Using the MC system to pretend spiritual revival

Chapter 268 Has the Yin Qi Pill depreciated in value?

The next day, the scorching sun climbed into the sky, bringing with it waves of heat that distorted the air.

Under the chill of the night, the thin frost that had condensed on the Gobi Desert sand and stones evaporated and dried instantly before it could melt.

The scorching heat and dryness have returned to this vast expanse of yellow sand.

Under the sunlight, the simple campsite, nestled in a recess in the rock face, is awakening from a night's slumber.

Beside the now-extinguished campfire, Huang Xiaojiu, huddled in a newly erected small tent, twitched his ears and opened his eyes alertly.

Head held high, he instinctively scanned his surroundings, and his somewhat dazed mind gradually cleared, his tense body relaxing once more.

He had a dream last night.

This is actually quite uncommon for mountain spirits and monsters.

As Mrs. Huang's great-grandfather once said, demons are different from humans. Humans are born with the Great Dao, can distinguish right from wrong, understand the universe, and have a clear mind and soul.

Demons, on the other hand, are born from moisture and eggs, covered in fur and horns, and are ignorant of the natural order and the cycle of the Dao. Their souls are obscure, and they are trapped in the cycle of reincarnation, unable to escape.

It takes great opportunity and great perseverance to glimpse a sliver of enlightenment in the fleeting span of life, and to discover the faint spirituality within the animalistic instincts of eating raw meat and drinking blood.

Dreams, on the other hand, are an extension of spirituality that radiates outwards and connects with the universe.

This also reflects the fact that humans, a race favored by heaven and earth, are naturally close to the Great Dao.

Even if they are just born, their unrestrained spirituality in their sleep will naturally connect with heaven and earth.

The complex information in the world will be mixed with memories and presented in the form of dreams.

Dreams often reveal details that are overlooked during the day and ominous signs, but they are often mysterious and difficult to understand.

His dream this time was very strange.

He dreamed that he had become a human, without a tail or fur, but with hands and feet.

In his dream, he lived in a small town. The scenes before him were fragmented, hazy, and irregular.

He could only see spring come and autumn go, and things changed a lot in the blink of an eye. But he could feel that his perspective was rising, from childhood to adulthood as time passed.

After that, the scene became even more blurry, with only a vague impression, as if something had changed and one needed to leave and go somewhere else.

Wandering among the large, moving boxes, when the scene became clear again, a strange stone forest came into view.

Countless humans lived there, and many strange-looking iron carriages traveled among them.

A vague impression emerged, letting him know that it was something called buildings and cars, and that all of these together made up a city.

The scene in this dream made him, who had lived in the demon realm his whole life, feel uneasy and frightened, and he wanted to get away from it.

But the humans he represented, as if out of control, plunged headlong into it.

But in this dream, he was like an observer, full of resistance but unable to stop it. He could only watch helplessly as he crawled into a small room, and from then on, ninety percent of the scenes were in one place.

As day and night passed, everything, both strange and subtly familiar, made him feel inexplicably stifled.

I wonder how many years have passed beneath those blurry, flickering images.

Until once again, in the dark of night, I went from one small room to another.

A blinding screech of friction was followed by a blinding flash of light that entered the field of vision, and then a sharp pain, as if every bone in the body had been crushed, pierced the mind.

Huang Xiaojiu, who had become somewhat numb due to the repetitive and lifeless dream, was suddenly jolted awake by this unexpected event. When she opened her eyes again, she was already awake...

The pain of death in the dream dissipated quickly like a bubble, and the oppressive yet slightly familiar imagery faded with wakefulness.

Realizing that it was all just a dream, he snapped out of the strange and long dream and remembered that he was in the desert, on the orders of the Demon King to go out and explore. At the same time, he also remembered that he had promised to guide the group of transformed demons yesterday.

Feeling the heat of the fur all over his body and the sunlight shining through the tent, Huang Xiaojiu, who had been curled up in a ball, immediately stretched out.

He stuck his head out and poked it into the gap of the tent that was tucked up to the side.

My vision was immediately filled with blinding sunlight, and I heard a cacophony of noise.

When he opened his eyes and adjusted to the sudden increase in brightness, he saw figures who had finished preparing and were walking around the campsite, putting away their tents again.

At that moment, a deep voice came from above:
"Awake? If you're awake, get ready, we'll be leaving in a bit."

"...Uh? Hmm! Okay, sure! No problem!"

Still somewhat confused, Huang Xiaojiu subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound and saw that, without her noticing, the strangely patterned transformed bull demon was standing in front of her small tent, casting a large shadow against the rising sun.

Startled by the sudden appearance, he instinctively shrank back, but quickly recovered and shook his head to agree. Then, like a noodle, he crawled out through the small opening of the tent.

He glanced around, finding nothing amiss, then bent down, grabbed two handfuls of sand, and pretended to rub them on his face. He then stood up, his gaze resolute.
"King Bull, I'm ready!!"

Niu Lei looked at the weasel spirit in front of him, whose slender body was taut and who was speaking, and couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth slightly.

It has to be said that before the spiritual energy revival, he would never have imagined that he would see this rather comical scene in reality.

He shook his head and chuckled to himself as thoughts raced through his mind, but quickly composed himself, nodded to the little animal that was standing straight as a stick, and said in a serious tone:
"Very good! Very energetic!"

"Don't worry, this is just a visit while we're passing through. Once you take us on a tour of that demon realm, there will be other benefits for you!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaojiu, who had straightened up on the other side, suddenly widened his beady eyes, a glint of light flashing in them. Despite his efforts to restrain himself, he could not hide the excitement in his heart.

I originally thought that I was lucky to escape with my life after being caught, and that I would be grateful if I could atone for my offense by leading the way. I never expected that I would get some benefits from this!
Just thinking about the value of this luxurious lineup of ten transformed demons, even if the benefits they could offer were just a tiny bit, they would probably be treasures that ordinary little demons have never even seen before.
Thinking of this, Huang Xiaojiu couldn't help but drift off into daydreams:
"...Great-great-great-grandpa...is this what they call turning misfortune into a blessing and encountering a fortuitous opportunity?! Waaah~"

"...I wonder if it's a magical artifact or a medicinal herb? But it doesn't matter, I, Huang Xiaojiu, am not picky! As long as it's not a demon-binding rope or a demon-subduing seal, anything is fine!"

While he was secretly excited, Niu Lei, standing beside him, was somewhat speechless.

The little animal in front of him couldn't believe it; its thin, furry face wore a silly grin that was completely different from the demons he had always imagined. This little animal, whose joy was impossible to hide and who was so easy to understand, didn't seem like the kind of demon described in the database—a being who had cultivated for countless years, could speak human language, and was cunning and calculating.

This overt display of joy and timidity is similar to that of an immature toddler, perhaps only slightly better than some children in terms of communication skills.

So far, apart from jumping out with a flashlight and asking "Do I look like a god?", it doesn't seem to resemble any of the supernatural tales.

But this is a good thing. At least this way, just scaring them and giving them some food is enough to get them a guide who doesn't require them to go through the trouble of exploring the test route anymore...

With that in mind, Niu Lei stopped paying attention, shook his head, turned around, and picked up a small, silver-white metal box from the ground behind him.

After opening it, carefully remove the small metal vial wrapped in the internal filling material, call over the team members who have finished their work, and distribute it equally among them.

Due to the sudden change in plans after encountering this weasel spirit guide, the group, following the spirit's guesses, tacitly accepted the identity of the transformed demon to facilitate their subsequent actions.

However, this also caused the group to remain in a half-demon state. Although it did not consume as much spiritual energy as a fully transformed demon, the energy depletion was still considerable over the course of the night.

The supplies originally prepared for the journey and for use after venturing into the demon realm could only be distributed in advance to replenish supplies.

Wang Feng, Hai Dafu, and the others who took the metal bottle did not hesitate. They immediately unscrewed the sealed bottle, poured out a few Yin Qi Pills, and prepared to put them in their mouths.

But just then, a slightly surprised voice came from behind them:

"Eh? What are you all doing?"

"The contents of this small bottle... seem somewhat familiar?"

Having regained his senses, Huang Xiaojiu cautiously peered over with a puzzled look.

Hai Dafu, relying on his big mouth, had already taken the pill, leaving only Wang Feng on the outside in a half-human, half-bee state, who stopped moving because his attention was drawn to him.

Compared to Hai Dafu, who had a terrifying appearance and whom he had never seen before, Huang Xiaojiu was not so afraid of this transformed bee demon who had previously taken the initiative to talk to him and whose attitude was relatively good.

He glanced curiously at the few pills poured from the bottle in the other person's hand, then became somewhat puzzled:
"A spirit pill? But it seems to have a lot of impurities..."

After pondering for a moment, his eyes suddenly widened, and a look of sudden realization appeared on his palm-sized, dark face:

"I understand! Your Majesties are planning to use these low-grade spirit pills to nurture lesser demons! Could it be that..."

Huang Xiaojiu turned his head and scanned the surrounding figures who remained in their half-demon state, somewhat dazed. His expression quickly turned excited:

"...Your Majesties intend to use these low-grade spirit pills to recruit lesser demons in our Western Demon Realm and re-establish your mountain strongholds and caves in the mortal world!"

After imagining something in his mind, Huang Xiaojiu's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. He shouted out his perfect deduction and then suddenly raised his two paws to pat his cheeks.

Before anyone could react, he leaped two or three times and landed in front of the still-dazed Niu Lei, bowing deeply with his hands clasped in a gesture of respect.
"King Bull! Take me in! I'm ready! My family has produced several strategists and stewards for powerful demon caves! I'm skilled in abacus calculation, furniture making, and feng shui!"

As the words fell, the series of sudden changes left Niu Lei stunned for a while. It wasn't until the weasel spirit ran up to him, chattered away, and lay still that he realized what had happened.

For a moment, he held the few pills he had just poured into his palm, unsure whether to eat them or not.

Looking down at the small animal lying motionless on the ground like a noodle, waiting for him to speak, his expression twisted several times before he finally stuffed the unopened bottle of Yin Qi Pills into his arms again.

He had originally planned to give the other party a whole bottle of Yin Qi Pills as a reward after the other party finished leading the way. This was within his authority as the team leader and could be considered as compensation for deceiving a fool.

Unexpectedly, the third-generation Yin Qi Pill, which the bureau had spent several months developing and which was only recently successfully produced, was said to have more than doubled its effectiveness.

Surprisingly, he was recognized by the weasel spirit in front of him, who called himself a nobody, and even received a rather unpleasant evaluation.

Low-grade pills contain too many impurities, unsuitable for cultivating small demons…

These words, combined with the other party's reaction just now, clearly indicate that the pill in my hand is a precious item that would cost contribution points even within the bureau and that money couldn't buy.

It wasn't uncommon in the Western Regions, where the other party was located. In fact, in the other party's mind, this kind of thing was something to be given in bulk as a reward to subordinates and to train underlings, which made him feel a little embarrassed to show it off.

At the same time, more concerns also emerged.

Originally, before this trip, the previous exploration team had left behind a large amount of medicinal supplies.

Based on intelligent analysis, it is speculated that these kinds of pills and consumables are a kind of hard currency comparable to gold and silver in the extraordinary world, and can be used as travel expenses and activity supplies when entering unfamiliar areas.

Unexpectedly, judging from the current situation, it seems that there is some inflation.

The devalued Yin Qi Pills seem insufficient even to cover the cost of guiding travelers...

This sudden news caused the others, who had already heard the whole thing, to change their expressions and look at the action team leader, who was also deep in thought and had a calm demeanor.

After a long while, Niu Lei finally let out a long sigh of relief, threw the pills he had already poured out into his mouth, and then quickly put away the small metal bottle.

Only then did he look at Huang Xiaojiu, who was hanging his head and burying his face in the ground, motionless. His expression remained calm, revealing a hint of mild anger.

"Hmph! Our thoughts are not something a little demon like you can presume to fathom!"

Hearing this low, angry snort, Huang Xiaojiu, who was lying on the ground, trembled. But before he could get up and explain, another low voice came from above:
"Sigh! Never mind! But since you seem to click with me, taking you in isn't out of the question..."

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaojiu, whose emotions had been fluctuating wildly, felt a surge of agitation throughout his beast, but he managed to suppress it and wait for what followed.

"...However, the idea of ​​a cave dwelling and a mountain gate is still a long way off. I can take you in as an outer disciple demon. Once we find a suitable place and settle down in a cave, I will recruit you into my ranks. Are you willing?"

Upon hearing the familiar words "outer sect," Huang Xiaojiu's excited expression momentarily faltered, but after hearing the subsequent explanation, he immediately perked up again.

Indeed, the spiritual energy revival has just begun, the feng shui layout still needs to be determined, and the blessed lands need time to be found, so it is certainly not possible to open the mountain gate immediately.

After figuring this out, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

However, upon hearing the question from the powerful black and white flower demon before him, he quickly cleared his mind of all distractions and cast them aside. The beast straightened his upper body and nodded frantically like a chicken pecking at rice.
"Yes! I'm willing!!"

He then clasped his hands together and bowed deeply again, repeating this several times:

"I, Huang Xiaojiu! I swear to heaven and earth! I am willing to serve under King Niu! I will serve him faithfully and obey his every command!!"

(End of this chapter)