The White Rabbit Demon opened its mouth, ready to unleash a fresh barrage of insults at Bibo and Big Old Black.

Crap, Wu Yuan thought.

Wu Yuan acted instantly. “You little rabbit! Small body, big schemes. Do not try to sow discord among my brothers!”

He punctuated the scolding with aggressive, exaggerated winks at the rabbit.

The White Rabbit Demon blinked, caught the hint, and immediately pivoted its attitude.

“Oh! My mistake. I didn’t look closely before.” It beamed a dazzling, innocent smile. “Now that I see him properly, he’s not ugly at all. In fact, look at that majestic, round shape! Being able to grow that chubby implies a life of luxury. He’s clearly an extraordinary rat!”

Xiao Huang, who was still sniffling, pricked up his ears. “Really?”

“Absolutely!”

Seizing the moment, Wu Yuan pulled a Golden Thread Peach from his inventory and stuffed it directly into Xiao Huang’s mouth.

“Eat up, Xiao Huang! You’ve cried yourself thin. Replenish your strength!”

Xiao Huang’s cheeks bulged like a chipmunk. “Mmph! Okay, Boss!”

Happily distracted by the high-grade fruit, the golden rat waddled off to the corner to feast.

Wu Yuan let out a long breath. Crisis averted.

However, a new problem arose. The White Rabbit Demon stared at the Golden Thread Peach in Xiao Huang’s paws, then looked down at the Spirit Mulberry leaves in its own. Suddenly, the leaves felt like trash.

It looked up at Wu Yuan, eyes sparkling with unadulterated envy. “Can I call you Boss, too?”

Wu Yuan paused.

Is this a trap? How did a cunning strategist like the Goat Demon end up with a subordinate this… flighty?

Wu Yuan hardened his expression. “Don’t try to fool me. Tell me the Goat Demon’s plan.”

The White Rabbit Demon raised a paw, eager to please.

“Boss, the Goat Demon thinks the Water Rat—err, Bibo—is the leader here. He also noticed the friction between the Black Rat and the Water Rat, so he sent me to bribe the Black Rat and sow discord!”

Big Old Black bristled. “Who are you calling Black Rat and Water Rat? Boss gave us names! I am Big Old Black! He is Bibo!”

The rabbit ignored him completely.

“That Goat harbors evil intentions,” the rabbit continued, lowering its voice conspiratorially. “He’s hiding his true strength. He’s actually at the Perfection of the Early Qi Condensation stage. Very dangerous. Very wicked.”

“But… I know his weakness…”

Suddenly, the rabbit stopped talking. It flopped onto its back in Wu Yuan’s palm, staring at the ceiling of the burrow.

Big Old Black leaned in, impatient. “Well? Keep going! What weakness?”

The rabbit spread its paws helplessly. “I forgot.”

Bibo grabbed Big Old Black before he could strangle the prisoner and looked meaningfully at Wu Yuan.

Wu Yuan nodded. “It seems you aren’t exactly loyal to your master. Aren’t you his subordinate?”

“We siblings are not with him!” the rabbit exclaimed, rolling over to face Wu Yuan. “If my brother hadn’t insisted we follow the Goat for steady meals, I would have bolted ages ago! He promised we’d eat our fill, but every day it’s just dry weeds with no Spiritual Qi! And he makes us work like slaves! He deserves to die!”

Bibo interjected, “Do you know why the Goat Demon came to Little Green Mountain?”

The rabbit frowned, tapping its chin. “The Clan Leader mentioned it… my brother was listening… but honestly, I was focused on eating a really good carrot at the time. Speaking of carrots, you have no idea how fragrant—”

“Forget the carrots!” Wu Yuan snapped. “Where is your brother?”

The rabbit slapped its forehead. “Oh no! I forgot! My brother is still waiting for me outside!”

It tried to scramble out of Wu Yuan’s hand, kicking its legs futilely against his grip.

Realizing it was trapped, it looked back with wide, pleading eyes. “Boss, let me go get him! He knows way more than I do. I’ll be right back, I swear!”

Wu Yuan and Bibo exchanged a skeptical glance.

“How about we go together?” Bibo suggested smoothly. “It would be better if we explain the situation. That way, he won’t scold you for being late.”

The rabbit looked at Bibo with genuine admiration. “Wow. You old folks really think of everything!”

Ignoring Bibo’s twitching eye and Big Old Black’s snickers, the rabbit settled back into Wu Yuan’s palm. “Okay, Boss. But be careful. My brother is super timid. I’ll guide you so you don’t scare him off.”

Tsk. Wu Yuan shook his head internally. If this rabbit is acting, it’s truly extraordinary.

…

Several li away.

A Gray Rabbit Demon paced frantically inside a small, hidden burrow.

“Why isn’t she back yet?” he muttered, whiskers twitching. “It’s been too long. Did she get caught?”

His ears shot straight up, trembling. “Oh no. If the Clan Leader finds out I lost Little Sister, he’ll skin me alive and make me into a hat! I have to go check!”

The Gray Rabbit scrambled out of the hole and sprinted toward the valley.

Suddenly, a twig snapped in the distance. The Gray Rabbit froze. In the blink of an eye, his body blurred and vanished completely from sight.

…

“Boss, I’m telling you, my brother is a coward,” the White Rabbit Demon chattered as the group moved through the forest. “If a leaf falls wrong, he vanishes. He didn’t learn a single attack spell. It’s all escape and hiding techniques.”

Wu Yuan endured the endless stream of noise, his ears practically developing calluses. He couldn’t gag the prisoner without risking offense, so he suffered in silence.

“Look! He’s right there!”

The rabbit pointed a paw at an empty patch of forest.

Wu Yuan froze. His Demon Power surged, the Blood Surge Art priming his muscles for instant violence. Beside him, Bibo and Big Old Black tensed, scanning the area with lethal intent.

Nothing.

Just trees, dirt, and silence.

Wu Yuan frowned, focusing his senses. He sniffed the air deeply, filtering out the scent of pine and decay. Still nothing.

But with the rabbit’s warning, he pushed harder. Finally, he sensed it—a faint, almost imperceptible distortion in the ambient Qi. Something was there, hiding in plain sight.

Wu Yuan looked down at the white rabbit in his hand.

The rabbit blinked, confused for a second, then slapped its forehead again.

“BROTHER!” it shouted at the empty air. “Stop hiding! I can see you! Come out!”

Wu Yuan kept his eyes locked on the ground.

A moment later, the soil rippled like water. A smaller, gray rabbit slowly emerged from the earth, its long ears drooping in defeat.

The Gray Rabbit looked at his sister with a mix of relief and betrayal. “Little Sister… did you just defect to a rat demon and sell me out?”

Before Wu Yuan could react, a blur of white motion launched from his palm.

The White Rabbit Demon leaped through the air, landed in front of her brother, and delivered a flying kick to his face.

“Are you blind?!” she shrieked. “This is the Moon Rabbit King! You can’t even see that? You’re dumb as a doornail!”

The Gray Rabbit sprawled in the dirt, dazed. He lifted his head, squinting at Wu Yuan.

“Blind?” he muttered, rubbing his jaw. “That is clearly a rat. In what universe does that look like a Moon Rabbit?”