Chapter 15: Let Me Try [Please Continue Reading]

When Lu Fei arrived at the gathering place, he stood among the lesser demons, watching as the crow fiend and the pig demon, Redskin, walked over with arms slung around each other’s shoulders, whispering furtively. He couldn’t help but ask, “What are you two talking about?”

Startled, the crow fiend looked up and only then noticed where he was. Meeting Lu Fei’s gaze, his face grew a bit embarrassed as he stammered, “Nothing much. Chief Bear is about to speak. We shouldn’t chat anymore; we can’t make the same mistake as last time…”

Hearing this, Lu Fei was momentarily taken aback. If not for the crow’s awkward expression, he would have thought he’d misheard.

That awkwardness, the evasive glance—it was like someone caught gossiping red-handed.

Lu Fei eyed the crow fiend with suspicion but chose not to pursue the matter further, for at that moment, the bear demon chief at the head of the group began to speak.

“Three days have passed…”

The bear demon, eyes bloodshot, towering over two meters tall and built like a mountain, glared with a violent gaze at the assembled lesser demons. “Today is the day we check your assignments. Let’s see which of you failed to complete your tasks…”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a demon below called out, “Chief, we’ve completed ours! Please inspect our work…”

“We’ve finished too, Chief! Please check…”

“And us…”

The lesser demons clamored over one another to report their success.

Seeing his underlings so eager, the bear chief’s scar-crossed, brutish face twisted into a savage grin. “No need to rush—one at a time. None of you will escape my scrutiny…”

Soon, the first inspection fell to the group assigned to craft fifty spear shafts, a task completed by three demons together.

As the three scurried off and returned, lugging three massive bundles of spear shafts from who-knows-where, arranging them before the bear chief, the crow fiend, standing at the rear of the horde, looked worried. He quietly jabbed Lu Fei in the back and whispered, “Whitefur, we have too many arrows to carry at once…”

Catching sight of the crow’s anxious face, Lu Fei reassured him, “Don’t worry—when the time comes, let me do the talking. You two keep quiet.”

At this, the crow fiend and the pig demon, Redskin, visibly relaxed.

“One… two… three… four…”

The bear chief stood aside while a gray-furred rat demon with a human body and a rodent’s head counted the shafts.

For demons who had never known the use of books, being able to read and count was a prized skill. Whether on Wandering Mountain or among other demon bands, such talents were always valued.

Yet, as the demons grew more powerful, those who lived long enough and accumulated enough experience could handle basic arithmetic—much like how even the unlettered can count coins when buying and selling.

But at the lower rungs, especially in demon bands with high turnover, only those with an innate knack for numbers or who had lived long and learned much could count at all. Clearly, this gray-furred rat was one of those rare types.

“Forty-seven… forty-eight… fifty…”

Finishing the count, the rat demon noticed an extra shaft and reported, “Chief, there are fifty spear shafts, and then one more.”

The bear chief’s attention, meanwhile, had been drawn to the top of the mountain, where the white wolf commander, draped in a black cloak, had appeared. Hearing the rat’s report, he turned back, glanced at the uneven pile of shafts, and asked, “Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?”

“Reporting to the Chief, I did not,” replied the rat.

Satisfied, the bear chief turned to the three nervous demons. “Your task is complete. Next…”

He gestured to the rat. “Grayfur, continue counting.”

“Yes, Chief…”

The rat demon, flushed with pride, shot a smug glance at the other demons, then strode to the stack of bows and arrows and began, “One… two… three…”

Watching the rat demon bask in the spotlight, the crow fiend grumbled with jealousy, “Since when did Grayfur get so cozy with the chief? He’s even been put in charge of counting, and his counting is no better than mine…”

Lu Fei, hearing the crow’s sour words, asked, “Didn’t you say you couldn’t count?”

“Of course I can,” the crow retorted.

“Then why did you tell me you couldn’t when I asked you to count the arrows last time?”

The crow fiend’s face flushed with embarrassment, though his feathers hid it, and he muttered defensively, “I… I get nervous when counting, and then I lose track…”

Just then, a memory struck him—how Lu Fei had so calmly counted out all fifteen hundred arrows in the bamboo grove before. Fifteen hundred, without breaking a sweat!

Now realizing his companion’s talent for numbers, the crow fiend’s expression lit up with excitement. He was about to ask more when he looked up and caught his friend’s handsome, white wolfish face and eternally cold yellow eyes staring back at him.

His excitement instantly cooled.

Perhaps guessing what the crow wanted to say, Lu Fei remarked, “Counting is something you’re born with. Keep your voice down.”

But the crow fiend was no longer bothered that Lu Fei had anticipated his question. Suppressing his excitement, he whispered, “Whitefur, I think you should tell the chief you’re better at counting than Grayfur. Ask him to let you do it…”

“Oh…”

Lu Fei had watched the rat demon count from start to finish and knew full well that Grayfur’s abilities were limited. The rat couldn’t even correctly count fifty spear shafts, turning out fifty-one instead. Even a preschooler could manage numbers up to a hundred.

But since no one exposed him, Lu Fei didn’t bother either.

Yet, limited by the memories of his predecessor, Lu Fei didn’t realize how important counting was within the demon horde.

Now, hearing the crow fiend talk about it, he asked, “Is there any benefit to that?”

The crow’s eyes brightened at his interest. “Benefits? Plenty! Did you know our bear chief can’t count at all…”

He lowered his voice further.

“If you could do the counting for the chief, our future assignments would be much easier. The chief wouldn’t hand you the toughest jobs, and you wouldn’t have to patrol the whole mountain in this heat every day…”

“And with your talent, if you count well, you might catch the eye of the commanders—or even the king…”

“In short, if you count for the chief, you’ll be much safer here on the mountain—and most importantly, you could look after the two of us…”

As he spoke, the crow fiend tugged at Redskin the pig demon, who nodded vigorously in agreement.

Faced with the eager, hopeful gazes of his two companions, Lu Fei fell silent for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll give it a try…”