Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Return of an Old Friend

  The spring breeze passes through a row of green willows on the shore, leaning down to sweep across the surface of Xihui Lake, bringing up a sheet of sparkling ripples. The countless soft waves are like a woman's eyes, entwining and lingering, carrying the jade-like condensed greenness deep into the lake.

  Softly shining light penetrates the clear lake water, seeping into the lake bottom, transforming into a cluster of mist that seems to disperse but doesn't, lingering among the eaves of the undulating houses in Ju Nuo Guo.

  The ancient country of Ju Chao welcomed another quiet and peaceful morning.

  The fish swam through the clusters of waterweeds at the bottom of the lake, playing and chasing each other. A group of bronze statues turned towards the northeast of the city, when suddenly a loud clanging sound came from nearby, startling them and causing them to scatter in all directions, leaving behind only ripples on the water that gradually disappeared without a trace.

  That sound, high and low, crisp and clear, struck the iron anvil of the copper bell, also striking the tender heart of the lotus leaf bed where she lay sleeping soundly. After a while, from under the pillow came this small water spirit's helpless mutter: "Master is at it again..."

  In front of the courtyard, the iron shop is in full swing.

  These years, the iron hammer in his hand smashed a crystal stone on the anvil, sparks flying everywhere, but the stone didn't move. He didn't show any anger, instead, his eyes shone with excitement, and he swung the heavy hammer even higher. The fat tail behind him swayed left and right to the rhythm. When Xuan came in, he almost got swept away by his master's crocodile-like tail.

  "Master, that broken stone has been in the furnace for three days and still hasn't melted. Who knows, maybe it's already become a spirit. Why not just let it go?" Yanshen teased as he walked forward to open the iron door of the forge. He couldn't help but yawn, spitting out a few wisps of blue mist. In his heart, he silently added: "Good dreams are hard to come by, so I'll let my disciples and the nearby demons off easy too."

  He stood in front of the furnace, too lazy to turn around, and heard his apprentice muttering to himself. With a snort, he blew out two streams of steam from his large nostrils: "Hmph! You little brat, don't talk nonsense! Do you think that just because a stone has been rolling around in the water for decades it becomes a treasure? This cloud crystal is a rare gem, and I must carefully polish and refine it to create a fine iron tool. Let Red Flame and all the monsters in the city see that He Yi is also an excellent blacksmith, not inferior to his old man!" As he spoke, his hands clanged away again with a loud din.

  He helplessly shook his head, and could only try to cover his ears, attempting to sneak out the door. But before he even reached the entrance, Hei Yu caught him red-handed: "You little scoundrel, don't think you can sneak away! Go quickly and sweep the room next door spotless. If I find out later that you're being lazy again and taking a nap, Master will make sure to give you and this 'Stone Spirit' a good thrashing!"

  You want me to sweep that room where no monster lives! Meng Xiang furrowed his brow and pouted, unwillingly saying: "Master, if you asked me to sweep the iron shop, I'd be fine with it. But the room next door doesn't even have any monsters living in it, what's the point of sweeping it every day? Isn't that just a waste of effort?"

  Hehe, with a loud bang, the hammer struck the cloud crystal stone. "How come there's no monster living here? It's just that the monster who lives here has gone out for a trip and might return at any time. He asked me to take care of the house, so I have to clean it up properly every day. As humans say: 'When there's work, disciples do their part', your master is busy with ironwork, sweeping is naturally left to you - hurry up!"

  The old man's mouth was raised even higher, and he grumbled and hesitated, refusing to move: "I've been sweeping that house for a year now, and I haven't seen any monsters living there... what's the point of going out so far?"

  "You've only been here for a few years, what do you know?" Hei Yin glared at him and turned back to continue wielding the large hammer. "Let me tell you, the one living next door is a powerful demon, his powers are impressive, even the elder has to look up to him. What are you, anyway? Being able to sweep his house is a great fortune, yet you keep running your mouth!"

  Yangsuo listened and became curious and dissatisfied, muttering: "I've been living in Junchuang country for over two years, but I've never seen any big monsters coming and going here. If it's a big monster, why would it need to hide in Junchuang country?"

  His words were not without reason. In recent years, the number of small monsters like Yansol who came from outside had increased significantly in Juque Country. Because they were young and weak, they could not compete with the powerful monsters outside and could not be accepted by humans. It was said that there was a place called Taoyuan Village at the bottom of Juque Lake where monsters lived together, so many of them came here to seek refuge. The elder of Juque Country, Huixiao, and other old residents took pity on these homeless monsters and allowed them to stay. As a result, more and more small monsters fled to Juque Country. Yansol was one of them who arrived two years ago with a group of monsters. He only knew some basic monster magic and could not join the Juque Guard, so he had to work as an apprentice in the iron shop, learning from Hexi. After two years, he had gained some understanding of Juque Country, but he had never seen any powerful monsters or spirits appearing here, which was why he asked this question.

  Hehe, that big monster wasn't from around here either. My mom said his mom was pregnant with him when she encountered some trouble and drifted to the outside world, where she gave birth to him in a foreign land called Jūzhōng Guó. But what's strange is that when he was young, he didn't have any demonic aura at all, let alone know any magic. We went to play on Bǎi Yǔ Zhōu together, and he couldn't even beat that stinky girl Zhū Yuè, who knocked him down with just one flap of her wing!

  "Then Master, you still say he's got great magical power?" Yingshen looked at him suspiciously with a slanted gaze.

  "This was a long time ago! At that time, he was really weak, but later it was different." Hei Yi waved his hand, indicating that he shouldn't interrupt, "We thought that maybe he had some kind of encounter outside, and then he had great magical powers. Those were all things from decades ago, I don't remember exactly what happened, only that in that year, a huge whirlpool appeared on Chao Lake, which appears once every 19 years, but it just so happened that there was a big storm on the lake that year, and more than half of the branches of the big tree on Bai Feng Island were struck by lightning... After that storm, something strange happened in Ju Xiang Country, that big monster and his mother suddenly disappeared!" Recalling the scene from his childhood, Hei Yi's face, which was usually smiling, suddenly became much more serious, "At the time, the elder had gathered all of the monsters from the Chao Lake area to search for them, but they couldn't find them anywhere. We all thought that he and his mother were... well, we never thought he'd come back. So when he suddenly appeared in front of everyone about 20 years ago, no one recognized him, but he still remembered us. At the time, he walked up to me and said, 'Hei Yi, you're much stronger than you were 19 years ago'... Ha ha, I'm not bragging, your master was already one of the strongest little monsters in Ju Xiang Country from a young age, it's just that he still remembered, haha!"

  Looking at He Yinan's complacent appearance, Yan Xuan had an expression that couldn't bear to look directly, pouting and muttering in a low voice: "What's the use of being strong, isn't it still being beaten by Hua Niang until one's head is wrapped..." After all, curious about what happened later, she urged, "Later on, since that big monster came back, why did he go out again?"

  "Nature has its reasons, listen to me carefully!" He Yi waved his hand impatiently and continued, "When they left back then, it was just the two of them, mother and son. But when he came back, only he remained. We naturally asked him about his mother's whereabouts, but he didn't want to say much. He only told us that she died outside, and when he mentioned this matter, his expression was really not good. We also didn't dare ask more... Alas, that aunt may have been a bit fierce, but she was a great beauty. Who would have thought it would end like this... Hmm, what do humans say? 'A beautiful face is short-lived'?"

  After all, it's a demon that has been gone for many years and has never seen before. Xiangyun didn't feel any regret or sadness at all, but was eager to hear the story of that great demon. She asked repeatedly: "Master, you haven't told us yet, what happened after that great demon came back?"

  He heaved another sigh before continuing: "He's back, but he's completely different from before. Not only has his appearance changed a lot, but also his temperament... Although he still looks calm and quiet, it makes us dare not underestimate him. His aura is quite intimidating, even the elder holds him in high regard! However, how he treats people..."

  We're still the same as before, just laughing less. Thinking back, those years spent outside weren't that carefree either... Sigh, what's the fun in getting stronger? It's not as good as being a carefree little demon in Jusang country.

  After a moment of contemplation, He Yi continued: "The house next door was where he and his mother lived back then. After they went missing, the house was left to them, so he still lives there. However, he didn't stay for long before coming to bid farewell, saying he would be leaving for a while and asking me to take care of the house. He was gone for over a year. Later on, every now and then, he would leave again, each time for a very long period. If you count it up, the number of days he spent in Ju Guo is truly pitifully small. This back-and-forth has happened many times, so we've all gotten used to it. As for the last time he came back, that was over two years ago."

  "Where did he go?" Yingshen asked curiously.

  "He shot her a glance: 'How would I know? He probably goes to some out-of-the-way places, anyway every time he comes back, he gives me some strange and precious objects, saying it's to thank me for keeping an eye on the house. Look, that piece of cloud crystal was one of his gifts.'"

  He gazed at the "broken stone" in the stove with a different look, and the thing brought back by the big demon must be a treasure. The master burned it for three days without burning it, which is also evident. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but whisper: "When can I see this big demon... maybe I can see some rare treasures too."

  He snorted, got up and used the fire tongs to reach for that piece of cloud crystal stone again, saying: "Dream on, it's not that easy to see him. Your master is still lucky to have had a childhood friendship with him, otherwise you wouldn't even bother sweeping the room..."

  Before the words had fallen, Yingsong had already jumped up from the stool and rushed towards the door. Just at this moment, the curtain in front of the door was lifted, and he slipped past the figure behind the curtain like a fish, disappearing into thin air.

  "Ah, is this a rush to reincarnate?" Flower Hongyan raised an eyebrow and looked at the back of Xiangyun, who had just walked in from outside. She curiously spat out a sunflower seed and then asked He Yi, "Your little disciple has a burning butt, running so fast?"

  He smiled and swung his big hammer: "It's probably just a beautiful dream of seeing a great monster."

  Huā hóng yān bù yǐ wéi yì de shuǎi le shuǎi yīn hóng de wěi ba jiān, hū dì xiǎng qǐlái zhè lǐ de yuán gù, xiào dào: "Hé yú hé yú, nǐ cāi wǒ gāng cóng nǎ er guò lái?"

  He Langlan glanced at her absent-mindedly: "Didn't you go to the Water Moss Forest again to chase after small fish?"

  Hua Hong glared at him: "No! I went to the elder's place and happened to see the elder calling Yuè to go to the city gate for a trip, guess why?"

  He Yimian hit the iron with one hand and lazily said: "Why?"

  "Of course, it's because an old friend sent a message back to tell the elder that he's finally coming back. It's been over two years since he left, and I really do miss him a bit... Guess who it is?"

  The clanging sound of the ironwork suddenly stopped, and He Xuan turned his head around. From the flushed face of Hua Hong's snake-like features, he saw the answer, and at that moment, his heart also leapt with joy, and he blurted out: "Is Brother Bai Feng coming back?"