The mansion was quiet in the night.
Outside, the wind howled incessantly. After nightfall, the environment in River Town became even more severe. Listening to the wailing of the gale outside, one could imagine how dense the sand and dust were.
In the courtyard adorned with hanging red lanterns, Chen Yu sat blankly at the stone table.
In his hand, he clutched a tiger tally.
This tiger tally was the 'Summoning Tiger Tally' Chen Yu had obtained, and the very source of the drastic change in his cave dwelling life.
“I really wonder, why do those monarchs want you?” Chen Yu murmured, looking down at the tiger tally. At first glance, it was just a very ordinary tiger tally.
After summoning, the strength of the fused generals did not evolve to an outrageous degree.
The few divine generals Chen Yu had appointed,
Excluding Hei Dou, who had not successfully fused, Kuka, Hei Lu, and Jack the Lion, and Rose, their highest strength was only Black Obsidian tier.
There were also those of Golden tier.
Before leaving the town, Chen Yu still felt that possessing such strength was not bad. At least in his region, the Black Obsidian realm was considered top-tier strength.
However—
At this moment, he realized that the Black Obsidian realm was not as formidable as he had imagined.
His perspective had been too narrow.
His region belonged to the outermost area of the entire cave dwelling. There were no strong kingdoms or prosperous city-states visible around.
There were only refugees and encampments struggling to survive.
They were not worth mentioning.
Look at the death warriors of the Roni family; every single one of them was a Black Obsidian tier expert. Moreover, their status was that of death warriors, not even esteemed guests or elders.
The River Town owned by Su Zhan,
The experts of the Colorful tier under his command were endless.
Chen Yu's power was too meager.
With his current strength, how could he possibly participate in the competition between kingdoms?
He truly wished he could be like before, where with just a glance from Su Zhan, he could understand and follow him without reservation.
Although he had entered the cave dwelling, Chen Yu still understood Su Zhan's glances.
But he no longer had that kind of courage to charge forward without hesitation.
“Su Zhan must be quite disappointed in me.”
Chen Yu whispered again, his eyes filled with regret.
He hadn't agreed to Su Zhan's alliance, nor had he heeded Su Zhan's advice to hand over the Summoning Tiger Tally to their king. In his heart, Su Zhan must have felt that Chen Yu had changed.
The problem was, even if he gave it to their king, what would be the point?
What made this tiger tally worth fighting over?
“What is that gloomy-faced kid mumbling about again?”
A clear voice reached Chen Yu's ears. Glancing sideways, he saw a figure dressed in a black evening gown, moving like a robot with stiff arms and legs, like a black swan.
Seeing Chen Yu holding the Summoning Tiger Tally, the little demon's expression instantly became tense.
“Are you crazy!”
The little demon's hands quickly covered the tiger tally, her eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings. A surging soul power was also sent out to perceive the area.
“You can actually take out this treasure?”
“What's the big deal?” Chen Yu scoffed, leaning back in his chair. “It’s just a Summoning Tiger Tally; it belongs to me anyway. Can’t I even look at it?”
“If others see it, your head will be gone.”
“Is that so.”
Chen Yu responded indifferently, tossing the tiger tally onto the table.
This scene made the little demon’s face change drastically. She quickly pressed down on the tiger tally with her small hand, gripping it tightly.
“Chen Yu, you really want to die, don’t you?” The little demon lowered her voice. “This isn’t your city-state. Even in your city-state, you can’t casually take it out. Do you know how many people are coveting this tiger tally?”
“I know. You and Sona both told me.”
“Then why are you still…”
Just as the little demon was about to scold him, she suddenly noticed Chen Yu’s dejected expression. The words of complaint that were on the tip of her tongue were forcibly swallowed by the little demon.
“What’s wrong with you? Isn’t everything going smoothly?”
“Could it be?”
“Did your childhood friend say something to you?”
The little demon’s eyes were filled with worry. Chen Yu looked up at her.
“Barbara, if only you were truly the Demon King,” Chen Yu said with a bitter smile. “Then I could give you the tiger tally, and with our relationship, you would surely guarantee my safety. That way, I wouldn’t have to live in constant fear, worrying about someone snatching this darn tiger tally. Tell me the truth, is that Demon King really you? If you were, and I gave you this tiger tally, could you make a comeback?”
Summoning Tiger Tally, a mythical item.
It was a tiger tally once used by the God King, and a powerful weapon to defeat enemies in the war between gods and demons. Throughout the entire cave dwelling, no one could resist the temptation of this tiger tally.
The little demon was also among them.
The moment Chen Yu finished speaking, the little demon actually lowered her head and looked at her palm.
“What nonsense are you talking about.” In that brief moment, the little demon tightened her grip on the tiger tally again and casually tucked it into Chen Yu’s clothes. “This tiger tally was bestowed upon you by the gods. Don't say such strange things. Pull yourself together. We’ve weathered so many storms for over half a year. Look at you now.”
“I’ve already been locked onto.”
Chen Yu, still lying on the chair, said suddenly, causing the little demon, who had just put the tiger tally into his clothes, to freeze.
“How do you know?”
“Su Zhan just told me,” Chen Yu whispered. “After the announcement, all the kingdoms conducted a search for ‘Chen Yu.’ Due to the unique nature of the cave dwelling, ‘Chen Yu’ was easily identified as a foreigner. Anyone named ‘Chen Yu’ was not spared and was killed. In over a month, the search range has been narrowing, and it’s almost my turn.”
“Is that so? Has it reached this stage?”
The little demon did not seem surprised by this, even feeling a sense of inevitability.
“Is this why you’ve suddenly become so listless, so afraid of death?”
“What kind of talk is that? Who isn't afraid of death?” Chen Yu sneered. “If I can live, why would I want to die? Of course, I’m afraid of death. I have money and power now. If it weren’t for this darn tiger tally, I could peacefully live as a rich man for the rest of my life, couldn’t I?”
“Yes, but you don’t have to be like this, do you?”
The little demon pouted and said, “Don't you have to struggle a bit? Knowing you're going to die, you just give up resisting, wallow in self-pity, and wait for death?”
“No, it’s not about that. I… I’m feeling a bit lost.”
“It seems like I need my confidante big sister to step in?” The little demon suddenly put her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest arrogantly. “Oh, lost youth, tell me what has confused you. Speak your mind freely.”
“Tch~”
“Hey, did you just ‘tch’ at me?”
“If Sona had said that, I might have believed it, but you?” Chen Yu said with a look of disdain, curling his lips. “A petite loli, you dare call yourself a big sister? Go find somewhere cool to stay, I don’t have time for you.”
“Is that so, young man? Look back again.”
A seductive, mature voice entered his ears. Chen Yu instinctively turned his head, intending to retort that the little demon was putting on airs. However, the moment he turned back, he was so shocked that he almost fell to his knees.
“Holy cow, who are you?”