Only when a bo crossbred with a fine horse was the resulting offspring a bo beast.
The quality of a bo beast was largely determined by how much bo blood ran in its veins.
The moment He Lingchuan thought of this, his mind began to race with possibilities. Unnerved by his scorching gaze, the two bo snorted irritably.
"King Siwen, this way, please," He Lingchuan said, leading the demons across the beach. "Your accommodations have already been arranged. I trust you will be satisfied."
He waved a hand toward the large ships, and Huang Zhao and the other men held back.
"You're the island master?" The boar's beady little eyes finally settled on him. "You look somewhat familiar."
"Years ago in the Demon Nest Swamp, you and Lord Boshan fought Zhu Erniang," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "I was inside the Demon Nest at the time. That battle shook heaven and earth; it remains vivid in my memory to this day."
King Siwen grunted, entirely uninterested in puny humans. "And where does Zhu Erniang live?"
"Right here as well."
The familiar voice instantly made King Siwen freeze.
From the reed marsh ahead, a monstrous, ferocious bulk suddenly emerged. It was Zhu Erniang.
"King Siwen, long time no see."
"Y-You live on this island too?" King Siwen's nostrils flared, and he whirled immediately on He Lingchuan. "Hey, put me on another island!"
Did it endure tens of thousands of miles of rough voyage through untold hardships just to stay neighbors with Zhu Erniang?
Turning back toward the shore, it discovered that both large ships had already cast off and sailed away.
"This island is vast, with plenty of room for many demons, and it is shielded by a mirage demon—it is the ideal place for you to settle," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "Zhu Erniang has already assured me that from now on, she will be a friendly, supportive neighbor."
"No way!" King Siwen puffed two jets of white steam from its snout, glaring down at him. "Don't you have plenty of islands? Allocate another one to me! I refuse to live with this female spider!"
The other wild boars grunted and swiftly encircled He Lingchuan.
The largest among the boar demons surpassed a rhinoceros in size and weighed well over a ton; a single charge could obliterate a living man. One of them had even gored a tiger demon's belly open with its tusks, ramming it to death on the spot.
With so many colossal beasts snorting and poised to strike, the visual impact was formidable.
Yet He Lingchuan asked with utmost courtesy, "Which female spider do you not want to live with—Zhu Erniang, or Zhu Daniang?"
"Zhu... Zhu Daniang?" At the sound of this unfamiliar name, an ominous premonition surged within King Siwen.
N-No, it couldn't be... could it?
No sooner had the words been spoken than a gigantic silhouette appeared on the mountain path behind them.
"Who called for me?"
None knew from where it had leapt, but it touched down soundlessly, light as a wisp of cotton—yet the ground shuddered violently beneath the sheer, unyielding weight.
King Siwen spun around in a flash, only to behold yet another house-sized giant spider!
Zhu Daniang made her entrance, positioned opposite her younger sister, trapping the pack of boar demons between them.
Having heard that black makes one look slender while red adds bulk, she had specially donned a pattern of white markings over a red carapace, making her appear a full size larger than Zhu Erniang.
*Oink?* T-Two Burrow Spider Queens?!
The wild boars huddled together in horror, squealing in chaotic panic.
Most of them had suffered at the hands of burrow spiders before and knew how terrifying a spider queen could be; their hearts hammered in dread.
King Siwen stood sideways, wary of exposing its back to either side, darting its beady eyes from one to the other until they nearly popped from their sockets.
How could a single spider nest produce two spider queens? Did reason even exist anymore?!
It had been neighbors with Zhu Erniang in the Demon Nest Swamp for decades, squabbling constantly, yet never had a second spider queen materialized there!
"Is this a molted husk?" It rooted through the dirt with its snout, flinging dust toward Zhu Daniang.
Zhu Daniang dodged with astonishing agility, leaping directly in front of the boar pack and landing less than twenty feet from the massive boar, glaring at it hungrily.
...This spider queen was real, too.
In her characteristically low voice, Zhu Erniang said, "What are you afraid of? Did the messenger not convey my words clearly? Since you have come, old grudges are wiped clean. As long as you don't look for trouble, we can live in peace from now on."
"As for the rest of you—" All twelve of her eyes turned to gaze upon the other demon beasts. "Pick whichever spot on the island suits you, and you're welcome to visit our home in the southern chasm as guests! As long as you keep to yourselves, we can live peacefully and be good neighbors!"
He Lingchuan could not help pressing a hand to his face. What was meant to be a warm and enthusiastic invitation sounded so sinister coming from her, as if any guest setting foot in Pansi Cave would end up hung upside down from the ceiling.
Yet surprisingly, the reception was rather good. Hearing this, an owl demon flapped its wings and flew up to perch on a branch behind Zhu Erniang.
Several other demon beasts edged over as well, casting their lot with their feet.
*Clack-clack, clack-clack.* The two bo smacked their lips and trotted over at an unhurried pace.
King Siwen: "..."
Ungrateful wretches, every last one of them!
Yet these were all longtime denizens of the Demon Nest Swamp who knew Zhu Erniang well; they knew she was true to her word. Since the Burrow Spider Queen had given her guarantee, their minds were at ease.
Besides, a burrow spider nest came with many unique delicacies. Some demons loved aphid sugar, while others craved mycelial mats; the bo loved both, preferably dipping one into the other.
They didn't mind adding a bit of sweetness to their mundane lives.
"The more great demons there are, the safer this island becomes. Why did you cross the ocean in the first place, King Siwen? Shouldn't you be pleased?" He Lingchuan chimed in with a smile. "The spider sisters and I have already discussed it: the fertile eastern part of Pansi Island will be reserved for you and your brood."
King Siwen stared at Zhu Erniang. "Oh? Your word is your bond?"
"When have I ever broken my word?" Zhu Erniang said coldly. "Only Lord Boshan was a deceitful villain, and you saw how he ended up."
Lord Boshan's end was having his pelt stored inside He Lingchuan's storage ring.
Zhu Erniang's trustworthiness was renowned across the entire Demon Nest Swamp; otherwise, so many demons would never have crossed the ocean this time.
Since she gave her word, and the island truly was vast, King Siwen's beady eyes darted as it seized the graceful way out. "You there, tiny human! Lead the way. I'm going to look at the east."
The two female spiders were each bigger than the last, and the newly arrived Zhu Daniang looked even harder to cross. The only one King Siwen could afford to look down on was this puny human surrounded by its sounder of boars.
He Lingchuan readily agreed. "Daniang—"
At his call, Zhu Daniang pushed her way into the boars' encirclement.
Like King Siwen, the boar demons were encased in a thick carapace of dried mud impervious to blades and spears; in any head-on collision, they never came out the worse. Yet when Zhu Daniang approached, the boars instinctively parted to clear a path.
They had all survived in the Demon Nest Swamp long enough to know that no one should ever stand in this great spider's way.
With practiced ease, He Lingchuan hopped onto the spider demon's brow, grabbing one of her spines as a handhold.
Then Zhu Daniang took the lead, guiding the demons eastward.
There were no established roads on the island, and the tall grass stood ten feet high. If an ordinary human set foot here, progress would be impossible without a machete hacking open a path.
Chapter 1055