Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

“I don’t eat pandas,” Qing said.

The panda was so small that it didn't have much meat. For her and Bai, who were powerful demons, it wasn't even considered food. Larger animals like deer, cattle, and sheep were on their normal diet.

That being said, the pandas didn't want to be in the same room with her, especially since Zhuang Xing was going out. They also didn't want to stay with Bai, so they all made an excuse to go to the yard.

After settling the two men in, Zhuang Xing took Bai to buy chickens.

He took Bai to Uncle Wei's chicken farm. He knew that the guest had a big appetite and could eat a whole cow in one meal, but Bai said that two chickens would be enough today.

“It’s not as cold outside as it is inside the mountains,” Bai said. “Once we’re out here, I feel much less sleepy. In the mountains, I eat more at each meal, but it’s too much trouble. Since we’re out here, you can make some different dishes. I want to try more flavors.”

“Alright.” Zhuang Xing lifted the straw rope binding the rooster. “Then I’ll prepare a meal for Mr. Bai and Senior Qing based on the portion size of an adult, how about that?”

"That's exactly what I meant." Bai nodded. "However, Brother Zhuang, don't worry, I won't eat and drink for free. Although I came empty-handed, I will definitely find a way to repay you once I've filled my stomach."

Chapter 309 Not a Needle

Zhuang Xing took the panda to the forest behind the mountain to pick some fresh wild mushrooms. It was already summer, and the mountain was humid with rain and the forest was lush, which was perfect for the growth of these wild mushrooms.

He picked a full basket, and when he returned to the house, the two chickens he had bought had already been bled.

He boiled water, scalded the chicken feathers, and then put the cleaned fresh mushrooms and the gutted whole chicken, along with dried red dates and goji berries, into a pot to stew.

He took out the last piece of cured pork, which he had brought from home last year. Half the year had already passed, and once he finished this piece of cured pork, he would have to wait until the end of the year.

This is a piece of excellent pork belly, half fat and half lean. After the cured pork was cooked, he used his excellent knife skills to slice it into thin slices. The translucent slices of cured pork were arranged in a flower shape on the plate. He only cut half of it. The other half of the cured pork was chopped up and stewed in a pot with glutinous rice and red beans to make a pot of soft, sticky and savory glutinous rice.

It was still bright outside. When the guests arrived, it was only past noon. After he finished preparing the food, there was still some time before his usual mealtime.

But smelling this aroma makes me feel hungry.

Lifting the lid, he saw that the rice stuck to the firewood in the pot had been roasted into a crispy crust. With a crunch, he picked up his chopsticks, broke off a piece of the crust, and tasted it. The outer layer of glutinous rice was sticky and soft, while the crust was crispy and fragrant, cooked to perfection.

The chicken soup was almost ready, the wild mushrooms were very delicious, and a layer of cool oil floated on the surface, steaming hot.

So dinner was served earlier than usual that day. Zhuang Xing brought the food to the table, and Bai, who was already starving, picked up the bowl and started eating.

"No prick, no needle prick!" Bai muttered, his face flushed, as he ate.

He ate one of the two chickens, bones and all.

Qing didn't eat as much as him, but she still ate quite a bit of glutinous rice and drank several bowls of chicken soup.

The two of them didn't have many formalities. Since they were not human, they didn't follow human etiquette and customs, and didn't have many complicated rituals.

At the dinner table, Zhuang Xing asked, "How long do you two plan to stay here?"

"I don't know," Bai said. "I just came here on a whim. I'll go back when I've had enough. But this mountain of yours is quite nice. It has a spiritual energy, and I quite like it."

It seems they won't be leaving anytime soon.

The two were born from dragons. A hundred years was a lifetime for a person, but for them, it was just a moment in their lives. They could stay in the snow-capped mountains for hundreds of years without going out. If they wanted to, it wouldn't be difficult for them to stay outside for hundreds of years.

Zhuang Xing then thought of arranging accommodations for them. When he first bought the courtyard, he thought it was a large place, but after a few years, all the rooms were filled and there was no extra space.

The Taoist temple does have guest rooms for pilgrims to stay overnight, but those rooms are not suitable for long-term stays. It would be better to rent an empty courtyard.

After consulting the old Taoist priest, they were able to borrow a quiet courtyard.

The two of them stayed in that house for the time being.

After several days of this, the two of them came over for a free meal every day.

Qing often stayed with Yan Huai'an, seemingly observing what Yan Huai'an did every day.

The female knight lived on the mountain, doing chores like watering flowers and weeding every day. Occasionally, she would go fishing, and Qing would follow her wherever she went. However, they didn't seem to talk much to each other. Although they didn't speak, they had a strange tacit understanding that they had developed over many years. For example, when the female knight was watering the plants, she would hand her the watering can, and Qing would naturally start watering the flowers and plants as well.

But on this day, after Qing took the showerhead, she waved her hand and summoned clouds and rain.

One second the sky was clear and bright, the next second dark clouds gathered, the wind picked up, and rain began to fall.

The rain fell with perfect precision, landing only in the courtyard. Outside, it was still sunny, and a beautiful rainbow appeared under the sun shower.

As a descendant of Yinglong, Qing seems to be proficient in water magic. The mountain is shrouded in mist and humidity, making it much easier to cast water spells.

She probably thought watering the flowers with a watering can was too much trouble, so she just waved her hand and finished with one gesture.

But her action caused the female warrior to snatch the showerhead back.

"Is she unhappy?" Qing asked Zhuang Xing for an answer.

"The enjoyment of watering flowers is in that leisurely feeling; watching the dark clouds and rain loses its charm," Zhuang Xing replied.

Qing seemed to be deep in thought. She waved her hand to disperse the dark clouds and stopped using water to water the flowers. You could even see her loosening the soil with a small shovel in the yard. After Zhuang Xing's intervention, she and Yan Huai'an got along better.

Zhuang Xing had a feeling that she cared a lot about the female knight-errant, but perhaps she hadn't noticed it before.

After eating and drinking his fill for several days, Bai sat in a chair and patted his belly contentedly.

"Brother Zhuang, thank you for your hospitality these past few days," Bai said. "I've been thinking about how to repay you. I noticed that your pandas don't seem to know any cultivation methods, they've only gained some intelligence. How about I teach them the breathing techniques of the demon race?"

"The breathing techniques of the demon race?" Zhuang Xing seized on the key phrase. "Mr. Bai, are the cultivation methods of demons and humans very different?"

He had taught pandas warm-up techniques before, but it didn't seem to be very effective. Pandas are too different from humans; their meridians and acupoints are different, and human cultivation methods don't seem to work on them.

As for the demon's breathing technique, he didn't know much about it.

“There is a great difference between demons and humans. Humans are born with innate intelligence and wisdom, making cultivation much easier for them than for other beings. Demons with cultivation can transform into human form to increase their cultivation. Although they cannot achieve immortality, they can still prolong their lives and at least live to the same age as humans,” Bai said. “But your bears are too weak in cultivation. I don’t think they come from any red bear demon clan. They haven’t mastered the method of transformation and only know how to eat and sleep all day long. If this continues, I’m afraid they won’t be able to stay by your side for long.”

"I happen to know a technique of the Red Panda Demon Clan. If they are willing to learn it, they can extend their lifespan. I will teach them the technique as payment for my meals these few days. What do you think?"

"Well... then I'll leave it to Mr. Bai," Zhuang Xing replied.

Five pandas have been with him for more than three years. He has long regarded the pandas as his family. There is no reason for him to refuse such a good thing. Who would not like their family to be healthy and live a few more years?

Just like when he urged the pandas to lose weight, he also hoped that they could be healthy and not develop any chronic illnesses.

However, he noticed another sentence in the conversation.

The matter of the demon race was rarely mentioned before.

Demon races are rare. The only ones he has ever seen that can be considered "demons" are the macaques in Hundred Flowers Valley and the spirits of the plants and trees there, which seem to have a clan.

Zhuang Xing became somewhat interested in this. Mr. Bai had lived for so many years, he must be very knowledgeable and know things that some people might not be aware of.

Chapter 310 Secrets of the Demon Clan

"Mr. Bai, are there still demons like the Red Panda in this world?" Zhuang Xing asked. "I've never heard of them, nor have I ever seen them."

“I don’t know now, but it existed before,” Bai recalled. “However, most of the various demon races are just fleeting and cannot be passed down for a long time. Demons are not like you humans, who are born with intelligence. Demon offspring usually need to find some rare and precious materials, occupy a treasure land, or have someone in the clan pass on the teachings to them in order to ensure that they develop intelligence.”

"Without these opportunities, the children of the demon race will decline generation after generation, and eventually turn into wild beasts. Unless they encounter an opportunity or a master, they will not have the chance to regain their intelligence."

"Moreover, the various demon races are diverse and difficult to unify. For example, a monkey troop or a sheep troop might have two or three hundred members at most. The different races are mostly isolated and do not interact much with other races. It is absolutely impossible for you humans to be scattered all over the world, coming and going from north to south and from all corners of the earth."

"You humans are spirits favored by Heaven."

"Many demons lie dormant in the deep mountains and forests, seeking only to continue their race and not interacting with the outside world. They each have their own methods to hide their race. Unless there is a major change in the world, you humans will naturally find it difficult to detect the existence of demons."

"I see."

Zhuang Xing pondered for a moment and realized that what Mr. Bai said made a lot of sense. It was not without reason that people were able to occupy the vast majority of land and establish cities, countries, and civilizations.

A nation like the Great Yu can be called a civilization, while those demon races can only be considered primitive tribes at best.

As for monsters like the white-tailed jackal, they don't even qualify as tribes; they are just some beasts born with supernatural powers.

It sounds like the beginning of a demon race was purely coincidental, lacking any inevitability. Such a race has a very poor ability to withstand risks, and its members are too few. Like a monkey troop, even if there are thousands of monkeys on the same mountain, a monkey troop usually only has fifty or sixty members. Large monkey troops consisting of a hundred monkeys are very rare.

Even if some monkeys were to transform into demons and be pulled together to form a demon race, such a race would easily fall apart if it encountered some difficulties, such as infectious diseases or severe weather.

They struggle to develop their own culture and civilization; as Mr. Bai said, they are merely fleeting phenomena.

The epiphyllum is beautiful when it blooms, but it withers quickly after it blooms, and it doesn't even last a night.

Stories and folk tales often feature renowned demon races, but nowadays, those demon races are nowhere to be seen.

Ultimately, the beginning of a demon race was most likely started by a powerful individual.

Just like the establishment of Hundred Flowers Valley, it wasn't that a group of demons gathered together and transformed into that valley, but rather that there was a Valley Master first.

First came the Valley Master, a man of profound cultivation. Then, by chance, the Valley Master met Yan Huai'an, a man of great martial prowess. Thus, over the course of time, during the four hundred years that Yan Huai'an traveled abroad, it transformed into a "celestial land" that is now known to everyone in Xizhou.

As long as the Valley Master of Hundred Flowers is alive, Hundred Flowers Valley will prosper under her protection.

On the other hand, the mountain established by the tiger demon was also a kind of demon clan. However, the tiger demon mountain only existed for a few years before it was destroyed by the heroine because of its many evil deeds. Once the tiger demon who dominated the mountain died, the demons gathered on that mountain either died or fled, and they all scattered.

Zhuang Xing wondered, what would have happened if that tiger demon hadn't been such a vicious tiger, but had been kinder, hadn't eaten people, and hadn't made enemies of anyone?

It is probably difficult for them to remain stable for long. Those who are not of our kind will surely have different intentions. It is better for the tiger demon to hide in disguise by transforming into a human. But if they openly declare that they are tiger demons, the government will either want to recruit them or exterminate them. They cannot just watch a demon tiger grow stronger and stronger on the mountain.

Valley of a Hundred Flowers is actually more populated, and its master is a kind spruce tree spirit who also has a method to protect the mountain, which is why it is so prosperous and well-known.

But to put it bluntly, it was fine when the valley was hidden from the world, but now that it's known to everyone, it's not a good thing in the long run. If one day the dynasty changes and there is chaos and war, that place will inevitably be caught up in it. And once the valley master passes away, that place will come to an end. Thousands of years later, people will only know about that there was a place called Hundred Flowers Valley in folk tales.

From this perspective, if the demon race wants to continue, it must learn to hide itself and remain unknown to the world.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Bai, have you had any interactions with any demons before?" Zhuang Xing asked.

“There were some before our ancestors sealed the mountain,” Bai said. “According to you people, my ancestor was Yinglong. The demon race is not close to humans, but they are relatively close to my ancestor.”

"Do you wish to ask Senior Yinglong, who is also a demon, to provide them with protection?" Zhuang Xing asked.

"That's right. The demon race is weak and isolated. Even if there are strong individuals in the race, once they are discovered, they will attract the covetousness of cultivators from all over the world. After all, for human cultivators, the bones, skin, muscles, inner cores, and demon cores of the demon race are all top-grade materials for cultivation."

"The demon race that still exists understands this principle very well. After all, although ordinary people are no match for demons, humans are like an endless sea that cannot be killed off. The more you kill, the bigger the waves will be in the future, and sooner or later you will end up being wiped out."

"Therefore, the demons are very cautious and do not easily show their faces," Bai said. "They seek my ancestor because they think he is very powerful and hope that if their clan encounters trouble one day, he can help them. It was around that time that I started to have some contact with various demons. I obtained the breathing technique offered by a red panda demon clan and practiced it a little when I had nothing to do."

“But that was many years ago. Ever since my ancestors sealed the mountain with snow, I haven’t had any contact with them,” Bai murmured. “Those demons are probably long gone.”

"How many demons were there near Chenzhou back then?" Zhuang Xing asked.

"Chenzhou?" Bai asked, somewhat puzzled.

"This is the prefecture we are standing on," Zhuang Xing explained. "In the present-day Great Yu Dynasty, this place is called Chen Prefecture, and it is about a thousand miles long."

"Oh, so this is Chenzhou." Bai suddenly realized. "Many? I don't think so. There are very few demons in existence to begin with. You can count the number of them on one hand."

"Sigh, let's not talk about that now. I'll teach you the breathing techniques of those red pandas first. Go and call them over quickly."

As soon as he finished speaking, a wisp of green smoke appeared around Bai. When the smoke dissipated, the boy was nowhere to be seen. On the stool, there was a red panda, but this panda's tail was not red and black, but a white tail that had never been seen before.