After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 397: Chapter 396: Demons and Humans

But the residents there were eagerly awaiting it, cheering uncontrollably upon hearing that a seed from the Treasure Tree was finally going to be planted in the Northern Realm.

’Looks like their border isn’t very peaceful, either.’

Shi the Second whispered, ”Lingxu City’s control over the Twilight Plateau isn’t very strict, generally speaking. Forces from various kingdoms come and go.”

At that moment, Prime Minister Tang came out again to say a few pleasantries. The one thing no birthday celebration could do without was entertainment, so the open space in front of the White Cloud Residence was quickly cleared. Troupes of performers began to take the stage, putting on shows of acrobatics, Illusion Techniques, and more.

The Soul-Catching Mirror suddenly said, ”Fushan!”

Hee Lingchuan immediately took a step back, hiding behind a pillar before asking, ”Where?”

”I meant Fushan’s... men!” His master had moved too quickly. The Mirror added sheepishly, ”In the crowd below, to the right of the candied haw seller. The one in the black hat!”

Hee Lingchuan looked down and, sure enough, spotted a burly man in his thirties wearing a hat next to the small vendor selling candied haws.

At first glance, the man looked no different from a commoner; Hee Lingchuan might not have noticed anything unusual on his own. But after the Soul-Catching Mirror pointed him out, Hee Lingchuan quickly recalled that this was one of Fushan’s subordinates, whom he had seen at the noodle shop.

When it came to recognizing people, the Soul-Catching Mirror was truly impressive.

The man was staring intently at the stage.

Hee Lingchuan looked at him, then at the Old Tree-man on the stage.

’Interesting. Is Fushan here for the Spirit Seed?’

The Soul-Catching Mirror sensed its master’s change in mood and asked curiously, ”Huh? What are you smiling about?”

”Nothing,” Hee Lingchuan said, staring at the burly man. ”I’m just wondering if I’ll get to see the mantis stalking the cicada.”

Soon, the seed of the Treasure Tree was placed in a brocade box and secured by Prime Minister Tang.

The festival on White Cloud Mountain would continue for three days and three nights, which the common people were naturally happy about, but the officials and envoys would be leaving first.

It was unclear how Shi the Second had gathered his information, but he returned shortly after to tell Hee Lingchuan, ”Good news, good news! The escort party for the envoys heading to the northern border is getting ready. They’re setting off in one double-hour. They’ll also be escorting the Spirit Seed, so it’s the perfect opportunity for us to follow them!”

Hee Lingchuan smiled.

Beiga’s trade routes were usually quite safe, but with the Emperor’s Liquid having just passed a few days ago, it was still somewhat dangerous for out-of-town merchant teams. This Guard Team was an Elite unit dispatched from Fufeng City. With them clearing the way, the merchant caravans could travel much more safely.

It was like how displaced people liked to follow behind the entourages of nobles when migrating. With the strong clearing a path ahead, they too would have a measure of security.

White Cloud Mountain was just in the northern outskirts of Fufeng City. Once the Spirit Seed Guard Team was ready, they set out directly from there.

Several clever merchant teams immediately fell in behind them.

The Stone Gate Merchant Team was one of them.

Before leaving the massive volcanic crater, Hee Lingchuan took one last look back, marveling at the majestic form of the Juluo Tree.

A single tree ruling an entire kingdom—he could never have imagined such a thing before.

The Demon Kingdom was truly a magical place.

Just then, the black cat bid him farewell.

It had seen enough excitement for the day. This employer was also quite generous, providing ample silver taels and dried fish, but now it had to go back to its kids.

”Bring your kids and come with us. The caravan is always running into mice.” It was surprisingly Shi the Second who made the offer. ”We’ll provide all the food and drink you need.”

The black cat was a little touched, but then refused him. ”No, thanks. It’s easy to find work in Fufeng City. My children must grow up in a big city. Who would want to drift from place to place with you?”

”You heartless woman,” Hee Lingchuan said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He held out his hand to the cat. ”It was a pleasure working with you. Thank you.”

The cat extended a front paw that looked like a mangosteen to give him a high-five in parting, then leaped off the goat’s back and left without a second glance.

Hee Lingchuan saw it go up to another human, a little girl of seven or eight. It even rubbed against her hand coquettishly, probably trying to hitch a ride back to Fufeng City...

At that moment, another acquaintance rode up from behind on his horse:

Xu Dongdong.

This guy was one of the Grand Tutor’s Mansion Guards who had rushed out of the Mirror World with Hee Lingchuan. He had been on other assignments for the past few days.

He said to Hee Lingchuan, ”Young Master Sha knows you’re about to leave and sent me to escort you for a ways. Brother Wu can’t get away from the Grand Tutor’s side, so he asked me to say goodbye for him.”

Hee Lingchuan thanked him, then asked, ”Has Fushan been caught yet?”

”Not yet. The guy’s combat power is formidable, and he runs faster than a rabbit. He bolts at the slightest sign of trouble,” Xu Dongdong whispered. ”But we did catch two of his companions. Under interrogation, we learned their leader’s real name is Fushan Yue.”

”This group is a band of Mercenaries. They kill, rob, and fight for the rich and powerful—they’ll do anything. The mission they accepted this time was to ambush the Envoy from Shanyu Kingdom, White Candle.”

”The white python?” ’Why does that feel like a Blinding Technique?’

”Right.” Xu Dongdong scratched his head. ”While they were collecting Emperor’s Liquid on the Three-Heart Plateau, they mistook the deputy envoy from Waling Kingdom for White Candle and killed him. Since the mission failed, they changed their plan. Now they intend to make their move after White Candle leaves Fufeng City. As for who hired them, only Fushan Yue knows. His subordinates just follow orders.”

”Where is Fushan Yue from?”

”Uh, I don’t know.” Xu Dongdong sighed. ”I only heard that much. I was sent to find you before I could hear the rest.”

’So it’s my fault he missed out on the gossip, huh?’ Hee Lingchuan cleared his throat.

”Does this Envoy already know he’s on a kill list?”

”We’ve already informed him,” Xu Dongdong said. ”We’ve also assigned more men to protect him all the way to the border. Hopefully, his journey will be a safe one.” ’Can’t let the King of Treasure Tree’s reputation be tarnished.’

Hee Lingchuan grunted. ”He’s just an Envoy delivering gifts. Why is it necessary to attack him? Especially at the risk of offending the King of Treasure Tree.”

”How would I know?” Xu Dongdong shrugged. ”Sometimes these Demons get reckless and don’t listen to reason at all. There’s civil unrest in Shanyu Kingdom, and I hear their Court Army is suffering one defeat after another. It’s possible their rivals sent someone to assassinate him.”

”That Spirit Seed... as long as you plant it, it’ll grow into a guardian for the border?”

”Something like that,” Xu Dongdong chuckled. ”I’m not too clear on the specifics, but my King’s Avatars are much more powerful than a Marsh Warden. In places where one is present, there’s no need to appoint a Marsh Warden. It’s just that these Spirit Seeds are hard to come by. I heard it takes thirty to forty years to produce a single one.”

”So, at most, there are only twenty-something Juluo Avatar guardians in the entire Treasure Tree Kingdom?” ’What a simple calculation.’

”Uh.” Xu Dongdong felt he had misspoken. ’How could I let an outsider know something like that?’

Seeing his expression, Hee Lingchuan knew not to press the issue and changed the subject. ”Was the Spirit Seed Guard Team assembled on a temporary basis? I see they’re all human, and their mounts are just ordinary horses. At most, there are a dozen or so Wolf Demons with the contingent. This seems...”

It seemed a little understated.

Shi the Second cut in, ”I thought Fufeng City would dispatch a grand army of Demon Beasts to escort the Spirit Seed to the Northern Realm.”

Xu Dongdong laughed. ”Sounds very impressive, doesn’t it?”

”Of course it does!”

”Once the royal banner is raised, what foolish robber would dare to attack?” Xu Dongdong said. ”Besides, how much do you think an army of Demon Beasts eats? How could the post-stations and towns along the way possibly supply them? Horses are the best. They have stable temperaments, great endurance, and they eat grass.”

Hee Lingchuan chuckled. ”It certainly is a matter of economics.”

Demon Beasts like tigers and wolves were all huge gluttons. They had to eat meat when they traveled, and each one could consume dozens of pounds a day. What kind of supply line could sustain that? Even herbivorous Demons ate several times more than an ordinary horse.

All things considered, riding horses was the most practical option.

Of course, Hee Lingchuan understood this was also because Fufeng City was quite far from the Northern Realm. Otherwise, sending a ceremonial escort of Demon Beasts wouldn’t have been a big deal.

Furthermore, it was a testament to the King of Treasure Tree’s confidence: Who would dare to rob the Royal Army on his territory?

Hee Lingchuan made another discovery: even in the Beiga Kingdom, the number of Demons wasn’t as high as he had imagined.

Taking Fufeng City as an example, after several days of observation, he realized the ratio of Demons to humans was not even one to ten. Even in the National Capital of the Treasure Tree Kingdom, where Demons were supposed to gather, humans still vastly outnumbered them.

Not to mention the towns and villages he had passed through along the way, where the human population was at least thirty times that of the Demon population. The most extreme example was a small town with over six hundred permanent residents but reportedly only three Demons.

Here, a distinction had to be made: beasts and Demons were two different things.

In Yuan Kingdom General Zhao Pan’s army, there was a Barbaric Bull vanguard led by Wild Bull Demons, whose power Hee Lingchuan had almost experienced firsthand. But strictly speaking, in a herd of three hundred, only seven were Wild Bull Demons. They were generally larger and more robust, making them easy to identify, while the rest were ordinary Barbaric Bulls.

Similarly, most members of the Rock Wolf Clan were ordinary Rock Wolves. Only those like Hee Lingchuan’s subordinate Luu Xin, or Big Black under Hee Yue, could truly be called Demon Wolves.

Second Madam Zhu had over twenty or thirty thousand offspring, but fewer than one hundred and eighty of them had become elite Spider Guards. Hee Lingchuan had once counted them himself out of boredom while staying in the Demon Nest Swamp.

With just that many Spider Guards, she was able to occupy the best territory in the Demon Nest Swamp, leaving other Great Demons to swallow their anger.

When Hee Lingchuan discussed this with Xu Dongdong, the latter laughed heartily. ”How can the number of Demons possibly compare to humans?”

”I thought Beiga was a Demon Kingdom, so Demons would be the majority,” Hee Lingchuan said. Back in the Yuan Kingdom, the operas and storybooks all claimed the Northern Demon Kingdom was crawling with Demons, that their Demon Army was incredibly powerful, and that the enslaved human populace lived miserable lives.

But now that he was here to see it for himself... heh.

”The Demon Kings are noble, and Beiga has no shortage of powerful Demons. But without humans, how could such a vast Empire be sustained?”

Shi the Second also smiled. ”Besides humans, who can manage businesses? Who can produce goods?”

Hee Lingchuan thought about it and realized it was true. A Demon like Second Madam Zhu, who was skilled in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery, was already an anomaly among her kind.

Most Demons followed their instincts. They were free-spirited and undisciplined, neither as meticulous as humans nor capable of working in large groups day after day as humans could.

If production and business were not led by humans, crops wouldn’t grow, mines would go unworked, and commerce would be impossible. Where would wealth come from?

At this point, the Heart-Protecting Mirror chimed in again: ”The weakening of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is the main reason the Demon population isn’t growing. In the Early Middle Ages, Demon Beasts still roamed everywhere. You could shoot an arrow randomly into the wild and probably hit a Rabbit Demon. But humans are different... No matter how thin the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi gets, a human is still a human. They won’t turn into Hou’Er.”

It was precisely because the Demon Race was weak that they had to band together. During the Ancient Times and the Middle Ages, Demon Immortals ran rampant, each carving out their own territory to become hegemons. How could a Demon Kingdom like Beiga have existed back then?

When all was said and done, it was simply a product of the times.

That night, the contingent took lodging in a small town along the Official Road.

The Guard Team consisted of about three hundred people, while the merchant caravans following behind numbered over a thousand. Including carts, horses, and goods, a single town couldn’t possibly accommodate them all.

Fortunately, there was a second town five li away, so the Stone Gate Merchant Team went there to settle in.

Other merchants came over to chat, and Hee Lingchuan overheard a piece of news:

”Actually, it’s not just the Guard Team resting in that town. There are also three foreign delegations, from the Xuluo Kingdom, Chiyan Kingdom, and White Elephant Kingdom, I think. The Guard Team invited them to stay together.”