He Yuzhu returns in Siheyuan

Chapter 800 Preparing to Fight Back

Long Si smiled, raised his hand and patted his shoulder, the force neither too light nor too heavy, yet carrying a reassuring strength: "You brat, my dragon clan has always kept its word, when have we ever lied?" His tone became more serious, "Follow me, and you'll have everything you need: cultivation pills, top-notch techniques, and scarce resources. I guarantee you'll progress much faster than if you just buried yourself in cultivation here, understand?"

Looking at Xiao Shuai, Long Si felt a strange sense of familiarity—the boy's head was down, and the curiosity and restraint in his eyes were strikingly similar to that of Shi Shen when he was a child. Back then, Shi Shen had just awakened his dragon energy and was just like that, wanting to ask everything but too timid to speak; his appearance was truly amusing. Now that Shi Shen had grown up and had his own path to walk, having a child like him by his side served as a reminder, a constant reminder of for whom he carried the burden on his shoulders.

Xiao Shuai then realized what was happening, and with a thud, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily to Long Si: "Thank you for your guidance, Lord Long! I will do my utmost and never fail your expectations!"

The fox clan patriarch watched from the side, his wrinkles crinkling with laughter. He felt that this trip to Longsi was worthwhile—not only had it not caused trouble for the fox clan, but it had also given the younger generation of the clan such a great opportunity. It seemed that he should interact more with the dragon clan in the future.

Xiao Shuai was overjoyed to have gained Long Si's approval, his cheeks flushed with excitement, and he couldn't hide the smile on his lips; even the tip of his tail swayed slightly. At this moment, the old fox glanced at him sideways, waved his hand, and said in an unquestionable tone, "Alright, what we're about to discuss are important matters of the clan, not something a young brat like you should be listening to. Go out now."

Xiao Shuai was taken aback for a moment, and was about to bow and step back when Long Si raised his hand to stop him, his voice steady and powerful: "No need, old fox. This child will be my apprentice from now on. It's good for him to hear about things here and get familiar with the clan's affairs as soon as possible."

The old fox was genuinely surprised, his small eyes widening in disbelief. During the earlier meeting, even several highly respected elders who had lived for over a thousand years had been sent away by Long Si under the pretext of "this matter being confidential," yet now only Xiao Shuai, a little demon who had only recently taken human form, remained. This level of favor was not something an ordinary person could receive. He quickly nodded and bowed, "Since Lord Long has spoken, then it is only right. Boy, you should stay here and listen obediently, learn as much as you can, and don't disappoint Lord Long's kindness."

Xiao Shuai was both surprised and delighted, his heart pounding like a frightened deer. He pursed his lips, not daring to speak, and simply stood respectfully to the side, his back ramrod straight, not daring to breathe too loudly, for fear of missing any important information. Even his fingertips were trembling slightly.

The old fox then composed himself, turning to Long Si, his playful smile vanishing, replaced by a solemn expression: "I wonder what momentous matter Lord Long has summoned us to discuss? Although there have been some minor squabbles within the clan recently, they haven't caused any major trouble..."

Long Si tapped his fingertips lightly on the bluestone table in front of him, making a soft "tap-tap" sound. A sharp, cold glint flashed in his eyes, like a lurking dragon surveying its territory: "You should have noticed it by now. Although there is demonic energy flowing in this area, it's as thin as watered-down wine. The human race is powerful now and has the protection of the Heavenly Dao. They've set up restrictions everywhere to suppress us demons. In towns, there are guards every three steps and sentries every five steps. Even the deep mountains and forests have been designated as 'forbidden zones' by them. Do you really think you can have a chance to rise up here? Trying to compete with them for territory is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

The old fox sighed, his face full of helplessness, and stroked his beard: "Lord Long is right, we know our situation is difficult. But what can we do now? We can't just break ties with the human race and fight them head-on, can we? Not to mention that the human race has countless cultivators, each wielding magical artifacts that can subdue demons, there are also demons watching us like hawks, hoping we'll both be weakened so they can reap the benefits. We're caught in the middle, and the slightest mistake could lead to utter annihilation."

"Demons? Humans?" Long Si suddenly chuckled, his laughter carrying a hint of arrogance and disdain, echoing like thunder in the cave. "Let them fight it out. What does it have to do with us? We're not even from this world, why waste our time here?" His tone shifted, his eyes suddenly burning with intensity, as if flames were burning within them. "Want to fight back with me? Back to our true homeland. There lies a vast, boundless continent of demons, where we dragons reign supreme. The demonic energy in the mountains and rivers is so dense it could solidify; a single breath is equivalent to half a year of arduous cultivation here. It's a hundred, a thousand times stronger than here, enough for our demon race to thrive and regain our former glory!"

The old fox shuddered, as if struck by lightning. His cloudy eyes instantly blazed with light, and even his ears perked up—he had lived for hundreds of years and vaguely heard ancient legends about a sacred land of demons, isolated from the present world due to a spatial distortion. He never imagined it was true! But the young man beside him looked completely bewildered. He had lived in this mountain forest since birth and had never heard of any other demon settlement. He couldn't help but whisper, "Master..."

Long Si turned to look at him, his tone softening and carrying a touch of a teacher's gentleness: "Alright, from now on, don't call me 'sir' anymore, call me 'master'. From today onwards, you are my personal disciple, Long Si's disciple, and I will teach you all the Dragon Clan's techniques and knowledge."

Xiao Shuai was completely stunned. He opened his mouth but couldn't speak for a long time. His mind was blank. Just a moment ago, he was just an inconspicuous little demon in the clan who was not even very skilled at transforming. The next second, he became the disciple of a dragon clan expert. This surprise came too suddenly, like a gold brick falling from the sky and hitting him. He was dizzy and didn't even know where to put his hands and feet.

Seeing this, the old fox quickly reached out and pushed him, urging in a low voice, "Silly boy, what are you standing there for? Quickly call him Master! This is such a great opportunity, something countless demons would beg for, a blessing that several lifetimes wouldn't be enough to earn. Hurry up and thank him!"

Xiao Shuai then seemed to wake from a dream, and knelt down with a thud, kowtowing heavily, his voice trembling slightly: "Master! Disciple Xiao Shuai greets Master!"

Long Si nodded and said gently, "Get up. Is there something you want to ask? Please speak freely, don't be shy."

Xiao Shuai steadied himself, supported himself on the ground to stand up, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked the question that had been bothering him, his eyes full of curiosity: "Master, the place you and Senior Old Fox were talking about... where exactly is it? Is it really that dense with demonic energy? Even denser than the 'Spirit Gathering Cave' in our back mountain?"