Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror

"Why don't I go forward and fight first, and when this demon's strength is mostly spent, the Fairy can strike... Caught off guard, and with the Thunder Dharma being extremely fierce, I believe it will work,"

Li Qinghong listened and felt it was not entirely safe, and she silently sighed in her heart:

'If only I had a Formation magical treasure like Kong Tingyun's [Emerald Origin], how much more convenient it would be to come and go!'

At this moment, Lu Ken had already ridden the wind over, axe in hand, its aqua light flowing. With a single breath, the axe grew to the size of a house and he furiously smashed it down on the low hill, causing a thunderous rumble throughout the mountains, and a cascade of broken rocks and dust to rise in all directions.

'Indeed, these demons have no inheritance; they only rely on their physical strength and basic magic artifacts... The spell he is using now also appears to be self-taught, which is quite good.'

The great axe in Lu Ken's hand was also self-refined. He probably read a few low-grade artifact refining texts, pondering over them year after year. It is unknown how many years he has cultivated and polished it to reach its current level, yet it still cannot compare to my [Du Ruo Spear].

"Roar...!"

A tiger's roar exploded in the air, and from within the mountain emerged a burly man with his upper body bare, his body emanating black qi, who spoke in a deep voice:

"Demon General! I have no grievance or enmity with you, why do you come to provoke me at the entrance of my cave!"

In front of Li Qinghong, Lu Ken was a kind-hearted man, even timid and compliant, but now he revealed a domineering side and sneered:

"Hand over the Precious Medicine on you! Save us both from a fight! If you're not willing to hand it over, I'll have no choice but to kill you and take it myself."

Lu Ken, being at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, had an impressive presence; the Tiger Demon looked at him uncertainly and frowned, saying:

"I don't wish to provoke you and have no interest in battling you with spells."

Right then, he didn't even want to engage in combat. His Immortal Foundation activated, gusts of yin energy rose around him, and he shot away like an arrow on the support of the black qi.

Lu Ken, having encountered those Tiger Demons in the Demon Cave, considered them to be rash and impulsive. He did not expect one to be so cautious and stood frozen for a moment before he began cursing, jumping with frustration:

"Cowardly tiger!"

The head of the axe he wielded ceaselessly, bringing forth air blades as large as carriages, and bombarded the Tiger Demon, who was only focused on dodging and escaping.

"Ha! Just as I thought!"

Li Qinghong shook her head helplessly as the situation she had been worried about ultimately came to pass.

Although Lu Ken was old, he had spent the years cooped up in the Demon Cave, protected by others and focused on cultivation. He had thought too simplistically of the Tiger Demon, believing that a bit of provocation would lead to a life and death struggle.

'Anyone who's alive and well in these mountains cannot be a hot-headed fool. Lu Ken was so resolute that he had even fooled me.'

She curved her delicate fingers, and like white jade, her fingers glowed with purple light, sketching a talisman in the void. Suddenly, a thunderous rumble filled the air, black smoke billowed, and slowly a Thunder Talisman formed:

[Purple Talisman Secret Technique]!

Li Qinghong concentrated on her spell, stepping on lightning and chased after him like a streak of lightning, hurling the Thunder Talisman directly at him.

"Order!"

The Tiger Demon was swaying within Lu Ken's attacks, attempting to distance himself, focused solely on escape. Lu Ken struggled to deal with him, but suddenly, a beautiful Female Cultivator with a Thunder Talisman in hand, its purple light surging fiercely, appeared flying towards him.

"Fairy... ah..."

The Tiger Demon's palms surged with black qi, and he cried out in a bit of panic, not daring to confront her directly. As he pulled away, he tried to fend off with the black qi, but the Thunder Light appeared abruptly, scorching his hands. The pain on his face felt searing, and he almost revealed his true form.

'Damn it! This Deer Demon deliberately sought out a Thunder Cultivation to target me!'

He cultivated the "Wind Ghost Yin," afraid of things like bright yang and thunderbolts. Now filled with great fear, and seeing Li Qinghong's spear glowing with the purity of jade in her hands, his bravery diminished even further.

"Wielding Foundation Establishment Magical Instruments and holding high-grade spells, you must be from the Three Sects!"

Suddenly, black tiger fur emerged on his face, and his body expanded rapidly as he cried pitifully:

"I am willing to give up the treasure!"

Lu Ken frowned, the power of his great axe undiminished. Li Qinghong's Thunder Spear conjured illusions, blocking his escape. She spoke softly:

"Hand over the Precious Medicine quickly, and I won't make it difficult for you!"

The Tiger Demon reacted swiftly, flipping open a Jade Box with one hand and fending off Lu Ken's great axe with black qi in the other, stepping back several paces.

Li Qinghong used the Du Ruo Spear to prop up the Jade Box, thus drawing it into the air. With a sweep of her Spiritual Sense, she ascertained that it indeed contained the "Blood Tum Fruit." She turned her hand and stowed it away, while the Tiger Demon had already taken to the wind, widening the gap by a mile.

Li Qinghong, riding on purple light, caught up. The Tiger Demon's two palms were streaming with black energy as it reverted to its true form.

This black tiger was as large as a small hill, surrounded by wild winds and spiraling black energy. Its tiger eyes were blood red, entwined with strands of black Yin Energy. Its huge mouth roared fiercely, the soundwaves echoing, causing both Lu Ken and Li Qinghong to falter:

"Since it's an Upper Immortal asking for it, I cannot afford to offend. Take the precious medicine if you want,"

He adopted a resolute stance, saying fiercely:

"But if you push further, I won't make things easy for you either!"

Although the Tiger Demon's cultivation level was higher than Li Qinghong's, it had witnessed the prowess of disciples from the Three Sects and was wary of Li Qinghong, appearing agitated and uneasy, gritting its teeth as it intimidated Lu Ken.

'Quite a Tiger Demon.'

Li Qinghong glanced over and noticed that Lu Ken had developed a fearful demeanor. He had been all for fighting just moments ago, but now he was the first to be scared, and she chuckled inwardly:

'Demon cultivators are indeed typically the type to bully the weak and fear the strong... When the Tiger Demon is low-key, he's all the more domineering, but as soon as someone shows real ferocity, he immediately gets scared...'

Li Qinghong's eyebrows raised slightly as she said calmly:

"Taoist fellow, there's no need to be nervous. I merely wish to ask where you obtained this Spirit Fruit."

The black tiger's bristled fur began to relax, and it became much more polite, lowly humming:

"I was not aware which Upper Sect's Immortal you might be."

Li Qinghong let out a laugh, vaguely replying:

"I come from the Northern lands."

The Tiger Demon finally understood, and a sense of relief washed over its heart, thinking to itself:

'So it's the Mountain Master from Xiuyue. No wonder my life was spared... Had it been the Demon Sect, they wouldn't waste words with me...'

Immediately, it reverently said:

"Reporting to the Mountain Master, I came from the Southern Border, and this item was obtained from the Witch Country of Tiaowu..."

Then it shifted back into human form, and described its experience of obtaining the treasure in detail. It was just an ordinary treasure-hunting story with nothing new. Li Qinghong frowned and said:

"Since you are familiar with the Southern Border, keep your eyes open for news of this treasure. Perhaps in a few years, I might come again. If you can procure this item, you will certainly be rewarded."

The Tiger Demon was overjoyed. Li Qinghong had no desire to make an enemy, and neither did he. To him, this precious medicine was merely a supplement, sparing him a decade of cultivation effort. In Yue Country, he was alone and without dependence, so the idea of forming ties with a member from an Upper Sect was rare. In a low voice, he said:

"Understood, understood. Consider this item as a gift for our meeting."

Li Qinghong gave him a look, feeling that this Tiger Demon was more like a human than a demon, and softly said:

"Taoist fellow seems to be quite thoughtful."

The Tiger Demon bowed its head in silence, while Li Qinghong casually gave instructions. Now that she had the treasure, she waved her hand joyfully and said softly:

"Let's go."

Lu Ken nodded and followed. The two of them rode the wind and left. Li Qinghong had obtained the treasure without much effort and was in a good mood. Lu Ken, on the other hand, was twirling his beard, feeling somewhat perplexed:

'So this is the technique of the Noble Families... The circuitous methods of the Human Race are too profound... To think one can actually turn an enemy into a friend?'

While he was advanced in years, he had spent most of his life cultivating in a cave—a solitary retreat often spanning more than a decade—and he was not used to the straightforward ways of his fellow beasts. His mind was not as mature.

Having emerged from the cave to become a Demon General for just over a decade and seldom dealt with humans, plus considering the naive mistakes he'd made earlier, he felt regretful:

'No wonder... No wonder this Tiger Demon has been able to cultivate on Quanwu Mountain for so long... and remained safe from calamity. It must rely on these things... There's much to learn from these two fellows!'

At that moment, he became much more eager. Li Qinghong was unaware of why the deer demon behaved this way, but she still kept him company. She took out the "Blood Tum Fruit" again, carefully verifying it several times until she was certain it was of good quality and there was no mistake, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

The two flew in front of Qingdu Mountain. Only then did the deer demon leave reluctantly, while Li Qinghong descended in front of the mountain. Counting the days, it had been just over a month.