He Yuzhu returns in Siheyuan

Before long, the dimly lit council chamber was filled with the leaders of various demon clans. The torches stuck in the cave walls crackled, casting flickering light onto the crowd, creating a solemn atmosphere. The snake clan chieftain sat coiled on the uppermost stone platform, his bluish-black scales gleaming coldly in the firelight, his forked tongue occasionally darting out as if sniffing the air. The bear clan chieftain sat on a stone stool in the far corner, his massive body taking up almost half the space, his heavy breathing carrying the pungent smell of the mountains, causing water droplets to fall from the stone walls above him. The rabbit clan chieftain's bloodshot eyes and the wolf clan chieftain's restless tail swayed behind him; each of them was on edge, the flickering torchlight on their faces making their expressions even more somber.

The old fox sat on the stone bench at the head of the table, its surface covered with a thick fox fur, which only made its eyes appear even sharper. It got straight to the point, its voice devoid of its usual languid politeness: "Today I have finalized a cooperation agreement with Wang Ran of the human race to jointly monitor the movements of the demon race. But as you all know, the demon race is incredibly ferocious—their claws can tear mountains apart, and their demonic energy can corrode bones and dissolve tendons; they are by no means easy to deal with. And the human race? They are always treacherous and cunning, saying one thing to your face and another behind your back. I fear that they will outwardly comply but inwardly defy you, sending only the old, weak, sick, and disabled who cannot carry a sword or understand battle to fill in, thus pushing our demon race to the front as shields and needlessly wasting our strength."

As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of agreement erupted from below, like ripples spreading from a stone thrown into a deep pool. The snake clan chief suddenly sat up halfway, hissing even faster, his voice hissing and filled with deep-seated hatred: "That's right! Humans are the most unreliable! If they hadn't set up the 'Spirit-Locking Array' to lure our ancestors to that trap, how could our demon race be imprisoned in this godforsaken valley? We've shrunk our territory by 30%, and they've seized most of our spiritual veins! This time, we absolutely cannot foolishly send out our elite forces, needlessly wasting our strength, and in the end, we might not even have any bones left!"

The wolf chieftain also let out a low growl, his sharp canines gleaming coldly in the firelight: "That's right! We need to have a backup plan! Humans won't be able to use us so easily!"

The old fox nodded slowly, a knowing glint in his eyes. His tail tapped lightly on the stone ground, making a soft, deliberate sound, as if weighing something. "So we need to be careful," he said. "Since they might send incompetent fools to appease us, we don't need to use our full strength—just send some juniors who have only recently taken human form to the outposts. First, let them learn how to spy and communicate, as a form of training; second, this will allow us to deal with the humans without giving them any ammunition, while also keeping the clan's elite forces hidden, preserving our strength."

It paused, its gaze sweeping across every face in the cave, its tone becoming more solemn: "If the demons make a major move, our main force is still here and can return to reinforce them in time; if the humans dare to play tricks and try to take advantage of the situation to attack our territory, these juniors at the outposts can also send messages back immediately. Our most important task now is to stabilize our position and wait for news from Lord Long Si—that dragon lord said that after he finishes dealing with the affairs of the East Sea Dragon Palace, he will personally come to take us back. There, there is an inexhaustible spiritual spring and a fortress guarded by ten thousand dragons; that is the true home of our demon race. Before that, we must not allow any mishaps, and we must not allow the humans or demons to take advantage of any loopholes."

The clan chiefs nodded in agreement, their anxiety easing considerably as they found the idea to be sound. The bear clan chief patted his chest in a deep voice, making the stone pillar sway: "I think it'll work! Let my newly transformed grandson go! That kid is incredibly clever, climbing trees faster than a monkey. He'll be able to keep a close watch from the outpost!"

The snake clan chief chimed in, licking his lips: "I'll send two small snakes to hide in the crevices of the outpost. Their forked tongues can detect sounds from three miles away. The scent of humans and demons won't escape their noses if they get too close!"

The torches in the council chamber continued to flicker, casting long shadows of the crowd onto the rough stone walls, like a group of lurking beasts, silently brewing something. The demon race's scheme was quietly taking shape in the shadows. This "cooperation" with the human race had been fraught with hidden agendas from the very beginning, like a mine buried in the ground. No one knew when it would be detonated, only waiting for a storm to break out and create a deafening explosion.

The old fox watched the departing figures of the group; the young demons hurried along, their tails twitching with barely suppressed restlessness. It slowly raised its head, gazing at the narrow crevice in the cave ceiling—a small patch of gray sky visible there, like a piece of jade covered in dust, exuding a suffocating oppression. It sighed softly, its voice heavy with weariness: "Lord Long Si, you must hurry. The humans are watching us like tigers, and the demons are lurking in the shadows, grinding their teeth. Being caught in the middle is truly agonizing."

These days, the atmosphere in the demon cave has grown increasingly tense. Not because of external enemies, but because of internal factors—some demons are becoming restless. The spiritual herbs in the cave are dwindling, the spiritual energy in the mountain spring is dwindling, and even the most ordinary moonstone is almost exhausted. The young wolf demon spends his days baring his teeth at the cave walls, saying he wants to go out and find a mountain forest with abundant spiritual energy to cultivate; the snake demon, meanwhile, coils around a stone pillar, hissing and complaining that if they continue like this, their thousand years of cultivation will regress.

They wanted to go out and use the spiritual energy of the outside world to reach higher realms. This sounded reasonable, but it was like a thorn in the old fox's heart. It wasn't afraid of their cultivation increasing; on the contrary, it hoped that some powerful figures would emerge from the demon race. But what time was it? Human cultivators' spies were everywhere in the mountains and forests, and demon spies were even more omnipresent. If any demon rashly went out, it would probably be spotted the moment it stepped out of its cave a hundred feet away.

What would happen then? The old fox closed its eyes, not daring to think too deeply—either it would be reduced to its original form by the magical artifacts of human cultivators, skinned and dismembered; or it would be captured by the demons, their minds controlled by secret techniques, becoming a puppet in the future battle against the demon race. Neither of these was what it wanted to see. It suppressed the restlessness of the demons with all its might, even being secretly called "stubborn old man" and "lacking courage," it gritted its teeth and endured it. It was waiting, waiting for news from Long Si, waiting for all the demons to recover from their injuries, waiting for an opportunity to work together to break through the encirclement and reclaim their ancestral territory.

A few disgruntled growls echoed from the depths of the cave. The old fox twitched its ears but ignored them. Some hardships must be endured by someone first; only then can success be achieved.