### Chapter 7: The Struggle of Hearts (2)
Ever since the Wolf Demon and the Tiger Demon made their grand entrances, the atmosphere in the venue plummeted like a deflated balloon.
Most of the little demons from the original Tiger Wolf Cave hung their heads low, afraid to make eye contact with their former leader.
It was a standoff of epic proportions.
The Wolf Demon was silently brooding.
The Tiger Demon, on the other hand, had his hands planted firmly on his hips, emanating enough hostility to put a lion to shame.
One could almost hear him thinking, “Anyone who dares to utter another word will have their brains unscrewed faster than you can say ‘Oops!’”
The Tiger Demon was well aware that Cold Moon was also present.
And he intended to demonstrate just how indispensable he and the Wolf Demon were.
Without the two of them, he seemed to say, the little demons of the Tiger Wolf Cave wouldn’t even dream of taking orders from anyone else.
Sure, they had surrendered to the Cold Wind Cave,
But if the Little Demons thought they could wrench the command from the Second Demon, well, they’d better brace themselves for a little reality check regarding how capable these little critters were of following orders.
The Tiger Demon smirked.
It seemed the little demons, even after days of whining at the complaint conference, were too deep in their roots’ reverence for power to even think about flipping sides.
Little Drill Wind was practically fuming, his eyes aflame with frustration, practically itching to storm up to the Tiger Demon and give him a piece of his mind.
But Cold Moon simply watched quietly from the sidelines, waiting for the “sprout” the Great King had mentioned to appear.
Finally, just as the room dipped into silence and the previously scheduled complaint conference was on the brink of collapse, a green figure slowly stood up.
Unlike the other little demons, who seemed to cower in fear, this one had a gaze that was as steady as a rock.
Cold Moon’s eyes widened in realization.
Not just her, almost everyone in the hall suddenly found their attention glued to him.
“Cook… are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“I think with the prowess of the Tiger King and Second Wolf King, Cold Wind Cave wouldn’t just toss us aside.”
“If we keep this up, and the Tiger King decides to unleash some punishment, we’d be wishing we had kept our mouths shut!”
“Yeah, Cook, listen to your big bro. The power struggles between the Great Demons are not our fight. We’d be toast!”
“Sit down, Cook. Why’re you being so stubborn?”
The green-skinned mantis shook his head, completely ignoring the advice from the surrounding little demons.
Seeing someone daring to stand up, the Tiger Demon narrowed his eyes, and a wave of oppressive energy surged forward like a freight train.
The little demons bowed their heads lower than before, having completely lost their resolve.
It was as if the passionate cries they had made just days ago were simply a bad dream.
The Cook’s figure trembled slightly but didn’t flinch under the Tiger Demon’s intimidation.
Well, this is getting interesting.
Legend had it that after Cold Moon’s arrival, along with the mysterious Cold Moon Great King who hadn’t shown up, the Tiger Demon felt a deep-seated fear.
Thus, he couldn’t afford to slap someone for merely speaking out, unlike in the past.
He was dying to see what this scrawny little demon had to say.
The Cook shook slightly.
In comparison to the Tiger Demon and Wolf Demon, the little demons had virtually no fighting power, barely stronger than regular humans.
But today, he was about to do something he could never have imagined.
Taking a deep breath, he shouted with all his might, “Brothers and Sisters!”
“Haven’t you all forgotten? We’re no longer part of the Tiger Wolf Cave.”
“The Second Demon said before the complaint conference opened that since we surrendered to Cold Wind Cave, we’re now Cold Wind’s demons too!”
“Everyone is treated equally here, no distinction between big and small!”
“The Second Demon believes that, irrespective of size or strength, both Great Demons and Little Demons are equal, and that will forever be the spirit of Cold Wind Cave!”
“These past few days, most of us took to the stage to share our painful journeys of struggle to get here.
Have you all forgotten who gave us those scars?
How our dignity has been trampled into dust?
If you want to keep living your lives of abject humility, then by all means, don’t raise your ‘noble’ heads!”
“For those with even a flicker of aspiration, please lift your heads up!
Yes, just like the slogans say,
Our goal is to pursue true freedom and equality!
You think we’ll go back to being beaten down like mules? Not a chance!”
“What’s so special about Great Demons? Isn’t it just that they had a bit more luck?
Should that mean we are destined to be oppressed?
Are our children and grandchildren doomed to always be second-class, forever unable to rise?”
The Cook grew more animated, his voice rising and his fists pumping in the air.
The surrounding little demons began to feel his passion ignite their spirits.
Yes! Could they really settle for a life of servitude just to scrape by without dignity?
Their gazes began to shift.
Once they remembered they had Cold Moon backing them up against the Tiger and Wolf Demons, their respect and fear began to melt away.
“We want equality! We want freedom! We want happiness!”
The Cook suddenly shouted.
The little demons were swept up in his fervor, joining in the chant.
For a moment, the hall was filled with an endless wave of slogans.
It felt like this was the only way to release the pent-up frustration and fear from the Tiger and Wolf Demons’ earlier intimidation.
Once the flames of passion were ignited, they were difficult to extinguish.
It worked!
Cold Moon quietly pumped her fist in jubilation.
The Great King had been right after all.
Once they nurtured a seed of boldness among them, they had a pillar of support.
No longer would they be easily crushed in spirit.
With the roaring slogans resonating throughout the venue, the Cook firmly turned to the Tiger Demon, “Do you have anything else to say?”
The Tiger Demon’s teeth ground together in frustration.
He still couldn’t comprehend why, after the Cook’s speech, all these little demons went wild like they had lost their marbles, following his lead in a chorus of chaos.
Had all those years of fear and pressure in the Tiger Wolf Cave been for nothing?
What the Tiger Demon didn’t realize was that even the tiniest crack in a dam could unleash a raging flood.
Just as the Tiger Demon stood there, dumbfounded, the Wolf Demon on the stage suddenly broke out into applause.
“Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.”
The Wolf Demon said, “At first, I thought the whole complaint conference was a unique concept.
But after listening for a while, I found myself wanting to share my past as well.
However, before I do, I wanted to see if anyone would dare to stand up against our former kings.
And it seems you’ve succeeded.
The little demons who once wouldn’t dare make a sound in front of us now have the courage to challenge the Great Demons.
I never imagined that Cold Moon would possess such a talent for rallying hearts.
I am thoroughly impressed.
So today, I stand here to share my story as well. Would you like to hear it?”
The Cook was the first to clap energetically.
In no time, the entire venue erupted into applause.
The Tiger Demon stood there, completely stupefied.
Although he didn’t quite understand what the Wolf Demon’s actions implied,
He could sense that his little brother seemed to be drifting further and further away.
…
At that moment, Old Drill Wind stealthily sneaked into the venue.
“Second Demon, the Great King has emerged!”
Cold Moon’s face lit up with joy.
It was time to report their achievements to the Great King.
