Chapter 79: The Green Ox Demon

"You two, come with me."

After securing the deeds of servitude for A-Niu and Pucao, Hua Changxi had no desire to remain by the river and be gawked at like monkeys; she signaled for them to follow, then turned to leave.

Pucao had already untied the ropes binding A-Niu, but upon hearing Hua Changxi call for them to depart, she could not help but ask, "Young Mistress, are you not taking that fish?"

Hua Changxi glanced at Pucao in surprise; this person had switched roles with such seamless ease, showing not a shred of embarrassment, and now stood poised as a loyal servant plotting for her master's benefit.

Seeing Hua Changxi looking at her, Pucao assumed her new mistress was young and perhaps unfamiliar with livelihood matters, so she stepped forward and whispered, "That fish weighs at least several thousand jin; it could fetch a great sum of silver."

Many people from Mao Yong and Dongchi Village were already drooling over the giant fish in the river.

According to past experience, fierce beasts were highly nourishing; martial artists who consumed them could stimulate their potential, while ordinary people could strengthen their bodies and improve their health.

They had originally thought Hua Changxi would not want it, ensuring they could all get a share, yet they never expected Pucao to jump out and cause trouble.

Hua Changxi smiled at Pucao: "That fish is too large for us to carry away; what do you suggest we do?"

Pucao continued in a low voice: "Many people in the village practice martial arts and will surely want it; even those from the Medicine Manor likely desire it, so we can sell it to them."

Hua Changxi looked at her: "You handle this matter."

Pucao had not expected Hua Changxi to send her to deal with it; after a brief pause, she resolutely went to find Mao Yong.

She had seen earlier that her mistress had been summoned by Mao Yong; without him, her mistress would not have come, and she and A-Niu would have lost their lives today, so this debt of gratitude had to be repaid.

Seeing Pucao approach Mao Yong to discuss selling the fish, the people of Dongchi Village could no longer sit idle.

"This river belongs to our Dongchi Village, and everything within it belongs to Dongchi Village as well."

Pucao cast a cold glance their way: "The giant fish was caught by my Young Mistress. The imperial court has long established rules that whoever kills a fierce beast owns it. Furthermore, who can guarantee this fish came from the Dongchi Village section of the river? I could just as well say it swam here from elsewhere."

Mao Yong was a calculating man; he knew Pucao harbored hatred toward the people of Dongchi Village and did not wish to sell the fish to those who had tried to kill her, yet since she was leaving with Hua Changxi while he remained at the Medicine Manor to continue dealing with these villagers, he smiled and said:

"This fish is too large for the manor to consume entirely; how about splitting it half and half between me and the village?"

Pucao glanced back at Hua Changxi; seeing her remain silent, and considering she still had a mother-in-law in Dongchi Village and did not wish to burn all bridges, she agreed: "Ordinary fish sell for five wen per jin; for this giant fish, twenty wen per jin."

The people of Dongchi Village felt the price was too high, but Mao Yong cared little for such a small amount of silver: "Very well, twenty wen per jin it is."

Although Pucao had settled the price, the subsequent task of weighing the fish stumped her, and she instinctively looked toward Hua Changxi.

Hua Changxi said: "Just calculate it as 5,000 jin."

A giant fish nearly ten meters long certainly weighed more than 5,000 jin; although Pucao felt Hua Changxi had underestimated the weight, she would not contradict her mistress in public, so she immediately announced: "5,000 jin at twenty wen per jin; each of you pay fifty taels."

Someone from Dongchi Village shouted: "Then you must haul the giant fish ashore."

Mao Yong also felt that retrieving the fish was heavy labor, so he remained silent.

Pucao looked at Hua Changxi, who said nothing; instead, she lightly tapped her foot, stepped onto the river surface, and rushed toward the center, where she kicked the floating giant fish, sending it flying directly onto the bank.

The giant fish landed without a heavy thud; a massive fish lacking its head now lay intact before everyone.

Mao Yong and several martial artists from Dongchi Village twitched their eyelids; such control of force... this was absolutely the mark of a high-level expert.

Without a word, Mao Yong took out fifty taels of silver and handed it to Pucao.

Pucao accepted the silver and looked at the people of Dongchi Village: "Hurry up; my Young Mistress has no time to waste here with you."

The people of Dongchi Village attempted to delay intentionally: "Retrieving the silver takes time; what is wrong with waiting a moment?"

Hua Changxi spoke: "I will wait only one quarter-hour; if that time passes, I will kick the fish into pieces and use it as fertilizer for this land."

Upon hearing this, the people of Dongchi Village dared not dawdle any longer; an elder approached Mao Yong, borrowed fifty taels of silver from him, and gave it to Pucao.

Seeing Pucao accept the silver, Hua Changxi no longer wished to linger: "Let's go."

Pucao supported A-Niu and hurried to keep pace.

Watching the three depart with heads held high, everyone except the gloomy-faced Clan Leader Li focused their attention on the giant fish.

"Young Mistress, here is the one hundred taels of silver from selling the fish."

Once they reached the official road, Pucao immediately handed the silver to Hua Changxi.

Hua Changxi glanced at her, accepted the silver, and seeing that both she and A-Niu were shivering with purple-tinged faces due to their soaked clothing, she took out two Fire Spirit Stones and told them to put them in their pockets.

Pucao and A-Niu did not know what Fire Spirit Stones were, but they obediently did as told.

Soon, wonder appeared on their faces; the red stones in their pockets acted like a warm heat source, warming their bodies and gradually drying their clothes.

"What are your plans for the future?" Hua Changxi suddenly asked.

Hearing this, both Pucao and A-Niu froze; had they not been sold? Naturally, they would follow their master.

A-Niu, being honest and simple, did not know how to respond for a moment.

Pucao, however, was quick-witted: "Young Mistress, we are your servants; naturally, we will follow you in the future. Whatever you order us to do, we will do."

Hua Changxi turned to look at the two: "I demanded your deeds of servitude earlier due to the pressing circumstances; if you continued to stay in Dongchi Village, you would likely not have good days ahead."

"I do not need servants, but I do need to hire people to work for me."

"If you have elsewhere to go, you may leave on your own; if not, you may follow me."

After hearing this, A-Niu felt somewhat at a loss; he looked at Pucao, waiting for her to make the decision.

Pucao's expression was one of great surprise; she looked at Hua Changxi with an inquisitive gaze, seemingly trying to discern whether these words were sincere. Although her mind raced with countless thoughts, her face immediately displayed loyalty:

"Young Mistress, neither A-Niu nor I have anywhere to go; we wish to follow you."

She knew that after the incident of being sunk in the river, she and A-Niu had no path of retreat; this young lady had acted to save them, proving she possessed a kind heart.

Regardless of whether those previous words were true, false, or a test, they had no other choice; now, they could only follow her.

Hua Changxi looked at the two and smiled: "My standards for hiring are very high, but I will let you try for now."

From her cooperation with Eunuch Yu and Eunuch Lu, as well as her dealings with You Lao and the others, she had realized a problem: revealing one's intentions openly from the start did not necessarily achieve one's goals; others might even use that information to blackmail her, placing her in a passive position.

A-Niu possessed great strength and was honest by nature; this Pucao had a fiery temper and knew how to handle affairs; when she had decided to save them, she had already planned to have the two manage a shop for her.

However, having learned from past experiences, she could not let them feel immediately indispensable; she did not wish to test human nature, nor did she want to fall into a passive situation again.

In her future actions, she would adopt a different approach.

Pucao and A-Niu immediately expressed themselves with seriousness: "Young Mistress, we will certainly work hard."

Seeing their solemn expressions, Hua Changxi felt satisfied: "From now on, just call me Changxi."

A-Niu still found himself unable to speak, but Pu Cao had already called out, "All right, Changxi."

Hua Changxi glanced at Pu Cao with a smile; truth be told, this person's temperament really suited her.

As they reached a fork in the road, a herd of cattle suddenly charged out from the nearby mountain forest.

The herd moved with remarkable order; instead of rampaging blindly, they halted at the crossroads.

"Little Green!"

Upon seeing the herd, A-Niu shed his shyness and silence, dashing toward them to embrace and nuzzle the lead ox's head.

Worried that Hua Changxi might disapprove of A-Niu's behavior, Pu Cao hastily explained, "When A-Niu was five, driven by extreme hunger, he entered the mountains foraging for food and was nearly killed by a wolf; it was that green ox who saved him."

"Afterward, whenever A-Niu had no food, he would go into the mountain forest to find the green ox, who would lead him to fruits to eat."

"To A-Niu, the green ox is like family."

Hua Changxi gazed into the green ox's remarkably spirited eyes with some surprise; she could roughly sense the amount of spiritual energy within it.

This was a Qi Sea realm demonic beast!

Pu Cao scrutinized Hua Changxi's expression; seeing no hint of disgust, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, A-Niu returned after fussing with the green ox for a while, his face twisted with awkwardness, as if he wanted to say something to Hua Changxi.

Seeing his state, Hua Changxi took the initiative to ask, "A-Niu, what do you want to tell me?"

A-Niu took a deep breath, summoned his courage, pointed at the green ox, and said to Hua Changxi, "I want to take Little Green with me."

Hua Changxi was puzzled: "Why must you bring the green ox? Compared to cities inhabited by humans, the mountain forest is clearly more suitable for its survival."

A-Niu grew anxious: "Little Green wants to follow me."

Hua Changxi raised an eyebrow: "The green ox wants to follow you? What, can you understand the thoughts of an ox?"

A-Niu, who had previously dared not look Hua Changxi in the eye, did not flinch this time; he looked at her earnestly and said, "I can hear Little Green's thoughts."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi became interested; she looked at the green ox and beckoned to it, "Come here."

The green ox seemed to understand Hua Changxi's words; it turned its head, mooed several times to the herd behind it, and then stepped forward.

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

The green ox nodded.

Hua Changxi asked, "Why must you follow A-Niu?"

The green ox glanced at A-Niu, then at Hua Changxi, and suddenly spoke: "I have signed a spiritual pet contract with A-Niu; I am bound to follow him."

The green ox speaking terrified Pu Cao, turning her face pale; had Hua Changxi and A-Niu not been standing beside her, she would have turned and fled.

Hua Changxi was also somewhat surprised; this was the first talking demonic beast she had ever encountered: "Only demonic beasts at the Infant Transformation realm can refine their horizontal bone and speak human language; you haven't reached the Infant Transformation realm, have you?"

The green ox shook its head: "I am only at the Qi Sea realm; it was A-Niu. A-Niu picked a spiritual fruit for me in the mountains; after eating it, I gained the ability to speak."

Hua Changxi looked at the frail A-Niu and continued asking, "Why did you sign a contract with A-Niu?"

The green ox replied, "A-Niu possesses an aura I greatly like; once when he was injured, we accidentally formed a bond."

Hua Changxi asked, "Since you are A-Niu's spiritual pet, why did you not save him when he was in danger just now?"

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

Seeing the green ox injured, A-Niu immediately felt heartbroken: "Does it hurt? With such a severe wound, you need herbal medicine applied."

Hearing A-Niu's words, Hua Changxi felt somewhat speechless: "It is a demonic beast, nourished by spiritual energy; a few claw marks will heal very quickly."

The green ox bumped its head against A-Niu, signaling him to calm down: "Immortal Maiden, have you agreed to let me follow A-Niu?"

Hua Changxi lowered her eyes in contemplation; a Qi Sea realm demonic beast capable of human speech might indeed prove useful: "Human settlements are not like the mountain forest; once you go into the city, you must not harm people."

The green ox asked, "What if a human harms me?"

Hua Changxi replied, "That depends on the nature of the harm; if someone endangers your life, you may fight back, but if a human merely whips you a few times and you injure them in return, that is not permissible."

The green ox fell silent for a moment: "I can manage not to harm people indiscriminately."

Hua Changxi glanced at Pu Cao, whose face had turned deathly pale: "Not only must you not harm people, but you also cannot let anyone know you are a demonic beast."

The green ox nodded: "A-Niu and I share a mental connection; even without me speaking, he can know my thoughts. Today, had I not met the Immortal Maiden, I would not have spoken."

Hua Changxi grew curious: "How do you know I am a cultivator?"

The green ox replied, "The Immortal Maiden emits an aura that frightens me."

Hua Changxi asked, "What kind of aura?"

The green ox shook its head: "I cannot describe it; all I know is that today, had A-Niu not been present, I would definitely not have dared to approach the Immortal Maiden."

Hua Changxi asked, "Is it not because my cultivation level is higher than yours?"

The green ox shook its head again: "I cannot sense any fluctuation of spiritual energy on the Immortal Maiden; without that aura which fills me with dread, in my eyes, you are actually no different from an ordinary mortal."

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

The green ox nodded.

Hua Changxi sensed something amiss; cultivators and demonic beasts can both be regarded as clusters of spiritual energy, and when such clusters meet, they should be able to sense each other.

Her cultivation level was above that of the green ox; while the green ox might not be able to probe her true strength, it should still be able to perceive that she was a cultivator.

Of course, cultivators possess methods to prevent others from sensing their strength, such as using the Breath-Concealing Technique or Breath-Concealing Talismans.

But the problem was, she had used none of these methods.

Could it be that the cultivation technique she practiced automatically concealed her breath?

Somewhat perplexed, Hua Changxi made a mental note of this issue and asked nothing further: "I was just worrying about the trouble of taking these two back to the capital; now, you shall carry them on the journey."

Seeing that Hua Changxi had agreed to let him follow A-Niu, the green ox was overjoyed; it immediately knelt on its two front hooves, allowing A-Niu and Pu Cao to mount its back.

Pu Cao, still immersed in the collapse of her worldview, felt some fear toward this talking ox and did not dare to move.

Seeing this, A-Niu comforted her: "Sister Pu Cao, do not be afraid; Little Green is very gentle and will not harm you."

Pu Cao looked at A-Niu, then at Hua Changxi, and with A-Niu's help, steeled herself to climb onto the green ox's back.

Watching A-Niu lift Pu Cao onto the green ox's back with just one hand, Hua Changxi suddenly asked, "A-Niu, I see you possess great strength; why did you not resist when those people in the village captured you?"

A-Niu felt somewhat at a loss, hanging his head without speaking.

Seeing this, Pu Cao helped reply, "A-Niu has possessed great strength since childhood. At first, when bullied, he would fight back."

"But later, after he injured the village chief's son, the chief issued a strict order to the village: if A-Niu struck anyone, no one was allowed to provide him relief or hire him for work."

"Strike someone and go hungry; over time, A-Niu developed the habit of not fighting back when hit."

After hearing this, Hua Changxi fell silent for a moment, then looked at A-Niu. "The first requirement for working under me is that if you are bullied, you must strike back fiercely. If you do not even dare to stand up for yourself, where will you find the motivation to solve problems for others?"