Chapter 31: A Dog Demon’s Blunder, A Warning from the Demon Corporal

Exhausted from a sleepless night, the small demons had no interest in further frolicking and parted ways once they reached the mountainside.

Upon returning to his cave, Laifu the dog demon collapsed in the main hall and fell into a deep sleep, his snoring sounding like thunder. Mo Fan shook his head at the sight and headed straight to the back entrance, where he dived into the spring pool.

When he swam down to the stone wall, he was relieved to find the bamboo basket still there, completely undamaged. He gently opened the lid and saw that the dragon loaches were still inside, but they had grown significantly larger and now displayed golden markings across their silver bodies. This discovery filled Mo Fan with joy. From what he had learned from Laifu, he knew this was a sign of the loaches evolving into their second stage, where their bodies would turn entirely gold. The loaches were still dormant, and since there were still plenty of spirit stones at the bottom of the basket, Mo Fan did not add any more.

He closed the lid, opened his mouth, and spat out a pile of spirit stones, intending to lure more loaches. Having gained experience from the previous day, he knew well the fatal attraction these stones held for the creatures; the more stones he provided, the more loaches he would attract. While waiting for the catch, Mo Fan did not remain idle. He kept a spirit stone in his mouth and began his frantic replication process. Having realized the marvelous utility of the stones, he wished he could spend every waking hour replicating them to lure and cultivate the dragon loaches for their evolution.

A full day passed quickly. Mo Fan spent the entire time beneath the spring pool, rarely surfacing except to catch his breath. This prolonged absence led Laifu the dog demon to assume he had fled, prompting the dog to rush to the scorpion cave to report the matter to Demon Corporal Heizi.

Over the course of the day, Mo Fan consumed nearly two hundred dragon loaches. However, he discovered that the spiritual energy within his body was insufficient to support a third transformation. He soon realized why: he had heard from other demons that the difficulty of transformation increased exponentially, with each stage requiring an amount of spiritual energy equal to the sum of all previous transformations combined. In other words, this third transformation required as much energy as the first and second ones put together. While two hundred dragon loaches provided a substantial amount of energy, it was far from the total required. Once he understood this, he felt a sense of relief—as long as it wasn't an impossible barrier, gathering enough energy was merely a matter of time.

Mo Fan performed an internal inspection and found that his spiritual energy and demonic energy remained distinct. The demonic energy was denser and more refined, concentrated mostly in his mind and dantian, with a small portion circulating through his arms. The spiritual energy, by contrast, was more scattered, permeating every part of his body. He could manipulate both with ease. Realizing he had been submerged for an entire day, Mo Fan dared not linger any longer for fear of complications. After checking the basket once more, he hurried to the surface.

When Mo Fan emerged from the pool, he was stunned. Demon Corporal Heizi stood there with a dark, expressionless face, staring right at him. Behind him stood his three followers, and Laifu was sniffing the air near the pool, seemingly searching for a scent.

"You damn dog, stop sniffing! Laibao is right there!" Old Six slapped Laifu on the head. The dog demon jolted, opened his eyes, saw Mo Fan, and shouted joyfully, "Master! He’s back!"

Heizi shot a fierce glare at Laifu before turning to Mo Fan with a cold expression. "Laibao, where have you been today?"

"Reporting to Master, I haven't gone anywhere. I’ve been swimming in this spring pool the whole time!" Mo Fan replied respectfully, though a chill ran through him. He suddenly understood why they were here—they had suspected he was trying to escape.

"Oh, is that so?" Heizi nodded, his expression softening. He turned back to Laifu. "You damn dog, didn't you say Laibao ran away? He’s been here the entire time!"

"This... Master, I swear, I truly didn't see him all day, so I assumed..." Laifu stammered bitterly.

"So that's what happened." Mo Fan laughed, then bowed to Heizi. "Reporting to Master, my original form is that of a toad. I love the water, so I spend most of my time in this pool. Sometimes I dive down to play. I suppose Brother Laifu just didn't see me and grew anxious."

"Yes, yes, that’s it! I didn't know this ugly thing would be staying in the pool the whole time. Please, Master, don't be angry!" Laifu nodded frantically.

However, Laifu’s words ignited a murderous intent in Mo Fan. He finally understood the warning given to him by Dali the ox demon. Perhaps this dog had never had good intentions by forcing himself into his cave; he was likely sent by the scorpion demon to monitor him and prevent his escape. As this thought took hold, Mo Fan felt a mix of anger and dread. He realized that Heizi had never trusted him and had been using him from the very beginning.

"Since it’s a misunderstanding, it’s fine," Heizi said, waving a hand. He turned away, his cold voice trailing behind him. "Laifu, don't suspect Laibao again. The rules of Black Wind Mountain are not overly strict, and I have always been close to you small demons. How could he possibly run away? Besides, with a tracking dog like you here, what demon on Black Wind Mountain could ever truly escape? We never go soft on deserters; if we catch one, we simply serve them up for dinner. Laibao is the smartest demon in our unit; surely he knows that. Let this be the last time."

"Yes, Master!" Laifu bowed respectfully as he saw Heizi and his three followers off.

Mo Fan knew that Heizi’s words were not just a rebuke of Laifu’s lack of unity, but a warning to himself. Although the incident ended as a farce, there was one silver lining: Laifu no longer had the nerve to linger in his cave and returned to his own kennel under the banyan tree.

Yet, after this event, Mo Fan understood that escaping Black Wind Mountain would be far more difficult than he had imagined. Between Laifu’s tracking ability and the flight capabilities of Zhazha and Old Six, slipping away unnoticed would be a monumental task.

His heart sank. He looked down at the fish swimming in the pool, and all his joy vanished. He realized he was just like those fish—seemingly free, but actually kept in captivity. When the master grew hungry, it would be his turn to end up on the chopping block.

"A Demon Corporal, eh? If I can cultivate fast enough, perhaps... that scorpion demon won't be so terrifying after all," Mo Fan whispered, a flicker of ruthlessness in his eyes.