Chapter 4: Brain-Type Demon

Seeing Jiao Da Wang furious, Jin Qianbao thought for a moment, reorganized his words, and spoke again with another pack of lies: "This humble one dares to ask both Great Kings: in your opinions, is Tang Sanzang's journey to retrieve the scriptures a blessing or a curse for our Long Qi Dong?"

Jiao Da Wang had already been thinking about this matter; now that Jin Qianbao asked, he blurted out: "What's there to ask? Obviously not good news."

Seeing the bait had taken, Jin Qianbao felt a surge of joy, raised his head, and sighed: "Great King, your wisdom is unmatched—I too believe this matter is extremely perilous."

"How so?"

Tu Lao San asked in a sinister tone.

"I studied the monk's route and noticed that whenever he nears a place inhabited by a great demon, his path suddenly veers sharply away—deliberately avoiding those great sages of the demon realm. Isn't this clearly a case of 'picking the softest peaches to pluck'?"

"Moreover, there's another thing I can't understand: Tang Sanzang is merely a mortal—how could he possibly devise such a meticulously planned route, avoiding every single great demon's territory?"

Hearing Jin Qianbao's words, the two demons—Jiao and Tu—exchanged glances, each seeing admiration and doubt in the other's eyes.

Jin Qianbao continued: "So I believe there must be a traitor among our demon kind—and that traitor is undoubtedly Sun Wukong."

Upon hearing this, Jiao Da Wang's heart tightened, and he cried: "Watch your tongue!"

Then he glanced at the Bian Fu Jing and the other subordinates still in the room, and whispered: "All of you, leave at once. Keep your mouths shut—understood?"

The Little Demons, who often moved around the Great King's side, immediately understood their master's intent. They quickly responded with "Yes, sir!" and hurriedly squeezed out, leaving only Jin Qianbao and the two leaders inside.

Seeing his master's demeanor, Jin Qianbao knew his life was safe—for now. But remembering he had secretly written letters to Jiao Xiao Wang behind Jiao Da Wang's back, he couldn't help but grow even more cautious.

He hurriedly added: "If Sun Wukong has truly betrayed our demon kind and become one of those bald-headed monks' enforcers, wouldn't his first act be to deliver a few head trophies to prove his loyalty to the Buddha Lords of Xi Tian?"

Tu Lao San drew in a sharp breath, his fingers trembling slightly.

He looked at Jiao Lao Da and said: "Recall two hundred years ago, my elder brother Bai Yi Lang led me past Huang Feng Ling. Even now, the might of Huang Feng Da Wang still lingers vividly in my mind—and Hu Xian Feng possessed formidable hardened cultivation."

"Who would have thought those two great heroes became stepping stones for that monkey to curry favor with the Buddhist Sect?"

Jiao Lao Da's eyes turned icy, and he let out a heavy, discontented grunt: "I won't hide it from you, Third Brother—I received the true nature of Tang Seng's Xi You journey from within the Demon Council a few days ago. But had this little leopard not reminded me, I'd have thought Huang Feng Guai was just arrogant, challenging the monkey for dominance. Now I see—it was Sun Wukong selling out our kind to gain favor, deliberately killing our own."

Hearing there was insider information from the Demon Council regarding the truth of Tang Seng's journey, Tu Lao San's curiosity surged, and he waved his hand to dismiss Jin Qianbao.

Jin Qianbao was overjoyed, ready to take the opening—but Jiao Lao Da pointed to a stone chair beside him and whispered: "Jin Qianbao, I see you have some wit. Today, I appoint you as my advisor in this mountain cave. Sit down. Offer me counsel."

Jin Qianbao's mind was full of thoughts of rushing out to hide the map and never showing it to anyone again—but his mouth still said: "Thank you, Great Kings. This humble one will behave properly from now on, never again… uh…"

"Damn it… this script's wrong! Great Boss, when did you… when did you ever start caring about lowly little demons like me?"

Though happiness came too suddenly for Jin Qianbao to adjust, he was, after all, a brain-type demon—and instantly recovered.

A smile tugged at his lips,

and he swallowed the words he'd been about to say, replacing them: "Uh… I will never again be as mischievous as before. From now on, I will earnestly devise strategies for both Great Kings."

Jiao Da Wang clearly approved of the little leopard's reaction; his previously stiff beard curled back into its usual shape. Tu Lao San asked: "Big Brother, what news came from the Demon Council?"

Jiao Da Wang still seemed uneasy. He murmured a spell, waved his hand, and cast a Demon Cultivation technique that sealed the entire stone chamber, cutting off all contact with the outside world. Only then did he speak in a low, steady voice, revealing the secret agreement reached among the factions.

After hearing his brother's account, Tu Lao San's face grew paler by the second. He muttered: "No wonder Second Brother fled overnight. I know he had connections within the Demon Council."

Jiao Lao Da slammed his fist on the stone table, roaring: "That traitorous pig! When he falls into my hands, I'll swallow him whole!"

Jin Qianbao, who had previously paid little attention to Tang Sanzang's journey—he spent his days studying maps and calculating when his letter to Jiao Xiao Wang would reach Yao Guai Xue Fu—now found himself deeply entangled.

Not only did he now realize his own fabricated story had a disturbingly plausible logic, but the information from the Demon Council filled him with dread.

After Jiao Lao Da finished his rant, he suddenly turned to Jin Qianbao: "Little leopard, earlier you said you were plotting Tang Seng's route. Now that you've heard my secret, do you have any ideas?"

Jin Qianbao knew this was his first test as a manager. He paused thoughtfully, then frowned: "After hearing your news, I am truly terrified. Originally, I planned to use the map to estimate when Tang Seng's party would reach Jin Yuan Shan, so I could warn you ahead of time—we'd lock the gates and avoid trouble with that monkey."

"But now, I see my old idea of hiding in place won't work."

"Oh? Explain why."

Tu Lao San licked his lips frantically; his previously clean face now showed patches of white fur—his true form emerging from tension.

"Great Third King, though I can't fathom the intentions of those above, since Tang Seng's route was personally planned by the Demon Council, and Huang Feng Da Wang has already fallen to the Buddhist Sect, I…"

Here Jin Qianbao paused—not out of pretense, but because his suspicion was too terrifying to voice aloud.