’Such a huge commotion. Ye Jingzhou is dead set on this!’

Chen Che watched the clamoring crowd and couldn’t help but have the thought.

Even the servants In the Valley had joined in. As he walked, the sound of people discussing their capture strategies was unavoidable. Some disciples were even preparing to contact Loose Cultivators outside the valley to join the hunt.

"Brother, want to go together?"

Hu Yao sidled up. "We could call a few other disciples we know, so we can watch each other’s backs."

"Sure!"

Chen Che didn’t refuse.

Although he knew this search was doomed to be a waste of time, he didn’t want to seem out of place.

"I’ll go round them up. Once everyone’s here, I’ll come find you at the Pill Shop!"

"Alright!"

With that, Hu Yao turned and left.

’It should be fine, right?’

He pondered for a moment. He had ordered the Little Chick to hide in his Cave Mansion and had even dyed its feathers.

Although there were no oversights, with such a grand spectacle, he couldn’t help but worry a little.

Passing by the square, he saw the large cauldron. Chen Che glanced at it once, then again. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t make anything of it.

’If only I could take it back to study...’

"Tributor Chen, wait a moment."

Just as he was pondering, a voice called out from behind him.

Chen Che turned to see Lu Yi, dressed in a black robe, striding towards him.

"Valley Master Lu, are you going too?"

"Naturally!"

Lu Yi clasped his hands behind his back, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Chen Che, and nodded.

"This is a matter of great importance. As the Vice Valley Master, it’s my duty to go. The only one in the entire valley excused is Tributor Li, and that’s because he has urgent business..."

Obviously, he was explaining why Tributor Li was allowed to stay behind when they were both Tributors.

As for Ye Jingzhou, he was the master of Jinyun Valley, so of course he didn’t count.

However, Chen Che didn’t really care about that. Instead, he was curious just how much the Little Chick had eaten to make Ye Jingzhou raise such a fuss.

"Were the valley’s losses really that great this time?"

"Of course!"

Hearing this, Lu Yi nodded slightly.

"This Demon Beast has good taste. It snuck in three times. It didn’t touch any of the ordinary Spiritual Objects in the medicine garden, specifically picking out the expensive Spiritual Medicines to eat. I took another inventory yesterday; everything it stole was priceless Spiritual Medicine."

"As for how great the losses are..."

At this point, Lu Yi paused to think, then rephrased.

"Let’s put it this way: the total value of the stolen Spiritual Medicines could extend a Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s lifespan by seventeen years!"

"...This!"

Chen Che secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

He had obviously used the lifespan of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator as a unit of measurement, fearing Chen Che wouldn’t otherwise understand the scale of the loss.

Seventeen years of life!

Even for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, that was no small number.

"It’s already been several days!"

Looking at the vast procession of disciples leaving the valley, Chen Che tried his best to be fair and objective.

"Perhaps the Demon Beast has already left. Even if it hasn’t, catching it won’t undo the damage. To mobilize so many people and resources is truly..."

"Truly unwise? Under normal circumstances, that would indeed be the case."

Lu Yi picked up the thread of conversation, clearly agreeing with his sentiment.

But Chen Che knew that with this kind of rhetoric, a ’but’ was usually coming next.

"But the situation is different this time."

Lu Yi glanced left and right. The surrounding disciples, seeing high-ranking valley members talking, had already tactfully moved away. None dared to approach.

"The official story is that we’re capturing a medicine-thieving Demon Beast. But you’re a high-ranking member of the valley, so there’s no need to hide it from you."

"This Demon Beast can ignore the Grand Array to enter and leave Jinyun Valley, which is clearly unusual. Furthermore, based on its appearance, the Valley Master has deduced that it is very likely a chick that got separated from a Great Demon and happened to nest here by accident. Therefore, the Valley Master intends to take it as his Demon Pet!"

’That’s my bird!’

Chen Che thought. ’But is it really okay for him to tell me something this important so casually?’

"A Great Demon’s chick isn’t so easy to tame, is it? It’s not the same as the Fiery Flying Crane that Meng Qingxuan captured."

As if guessing Chen Che’s thoughts, Lu Yi let out a soft chuckle.

"Even if you were to encounter it, you wouldn’t necessarily be able to tame it; at most, you could only capture it. That’s because it requires the methods of a Beast Tamer. You haven’t been cultivating for long, so naturally, you wouldn’t know!"

’It’s in my Cave Mansion right now!’

Chen Che muttered inwardly, but couldn’t resist asking, "Valley Master Lu, in your opinion, what Grade is that chick..."

"It’s highly likely the offspring of a Golden Core Great Demon."

Lu Yi glanced at Chen Che, a sense of superiority unconsciously creeping into his tone. "I have personally seen a Golden Core Great Demon. Have you?"

This wasn’t intentionally aimed at Chen Che.

Golden Core Great Demons are a rare sight. For a Qi Refining Cultivator, being fortunate enough to witness one in person was indeed something to boast about.

’I’ve even patted a Golden Core Great Demon on the head at the Six Continents Zoo!’

Grumbling inwardly, Chen Che shook his head.

A smile touched Lu Yi’s lips, as if he had expected this. His voice grew distant, taking on a faraway quality.

"Eleven years ago, I went to Celestial State and saw one with my own eyes. It was a Mud Flood Dragon entering the sea. It devoured the people of a full 1,800 households. Wherever it passed, its power was immense and unstoppable. Even a Foundation Establishment Ancestor wouldn’t dare to challenge it head-on!"

"I was still more than thirty miles away that day, but I could see the Mud Flood Dragon’s surging form blotting out the sky. Its roars were deafening, as if it were right in front of me. Every time I recall that scene, I still feel a lingering fear."

"If you still don’t understand, just think about Chi State. A single Foundation Establishment Tiger Demon was enough to turn that place upside down. If our Valley Master had a Golden Core Great Demon as a Demon Pet, what would our future be like?"

At this, Lu Yi’s gaze became distant.

Seeing this, Chen Che added another thought in his mind:

’That’s my bird!’

...

Lu Yi then left.

Chen Che returned to the Market to wait for Hu Yao and also to inform Ding Fei of the situation.

The Market, meanwhile, was already in an uproar.

Of course, Jinyun Valley’s bounty wasn’t limited to disciples; it was also open to all Loose Cultivators. For a time, the bustle in the Market surpassed even that of the Foundation Establishment Ancient Tomb incident.

Even the price of Pills had gone up.

It wasn’t just Chen’s Pill Shop; other shops and stall owners selling Pills in the Market also made a huge profit. The streets and alleys were filled with the sound of voices, and the rows of stalls and pedestrians buying and selling goods stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Give me a few Talismans, make ’em a little cheaper!"

"A Tier One Low Grade Pill for ten taels of Spiritual Sand? Why has the price doubled? Fine, I’ll buy it!"

"This set of Soft Armor was passed down from my ancestors. Today, I’m making a decision that goes against my ancestors’ wishes—I’ll sell it to you for just twenty Spirit Stones..."

...

"This is a Qi Gathering Pill for quickly restoring True Essence, and this is a Body Nourishing Pill for healing... It’s a shame our Cultivation is too weak. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be selling you these Pills; I’d be out looking for that Demon Beast myself!"

Inside the Pill Shop, Ding Fei was introducing the Pills to a Loose Cultivator.

The man was only at the Qi Refining Third Layer, a lower Cultivation than Ding Fei’s, but he eagerly paid and rushed out of the Market.

"Boss, I wish you swift success..."

Zhao Deyou said, offering a blessing.

"Heh heh~"

Chen Che chuckled, then quickly packed his bag, which mainly consisted of some emergency Pills. Of course, he couldn’t forget the Leopard Embryo Elixir. He didn’t know how long this trip would take, and he couldn’t stop his meridian expansion training.

Thankfully, he’d finished his homework.

Otherwise, he’d have to worry about it while he was out.

"Brother, I’m ready! We can set off!"

From outside the door, Hu Yao’s voice rang out. Several other disciples stood behind him.

Chen Che took a deep breath and strode out.

"Coming!"