Chapter 26: The Treasure Cave

"How about letting that fellow live?" he said hesitantly.

"I think that's fine," Xiao Yang agreed, nodding as he looked at the shadow leopard demon whose face had been scratched up.

"Alright, that's enough!" he called out.

Ji Ba paused in surprise. The shadow leopard demon suddenly sprang up, causing Ji Ba to stumble and nearly fall. At the same time, the shadow leopard demon rushed toward Xiao Yang, but this time, there was no murderous intent—only an air of pitiful desperation.

The shadow leopard demon flopped down at their feet, whining as if pleading for mercy.

Ji Ba steadied himself, his eyes blazing with anger. If he could speak, he would surely have shouted, "You dare resist me? I'll kill you!"

Just as Ji Ba was about to bite, Zhou Yan spoke up. "Big Rooster, let's spare this fellow," she pleaded on behalf of the shadow leopard demon.

Almost simultaneously, the shadow leopard demon crawled to Zhou Yan's feet, whining pitifully.

"You want to acknowledge me as your master?" Zhou Yan asked in surprise.

Normally, taming a battle beast required cultivating a bond from a young age so that, when grown, it would be attached to its master. Adult demon beasts were proud; they'd rather die than become slaves. Thus, few people tried to tame adult demon beasts—it was troublesome and unrewarding.

"Whimper, whimper!" The shadow leopard demon cried out in supplication.

"Alright!" Zhou Yan replied joyfully. To raise an adult demon beast required considerable resources. She had dreamed of raising one for years, but lack of funds had delayed her plans. She never expected that, by accompanying Xiao Yang in search of Ji Ba, she would not only gain a battle beast but do so all at once—a fully grown demon beast, tamed.

Upon hearing Zhou Yan's words, Xiao Yang's face lit up with delight. He reached out and gently lifted Ji Ba down.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck!" But Ji Ba was clearly displeased, glaring angrily at the shadow leopard demon who had jostled him.

Sensing Ji Ba's absence from its back, the shadow leopard demon stood up, trembling as it hid behind Zhou Yan.

"Alright, that's enough. This fellow's face is ruined; you can stop now," Xiao Yang said, helplessly trying to comfort the sulking Ji Ba.

Hearing Xiao Yang's command, Ji Ba grudgingly gave up. The shadow leopard demon breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing against Zhou Yan to curry favor with its future master—so much so that someone grew jealous watching.

"Alright, alright, Ji Ba won't bully you anymore," Zhou Yan said with a smile, reaching out to stroke the shadow leopard demon's head. While not a top-tier battle beast, it was certainly among the best at Giant Spirit Sect.

"Whimper, whimper!" Perhaps because Ji Ba was present, the shadow leopard demon only dared to whimper softly, afraid of provoking another beating.

"Go on, lead the way," Xiao Yang said, releasing Ji Ba to continue guiding them.

This time, Ji Ba was noticeably more cautious, never straying far and waiting for the two to catch up every so often, clearly worried that another reckless demon beast might trouble Xiao Yang.

"This wretched road is driving me mad," Zhou Yan complained. The recent rains had left the path slippery, and her clothes were splattered with muddy water, fueling her dissatisfaction.

The shadow leopard demon, following behind, hesitated for a moment before trotting up.

"Whimper, whimper," it let out a low, rumbling whine, then crouched down.

"You want to carry me?" Zhou Yan asked, surprised at the shadow leopard demon's cleverness.

Seeing it nod, Xiao Yang felt a pang of envy. "Seriously? Is that even possible?" he muttered, a bit frustrated. He had to admit, the beast was quite handsome—almost exceptional. Xiao Yang was tempted to get a shadow leopard demon as a mount himself, but quickly dismissed the idea. With the system backing him, riding a big cat would be beneath him. Once he had money, he'd buy a divine beast as a mount. He daydreamed as he walked forward.

Soon, he saw Ji Ba waiting ahead, not far from a cave.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck!" Ji Ba called out excitedly as Xiao Yang approached.

"Huh? A cave? Could there be treasure inside?" Xiao Yang wondered, quickening his pace, unable to resist the anticipation. He also couldn't help envying Zhou Yan, who was now riding the agile shadow leopard demon, leaping from one ancient tree to another through the forest. Compared to himself...

"Damn! I'm stuck running on two legs?" He grumbled inwardly, determined to get a flying mount in the future.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck!" Ji Ba trotted over and tugged at Xiao Yang's sleeve, trying to drag him into the cave.

"Don't pull, I'll walk myself," Xiao Yang said, kicking Ji Ba aside and heading toward the cave.

As he stepped forward, a burst of cold air swept out, making Xiao Yang shiver.

"So cold." Even as a martial artist, he felt the chill seeping from the cave.

"There's a cave here—I wonder if it's the opportunity senior brothers often speak of," Zhou Yan muttered quietly, recalling the stories Xiao Yang had told her as a child, her anticipation growing.

The next moment, Ji Ba darted into the cave.

"Ji Ba, come back!" Xiao Yang shouted anxiously. When nothing happened, he had no choice but to follow.

Entering the cave, the two discovered a world within. The walls were lined with a layer of ice.

Just then, Ji Ba returned, carrying something in its beak. It leaped onto Xiao Yang's shoulder and dropped the item into his hand.

"What is this... a white radish?" Xiao Yang murmured, puzzled by the pale object in his hand.

"Pfft! Senior brother, I can't believe you," Zhou Yan finally couldn't hold back. To mistake a century-old ginseng for a white radish—what talent!

"This is ginseng—a hundred-year-old one," she explained helplessly.

Without another word, Xiao Yang tried to recycle it for its value.

"Ding! Would you like to recycle the century-old ginseng? You will receive ten thousand premium coins."

Ten thousand?!

He gulped, but quickly regained composure. Picking up Ji Ba, he nearly showered it with kisses. The creature had given him an unexpected surprise—a century-old ginseng.

But then Xiao Yang realized something: Ji Ba was the king of the mountain here. Could this be its lair?

The thought made him eager to explore further.

"Let's go, we'll check it out," he said, moving deeper into the cave.

After a short walk, they reached a bend. As soon as he rounded it, Xiao Yang gasped in shock.

Zhou Yan also came around, glanced at her senior brother in confusion, then looked inside.

"So much ginseng!" she exclaimed in astonishment.

Deep within the cave was a space dozens of yards wide, filled with dozens of wild century-old ginseng plants. Zhou Yan even spotted two wild ginsengs over two hundred years old.

"Gulp!"

"We've struck it rich! I love you so much!" Xiao Yang cried, hugging Ji Ba tightly and planting a fierce kiss.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck!" Ji Ba squawked in annoyance, wriggling free and running over to a century-old ginseng, pecking at it.

Soon, the ginseng was riddled with holes.

"Damn!" Xiao Yang snapped back to his senses. Now he understood why this chicken had advanced so quickly—it was eating ginseng like radishes, so its cultivation soared.

Without hesitation, he rushed over to "help," collecting the ginseng.

But this only made Ji Ba unhappy. In just a few breaths, Xiao Yang had gathered twenty century-old ginseng roots. Seeing him about to continue, Ji Ba dashed over and blocked his way.

"Huh?"

"Cluck, cluck, cluck!" Ji Ba squawked in protest.

Thinking Ji Ba wanted to be praised, Xiao Yang smiled. "Ji Ba, you've done a great deed this time—you really are amazing!" He reached down to pick more ginseng.

But Ji Ba bit his pant leg, stopping him.