Ch 35: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

Ning Caichen had not yet arrived in Qingshui County, but someone else had gotten there before him—Yan Chixia.

After the reputation of Black Mountain and the Black Mountain Specialty shops spread through traveling merchants, ordinary people were merely curious about how these shops managed to gather so many stunning beauties to work there. Many even wanted to see it for themselves.

However, things were different for those in the mystical sects. The name of Black Mountain and its demon elder was well-known within these circles.

Traditionally, the mystical sects and the demon clans kept to themselves, avoiding conflict unless the demons ventured into the human world to cause trouble. But the unusual activities around Black Mountain had caught the attention of the mystical sects.

Yan Chixia, known for his straightforward and passionate nature and love for adventure, volunteered to investigate. Even before entering Qingshui County, he sensed a strong presence of demonic and ghostly energy ahead.

His heart sank. Judging by the intensity of this energy, it seemed that the so-called “Black Mountain Specialty Mountain Delicacies” were likely run by demons and spirits. He could only hope that these beings were keeping to themselves.

Following the trail of demonic energy, he arrived at a large shop. The shop was grand, occupying several storefronts and exuding an air of opulence. In the center hung a sign with six bold characters: “Black Mountain Specialty Mountain Delicacies.”

Yan Chixia studied the sign for a moment before stepping inside. With his sharp features, dressed in a warrior’s outfit, and carrying a long sword on his back, he was instantly recognizable as a wandering swordsman.

The residents of Qingshui County, mostly villagers who rarely saw such figures, couldn’t help but gaze at him curiously. But Yan Chixia had no time to pay them any mind. He scanned the shop’s interior, which was well-organized, with goods neatly displayed for customers to browse.

As he focused on the items for sale, he was surprised to find that contrary to what he had expected, these were all genuinely good products. The section on the eastern side, selling various supplements and medicinal herbs, was especially impressive—everything was authentic and of excellent quality.

Even Yan Chixia, a man of strong will, found himself tempted to spend some silver to buy a few things. He inwardly scolded himself for being so easily swayed, and when he looked up, he noticed a young woman in a pink dress watching him from behind the counter.

Just as those in the mystical sects had a heightened sense for detecting demons, the demon clans could also easily identify a Daoist priest. As A-yu would say, “These Daoist priests have a distinct sour smell. I can detect it from far away.”

Seeing the look in A-yu’s eyes, Yan Chixia realized that she had already figured out his identity. He decided to approach her directly.

Nearby, other customers were waiting to pay and were not pleased with him cutting in line. They shouted in protest, “Hey, young man! Get in line! No cutting!”

Yan Chixia: “…”

A-yu simply squinted her eyes and smiled. She waved over a puppet to help with the transactions and cheerfully said, “Don’t worry, dear customers. This is a distant relative of mine who’s come to visit me. I’ll take care of him first and be right back.”

Hearing that the young man was a relative of A-yu, the previously disgruntled customers quickly changed their tune:

“So he’s Miss A-yu’s relative! I was just thinking how this young man, with those thick eyebrows and big eyes, looks so proper!”

“Miss A-yu is so beautiful, and I remember her sister was also stunning. Now her relative is this handsome too. Truly a family of beauties!”

“…”

Yan Chixia silently watched A-yu casually chatting with the common folk, sensing without needing to see that she had a good relationship with these people. This left him somewhat puzzled.

“Cousin,” a clear and gentle voice sounded in his ear.

Yan Chixia looked up to see this little fox demon, A-yu, smiling brightly at him. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. Come inside and have a cup of hot tea with me.”

Yan Chixia said nothing, observing as she lifted the curtain and they both entered the courtyard.

Behind them, someone remarked, “Wow! Miss A-yu is so cheerful and full of smiles, but her cousin sure is a quiet and reserved type.”

As soon as they were inside the courtyard, the smile on A-yu’s face dropped. She wrinkled her nose and said, “What are you doing here, stinky Daoist?”

Yan Chixia coldly replied, “You people from Black Mountain are causing such a commotion. What exactly are you plotting?”

A-yu looked at him like he was crazy. “Plotting what? Black Mountain is full of spiritual energy. The master thought it was a waste to leave it unused, so he had us plant some good stuff and open a shop to sell the mountain’s treasures. How does that affect you?”

“Your master? The old Black Mountain demon?”

A-yu’s face, which had been relatively calm, suddenly darkened at these words. She put her hands on her hips, her brows furrowing in anger. “Who’s old? The master is in his prime, much younger than you!”

Nowadays, every girl on Black Mountain was a die-hard fan of Jiang Lin. Anyone who dared speak ill of him in their presence would surely get an earful.

Yan Chixia, despite being scolded, didn’t get angry. He continued to express his confusion, “You demons should stay on your own land. Why come to the human world and stir up trouble?”

At these words, A-yu looked at him strangely, as if he were some kind of idiot.

“You Daoists say the weirdest things,” A-yu frowned at him. “If we just stayed on our own land without earning money, would you pay for our pretty clothes, jewelry, and accessories?”

“Would you spend your money to buy me delicious human food and snacks every day?”

“I want to live in a beautiful big house. Will you hire workers to build it for me?”

“…”

A-yu listed many things in one breath, finally summing up, “If we don’t go out to earn money, we won’t have any. Without money, but still wanting things, we’d have no choice but to steal, rob, cheat, or even harm people.”

Her clear eyes looked at Yan Chixia with disdain. “Are you trying to encourage the demons of Black Mountain to do that?”

Yan Chixia was at a loss for words.

It wasn’t his fault for being speechless—who had ever encountered demons like these?

He weakly argued, “But by doing this… you’re disrupting the human world.”

A-yu: “???”

“Where have we disrupted anything?” A-yu didn’t like hearing such words. “Everything we sell at Black Mountain is fair and square. The specialties in the shop are all things I’ve personally overseen and grown myself, and the quality is top-notch. The items in the other shops were also made with great care and effort by my sisters.”

“Our prices are even a bit lower than other shops’!”

“Absolutely great value for money!”

A-yu was getting angry. “If you keep talking like this, Daoist, I’ll have the puppets throw you out!”

The puppets were personally made by Jiang Lin, with formations and a trace of his power inscribed on them. Their combat abilities were even higher than A-yu and the others.

Yan Chixia couldn’t win an argument against A-yu. In fact, deep down, he felt that she might actually… have a point.

As a Daoist of the mystic sect, he was used to dealing with malevolent spirits and demons by simply charging in and striking them down with his sword. But here, though this young lady was a fox demon, she bore little resentment and had committed few wrongdoings.

Moreover, she wasn’t causing any harm at the moment; she was conducting legitimate business. He found himself unsure of what to do next.

After thinking it over for a while, Yan Chixia coldly snorted and said, “We’ll stay in Qing Shui County for a while and keep an eye on you. You’d better be as honest as you claim.”

And so, Yan Chixia really did settle down in Qing Shui County. He not only watched over these shops but also traveled throughout the county, gathering a lot of information.

The Black Mountain shops had already been open for more than half a year. The residents of Qing Shui County were simple and honest folk. In the past six months, there hadn’t been a single strange murder case—not even an ordinary one. In fact, even petty crimes like theft had significantly decreased.

This was all thanks to Jiang Lin.

He had told the girls of Black Mountain: though they had been forced into their past actions, they still bore the consequences of those deeds. It might not be apparent now, but when they eventually faced tribulation, they would understand how difficult it could be. So, for now, they should do as many good deeds as possible to offset the karma they had accumulated.

Thus, the girls would sometimes discreetly assist the local constables with their nightly patrols.

Last month, when Qing Shui County was repairing its roads, Jiang Lin even donated a large sum of silver on behalf of everyone at Black Mountain.

The more Yan Chixia learned, the more perplexed he became.

At first, he suspected that the demons of Black Mountain were putting on a show. They must be planning a grander scheme while maintaining a facade of peace.

But after days of observation, he found that the Black Mountain shops were just ordinary shops, and there were no strange occurrences in Black Mountain itself.

What kind of grand conspiracy could be so flawless, with not a single slip-up?

Moreover, that mysterious “Mr. Jiang” had never shown himself.

Yan Chixia was almost certain that this “Mr. Jiang” was the Black Mountain Demon Elder. He decided to explore Black Mountain for himself.

After resting well and preparing enough life-saving talismans, Yan Chixia wrote a letter to his sect, detailing his recent findings and his decision to investigate Black Mountain.

Black Mountain wasn’t far from Qing Shui County, and it only took Yan Chixia half a day’s journey to reach it. But now, standing at the foot of the mountain, he looked up in astonishment.

As a Daoist of the mystic sect and a true disciple of Taoism, Yan Chixia had a decent grasp of the Taoist art of “observing qi.” Based on the legends surrounding the Black Mountain Demon Elder, he had expected to see a lair engulfed in demonic flames.

But instead, what lay before him was a scene of misty white clouds, abundant spiritual energy, and even an aura of auspiciousness—a situation he had not anticipated.

Taoist sects were very particular about location, often choosing to establish themselves in remote, spiritually rich mountains. If he hadn’t known this was Black Mountain, and if he hadn’t heard that no Taoist master had driven out the Black Mountain Demon Elder to claim his land, Yan Chixia might have suspected this was the site of some orthodox Taoist sect.

Such a serene and auspicious scene—there was no way it could be home to some vicious demon.

Yan Chixia abandoned his earlier thoughts and set aside his prejudices. He composed himself, stood solemnly at the foot of the mountain, and called out in a loud voice, “Yan Chixia from Mount Kunlun requests an audience with the Lord of Black Mountain.”