapped their wings and soared into the air, landing on nearby treetops or courtyard walls, craning their necks in anticipation.
Fu Shaoguang landed on the courtyard wall and saw Zhu Yun, taking advantage of her smaller size, boldly pulling the embarrassed Gongyang Yang, whose wool had turned red, to squeeze forward.
Usually lazy, she was now incredibly agile, darting through every gap and crevice like a slippery loach, while Gongyang Yang appeared somewhat clumsy and comical.
Fu Shaoguang was happy to see this.
If you're not eager to get money, there's something wrong with your thinking.
"I secretly sawed off a deer antler while my Demon Husband was asleep. This stuff is really popular outside the mountains. I wonder how many copper coins I'll get this time?"
"I told you, why hasn't your Demon Husband been out recently? So he's bald! You Demon Wife are too ruthless; aren't you ruining your Demon Husband's looks?"
"So what if his looks are ruined? No matter how handsome a Male Demon is, he can't be eaten. It also saves him from going out and seducing other female deer. Making money is reassuring, so I couldn't be happier."
"I specifically went to the Demon Market and stole a few Demon Pheasant eggs. I'm definitely getting money this time."
"You minks, are you all so unrefined?"
"You mantises are refined, you specialize in eating your own Demon Husbands, ancestral widows, single females for generations."
...Listening to the demons' conversations.
Even though Fu Shaoguang's worldview had been reshaped, he still felt a bit mind-blown at this moment.
Some bizarre animal behaviors.
For example, Rabbit Demons who entrust merchant caravans to deliver messages to the outside world, seeking one-night stand Demon Husbands, and even 'pawn' themselves out to have babies. They wait to bring their Demon Husbands back to their Immortal Cave to have offspring. All food and drink during pregnancy are provided by the Demon Husband, and after giving birth, they receive a generous compensation.
The Demon race values reproduction, and the Rabbit Demons' business is quite popular; they can find new mates all year round.
Some bizarre animal concepts.
For example, vultures believe that benefiting their kin after death is a great honor. This time, the Vulture Demon prepared a batch of demon corpses and entrusted them to a merchant caravan for sale.
And some demons cursed quite vulgarly.
But there were also some things Fu Shaoguang didn't understand.
There are many types of languages in the Yao Realm, but they can be summarized into three:
One is spiritual fluctuation.
Demons at the first level of the Art Realm can simulate special language frequencies through spiritual perception and spread them through their calls, temporarily breaking barriers and allowing simple cross-species communication.
But this is limited to most demons.
Demons or plants like Fu Shaoguang, who lack vocal organs, can only communicate through other methods.
This leads to another type: Human Speech!
Fu Shaoguang had heard the Demon Academy Instructor mention that Human Speech is not actually exclusive to the Human Race; this language originated from the Ancient Gods.
In other words, it was Divine Speech.
It only became Human Speech later when the Ancient Gods declined and the Human Race rose.
Some demons communicate by consuming Hundred-Tongue Grass or refining the horizontal bone that forms during their breakthrough.
And the Divine Language Human Speech in this world is very similar to Fu Shaoguang's previous life; although the pronunciation is a bit different, he can generally understand it, which is why he could understand the Old Goat Demon's words in the past.
The third type is the secret language of each race.
This is a language learned at birth. For example, the Silver-Faced Sparrow Demon and the Long-Throated Sparrow Demon, though not of the same race, were close relatives and could understand each other's calls. During their confrontation at the bookstore, they didn't use spiritual fluctuations or Human Speech.
Fu Shaoguang could only guess.
Of course, this excludes a few races with special talents, such as parrots and mynahs.
"Fu Bug!"
A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. Following the sound, Zhu Yun, pulling the nearly red-furred Gongyang Yang, had pushed to the front and was waving a hoof at him.
Not long after, the main gate opened.
A squad of armored Demon Soldiers carrying spears emerged.
The demons quickly lined up, and in order, holding their identity bamboo tokens, they collected their respective items.
Some demons took their Demon Husbands, some took their Demon Wives.
Some demons collected supplies, some took silver money.
When it was Fu Shaoguang's turn, the Old Weasel Demon in charge of registration narrowed his eyes and said cheerfully:
"Long time no see, Demon Friend has actually broken through. Congratulations!"
"The same to you, Senior."
The Old Weasel Demon smiled smugly, his half-transformed, wrinkled old face like a blooming old chrysanthemum.
After taking the identity bamboo token and verifying the information, the Old Weasel Demon returned it.
"Congratulations, Demon Friend, may your wealth grow abundantly."
"And congratulations to you, Senior, may your business prosper."
Sensing a money pouch added to the bamboo token, Fu Shaoguang's voice was tinged with cheerfulness, becoming even more deep and magnetic. Many female Insect Demons' wings turned red upon hearing it, their compound eyes gleaming as they stared at Fu Shaoguang.
If the occasion hadn't been inappropriate, they would have immediately tied this alluring little demon back to their Immortal Cave.
Although he didn't fit the mainstream aesthetic of the insect race—his wings weren't colorful enough, and he wasn't the strong type—his extreme silverness exuded a non-mainstream, fatal allure.
A soft, cute, and easily bullied Male Insect.
Plus a magnetic, deep voice.
Which female insect could resist that?!
They really wanted to hear him... cry for mercy!!!
Especially since this Mayfly was also talented, owned his own Immortal Cave and farmland; they loved him even more.
"Why didn't I notice him before?"
"I've inquired. This Mayfly Demon usually stays at home, except for going to the Demon Academy and buying supplies. When he occasionally goes out, it's usually in broad daylight, or he hides in that Goat Demon's fur. It'd be a miracle if we saw him often."
"Anyway, it's not too late to discover him now."
"Mayflies have short lifespans, so if you're looking for him, you should be prepared to be a widow."
"What's the big deal! Serve him well while he's alive, and after he dies, inherit his family business, become a rich widow insect, and raise a few pleasing Male Insects. Isn't that the dream demon life?"
"Oh my Demon Mother, why didn't I think of that!"
...Fu Shaoguang's insect body stiffened.
He immediately took Zhu Yun and Gongyang Yang and bolted.
He dared not gamble on the 'insect character' of the Insect Demons.
Snatching Male Demons was a Demon race tradition!!!
These Demon Insects who dared to openly 'croak' at him were undoubtedly even more fierce.
"Fu Bug, are you scared?"
"Little Piglet, you're a pig, not a fox, and certainly not a snake. Don't talk nonsense, and don't be like a long snake woman."
"You're not answering directly, are you feeling guilty?"
"Don't use your pig brain to think about insects. I call this a good insect not fighting with females. To avoid bloodshed, and to prevent demons from harming each other and insects from fighting, I urged you to leave quickly."
"Explaining is concealing."
"It seems when I visit your house tomorrow night, I'll have to mention your schoolwork to Pig Dad and Pig Mom."
"Fu Bug, you have no demon ethics."
"I'm doing this for your own good."
...Watching the two demons bicker, Gongyang Yang's mouth curved upwards, his heart feeling secure and joyful.
Anping Alley, Gongyang family.
The Three Demons were all excitedly counting silver and copper coins.
Zhu Yun hummed with joy.
Gongyang Yang also bleated.
Fu Shaoguang counted the money over and over nine times before stopping; he had truly made a huge profit this time.
The Golden Crispy Cakes and storybooks sold extremely well.
They earned a total of one hundred and thirty taels, six qian, and thirty wen.
After discussion, the Three Demons unanimously agreed to use the six qian and thirty wen in change to have a feast at a restaurant.
The remainder was distributed proportionally, with the two demons each receiving twenty-six taels, and Fu Shaoguang receiving seventy-eight taels.
He had inquired with the Silver-Faced Sparrow Demon, and at average prices, a regular storybook cost five wen, a moderately popular one ten wen, and a very popular one twenty wen.
While the chronicles of the great sage was good, it only had the potential to become very popular and needed time to ferment.
He estimated that currently, this book could only be considered moderately popular outside the mountains, so calculating at ten wen per copy, and considering the merchant caravan visited several nearby towns and county Demon Markets and Ghost Markets, plus the Golden Crispy Cakes and a few Liaozhai stories, this income was already quite good.
Moreover, the bookstore and merchant caravan rental fees had already been deducted.
Fu Shaoguang was very content.
After a lively period, the small gathering ended.
Fu Shaoguang was escorted home by Zhu Yun.
That night, he fell asleep amidst silver and copper coins, and upon waking, felt better than ever before.
The next evening.
Fu Shaoguang and the two demons went to Jinyu Street.
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