Squirrel, Ram, and Silly Bear

Moonlight spilled onto the figure. It was the Squirrel Demon, Song Shuhang, who had been with the Weasel Demon earlier.

He had been hiding in the distance, observing for a long time. He confirmed that the terrifying demoness would not return and that Chen Luo and the Little Frog were not faking their injuries. Only then did he cautiously approach.

"Great fortune, great luck! Great fortune, great luck!" Song Shuhang slowly moved closer to Chen Luo and the Little Frog, extending his hand to probe near their hearts, confirming that both the man and the frog still had heartbeats.

"It's good they're alive," Song Shuhang said, plopping down beside Chen Luo. "Third Brother Huang was wrong to try and rob you, but he was also killed, so it's even now."

Song Shuhang murmured again, "I took ten Blood Refining Pills from you, and I repay kindness with kindness. I had already planned that if you died, I would dig you a grave and let you rest in peace. Since you're alive, I won't abandon you either."

Song Shuhang glanced at the scattered branches and broken wood. He took an axe from his personal bag and began to chop and assemble. In a short while, he had fashioned a simple flatbed cart.

Song Shuhang looked at the flatbed cart with satisfaction, wiping the sweat from his brow. To save up money to buy Blood Refining Pills, besides working as a bodyguard, he had also learned carpentry.

Song Shuhang placed Chen Luo onto the flatbed cart and said softly, "Please don't mind. Old Song only awakened a 'Swift' Innate Demonic Art. I don't have the ability to control objects with Demonic Power."

After placing Chen Luo, Song Shuhang picked up the Little Frog. He tucked the Little Frog into Chen Luo's shirt pocket, leaving only its little head exposed. Then, as if remembering something, he searched ahead and finally found the Little Frog's small backpack about a hundred meters away. Song Shuhang looked at the backpack, from which Blood Refining Pills had been continuously flying out, and a flicker of greed crossed his mind, but he quickly suppressed it.

"Wealth and honor obtained unrighteously are to me like floating clouds..." Song Shuhang sighed. "Master, you're making me live in poverty my whole life."

Song Shuhang walked to the front of the flatbed cart and placed the small backpack squarely onto the Little Frog. He then pulled the cart and began walking towards the depths of Floating Cloud Mountain...

A thatched hut, lush green grass.

An elderly man, leaning on a bamboo staff, hobbled out of the hut. The old man's face was aged, and a pair of ram horns on his head were particularly conspicuous. Two giants stood outside the hut, their presence almost completely blocking the sunlight from the doorway. The two giants were bare-chested, standing close together. A pair of white chest hairs in a V-shape on their chests joined into a W, fluttering in the wind. Above their heads stood a pair of semi-circular bear ears. Behind these two Bear Demons were piles of emerald green grass as tall as small mountains.

"Bear One, Bear Two, this old body can't eat this much grass. Put it down."

"Yes!" The two Bear Demons quickly put down the piles of grass on their backs, smiling and saying in unison, "Greetings, Master Yang."

The Ram Demon, addressed as Master Yang, waved his hand. "Speak, have you caused trouble again?"

"No, no!" Bear One and Bear Two quickly waved their hands and shook their heads, denying it. "Master Yang, we need your help with something."

"What is it?"

Bear One and Bear Two quickly spoke in turn, explaining the matter of the Town Profound Division and the Money Falling Pavilion issuing bounties. Then Bear One added, "We had our subordinates search all day but couldn't find a trace of them. We wanted to ask Master Yang to help us see where we can find them."

"You two simpletons!" The Ram Demon spat at the two bears. "I can't divine the future, how would I know their whereabouts?"

Bear One scratched his head and said with a fawning smile, "Master Yang is a rare Demonic Confucian, very skilled, you must have a way." He then patted Bear Two from behind, and Bear Two quickly nodded. "Yes, yes, that's right."

The Ram Demon rolled his eyes at the two bears. He didn't understand how, after he had lectured on the classics of the sages in Floating Cloud Mountain for so long, it was these two simpletons who had gained enlightenment. He said irritably, "The map!"

"Map!" Bear One shouted back, and immediately several small demons who had been hidden behind the two bears rushed forward and unfurled a map of Floating Cloud Mountain.

The Ram Demon, leaning on his staff, walked to the map. "Floating Cloud Mountain spans six hundred li. Besides Floating Cloud Market, there are twelve large and small demon strongholds!"

As the Ram Demon spoke, he began pointing at the map with his staff.

Bear Two interjected, "Master Yang, it's thirteen, our Second Bear Stronghold was established one month and three days ago."

The Ram Demon glared at Bear Two, then continued, "These demon strongholds should have all received the bounties from the Town Profound Division and the Money Falling Pavilion, so they must be mobilized..."

Bear One nodded. "Exactly. They've almost turned Floating Cloud Mountain upside down..."

The Ram Demon nodded and continued his analysis. "First, whether that Earl of Wan'an from the imperial court is within Floating Cloud Mountain is uncertain, so we won't consider him for now. We should prioritize finding the Young Pavilion Master from the Money Falling Pavilion."

Bear One and Bear Two nodded in unison.

"Since Old Woman Golden Toad didn't use her connections in the Daoist sect to divine, but instead issued a bounty, it means Old Woman Golden Toad is confident that the Young Pavilion Master is still within Floating Cloud Mountain."

Bear One, Bear Two: "Mm! Mm! Mm!"

"The twelve demon strongholds, with their registered demon populations, range from six to seven hundred at the low end to two to three thousand at the high end, totaling no less than twenty thousand. These include those that fly in the sky, run on the ground, and swim in the water. Covering a mere few hundred li for a day and a night without finding them means they are simply not in those places."

Bear One, Bear Two: "Mm! Mm! Mm!"

"Then you two take a look at this map. Besides their spheres of influence, where else has been overlooked!"

Bear One, Bear Two: "Mm! Mm! Mm!"

"What 'mm'?! Look at the map!" The Ram Demon raised his bamboo staff and tapped both Bear One and Bear Two.

Bear One and Bear Two quickly looked at the map and found that the places the Ram Demon had pointed to with his staff were covered in a green light. On the entire map, only a section in the lower right corner was missed.

"One Line Gorge?" Bear One shook his head. "Master Yang, One Line Gorge is a forbidden area, they definitely wouldn't be there..."

Bear Two: "Big Brother is right!"

The Ram Demon was almost driven to death by the stupidity of his two bear students. He pointed his staff at an open area in front of One Line Gorge. "Here! Here! Here! Do you see?"

Bear One and Bear Two suddenly realized. "Oh... right, there's still a space here!"

The Ram Demon sat down, leaning on his staff, and took a deep breath. "Hurry up and go. The leaders of those demon strongholds are much smarter than you, they might have already gone there..."

Bear One and Bear Two were taken aback and quickly nodded. "Then we'll be going. We'll visit you again another day..."

The two bears bowed, turned, and ran off, not even minding the small demons still holding the map. Those small demons looked pitifully at the Ram Demon. The Ram Demon sighed. "Go, go, go. Move all this grass to the cellar behind me."

After speaking, the Ram Demon felt a bit uneasy. He looked up and shouted, "Little Crow!"

A crow circled down from the roof and landed on the Ram Demon's horns.

"Go and keep an eye on those two simpletons. Don't let them do anything foolish!"

The crow nodded, flapped its wings, and flew in the direction Bear One and Bear Two had left.

The time was noon, and the sun blazed fiercely.

Squirrel Demon Song Shuhang placed the flatbed cart under the shade of a tree, then leaned against it himself, fanning himself constantly.

"Third Brother Huang said that if I go straight in this direction for about three to four hundred miles, I'll reach Floating Cloud Market," Song Shuhang mused to himself. "It's bustling there, so I'm sure I can find someone to treat them, and repay their kindness for the gifted pill. Then I'll return home, prepare for my advancement, find a demoness, and have a few little squirrels. That would be..."

Suddenly, Song Shuhang felt a sense of alarm and quickly turned his head, shouting, "Who's there?"

Green grass and yellow willows, the scent of gratitude lingers in the hands that gifted tickets. There's a "Godfather Building" in the book reviews. Thanks to the readers who have been following since they were little sprouts. I unilaterally declare you all godfathers of this book. You can raise your hands and check in first~