8mi Chapter 373: You Are Quite a Straightforward Monster
Chapter 373: You Are Quite a Straightforward Monster
Seeing the Old Bull’s expression, Lu Shan Jun didn’t stop talking; instead, he continued.“When we fought before, I saw that although you were powerful, you were also easily angered. Once you went berserk, your five senses weakened accordingly. Why did you think I would frantically raise my demonic energy and create a whirlwind that caused sand and stones to fly everywhere?”
Although Lu Shan Jun’s tone was somewhat sarcastic, it truly calmed Niu Batian down.
Despite his anger, the Old Bull had to admit that what the monster surnamed Lu was saying made sense.
Moreover, the Old Bull now understood why he had been tricked in the last attack. It wasn’t that this man Lu could truly hide and become invisible; rather, he had left behind a large amount of demonic clouds and monstrous energy in the sky to confuse anyone looking on, and then instantly concealed his monstrous energy to launch a sneak attack as he landed on the ground, which is why he was able to succeed in the fight.
Looking back at the previous battle, the Old Bull had often thought he had hit his opponent, but in reality, he had just been wasting his energy. Under the influence of the so-called “Will-Suppression” technique, his judgement and the use of his monstrous power were severely compromised.
Although Lu Shan Jun’s words were harsh, from another perspective, they were a deliberate reminder to the Old Bull that his weaknesses were too obvious, so obvious that Lu Shan Jun had seen through them and exploited them in such a short time.
In many situations, brute force could overcome overwhelming odds, but that didn’t mean it would always work. If he encountered someone skilled in battle observation, with a sharp mind and equally capable in ability, he could easily be tripped up, as was the case this time.
“You…”
Just as the Old Bull was about to say something, he saw Lu Shan Jun turn away, not even looking at him directly. Niu Batian muttered a curse.
“You son of a bitch…”
Ji Yuan had almost finished studying the scroll in his hand, so he put it away in his sleeve. Lu Shan Jun, after criticizing Niu Batian a few times, did not immediately target Yan Fei. Seeing that Ji Yuan had finished reading the scroll, he asked the question he hadn’t had the time to resolve last time.
“Sir, after my transformation, I have clearly shed my tiger form and can now perceive some potential changes. For example, I can now control the power of ‘Will-Suppression,’ that I mentioned before, with ease. As for this tail, although I haven’t mastered its intricacies yet, it seems that I can cultivate something from it.”
At this point, Lu Shan Jun softened his tone, asking with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation.
“Sir, do you know what my demonic body has become?”
Niu Batian, who was stretching out his muscles, turned to look at Lu Shan Jun again.
“After all this time, you don’t even know what kind of monster you are? Mr. Ji, I bet you don’t know either. Maybe this guy just went crazy from cultivating to the point of stupidity and turned into a freak!”
If he could get the upper hand in a verbal argument at this point, the Old Bull would certainly not hold back. The saying, “a gentleman takes revenge only after ten years”1 was only true for scholars. The Old Bull had just been humiliated, so he wasn’t about to miss the opportunity to retaliate against Lu Shan Jun.
“Heh…”
Lu Shanjun let out a roar. He had to admit that this bull had another remarkable talent: he was incredibly good at provoking people when he wanted to.
This made Yan Fei, who was standing next to him, a little nervous. Ji Yuan was also amused and exasperated. He had just been thinking of Taoist Qingsong, and seeing the bull like this, he felt that the two were quite similar in some ways.
However, Taoist Qingsong was more innocent, speaking the truth in a way that annoyed people, while this bull was more shameless.
As for Lu Shan Jun’s question, Ji Yuan wasn’t sure whether anyone other than him could answer it, but he himself did have a good idea of what his form was. He smiled, lowered his voice slightly, and looked up at the remnants of the quickly-dissipating demonic clouds. Ji Yuan spoke in a deep and strong voice.
“A tiger’s body with nine tails; a human face with tiger’s claws; a divine might that spreads awe; standing atop Kunlun Mountain, gazing eastward… You are the divine beast Lu Wu!”2
“Lu Wu?”
“A divine beast?”
Lu Shan Jun and the Old Bull muttered to themselves, one focused on the name “Lu Wu” while the other was more concerned with the term “divine beast”.
The Old Bull had heard of immortal beasts, but the term “divine beast” seemed somewhat like the same class of being as a mountain or water god who followed the path of incense and faith. But wouldn’t that just make him a god, like those mountain gods or water gods? Besides, Lu Shan Jun didn’t seem like a god at all.
Ji Yuan looked down at Lu Shan Jun and Niu Batian, and nodded.
“That’s right, you are indeed a Lu Wu. However, a true Lu Wu has nine tails, while you are still lacking.”
“This isn’t just lacking, it’s a huge difference!”
Niu Batian pretended to mutter something under his breath, but he knew that everyone present could hear him clearly, although Lu Shan Jun would not be angry about it.
Ji Yuan ignored the Old Bull, looked at Lu Shan Jun’s thoughtful expression, sighed and continued.
“You don’t need to overthink things. Just focus diligently on your cultivation. There’s no need to look for any others of your kind. Unlike dragons and flood dragons, there is likely only one Lu Wu, especially in these times.”
Upon hearing his master’s words, Lu Shan Jun quickly cupped his hands in acknowledgement.
“Alright!”
Ji Yuan glanced at the three of them again, then looked towards Luoqing’s capital city.
“You can handle the rest. Get it over with quickly. I’m going to Luoqing City to appease the local spirits.”
With that, Ji Yuan lightly leaped upwards, soaring through the air with the wind beneath his feet, riding the gentle breeze towards Luoqing City.
The people of Luoqing’s capital city were only now recovering from the previous storm. To be honest, although the storm looked terrible, it didn’t actually affect the city’s inhabitants much.
Even though some sand and gravel had fallen inside the city, it only affected small area near the eastern side of the city wall, that naturally had more dusty terrain around it.
However, while there was no material impact, the psychological impact was significant. The faint, terrifying roars that reached the city had previously been mistaken as thunder, but others were alarmed, fearing the presence of evil spirits or monsters. In these times, many regions in the land of Zuyue were in turmoil.
However, this panic wouldn’t last long. The temples in the city would probably see a surge in pilgrims for a while, and then people would gradually forget about it once they realized that everything was alright.
However, the City God and all the various ghosts and spirits that the people of Louqing Prefecture usually worshipped were now nervously waiting on the city wall.
Sure enough, not too long after, a graceful figure in white robes landed on the city wall. The City God of Luoqing Prefecture, who had been waiting along with his cadre of ghosts and gods, bowed and paid his respects.
“Thank you, Immortal Master, for subduing the demon!”
The City God’s words weren’t entirely wrong, so Ji Yuan didn’t bother to correct him. He returned the greeting and then reassured him.
“City God, the officials of the Underworld, please don’t stand on ceremony. The battle between the monsters outside the city has ended, and it will not affect the people of Luoqing City…”
Ji Yuan didn’t go into too much detail, giving a vague, general account of the events, focusing on reassurance rather than explanation.
Although the ghosts and gods in the city hadn’t been able to see the situation clearly the entire time, they could see the final moments quite well. In addition, Ji Yuan revealed some of his spiritual power and vital energy in order to further reduce their suspicions.
Orthodox cultivators, especially those with profound cultivation, could display both their spiritual power and vital energy at the same time, giving them an ethereal quality that was completely different from demonic or monstrous energy. While it was not completely impossible to fake it, Ji Yuan’s considerably reassured the assembled ghosts and gods.
Once Ji Yuan had explained the situation to the ghosts and gods of Luoqing City in a gentle and persuasive manner, he returned to the small mansion outside the city. When he arrived, he began to wonder if he had gone to the wrong place.
Most of the small mansion had been destroyed in the previous battle between the two monsters, leaving only a utility room and a shed. However, the stone table and a few stools in front of the house were still intact.
At this moment, Niu Batian was carrying a perfectly intact teapot. He had dug out some items from a tea set, washed them, and was using his spiritual power to brew tea, diligently pouring it. However, he wasn’t pouring tea for Yan Fei, but rather for Lu Shan Jun, who was sitting next to Yan Fei.
‘What’s going on? Did this bull’s brain get damaged? It doesn’t look like he got hit on the head…’
The Old Bull hadn’t actually gone mad. His attentiveness stemmed not only from Lu Shan Jun’s lenient treatment after he had clarified Yan Fei’s situation, but also because he had inadvertently learned that Lu Shan Jun was very wealthy!
“Hey, come, come! Old Lu, Old Lu, although our house is damaged, this canister of tea is intact and the teapot is clean. Try this tea; it’s made from wild tea leaves from the nearby mountains. The tea tastes very refreshing. Have a taste, have a taste!”
Seeing Ji Yuan return, the Old Bull quickly greeted him.
“Mr. Ji, you’re back. Those ghosts and gods of Luoqing are so meek, they wouldn’t utter a sound even if you tried to explain. Come on over and have some tea!”
Ji Yuan nodded and walked over, looking at Lu Shan Jun with a questioning gaze. However, he saw that the latter had a confused expression as well, clearly not understanding why this bull had suddenly changed his attitude. Just moments before, he could hardly wait to find any opportunity to confront him.
Ji Yuan then looked at Yan Fei, but Yan Fei just gave an awkward smile.
“Mr. Ji, please have a seat!”
The Old Bull placed a teacup for Ji Yuan, poured him a steaming cup of tea, and sat down himself. He then asked Lu Shan Jun and Ji Yuan, who were in the midst of drinking their tea, a couple questions.
“How is it? How does it taste?”
“It’s acceptable.”
“Ver good.”
Ji Yuan answered, and Lu Shan Jun added on.
The Old Bull chuckled.
“This Old Bull personally roasted that tea. Back in the day, when I was still a draft ox,3 my family was poor, but my mistress was hardworking. Every spring, she would go up the mountain to pick wild tea leaves, roast them herself, and then pour the leftover tea and leaves into the cowshed for me. That tea was so refreshing…”
The Old Bull recalled one of his rare memories from his early life, then looked at the house behind him.
“What a pity about this mansion. It was my and Brother Yan’s home for cultivating our minds and bodies. The large cauldron that I’ve carried for hundreds of years, bearing so many memories, is also destroyed…”
“Pfft…”
Yan Fei spat out a mouthful of tea, but luckily he managed to block it with his hand in time, otherwise it would have sprayed onto Mr. Ji.
“Although rebuilding the manor will require a lot of money, our poverty is a minor issue; memories are something that money can’t buy back…”
Ji Yuan’s lips twitched, and he casually asked a question.
“And the gold?”
“The gold, yes, but… in the end, what good is gold…”
Ji Yuan finally understood. This Old Bull was really trying to extort money. He could make a guess as to what the Old Bull wanted the money for; after all, the events of that year were still fresh in his mind. He glanced at Yan Fei, who was indeed keeping his head down, his gaze trained on the ground.
As a monster, it wasn’t difficult for the Old Bull to get money, but he spent it faster than it accrued. The silver he had thrown into the brothels of Luoqing City over the years was an astronomical figure for most people. Now that he knew Lu Shan Jun was rich, why wouldn’t he try to get close to him?
Lu Shan Jun never even considered that this bull monster could be so shameless. Therefore, although he felt that the Old Bull was acting a bit pretentious, he truly did think the Old Bull was very serious.
“If the mansion is damaged, I, Lu, will naturally compensate for it. It’s not out of the question for me to rebuild it altogether.”
Lu Shan Jun’s words made the Old Bull slap his thigh hard.
“Great! Old Lu, you’re a great guy!”
Then the Old Bull leaned closer to Lu Shan Jun and said:
“How much silver do you have?”
Lu Shan Jun paused for a moment, then thought about it. Even if he didn’t count that pile of gold ingots, just his silver alone included loose change and the Dong family’s reward money.
“About two thousand taels.”
“Alright! Old Lu is straightforward! Two thousand taels it is, I’ll accept it!”
Niu Batian had already put his arm around Lu Shan Jun’s shoulder and was laughing heartily. The latter’s eyebrows twitched, and he barely managed to keep from slapping him away.
T/n: LSJ got scammed, RIP. But more than that, RIP Niu Batian when LSJ finds out XD
i.e. a gentleman is patient and bides his time for the right moment to take revenge According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas (specifically the “Western Mountains Classic”), the Lu Wu is a mountain god of Kunlun Mountain, said to be responsible for guarding the capital and the imperial seat of power. The excerpt (and a really cool drawing of it) can be found here. Cattle trained for heavy labor. Could include, plowing, pulling carts, logging, etc.