Chapter 79: Azure Ox Demon

"You two, come with me."

After getting Ah Niu and Pu Cao's contracts, Hua Changxi didn't want to stay by the river any longer, being stared at like a monkey. She signaled Ah Niu and Pu Cao to follow and turned to leave.

Pu Cao had already untied the ropes on Ah Niu. Hearing Hua Changxi telling them to leave, she couldn't help but ask, "Milady, what about that fish?"

Hua Changxi looked at Pu Cao in surprise. This person adapted with surprising smoothness, showing no embarrassment at all, and was now acting like a loyal servant thinking about the household.

Seeing Hua Changxi looking at her, Pu Cao thought her new young mistress might not understand livelihood matters much, so she stepped forward and explained in a low voice, "That fish must weigh several thousand jin. It can be sold for a lot of silver."

Mao Yong and many from Dongchi Village were very eager for the big fish in the river.

Based on past experience, demonic beasts were highly nourishing. Martial artists could stimulate their potential from eating them, and ordinary people could strengthen their bodies.

They originally thought that if Hua Changxi didn't want it, they could get some shares. They didn't expect Pu Cao to jump out and cause trouble.

Hua Changxi smiled at Pu Cao: "That fish is too big; we can't take it away. What do you suggest?"

Pu Cao continued in a low voice: "Many people in the village practice martial arts. They definitely want it. Even the Medicine Manor's people probably want it. We can sell it to them."

Hua Changxi looked at her: "Go handle this."

Pu Cao didn't expect Hua Changxi to let her take charge. After a pause, she decisively went to find Mao Yong.

She had seen earlier that her mistress was called by Mao Yong. Without Mao Yong, her mistress wouldn't have come, and she and Ah Niu would have died today. She owed this favor.

When they saw Pu Cao negotiating with Mao Yong about selling the fish, the people of Dongchi Village couldn't sit still.

"This river belongs to our Dongchi Village, so its contents also belong to Dongchi Village."

Pu Cao glared coldly: "The big fish was killed by my mistress. The imperial court already has regulations: whoever kills a demonic beast owns it. Besides, who can be sure this big fish came from Dongchi Village's river section? I could say it swam here from elsewhere."

Mao Yong was a calculating person. He knew Pu Cao hated the people of Dongchi Village and didn't want to sell the fish to those who wanted her dead. But since she was leaving with Hua Changxi, while he still had to stay at the Medicine Manor and continue dealing with the villagers, he smiled and said:

"This fish is too big; the manor can't finish it. How about splitting it half and half with the village?"

Pu Cao glanced back at Hua Changxi. Seeing that she said nothing, and also considering that her mother-in-law was still in Dongchi Village, she didn't want to go too far. She agreed: "Ordinary fish are five wen per catty. This big fish... twenty wen per catty."

The people of Dongchi Village thought it was too expensive, but Mao Yong didn't care about the money: "Fine, twenty wen per catty."

Pu Cao set the price, but she was stumped on how to weigh it. She looked towards Hua Changxi.

Hua Changxi: "Just count it as 5,000 catty."

A fish nearly ten meters long was definitely more than 5,000 catty. Pu Cao thought Hua Changxi was underestimating, but she wouldn't contradict her mistress in public. She immediately said: "5,000 catty at twenty wen per catty. Each of you pays fifty taels."

Someone from Dongchi Village shouted: "Then you have to haul the big fish ashore."

Mao Yong also thought hauling the fish was heavy work, so he said nothing.

Pu Cao looked at Hua Changxi. Hua Changxi said nothing. She lightly stepped on the river surface, dashed to where the big fish was floating, and kicked it, sending the fish directly onto the shore.

The big fish hit the ground with a dull thud. A huge, headless fish was now lying before everyone.

Mao Yong and the martial artists from Dongchi Village twitched their eyelids. This control of force... she was definitely a top-tier expert.

Mao Yong didn't hesitate. He took out fifty taels of silver and handed them to Pu Cao.

Pu Cao took the silver and looked at the Dongchi Village people: "Hurry up. My mistress doesn't have time to waste here with you."

The Dongchi Village people tried to delay: "It takes time to get silver. What's the rush?"

Hua Changxi spoke: "I'll wait for one quarter of an hour. After that, I'll kick the fish into pieces as fertilizer for the fields."

Hearing this, the Dongchi Village people dared not dawdle. An elder went to Mao Yong, borrowed fifty taels from him, and gave them to Pu Cao.

Seeing Pu Cao had received the silver, Hua Changxi didn't want to stay any longer: "Let's go."

Pu Cao supported Ah Niu and followed quickly.

Watching the three walk away arrogantly, except for the sullen-faced Clan Leader Li, everyone else's attention was on the big fish.

"Milady, this is the one hundred taels from selling the fish."

After stepping onto the official road, Pu Cao immediately handed the silver to Hua Changxi.

Hua Changxi glanced at her, took the silver, and seeing that she and Ah Niu were shivering and blue-lipped from their wet clothes, she pulled out two fire spirit stones and told them to put them in their pockets.

Pu Cao and Ah Niu didn't know what fire spirit stones were, but they obediently did as told.

Soon, both of their faces showed surprise; the red stone in their pouch was like a warm heat source, making their bodies feel warmer, and their clothes were slowly drying.

"What plans do the two of you have for the future?" Hua Changxi suddenly spoke.

Hearing this, Pucao and A'niu were stunned. Hadn't they been sold? Of course they would follow their master.

A'niu was an honest man and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

But Pucao was quick-witted: "Lady, we are your servants. From now on, of course we will follow you. We will do whatever you tell us to do."

Hua Changxi turned to look at them: "I just asked for your indentures because the situation forced me to. If you stay in Dongchi Village, you probably won't have a good life."

"I don't need servants, but I do need people to work for me."

"If either of you has somewhere else to go, you may leave on your own. If not, you can follow me."

After hearing this, A'niu was a bit flustered. He looked at Pucao, waiting for her to decide.

Pucao looked very surprised, studying Hua Changxi's expression as if trying to see if she truly meant what she said. Though her mind was racing, she immediately declared her loyalty:

"Lady, neither A'niu nor I have anywhere to go. We want to follow you."

She knew that after what happened with being drowned in the river, she and A'niu had no way back. This young lady had saved them, which meant she had a kind heart.

Whether those words just now were true, false, or a test, they had no other choice. For now, they could only follow her.

Hua Changxi looked at them and smiled: "My standards for hiring people are very high. I'll let you try for now."

From her collaborations with Eunuch Yu and Eunuch Lu, as well as with Old Fourth You, she had realized one thing: openly stating her intentions from the start didn't necessarily achieve her goals. Others might even use it to threaten her and put her in a passive position.

A'niu was strong and honest; Pucao was bold and knew how to handle things. When she decided to save them, she had already planned to have them help manage her shop.

But she had learned from past experience—she couldn't let them think from the start that she absolutely needed them. She didn't want to test human nature, and she definitely didn't want to fall into a passive position again.

From now on, she would handle things differently.

Pucao and A'niu immediately said seriously: "Lady, we will definitely do our work well."

Seeing their solemn expressions, Hua Changxi was satisfied and said, "From now on, call me Changxi."

A'niu still found it hard to speak, but Pucao had already called out: "Alright, Changxi."

Hua Changxi smiled at Pucao. She had to admit, this person's personality really suited her.

When they reached a fork in the road, a herd of cattle suddenly burst out of the forest beside them.

The herd was orderly, not charging wildly, but stopping at the intersection.

"Xiaoqing!"

When A'niu saw the herd, he no longer acted shy or silent. He ran quickly to them, hugged the lead ox's head, and rubbed against it.

Worried that Hua Changxi might not like A'niu's behavior, Pucao quickly explained: "When A'niu was five, he was starving and went into the mountains looking for food. He was almost killed by a wolf. That blue ox saved him."

"After that, whenever A'niu couldn't get food, he would go into the forest to find the blue ox, and the ox would lead him to find fruit to eat."

"To A'niu, the blue ox is like family."

Hua Changxi looked at the blue ox's highly intelligent eyes, somewhat surprised. She could roughly sense the amount of spiritual energy within the ox.

This was a Qi Sea realm demon beast!

Pucao studied Hua Changxi's expression and secretly sighed in relief when she saw no sign of disgust.

Just then, A'niu, who had been nuzzling with the blue ox for a while, came back. His expression was a bit awkward, as if he wanted to say something to Hua Changxi.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi took the initiative to ask, "A'niu, what do you want to say to me?"

A'niu took a deep breath, gathered his courage, pointed at the blue ox, and said to Hua Changxi, "I want to bring Xiaoqing along with us."

Hua Changxi was puzzled: "Why do you have to bring the blue ox? Compared to a human city, wouldn't the mountains be a better place for it to live?"

A'niu was a bit anxious: "Xiaoqing wants to follow me."

Hua Changxi raised an eyebrow: "The blue ox wants to follow you? What, you can understand what an ox is thinking?"

A'niu, who had never dared to meet Hua Changxi's eyes, didn't look away this time. He looked at her seriously and said, "I can hear Xiaoqing's thoughts."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi became interested. She looked at the blue ox and beckoned it: "Come here."

The green ox seemed to understand Hua Changxi's words, turned its head and mooed a few times at the herd behind it, then walked over.

Hua Changxi looked at the green ox: "You, this ox, can you understand human speech?"

The green ox nodded.

Hua Changxi: "Why must you follow A Niu?"

The green ox looked at A Niu, then at Hua Changxi, and suddenly spoke: "A Niu and I signed a spirit pet contract. I am to follow him."

The green ox speaking shocked Pu Cao so much her face changed color. If it weren't for Hua Changxi and A Niu standing beside her, she would have turned and run.

Hua Changxi was also somewhat surprised; this was the first demon beast she had encountered that could speak: "Only demon beasts at the Infant Transformation realm can refine their throat bones and speak human language. You haven't reached Infant Transformation yet."

The green ox shook its head: "I'm only at the Qi Sea realm. It was A Niu—A Niu picked a spirit fruit in the mountains and fed it to me. After eating it, I was able to speak."

Hua Changxi looked at the thin A Niu and continued asking: "Why did you and A Niu sign a contract?"

The green ox: "A Niu has a scent I really like. Once, when he was injured, we accidentally formed the contract."

Hua Changxi: "Since you are A Niu's spirit pet, why didn't you go save him when he was in danger just now?"

The green ox: "I was stopped by a wolf demon in the mountains." As it spoke, it lifted its left front hoof, revealing the claw marks left by the wolf demon.

Seeing the green ox injured, A Niu immediately felt distressed: "Does it hurt? With such heavy injuries, we need to apply herbal medicine."

Hua Changxi heard A Niu's words and was somewhat speechless: "It's a demon beast, nourished by spiritual energy. A few claw marks will heal quickly."

The green ox bumped A Niu with its head, signaling him not to worry: "Fairy, have you agreed to let me follow A Niu?"

Hua Changxi lowered her eyes in contemplation. A Qi Sea realm demon beast that could speak human language did have some use: "A human settlement isn't like the mountains. Once you go to the city, you cannot harm people."

The green ox: "What if someone harms me?"

Hua Changxi: "That depends on the extent of the harm. If someone threatens your life, you can fight back. But if someone just whips you a few times and you hurt them, that won't do."

The green ox was silent for a moment: "I can manage not to randomly hurt people."

Hua Changxi glanced at the pale-faced Pu Cao beside her: "Not only can you not harm people, but you also cannot let anyone know you are a demon beast."

The green ox nodded: "A Niu and I are of one mind. I don't have to speak for him to know my thoughts. Today, if I hadn't seen the fairy, I wouldn't have spoken."

Hua Changxi was curious: "How did you know I am a cultivator?"

The green ox: "The fairy has an aura that frightens me."

Hua Changxi: "What aura?"

The green ox shook its head: "I can't describe it. But anyway, if A Niu weren't here today, I definitely wouldn't have dared to approach the fairy."

Hua Changxi: "It's not because my cultivation base is higher than yours?"

The green ox shook its head again: "I can't sense any spiritual energy fluctuations from the fairy at all. If it weren't for that aura that intimidates me, in my eyes, you would be no different from a mortal."

Hua Changxi was truly surprised: "In your eyes, I am no different from a mortal?"

The green ox nodded.

Hua Changxi sensed something was off. Both cultivators and demon beasts could be seen as masses of spiritual energy. When two masses of spiritual energy met, they could sense each other.

Her cultivation base was above the green ox. The ox might not be able to probe her true strength, but it should be able to sense she was a cultivator.

Of course, cultivators also had methods to prevent others from sensing their strength, such as using aura-concealing techniques or aura-concealing talismans.

But the problem was, she hadn't used any of those methods.

Could it be that the technique she cultivated was capable of automatically concealing her aura?

Hua Changxi was a bit puzzled. She filed this question away in her mind and didn't ask further: "I was just worried about the trouble of taking the two of them back to the capital. Now you can carry them on the journey."

Seeing that Hua Changxi had agreed to let him follow A Niu, the green ox was very happy. It immediately knelt down on its two front hooves, letting A Niu and Pu Cao sit on its back.

Pu Cao was still immersed in the collapse of her worldview, somewhat afraid of this talking ox, and didn't dare move.

A Niu saw this and comforted her: "Sister Pu Cao, don't be afraid. Xiao Qing is very gentle and won't hurt you."

Pu Cao looked at A Niu, then at Hua Changxi. With A Niu's help, she steeled herself and sat on the green ox's back.

Hua Changxi watched as A Niu helped Pu Cao onto the green ox's back with one hand and suddenly asked: "A Niu, I see you're quite strong. When those people in the village were trying to catch you, why didn't you fight back?"

A Niu was at a loss, hanging his head without speaking.

Seeing this, Pu Cao helped reply, "When A Niu was young, he was already very strong. At first, when he was bullied, he would fight back."

"But later he injured the chieftain's son, and the chieftain gave a strict order to the village: as long as A Niu hit someone, no one was allowed to help him or hire him for work."

"Hitting meant no food. Over time, A Niu got into the habit of not fighting back when hit."

After hearing this, Hua Changxi was silent for a moment, then looked at A Niu. "The first rule of working for me is: if you're bullied, you must retaliate fiercely. If you don't even dare to stand up for yourself, where does the motivation come from to help others solve their problems?"