The two demons were burly and both had the appearance of toads, one red and one green.
Each held a rusted steel trident upside down, and a coarse, earthy-yellow cloth scarf was tied around their necks.
Seeing these two uninvited guests, the three people on the boat had varying expressions.
Xu Linmiao was, after all, a young master of a prestigious family who had never weathered any storms; though he had been boasting earlier, his face was now deathly pale, and he unconsciously took half a step back.
In comparison, Uncle Xun was much more composed.
The old man's gaze swept over the attire of these two toad demons, and he already had a plan in mind.
Dressed like this, they were likely the lake-patrolling Demon Generals under Immortal Lord Guanlan.
What startled him, however, was that two mere lake-patrolling Demon Generals both possessed the cultivation of the Chess-Player Two-Piece realm.
Although Uncle Xun himself was a Chess-Player Four-Piece and wouldn't fear them in a real fight...
But hindered by the prestigious name of the Immortal Lord behind them, he could only suppress his pride. With a face full of smiles, he stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting: "So it is the great generals under the Immortal Lord. My apologies, my apologies. We are from the Xu Family of the Great Marsh. We have specially prepared generous gifts and were just heading to Guanlan Island to celebrate the Immortal Lord's birthday..."
As he spoke, Uncle Xun's gaze inconspicuously flickered toward Jiang Yuechu.
He saw that under the oppressive aura of these two Chess Player Realm Demon Generals, the Girl in Black Robes still sat calmly in her original spot.
Comparing her to his own young master, who was scared witless...
Uncle Xun sighed secretly in his heart.
Regardless of this person's identity, if his young master wanted to win over such a beauty, it was likely a pipe dream.
Hearing Uncle Xun's pleasantries, the Red Toad waved his hand impatiently, a sneer curling his lips: "Celebrating the Immortal Lord's birthday is one thing... but passing through the waters of us two brothers naturally requires following our rules. Do you understand?"
The meaning behind the words couldn't be clearer.
A surge of anger immediately rose in Uncle Xun's heart.
Traveling all this way to celebrate someone's birthday, only to have the underlings peel off another layer of skin upon arrival.
Where was the logic in that?
But ultimately hindered by the Immortal Lord's prestige, Uncle Xun could only suppress his anger and nod repeatedly.
"Of course, of course. We have long prepared a modest gift for the two great generals."
After saying that, the old man took out an ordinary Storage Pouch from his waist and handed it over with both hands.
Jiang Yuechu watched this scene quietly.
She was calculating in her heart.
This kind of situation was exactly the same as the way the demons in the Yu Mountain Great Range operated.
However, whenever arriving at a new territory, one must first figure out the local Laws of conduct.
Just how deep the waters of this Yunmeng Township were, she, a newcomer, did not yet clearly understand.
Better to watch a bit longer...
With this thought.
She forcibly suppressed the faint, burning desire in her heart to draw her blade and kill the demons.
Expressionless, she continued to observe.
The Red Toad took the Storage Pouch, checked it briefly, and his face suddenly darkened.
"The amount isn't right, is it?"
The Red Toad sneered, his cold eyes sweeping over the three people on the boat. "There are clearly three people on the boat, but in this bag, you only offered the share for two... What, do you look down on us two brothers?"
Hearing this, Uncle Xun was slightly stunned.
Then, a sense of regret welled up in his heart.
Oh no... He was experienced in greasing the palms of these waterway underlings; how could he not have prepared?
But it was originally calculated based on the number of heads.
Who would have known that today the young master would suddenly bring along a girl of unknown origin?
There was no time to prepare a new share.
He was about to explain and negotiate.
But he heard Xu Linmiao behind him forcing a brave face and suddenly stepping forward.
"Uncle Xun, Fellow Daoist Jiang is a distinguished guest of my Xu Family. It's just one extra share, that's all. I know the rules; just charge it to my account when we return. Do not neglect the guest."
"..."
Hearing this.
Uncle Xun's face suddenly turned ashen.
An extra share was indeed nothing to the Xu Family.
But in such a place where fish and dragons were mixed, the most taboo thing was to show off one's wealth.
Such wealthy and overbearing talk—wasn't that just sticking one's neck out and giving the other party a chance to slaughter them?
Sure enough.
The Green Toad, who had been silent all this time, heard this and began to laugh sinisterly.
"Oh? Quite the big talker."
The Green Toad stepped forward slowly, his steel trident pointing directly at Xu Linmiao. "Since it's just a matter of one extra share, I imagine your Xu Family's foundation is quite thick... In that case, hand over all the Storage Pouches on your persons. My brother and I will inspect them thoroughly to see if there are any prohibited items that might be harmful to the Immortal Lord."
Such a line of reasoning.
It was clearly an outright robbery.
Uncle Xun was so scared that cold sweat broke out.
Hand them over?
How could they hand them over?
His Storage Pouch contained not only his entire net worth... but also the heavy gifts prepared for Immortal Lord Guanlan.
Once such treasures fell into the hands of these two greedy demons, there would be no way to get them back.
As for complaining to the Immortal Lord afterward?
Why would the Immortal Lord punish his capable Demon Generals for the sake of a few insignificant Human Cultivators?
Most likely, he would instead blame the Xu Family for failing to protect the gifts.
He hurriedly bowed and explained: "The two great generals are wise. We have long heard of the Immortal Lord's prestige and admire him greatly. How could we dare to carry anything harmful to the Immortal Lord..."
The Green Toad scoffed.
It was in no mood to listen to this nonsense.
"Since you don't dare to hand them over for inspection, then you must have something to hide."
The Green Toad slammed his steel trident heavily onto the deck.
"Then you shall not pass."
It narrowed its long, thin eyes, revealing a hint of ruthlessness.
"Not only can you not pass, but I will also notify the brothers on the other underwater routes right now..."
The implication was clear.
Don't give it up?
Then you won't be able to reach Guanlan Island by any other route either.
Xu Linmiao froze in place.
Seeing this display, he somewhat sheepishly retreated to his original position and sat back down.
No matter how slow his mind was, he knew he had seemingly caused trouble...
He stole a glance at Jiang Yuechu beside him.
Seeing that the Girl in Black Robes remained silent, he thought she was also worried and afraid.
Instead, he lowered his voice to comfort her.
"Don't panic, Fellow Daoist Jiang... Uncle Xun's cultivation is profound; he will surely keep us safe."
Hearing this.
Jiang Yuechu shook her head slightly.
"I'm fine... If you need help, you can let me know..."
She paused, her tone very serious: "I work very cleanly."
"..."
Xu Linmiao was stunned.
Uncle Xun also froze.
The voice for these words was not intentionally lowered.
On the deck, both the two demons and the two humans heard them clearly.
Uncle Xun felt helpless in his heart.
Did this girl have any idea what kind of nonsense she was spouting?
"Work very cleanly"...
How could it be that easy?
This place was a Great Marsh, and the opponents were aquatic demons.
Even if he was a Chess-Player Four-Piece and didn't fear these two demons, if he were to make a move, it clearly wasn't a battle that could be resolved quickly.
Once stalled and drawing other nearby Demon Generals, how could the matter be settled so easily?
After weighing the pros and cons, Uncle Xun sighed.
Fine.
If they handed over the Storage Pouches and went to the Immortal Lord's birthday banquet empty-handed, would they really just be going to pay their respects?
The price for that respect would be too high.
As long as the items were still in hand, seeking refuge with a slightly lesser Great Demon shouldn't be too difficult.
With this thought.
Uncle Xun composed himself, his tone turning cold: "Since the two great generals insist on this, then my Xu Family cannot afford such high associations."
"This birthday banquet, my Xu Family will not attend."
He was about to turn and leave.
Whoosh—!
The sound of breaking air suddenly erupted.
A steel trident, carrying a fishy wind, whistled through the air and landed firmly on the deck a few steps in front of him.
The tail end emitted a piercing, vibrating hum.
Uncle Xun's steps halted, his face turning completely dark: "What is the meaning of this, you two?"
The Red Toad folded its thick arms and sneered repeatedly: "You think you can just come and go as you please?"
It took a step forward, and its thick Demonic Qi surged out with a boom.
"Do you really think my Immortal Lord's rules are just for show?"
"Today, you'll pass if you want to, and you'll pass even if you don't!"