Chapter Ninety: Three Years Drift By, a Riot of Bloom and Color [Subscription Request]

"Squeak, squeak, squeak..." The treasure-seeking mouse, Little White, leapt into Lu Fei's arms with a frenzy of rubbing, then quickly settled down.

At that moment, snowflakes began to drift down from the sky once more.

"Big Brother..."

Suddenly, a voice from behind made Lu Fei turn around again. He saw the Crow Monster, Huang Gui, and Hong Pi—who had to squat to hold down Wandashan One—appear on the mountain path behind him.

The Crow Monster waved and shouted at the top of his voice, "Remember to come back soon!"

"Remember, all your brothers are waiting for you!"

The snow grew heavier.

Lu Fei smiled and waved back, then, holding Little White, stepped onto a swirl of black mist and turned to fly into the wind and snow.

By now, the snow was falling thick and fast, shrouding the entire mountain peak in a swirling white veil.

With Little White in his arms, Lu Fei sped north, descending the mountain as quickly as possible.

Before long, he had left the main mountain.

He couldn't help but glance back at the peak where he had lived for so long, and then at the main peak.

There, atop the main summit, a majestic figure clad in silver armor stood in the air—none other than General Bai.

Seeing that white-clad figure, Lu Fei waved once more.

Then, turning away, he vanished into the world of wind and snow.

The wind howled, and the cold gusts stung like knives. Lu Fei's strong physique was unfazed by such weather, but Little White, nestled in his arms, trembled violently.

Seeing this, Lu Fei willed into existence a thick, wide tiger hide that instantly wrapped around them, and a faint black demonic aura swirled about him.

Immediately, warmth enveloped Little White, who poked his head out to look around curiously.

For him, traveling in such a snowstorm was a first.

So it went.

After half a day, Lu Fei stopped at the northernmost boundary of the Langlang Mountain territory, before a surging river, thirty or forty meters wide, with a swift current.

During the first month after arriving at his new territory, Lu Fei had patrolled here almost daily.

Across the river lay the lands of the Snake Coiling Mountain demon horde.

Little White, also seeing such a mighty river for the first time, poked his head out from the tiger pelt on Lu Fei's chest, staring wide-eyed at the rushing water.

Lu Fei recalled seeing, on his first patrol, a river demon launch a surprise attack on a Snake Coiling Mountain imp on the shore. On several occasions, he'd spotted demon figures lurking in the water.

Clearly, this was a dangerous river.

But now, it no longer intimidated him.

With a thought, a black iron staff appeared in his hand, its surface etched with intricate runic patterns—a magical weapon, the Black Iron Staff, which General Bai had rewarded him with after the great battle at Broken Peak on Wild Mountain.

With the staff in hand, Lu Fei felt a surge of confidence.

He stepped onto the black mist, hovering a meter above the river, and flew toward the opposite bank.

He had just reached the midpoint when a monstrous fish demon, over three meters long, pitch-black with a maw full of fangs, leapt high toward him.

"Perfect timing..." Lu Fei thought with glee. Ready for such an ambush, he dipped lower to avoid the fish demon's trajectory, then swung the staff backhanded, smashing it into the demon's skull.

In an instant, the fish's head burst, blood and fluids spraying, its body arcing backward, flung high into the air.

Lu Fei calmly caught up, and with a wave of his hand, stowed the dead demon's corpse into his internal storage.

The journey would be long, and the more food, the better—especially since he was fond of fish demon meat.

Having finished, he glanced at the inky waters below. Seeing no further threats, he continued unhurriedly to the far shore.

Soon after Lu Fei left, three enormous heads surfaced in the middle of the river.

"Are we just going to let that wolf demon who killed Da Meng get away?"

"What else can we do? Didn't you see how strong that white wolf was?"

"Da Meng was killed with one blow—if we went up, we'd meet the same end. We're not even as strong as he was..."

"What will we say if the boss asks?"

"Just say he was killed by a demon on the shore..."

"But what if the boss asks why only Da Meng died while the rest of us are fine?"

"Well...what do you suggest?"

"Um, I heard the boss say that only demons of his level can fly like that across the river..."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Definitely..."

"Then it's simple—we'll say Da Meng ignored our warnings and attacked a passing wolf demon leader, and that's why he met his end. What do you think?"

"Good, good..."

"That's settled, then. If the boss asks, that's what we say..."

The three heads disappeared beneath the surface, leaving only ripples behind.

"So, this is the territory of Snake Coiling Mountain..."

Once across, Lu Fei dispersed the black mist, landed from mid-air, and hid behind a large tree, scanning his surroundings.

He had left the bounds of his own territory. From here, he would need to be cautious.

After observing and seeing no other demons nearby, Lu Fei shifted his form, transforming into an ordinary-looking little white wolf, about the size of a common wild wolf.

Despite his lustrous silver fur, he looked unremarkable.

As for the treasure-seeking mouse, Little White perched on Lu Fei's back—the snow was too deep for his short legs.

Taking advantage of the ongoing snowstorm, Lu Fei proceeded north with Little White toward Snake Coiling Mountain.

At the same time, north of Snake Coiling Mountain, in a forest beside a mountain path, four beast-headed, human-bodied imps huddled around a fire, roasting meat.

"We're so unlucky—every time we patrol, it's bad weather..."

"I think the boss is unfair—always sending us out in the snow. Hey, this roast pheasant is pretty good..."

"Meiniang, why so quiet?"

"What is there to say?" The rabbit demon, Meiniang, focused on roasting a fat bird skewered on a stick. "In this weather, not even ghosts come out, let alone other demons..."

Before she finished, Meiniang spotted a white wolf on the snowy path in the distance.

"A white wolf..."

Unpleasant memories surfaced, and she muttered, "What a foolish wolf, roaming in this cold..."

But then she noticed something on the wolf's back.

"It's carrying a white mouse!"

The moment she saw it clearly, Meiniang stood up at once.

A white wolf and a white mouse were rare but not unheard of in these woods. Yet for the two to travel together, one riding the other, was highly unusual.

No doubt about it—they were demons.

No mere beasts had such intelligence, let alone two different species traveling together.

The other three imps were about to ask when Meiniang said, "Demons—look at that white wolf..."

The three immediately turned to see the white wolf carrying a white mouse through the snow.

"Definitely demons—let's go, catch them!"

"Heh, this time we'll earn some merit..."

"You think they're just newly awakened local imps?"

"Impossible. Even if they are, let's catch them first..."

"Let's go—finally something interesting..."

The imps, excited, transformed and gave chase.

Meiniang, however, was less enthusiastic. She hung back, watching as the others blocked the white wolf's path.

"Where are you from, wild demon? Do you know whose territory this is?"

"This is Snake Coiling Mountain—General Hua's domain. You’re clearly not local. Come—meet General Hua!"

"Hey, that wolf’s fur looks nice..."

The three imps surrounded Lu Fei in a triangle, threatening and intimidating rather than attacking.

Lu Fei, seeing Meiniang—the same rabbit demon who had tried to ambush him in the first battle between Langlang Mountain and Snake Coiling Mountain, only to be outwitted and extorted by him—decided to see what he could wring from her this time.

He calmly observed the three imps, but Little White, on his back, bared his teeth and squeaked fiercely at them.

Seeing no immediate danger, Meiniang also approached.

The three imps were surprised that the white wolf and the mouse showed no fear.

Finally, one—the boar demon, nearly three meters long and the most ill-tempered—could stand it no longer. "Enough talk—let's kill him and take the body to the boss!"

With that, he charged.

At that instant, a surge of demonic energy, far more powerful than any of the four imps, erupted from Lu Fei.

In a flash, his form shifted to half-demon: clad in black iron armor, wielding the black iron staff—a towering white wolf commander.

Three of the imps were paralyzed with terror, rooted to the spot.

The boar demon, who charged in bravely, was swatted aside by Lu Fei with a casual tap of the staff, collapsing to the ground, never daring to move again.

"It's over..."

Terror was written on every face. None dared move.

Especially Meiniang—she bitterly regretted not waiting and watching longer. Had she done so, she might at least have had a chance to escape.

"Which commander are you looking for?" Lu Fei asked, sitting atop the fallen boar demon.

He hadn't killed the boar—no need to cause trouble.

"We wouldn't dare..."

"We won't dare again, sir—we meant no offense..."

"Please... please, spare us..."

Seeing the three imps stammering in fear, Lu Fei spoke again.

"I'll let you go. I was in a good mood, but you disturbed me. So: each of you, hand over three spirit herbs, and I'll spare you. Otherwise..."

"You all die!"

He drove the black iron staff into the ground, making the earth tremble. The four imps, faces ashen, hurriedly fished out their treasures.

"You too," Lu Fei said, rising and kicking the three-meter boar aside.

"Sir, I only have one herb..."

"Me too, just one..."

"I have two..."

Soon, the imps, in despair, complained under his extortion.

"Fine—don't say I didn't give you a chance," Lu Fei threatened. "Each of you, two herbs—pool them if you must. Or you all die!"

Desperate, they pleaded with Meiniang to lend them a herb each.

Before long, Lu Fei's storage ring held eight spirit herbs of varying quality.

Stowing them away, Lu Fei coolly said, "Get lost."

"Thank you, sir!"

"Thank you, thank you!"

The imps, overjoyed, thanked him profusely and fled.

Meiniang, however, kept glancing back, finding the aura of the white wolf more and more familiar.

Once they vanished, Lu Fei stepped onto the black mist, grabbed Little White, and shot away at full speed.

Though he knew the imps would likely report the incident—and killing them would have been safer—it was still Wild Mountain territory, and he didn't want trouble with the Snake Coiling Mountain horde.

For the next few days, Lu Fei was even more cautious.

Four days later, he left Snake Coiling Mountain's lands, heading into stranger mountains.

...

A month passed.

Deep in a lush forest, Lu Fei, bloodstained, hid with a filthy Little White in a patch of poisonous thorns, motionless, barely breathing.

High above, three monstrous eagles, each with a wingspan over twenty meters, soared past.

...

Three months later, on the bank of a raging river, a giant white wolf, over ten meters long, fled for his life.

Behind him, a horde of over a hundred demons gave chase. Leading them were a gray wolf over ten meters long, a blue ox nearly twenty meters, and above, a raven with a wingspan of fifteen meters.

The three demon leaders closed in.

As the raven was about to catch up, the white wolf growled, "Hold on!"

He plunged into the river and vanished.

...

A year later.

In a vast, natural cave strewn with demon corpses and blood, a scene of carnage.

At the center, beside a large fire pit, two female half-demons trembled as they roasted meat.

Before them, a tall white wolf-headed demon sat alone at the fire, devouring roast meat, while a gray, scruffy rat gnawed furiously on a large bone.

...

Three years later.

At dawn, in a dense forest.

An ordinary gray wolf walked through the trees, accompanied by a large, long-nosed gray rat.

"Little White, have you noticed how there are far fewer demons these past few days?"

The gray wolf's cold eyes swept the forest, watching frightened beasts flee in the distance.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak..." the long-nosed rat replied.

The wolf nodded. "With fewer demons, even the beasts are scarcer. The road ahead should be easier. Maybe... we're almost there."

"Come on, we need to hurry."

With that, the gray wolf strode forward, the rat flicking his tail and hurrying after him.

This wolf and rat, of course, were Lu Fei and the treasure-seeking mouse, Little White.

Three years since they set out from Langlang Mountain in the Wild Mountain Range, three years of hardship, and still Lu Fei had not found the human world General Bai spoke of.

Time slipped by.

By noon, the sky blazed with sunlight.

Lu Fei, still in gray wolf form, and Little White, following the sounds of water, came to a mountain stream.

After drinking their fill, Lu Fei looked at his reflection in a small pool—a bedraggled, dirty gray wolf—and couldn't help but smile at the sight.

His white wolf form had drawn too much trouble along the way, forcing him to disguise himself as a plain gray wolf.

Seeing his father staring into the water, Little White came over. At the sight of his own reflection—a giant gray rat—he squealed in dismay and leapt back.

After repeated checks, Little White finally accepted his transformation into a giant gray rat.

Just as he sighed by the pool, wishing for a bath, Lu Fei placed a paw on him and said, "Don't do anything rash..."

At that moment—

"Aah!" a startled cry rang out.

Lu Fei turned to see, far downstream, a human figure watching in terror. The man dropped his bundle of firewood and fled.

Lu Fei froze.

Watching the distant human vanish, emotions surged within him.

"Three years..."

"Three whole years!"

"Do you know what I've been through these three years!?"

For a moment, he wanted to howl at the sky.

He had climbed from a minor demon to a demon general in just over half a year.

But from the moment he set out for the human world, he thought it would take six months at most.

Instead, it had taken three years.

Three years of hardship, braving the elements.

Three years of mortal peril, often on the brink of death.

Three years that had steeled his will and strengthened his resolve on the path to immortality.

A thousand memories flashed through his mind.

But in the end, all his feelings condensed into a single, long sigh.

"Hu..."

Exhaling deeply, Lu Fei felt lighter, his spirit clearer.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak..." Little White called from his feet.

Lu Fei smiled down. "Little White, we're finally here..."

"But before we enter the human world, we need to change our appearance..."

With that, he stepped to the pool and transformed.

Soon, a tall, sturdy, sun-darkened young man with thick brows and bright eyes stood at the water's edge, astonishing Little White.

Lu Fei nodded at his reflection, satisfied. This was his appearance from his Earthly life, now a little taller, more robust, and darker.

"Well?" he laughed, scooping up the wide-eyed Little White. "Never seen your old man like this, have you? Now you can have that bath."

With Little White's indignant squeals, Lu Fei tossed him into the pool.

Before long, a broad-shouldered, sunny youth, clad in tiger hide with a bear-pelt sash, carrying a large white rat in his arms and a wild boar slung over his shoulder, strode down the mountain path toward the valley.

Half an hour later, Lu Fei finally left the mountains, and a small village appeared ahead.

As he approached, the villagers, dressed in ancient styles, eyed him with curiosity and wariness.

Before he could enter the village, an old man with white hair, supported by several young men with clubs, barred his path.

Fortunately, Lu Fei's soul was human, and he was adept at social interaction. Moreover, he had rehearsed for three years all the ways he might deal with people.

So, before long, he had safely passed through the village and learned the way to the nearest town.

At the same time, the wild boar he carried was sold cheaply to the villagers, which helped him glean all he could about the town ahead, though their knowledge was limited.

No matter.

Leaving the village, he detoured into the woods and, out of sight, transformed back into a white wolf and sprinted toward the town.

By dusk, as the sun set, Lu Fei finally saw the silhouette of an ancient walled town.

When darkness began to fall, Lu Fei and Little White stood at the main gate.

With a few simple questions—and with the information he’d gathered in the village—the harmless-looking country youth entered the town called "Guyang."

"Steamed buns! Thin skin, juicy filling, fresh from the steamer!"

"Rock sugar hawthorn! Delicious candied fruit!"

"Sesame cakes! Dalang’s sesame cakes, tasty and filling!"

A cacophony of shouts, shops, and lanterns—a vivid, bustling, old-world human town—filled Lu Fei's eyes.

"Hey, young man, want to come in and have some fun...?"

A sudden voice reached his ears.

Only then did he realize, as a soft hand slipped around his arm, that he had somehow wandered to the brightly lit, perfumed doorway of a brothel, and a voluptuous young lady had wrapped herself around him.

The End.