Becoming a God from a Water Monkey

Chapter 1211 The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Power; The Fewer Treasure Fish, the More Treasure Fish (Seeking Monthly Tickets, Two-in-One)

Sunlight shines through the carved patterns, casting golden spots on the table as the beams of light slant across.

A long table was used to demarcate the area, separating the two sides.

With its back to the sun, "Awei" stands on a pen holder, like a blue dragon coiling around. Its mouth opens and closes, and its dark gold limbs swing high, exuding a powerful and commanding presence. Behind it, transparent long wings are like blades, with golden threads growing on them, shining brightly.

Li Xianghan faced the window, lowered her head, closed her legs, and knelt on the prayer mat, as respectful as a quail.

The shadow of the Golden-Winged Centipede fell on her face, its eight wings floating, baring its fangs and claws, like a giant black spider that had ensnared her future.

"Awei" stood with his hands on his hips and said, "Hey, can't you speak Mandarin?"

Li Xianghan shrank her neck and stammered, "I can listen but not speak, and I can speak a little bit."

Liang Qu stood up with his limbs raised: "Go and learn!"

"Too difficult..."

"I don't understand the Southern Xinjiang dialect. If you don't learn it, am I supposed to put up with you? This Gu language is so incoherent, it's making my head hurt."

Li Xianghan sobbed inwardly, overwhelmed with sorrow at her miserable fate, and almost shed tears. However, forced by the tyrannical power of the Prince of Huai of Da Shun, she had no choice but to nod in agreement.

"How old are you?"

"The 29th, no, it's past the New Year, the 30th."

"Oh ho." "Awei" turned around and looked him up and down. "Thirty years old and at the peak of the third realm, not bad. If you go to Da Shun and participate in the Da Shun Martial Arts Examination, you might be able to win a place and become one of the Twenty-Eight Constellations."

Li Xianghan felt a surge of pride.

Tianwu raised his head: "But you are far inferior to me. You are even a year older than me."

Li Xianghan's face quickly turned a deep purplish-red. She stammered for a long time, then suddenly remembered her own predicament, deflated like a shriveled pig's bladder. What use was her talent now? She had become a human Gu, her future uncertain: "Throughout history, only the Prince of Huai and the Overlord have emerged. The Prince of Huai is naturally unparalleled in the world. How can I, a mere weak woman, compare to Your Majesty?"
"I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong. I shouldn't have captured Your Majesty's pet beast. Please, have mercy on me! I'm only at the third realm; even the Holy Maiden of Qingwen Valley couldn't possibly uncover any battle reports or secrets. Rest assured, I swear to Heaven and to the Gu God, I absolutely will not tell the ancestors!"

"Release them? Forget about it." "Awei" snorted coldly, ruthlessly rejecting the idea. "But you don't need to be too discouraged, and there's no need to look down. On the contrary, you should be happy. Putting aside Qingwen Valley and Southern Xinjiang, a great blessing has fallen on your head."

Happy?

Good fortune?

Li Xianghan forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace.

This blessing is for whoever wants it, but she doesn't.

How did I end up running out on my own and encountering this blue-armored, golden-winged centipede?

There are so many holy maidens in the Southern Frontier, six of them in this generation alone. Anyone could have taken their place, especially that dissolute Yun Qianlan, who always looks down on everyone. Why isn't she the one who suffers?

No wonder the broken insect always faces north when it eats; it turns out there really are people to the north.

She's so stupid, really...

"Hey, what are you daydreaming about? Don't be distracted when you're talking to me!" Liang Qu extended his golden-armored foot and tapped the table. "Don't you believe me?"

"Believe it or not, the fact that the Prince of Huai has shown favor to me is a blessing I, Li Xianghan, have accumulated over eight lifetimes."

"Hmph." Liang Qu ignored the sob in his voice and continued to explain in circles, "I know what you're thinking and what you're feeling wronged about. If I weren't here today, I don't know how many people would call you... cough, what are your next plans after refining the great demon?"

“It would be…” Li Xianghan thought about the bright future, “…break through to the fourth realm, and during the mid-year exchange, bring along a great demon and kick Yun Qianlan while she’s down?”

"Yun Qianlan?"

"Like me, she is also a Holy Maiden of the Southern Frontier, but she is from Baicaojian. Her cultivation is higher than mine, and she is at the second level of the Hunting Tiger Realm. I have disliked her for a long time. And Yu Aoshan, too! She is always flirting with the chieftain's great-grandson, acting like a bitch. I always feel that I am going to compete with her for that ugly monster."

Li Xianghan gritted her teeth, her hatred undisguised. After learning the whole story, she knew in her heart that the Prince of Huai already knew about her "two-faced" nature.

"Not bad." Liang Qu nodded. "Honesty is a virtue. I'm starting to admire you. Where does your strength rank among the Saintesses?"

"Third. They are both older than me, and they formed their natal Gu contracts earlier than me."

“Excellent! Next, I will devise a brand new plan. First, I will hold a grand banquet for your grandmother, collect the money, and exchange it for precious fish and aquatic plants.”

Then, with my assistance in your cultivation, you will utterly defeat all the holy maidens and trample all the talented young men of the Southern Frontier under your feet! Now, you will advance to the rank of Tiger Hunter!

Li Xianghan was taken aback.

Before she could figure out what it meant, a warm current surged through her body. At first, it was weak and trickle, but in no time, it increased a hundredfold and a thousandfold. After that, her blood and qi increased dramatically!

Her pupils dilated.

Feedback on the level of the Natal Gu?

and many more.

Wow, the feedback is incredible! Is this the kind of feedback a powerful demon should receive? What exactly is the Da Shun people up to?
boom!
A surge of powerful energy flowed into his limbs and bones, instantly emitting a blood-red light that illuminated the entire room, startling the rats into scurrying back to their nests.

The centipede leaped onto Li Xianghan's head, its segmented limbs stomping on her skull: "Don't be in a daze, close your eyes and cultivate, circulate your energy! Focus your mind!"

The sharp foot pierced Li Xianghan's scalp, causing a sharp pain. She quickly sat cross-legged and began to cultivate her internal energy, tempering her thirty-six meridians. Just as she was about to begin building the wall, she was surprised to find that the meridians in her body were beginning to combine in a completely different way, vaguely resembling... a dragon?

Inside the small room, Li Xianghan's aura surged ahead, growing rapidly and continuously as she absorbed and refined it.

The mouse held a twig and waved it in support, cheering on its owner.

"This child is really hardworking... He finally refined his natal Gu, and he doesn't even ask to rest more."

Through the cracks in the doors and windows, Li Yilin felt both relieved and heartbroken. She had originally wanted to check if Li Xianghan had woken up, but instead noticed this scene of her diligent cultivation. She was indeed working hard, but she was too indulgent with her natal Gu, and the Golden-Winged Centipede had even landed on her head. However, no matter what, she was still a great demon.

The child is grown up, let her be.

Those who know how to cherish Gu worms are kind-hearted people.

Watching Li Yilin turn and leave, Liang Qu focused his attention and continued to guide Li Xianghan in her cultivation.

Some time ago, he learned about the practice of Gu poison in southern Xinjiang through Awei.

Not everyone can possess a natal Gu, especially since it's a cultivation method where the two act as a kind of "potential difference." Only saintesses with "spiritual source of the heart" or "spiritual body" can achieve this. Otherwise, it can only be one-to-one communication between the two. It is this mutual communication that makes Gu cultivation possible.

More importantly, a natal Gu can only be imprinted once in a lifetime! Like breaking through the four gates of the galloping horse, the refining must rely on one's own efforts. As a result, cross-border refining is bound to be extremely difficult. If the difference in realm is too great, not only will it be impossible to refine, but it is also more likely to suffer a backlash from the Gu worm.

Refining a Great Demon of the True Form at a low level is too difficult, and the value of a wolf smoke trail with a galloping horse is too low.

Therefore, considering both benefits and costs, the best option is to contract the Hunting Tiger Gu worm during the signal fire to quickly pass through the Hunting Tiger Realm!

Therefore, Li Xianghan's ability to contract with a great demon caused such a sensation, attracting a great shaman to bestow generous rewards upon her.

Because, by sheer coincidence, she arrived at the very moment of Awei's promotion, completing a rare strategic move and a high-stakes gamble.

Li Xianghan is indeed a genius.

He reached the level of the Great Shun Martial Arts Examination without even having a natal Gu. During that time, he cultivated wild Gu worms instead of refining the Gu worms prepared by Qingwen Valley. Even without this "accident," if things had gone smoothly, he might have reached the Tiger Hunting Perfection at the age of thirty-five or thirty-six and surpassed Huo Hongyuan. Now, his future is even more promising.

But that's not all!
What Li Xianghan obtained was far more than just a "newly advanced" great demon.

No one could have predicted that Awei was backed by Liang Qu, who possessed the miraculous talent of [Spirit Summoning].

When refining Li Xianghan, Liang Qu keenly discovered that after he [Spirit Descent], the feedback on Li Xianghan's cultivation would be greatly enhanced, surpassing that of Awei himself!
After [Spirit Descent], which was originally a means of proportionally combining the strengths of each other to enhance the power of the water beast, after being empowered by the Martial Saint, calling Awei a peak Great Demon would be an understatement.

It wasn't a low-level demon leading Li Xianghan at all.

It is not a peak-level great demon or even a half-step demon king!
Li Xianghan, who was cultivating, also noticed this. She felt as if the earth was turning upside down, the sky was collapsing and the heavenly pool was overflowing. She couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Depend on!
Powerful! Fierce! Wild!
This is definitely not the kind of cultivation feedback that a first-tier great demon could provide!

He is the number one young martial arts master of the Great Shun Dynasty—Prince Huai!
"Roar!"

A faint dragon's roar could be heard within his body, his muscles and bones trembled, and the three bridges of Heaven, Earth, and Man suddenly transformed into three dragons of Heaven, Earth, and Man. On the first bone dragon, a little flesh and blood grew to fill the inside.

All of a sudden.

Liang Qu felt a slight feedback from Li Xianghan's spirit body, which was better than nothing.

"I rely on myself, I rely on myself..."

Li Xianghan was sweating profusely, clenched her fists, and felt the surging power within her body, causing her pupils to dilate.

Hunting tigers...

Refining on the same day, becoming a great demon on the same day, hunting tigers on the same day.

It seems, it appears, that it's really not bad?

Li Yilin, who was still some distance away, noticed a significant increase in the energy level inside the room. Shocked, she quickly returned.

With a flap of its golden wings, Liang Qu landed on the table and urged the Holy Maiden, "Your grandmother is coming soon, hurry up."

"What's the hurry?"

"Go ahead and give the treasures, then issue challenges to the young talents in other villages! In less than three years, in less than a year, you will be the number one saintess of Southern Xinjiang, the number one genius of Southern Xinjiang, the future of Southern Xinjiang, and the pillar of the nation. Let Qingwen Valley and the chieftain of Southern Xinjiang reward you handsomely! From then on, you will reach the pinnacle of life!"

"Gudu!"

Li Xianghan swallowed hard, feeling dazed and confused.

"Girl, you've broken through?" An anxious voice rang out from outside the door. Li Yilin wanted to come in, but was afraid of disturbing them by opening the door. Not only Li Yilin, but also others, their figures gathered and swaying in front of the window.

Her internal energy surged and roared, causing Li Xianghan to feel a strong sense of etherealness, as if she were walking on clouds.

"Xiang Han, have you finished your cultivation? Come out and meet everyone. Let everyone see the genius of our Qingwen Valley."

The one who spoke was the elder who was usually stern and strict, who always liked to hold a ruler and hit people's palms, saying that she was not as good as the old saintess. It seemed that he could gain a sense of accomplishment every time he belittled others. Now, his voice was filled with joy and affection.

"Xianghan, you're so amazing! Can you teach me?"

As always, my insincere girlfriends came to congratulate me, but their tone carried a hint of awe.

"Fragrance is cold, fragrance is cold, fragrance is cold..."

Relatives, friends, elders, clan leaders...

Each and every call to action.

Everyone offered words of comfort and kindness, their faces showing gentle smiles.

Is this just one aspect of the world as seen through the eyes of the Prince of Huai, a man of outstanding talent in his time?

Under the spotlight and with everyone's anticipation, there is "indulgence" everywhere, smooth roads on all sides, and those who look at you bow their heads in defiance, while worldly rules and regulations give way.

She doesn't offer toasts while eating, and no one dares to say she's ill-mannered.

No.

At the same age, the Prince of Huai was like a saint, and his world was a thousand times more prosperous and ten thousand times more wonderful than his own!
Am I qualified to glimpse even a corner of this world?

"Hoo-ha, hoo-ha."

He was breathing heavily.

Deeply buried ambitions flourished within his chest, piercing through flesh and blood, pushing open ribs, and basking in the sunlight.

She is the first holy woman of Southern Xinjiang!

Yun Qianlan! Yu Aoshan!
You two little bitches, just you wait!

I'll give you two a good slap across the face for your ugly faces.

Patting her clothes, Li Xianghan wiped the sweat from her forehead, extended her palm, and respectfully invited the Golden-Winged Centipede to land on her shoulder. She then stepped into the room, opened the door, looked around once, and bowed in greeting.

"Yes, I worried my grandmother, but I have accomplished my mission and hunted the tiger!"

……

One step behind does not mean always behind. Among his generals, Afei, a third-realm demon, ranks first and is far ahead. Among the others, the only one who has not yet become a demon is Awei, who is parasitic in the southern border and has great potential.

Awei's supernatural abilities are also quite different. After careful communication, it turns out that they are two sides of the same coin and can be viewed as two separate things!

One aspect is "poisoning".

This poisoning not only increased in toxicity, but more importantly, it involved a dramatic increase in the types of poisons used.

The ability to consume venom sacs remains, and now it can use different types of venom individually, such as paralysis, stun, permanent wounds, slow-acting poison, and corpse manipulation, etc.

It can either simply paralyze without causing any harm, or simply injure, applying poison according to the individual's condition, like a universal poison storehouse, highly targeted under different conditions.

On the other hand, there is the symmetrical "detoxification".

Originally, the detoxification aspect was manifested as the talent [Drip], which detoxifies, revives, and restores.

Now that it has been upgraded to a supernatural power, the restorative properties of [Drip Dew] are even more powerful. It is the most top-tier healing medicine, and the key is that it can be stored for a long time, accumulating more and more over time.

"We need to find an opportunity to build a waterway to Qingwen Valley to facilitate Awei's travel back and forth, and send over [Drip] to test its effects..."

Just as he was pondering this, Liang Qu caught a glimpse of Long Eying swimming towards him, her face showing a guilty conscience and panic at having done something wrong.

"Why that expression? Did you do something bad?"

"If anyone's going to do it, it's you. Elder Frog is back and found that a lot of the treasure fish in the treasure vault are missing. He's angry at the finless porpoise. I can't handle it, so you go."

Liang Qu's heart skipped a beat: "How could it be so fast? It was only used in the morning, and it's back in the afternoon?"

"Is this the first day you've met Elder Frog?" Long Eying asked in return.

"It's alright." Liang Qu quickly gathered his thoughts, then patted E Ying's shoulder. "Don't panic, it's a small matter, I'll handle it!"

Leaping over the water.

In front of the treasure trove, the Yangtze finless porpoises stand in rows.

The old toad kicked its legs repeatedly, angrily scolding its leader for failing to guard Scarface properly. After kicking him, it aimed at Scarface and slapped his head hard with its webbed feet.

“Frog Master!” Liang Qu interrupted.

"Croak! Liang Qing!" The old toad flipped over and jumped down in front of him, pointing his finger at the porpoise, "These damned bastards, while I was away, they stole the treasure fish! The best treasure fish, gone, all gone! I worked so hard collecting them for five days! Behead them! They must be beheaded!"

"Ahem, Frog Master, don't be sad or angry. They didn't do this."

"Who is that?" The old toad jumped around, shouting, "Find it and kill it!"

"Alas," Liang Qu sighed, "To tell you the truth, Frog Master, it was me. I used up the treasure fish."

"Cuck!"

The old toad was shocked and took three steps back, finding it hard to believe Liang Qu's betrayal.

"Frog King, I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush. This is a necessary investment. I've already taken these treasure fish to breed even more treasure fish!"

"More treasure fish?" The old toad's eyes lit up. He hopped over and whispered, "How many can they reproduce? Are they the kind that reproduce when they pair up? Can treasure fish give birth to baby treasure fish?"

"No, how long does pairing take? At most two broods a year. My method is faster than pairing. Frog Master, this is not the place to talk. This way, please."

The algae swayed.

Liang Qu and the old toad turned a corner and squatted in a corner of the treasure vault, whispering to each other.

Long Eying saw Liang Qu with his arms outstretched, as if embracing the sun and drawing up a blueprint.

A few moments.

The man and the frog put their arms around each other's shoulders and let out a lewd laugh.

"Quack, quack, quack."

"Quack quack quack".

"Is the reward really that generous?"

"Of course, Frog King, now that you are a great demon and the Grand Preceptor of the Demon Court, you should understand that the treasure vault is not your hoard of silver, but our capital, the capital from which we continuously generate profits. The returns from catching fish are too slow; what's truly fast is fish breeding fish!"

"Fish sashimi?"

“That’s right. We need to put the treasure fish into the reproduction process so that there will be more treasure fish. We can’t let them rot in the treasure vault. I’m personally in charge of this project in southern Xinjiang. It’s already paid off, and we can withdraw the money when we find an opportunity!”

"Then hurry up and bring it."

"Hey, the longer you cast a line to catch a big fish, the lower the return will be. Conversely, the higher the position of the Holy Maiden, the greater our return will be. Of course, the subsequent investment will also need to be increased. Therefore, the fewer fish in the treasure vault, the more we can produce. The more treasure fish there are, the more we can invest in production. So, the fewer treasure fish in the treasure vault, the more treasure fish there will be!"

"The fewer the treasure fish, the more treasure fish there are?"

"That's right! As the Imperial Advisor, what you should be doing and what you should be focusing on is not the quantity of treasure fish in the treasure vault, but whether the missing treasure fish have been used in the right way to generate more treasure fish! And whether anyone has embezzled them for personal gain!"

"I understand, I understand! Liang Qing is a great talent, a great talent indeed!"

"I am ashamed, I am far inferior to the Imperial Preceptor."

"Liang Qing! You may know many people, but how many are true friends?"

"Frog! Success is achieved through talent, and a career is broadened by talent."

The man and the frog stared at each other, then burst into laughter.

Long Eying rubbed her forehead.

Easily done, Liang Qu clapped his hands and stood up: "By the way, Frog Master, why are you back so early today? Is there some good news? Did you find something good?"

The old toad narrowed its eyes, turned left and right, and noticed Long Eying approaching out of the corner of its eye. It immediately swung its webbed feet and made a "thump thump thump" sound to shoo her away.

Long Eying's forehead twitched.

Seeing that Long Eying didn't move, the old toad was very dissatisfied: "Hey, you dragon girl, how ignorant you are! In matters of national importance, male frogs speak, what right do female frogs have to speak! Get out of here at once!"

Liang Qu nearly choked on his own saliva. He pressed down with one hand to calm his wife, then manipulated the water flow to carry the old toad to a more distant place.

“Frog Master, there are no outsiders here, please speak.”

The old toad looked around to make sure no one was there, then whispered in Liang Qu's ear: "Phoenix Fish!"

(End of this chapter)