Chapter 16: A Banquet Shall Be Prepared

After a journey of one year and eight months, the immortal Fox King boarded a merchant ship in the Kingdom of Aolai, embarking on the final leg of his journey to Huaguo Mountain.

A dozen or so hours into the journey, a huge island appeared in the distance, surrounded by five smaller islands like emeralds, with misty white clouds encircling the mountain peaks, rendering them pristine and beautiful.

"Is that Huaguo Mountain?"

"Yes, Huaguo Mountain, the ancestral vein of the Ten Continents, home to hundreds of thousands of demons."

A young sailor said: "You won't find a place with more demons anywhere else in the world."

The immortal Fox King praised joyfully: "Truly a mortal's Immortal Realm."

"Little fellow, you don't seem to be afraid of us?"

Mei Hu deliberately teased the human sailor, but the sailor remained calm and composed, not at all frightened.

"If you harm me, the Wise Monkey will flay you."

The sailor replied.

They often sailed between Huaguo Mountain and the Kingdom of Aolai, protected by the Monkey King, they had seen so many demons that they were no longer surprised.

"Giggle..."

Mei Hu couldn't help but laugh: "Do you really trust that Wise Monkey so much?"

"Daughter, stop teasing him."

The immortal Fox King said, the humans' trust in the Wise Monkey was no falsehood.

Those demons who dared to cause trouble are now buried at sea.

Before the merchant ship docked, the immortal Fox King saw from a distance some female demons flying over, dressed in flowing robes, gliding like immortals, circling the ship to check for safety.

These female demons carried with them the scent of flowers, a rich fragrance that seemed to be spices. Mei Hu was surprised in her heart, Huaguo Mountain was indeed a place of outstanding people and enchanting land, even the spices used by ordinary little demons were better than hers.

The immortal Fox King, however, turned his gaze toward the shore and spotted a Monkey Spirit among the welcoming demons.

The immortal Fox King invoked his Dharma Eye to look over there; the Monkey Spirit had a golden glow on its back, unlike the other demons around, and not a trace of malevolent aura.

The solitary King shuddered, knowing that those golden lights were a sign of infused Merit.

On this island, there was only one person with such Merit.

"I was unaware that Monkey King was here, my apologies."

After the ship docked, the immortal Fox King bowed to the Monkey Spirit onshore.

As he spoke, the crowd of demons stirred, but the Monkey Spirit showed a look of surprise.

Until now, no demon had ever recognized at first glance that he was an incarnation of Sun Wukong.

The Monkey Spirit smiled and nodded at the immortal Fox King, then disappeared.

"That old Fox Demon does have some cultivation indeed."

In Shuilian Cave, Sun Wukong opened his eyes.

"Where did brother go?"

Ao Luan asked.

"I heard that an immortal Fox King has come with his family."

Sun Wukong said: "His daughter Mei Hu is a famed beauty, I went to take a look, thankful that a second Mei Hu didn't appear."

Ao Luan giggled.

She understood what Sun Wukong was worried about. Foxes are naturally seductive, and there are many beautiful female Fox Demons once transformed. Huaguo Mountain had a Mei Hu with peerless beauty, which had brought quite a bit of trouble over the years.

Huaguo Mountain was a place where humans and demons coexisted, but thanks to strict management, the issues that arose were fewer than those caused by that Mei Hu.

"I heard that Mei Hu holds a grudge against brother?"

Ao Luan asked.

"Mhm." Sun Wukong nodded: "I wouldn't allow her to become the Fox King."

That Mei Hu was the transformed fox that the two Demon Kings had captured to gain favor after Sun Wukong returned from his cultivation journey.

After the previous Fox King passed, Sun Wukong, fearing Mei Hu would cause trouble, did not allow her to become the Fox King and also restricted her activities within Huaguo Mountain.

Because of this, Mei Hu held some resentment towards Sun Wukong.

"Let's not talk about this for now."

Sun Wukong looked towards Ao Luan: "Are there any issues with that document?"

"Yes."

Ao Luan hurriedly took out the document: "I have assigned work based on willingness and ability as you instructed, brother, but setting work targets as outlined here is quite difficult."

Sun Wukong had written about the importance of setting targets for those demons who have learned and achieved something at work, highlighting that these must be feasible, controllable, definable, explicit, voluntary, progressive, and quantifiable.

The series of terms made Ao Luan very confused.

"It was too much for you."

Sun Wukong glanced at the document in Ao Luan's hands, realizing it was overly complicated from the start; no wonder Ao Luan couldn't understand.

Huaguo Mountain, intended to be the future model for ruling the world, was a place where Sun Wukong hoped to implement a more scientific organizational system, but that was not something that could be rushed.

Sun Wukong tore up the document.

"First, set a short-term goal for the young demons, make it a bit challenging; that shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

Ao Luan shook his head and then said respectfully: "I look to you for guidance, brother."

"Take those young demons who have learned about construction, for example."

Sun Wukong smiled: "Set strict requirements for them to create building blueprints, and then have them build according to the blueprints on the island. Reward those who are successful."

Ao Luan nodded: "I understand now."

"Targets should gradually escalate to motivate and screen for talent. You can't do this task alone, you'll need to collaborate with the four elder monkeys, train the young demons responsible for management, let them gain experience, and improve the system through practice."

Sun Wukong reminded: "Don't rush, take it slow."

They had plenty of time. By starting with a small goal and off to a good start, the demons could gradually improve their work system, eventually achieving precise work management.

Meticulous management could keep pace with productivity improvements, complementing each other rather than holding back.

"Mr. Gu Zhi."

Sun Wukong then addressed the man beside him: "This is very important, I want you to take part in this research as well."

Gu Zhi quickly bowed: "Your command."

This was a challenging task and Gu Zhi was very pleased.

"If the Great King's idea works, the young demons will become eager to progress."

The human male stroked his beard and said: "This motivational technique is far more detailed than anything human nations have done."

This wasn't just about the human nations, even the Heavenly Palace couldn't match such detailed management ideas.

The man marveled inwardly.

The Monkey King had many unique insights, truly unparalleled.

"Mr. Zhang Liang, is Han Gaozu still being cautious towards Huaguo Mountain?"

Sun Wukong inquired of the man.

The man named Zhang Liang was a founding hero of the Han Dynasty from the Southern Continent. Having sought immortal cultivation since childhood, he left the Han Dynasty six years ago to cultivate on Huaguo Mountain.

He was exceptionally intelligent, the most valued human cultivator on Huaguo Mountain, but Sun Wukong knew in his heart that Zhang Liang was also monitoring him on behalf of the Human King.

"The Great King worries too much."

Zhang Liang said to Sun Wukong: "What the Great King has done has put Han Gaozu's mind at ease."

Han Gaozu was suspicious by nature and indeed had his reservations about Sun Wukong — but that is now past.

Sun Wukong's preference to create five new islands to expand his domain instead of encroaching upon the nearby Kingdom of Aolai proved he had no external ambitions and had no intention of becoming an enemy to humans.

"Han Gaozu holds the Great King in high admiration."

Zhang Liang said: "He told me to relay a message that if the Great King has the time, he would be honored to host a banquet for you in Chang'an."