Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

Even towards a wild spirit like himself, the Taoist priest was courteous.

The old fox scrutinized the Taoist priest, recalling the message the black cat had conveyed for him, and slowly asked, "May I ask, sir, what is your relationship with those people from the Longmen Temple?"

"We only have a slight acquaintance," the Taoist said. "After hearing what Mr. Bai said, I learned that there are also demons in this mountain. I also heard about the demons' struggles for survival, so I came to visit. Fellow Taoist, you don't need to worry. Mr. Bai is just telling me some interesting stories. He will not interfere in this matter, nor will he take sides. I am not here on behalf of Longmen Temple."

The old fox remained silent for a while, then looked up and carefully examined the Taoist's clothes and appearance.

"May I ask where you cultivate, sir?" the old fox asked tentatively.

"I'm cultivating myself on the mountain," the Taoist said.

"I wonder which sacred mountain it is?" the fox asked.

The Taoist said, "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be so particular about me. I'm just here to pay a visit today; it has nothing to do with my status or position."

The old fox couldn't tell whether what the Taoist said was true or false; he just felt that the Taoist was unpredictable.

As the stalemate continued, the last ray of sunlight sank into the earth.

The surroundings turned pitch black, and the Taoist priest took down the hanging night lamp and held it in front of him.

“You all have difficulties, but I have a way to resolve them so that you don’t have to put yourselves in danger. Why don’t you sit down and talk in detail?”

"Sir, do you know that we are demons?" the fox asked in return.

"So what if it's a demon?" The Taoist picked up the red panda. "I'm still young, but I've seen quite a few demons. I've also used my panda's eyes to see you all. I think we can still discuss this."

The old fox stared at the Taoist for a long time, but the Taoist remained calm and waited patiently.

The black cat looked around, and pairs of eyes on the treetops gleamed in the darkness—those were the eyes of the cat demons. The dog demons stared intently at the Taoist's every move.

The old fox finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"Then...please have a chat with me, sir."

Upon hearing the sound, the Taoist priest put down the night lamp and sat down on the ground.

The fox sat down facing the Taoist priest. The cat demons remained hidden in secluded places, observing quietly. The dog demons, following the fox's instructions, quieted down but still sat in a circle at a distance, not daring to approach.

The black cat wasn't afraid of the Taoist priest; it went up to him and started talking.

"If you asked me to bring them, I brought them all."

"Thank you very much, Brother Heiwei."

"The fish I ate...wasn't it cursed?"

"It's just fresh fish caught from the river, how could it be cursed? Besides, I don't know any evil spells that can turn people into pus."

"Don't lie to me, I'm scared..."

"Don't worry, Brother Blacktail, I have no reason to lie to a cat demon."

"That's true." The black cat nodded. "Now that you say so, I'm relieved."

It's just a little cat demon, why would a Taoist priest need to use a curse to poison it?

Having received the Taoist's answer, its gloomy mood vanished, and it skipped and jumped around happily, heading off to cool off somewhere else.

Then, the Taoist priest began to talk with the old fox.

The stream murmurs, its waters reflecting a silvery sheen.

Under the moonlight, the Taoist priest sat beside the Chinese toon tree and told the fox what was on his mind.

The dog demons felt sleepy after nightfall. Seeing the old fox and the Taoist getting along well, they yawned and lay down on the hay to rest.

Gradually, the cat demons became less afraid and came down from the tree.

Nighttime is the time when the cat demons are active. They circle around the stone lamp, and flying insects are attracted by the light. The cats' instincts are aroused, and they pounce on the insects.

Even the smallest mosquito is still meat; the insects that swoop down are swallowed by the cats.

There were also cat demons approaching the riverbank, trying to catch fish or nibble on some grass.

Seeing this, the Taoist priest made a hand seal and pointed, causing his flying sword to be drawn from its sheath and plunge into the water. When it emerged from the water, it splashed several river fish onto the shore.

The cat demons were overjoyed and rushed over to eat the fish.

After hearing the Taoist's words, the fox was no longer as wary as it had been when they first met.

"Sir, is what you say true?" the old fox asked.

"Judging by the time, my letter should have arrived by now. Whether it's true or false, you'll know once you see it," Zhuang Xing said.

Chapter 325 Sending a Message

In Yidu, the June sun casts a golden veil over this ancient city built along the water.

Farmers carrying baskets plucked soft, white cotton bolls. Along the roadside, flames from cylindrical coal stoves brushed against copper teapots, steam rising from their spouts with a whooshing sound. Waiters with white cloths draped over their shoulders warmly welcomed travelers from afar.

Along the official road, donkey carts and horse-drawn carriages could be seen everywhere, as well as porters carrying heavy loads on their backs and holding pestles.

People wanting to enter the city had already formed a long queue, and officials were inspecting the passageways of traveling merchants.

Beside the procession was a light green canal, with boats coming and going on the flowing water.

Rows of cargo boats were moored at the ferry crossing. Beneath the boats were modern cranes made of elm wood, iron wheels, and ropes. The cargo boxes that were too heavy for human hands to move were hung by laborers with ropes and iron hooks. They shouted in unison as they pulled the ropes, the iron wheels turned, and the heavy cargo was lifted up.

The swaying cargo container was lowered onto the deck at the command.

When a merchant ship is fully loaded with cargo, it sets sail with its horn blaring, head held high, heading towards the distance.

Six months have passed, and the Yidu ferry crossing is now much more planned than before.

The new type of pulley crane has been put into use.

This new type of equipment is not only used in Yidu, but has appeared in various places.

Not far from the ferry crossing is the newest shipyard. The shipbuilding industry of Dayu is very developed. The late emperor once mobilized the entire country to build a treasure ship capable of crossing the ocean. Although it was laborious and costly for the people and the country, this move further developed the shipbuilding industry. Dayu already possessed the technical capability to build large ships.

In the past, building large ships required laborers to use their broad shoulders and brute strength to carry planks one by one onto the keel. However, with the new shipyards equipped with cranes, both the time required for shipbuilding and the cost and difficulty have been greatly reduced.

At this very moment, dozens of unfinished sand ships are being processed in that modern shipyard.

A sand ship is a flat-bottomed sailboat with a wide deck, shallow depth, and low freeboard. The deck of a sand ship can quickly clear waves, and the cabin also adopts a watertight compartment structure. Even in rivers with a lot of silt, it is not easy to run aground, making it an excellent transport ship.

The orders for these sand barges came from various prefectures and counties of Dayu, and most of them were government orders.

Bai Yu is at the shipyard, checking on the progress.

She looked up at the deck, which was a three-masted sand barge with a capacity of two thousand shi (a unit of dry measure).

The hull is almost complete, with only some key parts being filled in.

In the past, it would take three months to build such a sand barge, but with the help of new machinery, a three-masted sand barge can be built in just two months.

Thanks to the development of the shipping industry, there is no need to worry about raw materials; timber can be sourced from various places.

Thanks to that new type of crane, Bai Yu made a great contribution. Whether in officialdom or business, her influence rose steadily.

In Yidu, she has become quite a rising star.

Mentioning the Pucao Merchant Guild will remind people of her, but few know her background. Everyone regards her as a confidante of the prefect, unaware that years ago, she was just a homeless, emaciated orphan who survived by begging like a dog.

She is doing very well now. She has a home to return to, she has achieved both fame and fortune, and she no longer worries about where to live or what to eat. But she still often thinks about her days in the mountains and the care she received in that Taoist temple when she was still a child.

She gradually forgot those years, those years like a stray dog, along with the hatred and resentment she felt towards the world at that time.

Bai Yu was gazing up at the massive ship when the sound of horses' hooves rang out, and a constable dressed in a tight-fitting outfit with a sword at his waist arrived at the shipyard gate.

He followed behind a girl with braided pigtails and handed a letter to Bai Yu.

"It was a letter sent to me by a Taoist priest," the messenger said.

Bai Yu saw the signature on the envelope; it was someone she knew.

...

The dog demons slept until dawn.

Even demons need to sleep. They were so tired last night that the dog demons lay down on the ground and fell asleep late at night.

When the yellow dog woke up, he saw the old fox get up from in front of the Taoist priest and bask in the sunlight.

"Fellow Daoist, would you be willing to trust me this once?" the Daoist asked.

“This humble demon is willing to venture into the mountains and fields to deliver a message for you, sir. However… whether the demons are willing to listen is not something this humble demon can decide,” the old fox said. “Humans and demons have been enemies for a long time. If you wish to invite the demons out of the mountains, it will inevitably arouse suspicion. This journey will likely attract many tests.”

“I know how difficult this matter is,” the Taoist said. “But in Xizhou, I know a tree spirit who gathers demons and humans together in the valley. I believe that humans and demons can each get what they need and live in harmony without having to fight each other.”

"Sir, you are truly righteous," said the old fox.

"How long will it take you, fellow Daoist?" the Daoist asked again.

"Within ten days," the old fox said.

"Then I will bring people to this forest in ten days, is that alright?" the Taoist asked.

"Alright," the old fox nodded.

The old fox was willing to believe the Taoist priest for a while, or rather, it had no other choice.

The Taoist priest has discovered that they have been robbing human villages. Even if they manage to escape on their way back, they will inevitably incur the wrath of the Taoist priest.

After the snow falls, who knows how many little foxes will freeze or starve to death, and they'll just be causing trouble for humans again.

But if people are on guard, how can they let them succeed so easily? Even if they succeed once, what will happen in the future?

Ultimately, this is only a temporary solution. The old fox is smarter than ordinary monsters; it knows that if things continue like this, it will only lead to the extinction of its kind.

Why not give it a try?

So the old fox and the little demons gave some instructions and headed into the deep mountains.

The monsters all followed it and went back to report the news.

The Taoist priest watched them leave. The black cat looked back every few steps, as if still remembering the Taoist priest's skill in catching fish. It raised its front paw and waved goodbye.

"Next time I catch a mouse, I'll treat you to some too," said the black cat.

"Thank you," the Taoist priest smiled, "but I don't eat rats."

"Mice are delicious, why don't you eat them?"

"Cats eat mice, but people don't."