Rise of The Demon General

Amon spent the next few days telling Di Ying various tales. The books he had written for her were more than the number they had agreed upon. Amon didn’t mind. The more tales he told her, the closer her affection grew for him.

He didn’t just tell her fictional tales. He also told her about the outside world. Of course, he hid all the ugliness and only told her the wonderful parts. He could see her desire for an adventure outside this place rose with each dialogue.

At one point, he even narrated a tale he made up all by himself. The tale told of a cultivator and his trusted friend, who was a spirit beast. He described their special connection, which empowered them and made them more formidable when together. This allowed them to face many challenges that they otherwise couldn’t have faced alone.

What he described was, of course, beast taming, but he didn’t word it as it was. He made it sound beautiful, as if it were a sacred bond between a cultivator and a spirit beast.

”This bond... Does it allow them to know what the other is thinking all the time?” Di Ying asked.

”Not really,” Amon answered. ”They can talk to each other over long distances as their bond improves, but they can’t hear what the other is thinking if the other doesn’t wish it. They, however, have a good idea of how each other feels and know each other’s whereabouts most of the time.”

”Almost like the bond between my mother and me... Except for the talking part.”

Amon suspected she could not speak with her mother because of the misty border’s restrictions, just like how he could not speak with Lin Li right now. He tried to suggest this point to her.

”Perhaps, if you move closer to where your mother is, you can talk to her.”

Di Ying shook her head. ”I’m not allowed to leave this place. Even though my uncle wishes to find my mother as well, I don’t think he will let me.”

”While the outside world is amazing, it is indeed also fraught with dangers. It is understandable if your uncle forbids you to venture outside. I agree with him. Unless you have someone out there who can protect you, you should remain here, where it is safe.”

They heard footsteps, which made them turn. A man walked through the entrance to the cave. The shape of this man’s face was unusually long. His hair was bright red and long. It reached his waist. He wore a red robe that covered his body. Judging from his height, the body behind that robe was also unusually long.

”Uncle!” Di Ying greeted the red-haired man as he entered.

No change could be perceived on the man’s face, but Amon could see the surprise in his eyes when he saw that Amon was awake. Amon also hid his surprise. Di Ying’s uncle returned two days earlier than he expected. Luckily, he was prepared.

”Uncle, how is your trip?” Di Ying approached the man. She was like a little girl who welcomed her father back. ”Oh, you didn’t bring anything back this time?”

”Sorry. I tried catching a multi-tailed fox that boldly circles our territory, but it turned out to be very good at hiding.”

”Multi-tailed fox? Isn’t that a spirit beast that can speak like us? No, no. I don’t want to eat any spirit beast with intelligence.”

”Nonsense. We are at the top of the food chain. Nothing is off our menu. I see your pet human has woken.”

”He is not my pet. He is also an intelligent creature like us. I enjoy conversing with him.”

”Conversing with him? Human! What have you told her?”

The red-haired man turned to Amon. His voice, although it wasn’t especially loud, caused the cave to shake. Amon also felt the temperature inside the cave rose significantly.

”Uncle, he just told me stories, human stories. Like the ones from the human books you gifted me. Look, these are the books of the stories he had narrated. He wrote them here so I can read them later. He is a good man. He means us no harm.”

Di Ying’s uncle took one of the books and opened it. While reading, he said, ”Ying er, what did I tell you about humans. You can never tell what’s in their hearts. They are deceitful little creatures.”

”Not all of them are. Just like in the stories, there are good men and bad men. He is one of the good ones. I know it.”

The uncle read the book briefly. He saw no problem with its content. He closed it and returned it to Di Ying.

”You seem healthy enough, human. You can leave.”

Di Ying was forlorn upon hearing that, but she said nothing.

Amon made a respectful gesture at Di Ying’s uncle and said, ”Senior, I’m truly grateful that you have saved my life...”

”You can thank Di Ying for that. If it were up to me, I would have burned you to a crisp.”

Amon turned to Di Ying, who blushed. She said shyly, ”I can’t just leave a helpless man to die like that. I’m just doing what the main characters in my favorite stories would have done.”

”Thank you, Miss Ying,” Amon uttered.

”It’s nothing, really. I’m glad I get to save you.”

Di Ying’s uncle didn’t like the way the two conversed. They sounded too close. He said, ”Your gratefulness is noted. You can leave now.”

This time, Di Ying spoke up. ”Uncle, please don’t be so rude to our guest.”

”Miss Ying, I understand your uncle’s concern. No one would want a stranger in their home. Senior, I don’t want to trouble either you or Miss Ying any further. I want to leave right now if I can. The problem is that I only appear healthy. I have not yet truly recovered. I can’t gather my strength. If I leave now, I won’t survive the trip home.”

”What are you talking about?” Di Ying’s uncle crudely snatched Amon’s wrist and measured his pulse.

His expression turned to a scowl soon after. Amon wasn’t lying. The energy flow inside him was a mess. His pulse was weak.

”The spirit beast that attacked me caused me a terrible internal wound. I might need a few more weeks before I am strong enough to brave the mists again. If I leave now, I will be dead as soon as I step into the mists.”

Di Ying pleaded to her uncle after hearing Amon’s words, ”Uncle, you can’t chase him away like this. That is the same as murdering him!”

Amon’s internal wounds were something he had prepared beforehand. He expected Di Ying’s uncle wouldn’t be as friendly to him as Di Ying was. He still needed some time with Di Ying, hence this preparation.

The internal wounds were self-inflicted. He caused them when Di Ying wasn’t around. He pumped a large amount of three poisons: the Endless Slumber Poison, the Fragile Bone Muscle Poison, and the Eternal Anguish Poison directly into his system. He had high resistance to poison thanks to the Poison Blood Infusion Method, but the extreme dose of these three poisons administered directly could still produce a mild disruption to his inner system. This disruption was what Di Ying’s uncle detected.

Di Ying’s uncle snorted. Interestingly, Amon noticed the snort caused the air to go ablaze momentarily. He let go of Amon’s wrist and said, ”One week! That is all I will tolerate. You’d better pray you can recover enough within this one week.”

Amon saw that Di Ying didn’t protest. From her expression, he understood that little could be done once her uncle made a statement. He chose not to push his luck. He said, ”Thank you, Senior. I truly appreciate the haven you and Di Ying provided for me during my time of recovery. I will do my best not to trouble you.”

”That will be in your best interest. One thing I must warn you, you better not have any funny ideas about my niece here. If I learn you have any ill intentions, or even if you make her sad, I will make sure even your bones are no longer recognizable. Do I make myself clear?”

Di Ying’s uncle’s tall stature appeared taller when he said that. His shadow also seemed to grow and cover the entire cave. Amon felt an immense pressure bear down on him, accompanied by a strong killing intent. Despite the display, Amon knew that this was only a small fraction of Di Ying’s uncle’s true power. Perhaps his power was suppressed due to his assuming a human form. Even so, it was enough to make it difficult for Amon to move and breathe.

Di Ying knew what was happening. She protested, ”Uncle! Stop bullying a wounded person!”

The pressure quickly receded. Di Ying’s uncle looked at Di Ying affectionately, ”Ying Er, I’m simply worried about you.”

”I’m fine. I told you already, Amon is a good person. Don’t you trust me?”

”Of course, I do. It’s him I don’t trust, but I will endure him for your sake.”

”Senior,” Amon called. ”May I know how I address you?”

Di Ying’s uncle answered, ”You may call me Thien Huo.”