noffsinger Chapter 53 The King of Soft Bones
Chapter 53 The King of Soft Bones
Ignoring Chang Er's complaints, Lu Changgeng was determined to go to Rougu Cave.
Finally, seeing that the blond-haired man actually wanted a demon to go back, Long-Eared Eyes had no choice but to agree.
He's the type who always needs two demons with him for everything, even when he's squatting in the toilet, he'll drag the blond guy along, kind of like the kind of classmate Lu Changgeng encountered in his previous life when he was in school.
Long Ears felt that something was off about the blond guy today, but seeing the blond guy's familiar look of disgust, he didn't think much of it.
The two demons walked one after the other toward the Soft Bone Cave of Star Dou Mountain.
Rougu Cave is built halfway up Xingdou Mountain. The entrance is small and hidden behind several old banyan trees with gnarled roots.
If it weren't for someone familiar with the place, an ordinary person might not be able to spot it even if they walked right up to the entrance.
Two small demons, each wielding an iron fork, stood guard at the entrance. They looked like wolves and dogs, but were at the early stage of the Concentration Realm. After exchanging greetings with the yellow-haired, long-eared demon, they remained motionless at the entrance.
Lu Changgeng thought to himself that it seemed he didn't need to report, so it was good to just sneak in.
He was also a little worried about encountering other demons that Huang Mao knew. Although he had some memories of Huang Mao and Chang Er, he didn't know everything.
If he runs into a monster who recognizes the blond-haired guy but doesn't, then things will get complicated.
The two demons entered the cave one after the other. Several luminous pearls were embedded on both sides of the cave, illuminating the passageway. Neat niches were carved into the cave walls, containing some worthless bottles and jars.
After passing through three more stone gates and three pairs of guarding demons, the view suddenly opened up before us, and we arrived at the main hall.
The main hall was much more exquisite than Lu Changgeng had imagined.
The stone wall was covered with pink gauze and beads, and in the center, a large stone chair was covered with a thick layer of fur from some unknown monster, with several embroidered soft pillows placed on the back.
Lu Changgeng wondered who had passed down the layout of these demon caves, as they all shared the same style. He thought to himself that the layout of the mountain demon's Xie Zhi cave was also quite similar.
On either side of the stone chair stood a maidservant, both of them half-transformed rabbit demons, with human bodies, rabbit heads, rabbit paws, and rabbit tails, humbly waving palm-leaf fans.
The air was filled with a sweet, cloying floral fragrance that could become quite intoxicating if you smelled it for too long.
A woman, human-like in appearance, leaned against a stone chair. She looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old and wore a light purple gauze dress with a very low neckline that revealed a patch of fair, glowing skin. Her ample breasts were partially hidden under the thin gauze and rose and fell slightly with her breath.
With a gentle face and soft features, and a long braid, she looked like a lady from a respectable family.
This is the master of the Soft Bone Cave, the Rabbit Spirit Soft Bone King.
Lu Changgeng secretly sensed the demon's cultivation level and concluded that it was somewhere between the peak of the Nascent Soul stage and the Transformation stage, and should not have transformed yet.
"A bit weak," Lu Changgeng thought to himself. "Logically speaking, such cultivation is not enough to open up a cave and become a king here. I guess it's because the Ape Demon King is backing me up."
Legend has it that the Ape Demon King initially took a great liking to her, and this Soft Bone Cave was the territory he personally chose for her, and he also sent several Nascent Soul stage demon generals to guard the cave entrance for her.
Things changed a bit later on. It seems the Ape Demon King took a fancy to some other demon, and became indifferent to her.
Long-eared man walked to within three zhang of the stone chair, bowed, and said, "This humble servant greets Your Majesty."
Lu Changgeng, disguised as a blond man, followed suit.
King Soft Bones was enjoying a grape fed to him by a maid when he casually asked, "Has the south been searched?"
Long-eared man quickly replied, "Your Majesty, we have searched the entire area, but we haven't even found a trace of the red-haired rabble."
King Soft Bone snorted, spat the grape seeds into the maid's palm, and said, "A bunch of useless trash! I made a pledge to the Ape Demon King that if we can't find the person within seven days, every single one of you will lose your share of spirit fruits this year and next!"
Yellow Hair and Long Ears were also demons at the Nascent Soul stage, so the Soft Bone King didn't resort to threats of violence. If she really killed them, where would she find demons of that level to work for her? She could only punish them by deducting their salaries.
"Your Majesty..." Long Ears said helplessly, but dared not say anything.
Lu Changgeng stepped forward and, mimicking Huang Mao's tone, lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, a couple of days ago I spotted a shadowy figure on a mountain near Cuiyun Town in the west. It had long crimson hair and used water manipulation techniques, exactly as described in the bounty."
The Soft-Boned Rabbit suddenly sat upright, a glint of light flashing in its eyes. It pushed aside a maid who had come close and stared at Lu Changgeng, asking, "Cuiyun Town? Did you see it clearly?"
"Absolutely true!" the blond-haired man said with absolute certainty.
Long Ears stared blankly at the blond guy beside him, muttering under his breath, "When did you see that?"
He felt like a clown who had been betrayed. "Hey blondie, why didn't you tell me about this great information sooner?"
The blond-haired man pretended not to see his gaze and continued reporting.
"That person was extremely fast, and his strength was clearly superior to mine. I didn't dare to chase him, but I remembered the direction."
Lu Changgeng kept his head down, his posture still respectful.
King Soft Bones leaned back in his chair, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "How does that person's speed compare to mine?"
She planned to judge the person's strength by comparing their speed. Although the bounty offered by Bibo Pool said that the person had just transformed, she still had to be careful and the more detailed the information, the better.
Lu Changgeng understood the other party's intention and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, that person's speed is no match for Your Majesty's."
"Are you sure?" King Soft Bone narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I am certain that Your Majesty is renowned for your speed among those of the same level, and that person's speed is no match for Your Majesty's no matter what."
Upon hearing this, King Soft Bones tapped his knuckles lightly on the stone chair, pondering how to deal with this person.
A moment later, the tapping suddenly stopped.
She leaned forward slightly, causing the neckline of her pale purple gauze dress to slip down a few more inches. Unconcerned, she focused on Lu Changgeng, who was in disguise with blond hair, and asked, "You said that person wasn't as fast as me. How close were you to him then? Did he notice you?"
Lu Changgeng lowered his head and replied, "I was hiding in a pine forest at the foot of the mountain, at least a hundred feet away from that person. He was in a hurry and didn't notice me."
"In a hurry?" A glint flashed in the eyes of the Soft Bone King, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "That's right. He just finished his transformation tribulation, and his aura is unstable. He was also chased all over the mountain by the Azure Wave Pool. At this time, he is in need of a place to stay. If a demon king can treat him with courtesy, he probably won't suspect anything."
She leaned back in her chair, picked up another grape, put it in her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and suddenly smiled: "I have an idea. Instead of guessing here, why not go and meet him in person? Isn't he hiding on that mountain? I'll pretend to be the demon king of a nearby mountain, prepare a small gift, and go to visit him."
He simply said he had heard of a fellow cultivator here and came to make his acquaintance. If he truly had just transcended his tribulation and needed a place to stay, he wouldn't be so aloof; he would befriend me instead. Once he lowers his guard, I can ascertain his true nature. At that point, whether to arrest him or report him is entirely in my hands.
Long-eared Man, however, seemed to have an idea and said, "Your Majesty, why don't we report this directly to Lord Ape Demon King? Why go in person?"
King Soft Bone snorted coldly: "What do you know? Lord Ape Demon King is busy with countless matters every day. If we can't handle this small thing, why would he come to us again if there are important matters in the future?"