Chapter 9: No One Asks

She gave the two a sideways glance and said calmly, "With just the two of you, trying to regroup the Human Race here and protect them is enough. Besides, the Witch‑slaying Sword that can hurt the Wu Clan has already been forged, so it no longer threatens the Human Race. Why must you involve me?"

Zhou Yi laughed and replied, "It's not a trouble for you; I prepare delicious roasted meat for you every day so you can eat happily." As he spoke, his smile grew brighter.

"Fine, I don't have the leisure to come begging for food every day. But since I've eaten, I can't take advantage for free; consider it a favor you owe me. Just say whatever you need." Hou Tu said plainly.

She knew in her heart that Zhou Yi was looking for a protective umbrella for the Human Race. The Wu Clan, as the Honghuang overlord, was naturally the most reliable support.

Zhou Yi heard this and felt a quiet joy, realizing his earlier groundwork was paying off.

He hurriedly asked, "Could you give us a cultivation technique?"

"Cultivation technique?" Hou Tu, hearing this, dropped the roasted meat in her hand and looked at Zhou Yi in surprise, "Our Wu Clan's techniques are impossible for your Human Race to practice."

Hou Tu frowned and explained, "The two races differ too much in constitution; even if we gave you the technique, you couldn't master it."

Zhou Yi nodded, showing he understood, but still suggested, "How about letting us take a look first? Having a reference is better than groping blindly."

Hou Tu scratched her head, fell into thought. She thought, I only came out for a roast, how did it become so complicated? The powerful Wu Clan techniques surely can't be given, but…

"Fine, I can give you a technique, but on one condition: every time this roast is prepared, I must have a share. Can you manage that?" Hou Tu was clearly enchanted by the aroma.

"No problem." Zhou Yi readily agreed.

The two struck a deal, while Yao Yan stared dumbfounded beside them. He wanted to say he could also study the technique, but seeing Zhou Yi so excited, he swallowed the words.

After eating a lot of roast, Hou Tu's form flashed and she rose into the sky. With a gust of wind, she blinked and flew far away. Her aura surged and shifted endlessly, baffling all who observed.

While soaring, she couldn't help exclaiming, "This roast, it's so fragrant!"

Hou Tu flew while savoring the roast's flavor, a smile tugging at her mouth. The taste was so novel to her, as if a door to a new world had opened.

But the good mood was soon ruined. Thinking of the quarrelsome brothers at home made her feel terrible. They had been arguing daily, quick to resort to fists—truly maddening.

Wu Clan members are born with a unique constitution, able to draw hostile qi from heaven and earth and turn it to their own use, yet this great power acts like a double‑edged sword, silently corroding their reason.

Their minds are simple, they revere martial force, and fighting is just a daily triviality for them.

When the Witch‑Demon War is mentioned, the Wu Clan's strength far exceeds that of the Demon Race.

Unfortunately, the Wu Clan is split into the Twelve Branch Veins, each acting independently and rarely cooperating.

Thus in the last great battle, though victory was certain, internal strife delayed matters until the Dao Ancestor intervened, forcibly ending the conflict and agreeing to resume it after ten thousand years.

Ten thousand years passed, and Hou Tu personally witnessed the Demon Race's rapid rise.

When she warned her brothers, they ignored her.

Zhu Song was even more arrogant, claiming that a single clan could eradicate the Demon Race.

Hou Tu's memory was fresh: in the last war, Zhu Song was beaten by the Demon leader Dong Huang, yet now remains so conceited. When she tried to advise, Zhu Song rebuffed her, and the two left on bad terms.

Brotherly bonds are deep but can quickly sour, turning harmony into conflict in an instant. Hou Tu wanted to change this, but was powerless, so she kept her worries hidden.

Until she happened upon a human, tasted his delicious roasted meat, and felt a slight relief.

Shortly after returning to the tribe, Hou Tu lay down to rest when a panicked Great Witch reported, "A grave matter: Zhu Song and Shui Shen, the two demon gods, have clashed again, fighting from Mount Buzhou to here. Many tribespeople suffer heavy casualties. Please go quickly to stop it."

Upon hearing this, Hou Tu's mood grew heavy again. She narrowed her eyes in fury, golden light flashing, and sprang to her feet, looking outward.

Zhu Song had transformed into a beast‑headed, human‑bodied form, clad in red scales, fire snakes hanging from his ears, flames blazing all around; Shui Shen appeared as a python‑headed, human‑bodied figure, draped in black scales, standing on a black dragon, and wherever he passed, sea water roiled and waves surged.

The two were locked in fierce combat, water and fire intertwining, the sky shrouded in dense mist, a scene both shocking and worrisome.

Each clash seemed like the heavens and earth collapsing, shaking the soul. The surrounding space appeared unable to bear the strain, trembling slightly.

Flames and seawater intertwined, warping the space like a fragile canvas ready to tear.

Worse still, the battle's aftershocks reached the edge of Hou Tu's tribe, causing heavy casualties among the people, with wails rising continuously.

Hou Tu furrowed her brows, and with a wave of her hand, the earth responded, raising a massive earthen wall to shield the tribe from annihilation.

She sighed lightly, "Can't worry about that now; rescuing people comes first. Once they exhaust themselves, they'll stop on their own."

Though her heart was heavy, the thought of tomorrow's delicious roast made a faint smile appear at her mouth.

Meanwhile, after Zhou Yi finished his cultivation, he began preparing the roast for the next day.

Seeing him busy, Yao Yan couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked, "Human Ancestor, do they possess any peerless techniques? I have several myself; I wonder if I can use them?"

Zhou Yi paused his work, patted Yao Yan's shoulder, and said earnestly, "Yao Yan, your technique is indeed powerful, but our world's laws differ. Even if we modify it, we need a foundation. I took that technique precisely for this purpose."

He knew that although Yao Yan's technique was strong, practicing it rashly could repeat the mishap when he once fainted while refining the Dao Scripture Secret. That would be terribly awkward.

"Besides, a simple roast doesn't need complexity. Let's just prepare tomorrow's portion as well," Zhou Yi laughed.

Hearing this, Yao Yan said nothing more, rolled up his sleeves, and joined in.

Though his cooking skills were average, he handled the meat quite proficiently.

One day passed in a flash.

Late at night, Hou Tu rose slowly, pondering how to fulfill her promise to Zhou Yi.

What kind of technique should she grant?

Since the Wu Clan's inception, cultivation has been instinctive, requiring no deliberate study or records. Even if written down, outsiders find it hard to comprehend.

Hou Tu whispered, "Since it's a technique, it doesn't have to be limited to our Wu Clan." She thought, retrieved from a corner an ancient dust‑covered book, the Bai Ze Demon Transformation Manual.

The moment she opened the book, dust fell like a fine rain.

Long ago, during a great battle with the Demon Race, Hou Tu had casually taken this technique home. Since then it lay silently in a corner, unnoticed.

"This is the Demon Race's cultivation method; perhaps the Human Race could try it too?" Hou Tu hesitated briefly, but with no other choice, she decided not to overthink.

Since she had already promised, any problem would be her own fault. Rather than agonize over the technique, she thought about how to enjoy today's roast.

That's the real business!