Red Umbrella, White Stem

Zhu Bo's stomach wasn't in great shape. He wore a constipated look early in the morning, and Lu Bei didn't want to delay him from relieving himself, so he opened the small back door and headed toward the woods on the back mountain.

According to the land deed, Sanqing Peak belonged to the Feather Transformation Sect. So today, he wasn't merely catching thieves—he also had to collect rent in person.

After searching the mountain forest for nearly half an hour, Lu Bei found a fox den beside a mound of earth.

He had never seen a fox den before, but seeing three little foxes playing and tumbling around the entrance, he figured this had to be one.

They couldn't really be called little anymore. Three months had passed, and they had grown, their fur even glossier than before.

"Only three? Where did the other two go?" Lu Bei squatted deep in the grass. He remembered clearly that the largest little fox demon had already awakened its Spiritual Intelligence and could even use spells to frighten people.

Just as he was thinking this, another little fox poked its way out of the bushes. It shook its head and squeezed over to its companions, then proudly set down the mushroom it had been carrying in its mouth.

The wild mushroom was brightly colored, with a vivid red cap atop a white stem. Lu Bei was speechless at the sight.

As the saying went: red umbrella, white stem—eat it, and you'd lie flat on a plank.

Mountain delicacies might be fresh and delicious, with health benefits to boot, but poisonous and nonpoisonous varieties were devilishly hard to distinguish. Until one had identified them clearly, one absolutely mustn't take a bite at random.

Lu Bei didn't dare guarantee that the little red mushrooms were poisonous. By the same token, he didn't dare guarantee that they weren't. With a flick of his hand, he produced a Qi Ling Pill and hurled it at the four little foxes cheering and leaping around the red umbrellas.

The Qi Ling Pill dropped from the sky. The little foxes were startled at first, then their gazes swung back and forth between the red umbrellas and the Qi Ling Pill. In the end, they all pounced on the Qi Ling Pill in perfect unison.

In the grass, the corners of Lu Bei's lips curled up. Just as he had expected, even wild animals knew how to choose between a Qi Ling Pill and a poisonous mushroom.

However, the little foxes didn't know this was a single-choice question. They decided they wanted everything.

While Lu Bei was secretly delighted, the little foxes took the Qi Ling Pill and, before returning to the den, casually carried the red umbrella inside as well.

"Ah, this..."

Lu Bei scratched his head and stood up, then hurried toward the fox den. "It's not necessarily a bad thing. At least your approach to solving the problem is very clear. You're smarter than I imagined."

At the entrance, a slightly larger fox hurriedly ran out. The little fox demon, which hadn't seen him in a long time, recognized its old acquaintance Lu Bei and, frightened, spun around and burrowed back inside.

"Hey, you there. I know you can understand human speech. Just now, another one of your family ate a poisonous mushroom. Saving a fox is urgent, so hurry and bring it out."

"Come out. I only want to save it. I have no other intentions."

"I'm a good person!!"

"If you don't come out, I'm going to start digging!"

Lu Bei stood at the den entrance and shouted for quite a while. Seeing that the little fox demon remained utterly silent, he suddenly understood. That was it—the other party couldn't speak, so it had chosen to silently agree.

Once he understood the reason, Lu Bei secretly berated himself. The other side had given him such an obvious hint, yet he had wasted so much time. Without another word, he took an iron shovel from the Qiankun Bag.

He had bought it just yesterday. It hadn't even met soil yet!

He swung the shovel down. Chittering erupted inside the den. Lu Bei held his breath and looked around, wary of the fox having three dens.

After two swings, a fiery-red figure shot out of the den. The little fox demon held a little fox in its mouth and stared at Lu Bei in a guarded stance.

Lu Bei raised an eyebrow. Seeing the little fox's four limbs twitching, he dropped the iron shovel and tried to frighten it. "See? I told you it ate a poisonous mushroom, but you wouldn't listen. Look at it now. We missed the optimal treatment window. Even if it recovers, it'll be ruined."

The little fox demon's eyes were wary. Judging from its defensive posture, it was probably suspecting that Lu Bei was the one who had poisoned it.

"What are you standing around for? Put it down. I'll detoxify it."

"..."

The little fox demon understood human speech. It put down the poisoned little fox, then retreated two steps and clasped its paws together, begging for help.

Lu Bei stepped forward and crouched down. He took out a Detoxification Pill, dissolved it in clean water, and slowly poured it into the little fox's mouth.

The medicine's effects were impressive. The Detoxification Pill couldn't deal with Snake Spirit's unique poison, but handling a red umbrella from the mountains was no problem at all. In less than a quarter of an hour, the little fox was breathing smoothly and had fallen asleep with a snore.

Once he had settled everything, Lu Bei politely returned to his original spot. He raised a hand and gestured for the little fox demon to carry it back into the den.

Seeing this, some of the wariness in the little fox demon's eyes faded. It repeatedly clasped its paws together to express its thanks.

However, just as it picked up the little fox, a porcelain bottle fell from Lu Bei's robes. It shattered on the ground, and a dozen fragrant Qi Ling Pills came rolling out. The nearest one stopped directly beneath the little fox demon's foot.

It only had to lower its head to eat it.

"Sorry about this. I've been refining pills lately, and I have so many of these things that I have nowhere to put them. I'm sick of them even as food. If you're craving one, take it and quench your thirst."

Lu Bei waved his hand and sighed. "Speaking of which, these little fellows really are a headache. They eat poisonous plants today, fall into traps tomorrow, and who knows what'll happen the day after. If they could awaken their Spiritual Intelligence sooner, they might grow up safe and sound."

The little fox demon's body trembled. It looked at Lu Bei's kindly face, then at the Qi Ling Pill by its foot. For a moment, it couldn't move, sinking into a long silence.

"Don't know how to choose, do you?"

Lu Bei chuckled. "How to choose is indeed a difficult question. But whether it's sacrifice or danger, neither is absolute. Since you don't know how to choose, I'll choose for you. As for whether it's right or wrong, I won't judge. A few years from now, you can decide for yourself."

With that, the skill Blood Rage activated. Under the overwhelming pressure, the little fox demon let out a mournful cry and collapsed. When it came to its senses again, Lu Bei had already grabbed it by the scruff and lifted it up.

"Come with me. I can't promise much else, but you'll have food, shelter, and a guaranteed job assignment. From now on, you'll eat well and drink well. Every one of you can be a little princess." As he spoke, Lu Bei brushed aside the fox's tail and took a look.

"Oh? You really are a little princess. Huh, this one is too."

He didn't know much about foxes, but mammals should all be more or less the same. One could distinguish males from females by looking at the little bells.

Brilliant!

Lu Bei's eyes lit up. Cute boys were certainly precious, but cuteness was worthless before sex appeal. Fox demons were better as females.

He had revealed his true colors in fewer than three sentences. The little fox demon struggled fiercely, but Lu Bei didn't care. Carrying one fox in each hand, he walked along and tempted it. "Stop struggling. As long as you obediently listen to me, I'll ensure your entire family awakens its Spiritual Intelligence. Not only that, I'll even take care of your transformation and cultivation in the future."

The little fox demon's struggles were no longer as fierce as they had been at first, but it still resisted strongly.

"Think about the other four. Ignorant and foolish, they'll end up dying in the mouths of wild beasts sooner or later. Even if you can care for them their whole lives, they'll still be mindless creatures that eat flesh and blood. Their ten-year lifespans will be over in the blink of an eye. How tragic."

Noticing that the little fox demon's struggles were gradually weakening, Lu Bei continued, "If you transform into human form, everything will be different. The outside world is vast and beautiful. You don't have to go see it if you don't want to, but if they spend their entire lives in a dark, damp den, fighting over bloody rats and stinking bugs, then that will be your fault."

The little fox demon let out a mournful cry, lowered its head, and drooped its tail. It completely stopped resisting.

The corners of Lu Bei's lips curled up. It worked. Carrying one little fox in each hand, he strode toward the Feather Transformation Sect.

Behind him, the three little foxes followed step by step, unwilling to leave the little fox demon.

One bottle of Qi Ling Pills for five little foxes. This deal wasn't a loss.

In the backyard, Zhu Bo saw that Lu Bei had brought back an entire den of foxes and was raising them beside the Sect Master's bedroom. He shook his head repeatedly, not knowing what to say.

Once Lu Bei had finished up, Zhu Bo stepped forward two paces, clenched his fist, and gave a light cough.

"Brother Bo, what guidance do you have for me?"

"Brother Lu, you're..."

Zhu Bo pointed at the wary little fox demon. "If I'm not mistaken, this fox has already awakened its Spiritual Intelligence. By continuing to absorb the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, it can transform into human form. Am I right?"

"That's right. However, the spiritual energy on Sanqing Peak is scarce. For them to transform, I'll have to spend quite a bit of money on pills."

Lu Bei counted on his fingers. "Once they become adults, setting aside the needs of cultivation, their daily expenses alone—food, clothing, housing, transportation, and so on—will be another huge expense. And if we add rouge and powder..."

"Wait, I didn't mean that."

Zhu Bo cut him off directly and got to the point. "Brother Lu, don't say I didn't warn you. Raising demon pets for amusement is illegal. Under the laws of Wu Zhou, the harshest sentence is forced military service on the frontier."

Wu Zhou law stipulated that once demonic creatures awakened their Spiritual Intelligence and transformed into human form, they could be entered into the Wu Zhou household registry. All their rights and obligations were equal to those of the human race of Wu Zhou.

The reason for this was a historical matter. Thousands, even tens of thousands, of years ago, the laws of human nations had not protected the Demon Race. Newly transformed young demons had suffered miserably. Not only had they been stripped of their right to cultivate, they had also been sold as merchandise, their social status no higher than livestock.

Back then, humans and demons had viewed each other with hostility. The status of human Dao Cultivators had not been much better either. They had been at the very bottom of the Cultivation World, barely clinging together for warmth and unable to change the greater situation.

It wasn't until a brawny man descended from the heavens and an era-defining Demon Emperor rose forcefully to power that things changed. He established the Myriad Monster Kingdom in the lands where the Buzhou Mountain ley lines extended, opened up territory, and laid an everlasting foundation. His physical arguments had left no room for refutation, and only then did the human nations acknowledge the status of the newly born Demon Race within their borders.

As time passed, the Dao Cultivator faction gradually rose. Human nations tasted the benefits brought by the Demon Race and increasingly valued the demons and Dao Cultivators within their borders. The status of the newly born Demon Race was fundamentally and completely transformed.

From another perspective, the closer a human nation was to the Myriad Monster Kingdom, the higher the status of the Demon Race and Dao Cultivators. Wu Zhou was neither close nor far. Its foundation was Dao Cultivators, so it was impossible for the Demon Race to enter the upper echelons of society here by relying on bloodline alone. You were given sufficient equality; if you wanted to climb higher, you had to see how much effort you were willing to put in.

Put plainly, only strength earned one status in the martial world.

Lu Bei knew that Wu Zhou law contained such a provision. His expression turned strange as he looked at Zhu Bo. "Brother Bo, what kind of person do you take me for? Am I the sort of lecherous man who lusts after women?"

"What? You're not?"

Zhu Bo was stunned. After thinking about it, it seemed that Lu Bei really wasn't.

Back at Dasheng Pass, Zhu Kui had tried several times to lure Lu Bei to Yunshui Tower to discuss business, but Lu Bei had blocked him with all kinds of excuses.

The evidence was conclusive. This man was a little mean and a little thick-skinned, but when it came to women, he could still keep himself in check.

"Brother Lu, forgive my curiosity. Since you don't like them, why spend money raising these Fox Spirits? It's so much effort for no reward, and it's meaningless."

I don't like them, but the players do!

Perhaps an LSP player could refuse a sales pitch from one Fox Spirit, but there was absolutely no way they could refuse a sales pitch from a whole group of Fox Spirits. Add a Snake Spirit on top of that, and it was a sure-fire path to sudden wealth.

Lu Bei grumbled inwardly, his expression unchanged. "As I said before, I'm preparing to enter the business world and start a small business. I'm raising several beautiful Fox Immortals to serve as the face of the establishment and attract customers."

"Not that kind of business at Yunshui Tower, right?" Zhu Bo was overjoyed. The Zhu brothers loved doing business most of all. He would make the decision: not only would he invest and buy shares, he would invest and buy shares.

"You're overthinking it, Brother. I'm only selling pills and materials for Artifact Refining—legitimate business."

"Oh, is that so..."

Zhu Bo curled his lips. If this was what Lu Bei wanted to discuss, he was suddenly sleepy.