Chapter 3, Grand Gathering

"Yong Wei! Yong Wei!" The crow was so angry that its voice became hoarse

What! What! Bai Guang retracted his neck, alertly observing in the direction pointed by Hu Chun's claw-like finger.

Bai Guang nodded, suddenly dissatisfied, and retorted: "That's not right! You haven't introduced me to Uncle Zisun yet!"

Indeed, a multitude of clouds surged forth, all of which were rosy clouds at dawn, gradually forming a vast dome of cloud cover that enveloped the mountains. Although the mountains were not particularly high, the surrounding flying clouds obscured the vastness of the sky and earth, creating a sensation of floating high above the clouds, as if one were in the Ninth Heaven

The bright sunlight has transformed into a light pink hue of dawn, both bright and festive, even the atmosphere of the entire banquet has become quite sacred

"Who is talking nonsense here!" A stern rebuke, quite authoritative

The crow frowned and shook its head, pointing at them, "I heard the king say that today he has also invited the deity. Although whether the deity will come depends on whether he is willing to grant this favor, if you continue to speak recklessly like this, and the deity happens to hear it, it could be disastrous. Who knows, even our king might end up suffering the consequences!"

Bai Guang once again nudged Hu Chun with his arm, as if he had discovered some great secret, saying, "It turns out that the deity is called Xiang Zhu."

Hu Chun's rebuttal is not permitted; the image of the fox lineage has been solidified in the hearts of all demons. The males are effeminate, and the females are little vixens. They may be good-looking, but they all exude a sycophantic demeanor. Just think of the robust physique of Hui Ya, and one can understand which type Yun prefers; no matter how beautiful the fox spirits are, they stand no chance.

Hu Chun and Bai Guang were startled and turned around to find that it was the chief steward of Baishoushan, the Crow Spirit. The Crow Spirit was glaring at them furiously, wishing to push them off the cliff.

Because Lady Huiya arrived with Princess Yunyun, Chief Crow could no longer be bothered to compete with Bai Guang and Hu Chun. Dressed in a complete black robe, he hurriedly approached Princess Yunyun, inquiring about her well-being with great warmth and concern. His smile was so sweet, and his attitude so enthusiastic, that even Hu Chun, who was naturally cheerful and skilled at flattery, felt inferior.

Hu Chunzhen was somewhat unable to tolerate her any longer and questioned, "The beasts I know, don't you know them all? Why are you asking me this? I don't even know the names of the big shots!"

Hu Chun and Bai Guang walked upwards, the main table was particularly large, large enough to support a coffin board, and the red silk affixed to the table was inscribed with gold powder: Yong Wei Shen Zhu

Bai Guang, deep in thought with his hand on his chin, pondered, "I have heard that great demons on the ground can ascend to the heavens after reaching a certain level of cultivation. Could this person possibly be a great demon who has ascended and been sent back?"

Princess Laiyun usually arrives late to banquets, but since the Hundred Demons Conference is hosted by Huiya, she must fulfill her duties as a wife and come early to assist with the arrangements

Princess Laiyun's attire is markedly different from that of the other female demons. While the other female demons seek beauty that is enchanting and alluring, embracing novelty in every aspect, with skirts adorned in vibrant colors reminiscent of the hues of sunset, embellished with pearls, and hairpins inlaid with fragments of stars, they are bold enough to don any colorful adornments they can acquire. In contrast, Princess Laiyun wears a single dress that flows like clouds, in a subtle shade reminiscent of twilight, deepening in color towards the hem. The dress is enveloped in a gentle halo of light, likely infused with the soft glow of the evening sky, trailing on the ground for two to three feet, as if she is draped in the evening sky itself. On her head, she wears only a finely carved crown made of mutton fat jade, elegantly securing her hair, without any other embellishments. It is splendid yet devoid of any sense of ostentation or vulgarity, embodying the true essence of a goddess.

Hu Chun originally wanted to celebrate with Bai Guang, but Bai Guang was not in the mood. With a sense of entitlement, she instructed Hu Chun to climb up and down to gather several bags of fragrant pears, which were then laboriously transported to Baishou Mountain

Hu Chun was at a loss for words; it seemed that Bai Guang was quite concerned about this matter. She raised her paw and scratched her fluffy nape, awkwardly changing the subject by saying: "Look!"

Among the Kegaling Mountains, the most renowned is Mount Jieming, the pinnacle of the thousand peaks of Kegaling. Not only is it the highest, but it also sits atop the dragon's eye of the Kegaling dragon vein. Due to its exceptional terrain and abundant feng shui, even the celestial realm has dispatched a deity to guard this mountain. Hu Chunbai has heard of this deity, who ostensibly protects the ancestral mountain of Kegaling, preventing the dragon energy of Kegaling from ascending to the heavens and affecting the celestial realm. Moreover, this deity aims to thwart the chaos that could arise from demons and spirits exploiting the dragon energy of Kegaling, which could trigger a blood calamity across the six realms.

She is not the most beautiful, yet she possesses a dignified grace. Her eyes are always half-closed, evoking a desire in others to bow down in reverence. She takes out a small drum from her sleeve, slightly larger than a child's rattle, with a handle polished from the breastbone of the sacred beast Pulao, claiming it to be a drum, though it resembles a mirror more. Princess Laiyun's hands are exquisite; as she lightly taps and gently strikes the drum surface, Hu Chun watches in a trance, as if his soul has transformed into a wisp of smoke, entwining around the delicate fingertips of Princess Laiyun.

Standing atop Baishou Mountain, one can gaze upon the full view of Jiaming Mountain, except for the summit shrouded in mist.

Princess Laiyun is also a renowned figure in Jialing, and her magical instrument is a small drum. It is said that a light tap on the drum summons clouds, while a heavy strike generates lightning, making her the most formidable among the myriad of demons in Jialing. Huya became the overlord of Jialing only after successfully courting Princess Laiyun. Princess Laiyun holds herself in high regard; after marrying the old rhinoceros Huya, she did not move to Baishou Mountain to live with him, but instead continued to reside in the Laiyun Cave on Mingguang Mountain. Whenever the demons of Jialing are bullied by other mountain or water spirits, they habitually rush to Mingguang Mountain to seek assistance from Princess Laiyun, with Huya always coming in second. Behind his back, everyone refers to Huya as the old rhinoceros, yet they do not dare to show disrespect to Princess Laiyun, addressing her as 'Lady Laiyun' both in public and in private.

"No more words, no more words." Hu Chun, a sycophant who knows how to read the room, immediately smiled and made a gesture to seal his lips. "We will help you deliver the pears to the table right away. Please let us know if there is anything else you would like us to do"

Hu Chun was mesmerized, watching Princess Laiyun with a longing gaze, and said: "If I could become a great demon, I would also want to marry Princess Laiyun as my wife"

Bai Guang squinted his eyes to take a closer look, nudged Hu Chun beside him with his arm, and pointed his sharp nose at the towering Jiaming Mountain, asking with a serious demeanor: "Do you know this esteemed figure from the heavens?"

Baishou Mountain is renowned for hosting the Hundred Demons Conference, which occurs once every ten years, and it is also the dwelling place of the Demon King Huiya of Jialing. The Jialing mountain range stretches for five hundred li, with ravines winding through it, famously known as the endless thousand peaks, with the main peak being the majestic and towering Baishou Mountain

The crack of Mount Jialing, the blood calamity of the Six Realms—this bloody saying is known to all the myriad monsters of Jialing. Therefore, even if there are no restrictions from the deity of the ancestral mountain, no one dares to approach, fearing that a tail might sweep by or a horn might bump into it, causing a small fissure in Mount Jiaming, which would lead to great disaster

Bai Guang had originally stolen a melon to nibble on, becoming so engrossed that the melon fell to the ground and shattered. At this moment, busy picking it up, he did not keep his mouth idle, sarcastically retorting to Hu Chun: "Even if you were a man, as a vixen or a pretty boy, even Yun Niang would not take a liking to you."

Surprises are best when they are unexpected. I originally thought that helping Ah Hong change to a different boy was a trivial matter, but unexpectedly, the last stroke of her character fell away, and she actually achieved her goal because of this small incident

This move can be considered infallible, Hu Chun inwardly despised his old friend and said perfunctorily: "Look at the top of Mount Jiaming, since it is the dwelling place of the heavenly deity, how could it be shrouded in dark clouds? It's more demonic than demons! With such thick black mist, even an old rhinoceros couldn't produce it."

"Oh dear, Manager Wu, why are you being so serious when it's just the two of us chatting casually?" Bai Guang often brings pears to Hui Ya and is somewhat familiar with the crow, so he didn't take his anger too seriously.

"Alright." Hu Chun and Bai Guang responded eagerly, following him to the banquet set on the mountain peak.

Hu Chugang wanted to nod, but she did not recognize the two characters that appeared to have many strokes. She then saw the crow manager make a flying kick motion, which seemed about to kick the white light, but abruptly stopped, as the white light had thorns.

One does not strike a smiling person; seeing Hu Chun so festive, Wu Ya also refrained from maintaining a stern demeanor and instructed them to help place the pears on each table. "Remember, the best and sweetest pears should be placed on the main table," he did not forget to emphasize.

Hu Chun and Bai Guang were both very excited; they had never seen Princess Yun perform magic before. This fortunate coincidence allowed them to broaden their horizons.

Indeed, it is the Grand Gathering of Hundreds of Demons, and the scene is quite magnificent. The tables are arranged like a formation, with each table adorned with small red silk banners bearing names: King xx, Fairy xx, facilitating the seating of the various demons