The Investiture: Unlimited Blade Works Nezha
Chapter 193 - 192 Tushan

Chapter 193: Chapter 192 Tushan

"Senior, how exactly do you want me to assist?"

"Little friend, simply wed or take a concubine from the Tushan Clan, and all will be well."

Nezha: "..."

Alright, alright, hats off to you as a leader—always so thorough with your plans. But seriously, I don’t lack women in my life, and besides, I, Nezha, am all about strength, okay?

Dayu’s suggestion was actually pretty reasonable. After all, back in his era, this kind of arrangement was all the rage, and he himself had done the same.

Moreover, with Nezha having found one of the Nine Tripods, Dayu regarded him as a future Human King. Marrying into the Tushan Clan would undoubtedly elevate their status even further. As for how many wives Nezha ended up taking, Dayu couldn’t care less—and frankly, didn’t want to.

But honestly, this idea was already outdated. In these chaotic times, Nezha had no intention of becoming the Human King anyway. That title would probably be abolished soon enough.

After pondering for a moment, Nezha pulled out a Golden Gourd and said, "No need for that. I am a disciple of Lady Nuwa. I manage the Summoning Banner under her orders. Since Emperor Yu has requested my aid, I can provide some protection and guidance."

Currently, the Demon Clan had their biggest backer in Lady Nuwa. However, the Demon Clan could no longer provide her with any value, which resulted in a strict command: no demon under heaven could defy Lady Nuwa’s orders.

Of course, Nuwa had long grown tired of dealing with these demons. Once Nezha reached sufficient cultivation, she simply handed over the Summoning Banner to him.

With this treasure in hand and with Lu Ya having passed along some insider info to Bai Ze, the implication was clear: Nezha was akin to the Golden Crow.

Bai Ze was utterly flabbergasted at the time. His boss had eleven children back then?!

He kept calculating with his inherent Divine Skills for quite some time, and the conclusion was as vague as it was baffling—Nezha seemed to be, and yet not to be, the Golden Crow. Bai Ze ended up thoroughly confused.

Nonetheless, with the Summoning Banner, almost all demons fell under Nezha’s potential command. If he wanted Monkey’s 81 trials from Journey to the West to become 8,100 trials instead, he could pull that off. The Demon Clan even began spreading the rumor that Nezha was the reincarnation of the Golden Crow Crown Prince, giving him immense prestige.

Dayu, being a man of vast experience, wasn’t clueless. During his flood-control era, he had interacted with the primordial Great Expert Ying Long. He understood the significance of the Summoning Banner and knew well the stature of Lady Nuwa in the Primordial World.

Dayu: "..."

With a backing like yours, why didn’t you say so earlier?! Are all younglings among the Primordial Human Clan this modest nowadays?

Dayu gestured, and the axe in the skeleton’s left hand, along with a gold medallion with the character "Qi" carved on it in the skeletal right hand, floated before the two of them.

"Little friend, would you be willing to run an errand for me to the Tushan Clan? I am willing to offer up the Mountain Opening Axe as compensation."

"Sure."

An errands job that pays in divine artifacts? Who wouldn’t take it?

Dayu finally arranged all his affairs, channeling his remaining spiritual light into a Treasure Bead. The bead manifested a dragon-etched pattern, leaving him with only his final Divine Soul.

Nezha reached out, carefully stored the soul into a Jade Bottle, and then retrieved both the Mountain Opening Axe and the Gold Medallion.

The Mountain Opening Axe was the Supreme Treasure of merit used by Dayu to split mountains and reshape the primordial waterways.

It was immensely powerful, but to Nezha, power wasn’t lacking among his magical treasures. This item felt more like a credentials badge to him.

Previously, Nezha was like a subcontractor under Lady Nuwa, who was a major shareholder in the primordial world. If something needed doing, he’d get the work done, and the Heavenly Dao would pay him. Mess things up, though, and try modifying things willy-nilly? He’d face judgment instantly.

Now, with the Mountain Opening Axe, it was a different story. It equated to granting Nezha modification rights. As long as he didn’t lose his mind and shatter the skies or pierce the earth, the Heavenly Dao wouldn’t punish him.

Making changes to terrain or topography? That would now be no big deal.

Nezha’s first order of business was to send Dayu off for reincarnation. This was a simple matter; his connections ensured that much.

When Yama Ji Chang heard it was Dayu, he didn’t dare delay in the slightest and handled the matter immediately.

Next stop was the Tushan Clan.

Nezha had some anticipation for this place. Of course, he knew Tushan wasn’t some romanticized haven of Bitter Love Trees or reincarnated star-crossed lovers, nor did it hold the kind of stature among the Demon Clan as some anime enthusiasts might imagine.

The fox demons weren’t natural-born fighters, relying mostly on Illusion Techniques. Look at the fox demon from Xuanyuan Tomb who couldn’t even defeat Yin Shou—how feeble was that? After losing their protection from the Human Clan, their situation worsened. The Demon Clan wasn’t like the Human Clan, capable of appreciating the charm and beauty of a fox woman.

When their cultivation is low, demons’ aesthetics focus entirely on their own kind. So even with the Fox Clan’s natural beauty, it wasn’t much of an advantage in that regard.

Just look at the demons in *Journey to the West* who fought over men or women. Not a single one of them was a pushover!

Low cultivation, beasts prioritizing instincts over humanity—how could they find humans attractive?

It’s like humans falling for a lizard! (Well, except for that Third Brother—silly!)

The Qingqiu Fox Clan fared slightly better than Tushan due to their greater heritage and stronger combatants, but even they weren’t thriving.

Imaginary titles like ’Empress’ frequently seen in dramas? If you dared to proclaim that, Hao Tian would send the Immortal of Colossal Spirit with a 500-member marching band to flatten your clan by the next day!

Nezha’s understanding of the Fox Clan was pretty much that.

He crossed the Ghost Gate and arrived at Tushan. Looking up from afar, the architecture atop Tushan bore a surprisingly human-like quality, nothing at all like a typical Demon Clan lair.

After revealing himself, Nezha morphed into a scholarly and dashing young man clad in white robes—Li Bai, complete with a treasure sword at his waist. As he ascended the mountain, he couldn’t help but wonder: is the trope of a fox demon seducing a scholar now too ahead of its time?

He had promised Dayu to assist Tushan to some extent, but first, he needed to assess the fox demons’ character. If they turned out to be kind-hearted, he wouldn’t hesitate to offer them additional help.

Disguised as a scholar, he made his way up the mountain, soon noticing he was being watched by a few small foxes.

Nezha didn’t pay them much mind and continued his climb.

Before long, he encountered an old man. At a glance, Nezha could tell this was just a small fox in disguise—the bushy, furry tail sticking out from behind was far from concealed.

"Young man? Halt your ascent; there are man-eating demons in these mountains!"

The old man trembled as he spoke.

"Elder, if there are man-eating demons on the mountain, you’d best hurry and climb down yourself!"

Old man: "..."

I *am* the demon; why would I go down?

"Young man, heed this old man’s words. Turn back quickly!"

Nezha unsheathed his longsword, casually twirling it into a flower. "I, Li Bai, am a poet and part-time Sword Immortal. If there’s a man-eating demon causing trouble, I am duty-bound to investigate!"

The old man, flustered by Nezha’s clever retorts, was at a complete loss on how to proceed with him.

Just then, a graceful woman clad in white appeared from the forest, her face like jade yet exuding a seductive charm.

"Sister Bai... Bai Jie, my child, why are you here as well?"

Nezha rolled his eyes internally. Could the acting in Tushan be any more amateur?

Unbeknownst to him, Tushan Bai Ya was silently lamenting to herself as well. Tushan had some renown among humans, but where had this clueless fool suddenly come from, claiming to be here to subdue demons?

She had to find a way to hoodwink him and send him away—Tushan was far from peaceful these days.

"Young master, the mountain is full of venomous creatures and fierce beasts. With your fair skin and delicate frame, wouldn’t it be a pity if you got hurt?"

"You do make a good point. But I heard there are fox women here—gentle and beautiful, intelligent and caring, particularly fond of talented and handsome scholars like myself.

That’s precisely why I’ve come: to see for myself if it’s true!"