Chapter 3

Jin Qianbao silently cried out in despair!

He thought that if he'd only told this nonsense to Third Master, who always loved to overthink, he might just escape punishment.

If lucky, he might even earn the fool's special attention and land himself a lucrative post.

But now Big Brother had suddenly appeared—these words had clearly been heard in full—and given his outwardly lenient but inwardly cruel nature, Jin Qianbao feared he'd be beaten senseless, if not killed outright.

Just as Jin Qianbao was at a loss, Jiao Da Wang strode up beside Tu Lao San, his gleaming steel blade catching the sunlight streaming through the cave wall, reddening everyone's eyes.

Jin Qianbao recognized that steel blade—it had been seized two years ago when he accompanied Second Master on a raid, taken from a group of escort guards; Second Master had said the blade bore magical inscriptions from a Earth Immortal, making it a rare and formidable weapon.

The Big Brother of Long Qi Dong was originally a one-horned jiao who had taken human form, possessing a thousand years of Qiu Jing, making him the most powerful demon in the entire Taiyuan Mountain region.

But lately his mood had been terrible, just like his sworn third brother—they were both seething over Second Master's midnight escape.

Pig Er's sudden desertion had set a terrible example, causing Jiao Lao Da to see in the eyes of older demons the stirrings of discontent, the very thought of switching allegiances.

He knew full well that if not for their pride or fear of his strength, they'd have all fled clean away, just like Pig Er.

After all, the "Yao News" had clearly reported that even Hu Xian Feng, Huang Feng Da Wang's top general, had been killed by the monkey—and Hu Xian Feng was a Yao Jiang-level expert!

So every time he thought of it, a fire burned in Jiao Lao Da's heart.

Yet in public, he still had to pretend to be magnanimous and indifferent, afraid his bad mood might demoralize the Little Demons and leave him a commander with no troops.

Besides that, he was also somewhat afraid of Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong's party.

After all, it was the demon realm that had betrayed Sun Wukong—who knew which side the monkey now stood on?

If he held a grudge and truly joined the Buddhist Sect to wage war against demons, it was entirely possible.

Because of these feelings, when Jiao Da Wang saw Tang Seng's westward route map, he immediately cursed the "Yao Administration" in his heart ten thousand times over.

Why? Because according to his inside source in the Yao Administration, Tang Sanzang's pilgrimage had only succeeded due to secret deals among the Heavenly Court, the Buddhist Sect, the Earth Immortals, and the demon factions.

Even Tang Sanzang's route had been personally drawn up by the Yao Administration!

Think about it: the Golden Silkworm's tenth reincarnation—why had the first nine been eaten halfway by demons? Why had not a single mountain lord in the well-informed demon world known of their pilgrimage? But now, look at the published route map—it perfectly avoided the territories of those powerful demons, with only a handful of Yao Sheng included because their caves were simply unavoidable.

Comparing past to present, Jiao Da Wang felt the Yao Administration's official mouthpiece, "Yao News," was loudly promoting the pilgrimage solely to curry favor with the Buddhist Sect.

But the problem was—you demons got your benefits, fine—but why the hell did you have to include our tiny Jin Yuan Shan in Tang Seng's route? Aren't you just putting us on the fire? Thinking back on how the Yao Administration's elites had always bullied the weak and bowed to the strong,

Jiao Da Wang grew angrier and angrier, convinced he'd become a pawn sacrificed to appease the powerful.

And just at this moment, his useless Second Master had led the charge in fleeing… Jiao Da Wang felt deeply wronged; he had ten thousand curses burning in his chest, unsure whether to speak them.

So our brooding Jiao Da Wang, after days of solitary brooding and growing confusion, decided to talk to his third brother, Rabbit—hence the chance encounter with the lying little leopard, Jin Qianbao.

To be fair, Jin Qianbao was one of the rare brain-type demons among demons.

Unlike ordinary demons who preferred shouting and fighting, this fellow acted like a thoughtful sage—he'd avoid combat whenever possible, always get others to do the dirty work, and in short, he was the type who "never did dangerous things, and never stepped forward to claim easy gains."

Thanks to his wit, despite his low Qiu Jing and human-level combat strength, he'd carved out a small reputation among Long Qi Dong's Second Generation Yao—otherwise, Tu Lao San would never have noticed him.

But now Jin Qianbao was in trouble, because his righteous-sounding lies had been overheard by Big Brother, who never used his brain.

Seeing Jiao Da Wang's blade gleam as it landed on the stone table, Jin Qianbao's mind raced—he immediately dropped to the ground, feigning deep sorrow, pinching himself hard until tears welled in his eyes.

Seeing this, Tu Lao San forgot all of Jin Qianbao's earlier pretense; he picked up the teapot and poured water for his brother, soothing: "Big Brother, don't be angry—I think this kid's expression is strange, clearly troubled inside."

Seeing Jiao Da Wang's great blade, gleaming with sharp light, land on the stone table, Jin Qianbao's mind stirred—he quickly dropped to the ground, assuming a look of heartbroken anguish, and pinched himself hard, adding a rare glimmer of tears to his eyes.

He thought: if Big Brother hadn't walked in, you dead rabbit would've already taken me as your confidant—how quickly you've switched sides! No wonder mortals curse people as "Rabbit Lord!"

Seeing his elder brother enraged, Tu Lao San had already forgotten Jin Qianbao's earlier pretense; he picked up the teapot and poured water for his elder brother, soothing him: "Elder Brother, don't be angry—I think this kid's expression is strange, he's clearly upset too."

He didn't dare show even a flicker of displeasure on his face—only bowed lower and hurriedly said: "My lords, I truly care for the cave—please let me speak!"

"Speak then! Didn't I say I'd give you a chance? Why are you still hesitating? Do I need to force you with my blade?"

It was Jiao Lao Da speaking—always blunt, always this way.

He dared not show even a hint of dissatisfaction on his face, only continued to crouch low, urgently saying: "In reply to both bosses, this humble one truly cares for the Mountain Cave; please allow me to speak a word."

"Then speak! Didn't I already say I'd give you a chance to talk? Why are you still holding back? Do you want me to force you with a knife?"

The speaker was Jiao Lao Da, whose impulsive nature always made him act this way.