"You dead monkey! Are you blocking me because Nuwa arranged for you to protect that kid here?" Taibai Jinxing asked, somewhat surprised.
"Precisely. Old Taibai, are you here to investigate on the Jade Emperor's orders?" the Stone Monkey also asked.
"You guessed right!" Taibai Jinxing nodded.
"The Jade Emperor is a deeply hidden powerful being who deceived us all. But now, there's no need to hide. With no one capable of suppressing him, what's the point of investigating?" the Stone Monkey said resentfully.
"You brainless Stone Monkey understand nothing. Although Yuanshi Tianzun and Hongjun Laozu no longer exist, if this kid recovers his strength, wouldn't that be another threat? How could the Jade Emperor allow such a threat to persist?" Taibai Jinxing said, curling his lips.
"What you say is also true, but this kid has already become a mortal and his primordial spirit is injured. Even with extremely powerful cultivation methods, it would take hundreds of years to reach the Golden Immortal realm, and thousands of years to reach Sainthood. Isn't the Jade Emperor a bit too hasty?" the Stone Monkey said dismissively.
"You mischievous Stone Monkey truly understand nothing but fighting. You don't know this, do you? If one can obtain this kid's primordial spirit, there's a chance to obtain that wisp of the Heavenly Dao. The Jade Emperor comprehends the Three Thousand Great Daos and governs the Three Realms, capable of summoning wind and rain, and changing the heavens and earth, but he cannot comprehend that wisp of the Heavenly Dao. Thus, he cannot become the Lord of the World. Without becoming the Lord of the World, he cannot deal with the Western World or the many powerful beings. Therefore, he harbors a sense of crisis within his heart."
"Alright, old man, it's been a while since we met. Why don't you sit down and chat for a while longer! ... Oh dear! Don't sit on my head. Here, let me move another stone for you."
...
The Stone Monkey and Taibai Jinxing sat at the entrance of the village, chatting. People walked to and fro nearby, yet they couldn't see them or hear them.
Squeak, squeak... squeak, squeak...
Suddenly, a large white rat scurried over, darting past the feet of Taibai Jinxing and the Stone Monkey, and entered the village.
Creak... The large rat, having run a hundred meters, suddenly braked sharply and stopped. It looked back at Taibai and the Stone Monkey, who were engrossed in their conversation, and then swaggered back.
It approached the two, tilting its head as it looked at the pair happily chatting. It then rubbed its head, somewhat confused. Why were the two gods guarding the village entrance completely indifferent to its intrusion?
Swoosh... swoosh...! The large white rat circled the two men twice, squeaking a few times. However, the two men acted as if they hadn't seen it, continuing their conversation without even glancing at the rat.
The large white rat became impatient. With a swoop, it leaped up, attempting to jump onto their knees to prove its existence.
Thump... Suddenly, the Stone Monkey casually flicked its hand, sending the large white rat flying. With a thud, it rolled on the ground.
"Hey? You two idiots, are you pretending not to see me?" the large white rat roared in anger.
"You stinking rat! We're pretending not to see you, and you still won't scram? Do you want us to step on you?" the Stone Monkey suddenly turned and glared at the large white rat.
"You... why would you step on me? You should have stopped me! Since you are the divine generals guarding here, you should have stopped me from entering the village! Otherwise, you are neglecting your duties." the large white rat said indignantly.
"You expect me to stop a mere stinking rat? Hmph! I'll give you two options: first, scram immediately. Second, find a rock and bash your own head. As the dignified Battle Buddha, how can I bother with a mere rodent like you!" the Stone Monkey said, pointing at a nearby stone.
"Fine, then I'll scram!" the large white rat said and started walking out of the village.
Swoosh... Suddenly, a foot flew from the side, kicking the large white rat and sending it flying. With a thud, it landed a hundred meters away within the village. Tumbling... The large white rat rolled a few times on the ground before standing up, still feeling a bit dizzy. After swaying a few times, it steadied itself.
"Damn it... I wanted to go out, why did you kick me back in?" the large white rat discerned its direction and realized it was inside the village. It hurriedly ran outwards.
Suddenly, a large foot appeared before it, as if it would crush it if it took one more step.
"Bastards! You are the divine generals guarding the village, you should have stopped me from entering, not from leaving! Do you think I'm really afraid of you?" the large white rat retreated a few steps, roaring angrily with its hind legs raised.
"Hmph, hmph! Wa Huang said that any demon race members who appear are to be treated differently. They can enter, but not leave! Any demon who dares to betray Wa Huang is not a good demon." the Stone Monkey said with a cold snort.
"I haven't even come in yet, why are you reporting?!"
"You have already entered! Hmph! See if you don't believe me." the Stone Monkey suddenly raised its foot and kicked again.
Whoosh... The large white rat was sent flying, further than the last kick. It landed directly outside Lu Fan's villa. With a thud, the large white rat squeaked a few times from the impact.
"You damn bastard! Wait until I mobilize all the rats, and I'll grind you, stone monkey, into dust!" the large white rat cursed resentfully, then cautiously peeked into Lu Fan's courtyard.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... Lu Chenglong was practicing with a wooden sword in the courtyard. Despite his young age, his swordplay was already quite skillful.
Not far away, Lu Fan watched Lu Chenglong's swordsmanship with apparent satisfaction. This child indeed had some talent; it was not easy to practice such a difficult sword technique.
Swish... Lu Fan's peripheral vision suddenly caught the large white rat peeking from outside the gate. He suddenly reached out and grabbed it from a distance towards the gate.
Bang... The large white rat felt itself being seized by a powerful force and was yanked into the courtyard. Thump... It was thrown into the courtyard.
"Chenglong! Take this large rat and practice your swordplay. Starting today, I want you to... practice killing intent!" Lu Fan suddenly said.
"Dad! You want me to kill a stinking rat?" Lu Chenglong asked in surprise.
"Cough, cough! Kid, do you look down on me? I'm not just any ordinary rat, I'm the Sky-Devouring Rat!" the large white rat yelled, jumping with anger. Why did everyone look down on him? Even a child called him a stinking rat!