Chapter Twenty: Allocation

“Brother, let the King of Yurong heal his wounds here with you. I have matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave,” the Bull Demon King saluted Yuan Wujie with his fists and departed upon a cloud.

“Since that is the case, I won’t press you to stay, Brother,” Yuan Wujie returned the gesture. After the Bull Demon King left, Yuan Wujie also flew toward the direction of Firecloud Cave.

Upon reaching the vicinity of Firecloud Cave, Yuan Wujie ceased his flight. Now, the cave was occupied solely by fox soldiers; most of the bull soldiers had followed the True Immortal of Wishful Thinking and departed. Yuan Wujie wished to see what the Fox Advisor was planning in his absence. If the advisor harbored any treacherous intentions, it would be best to deal with him early.

“Invisible,” Yuan Wujie whispered, casting the spell of invisibility. With the cultivation of a Heavenly Immortal, he concealed his presence so thoroughly that none but those at the Grand Primordial realm could detect him. The highest cultivation in Firecloud Cave at present belonged to the Fox Advisor, merely at the early stage of Heavenly Immortal, incapable of noticing him.

The invisibility spell was not Yuan Wujie’s most powerful ability, but it held a special significance. Using it reminded him of Xiao Yu in the Celestial Court—the first spell he ever learned, and the only one Xiao Yu had taught him.

Effortlessly, Yuan Wujie entered Firecloud Cave unseen and found the Fox Advisor pacing restlessly in the upper hall.

“Advisor, now that the Bull Demon King has handed over Firecloud Cave, you could seize it for yourself. The King won’t object, and the brothers below would surely follow your commands. Together, we needn’t fear that Yuan Wujie!” whispered a fox spirit with shifty eyes, casting a furtive glance at the Fox Advisor above.

“Presumptuous! How dare you say such things? Get out of my sight!” The Fox Advisor was indeed tempted by the prospect of ruling Firecloud Cave, but knowing that Yuan Wujie was on brotherly terms with the Bull Demon King, he suspected his strength and background were extraordinary. It was not wise to offend him over such a minor matter.

“Yes, yes, I wouldn’t dare,” the shifty-eyed fox spirit retreated immediately, though his thoughts were unreadable. Yuan Wujie saw ambition in his eyes, destined not to remain subordinate for long.

Yuan Wujie understood the Fox Advisor’s intentions but knew the advisor lacked sufficient manpower. Nevertheless, it would be easy to clarify matters for him.

With a thought, Yuan Wujie left Firecloud Cave and lifted the spell of invisibility. He appeared before the cave as though just returned from outside.

“The King has returned! The King has returned!” The fox soldiers patrolling the entrance hurried inside to report to the Fox Advisor.

“Very well, I’ll go out to welcome him at once.” The Fox Advisor, uncertain of Yuan Wujie’s background, dared not offend him now. His expression appeared genuinely joyful at Yuan Wujie’s return, but Yuan Wujie, watching him emerge, saw through his intentions and chose not to expose him.

“King, since the True Immortal of Wishful Thinking left Firecloud Cave, I have waited for your return to preside over the cave.”

“In that case, let’s not keep the Advisor waiting. Arrange for all the demon soldiers currently in Firecloud Cave to assemble inside,” Yuan Wujie replied, feigning ignorance and playing along.

The Fox Advisor was momentarily taken aback by Yuan Wujie’s words.

“Advisor, why are you not arranging things?”

“Oh, oh, I’ll arrange it right away,” the Advisor replied, still unsure of Yuan Wujie’s intentions but obliged to comply, since Yuan Wujie was now the lord of Firecloud Cave.

Soon, the cave was packed with fox soldiers.

Once the Fox Advisor confirmed that all demon soldiers were present, Yuan Wujie spoke:

“I trust you all understand that I am now your new king. To avoid any disorder in management, I’ve decided to select several of the most advanced among you to jointly oversee the demon soldiers. The Advisor will remain as Fox Advisor.”

The Fox Advisor responded with a cold smile. “All of Firecloud Cave follows my orders. Your arrangements are unnecessary.”

“At present, there are only a thousand demon soldiers in Firecloud Cave. I will appoint ten centurions, each responsible for one hundred fox soldiers.”

“You, you, and you... these are my chosen ten centurions. Step forward and let your brothers see you. The Advisor will oversee the specific assignments,” Yuan Wujie declared, including the shifty-eyed fox spirit and nine others with relatively high cultivation.

Among them, only the shifty-eyed fox spirit had attained a mid-level of minor demon cultivation; the others were at the early stage.

“You, your cultivation is the highest among the ten. You may select your own hundred demon soldiers,” Yuan Wujie said to him.

“King, my name is Hu San,” the shifty-eyed fox spirit replied, delighted. Previously, with the True Immortal and Fox Advisor in charge, he had no opportunity to use his talents.

Now, with Yuan Wujie’s arrangements, not only Hu San but the other nine fox spirits were exhilarated, never expecting to have a day where they could command others.

“Those who weren’t promoted, don’t lose heart. If you prove yourselves, you too may advance,” Yuan Wujie continued. Beasts who achieve spirit form are usually dull-witted, but foxes are innately cunning, and upon gaining intelligence, become even more obsessed with power. Yuan Wujie’s approach exploited this nature.

“I will not be satisfied with Firecloud Cave’s current state. Its scale will continue to expand. Those who strive may attain higher positions and greater authority. But those who grow complacent may be replaced by their brothers,” Yuan Wujie proclaimed loudly to the fox soldiers.

The Fox Advisor’s heart skipped a beat at these words. He realized Yuan Wujie’s ambition—a small cave could not contain him. The Advisor now resolved to serve Yuan Wujie well, for the king had just said, “Those who grow complacent may be replaced,” and that warning was not only for the ten centurions, but for himself as well. If he were ousted, he might not even have a chance to appear before Yuan Wujie in the future.

He saw now that his earlier scheme to seize Firecloud Cave was laughable in Yuan Wujie’s eyes. The cave was beneath Yuan Wujie’s notice; even the Bull Demon King deemed it less valuable than the True Immortal, or else he wouldn’t have gifted it to Yuan Wujie as an apology. All his previous rivalry with the True Immortal over the cave was, in the Bull Demon King’s eyes, nothing but a joke.

Indeed, had Yuan Wujie not foreseen the progression of the Journey to the West, he would never have bothered with such a small cave. But now that he knew, he was determined to fortify Firecloud Cave, turning it into a formidable barrier on the path of the pilgrimage.