At this moment, a foul-smelling basin of food, resembling pig slop, was placed before the three of them.
Li Yingling merely glanced at it and calmly made up an excuse:
"I'm a snake—I don’t eat greens. What’s the difference between this soup and plain vegetables? Whoever wants it can have it."
Cui Hao cast a sidelong glance at the senior sister. Such a flimsy excuse was far below her usual standard.
Clearly, it wasn’t an excuse but a lifeline she was throwing to the water buffalo. If the bull didn’t take the hint, she wouldn’t hesitate to "open its eyes" in other ways.
The water buffalo frowned slightly but said nothing, turning its gaze to the other two instead.
While the senior sister was still holding back, Cui Hao spoke up first. He furrowed his brows and said discontentedly,
"Do you think this mouth of mine is meant for eating greens? You’re being too stingy—can’t you at least serve some proper meat? Not eating it."
Lin Luoyu, seeing that both the senior sister and senior brother had already come up with excuses, glanced at the food on the ground and was about to use the same one when—
She suddenly remembered she was currently disguised as a cow. Cows ate greens!
When she looked up, she realized not only was the water buffalo demon staring at her, but even Li Yingling and Cui Hao were watching her expectantly, as if waiting for her to take a bite.
At that moment, she felt utterly betrayed by her own sect.
Seriously?!
The water buffalo demon might not know they were human, but didn’t the senior sister and the others? If they couldn’t stomach it, did that mean she had to?
And such a huge portion at that—was she really supposed to eat it all alone?
Couldn’t they share the suffering just a little?
After waiting for two breaths and seeing Lin Luoyu neither speak nor eat, the water buffalo demon’s expression stiffened slightly. It asked in confusion,
"This grass is the best we could find in these lands. If they don’t eat it, you’re a cow—why aren’t you eating either?"
Lin Luoyu hesitated for a moment before tentatively saying, "This grass—"
Cui Hao cut her off before she could fabricate an excuse and explained on her behalf:
"Ah, our second cow here’s been scared half-witless lately. Not only is she mentally shaken, but her stomach’s also acting up—she can only eat dry food now, nothing wet. You’re a cow too, so you’d understand, right?"
The water buffalo nodded knowingly, its expression softening.
"Well, if you’ve got no appetite, don’t blame me for not treating you right."
"See that tallest mountain over there? Head in that direction, circle around the peak, and you’ll find a small green grove. The Great Wu Demon King is in the pond there."
It pointed toward the highest peak among the rolling hills in the distance.
Cui Hao quickly nodded. "Got it. No time to waste—we’ll be on our way."
Lin Luoyu let out a quiet sigh of relief—no need to eat after all—and hurried to follow the senior sister’s lead.
"Hey! Wait!" The water buffalo suddenly called out.
The three halted. Li Yingling turned her calm gaze toward it.
The water buffalo felt a chill run down its spine. Not daring to say much, it scurried into a nearby cave and soon returned with a bundle of dry grass, which it shoved into Lin Luoyu’s arms.
"Take some for the road," it said earnestly.
An owl stood nearby, watching as the water buffalo captain warmly saw off the three departing "demons."
Even after their figures had long disappeared from sight, the captain continued staring in the direction they’d gone.
The owl hunched its shoulders and asked, puzzled, "Captain… those three demons—they were obviously suspicious, weren’t they?"
The water buffalo finally turned its gaze away and looked at the owl.
"Of course they were. Not a single one of them acted like a real demon."
"Then why did you actually give them the real location?"
"When that snake looked at me just now, I felt like my head was about to roll. Even if we all fought together, we wouldn’t stand a chance. So, tell me—would you rather save yourself or the Great Wu Demon King?"
The owl glanced around at the other little demons and answered with silence.
The water buffalo sighed. "Exactly. It’s about time the Great Wu Demon King did some work for us, don’t you think?"
The owl bobbed its head in agreement—but soon, it froze mid-nod.
"Still, if we don’t report this and the Great Wu Demon King survives, he’ll come after us. So, we’ve got to send word either way."
As it spoke, the water buffalo casually slung an arm around the owl’s shoulders, its bovine face breaking into a faint smile.
"What do you think, owl-boy?"
The owl’s eyes widened in shock. "You want me to go warn them?!"
"Mhm! Knew you were the right demon for the job—so sharp."
The owl knew full well this mission was practically a death sentence. It was an owl, not a cat—it didn’t have nine lives. And even if it did, those three ruthless humans would crush them all without breaking a sweat.
"Why me?!" it cried.
The water buffalo’s hand slid down to the owl’s back, lingering on the smooth feathers of its wings with a few extra strokes.
The owl: "…"
For the first time in its life, the owl felt nothing but hatred for its wings—and the ability to fly.
Under the cover of night, the owl took flight, carefully veering away from the path the three had taken.
Human Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn’t fly for long without magical treasures. As long as none of those three were Golden Core Masters, its wings would still be its lifeline.
Of course, if there was a Golden Core Master among them… well, it might as well forget everything it just thought.
The owl scanned the ground below, scrutinizing every inch ahead. If it spotted those three, it would turn tail without hesitation.
Suddenly—
Something hard smacked the back of its head.
A surge of blood rushed to its skull, and only one thought flashed through its mind:
—Damn it. We’ve been tricked!
Li Yingling gripped the owl’s wings and flew straight back to where her junior siblings were hiding.
Cui Hao, concealed within a cliffside crevice, saw a figure speeding toward them. Only when it stopped did he recognize his senior sister, calmly holding the unconscious owl by its wings.
She tossed it onto the ground and said flatly,
"Just as expected."
Lin Luoyu nodded slightly. As expected of the senior sister—she never missed a step.
Cui Hao eyed the owl curiously and reached out to stroke its head.
He’d wanted to touch it the moment he first saw it, but the situation hadn’t allowed it. Now, with the chance in hand, he had to admit—the feathers were incredibly soft.
Maybe… he should pluck a few?
Lin Luoyu watched as her fifth junior brother indulged in his petting, his expression far too relaxed for someone deep in enemy territory.
She turned to the senior sister and asked quietly, "That water buffalo already suspects us. Will this ambush still work?"
Li Yingling glanced at her. The junior sister’s talent surpassed the junior brother’s, but her awareness still needed work.
Her reply was firm:
"Of course. This owl is the Water Buffalo Demon's way of reporting to the Great Wu Demon King."
"Whether the intelligence reaches him or not matters little to the Water Buffalo Demon—what counts is that the effort was made."