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Chapter 337 Monster Village

The main force of the demon race arrived as promised, led by what appeared to be the old fox with dry fur.

A thin layer of mist rose around the sand barges, obscuring their shapes.

Zhuang Xing and Yunling disembarked to greet them.

The old fox said, "There are thirty-seven junior members of my fox clan, over one hundred and six junior members of my cat clan, and over one hundred and twenty junior members of my dog ​​clan. We have all come here to keep our appointment."

Besides the demons who had previously accompanied the Taoist to Yidu, there were more than two hundred more demons on this trip. It was clear that the new demons were quite uneasy, with their hair standing on end, ears perked up, limbs straightened, and eyes filled with vigilance and defensiveness.

If there were any disturbance, Zhuang Xing had no doubt that they would turn around and flee in all directions.

After all, they haven't reached the point of starvation yet, so most of them are unwilling to take the risk of going outside the mountains to interact with people.

Although they came here with the elders of their tribe, they have never seen the man's capital or been preyed upon by him, so their vigilance remains high.

But there was no need to treat them with excessive care. Just like last time, we invited them onto the boat, had a meal of fish and meat, and treated them well. The two sides became much more familiar with each other.

Once all the monsters were on board and their numbers were counted to ensure there were no discrepancies, the sand barge lowered its anchor and hoisted its sails under the moonlight.

...

Five days later, it will be the end of summer.

The sand barge finally arrived at the ferry crossing in front of the Yidu city wall, still in the dead of night when ordinary people were asleep.

People were already waiting there, and from afar they could see Bai Yu leading his men to guard the ferry crossing, where there were torches and lanterns.

After the boat docked, the Taoist priest and the demons disembarked together.

Monsters originally lived freely and unrestrained in the mountains and fields, but after five days, they became well-behaved in front of the Taoist priest and dared not move around recklessly.

It's nothing more than having seen how people are dealt with for acting recklessly.

The monsters that caused trouble on the ship were all punished by the Taoist priest using his magic.

Before the old fox returned to the mountains, he made a pact with someone.

First, do not steal chickens or dogs; second, do not harm or hurt others without cause; and third, do not pretend to be a deity or ghost in front of ordinary people.

Humans also need to abide by the agreed-upon terms, allowing demons to exchange their merits for what they need, and providing them with a place of refuge.

The boatmen and servants on the ship were all law-abiding, but a demon was greedy and perhaps used to stealing. Before even going to work in the human land, he tried to steal meat in addition to his daily rations and was caught red-handed by the Taoist priest.

Even after being captured, the gang of dog demons refused to surrender and insisted on fighting with the Taoist priest.

Unfortunately, it was defeated in no time. It was caught in a fishing net, wrapped up like a rice dumpling, and hung on the mast to dry for a whole day as a warning.

Moreover, on that boat, the Taoist priest preached to the demons and gave them spiritual tea to nourish their spirits and purify their minds. Even the group of dog demons who had been scolded were now full of respect for the Taoist priest and were convinced from the bottom of their hearts.

"These are the names of the monsters that have come to this place."

Zhuang Xing handed a roster to Bai Yu.

Five days later, he had asked all the monsters for their names and written them down in this register.

"How are the wolf demons? According to them, they should have returned earlier than us. Did they arrive first?" Zhuang Xing asked.

Bai Yu nodded and said, "The wolf demon arrived three days ago. The prefect intends to send the Western Barbarians off in two days. The gifts and documents for the accompanying envoys have also been prepared."

"Is everything alright?"

"The Westerners and the wolf demons fought."

"You got into a fight?"

"They said it was just a friendly sparring session, and their martial arts skills were indeed quite good. They could fight the wolf demons to a standstill with their bare hands. The thinner wolves were unable to move once they were grabbed by their warriors. They were better at fighting the Westerners one-on-one. However, they couldn't handle a group fight with their bare hands. The wolf king said that if they had bows and swords and spotted the wolf demons from a distance, they would win. However, in the wild, the wolf pack wouldn't treat them as prey. Wolves can distinguish between strong and weak."

"It's good that the harmony wasn't damaged."

"The foreigners and the wolf demons get along quite well; they both respect the strong."

The two exchanged a few words, and then led the demons to the dwellings prepared for them.

Yidu is a large and prosperous city, a well-known city in the present-day Dayu, with a large permanent population. In order to temporarily avoid human eyes, a special area was set aside outside the city for demons to live in.

This place is far from the official roads and canals where travelers frequently pass through. It is located beside a small stream surrounded by reeds and cattails. It is surrounded by a fence made of rough wood, and there is a simple watchtower in one corner. This place was originally a sentry post that was only used during wartime, but it has been abandoned for a long time since the Great Yu Dynasty was pacified a hundred years ago.

"For now, there are only some old houses here," Bai Yu said. "I didn't know what kind of place you would like to live in, so I didn't make any haphazard renovations. I just cleaned it up, removed the weeds, swept away the dust, and added some tableware."

"I only got the roster today, so I can ask you what styles you like and then get the items for you."

The old fox said, "Miss Bai Yu, you are too kind. We are used to sleeping under the open sky and on the ground. We can sleep even in the wilderness. A roof that shelters us from the wind and rain is enough. We don't need anything else."

“As agreed, we should provide you with shelter; it’s our duty,” Bai Yu said. “Besides, the future is long, so we should treat each other with sincerity. We are only providing the most basic necessities. If you want anything else, you will have to buy it with your own wages in the future.”

"Well... in that case, we'll do as Miss Bai Yu says," the old fox agreed.

It went to the monster horde, inquired about it, and when it returned, it asked Bai Yu to bring it some straw and dry sand.

He laid out a straw mat to use as a nest, and planned to dig a pit with dry sand to fill it in, which would be used as a place to dispose of waste.

Bai Yu originally said he would fetch some more cloth, but the old fox said that in the mountains, they used dry grass and withered leaves as beds, and they couldn't sleep soundly or get used to sleeping in fine or coarse cloth like humans.

“Then so be it,” Bai Yu said. “Tomorrow someone will bring enough hay and sand, and your food will be brought along as well. Although there is a stone well in this outpost, the water has been dry for a long time. If you need water, you can go to the waterwheel outside the fence. That waterwheel is a newly built low waterwheel. If you are not used to it, you can ask someone to come and adjust it.”

"After you have rested for a few days, the Westerners will leave Yidu and we will need you to come to the city to work. Before that, please keep your men in check, Seventh Master Fox. It's not that you are not allowed to go out. You should be able to walk around the three miles around here without any problem. Just don't talk in front of people. This matter has not yet been publicized. There are many demon hunters in Yidu. If you are accidentally injured, our men may not be able to get there in time."

"Once the nameplates are made for you all in the future, they will be able to prove your identities and avoid any disputes."

"Don't worry, Miss, I will definitely tell the younger generation to stay quietly in the village."

Chapter 338 Ten Years as One Day

After settling in, a small monster village was added to Yidu City.

Apart from a few guards, the others left without disturbing the place and departed into the night.

The guards looked familiar. The three young officers leading the group were the same ones who had seen the monster last time. Their original job was to guard the ferry crossing and inspect the passing ships and merchants. Now they had been transferred to a remote place far from the hustle and bustle. One reason was to listen to the monster's needs and provide assistance. The other reason was to keep an eye on things and prevent any conflicts or accidents.

This job is much easier than the one at the ferry crossing, but it's hard to say if it's a good job. After all, no one has done it before, and everything is unknown. Nobody knows what will happen.

The officer was filled with unease. Just then, a yellow dog followed by several other dogs walked towards him.

The yellow dog sniffed the air and ran up to a constable.

"I remember you. Your name is Song Qingshi, right?"

The officer was taken aback, remembering the dog demon with whom he had exchanged names that night. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Are you Big Yellow?"

He couldn't quite tell the difference between the dogs; they all looked pretty much the same, and he was a bit face-blind.

“These are my four younger brothers: Erhuang, Sanhuang, Sihuang, and Wuhuang,” said the big yellow dog. “I brought them here to introduce them to you.”

The name Huang Gou is simple and straightforward; you can understand it as soon as you hear it.

The officers couldn't tell who was who, so they just kept saying "okay" to fool the officers.

The yellow dogs aren't afraid of people. Their ancestors were guard dogs for melon farmers. They look no different from the country dogs tied up in rural courtyards. The only difference is that they can talk and are smarter than those dogs.

Once you're strangers, you become familiar with each other. We didn't chat for long last time, but this time we had more time. The people we met would be staying here permanently in the future, so we became neighbors and would see each other all the time. We started chatting, one sentence after another.

Later, they simply took a small dish of fried peanuts, drank some wine, and started chatting freely.

Before he knew it, when he woke up, the constable was actually sleeping with the dog demon. It was already early morning, the sun was shining brightly, and they were chatting happily.

After daybreak, horse-drawn carts traveled along the narrow paths, bringing supplies. Sand, stones, and hay were all ready. The monsters each took their assigned spots and carried hay to build their own little nests.

The fish rations for today were also delivered and distributed according to the categories.

Smoke rose from the chimneys, the waterwheel turned, and the long-abandoned outpost came back to life. The monsters finally made their home in this small village.

...

Three days later, the wolf demon and the Western barbarians gathered on the ship, which headed northwest to take them to the border of the Great Yu Kingdom.

The wolf demons came with their families. They did not have a fixed place to live. Every year before winter, they would find a suitable place to hunt and dig a cave to avoid the wind and snow. After winter, when the snow melted, they would leave and chase after the deer, pigs, cattle, sheep and horses in the mountains.

Wolves are a nomadic hunting people, just as the Western Barbarians were a nomadic hunting people who had no fixed abode and lived wherever they came from.

Wolves and the Westerners share some similarities; they both believe in strength.

Only the strong have the right to speak, and in their previous sparring session, they recognized each other and confirmed that the other would not hold them back on their journey.

Before parting, Yunling gave the Westerners a packet of seeds.

Those were spirit seeds she cultivated herself, with many wonderful uses. They could instantly grow into shelters to provide a peaceful sleep, just like when she and Zhuang Xing traveled together in the past. They could also be used to bind prey or restrain dangerous enemies.

The spirit seeds could undergo countless transformations in her hands. Although they were not as flexible in the hands of outsiders, she still categorized them according to their various effects and informed the Westerners how to use these seeds.

The young man from the Western Regions looked at the girl's face, about to say something. He wanted to ask her name, but didn't know how to start. As he hesitated, he saw that the girl had already left and gone to the Taoist's side, where she straightened her sleeves for the Taoist.

The two remained inseparable, as if they had been treating each other like this for many years.

"Miss Bai Yu, I remember you said that monks in temples have five precepts and ten virtues. Once they leave home, they must leave the mortal world, enter the Buddhist order, and are not allowed to marry. Do Taoist priests have these precepts?"

"Yes, there is, but Taoist cultivation emphasizes nature. If one meets someone they like, they will naturally become Taoist partners and cultivate the Great Tao together."

"I see."

The boy withdrew his gaze. It was just a light drizzle, like spring rain, which caused a slight ripple but cleared up quickly.

He looked back at the books on the boat and the pack of wolves that roosted there, and another surge of emotion welled up within him.

The Taoist priest saw them off on the shore, watching the boat drift away with the ceaseless flow of the water. He prayed that the Western Barbarians would arrive safely at their homeland, bring the envoys of Dayu back to their homeland, and apply what they had learned in the past six months to their homeland.

The ship sailed away and disappeared from sight.

“Let’s go back too,” Zhuang Xing said.

"Ah."

Yunling walked beside him, day after day, for ten years.

Back then, she often walked behind Zhuang Xing, silently watching his back and following his steps. Now, their steps rose and fell in perfect unison.

It's like back then, yet it's not the same as it used to be.

...

After seeing off the Westerners, the nameplates for the monsters were also finalized.