# Chapter 4: The Absent Cold Wind Cave
==============================
The Chaos Forest was so vast that even the territory under White Feather City was just a small corner of it.
White Feather City had sixteen Cave Masters, each of whom oversaw varying numbers of demon caves.
However, apart from the sixteen masters, there were also a few scattered major demon lairs that nominally fell under the jurisdiction of White Feather City but usually chose to turn a deaf ear to their orders.
But this time, with the promise made to Thousand Bird City to hand someone over in the near future, hundreds of little demons armed with White Feather City’s insignia scattered into the Chaos Forest. Their destination was every major demon lair under White Feather City’s command, to deliver the city lord’s order while being supervised by the sixteen Cave Masters, all to ensure they would quickly find the demoness that the Goat-Headed Man considered to have completely changed.
Inside Evil Merman Cave.
The Evil Merman, whose skin was an eerie shade of blue, lazily picked up the decree from White Feather City. Kneeling before him was a little demon with an insignia sticking out of its back, who dared not make a sound.
This Evil Merman was notorious for being a fierce big demon, with the bl**d of countless humans and fellow demons on his hands. Even the little demons in his cave faced gruesome consequences for the slightest misdeed, so the messenger was extremely cautious, fearing he might become a target.
“Interesting. Black hair, black dress, black sword, and black snow; yet, she’s very white and pretty. How come I haven’t heard about such a beautiful lady arriving in White Feather City?”
The little demon lowered its head, trembling, “I-I don’t know; I’m just a messenger.”
The Evil Merman sighed, “Since you’ve come from so far, you may go now. Get some rest, then return to White Feather City.”
Seeing that he wasn’t going to give him a hard time, the little demon felt a wave of relief.
The Evil Merman wasn’t being merciful today; he was actually quite enamored with the appearance of the “Cold Moon Witch” described in the letter.
“Deliver my orders: tomorrow morning, all the Cave Masters subordinate to my Evil Merman Cave are to come and await my commands. Those who do not show will bear the consequences!”
“Yes, Cave Master.”
Even faced with the sixteen Cave Masters directly accountable to White Feather City, the Evil Merman didn’t need to show much restraint. He was a typical independent force, publicly acknowledging White Feather City but essentially self-sufficient, usually having little to do with the city.
But this time, an order from White Feather City meant that the city lord attached great importance to that mysterious demoness.
If she really was hiding in his territory, the Evil Merman’s long tongue slithered out to lick his lips; he thought about how long he could play before handing her over—after all, that would be a terrible waste.
The next morning.
A bunch of grotesque monsters gathered at the entrance of Evil Merman Cave.
Because the Evil Merman hadn’t fully woken up yet, the little demon guarding the door firmly refused to allow the Cave Masters in, saying that if their noise disturbed the Great King’s rest, no one could take responsibility for that.
These hot-tempered and eccentric Cave Masters all acted like well-behaved little lambs at that moment; even when chatting amongst themselves, they lowered their voices.
“Do you know what’s going on?”
“No clue, but I’m sure it’s a big deal. It’s been a year since we were last summoned.”
“That’s true. As per usual, we offer the Great King beauties each month, so we shouldn’t have provoked him.”
“Who knows? This guy is notoriously unpredictable; all I ask is that he doesn’t add to our burdens. Finding demonesses is already hard enough; ones that can fully transform are like treasures! If it drags on until next year, I’m planning to go to the human realm and grab a couple of women to meet my quota.”
“Shh! Keep your voice down. What if someone hears…”
At that moment, the cave’s large door slowly opened.
“The Great King allows you in,” announced a little demon.
The big demons fell silent, cautiously following the little guide into the cave.
Evil Merman Cave was spacious and well-lit, completely different from the dark and damp environments where many other Cave Masters resided. Inside, the little demons were all stout and strong, wearing armor and wielding sharp weapons, giving a heroic vibe.
A blue-skinned man sat grinning in a seat of honor, with an array of neatly arranged chairs set before him.
“Come, come, everyone, please take a seat!”
The big demons knew all too well the Evil Merman’s capricious nature and would not be fooled by his smile. They carefully sat down, afraid of provoking his ire.
But to their surprise, when everyone had taken their seats, one chair at the end remained empty.
“Who the heck didn’t show up?”
“No idea, who gave him the guts to skip?”
“Uh-oh, this guy is definitely in trouble. Disregarding the Great King’s face is like digging his own grave.”
The demons engaged in hushed whispers.
Evil Merman maintained his smile.
“Who’s missing?” he asked.
A little demon holding a roster stood nervously by his side, whispering, “It’s the Cave Master of Cold Wind Cave.”
The Evil Merman nodded, then suddenly boomed, “I summoned you all here because an order has come from White Feather City to investigate whether a demoness is hiding in our territory.”
As he spoke, several little demons handed over the overnight-transcribed description of the Cold Moon Witch’s appearance to each Cave Master.
“Word has it that this demoness caused quite a ruckus in the human realm and then fled into the Chaos Forest. Thousand Bird City, pressed by White Feather City, has offloaded the pressure onto us.”
“I expect everyone to return and thoroughly investigate if this demoness has been spotted near their caves. Additionally, we must increase checks on passersby. If any doubts arise, detain them before asking questions. As soon as this demoness is discovered, immediately capture her and bring her to Evil Merman Cave. Do you all understand?”
“Understood, Great King!” the demons chorused.
“Excellent, excellent. Now, one more thing: which of the Cave Masters is closest to Cold Wind Cave?” The Evil Merman’s expression darkened a bit.
A moment later, a huge Tiger Demon slowly stepped forward, cupping his hands to the Evil Merman, “It’s me, your subordinate.”
“So it’s the Cave Master of Tiger Wolf Cave,” the Evil Merman said, a gleam of mischief in his eyes. “Since the Cave Master of Cold Wind Cave doesn’t wish to attend my meeting, then this matter shall be handed over to you. k*ll him, and the territory of Cold Wind Cave will be under your management.”
The Tiger Demon was taken aback. While he felt a surge of sympathy—a rabbit’s d*ath evokes sorrow for a fox—such feelings evaporated in the face of the temptation of expanding his territory.
“Thank you for your trust, Great King. I will not fail in my duty!” The Tiger Demon answered resolutely.
The other Cave Masters cast mixed glances at the Tiger, and even if they did not know why the Cold Wind Cave Master was absent, seeing Evil Merman so straightforwardly decide the fate of the Cold Wind Old Demon sent chills down their spines.
Once the Cave Masters dispersed, the Evil Merman seemed to forget the whole affair, laughing and embracing the concubine beside him, instantly filling the cave with springtime cheer and feminine voices.
A little while later, the Tiger Demon returned to Tiger Wolf Cave.
“Big Brother, you’re back!” the Wolf Demon, accompanied by a squad of little demons ready to set out for hunting, paused to ask upon seeing the Tiger’s smiling face.
“Little Brother, come here! Good news,” the Tiger Demon pulled the Wolf Demon into the cave.
The search for the Cold Moon Witch was brushed aside by the Tiger Demon; even if he could think with his rear, he would know the chances of them encountering her were extremely low. After all, the forest was vast, and she could easily slip into any corner. Tiger Wolf Cave was relatively close to Thousand Bird City, making it nearly impossible for the two to cross paths.
Instead, he detailed the Evil Merman’s command to eliminate Cold Wind Cave.
Upon hearing this, the Wolf Demon frowned slightly.
“Big Brother, we’ve been neighbors with Cold Wind Cave for so many years. Isn’t this a bit too harsh?”
The Tiger Demon chuckled, “Little Brother, you’re still too tender-hearted. This isn’t something we’re proactively doing; the Cold Wind Old Demon is asking for trouble by not taking the Great King’s orders seriously. The Great King’s punishment is utterly justified.”
“Even though the Cold Wind Old Demon might be weaker than us, he’s still a Cave Master. The Great King wouldn’t have some ulterior motive to exhaust our strength, would he?” The Wolf Demon remained concerned.
“With the two of us standing together, how could the Cold Wind Old Demon possibly resist?” The Tiger Demon laughed heartily.
The Wolf Demon nodded, “Since Big Brother has made up his mind, I won’t object. How about this? I’ll take some people to Cold Wind Cave today. Perhaps the Cold Wind Old Demon had some unavoidable circumstances that made him miss the Great King’s summons. If he surrenders and hands over Cold Wind Cave, leaving him with his life to depart from Evil Merman Cave’s jurisdiction, what do you think, Big Brother?”
The Tiger Demon replied, “Alright, if it can really be resolved without bloodshed, then it indeed saves us a great deal of trouble.”
After the two demons discussed their plan, let’s momentarily set aside their actions and switch back to the vicinity of Cold Wind Cave.
“Help… help me…”
Old Drill Wind’s head swiveled around, “Why does it feel like someone is screaming for help?”
A little demon said, “Boss, there is someone yelling! Right ahead—maybe someone fell into a trap!”
“Let’s check it out.”
They gathered around the nearly 3-meter-deep pit.
“Isn’t this pit one we just dug a couple of days ago? We haven’t even set up the spikes yet, and someone fell in?” Old Drill Wind marveled, “This person is quite lucky, huh?”
“Help! I’m a messenger from Evil Merman Cave! Quick, get me out of here, or your Cave Master is in danger!”
Old Drill Wind was momentarily stunned, quickly commanding his people to hoist the messenger out.
The little demon who had just been rescued seemed to have a broken leg. Ignoring his pain, he hastily pulled out a letter from his pocket, shouting, “Quick, deliver this letter to your Great King!”
Just as he was speaking, he suddenly noticed the glaring sunlight of noon.
He froze up.
Could it be that an entire day has already passed?!
His letter hadn’t reached the Cold Wind Old Demon in time, and he missed a major event for the Evil Merman.
Despair washed over the little demon as he collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.
Old Drill Wind looked at him oddly, “What’s up with you? You’re playing the drama queen more than Little Drill Wind! Fine, fine, seeing as you’re injured, I won’t hold it against you this time. Let’s take him back.”
Half an hour later, the letter was given to the subordinate little demon.
The little demon barely glanced at it before tossing it to Cold Moon, but upon looking at it, her face instantly turned ashen, and she began to breathe rapidly.
“What’s wrong?” the little demon shot her a glance.
Even the emotionless little demon noticed something was off with her.
P.S. Celebrating New Year’s with a second update! By the way, how about a few votes?
