“We once thought about trying to find each other’s weaknesses and strike decisively.
But…” Zhutao frowned and shook his head. “We couldn’t find any. Even though their bodies are soft aside from their hard claws and wings, those two hardened parts alone are enough for them to fend off attacks.
Not to mention, those bat demons possess treasures that aid their cultivation.
Now, they’re probably even harder to deal with!”
“Do you know what that cultivation treasure is?” Yun Qingxue asked without much hope.
“It’s a transparent gemstone! But I don’t know its name or its function,” Zhutao answered truthfully.
“You’ve seen the treasure?” Daise couldn’t help but interject.
Zhutao nodded. “Once!”
Without waiting for Yun Qingxue to ask how he’d seen the bat demons’ treasure, Zhutao spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube. “I’m not afraid of embarrassing myself in front of you, Master.
Our Green Bamboo Clan has suffered greatly at the hands of those bat demons.
To escape their continued slaughter and to rescue our captured kin, we had no choice but to secretly dig tunnels.
On ordinary days, we rarely leave these tunnels unless absolutely necessary.
Back then, to save our people, we dug the tunnels all the way beneath the bat demons’ lair.
It was when the tunnel was first completed that I risked sneaking into the bat demons’ lair to rescue our captured kin!
But…”
Zhutao’s face twisted with sorrow, his fists clenching unconsciously. “By the time I got there, our kin had already… already been drained of their cultivation and died!
It was then that I accidentally stumbled upon the bat demons’ treasure chamber and caught a glimpse of that treasure.”
“You saw it and knew it was a treasure—why didn’t you steal it?”
The little fox Liuli widened her watery eyes, her adorable fox face practically spelling out three big words: “You—are—dumb!!”
Zhutao lowered his head self-deprecatingly, his tone both frustrated and ashamed. “Of course I thought about taking it when I found something so important!
I tried to grab the gemstone, but before I could even touch it, I must’ve triggered some kind of trap or formation.
The moment the formation activated, it alerted the bat demons…
I… I barely managed to escape!”
“Can you still find where the treasure was kept?” Yun Qingxue asked again.
“I can… but I fear that after my intrusion, the bat demons must’ve moved it by now…
After all, it’s something so valuable!”
“Then tell me—how many lairs do those bat demons have?”
“Technically two,” Zhutao replied.
Yun Qingxue frowned in confusion. “What do you mean, ‘technically two’?”
“The most powerful bat demons mostly reside in the place where you were imprisoned before, Master.
The rest are younger, weaker bat demons.
They don’t live in the main lair but in the only bamboo house in the forest, guarded by two stronger bat demons.”
“Just these two places?” Yun Qingxue confirmed.
“Just these two!” Zhutao nodded firmly.
Yun Qingxue smiled slightly and asked, “How much do you know about their daily routines?”
Zhutao’s expression turned slightly awkward. “I’m not afraid to admit this, Master. If there’s one thing I know best about those bat demons, it’s their schedule! They’re nocturnal by nature, though they do come out occasionally during the day.
But from my observations, they rarely appear in the morning. Their daytime activity is mostly limited to noon and afternoon.”
“Who among your kin currently has the highest cultivation? And how many of you remain?” Yun Qingxue pressed.
“The highest cultivation among us is only at the Spirit Gathering stage…
There are four of us, including myself!
As for our total numbers, counting even those who’ve just taken human form, there are 28 left.”
After Zhutao finished answering, Yun Qingxue fell silent, deep in thought.
The others waited quietly, not daring to disturb her—especially Zhutao and Zhubai.
The two brothers now shared the same hope: that Yun Qingxue would recognize the difficulty and retreat.
After a while, Yun Qingxue murmured, “Since this is a bamboo forest, as the Flower King, such a dense bamboo terrain should be my natural battlefield.”
“Do you have a strategy, Master?” Zhutao asked, frowning.
“The bat demons’ wings and claws are excessively hard, so ordinary spells won’t do much against them…
But there’s one thing you’ve overlooked.”
“What is it?” Zhutao pressed urgently.
Yun Qingxue smiled faintly. “In all your battles with them, have you ever tried using fire?”
“Fire?” Zhutao seemed struck by sudden clarity.
“You mean…”
“What I’m saying is—no matter how tough their wings are against blades, can they withstand fire or lightning?”
Yun Qingxue raised an eyebrow.
Zhutao’s eyes lit up. “Master’s idea might just work!”
“Then let’s try it!” Yun Qingxue declared with unwavering confidence.
A’dai’s condition was deteriorating. She had to kill that bat demon leader, retrieve its core, and save him as soon as possible!
The bat demons’ wings and claws might be hard, but she refused to believe they could withstand fire or lightning attacks!
Especially since… when she was imprisoned in their lair, she’d noticed countless dead bamboo stalks nearby—perfect fuel for her fire strategy.
“Then we must act quickly. I’ll summon our kin to discuss the plan!” Zhutao said, visibly invigorated by the prospect of vengeance.
Soon, Green Bamboo clansmen began arriving through various tunnel entrances.
“Greetings, Flower King,” they chorused, bowing to Yun Qingxue under Zhubai’s guidance.
Zhutao and Zhubai’s dwelling couldn’t accommodate all 28 of them, so some entered the room while others waited in nearby tunnels.
Yet this didn’t stop every single one of them from looking at Yun Qingxue with natural trust and reverence…
That look instantly filled her with an overwhelming sense of responsibility. For the first time, she truly felt the weight of being the Flower King.
She explained her fire strategy in detail.
The Green Bamboo clansmen listened quietly, then erupted in enthusiastic agreement the moment she finished.
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