Free Web NovelChapter 40: Chapter 40: Letter
The Yellow Wasp Spirit’s letter opened with some pleasantries, followed by a brief sharing of recent information.
Due to the spirit’s limited standing, Xu Chang’an found the information rather unimportant.
Later in the letter, the Yellow Wasp Spirit invited Xu Chang’an to become an honorary Elder of Yellow Wasp Mountain.
He was willing to provide a certain number of Demon Stones as an annual offering.
If Xu Chang’an was unwilling to join, he would not insist.
However, he still hoped to establish a channel for trading Elixirs with Xu Chang’an.
The trade would mainly involve entry-level and Lower Grade Elixirs, and he intended for it to be a long-term business arrangement.
The letter concluded with wishes for a smooth Demon Path and the attainment of Longevity.
Putting the letter away, Xu Chang’an gathered his thoughts.
’This Yellow Wasp Spirit is quite the talent!’
’He knows how to make full use of his surrounding resources while also aiming for a win-win situation.’
’Being an honorary Elder comes with too many strings attached, and it’s not like I’m hurting for Demon Stones.’
’But this Elixir trade... that could work.’
’For one, it would help maintain demonic relations and preserve this information channel.’
’For another, it’s a good way to offload some of my private inventory.’
He immediately wrote a reply and handed it to Xiong Da, asking for his help in sending it out.
His contact with Yellow Wasp Mountain was Xiong Da; all letters were sent and received through him.
"Grey Rat, did the Yellow Wasp Spirit’s letter invite you to be an honorary Elder, too?"
Xiong Da asked curiously.
Xu Chang’an nodded slightly and asked in return.
"You agreed!?"
"Heh heh, the Yellow Wasp Spirit promised to give me ten Demon Stones a year."
"I figured it’s no big deal, and it’s free Demon Stones. Plus, I can get some drinks and meat when I visit."
"So I agreed."
Xiong Da scratched his head, grinning sheepishly.
’Ten Demon Stones a year!’
’Just for being an honorary Elder!’
’Not bad at all!’
’But the Yellow Wasp Spirit’s letter to me didn’t mention any compensation.’
’It seems his main goal was to establish a trade channel with me.’
"Grey Rat, now that I’ve broken through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, Elder Peak is preparing to make me a Standard-Bearer."
Xiong Da looked quite excited as he spoke.
"Congratulations, Xiong Da."
Xu Chang’an congratulated him sincerely.
’This lunkhead... a fool has his fortune. He’s reached such heights without even realizing it.’
’Never mind our original batch that joined the mountain together; even among the several batches of Little Demons before and after us, he’s the one who’s done the best for himself.’
At this, a thought suddenly struck Xu Chang’an.
’After this war, I wonder...’
’How many of the Little Demons who joined Langlang Mountain with us are even left?’
A wave of melancholy suddenly washed over Xu Chang’an.
He exchanged a few more words with Xiong Da, then fell silent, not wishing to speak further.
...
After reaching the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, Xu Chang’an had many new types of Magic to practice.
These were all powerful forms of Magic he had accumulated in his past life. freeweɓnovel.cøm
So, even with his vast experience in Magic Techniques, he still needed a great deal of time to practice them.
But as his Cultivation deepened, it became harder to control the power of his Magic during practice. In the end, there was always a fair amount of commotion, which proved to be a considerable obstacle.
Each time he practiced, he had to go far from the core areas of Langlang Mountain to avoid being discovered.
In recent days, Xu Chang’an’s Alchemy Skill had become increasingly proficient.
He had a feeling he was about to break through to the Realm of a First-rank Middle-grade Alchemist.
「In the blink of an eye, another three months had passed.」
During these three months, everything else proceeded as normal.
The repair and reconstruction efforts on Langlang Mountain were proceeding in an orderly fashion.
Order had been restored to the various peaks, halls, and valleys.
Then, to Xu Chang’an’s surprise, a letter arrived from Bai Yuhu.
They had exchanged contact information during their previous meeting on Yellow Wasp Mountain.
He had been meaning to contact her to exchange information.
He just hadn’t expected her to be the one to write first.
The letter was quite concise, only a few lines long.
She started by asking how Xu Chang’an was doing.
Then, she invited him to a small gathering at Red Cloud Mountain.
’An invitation to a small gathering at Red Cloud Mountain!’
’Did she only invite me, or were other Demons invited as well?’
Xu Chang’an couldn’t quite make sense of it.
The letter didn’t specify a reason, so he had no idea what it was about.
He had acquired a great number of resources like Magical Artifacts and Demon Talismans from the Spirit Plant Garden and had been wanting to go out to liquidate his stock and then make plans to acquire a Top-grade Magical Artifact.
He just hadn’t found a suitable opportunity to request permission to leave Langlang Mountain for a period of time.
Now, Bai Yuhu’s invitation provided him with the perfect excuse.
Xu Chang’an gladly accepted and sent a letter in reply.
In his letter, he mentioned that the war between Langlang Mountain and Black Crow Mountain had just ended and that there was much to be rebuilt.
He explained that he couldn’t guarantee whether his request for leave would be approved, or when he would be able to depart if it was.
However, he assured her that if it was possible, he would head to Red Cloud Mountain immediately.
He would keep in touch by letter with any updates.
Afterward, Xu Chang’an specifically sought out Xiong Da.
He asked if Bai Yuhu or the Striped Tiger from Red Cloud Mountain had sent Xiong Da any letters.
Xiong Da said no.
’Don’t tell me... she only invited me!’
’But why!?’
Xu Chang’an grew even more puzzled.
From their first journey to Red Cloud Mountain to the gathering at Yellow Wasp Mountain, Bai Yuhu had always seemed to treat him differently from other Demons.
’Why?’
Xu Chang’an thought hard but couldn’t recall revealing anything special about himself to Bai Yuhu.
’If I really had to pinpoint something, it would be that I managed to achieve Becoming a Demon despite having an ungraded Bloodline.’
’Could that be it?’
’Nothing else seems to explain it.’
’But while achieving Becoming a Demon with an ungraded Bloodline is uncommon, it’s not *that* rare.’
Xu Chang’an was completely baffled.
’Well, it’s not a huge deal.’
’Since I can’t figure it out, I’ll just let time reveal the answer.’
’With my current Cultivation at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, I have enough confidence to handle a few surprises.’
If he wanted to leave Langlang Mountain for a while, he needed to request a leave of absence.
Before, when Xu Chang’an was just an ordinary Little Demon, he had been under the jurisdiction of the Alchemy Hall.
So, he only needed to request leave from the hall.
But now, Xu Chang’an was a Little Flag of Langlang Mountain.
His position fell under the jurisdiction of Hundred Arts Peak.
Therefore, not only did he have to report to the hall, but more importantly, he had to request leave from an Elder of Hundred Arts Peak.
And the Elder directly responsible for him was none other than Langlang Mountain’s Young Mistress, Jin Ling’Er—the very person who had presided over his appointment ceremony as a Little Flag.
’I have to ask Jin Ling’Er for leave!’
Upon learning this, Xu Chang’an immediately headed to Elder Peak to find Jin Ling’Er and request his leave.
However, upon arrival, he was told that Jin Ling’Er was in seclusion for quiet cultivation and was not seeing any Demons at the moment.
After that, Xu Chang’an sought out the other Elders in charge of Hundred Arts Peak.
However, because Xu Chang’an was a Little Flag personally appointed by Jin Ling’Er, and given her special status, the other Elders were reluctant to interfere.
To put it bluntly, if Xu Chang’an took this leave and ended up perishing outside, how could the Elder who approved it possibly face Jin Ling’Er?
And so, Xu Chang’an’s request for leave was temporarily shelved.
