Chapter Ninety: The Fox King Trades for Fire Dates, News of Yimu, Part Two of Five

On the three halls, the White-Emperor Fox King wandered from one treasure to the next, his gaze passing over them all, yet nothing pleased him.

There was no shortage of objects that could prolong life, but they were all ordinary things he had long since consumed. To take them again would do him no good.

Then he saw that the mysterious Daoist who had seemed beyond his reckoning was bartering with a water-born spirit nearby.

Within the hall, the goblins were murmuring among themselves. "How many things has that Daoist already traded for? He must be rich beyond measure."

"Exactly. They’re all elixirs and fine wines none of us have ever heard of, let alone seen. He must come from some ancient inheritance."

The Fox King heard it and was moved. Taking his daughter with him, he went over to Cao Kong.

"I see, friend, that you have been exchanging treasures one after another. I wonder what fine things you carry. Let us do a little business as well, each taking what he needs. What do you say?"

Cao Kong looked up at the sound and smiled. He had not even gone to seek the Fox King out, and yet the old fellow had come to him first.

He said with a laugh, "Of course. But my wealth cannot compare with the Fox King’s. Why not let me reveal what I have first? If anything pleases you, we can trade for it."

The Fox King replied generously, "Easy enough. This old man has quite a bit to his name. So long as the things in your hand are what I desire, then I shall certainly have what you want as well."

At that, Cao Kong turned his hand, and all manner of objects floated out: various pills, various wines, and even a handful of fiery dates.

When the Fox King saw this feat of pocketing the vast within the minute, he kept his face impassive, but inwardly he grew more attentive.

Then his gaze fixed on the fiery dates, and he could not help saying, "This is..."

"These are fiery dates. They are closely connected to the famous tree on the Isle of Immortal Blessings and are capable of extending life. One may eat up to nine, and each one can prolong life by about twenty years."

At this, the Fox King’s heart stirred repeatedly. But before he could even say whether he would trade, the Jade-Faced Princess at his side reached out without ceremony to take the dates and pills.

"Are they really that miraculous? And linked to the fiery dates on the Isle of Immortal Blessings, too? You’re not making that up, are you?"

Cao Kong frowned slightly. The trade had not even been concluded, and she was already reaching for his things. What was more, her words held an air of contempt. How rude.

The Fox King saw it and knew it was improper, yet he could not bring himself to scold his daughter. He could only sigh and say, "Friend, my daughter is unruly. Rest assured, I want all the things you have taken out."

Upon hearing the word "unruly," the Jade-Faced Princess let out a huff and cooed, "Father, you’re not allowed to call me that. I am the most obedient there is."

As she spoke, she even tugged at the Fox King’s beard in such a setting. Yet the old Fox King was not angered in the least; he only coaxed her again and again.

Seeing how indulgent the Fox King was toward the Jade-Faced Princess, Cao Kong could not help but shake his head inwardly.

No wonder she was so thoughtless in the future—jealous, spoiled, and arrogant, until it brought her a fatal calamity upon herself.

"Very well. But I wonder whether the things I need are in the Fox King’s possession."

"Haha, speak freely. This old man still counts himself as fairly well off."

"I need the vital essences of the wood, water, and fire phases. I wonder whether the Fox King has them in his collection."

At this, the Fox King’s smile froze. "Ahem... those, I do not have."

Then he added, "Though these three items are not extraordinarily precious, they greatly benefit those who cultivate along those lines. Most cultivators take them for their own use, and they are difficult to preserve."

"However, I do happen to know the whereabouts of some wood-phase essence. I can tell you of it as well."

Cao Kong’s spirits lifted. It was enough that there was a lead.

He then told the Fox King what he needed: five kinds of spiritual herbs, such as lung-gold grass and liver-spring blossoms.

These five kinds of herbs could be used to brew a wine called the Five-Phase Vital Dew from the Wine Classic. It could protect the five organs and replenish vital energy—just what he needed for his cultivation of the golden elixir and his search for the Yellow Lady.

The Fox King had long been held in esteem and was no vicious demon. After a moment’s thought, he said, "I do have quite a few of those things on Mount Jilei. I can trade them all to you, though I’m afraid even so they may not amount to more than half the value of those fiery dates.

"And since I have great need of them, I must value the dates a little higher. Friend, you may name a few more things."

Cao Kong admired the Fox King’s character, and without further ceremony asked for a number of other spiritual medicines that the Golden Money Leopard could use to refine pills, as well as some ores.

The Fox King agreed to each and every request. Then, astonishingly, he shielded the surrounding guests from view, took out a cloth sack, chanted an incantation, and at once a mountain-sized mass of spiritual herbs appeared.

Cao Kong was not surprised. For an old demon king of this sort, such methods were perfectly ordinary. He therefore pushed the fiery dates and the rest over to the Fox King.

The Fox King was overjoyed. At last he could extend his life by another hundred years or so, and continue protecting his daughter a while longer.

Each had taken what he needed, and both were pleased.

"Haha! Many thanks, friend. I live on Mount Jilei in ordinary times. If you ever have leisure, you may come and seek me out for conversation and storytelling. I shall be sure to entertain you properly."

So said the Fox King. Yet the Jade-Faced Princess at his side caught the implication of friendship in his words and looked on in disbelief.

In her eyes, apart from being somewhat handsome, Cao Kong did not seem any different from an ordinary person, whereas her father was a famed great demon king under heaven and earth. For such a figure to address Cao Kong in that manner was to lower himself for the sake of courtesy.

And yet that Daoist merely smiled and nodded. Did he even know what manner of being had invited him?

The Jade-Faced Princess was so exasperated that she nearly burst with frustration.

"Oh, yes," the Fox King said, remembering. "The wood-phase essence you seek—some time ago I saw traces of it in a mountain range within the region of Gold-Ping Prefecture to the west. I believe the mountain was called Azure Dragon Mountain."

Cao Kong heard the familiar name and fell into thought. It seemed to be the place where the three rhinoceros demons would dwell in later times.

The two exchanged farewells.

Nearly all the things Cao Kong had brought were traded away by the Fox King, so the Dragon Palace no longer held much attraction for him. After taking leave of the Tortoise Elder of the Flowing River, he rode the wind back.

Not long after Cao Kong had departed on the wind, several demons sprang up from the surface of the Heaven-Flowing River and followed close behind.

Cao Kong also sensed that someone was trailing him. Murderous intent rose in his heart, for he guessed these were the demons who, seeing his extraordinary methods, had been seized by greed.

Though the Dragon King of the Heaven-Flowing River had plainly said that if one encountered trouble after trading for treasures at the longevity feast, one could come to him for help, some people still believed themselves so capable that they could make the matter vanish without a trace.

So Cao Kong rode the wind southward until he came to a certain place, where several streaks of black light still clung to him like shadows.

They transformed into tigers, eagles, and black serpents. In an instant, the wooded hills were swept by a bloody wind and filled with demonic aura.

"Daoist, hand over every treasure on your body, and we may spare your life."

A black serpent revealed its true form, a giant snake more than thirty feet long. It flicked its tongue, greed gleaming in its pupils.

"Spare his life? Black Scale, do you really believe that? Stop wasting words with him. Attack together. I can tell his aura is pure and clear—if we eat him, our cultivation will surely improve."

A multicolored tiger no longer concealed its own covetousness. Then it opened its mouth and roared, and astonishingly the roar called up mountain winds. Thus it was said: wind follows the tiger.

The eagle in the sky beat its wings in succession, sending out feather after feather like flying swords filling the heavens.

Cao Kong looked on coolly, and from between his lips came a single sentence: "Then let me send you all back to nature."

As those words fell, the wind rose to answer them. The world was suddenly seized by three winds: the northwestern mighty wind, the southern bright wind, and the southwestern bleak wind.

They became a frost that slew white dragons, a raging tornado, and a mournful gust of ghostly lamentation, sweeping toward the three demons.

In an instant, all manner of demonic arts were shattered by the three winds. Before the three demons, darkness descended; they sank forever into blackness, and their souls stood before the King of Hell.

At the same time, several bursts of demonic aura rose from within the forest, though not to attack—they were fleeing.

The tally of monthly votes had reached one hundred.