Chapter 59: Fairy Dung Beetle

Locked inside the cage, Xiao Bugui experienced a complex mixture of emotions, mostly anxiety. He carefully analyzed Shi Yuhuan’s facial expression from earlier. Due to her severe injuries, her tone conveyed little more than agony, but the crucial question was whether she had meant to sigh sentimentally that he was an immortal while humans and demons belong to different worlds, or if she intended to add that he was sent by the Immortal Isles to eradicate the demonic cult.

Xiao Bugui had never wanted to come to the mortal realm in the first place, let alone join the demonic cult. He had only stayed behind willingly due to a twist of fate, thirty taels of silver, and the promise of free room and board. Now, it seemed that if he did not leave soon, his life might be in jeopardy.

Lost in these chaotic thoughts, Xiao Bugui realized the night had grown deep and quiet. Although the crows had provided him with a chamber pot, his heart was heavy with worry, leaving him with no urge to relieve himself.

A moment later, the window was pushed open, and Hao Meili and Hu Jiao slipped in one after another. Xiao Bugui was overjoyed to see them and opened his mouth to speak, but Hu Jiao pressed a finger to her lips, gesturing for him to keep quiet.

Xiao Bugui had no choice but to remain silent. Hu Jiao inserted a silver needle into the lock, popping the prison door open.

Faced with the choice of leaving or staying, Xiao Bugui felt hesitant. If he truly wanted to leave, he could simply transform into a small bird and fly away. Yet, leave he must, lest he fail to live up to the deep affection of the two beauties.

One man and two women leaped out the window. Xiao Bugui held Hu Jiao’s hand in his left and Hao Meili’s in his right, running happily into the night.

Ma Zengsan was already waiting for them with an ox-drawn cart. Xiao Bugui patted Ma Zengsan happily on the shoulder and said, "I knew you were loyal and wouldn't leave me behind."

Ma Zengsan replied, "If we keep heading east, we can walk right out of the Demon Mountain and go home."

The cart was enclosed with a layer of gauze curtains to keep out mosquitoes and insects. Countless fireflies drifted toward them, dancing around the gauze while tracing the floral fragrance along the path. Everyone felt as though they had drifted into a dream. Exhausted, Xiao Bugui kissed the two women gently on the forehead and said, "My two beauties, I am going to sleep."

They had already drifted off to sleep and perhaps never knew that Xiao Bugui had kissed them. Such a feeling was wonderful. The one man and two women lay side by side within the gauze tent, drifting into a deep slumber accompanied by the hazy stars in the sky.

As the driver, Ma Zengsan had also been drinking. Completely drunk, he fell fast asleep, leaving the ox—which knew the way—to wander on its own.

Unbeknownst to them, the tree demons had begun to stir their roots, blocking the original path. The ox turned this way and that, changing its direction and heading straight west.

To the west of Demon Mountain lay the Demon Realm, featuring a region of fertile earthen mounds inhabited by a demon named Shi Yongfang. Unable to sleep at night, he chanted loudly: "Since ancient times, who among mortals has no waste? I use dung mounds for my three daily meals. The martial world calls my breath foul, but I alone have never harmed a living soul."

He stood atop a gigantic dung ball, propelling himself forward by rolling it along the ground. Suddenly, he noticed an ox-drawn cart approaching from the opposite direction. The occupants were fast asleep, and the ox happened to drop a fresh pile of dung, its aroma exceptionally pungent in the nighttime mist.

Shi Yongfang loved this scent. Rolling over to the rear of the cart, he scooped up the fresh manure with the dung ball beneath his feet. Seeing that everyone in the cart was fast asleep, he was overcome with greed and muttered, "How wonderful it would be if I had an ox of my own! Then I could eat fresh dung every single day."

With that, Shi Yongfang untied the ox's reins and, luring it with a handful of fresh grass, led the beast away.

In the pitch-black night, Ma Zengsan woke up. He slipped into the bushes to relieve himself, and upon returning alertly to the front of the cart, he discovered the ox was gone. He could only shout at the top of his lungs, "Wake up, everyone! My ox is gone."

The Seven-Killed Spear stood upright while Xiao Bugui slept soundly between the two beauties, enjoying a moment of bliss. Awakened abruptly from their rare and precious dreams, the three of them lazily climbed down from the carriage.

Hu Jiao asked, "The ox pulling the cart is gone. What should we do? Xiao Bugui, why don't you turn into an ox?"

Xiao Bugui replied, "It's still dark. Once dawn breaks, I'll transform into a bird and fly up high to take a look."

Ma Zengsan protested, "That water buffalo is my mount, my prized possession, my precious little darling! You turn into an owl and go check right now."

Without refusing, Xiao Bugui executed a transformation. The carriage sat crookedly on the mountain path, which was quite uncomfortable, so Hao Meili asked, "Senior Ma, do you have any other mounts?"

" Eldest Miss, I still have a donkey." Ma Zengsan pulled a donkey the size of a grasshopper out of his sleeve and tossed it to the ground. The donkey grew instantly to full size, and he quickly fitted it with reins and hitched it to the cart. Ma Zengsan said, "Please get back in and rest, young ladies. I will protect you."

Watching the direction the owl had flown, Hu Jiao said, "I'm worried about Xiao Bugui going off alone. Let's follow him."

Ma Zengsan reassured her, "Don't worry. With the divine beast Azure Lion around, he'll be in no danger."

Hao Meili suggested, "We should just wait for him right here."

Having transformed into an owl, Xiao Bugui soared through the night sky until he spotted a thatched cottage with a lit lamp. He landed on the windowsill, pecked a hole through the paper, and peeked inside.

Shi Yongfang was in the middle of a meal. Having transformed from a dung beetle, his food was ox dung—which meant, quite literally, that Shi Yongfang was eating feces just as Xiao Bugui arrived. At first, Xiao Bugui didn't realize what Shi Yongfang was eating, mistaking it for some kind of sauce. It was only when Shi Yongfang placed a plate behind the ox's rump to collect fresh dung, picked some up with chopsticks, and tasted it with evident satisfaction that Xiao Bugui realized he had encountered a dung-eating demon. Reluctant to fight him and utterly repulsed, Xiao Bugui decided that dealing with such a disgusting creature was a job best left to Ma Zengsan.

By the time Xiao Bugui flew back, the morning sun had already risen. The two maidens broke into joyful smiles at the sight of his safe return, their faces lighting up simply because they saw the one they loved.

Ma Zengsan asked anxiously, "Where is my ox? Did you find it?"

Xiao Bugui answered, "I found it. A demon stole your ox. Not wanting to startle the enemy prematurely, I came back to lead you straight to him."

Ma Zengsan inquired, "What weapon does he wield? Is he powerfully built?"

Xiao Bugui shook his head, "I didn't see his weapon, and he certainly isn't powerfully built."

Ma Zengsan declared, "Then let the four of us go together."

With Xiao Bugui flying ahead as a bird to guide the way, and Ma Zengsan driving the donkey cart in pursuit, they quickly located the place where the ox was hidden. Desperate to rescue his mount, Ma Zengsan kicked the door open first.

Shi Yongfang was still eating. Taken completely by surprise when Ma Zengsan barged in, and knowing full well that the ox's owner had tracked him down, he hurled his breakfast bowl straight at Ma Zengsan's face.

Ma Zengsan dodged aside, and the bowl of dung splattered all over the doorway. Xiao Bugui, having anticipated this, had already stopped the two maidens and warned them of the truth: "That is a dung-eating dung beetle demon. Sister Jiaojiao, Sister Hao, you'd better stay back."

Being fastidious, the young ladies were utterly revolted upon hearing how foul the demon was and seeing the filth coating the entrance. They retreated far into the distance, and Hu Jiao even called out to Xiao Bugui, "Little brother, don't go in there. You'll dirty your clothes."

From inside the house came Ma Zengsan's furious cursing: "You filthy creature, how dare you attack me with your breakfast!"

Shi Yongfang retorted, "If you hadn't barged in so suddenly, would I have used my breakfast to defend myself? It took me forever to save up those rations, and you ruined them!"

Ma Zengsan demanded, "Are you going to return my ox or not?"

Shi Yongfang bellowed with arrogant defiance, "I stole it, so it's mine! If you don't leave right now, I'll let you taste the might of the giant dung ball beneath my feet!"