Chapter 851

Two hours later, Wu Tie was invited into the lord's manor by the lord of Iron Arm City.

In those two hours, Wu Tie and the big and small demons of Iron Arm City conducted countless trades; items considered everyday goods in the Chen Dynasty could here fetch at least ten times their price.

Moreover, items useful for cultivation—such as armor, weapons, bows and crossbows, elixirs, talismans—could in Iron Arm City sell for a hundred or even a thousand times their price.

Wu Tie now understood why, despite the great taboos and crimes, people of the Chen Dynasty would sneakily smuggle contraband to the Western Demon Kingdom.

The lord of Iron Arm City is a burly man with the royal bloodline of the Iron-Arm Mighty Ape; having fully taken human form, he possesses strength approaching that of a King God.

His arms are nearly as long as his body and thicker than an ordinary person's waist by a fist. Iron Arm City's lord, Tie Sanhua, thumped his chest: "Mr. Wu Tie, rest assured—from now on, whenever you have good goods, think of me first, Tie Sanhua; in Iron Arm City you may come and go as you please."

He grabbed the jug of century-old wine that Wu Tie had just given him; his feral visage bore a hint of ape features as Tie Sanhua hehehed and gulped two mouthfuls of the old wine.

Outside the hall, a monkey‑headed, humanoid creature covered in thick fur and dragging a monkey tail darted in, its agile movements and eyeballs rolling 'gulu gulu'; in its hands it bore a still‑hot iron plaque.

"Here, Mr. Wu Tie, this is Iron Arm City's guest token; even if you later enter the Western Demon Kingdom outside our city, any ape‑kind demon will show some favor to our Iron-Arm Mighty Ape clan."

Puffing up with pride, Tie Sanhua laughed: "Even the bird tribes, though they dread our young who can climb trees and steal eggs, will not make things difficult for you unless it's a deep grudge."

"Just watch out for the tiger and leopard clans… The saying 'When there's no tiger in the mountain, the monkey reigns as king' does have some truth; we monkeys bear grudges against them. Tut, it's best to avoid meeting them if we can."

Tie Sanhua was in high spirits and burst out a long string of words.

Wu Tie smiled and nodded repeatedly; he had come to find Pei Feng, not to exorcise demons in the Western Demon Kingdom, and since the demons treated him so well, he was happy to befriend them.

After all, the enemy of one's enemy is a friend.

This Western Demon Kingdom is the mortal enemy of the Chen Dynasty.

Wu Tie rummaged in his storage ring and found a pole he had previously taken from a slain foe, not refined in the Grand Dao Furnace—an innate spirit weapon, the 'Wind‑Fire Nine‑Dragon Staff' used by a Chen Dynasty provincial lord—and he promptly handed it to Tie Sanhua.

Tie Sanhua startled, leapt up, and gleefully snatched the Wind‑Fire Nine‑Dragon Staff.

He let out a mighty 'yahoo!'—who knows if monkeys have a special talent for pole weapons—but Tie Sanhua seized this rod, heavy as a mountain ten thousand zhang tall, and casually flung out a splendid staff flourish.

"Good treasure, good treasure, good treasure!" Tie Sanhua shouted excitedly, a 'dong' as he lunged before Wu Tie and slammed a heavy fist into his shoulder.

He widened his eyes, looking at Wu Tie and laughing: "This treasure is truly good, truly good, so great… alas, we can't afford it!"

Tie Sanhua looked at Wu Tie with a rueful face and muttered: "Can't afford it… If you were a Chen Dynasty lackey soldier, we'd just rob and kill you. But you are Iron Arm City's honored guest; we can't do such a dishonorable thing…"

Wu Tie waved his hand generously: "It's just a staff; why make a fuss, Lord? I took this from a kill, I'm not skilled with staves, but since we hit it off at first sight, this little gift is nothing major."

He waved his hand and stated his purpose directly: "I've come to the Western Demon Kingdom to find someone; I need to go to Blood Prison Mountain. Lord, could you arrange a map and contacts along the way?"

Tie Sanhua's eyes blazed as he stared fixedly at Wu Tie.

Relying on the demons' keen innate intuition, Tie Sanhua sensed that Wu Tie's words were true.

He was sincerely giving this most‑liked staff to him, and indeed intended to go to Blood Prison Mountain to find someone. Tie Sanhua excitedly threw his head back and let out a loud roar, then bounced on the spot dozens of times with empty somersaults.

"Good, good, good, Mr. Wu Tie—from now on you are my true good brother… Well, change the token, hurry. Throw away this broken iron token and get a gold one sent over quickly."

Tie Sanhua kicked the little macaque out of the hall with a foot, laughing 'gaga': 'Little monkey brat, my own son—but his mother is just an ordinary silver‑back gorilla, so his talent is poor, he's a bit dim.'

"Ah, Wu Tie brother, being such a good brother, how could you use that broken iron token? A mere guest—it's unworthy of your status… Tut, the gold token is different; it represents the life‑and‑death bond of our Iron-Arm Mighty Ape clan—if any other demon dares to trouble you, it's as good as declaring war on us."

"Gold token good, gold token good, a hundred times better than the iron one." Tie Sanhua babbled incoherently, his black‑furred big hand gripping Wu Tie's arm tightly, shouting loudly for his monkey underlings to hasten the feast; he wanted to drink and talk with his newly recognized brother Wu Tie until drunk and not return.

This is the demon kind.

Primitive, savage, brutal, violent—everything stems from their innate nature.

But if you can win their sincere hearts and let them sense your genuine goodwill, they will lay out their hearts for you.

For countless years, because of this demonic temperament, facing the Chen Dynasty's old schemers, the various great demon clans of the Western Demon Kingdom have suffered untold hidden losses and shed much blood.

Yet the demons remain unchanged in their obstinacy.

Just like Tie Sanhua before us, he has truly come to regard Wu Tie as a brother.

"Isn't it just going to Blood Prison Mountain to find someone? It couldn't be easier… Our Iron-Arm Mighty Ape clan's old nest, Iron Arm Mountain, lies not far from Blood Prison Mountain. After the feast, I'll personally guide you there."

Wu Tie's mouth twitched.

Feng Xiao and his three brothers and five nephews simultaneously rolled their eyes.

What a demonic civilization…

The city is called Iron Arm City, its stronghold Iron Arm Mountain… Feng Xiao's youngest nephew asked timidly: "May I ask, Lord, what is the current title of your noble king?"

Tie Sanhua burst out laughing 'haha': "In our Iron-Arm Mighty Ape clan, every generation's king has been called the Iron Arm King; the present Iron Arm King is my own elder brother, who in the Western Demon Kingdom is also regarded as a great demon lord, very prestigious."

Wu Tie and the others couldn't help but roll their eyes in unison—indeed, the Iron Arm King, heh!

A tremendously extravagant banquet was set up.

Roast pig as big as a small hill, roast sheep as big as a small hill, roast rabbit as big as a small hill, roast python as big as a small hill…

There was even a salt‑cured ox head, a head ten‑plus zhang across, brined for over half a month until thoroughly flavored—a delicacy.

The demons have this trait: their banquets always feature some strange and exotic ingredients.

In the Chen Dynasty, after a crime one is sentenced and then punished according to the severity of the offense.

In the Demon Kingdom, it's not like that.

When minor or major demons make a mistake, they often become food directly; having cultivated, they have stored vast amounts of heavenly‑earthly essence, each bite a supreme delicacy, rich in flavor.

Tie Sanhua was thrilled today; at the banquet he even reverted to his true form, becoming a black‑armed, long‑limbed giant monkey ten‑plus zhang tall, guffawing as he drank with Wu Tie, the liquor soaking his fur completely.

At the feast, a troupe of big and little monkeys squeaked 'zhizhi' wildly, leaping about gleefully, utterly devoid of etiquette or rules—just doing whatever made them happy.

Besides those hill‑sized roasted meats, there were piles of various strange and exotic fruits.

Wu Tie declined the odd roasted meats, but he genuinely liked the various fruits, especially the special fruit wine brewed by those monkey offspring.

Tie Sanhua looked down with contempt at Wu Tie's party gulping the fruit wine, then lifted the strong liquor Wu Tie had given him, gulping the pungent, fiery drink: "That fruit‑wine stuff is too effeminate… real men drink the strongest liquor, wield the heaviest staff, and crack the hardest skull."

He shook his head, sat beside Wu Tie, seized a seven‑to‑eight‑zhang rabbit leg, gulped a few bites, and mumbled: "Wu Tie brother…"

Since giving Wu Tie a gold identity token, Tie Sanhua's address for him shifted from 'Mister' to 'Brother.'

"Wu Tie brother, you've come to trade, but your courage is overly bold… Formerly, Chen Dynasty caravans wouldn't dare come unless they numbered eighteen hundred; you bring only this puny bunch of scrawny arms and legs."

Beside Feng Xiao and the others, the twenty‑odd death‑guard warriors of the Yin King's mansion lowered their gaze to their own arms and legs, then looked up at the towering ten‑plus‑zhang Tie Sanhua, and remained silent.

In stature and brute strength, even the most elite human cultivators—top‑tier body refiners—sometimes cannot measure up to these demons of extraordinary talent; on this point there is no room for negotiation.

No problem, I also have some self-defense ability, and what I brought are good things. I've heard that the various kings, emperors, and venerables of the monster country are also reasonable people. Wu Tie laughed: "They never refuse good things from humans, and they strictly forbid monsters from harming traveling merchants. Since that's the case, what do I have to fear?"

He chuckled, Wu Tie confidently laughed: "Don't hide it from you, Sanhua, I, a mere nobody, even when facing several great venerables of the monster country, still have confidence..."

Tie Sanhua hurriedly gave a hush, he whispered: "Don't do that... Brother, when dealing with venerables, you must show some respect; even a slight offense in words can be a huge disaster."

Wu Tie smiled confidently, he lifted the exquisitely shaped bamboo tube wine cup, took a sip of richly fragrant fruit wine, and said calmly: "No fear, no fear, I can make pills, I can forge weapons, I can write talismans, I can build cities, and all the various formations, prohibitions, feng shui, divination that cultivators should know—anything you monster country lack, I have."

He smiled proudly, Wu Tie said calmly: "Not only can I do it, but every one is top-notch skill, worthy of being called grand master level."

"I've heard that in the Sui Chao dynasty, even a pill master capable of refining the lowest-grade Great Dao Treasure Pill is qualified to sit as an equal with the monster country's venerables... Then I, who can refine top-grade Great Dao Treasure Pills and am a grand master skilled in all kinds of treasure pills, do I need to fear those few venerables?"

Wu Tie laughed brightly.

Coming to Blood Prison Mountain is not just to find Pei Feng.

He also remembers another goal of coming to the Sui Chao Continent—that Feng Rong's actions against Wu Tie and Pei Feng must be paid for.

In such a prosperous Sui Chao Continent, Wu Tie feels he should also be able to occupy a piece of land.

He did not come merely to expand territory; he came to take revenge on Feng Rong, and expanding territory and seizing land are just incidental.

The Sui Chao dynasty is naturally a massive entity; to deal with it, Wu Tie must seek some assistance.

For example, why can't the several venerables of the Western Monster Country cooperate?

So Wu Tie directly began boasting of his abilities: skilled in pill refining, weapon forging, talisman writing, formation techniques, all kinds of miscellaneous esoteric studies—everything he knows, he can do, there's nothing he doesn't understand, can't do, or isn't proficient in.

Such a grandmaster-level 'Tai Dou Supreme Treasure' has arrived; you high-ranking officials of the demon kingdom, handle it yourselves.

Iron Three Flower gasped, opening their mouth, two strands of saliva at the corners of their mouth flowing out like a small stream.

Grandmaster Alchemist?

What are you joking about?

Iron Arm Mighty Ape clan, after great hardship spending vast sums to purchase several unfortunate ordinary alchemists from the Sui Dynasty, now treat them as treasures, venerating them. Those few alchemists, the strongest among them can only produce pills usable by early-stage Embryo Treasury realm cultivators; that already is the living ancestor of the Iron Arm Mighty Ape clan. That alchemist, in daily dealings with Iron Three Flower's elder brother, the current Iron Arm King, invariably scolds them loudly.

How should one venerate a Grandmaster Alchemist? Iron Three Flower's limited brains cannot figure out this problem.

Speaking of, a Grandmaster Alchemist who also masters many other miscellaneous fields, even excelling in city-building, puppetry, and so on……

"Brother… uh… no… ancestor!" Iron Three Flower, drooling, said: "My father died in battle three hundred years ago, and my mother is still vigorous… If you're willing to marry my mother, then you'll be my father!"

Feng Xiao's body shuddered violently, he wanted to laugh but dared not.

Old Iron 'Crack!' bit the wine cup in his hand into two pieces, then clutched his belly and rolled on the ground, laughing wildly.

Wu Tie's face was pitch black, his fingers trembling, wishing a thunderbolt would split the big monkey before him into monkey-head jerky.