It was evident that after the rat demon uttered these words, not only I but also my master and uncle frowned.
I had encountered demon forces before. For instance, the Yellow Weasel clan, whose headquarters, the Carefree Pavilion, I had destroyed in my hometown, consisted of dozens of yellow weasels.
Then there was the powerful Fox clan deep within Mount Ba.
Although these demon races did not reside within human urban areas, if they were to retaliate against human cities, the harm they could cause would be immense.
Aunt Yunxia gave a cold smile.
"You, I'm afraid, don't have that much weight. If your Bottomless Cave were to truly act on this, all the sects of the Daoist path would flatten it in an instant. However, I will spare your life, considering you are a demon from the Bottomless Cave. But only if you explain why you are here! And whether you have colluded with the Netherworld Sect."
The rat demon shook its head repeatedly.
"Absolutely, absolutely not. Immortal masters, I can swear on my demon soul. I have no connection with the Netherworld Sect. I was merely, merely passing through this place. Yes, just passing through, and a misunderstanding arose with everyone..."
The rat demon insisted it had no relation to the Netherworld Sect. We naturally didn't believe it. My master and Uncle Tang immediately subjected it to a severe beating. The rat demon cried out in pain and pleaded for mercy.
After a good while of interrogation, all we learned was that this fellow had some personal dealings with that snake demon and indeed had no connection to the Netherworld Sect. It knew little about the Netherworld Sect. Therefore, we couldn't extract anything significant.
However, one thing was undeniable: this demon, even if from the Bottomless Cave, was no good. Associating with these two man-eating snake demons and attempting to kill us meant who knew what other bad deeds it had committed.
Finally, following Aunt Yunxia's suggestion, a decision was made: spare its life and let the demons from the Bottomless Cave come to retrieve it. Aunt Yunxia had her reasons for not killing it. The "Bottomless Stone" could indeed verify the rat demon's identity. The Bottomless Cave was a reformed demon den, home to the largest rat demon forces in the entire south. Mother Bottomless was an old demon with nearly a thousand years of cultivation, directly or indirectly controlling rat populations in several large cities.
Mother Bottomless had led her followers to reform in recent years and had established some cooperation and contact with the Daoist path. Since reforming, there had been no rat plagues within the Bottomless Cave's sphere of influence. Farmers' harvests had increased compared to previous years, and damage to homes and public infrastructure in cities had significantly decreased.
Furthermore, the demons of the Bottomless Cave had descended the mountain, establishing spiritual halls and accepting incense offerings, much like the household immortals in Northeast China, transitioning from wild to domestic spirits. Therefore, handing the rat demon over to the Bottomless Cave for processing was the best course of action. This decision involved the delicate relationship between their background forces, Daoist factions, and the Bottomless Cave's influence, as well as considerations for stability.
As mere juniors, we couldn't intervene and had to await the decisions of our masters and elders. Upon hearing the decision, the rat demon was overjoyed and repeatedly expressed its gratitude. However, I felt a surge of resentment, wanting to stomp this rat to death. It had just tried to kill us. Now that it was in our hands, it claimed it was a misunderstanding and invoked its background. This was clearly an excuse.
However, our feelings were insufficient to influence the decisions of our masters and Aunt Yunxia. Yet, we couldn't suppress our anger. Old Mo and I beat the rat again, knocking out its front teeth. It cried and begged for mercy. Only when it was beaten half to death did we seal its cultivation. It also reverted to its original form, a large rat with slightly gray fur. To prevent its escape, Uncle Tang sealed it with a talisman, keeping it in a state of continuous slumber.
After this was done, Old Mo complained, "Master, this old rat is clearly not a good demon. It just tried to kill us. After beating it like this, I still don't feel satisfied. Master, even if we killed it here, no one would know. Why go through so much trouble to notify the Bottomless Cave and let it go?"
Uncle Tang smiled at his question. "Always consider the consequences."
As Uncle Tang finished speaking, Aunt Yunxia also chimed in, "Xiao Mo, killing one demon is easy. But our cultivation and path to enlightenment are for maintaining peace and stability. If we hadn't reported this matter, killing it without cause could inadvertently attract hundreds or thousands of demons. It could escalate the relationship between the Bottomless Cave and the Daoist path, leading to unnecessary consequences. It could result in more innocent people being harmed, which would be a loss outweighing any gain."
Standing by, I was moved by her words. Aunt Yunxia was right. The rat demon was currently under our control; killing it was as simple as picking something up. But walls have ears. If we killed it here, and the Bottomless Cave, lacking full information, misunderstood and believed we had killed one of their kin without reason, it could very well lead to unnecessary trouble. Notifying both the Bottomless Cave and the Daoist path, and then letting the Bottomless Cave handle the issue themselves, was clearly a better approach.
Hearing this, Old Mo and I finally understood our masters' intentions. They considered things more broadly, more deeply, and with greater foresight, thinking through all possible or potential consequences.
After securing the rat demon, my master suggested we check the temple's backyard. This place was called the "medicinal field," so it was bound to have many herbs. We were all injured, so it was the perfect time to see if we could collect any good medicinal herbs for our use. Thus, our group began walking towards the backyard.
Following the scent of herbs, we arrived at the backyard of Xiaohan Temple. Here, we indeed found a patch of medicinal herbs, about ten square meters in size. The field was planted with various unfamiliar herbs. At the four corners of the medicinal field stood four bronze dragons, half a person's height. These bronze dragons looked ancient, showing signs of verdigris. However, the four dragons were facing upwards, mouths agape as if about to ascend. Especially the eyes of the bronze dragons, which seemed to be made of some sort of gem. In the darkness of the night, they shone with a faint luminescence...