Chapter 670: Great Demon 33

"I never said they were wrong," Tan You said. "But sometimes, opportunities are limited. If you constantly hesitate and refuse to move forward, it doesn’t matter how many chances you get. It’s all for nothing if you can’t seize them."

Peacock arched an eyebrow. "You’re in favor of the Spirit Plants and demon beasts forming symbiotic contracts, then? So why haven’t you made one yourself? I bet if you just asked, the entire Spirit Plant clan would be scrambling to say yes."

"What, as some kind of charity project?" Tan You scoffed. "How boring would that be? A relationship where one side is strong and the other is weak is incredibly unstable. It can’t be a one-way street. A bond only becomes stable when both parties benefit from it."

Bai Ze nodded. "Jin Huan is right. For a symbiotic contract to work, both parties need to be on relatively equal footing."

"It’s just that the Spirit Plant clan is taking far too long to decide. Like Jin Huan said, being too cautious makes it easy to miss opportunities. You have to take a gamble when it counts."

Little Xuan, the little fox, hopped into Tan You’s lap. Her large tail swept across Tan You’s chin as she chirped, "My Lady, can I also fuse with the essence blood of the Mystic Fox clan?"

Tan You chuckled. "Of course you can. And as it happens, I have a drop of Nine-tailed Fox bloodline right here. Good luck, little fox!"

Little Xuan blinked, then moved her pointed snout close to Tan You’s face, nuzzling her cheek repeatedly. It was only because they were both female that Tan You allowed the little one to be so affectionate.

While the Great Demons were gathered around the stove, brewing tea and talking, the Spirit Plants finally came to a decision. The Enlightenment Tea Tree, accompanied by several clan elders, came to find Tan You just as the group was enjoying their tea.

And it was Enlightenment Tea they were drinking.

A single cup of Enlightenment Tea, a priceless treasure in the eyes of any Cultivator, was being drunk like water by these Great Demons. Yet none of them thought it a waste. They treated it as if it were the most common, ordinary tea imaginable.

Tan You conjured several stone stools for the Spirit Plants. "You’re here? Your efficiency is shockingly low. All the Half-demons on my end have already become young demon beasts."

The Enlightenment Tea Tree was taken aback. "All of them? They’ve all purged their Human Clan bloodline? How painful must that have been?"

"You bet," Peacock chimed in with a grin. "Every one of those young demon beasts has an iron will. They all endured it on their own. It’s no wonder Jin Huan says Half-demons have great potential. It makes sense, too. Any demon beast that catches a Cultivator’s eye must be exceptionally talented to begin with."

"And after all the hardships they’ve endured, their minds have naturally been tempered to become incredibly strong."

The Enlightenment Tea Tree’s gaze fell on the little green snake on the stone table. "This one... too?"

"Mhm, him too," Tan You said, pouring the Enlightenment Tea Tree a cup of its own tea. She suddenly couldn’t help but laugh. "Since you and the elders have come today, I assume you’ve reached a decision?"

They had indeed reached a consensus before coming, but now that it was time to say it out loud, they were still hesitant.

Tan You simply smiled. After pouring tea for the other Spirit Plant elders, she said gently, "I understand you’re all thinking about what’s best for your clan. When it comes to something as important as cultivation, it’s only natural to be cautious."

The Snow Ginseng sighed in relief. "It is good that you understand, Snake King. The truth is, it is incredibly difficult for the young ones of our clan to grow. Those who are fortunate enough to awaken their sentience are few and far between. On top of that, they must face countless dangers and obstacles on their cultivation path. Every decision must be made with the utmost caution."

Tan You understood completely. "I get it. No matter what you choose, I’ll accept it. I’m only offering a suggestion. Whether you take it or not really has little to do with me."

The Enlightenment Tea Tree mulled it over. "When Cultivators nurture Spirit Plants, they use trial plots. Our clan can’t just commit all our strength to bonding with the young demon beasts at once. What if we select a few to serve as a test run?"

Tan You arched an eyebrow slightly, then smiled a moment later. "That’s fine. I have no objections."

The Snow Ginseng held a small, snow-white ginseng in its palm. "This is the most talented ginseng child in our clan. His true form is a Xuanyu Ginseng."

The few small leaves on the little ginseng’s head twitched. It was truly too small to make any other movements, but everyone could feel its Divine Sense.

The still-immature Spirit Plant deliberately put on a mature air. ’This little ginseng greets you, honored elders.’

Tan You’s eyes couldn’t help but curve into crescents. ’This world really is wonderful,’ she thought. ’There are cute, well-behaved little ones, and a constant supply of fluffballs to pet. It’s just so much fun.’

With the Snow Ginseng taking the lead, the other Spirit Plant elders no longer hesitated. They had all brought along one or two young, sentient Spirit Plants from their own lineages. However, they were all still very young and needed a great deal of time to grow.

Qing Ming, the little fox, and the other young demon beasts looked at the Spirit Plants before them, feeling a bit conflicted themselves, wondering who they should form a symbiotic contract with.

Tan You tapped Qing Ming on the head. "Getting picky, are we? I think they’re all wonderful. You should also see if any of them choose you."

Qing Ming felt a bit embarrassed. "Then I’ll just wait for a Spirit Plant to choose me. Like you said, My Lady, it’s all up to fate."

Just then, a "little mushroom" suddenly landed on Qing Ming’s head. Tan You glanced at the "little mushroom," then at the dazed and disoriented Qing Ming, and suddenly thought that fate, truly, was a wondrous and inexplicable thing.

She gently picked up the "little mushroom," her voice softening unconsciously. "You’re a Xuezhi, aren’t you? You carry great fortune, yet you choose Qing Ming? That little fellow is quite unlucky, you know."

Xuezhi’s voice was soft and delicate. "Zhizhi knows. Zhizhi’s lucky, so Zhizhi isn’t scared. He’s tough and can take a lightning strike. Zhizhi’s not getting the short end of the stick."

Tan You stroked Xuezhi’s cap. "You’ve got a sharp eye, picking out the most durable one right away."

With that, she placed Xuezhi on Qing Ming’s body. "Xuezhi... In the entire Spirit Plant clan, aside from the Enlightenment Tea Tree, the Xuezhi have the most prosperous fortune."

Seeing Qing Ming’s eyes light up, Tan You immediately added the caveat, "However, a Xuezhi’s tribulation is far more powerful than that of an ordinary Spirit Plant. Are you..."

But how could Qing Ming hear anything else? He was already ecstatic that any Spirit Plant had chosen him, let alone a noble Xuezhi! Besides, he understood the principle that great rewards require great sacrifices.

And so, his body shifted, carefully sheltering Xuezhi in his most vulnerable spot.

It was much the same for the other young demon beasts. Even Little Xuan, the fox who had just been acting cute with Tan You, was now hugging the Xuanyu Ginseng tightly, occasionally tilting her head to give it a lick.

The sight made Tan You’s head ache. "Alright, since you’ve all made your choices, go ahead and form the contracts. If, one day, you have a disagreement, you can dissolve the bond and part on good terms."

A symbiotic contract, of course, was not as domineering or tyrannical as a master-servant contract. Its main principles were mutual consent, equality, and mutual benefit. As a result, when the young demon beasts and little Spirit Plants formed their contracts, it caused no disturbance whatsoever.

Aside from the core leadership of the Demon Market and the Spirit Plant clan, no other demon beast within the Ten-Direction Mountains knew that such an agreement had been forged.