Chapter 92

On the high cliff of Danci Mountain, Tang Xiaojiu was holding his black knife, whittling a branch. His breathing was very steady, and his expression was intensely focused. The black knife in his hand was wielded with great skill, moving swiftly back and forth, causing countless wood shavings to scatter on the ground, gradually forming a pile. The branch was being whittled thinner and thinner, but Tang Xiaojiu did not slow down at all. In the end, the incredibly sharp black knife almost grazed his skin.

Finally, Tang Xiaojiu let out a long breath and placed the whittled branch in his palm. The branch, originally as thick as a thumb, had been whittled down to resemble a fine embroidery needle. Tang Xiaojiu picked up the needle-like branch, examined it, nodded in satisfaction, and then put it in his mouth to pick his teeth.

While picking his teeth, Tang Xiaojiu looked around. This place was deep in Danci Mountain, and the cliff where he stood offered a view of the entire mountain. Tang Xiaojiu searched the valley where he had previously hidden, but found nothing. He then looked back at the deep valley he had come from, which was now shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

Tang Xiaojiu spat out the bits of food from between his teeth and said, "The old man talks big, but he only gave me these six useless things and told me to challenge the seven demons of Danci Mountain. Isn't this just playing with me?"

After a long while, Lishi did not refute him, and Tang Xiaojiu felt a bit uncomfortable. He couldn't help but say, "Hey, are you hibernating again? I'm talking to you, don't keep it in, or your face will turn green!"

"I'm too lazy to talk to an idiot!" Lishi's voice sounded impatiently.

Tang Xiaojiu chuckled, "Which idiot couldn't resist my words and started talking? Tell me, which of my words was wrong?"

Lishi: "You said he gave you six useless things, which is wrong, not just wrong, but completely wrong."

Tang Xiaojiu laughed, turned, and pointed at a black dot in the sky, saying with anger, "Completely wrong? Hmph, this thing called Xuanying is just a stupid bird that flies in circles every day! And that thing called Tianyou, isn't it just a big rabbit with long ears, always eating grass and pooping!"

Tang Xiaojiu got angrier as he spoke, spat out the tree needle he was using to pick his teeth, and pointed at a mastiff lying beside him, "What's this one called?" Lishi: "Jianling." Tang Xiaojiu: "Right, Jianling. Its name is Jianling. Look at it, as a dog, it's so big, I thought at first that I finally had a fierce and terrifying companion. Even if it wasn't useful, it would at least make a good show. But look at this thing, it's been lying beside me all day, not even barking once!"

In his anger, Tang Xiaojiu picked up a stone and threw it at the mastiff, hitting it on the belly. The mastiff seemed to wake up from its sleep, looked at Tang Xiaojiu dazedly, yawned, and went back to sleep.

Tang Xiaojiu felt depressed, wanting to kick the dog off the cliff, but he held back and shouted at Lishi, "See, see? What use are these useless things? And those called Zhenglun and Luoyuan, what strange names are these? When I first heard them, I thought they were some kind of magical beasts and was happy to thank the old man! But Zhenglun is just a mountain chicken, always competing with me for food. Oh, right, compared to it, Luoyuan isn't greedy, but it's so stupid. Look at it, always wandering at the foot of the mountain, always getting lost, can't even keep up. I've seen bears before, but never such a stupid one. What am I supposed to do with these useless things? Why do I need them?"

His complaints came in a rapid-fire manner, and Lishi couldn't even get a word in. Finally, when he paused to catch his breath, Lishi was about to speak, but Tang Xiaojiu remembered something and started shouting again, "Right, and that thing called Nie Wan, it hasn't even reported to me yet. The old man acts so important, but no one listens to him. I knew it, there's no such good thing in the world for me, a free master. Speaking of which, the old man spends all day brewing and drinking, then brewing and drinking again. I can't see what skills he has. Oh, what a miserable life I have, I'd rather die!"

After saying this, he covered his face, let out a miserable cry, and fell backward onto the mastiff Jianling's belly.

Lishi saw that he had finally stopped talking and coldly scolded, "Idiot! If you want to die, do it quickly. Don't just lie on Jianling's belly and pretend to sleep!"

Tang Xiaojiu grunted and ignored him.

Lishi said, "You say Nie Wan hasn't arrived, but you're just slow. She's been following us for a day. If she wanted to kill you, you'd be dead many times over!"

Tang Xiaojiu was startled and sprang up from Jianling's belly, looking around. He saw nothing unusual, heard only the wind, and smelled nothing strange.

At this moment, he felt something was wrong. The surroundings were too peaceful. He quickly blew a whistle, and the sound echoed around. Seizing the opportunity, he gripped the black knife and darted in all directions, the black light flashing. In a single breath, he had slashed in each direction a dozen times, the entire action smooth and swift, his movements as agile as a monkey, and his knife-wielding speed extremely fast. If there was really someone hiding, they wouldn't escape this strange and sharp black knife.

But there was still no movement around. Although Tang Xiaojiu saw nothing, he had already sensed the abnormality around him due to Lishi's warning. Something was near him, but he couldn't see it, whether it was invisible or underground.

Underground? Tang Xiaojiu thought, and immediately flipped the black knife, rolling on the ground, quickly inserting the black knife into the ground and pulling it out to insert it in another place.

"What is that monkey doing, digging for worms to eat?" a cold woman's voice said.

Tang Xiaojiu was startled, jumped up from the ground, and looked in the direction of the voice. Three meters away, a woman in white stood, her skin extremely pale, almost transparent, but her eyes and face were cold, making her seem unwelcoming.

Tang Xiaojiu didn't know when she had appeared there. Her words seemed to carry a sense of disdain and contempt. He had already guessed her identity and ignored her, turning around to go back to Jianling's belly to continue sleeping.

Lishi called, "Tang Xiaojiu, this is Nie Wan. You didn't expect her to be a woman, did you? Do you still think she's useless? Hey, why are you lying down again?"

Tang Xiaojiu ignored Lishi and the woman, lying down lazily. The woman frowned and called, "Are you Tang Xiaojiu?"

Tang Xiaojiu didn't answer, just crossed his legs and basked in the sun, looking like a rascal. Lishi couldn't help but say, "Hey, she's calling you." Tang Xiaojiu acted as if he hadn't heard.

The woman was stunned, not knowing what to do. She had clearly called him, but he deliberately didn't answer. Remembering her mission, she frowned and called again, "Are you Tang Xiaojiu? I am Nie Wan."

Tang Xiaojiu stretched, yawned, and turned to the other side, completely ignoring Nie Wan.

Nie Wan was so angry that she coldly huffed. She couldn't lose her composure, turned, and disappeared from the spot. Although Tang Xiaojiu was lying down, he was constantly sensing the changes around him. As soon as Nie Wan disappeared, he quickly stood up and said, "She's gone?"

Lishi knew he was asking him and said irritably, "Of course she's gone, probably to report. Tang Xiaojiu, you're quite petty, aren't you? She called you a monkey, and you ignored her. Do you know who she is?"

Tang Xiaojiu grunted, "I don't care who she is. If she doesn't listen to me, I'd rather she didn't come and cause trouble."

Lishi said, "So, you were deliberately trying to make her leave? Ha, Tang Xiaojiu, do you know she's the old man's daughter?"

"The old man's daughter?" Tang Xiaojiu was surprised, then laughed, "She looks nothing like the old man. His face is green, but hers is very white, and she doesn't even wear makeup. She's even whiter than Xue Ying!"

Lishi: "Who is Xue Ying?"

Tang Xiaojiu glared, "None of your business!... This woman doesn't seem like someone who's easy to talk to. The more you flatter her, the more she'll get excited. If she goes to report, hehe, if the old man keeps her and sends someone else, that would be better. But..."

Lishi: "But what?"

Tang Xiaojiu: "But based on my understanding of the old man, if she goes to report, she'll just get scolded and cry somewhere, then come back obediently!"

Lishi, seeing his confidence, asked, "How do you know?"

Tang Xiaojiu wiped his nose and chuckled, "Lishi, Lishi, you only know a little more about the cultivation world than me, but you act like a great person in front of me. When it comes to reading people's minds, you can't even match a fraction of mine. The old man is a certain type of person, and if he sent her, there must be a reason. This woman, who has never suffered and has no experience, is arrogant and full of foolishness. Hey, I bet the old man has never scolded her. If she gets scolded for the first time, she'll probably cry somewhere, hahaha!"

Lishi said, "Tang Xiaojiu, your master isn't human, and neither is his daughter. How can you understand their temperaments?"

Tang Xiaojiu sneered, "It's just that you're in my body, so I don't have to hide from you. Although I've been here for a short time, I've already figured out that the demons and monsters here are no different from humans in my eyes. In fact, human minds are much more complex than these stupid monsters."

Lishi couldn't help but say, "Tang Xiaojiu, you're a unique person. I think you're more like a demon!"

Tang Xiaojiu chuckled, "Is that a compliment? I feel like it's more of an insult."

Lishi sneered, "Of course it's a compliment. How can a lowly human be compared to a demon?"

Tang Xiaojiu's face changed, "I am human. How did a noble demon like you end up in my lowly human body?"

Lishi laughed, "Tang Xiaojiu, do you still think you're human? Can a human jump so high and run so fast? I'll tell you, you've already cultivated a holy body."

Tang Xiaojiu's heart felt as if it was being gripped by a demon's claw, and he groaned, "Holy body?"

Lishi's voice pierced his heart, "Or you can call it a demon body!"