Chapter 5: Return to the Cavern, a Sudden Encounter with a Tiger

Once upon a time, Mo Fan had dreamed of blending seamlessly into human society. But after nearly becoming a “fairy sister” through a magical pill, he abandoned that notion entirely.

“Damn it! If I can’t be human in this life, then I’ll be a free and unrestrained demon!” he declared.

“Isn’t that monkey in Journey to the West quite admirable?” he mused.

“I, Mo Fan, will learn from that monkey and strive to carve out a realm of my own in this world—become a mighty Saint who stands tall and proud!”

“That way, my demon life won’t be in vain!”

Muttering to himself, Mo Fan lay on the grass, full and content, dreaming of the future while listening to the gentle flow of water until he drifted into sleep.

After an entire day of turmoil—from surprise to despair, then from despair to excitement—Mo Fan was utterly exhausted, body and mind.

In his dream, he saw himself as a great demon sage, even brotherly friends with Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. He shared drinks with the Bull Demon King until Sun Wukong invited him to storm the Heavenly Palace together…

Mo Fan woke with a start, cursing under his breath.

“It took me so long to become a demon in this damn world, and you want me to go stir up trouble in Heaven? Do you want me to live or not?!”

He admired the Great Sage Equal to Heaven in Journey to the West but had no desire to follow his path of rebellion. To Mo Fan, wreaking havoc in Heaven was foolish—why forsake a comfortable position as a demon king to cause trouble in the celestial realm?

In the end, Sun Wukong was sealed beneath the Five Finger Mountain for five hundred years, and even after his release, the golden circlet drained his spirit, reducing him to a docile servant.

Not in a million years would Mo Fan set foot in Heaven to cause chaos.

“Just a dream… you scared the hell out of me!” Mo Fan said, patting his chest as he snapped back to reality and began pondering his future.

Now that he had taken the path of a demon, he saw no choice but to continue on it. Yet, he was utterly ignorant of cultivation. Although his demon transformation was triggered by consuming spiritual fruits, where could he find such fruits now?

Relying on spiritual fruits for cultivation was unrealistic. His immediate priority was to find a powerful ally—a great demon lord to support him. That way, he could gain access to authentic demonic cultivation methods.

There was also that book he had obtained from a little girl, which needed translating as soon as possible. It might contain cultivation techniques.

He vaguely recalled the female demon mentioning it was some kind of demonic cultivator’s breathing method, something related to practice.

Thinking on this, Mo Fan muttered to himself, “Can demons cultivate using human methods?”

After a long moment’s thought, two paths lay before him: one was to seek out humans and learn their writing to decipher the book’s contents; the other was to find a great demon as his patron and acquire demonic cultivation techniques.

But glancing at the dense forest surrounding him, he knew neither path would be easy.

“Forget it. First, I need to find my way back to the cave. Those three stones must be retrieved into my spatial pocket. That way, I can use the golden coins to replicate more of them!”

To Mo Fan, those milky-white stones were certainly no ordinary objects and might prove useful in the future.

Of course, retrieving the stones wasn’t his only goal. The cavern filled with such stones was worth another exploration.

Thus, Mo Fan floated along the stream, thinking it might be connected to the brook near his cave.

Though a guess, it turned out to be right.

After drifting for two whole days, he finally recognized the familiar surroundings and was overjoyed.

Upon returning to his old cave, he found himself frustrated—he could no longer enter because his body had grown much larger.

In the end, he painfully dug through and destroyed the home he had lived in for months…

But seeing the three softly glowing milky-white stones eased his heart considerably.

“Good, they’re still here!”

He swiftly pocketed the stones into his spatial storage, then placed one in his mouth before resolutely heading towards the cavern once more.

Yes, walking.

Since his demon transformation, Mo Fan had taken it as practice to walk rather than hop like an ordinary toad, which he felt was unbecoming of a demon.

In truth, after transforming, his legs were strong enough to support his body.

But his gait was awkward—his toad legs bent slightly outward, forming a pigeon-toed stance, and his big belly protruded like a pregnant woman.

Mo Fan did not care. From birth until now was only a bit over half a year, which was remarkable even by human standards.

Who had ever seen a baby walk after just six months?

So he felt proud and believed walking was just a matter of practice.

The two-mile journey took him nearly the time of two incense sticks burning.

Mo Fan didn’t appear directly but hid in the bushes to observe. After confirming no one was around, he boldly entered the cavern.

But once inside, he was stunned.

“Damn that female demon! Not even a single stone left for me! She’s a true skinflint!”

The cavern was completely stripped of its milky-white stones, even the precious tree deep within was gone.

No doubt, the “fairy sister” from that day had taken it all!

He had no choice but to relent, though unwillingly, and pressed deeper into the cave, finally exiting through another opening.

This exit was much larger than the one by the stream—large enough for a grown human to pass—and beyond it lay a lush, verdant forest, a comparatively pristine mountain wilderness.

Since he was here, Mo Fan decided not to turn back but to explore the forest in search of spiritual herbs.

After some time, he found no herbs but discovered another cave beneath a rocky cliff.

“Could this be another treasure cave?”

He was intrigued and approached, but as he neared the entrance, a foul stench hit him.

Unsure of what lurked inside, he hesitated briefly before venturing in, hoping to find treasures.

After a few yards, he spotted a massive beast lying on a dry haystack, chewing something.

The creature sensed his presence and looked up.

“B… tiger!”

Seeing the big cat's striped fur and faint blue glow in its eyes, Mo Fan froze, body rigid.

Then it dawned on him.

This was no treasure cave—it was a tiger’s den!

“Roar!”

The tiger, sensing an intruder, stopped eating and let out a low growl.

“Wait, I’m already a demon. Why should I fear you?”

Mo Fan gathered courage and let out a roar of his own, baring his fangs as a faint demonic aura burst from him.

The tiger, initially fierce, immediately softened, retreating its neck and crouching down, wagging its tail at Mo Fan like a tame pet.

“Is this for real?”

Mo Fan was stunned, then burst into laughter. He stepped forward and slapped the tiger’s head.

“Trying to howl with me? Do you think Mo Grandpa is a pushover?”

“Since you’re wagging your tail so happily, from today on, you’ll be called Erha!”