Chapter 284: News from Xu State
The fox burst out laughing, clutching its belly and rolling on the ground as it answered, "He is just a pig-brained fool. What kind of scheme could he come up with?! He feasted with a bunch of demons for three days, cursing loudly, then got drunk and passed out. When he woke up, he continued cursing, and after they had eaten everything in the den, they all went back to their own lairs."
Li Tongya was momentarily stunned, unsure of whether to laugh. He chuckled a couple of times, then saw the fox straighten up and say earnestly, "Your family is too righteous and too close to the common people. It always confuses me. They are just commoners… What harm is there if these demons eat a few of them? The common people are raised to be used, aren't they? If you do not use them, they will keep multiplying, eventually running out of land and livelihood, and then they will curse and hate you…
"I have lived by the shore for hundreds of years and have seen many things. Newly risen families treat the commoners well when they are weak. But once they reach the Qi Cultivation or Foundation Establishment Realm, they no longer care about the lives of these people. Your family, however, has never changed... You, of all people, should understand this isn't how it should be."
The fox rambled on, only to look up and see Li Tongya's face darken with a hint of anger. The fox fell silent, somewhat fearful, and shook its head hesitantly. It wanted to apologize, yet felt it shouldn't, so it merely watched him in silence.
Li Tongya sighed, suppressing his discomfort, and said wearily, "You speak too much, my friend. My youngest brother was made into someone else's food, and I come from a farming background, so I cannot listen to this. Our family raises commoners for our own purposes. You do not need to worry about it."
The white banyan fox, being a demon, valued Li Tongya as a close friend, but ultimately cared only for him. Seeing Li Tongya unmoved by its advice, the fox flicked its tail and said, "That stupid pig will probably come looking for you to ask about this matter… Deal with it yourself!"
Li Tongya nodded and thanked the fox. Allowing the demons to prey on the townspeople was out of the question, and Li Tongya already despised the actions of the Purple Mansion Realm and Golden Core Realm cultivators above him. If he let the townsfolk be devoured, how would he be any different from those cultivators?
Moreover, the formation of talisman qi required the support of incense and offerings—the greater the number of people under his rule, the better. According to the standards of the Sacrificial Ritual Method, Li Tongya already felt that the talisman pills condensed from the incense provided by his people were too little, so he could not afford to lose them.
Seeing Li Tongya's firm stance, the fox could only nod. Li Tongya then asked, "Do you know about the situation of the demons in Xu State?"