The more I thought about it, the more excited I became, but I was also mentally prepared. After all, these were just small animals, and whether they could get the job done was still uncertain.
But at least I had to give it a try. As Zhan Ling said, this is the information age. If I don't do something about it, then I'd become exactly what Lai Youwei scolded me about—a deaf and blind man.
After showing off, Huang Jiu became worried. "Hu Wenhui will be back tonight, and my little brothers aren't brave enough to come here."
I replied, "Old Song's still not back? Let them know we'll hold a meeting in Old Song's backyard tonight. I'll handle the preparations and get them some food."
Huang Jiu said, "It's better if it's blood food."
I nodded.
After Huang Jiu left through the back door, I went to a nearby farmers' market. I bought live poultry, including chickens, ducks, and fish, and even splurged on half a cow.
I left the address with the butcher and returned to Old Song's shop. It had been a few days since I last came, so the display cases were covered in dust. I cleaned up a bit and spent hours putting up wooden figures in the backyard.
By the time I was drenched in sweat, the delivery arrived. The butcher was not happy to see the shop selling urns, and after dropping off the meat, he hurried off without a word.
Later, I called Huang Xian'er to let her know that Huang Jiu and I wouldn't be home for dinner.
Huang Xian'er didn't say much, but I heard Xiao Cui huffing in dissatisfaction in the background.
I felt a bit uncomfortable, but there was nothing I could do.
Some things had to be done. If Huang Xian'er left, how could I protect her?
After hanging up, night began to fall. I deliberately turned off the lights outside and pulled down the roller door, leaving a small gap.
While I waited, growing increasingly impatient, a sudden chill ran down my spine. Without thinking, I spun the blood dagger in my hand and stabbed it backward.
However, when I turned around and saw who it was, I quickly stopped myself.
It was the Little Foot Girl.
My eyes widened in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
The Little Foot Girl was pale with fright, clutching her chest. "Mr. Hu gave me the address and told me to come find you."
Hu Wenhui?
He hadn't mentioned anything to me about this.
But after thinking for a moment, it made sense. Maybe he needed her help with something and hadn't mentioned it to me.
Since she was here, there was no point in refusing.
Fortunately, the Little Foot Girl was a kind ghost, not an evil one.
"Go find somewhere to stay for now. Some friends will be coming soon. But don't wander around the city. If you scare any children, the adults will call a Taoist priest to catch you."
The Little Foot Girl nodded, scared, and vanished in a gust of cold wind.
I couldn't help but envy her. If I could do that, I'd save so much on transportation.
But being a ghost wasn't as comfortable as being human, or else there wouldn't be so many evil spirits clinging to the mortal realm.
A few minutes later, Huang Jiu snuck in, followed by Da Hei and a small, palm-sized, bright green bird. They came in and immediately began salivating at the blood food in the yard.
But seeing Huang Jiu eagerly waiting, I knew there were still others who hadn't arrived. Without saying anything, they dared only to salivate.
Soon, a large black dog entered.
I'd been bitten by a neighbor's dog when I was a child, and seeing this dog, which was half-human height, made me a bit nervous.
Thankfully, it was well-behaved and just found a spot to sit.
I gave Da Hei and the bird a quick glance. They weren't part of the typical "Five Grains and Six Animals," and while they had some spiritual energy, they weren't significant enough to make a big impact.
But this large black dog was different. As one of the Six Animals, it naturally possessed some spiritual energy. Even if it wasn't yet a spirit, it could understand human speech through training.
And the black dog in front of me was not much weaker than Huang Jiu.
In a big city like this, with its polluted air, it was hard for creatures to cultivate. Huang Jiu, however, came from the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Mountain, which gave him a natural advantage.
Huang Jiu grinned and said, "Everyone's here now, let me introduce you!"
He pointed at me. "This is my sworn little brother. From now on, you all call him Second Brother."
I twitched my mouth but didn't say anything.
The green bird and Da Hei made strange noises, seemingly calling my attention. I awkwardly nodded in acknowledgment.
Da Hei, however, spoke in human language, calling out, "Second Brother." If I wasn't used to Huang Jiu, this "Second Brother" would've scared the soul out of me.
After introducing me, Huang Jiu pointed at Da Hei. "You've met him before—Da Hei, King of the Sewers, with tens of thousands of little brothers under him!"
It sounded strange at first, but I thought about it, and it made sense.
In the sewers, there were likely far more than tens of thousands of rats.
Huang Jiu pointed at the green bird. "Xiao Lv, King of the Birds. In a hundred-mile radius, any flying creatures have to offer it insects."
I nodded in acknowledgment.
Finally, Huang Jiu pointed at the big black dog. "Hei Huang, the big monster in this city. All the stray dogs and cats are under his control."
Huang Jiu's introductions might have sounded trivial, but the more I thought about it, if all the rats, birds, and stray animals in the city could act as my eyes and ears, it would be terrifying.
I stopped myself from laughing and looked at them seriously.
Huang Jiu jumped onto my shoulder and stood up. Xiao Lv, Da Hei, and Hei Huang immediately stood to attention.
After some show-off, Huang Jiu said, "I didn't call any other little brothers, just these three: water, sky, and land—land, sea, and air are all here."
I managed to hold back my laughter, though it was hard.
But I couldn't laugh.
To them, this was a big deal, and it was quite impressive.
I suppressed my laughter, pinched Huang Jiu's mouth to stop him from speaking more, worried that I might accidentally offend the three leaders.
Clearing my throat, I adjusted my mood and shared my idea. I wanted them to send out their little brothers to specifically monitor people with spiritual powers in the city. When they gathered useful information, Huang Jiu would translate it for me.
They all understood my words with their spiritual energy.
After explaining, I waited a minute or two before asking, "Of course, this isn't compulsory. Anyone who doesn't want to do it can leave now. We'll still be friends when we meet in the future. But for those who want to stay..."
I looked at the blood food behind me. "For those who follow me, I won't promise much, but a meal like this once a week is guaranteed."
Though they now had demonic energy, in a human-dominated society, a meal like this was rare, and they wouldn't get such opportunities often.
Hearing this, their eyes lit up.
Hei Huang, who could speak, was the first to declare, "I'm willing to follow Second Brother!"
I released Huang Jiu's mouth, and he translated the words of Da Hei and Xiao Lv, who also agreed.
I said, "Since that's the case, from today on, any useful information you gather will be rewarded. You can start sharing the blood food now."
Xiao Lv flapped its wings and flew up, soon calling a large group of various small birds.
Da Hei also summoned a group of sleek, shiny rats, and Hei Huang called over a dozen stray dogs. Before long, they had moved all the blood food in the yard.
However, after Da Hei and Xiao Lv left, Hei Huang stayed behind.
It seemed like it had something it wanted to say to me.