Chapter Twenty: Reunion with Wang Yue

“Brother Shen, you’re back?”

The little fox felt the subtle connection between herself and Shen Chang’an, and her heart fluttered with excitement. When Shen Chang’an had said he might never return, she had been heartsick for a long time. Yet now, he had quietly come back again, as if nothing had happened.

“Hmph! Brother Shen is such a fool. He must be playing tricks on me on purpose! I’m not going to see him!”

She snorted, yet she didn’t immediately follow the sense of his presence. She had just broken through her cultivation and made quite a few enemies among the other demons. If she rushed over recklessly, not only would she be unable to help Shen Chang’an, she would likely bring him even more trouble. Besides, the journey from Jizhou to Youzhou was long; by the time she arrived, Shen Chang’an would either be dead or already gone.

But to say she didn’t care would be a lie—the worry was plain on her lovely young face, revealing all her inner thoughts. Fortunately, there was no one around to see what was on the little fox’s mind.

“Brother Shen, don’t let yourself be seduced by some other vixen…” she fretted inwardly.

...

“Hm? Taoist, is there something… odd about you?”

The following morning, when Zheng Xin saw Shen Chang’an, a strange look flickered across her face.

Shen Chang’an touched his cheek, puzzled. “What is it?”

Zheng Xin studied him with a frown for a long while before asking, “Did you put on makeup?”

He glared at her, annoyed. “Where would I get cosmetics? Why would I put on makeup?”

“But…” Zheng Xin kept looking at him up and down, and then said, “You look even more… well, enchanting than you did yesterday.”

Shen Chang’an was sipping his tea and nearly dropped his cup. “Can’t you find a better word? Who describes a man that way?”

Zheng Xin shrugged and sniffed. “It’s true, you should see for yourself. You look completely different from yesterday.”

Shen Chang’an pursed his lips and said nothing more. He had already looked in the mirror that morning, so he knew what he looked like. His appearance hadn’t changed much, but on closer inspection, his skin was smoother and more lustrous, fairer and more flawless than a woman’s—no wonder Zheng Xin called him “enchanting.”

Clearly, the power of the Celestial Fox had not only granted him three divine abilities but had also transformed his body. Some old wounds from past battles were now healed. Not only that, though his skin had become fairer, its toughness had greatly increased. He’d tested it—an ordinary knife struggled to cut him unless considerable force was used.

His resistance to blows had also improved a great deal. Even without using any tremendous strength, he could now easily overcome ordinary bandits.

“Enough about how you’ve turned so enchanting,” Zheng Xin said after a moment, steering the conversation back. “Have you thought about today’s matter? How do you plan to investigate that manor?”

She was eager to accomplish something great to prove herself, and this was her chance. The entire city of Fangcheng was built on a lie; if she could expose it, her name would surely spread far and wide.

Shen Chang’an’s expression grew serious. “This isn’t easy. We know where the summer villa is, but there’s a concealment spell over that mountain. Ordinary people can’t even see it. If we want to get in, we’ll have to…”

He had just begun when someone suddenly called out, “Taoist Shen! We meet again!”

Shen Chang’an paused and turned to see none other than Wang Yue, the junior officer from the Demon Purging Division, with whom he had previously fought demons.

“Tsk, so it’s Lord Wang…”

Wang Yue looked surprised. For some reason, he thought he sensed a hint of… dislike from Shen Chang’an?

It must be his imagination.

Wang Yue dismissed the thought, approached in a friendly manner, and said with a smile, “I never expected to run into you in Fangcheng, Taoist Shen. What a coincidence. By the way, where’s Miss Zheng? Wasn’t she with you before?”

Zheng Xin’s lips twitched, but she replied, “I’m right here…”

Wang Yue turned, startled, then quickly recovered. “Ah, Miss Zheng has changed her attire. Forgive my poor eyes for not recognizing you right away.”

Shen Chang’an lowered his voice and muttered, “If you speak any louder, she’ll have to put her dress back on.”

Only then did Wang Yue realize his voice had been a bit too loud. Fortunately, Shen Chang’an and Zheng Xin had risen early, and the people of Fangcheng were rather lazy in the mornings—there was hardly anyone about, so they didn’t draw attention.

“Sorry, my apologies…”

“So why are you here in Fangcheng, Lord Wang? Did you come with a merchant caravan? I didn’t see your group.”

Wang Yue scratched his head sheepishly. “No need for titles, just call me Wang Yue. I didn’t come with any caravan. I’m with the Demon Purging Division—they wouldn’t keep me out of Fangcheng.”

Shen Chang’an pursed his lips, feeling a bit chagrined—he’d had to put in quite some effort to sneak in, after all.

“As for my reason for coming, it’s nothing special—just a routine inspection. Fangcheng has just been built, and the officials in charge haven’t been appointed yet, so it falls to our division to make regular rounds. And you, Taoist Shen?”

Shen Chang’an thought for a moment, then said earnestly, “I came here mainly to investigate the rat infestation. Wang Yue, since you’re here on inspection, let me ask: does the Demon Purging Division have any records of a rat infestation in Fangcheng?”

Wang Yue was about to say that division secrets couldn’t be disclosed, but seeing Shen Chang’an’s calm indifference, he realized that if he refused, Shen Chang’an would probably just brush him off in a few words. He didn’t want to lose face.

He’d seen Shen Chang’an’s abilities before. If anyone else had mentioned a rat infestation, he wouldn’t have cared. But coming from Shen Chang’an, he had to take it seriously.

“Well, though the division’s affairs are confidential, you’re asking for the sake of the people. I suppose there’s no harm in telling you…”

Wang Yue began to recount all he knew about the rat infestation in Fangcheng, leaving nothing out.