Chapter 23: The Art of Appraisal—A Fortune-Blessed Golden Leopard?

(1/3)

Cao Kong was taken aback—what luck! He was to be taught the method of treasure discernment and given all the spiritual spring water, just in exchange for half of the spiritual wine.

Naturally delighted, he laughed, “So you’re a lover of wine, King.”

The Yellow Lion waved a paw dismissively. “Don’t call me King. Brother Cao, your cultivation is profound; let us address each other as brothers. Just call me Yellow Lion.”

Cao Kong smiled and agreed, noting the lion’s fondness for spiritual wine. He added, “I know many methods of brewing. If there are any spiritual fruits in the mountains, let me know—I can try to make wine from them.”

The Yellow Lion was overjoyed at the suggestion. Cao Kong said, “Brother Yellow Lion, you seem to be trading quite a lot for just a few cups of wine. Isn’t that a bit unfair to you?”

The lion replied earnestly, “Not at all, Brother Cao. Since I drank your wine, not only has my demon power increased a little, but I’ve also felt intangible benefits that I cannot put into words.”

Cao Kong pondered for a moment, ruling out the wine itself—it was good for its flavor, but its efficacy likely came from the innate nectar infused within. He recalled Ao You’s reaction to the nectar and realized there might be more to discover.

“Brother Yellow Lion, is this what you desire?” After a brief thought, Cao Kong activated the four Dao marks within his Niwan Palace, condensing a drop of innate nectar, wrapped in golden light, and floated it before the Yellow Lion.

After so many days together, he had come to know the temperament of the Yellow Lion and the six bamboo lions. There might be flaws, but overall, not only among demons, even compared to ordinary humans, they could be considered virtuous.

Of course, the Yellow Lion did later use magic to steal the weapons of Sun Wukong and others, which was certainly wrong—a moment of greed he should not have indulged. Yet, who among mortals is without fault? With Cao Kong present, he was determined not to let the Yellow Lion and the six lions repeat their mistakes and meet a tragic end.

As a demon, the Yellow Lion was admirable: gentle in temperament, never exploiting the lesser demons, and even leading them daily to recite scriptures.

Moreover, now that he had become a disciple of the Supreme Lord of Universal Salvation, and these seven lions revered the Nine-Spirit Saint as their ancestor, there was deep kinship—no reason to conceal anything.

The Yellow Lion’s eyes widened at the sight of the innate nectar. “Yes, yes, exactly.”

Cao Kong laughed, “Take it, by all means. It’s not difficult for me to obtain more, and I can give you some in the future. As for spiritual wine, if I brew it again, I won’t be stingy. Good wine should be shared among friends.”

(2/3)

The Yellow Lion, seeing Cao Kong’s generosity, felt more convinced than ever that allowing him into the mountain had been the wisest decision.

After swallowing the innate nectar, the lion wore a look of deep satisfaction.

Cao Kong mused, ‘This nectar is extraordinary. For me, it only adds a few days to my cultivation, but for them, it seems to offer far greater benefits.’

Suddenly, an idea arose: perhaps he could use this nectar at the treasure exchange gathering to trade for items he desired.

“Brother Yellow Lion, in your opinion, what value does my nectar hold if traded?”

The Yellow Lion pondered, then said, “I know the method to appraise treasures, which allows me to judge their worth. This drop of nectar, in my eyes, shines with a treasure light like a spiritual herb that could increase one’s cultivation by months, yet its benefits seem even greater, though I can’t quite describe them.”

“This appraisal method requires your own judgment. For example, if a mountain before me were filled with spiritual herbs and treasures, the treasure light would be broad and plentiful. But if a high-quality divine weapon were before me, its treasure light would be dense and brilliant.”

Cao Kong now understood: quantity versus quality.

The lion soon taught him the treasure appraisal method—a heart mantra, combined with circulating energy along specific meridians, focusing it in the eyes to perceive the treasure light of an item.

The brighter the treasure light, the better the item; the dimmer, the less valuable.

After reciting the mantra, the Yellow Lion smiled with pride. “This method is difficult. First, our ancestor taught me for more than half a month, then I meditated on it for another six, before mastering it. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask me. I’ll answer everything, leaving nothing out.”

Cao Kong nodded silently and saw the lion out.

The next moment, he effortlessly employed the method the Yellow Lion had called extremely difficult, and at once condensed another drop of innate nectar in his palm, with treasure light swirling like mist atop it.

Excellent—he had mastered it, though he decided not to mention this, to spare the lion’s pride.

…

Time flowed swiftly; a month passed, and within Cao Kong’s Niwan Palace, the energy field of a nascent golden core had begun to form, separating clarity from turbidity, cycling like the rise and fall of yin yang in nature.

Delighted, Cao Kong knew the next step was to absorb the five elemental energies and establish their cyclical interplay—a pattern of mutual generation and overcoming.

Soon, a quiet urge stirred within him, prompting him to descend the mountain the next day for a journey, and to visit the treasure exchange assembly atop Teng You Mountain.

(3/3)

To his surprise, his younger brother, the Golden Leopard, wished to accompany him.

Cao Kong looked at the leopard-headed, human-bodied Golden Leopard, who seemed rather dignified and prosperous. But if they traveled together and encountered others, he would surely frighten them.

He gently advised, “You haven’t fully transformed yet; it’s best to focus on your cultivation. The nectar I gave you should be taken diligently—it will help you greatly.”

The Golden Leopard felt hurt, spurned by his own brother. He had only cultivated for a few decades and could barely maintain a partial human form, but had worked hard at it. Uttering a plaintive meow, he ran off.

Cao Kong shook his head, hoping this would spur the leopard’s determination. Cultivation was personal—if he encountered trouble later on, it would be his own strength to rely on.

Thus, on Leopard Head Mountain, a Golden Leopard left in the morning, but a young man returned in the evening. Handsome and charming, with a gentle, naive air and features somewhat resembling Cao Kong.

After learning what had happened, Cao Kong was stunned for a long moment before asking again, “You mean, when you ran off this morning, you accidentally fell into a cave in the back mountain, found a spiritual herb growing there, couldn’t resist eating it, then felt your bones itch—and transformed into human form?”

The Golden Leopard nodded proudly. “Now that I’m fully human, I can go out with you, right?”

Cao Kong replied, “You can, though your luck does seem rather exaggerated.”

“Brother, have you forgotten? I’ve always been lucky. Back when we were on Misty Mountain, you said we could pick up gold and silver, and I often found them. Later, I thought I’d picked up too much, so I stopped bringing it back to the cave.”

Cao Kong suddenly realized it was true—during that period, he’d even suspected there was a gold mine beneath Misty Mountain.

Later, once the leopard stopped collecting, the gold disappeared.

‘Could it be that my brother is someone with profound fortune?’ Cao Kong wondered. But if his fortune was so deep, why was he killed?

He thought it over—oh, it was because the Golden Leopard not only wanted to eat Tang Monk’s flesh, but also claimed the title of King of South Mountain.

With this realization, Cao Kong felt a cold chill. How could he have overlooked such a thing?