Chapter 36: Elder Council

Cheng Shan stood at the door, wearing a face of disbelief. Could this little fellow be the “Medicine Semi-Immortal” with the secret art of transformation mentioned by Hong Ying? However, unlike Cheng Shan’s expression of surprise and curiosity, the little potato’s demeanor instantly turned to fear. Cheng Shan immediately understood; she remembered that this little potato was aware of the fact that “Night Owl” referred to Ming Yan. If Yang Taizai and others were still unaware, then this little potato was undoubtedly a spy placed by Ming Yan in Tiger Wolf City.

Cheng Shan, not fully understanding the situation in Tiger Wolf City, temporarily suppressed the idea of exposing him and smiled brightly, pretending not to recognize the situation, and said, “I think I’ve seen this little child somewhere before. Whose child is this? So cute!”

Cheng Shan’s intention to divert attention was evident. Seeing that she had no intention of meddling, the fear in the little potato’s eyes diminished slightly, and he angrily retorted, “You little brat, I’m three hundred years old!”

Cheng Shan chuckled and said, “Well, maybe I made a mistake. Most of the children in our place look like this.”

Ignoring the obvious reactions of the two who clearly knew each other, Yang Taizai introduced casually on the side, “This is our Elder Dou Ding. By the way, Little Dou Ding, it seems like you’ve made a lot of progress recently?”

The little potato blushed and turned to spit at Yang Taizai. “Your grandpa Dou Ding, I’m three hundred years old!”

Cheng Shan laughed and said, “That’s a bit hard to say. Little Dou Ding, it’s much better.”

Still wanting to argue without a proper title, Little Dou Ding was impatiently interrupted by a burly man nearby: “Stop chattering. Speak if you have something to say. We still need to patrol the mountain later.”

Yang Taizai continued to introduce Cheng Shan to others with a calm and friendly demeanor: “This is the Commander of the Tiger Guard, Gu Kaishan,” pointing to the opposite side, “and this is the Commander of the Wolf Defense Army, Huachi, also the chief of the Wolf Clan.”

Niu Taipu gestured for Cheng Shan to take a seat. Cheng Shan glanced at the two stone chairs in front of her and, with a faint smile, walked straight to Yang Taizai’s side, saying, “What, do you plan to announce my identity like this?” She hooked her finger, urging Yang Taizai to stand up. “I want to sit here.”

The stone table was rectangular, with Yang Taizai’s three elders sitting in a row. Gu Kaishan and Huachi sat on the left and right, respectively. At first glance, Yang Taizai’s position seemed to be the main one. Yang Taizai was momentarily stunned, seemingly surprised, and puzzled. However, Cheng Shan could enter the state voluntarily, and he was happy to see it happen. He immediately stood up, gave his seat to Cheng Shan, and went to the opposite side, sitting with Hong Ying. Little Dou Ding simply crossed his legs and sat directly on the table.

Cheng Shan sat between Master Ma and Butler Niu, silently relieved. She wasn’t deliberately calculating; she just wanted to keep a distance from that Wolf Clan chief, Huachi. Whether Huachi sensed her thoughts or not, he raised his eyes and glanced at her, his slender eyebrows and eyes exuding a hint of a sinister and evil aura. Cheng Shan felt a chill down her spine, but her face remained calm and composed, giving nothing away. Huachi couldn’t help but sneer, lazily leaning back in his chair, “I don’t know where this little beauty comes from, actually making our esteemed Sheep Elder willingly give up his seat.”

Gu Kaishan had received intelligence from his subordinates long ago, knowing that Yang Taizai had brought back a “princess.” Therefore, he wasn’t surprised, just silently questioning Yang Taizai with his gaze. Yang Taizai smiled and said, “You all don’t recognize her. Do you also not recognize the Zidian behind her?”

 Gu Kaishan sat up on the stone chair, curious, and looked over. Zidian was a weapon crafted by Qiyao before his death. Most demons had only heard of its name and never seen its true form. Now, with Hong Ying sitting here, rarely appearing, her presence alone was enough for everyone to understand that she was the most powerful witness for Yang Taizai, and that bow must be none other than Zidian.

Although Huachi’s posture remained unchanged, his eyes flickered slightly as he said, “What do you mean?”

Yang Taizai calmly said, “Earlier, I received reports of unusual activities in Demon King Valley. I intended to ask Night Owl to lead a team to investigate, but I couldn’t find Night Owl anywhere. So, I went there myself and encountered her. The disturbance in Demon King Valley seems to be a sign of the appearance of a destined person.” Yang Taizai paused and looked at Cheng Shan with complex eyes. He said solemnly, “She is the reincarnation of Queen Yunluo.”

Cheng Shan couldn’t help but smile bitterly. The disturbance in Demon King Valley was ultimately caused by herself, and it inadvertently led to Yang Taizai’s involvement. This was like lifting a stone only to drop it on her own foot. As Cheng Shan sighed inwardly, her gaze unintentionally met Little Dou Ding’s. Both of them had their own thoughts, and their eyes met briefly. Cheng Shan suddenly understood that Little Dou Ding was also an informed person. However, considering she hadn’t exposed him earlier, he could only keep silent now, letting Cheng Shan and Yang Taizai continue this performance.

“Haha!” Huachi sneered again. “Evidence? Just a bow? Old Yang, your methods are becoming less thoughtful.”

Cheng Shan leaned comfortably in her chair, calmly observing Yang Taizai’s response. Although Yang Taizai’s face remained unchanged, he slowly said, “Night Owl has always been a loyal follower of Ming Yan. It’s not a sustainable solution. Our demon world needs a true leader of its own, and…”

“But Night Owl is not here now,” Gu Kaishan interrupted with a blunt voice. “Elder Yang, what you said behind the scenes is not very gentlemanly.”

Cheng Shan chuckled inwardly. It turned out that this group of characters, bulls, horses, tigers, and wolves—also valued gentlemanly conduct. After a moment of consideration, it was a bit surprising to find that Gu Kaishan was also on Ming Yan’s side.

Yang Taizai’s face showed a momentary embarrassment, but he smiled calmly and continued, “Yes and no. Everyone’s minds are like mirrors. As for the character of Old Yang, it is not within the scope of discussion today. If there is leisure in the future, we can listen to General Gu’s teachings.”

Gu Kaishan snorted and remained silent. Huachi, however, changed the subject and aimed at Yang Taizai, saying with disdain, “Night Owl is a lackey of Ming Yan. Who doesn’t know that? What’s there to discuss?”

Just as Yang Taizai was about to show gratitude, Huachi changed his tone and directed his words at him: “But so what? Do you want us to bow down to a yellow-haired girl just because of a bow?”

Yang Taizai was speechless. Master Ma spoke slowly. “So, Night Owl’s abilities and position are not enough to be recognized as the Demon King. At this point, Chief Huachi, do you and our three elders agree?”

“Nonsense!” Huachi said bluntly. “My wolf clan has never recognized Night Owl as the king.”

At this moment, Little Dou Ding glanced at Cheng Shan, seeming to hesitate for a moment. Finally, he spoke, “If you want to abolish Night Owl, then I’m willing to recognize General Gu as the king.”

With these words, everyone was stunned. Even Gu Kaishan himself looked surprised. “What kind of words are these? Are you also betraying the king?”

Cheng Shan understands now. Gu Kaishan was not on Ming Yan’s side but on “Night Owl’s” side. She wondered how this demon army commander managed to earn Ming Yan’s trust.

“Little Dou Ding!” Huachi’s expression changed abruptly, slamming the table and standing up. “You know very well that my wolf clan will not approve of such absurd proposals. What are you scheming by saying such things?”

Little Dou Ding didn’t show weakness and sneered, “If you don’t accept Queen Yunluo’s reincarnation and you oppose General Gu becoming the king, then what do you want? Do you want to let Chief Yang give the orders?”

With these words, Yang Taizai felt a headache coming on. He rolled his eyes and said, “Let’s stick to the matter at hand. Don’t harm the innocent.”

As Little Dou Ding saw the reactions of the three elders, he was quite satisfied. Continuing to address Huachi, he said, “If you disagree with Queen Yunluo’s reincarnation and oppose General Gu becoming the king, then what do you want? Let Chief Yang be in charge?”

These words left Master Ma and Butler Niu exchanging glances; their expressions were somewhat indescribable. Yang Taizai couldn’t help but close his eyes and sigh. Little Dou Ding saw the reactions of the three elders and continued with a smirk, “Or do you have ambitions to become the king yourself?”

Huachi did not respond, maintaining silence. Cheng Shan, observing everyone present quietly, roughly sorted out her thoughts. Yang Taizai and the three elders wanted to seize power, but they didn’t want to be the focal point. Once the three of them were not aligned, it was likely that their hearts would also be divided. Huachi was an ambitious troublemaker who never acknowledged Night Owl, that is, Ming Yan. Gu Kaishan seemed to have no ambitions at all, seemingly taking things as they came. As for Little Dou Ding suddenly supporting Gu Kaishan, Cheng Shan speculated that Ming Yan was tired of continuing to pretend to be Night Owl and intended to support a puppet.

While Cheng Shan was contemplating, Huachi finally spoke: “It’s simple. Hold an all-demon competition in advance, publicly elect a new king, and if you want to convince the masses, you naturally need means to convince everyone.”

This proposal seemed flawless, and the gazes of Yang Taizai and others intersected several times. However, none of them spoke up. Only Butler Niu leaned close to Cheng Shan and explained in a low voice, “The all-demon competition is held once every hundred years. All registered demon clan members must undergo a comprehensive assessment to determine the top scholars and warriors. This is to cultivate the reserve strength for the Elder Council.”

Cheng Shan’s eyes couldn’t hide her amazement, thinking that these demon clans were quite sophisticated. Just as she was marveling, Little Dou Ding opposed, “The all-demon competition is held once every hundred years. It takes seven or eight years just to prepare for the assessment. You want to advance it? Is this a rule in your family, Young Lamb? Can you eat whatever you want?”

Yang Taizai felt a headache coming on, rolled his eyes, and said, “Let’s focus on the matter at hand. Don’t harm the innocent.”

Seeing the so-called Elder Council in such a commotion, Cheng Shan chuckled inwardly. With increased confidence in Han Luo’s suggestion of “turning the tables,” she coldly pulled out Zidian from behind and slammed it on the stone table. With a crisp sound, the table quickly frosted over, spreading to everyone’s feet along the table’s edges.

Cheng Shan intended to display her authority, releasing all the accumulated true energy. The entire stone room was instantly covered in a layer of thick frost, emanating a chilling aura both inside and out. Even the sunlight from the hole above seemed to be expelled. The air suddenly dropped to freezing, and the elders and generals present, who had just been engaged in hidden struggles, were now bewilderedly looking at Cheng Shan.