Chapter 29 - Oversea Immigrants Brought Krakens to Border Control Instead of Passports or Papers—Instant Deported.
Fu Tong prepared for the penalty to hit at midnight. He sulked and landed on the beach, where the elder foxes gathered.
Upon arrival, Huli Jiubai and two messengers also returned at the same time. In his human form, he stroked his beard and smiled at Fu Tong. However, he kept his eyes shut like fox-eyed anime characters. Fu Tong didn't know what inspired him to use that face.
"Young Lord, you've worked hard."
"Meh. I didn't get to kill enough."
Huli Jiubai snickered and informed him of the next plans.
"Earlier, I went scouting and found the Black Sow Castle north of here. I reported back to the lord."
Fu Tong was delighted. Unafraid of the immortal army, he looked forward to increasing his kill count. He asked.
"Are we staying, or are we leaving?"
Huli Jiubai shook his head. "Obviously, young master, we're staying. We haven't collected enough human food yet. Also, those idiot tamers always bring along monsters. We can kill them all and collect their carcass. I'm sure our people are eager to buy everything we acquire here. The Immortal Ji Manor will also owe us a favor, and we shall get our revenge on the tamer guild. That's killing three birds with one stone. We can't miss this opportunity."
Fu Tong was relieved. It always felt nice to have a strong backer. Finally, he was glad he had visited the Celestial Fox City before triggering the first chapter's story.
Since they were about to battle Xiao Han Ce's men, Fu Tong thought it might be time to reveal one of Karma Coin's secrets to the aide. He told Huli Jiubai what he had disclosed to the other fox elders.
"Senior Huli, actually, there's a secret that nobody knew about the karma coins… well, your comrades already know about it, though."
The fox elders grinned. They then whispered to Huli Jiubai about what they had done with their extra coins.
Huli Jiubai's closed eyes slightly opened, revealing his glowing crimson iris. He brightly smiled and cupped his fist, bowing to Fu Tong.
"I guess the result of this battle has already been decided before the fight even begins. As expected of you, Young Lord! Our miss didn't choose the wrong husband."
Fu Tong scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed.
But Huli Jiubai's words were careless. As the battle had ended, a few individuals in the city came out to scavenge war trophies and loot. A few cultivators overheard the conversation and quickly withdrew from the field. They fled the city with the information.
—
Ji Guoli didn't have enough time to clean up the battlefield and extract monster cores from the carcasses. In only an hour after the dust had settled, more monster armies emerged from the north and east. The monster troops that had retreated earlier also returned for revenge.
All cultivators rushed back to the fortress to reestablish their defense arrays. Huli Jiubai and Fu Tong also returned to the fortress.
As soon as Fu Tong and others entered the fortress, local cultivators, commoners, and Ji Guoli's men cheered for them. Many men cupped their fists and showered them with praises.
Ji Guoli rushed over and bowed to them. Unlike before, he looked like a proper martial artist, for he had used a forbidden technique and lost at least 100 kg during the battle.
"There is no word to express my gratitude right now. Without you, this fortress would have been overrun by those vile monsters. Thank you so much!"
Huli Jiubai waved it off. "We're trade partners. Obviously, I'm merely protecting my interest."
"…I see."
Ji Guoli was slightly taken aback, but he maintained his smile. Not wasting time, he informed the elder fox in disguise about their predicament.
"Unfortunately, our enemies are from a renowned immortal organization. Our spies told us that about 200 immortals are heading this way."
This information matched the intel from the Celestial Fox City. Huli Jiubai wondered when the Ji Immortal Manor would react to this sudden invasion.
"What about your headquarters, the Ji Immortal Manor?"
Ji Guoli sighed and confessed. "The headquarters told us to evacuate and flee east. The reinforcement will arrive in a day. Unfortunately, my family and I can't abandon our people to save ourselves. I'm staying behind to fight."
Huli Jiubai was impressed by Ji Guoli's conviction. He faintly smiled and nodded in approval.
"You're very different from the rumor."
"Hahaha! Many were saying I was a greedy pig. They weren't wrong, actually. I'm simply fighting to protect my wealth! I've just struck a good deal, and they're telling me to ditch everything? No chance! I'm going to drive away those invaders, and I'll be suing the Starlight Tamer Guild for compensation!"
"Well said! Hahahaha!"
Huli Jiubai and his team gestured for Ji Guoli to continue their talk in the palace. They entered the city together while the people cheered as though they were welcoming their war heroes.
Fu Tong, on the other hand, quietly left the group and visited the north walls. He didn't notice that Ji Zixuan was hiding among the crowd and had been gazing at him in fervent admiration.
—
The garrison soldiers and local cultivators were in high morale. But as soon as multiple giant squids appeared on the horizon, they shuddered in fear. Some regretted not fleeing when they had time.
Fu Tong landed on the city wall and gazed north. He licked his lips. Seeing so many flying monsters and sea creatures on land, he thought of Xiao Han Ce and his immortal minions.
'I should sneak out when nobody is looking.'
Preparing for the sortie, he turned to a nearby cultivator and asked him.
"Sir, do you have a spare spatial ring or storage ring that you don't use? I would like to buy a spare one for a karma coin."
The smallest spatial rings were commonly traded for 100,000 spirit stones due to their rarity and usefulness. However, a karma coin was worth more than that.
The nascent soul cultivator didn't know the value, so he gave Fu Tong a weird look. However, a man from the Ji Clan overheard the offer and rushed to Fu Tong. He removed his personal storage ring and purged his Qi inside, unlocking it. Even though there were still spirit stones and food supply in there, he didn't care.
"Please take mine. It's not big, but it's enough to store 10 wagons worth of goods!"
Fu Tong tossed a karma coin to the seller and received the ring. He put it on and created karma coins inside the storage space. It took him a few minutes to fill the storage to the brim.
With a storage ring full of karma coins in his hands, Fu Tong was ready. He flew north to challenge the incoming troops.