A businessman, flanked by a sizeable entourage, emerged from the airport. A luxury sedan waited outside for him. After issuing a few clipped instructions to those around him, he settled directly into the car. Five or six other vehicles immediately followed his as they sped away, maintaining the same air of arrogant prestige as their owner amidst the stream of traffic.

A lone man had been watching this entire procession from a corner of the airport. He slowly approached the entrance to the main hall, tracking the motorcade as it merged onto the nearby overpass, a faint smile touching his lips.

Then, just like a scene in a movie, everything happened in an instant.

The luxury sedan on the overpass abruptly wrenched into a sharp turn, surging toward the barrier. The vehicle’s massive inertia snapped the stainless steel guardrail—thick as a man's arm—and it plunged downward, crashing onto the traffic lanes below. A tremendous impact was followed by a chorus of emergency braking, screeching metal, and grinding collisions, culminating in screams and a series of explosions. The fallen sedan had struck a moving car, which in turn was rear-ended by another vehicle unable to stop in time. Now three cars were crushed together, fiercely engulfed in flames. The metal bodies were twisted into unrecognizable heaps; rescue for the occupants seemed impossible. The sudden catastrophe triggered several subsequent accidents nearby, some of them severe, injuring drivers and passengers alike. Yet, faced with the horrific sight of those two burning wrecks, no one dared utter a complaint; they simply stared mutely at the wreckage, the sound of approaching police sirens growing louder.

The dense smoke and fire from the crash site were visible even from a great distance. People inside and outside the airport pointed fingers, uncertainly speculating about the disaster unfolding nearby, just as the man who had been lurking in the shadows stepped out. He nodded approvingly toward the source of the smoke, a serene smile spreading across his face. He cared nothing for the casualties; his only concern was that his target had been erased from this world. As his face caught the sunlight, it revealed an unsettling pallor. Passersby subtly averted their gazes, giving him a wide berth. This man, clad in a peculiar grey robe, his bloodless face marred by a crimson smile, inspired an immediate, instinctive dread.

The man paid them no mind. He looked toward the distance, knowing his commission was successfully executed; the one million yuan would soon be wired to his account. He murmured an incantation, recalling the spirit envoy and the fox spirit he had dispatched.

Zhou Ying maneuvered his car as close to the roadside as possible, allowing the flashing lights and wailing sirens of the police cars to speed past. The road ahead was completely gridlocked. More and more vehicles were stopped along the shoulders. Impatient drivers laid on their horns, while others simply got out to discuss the nature of the accident with strangers around them.

Zhou Ying possessed infinite patience for waiting, so even though he could have easily used his Suo Di Shu (Shortening the Ground Technique) to escape the traffic jam, he chose not to. Furthermore, he felt no interest in the specifics of the collision ahead—after all, accidents of varying severity occurred in this city almost daily, a mundane occurrence for a driver like him. Zhou Ying waited quietly, the only sound in his cabin being Huo'er’s snoring.

Another wave of sirens approached from afar, several police cars and ambulances racing through. This accident must be very serious, Zhou Ying mused. Then came another surge of sirens, this time featuring mostly upscale sedans, indicating high-ranking officials were inside. Perhaps someone important was involved in that crash? Zhou Ying deduced, based on his understanding of human affairs.

“Ugh... I can’t take it anymore!” Huo’er yelped, jumping up after the procession of police cars passed. “So loud! So noisy! Whoever wants to die can disturb my sleep!” It harbored intense hatred for anyone waking it from slumber and never hesitated to use extreme measures against them. It hopped onto the window ledge, peering out fiercely. “Who? Who is it? Come out!”

An unfortunate police car was passing by the roadside just then, its siren blaring offensively.

“That’s you! Stop! I’ll eat you!” Huo’er shrieked and shot out the window in pursuit. Zhou Ying reacted instantly, using his invisibility technique to follow. He couldn't afford for Huo’er to cause another major accident amid this chaos.

“Stop!” Huo’er dove toward the police car. Zhou Ying hastily spread his arms to intercept it, but Huo’er slammed into his chest with its head, sending them tumbling off the overpass together.

“Ouch... Ying, why did you suddenly jump out?” Huo’er scrambled out of Zhou Ying’s embrace and looked around. “Damn it, let that police car get away! All these squad cars look the same, which one was it?” Huo’er scanned the dozen or so vehicles.

Zhou Ying struggled to stand up—being hit by Huo’er was no small matter, even for a non-ordinary spirit. Fortunately, he was accustomed to Huo’er's strength from the start, and Huo’er hadn't used its full power on the police car. “Huo’er...” His voice was inevitably weak. “Stop messing around; there are too many humans here.”

“Ying! What’s wrong with you?” Huo’er finally noticed the change in his voice, shrieking and leaping into his arms. “Ying! You’re hurt! Who—who attacked you! Who dares!” It grabbed Zhou Ying’s collar and shook him wildly, then soared into the air, hunting for the adversary who had "assassinated" Ying.

“Huo’er...”

“Found them!” Huo’er’s sharp eyes immediately locked onto the target: two fleeting ‘demon’ shadows darting in the distance. “Attacking Ying and trying to run away!” Huo’er narrowed its eyes, rubbed its wings together, and a large plume of flame erupted around its body. Filled with ‘raging fire,’ it charged toward the spot. This time, Zhou Ying lacked the strength to stop it, watching helplessly as those two unlucky, innocent spirits were about to bear the terrifying consequences of Huo’er’s mistake.

As it flew closer, Huo’er clearly saw the two figures were a Guishi (a spirit servant forged from the souls of infants or young boys; typically favored by human cultivators, though some demons use them; cultivators and demons differ in temperament, leading to incidents where souls are seized to acquire a fine Guishi) and a fox spirit.

Huo’er swooped down, giving the targets no chance to resist, snatched one up, and threw it into its mouth. By the time Zhou Ying arrived, Huo’er was spitting out fur, complaining, “Pah! Tastes weird, like gasoline. I should have skinned it first before eating.”

“Huo’er, what did you eat?” Huo’er’s action was too swift; even Zhou Ying hadn't clearly seen what it had grabbed.

“A fox—that term is weird, Fox (referring to Lin Rui) would get angry if he heard it—and it tasted bad,” Huo’er commented, smacking its lips. While it was speaking to Zhou Ying, the Guishi had vanished without a trace. Huo’er harbored a stronger aversion to ghost-type food than it did to vegetables, so it didn't even bother pursuing it (its mind had already reframed avenging Zhou Ying as finding something to eat).

Zhou Ying watched the traffic ahead begin to ease under the direction of the traffic police. He patted Huo’er’s head, got back into the car, and started the engine.

“Why did you hit me! I didn’t do anything wrong!” (Normally, if Huo’er did something that warranted ten spankings for a normal demonic child, Zhou Ying would only give it one pat as a mild warning.) “What did I do! Tell me clearly!” Huo’er shouted indignantly. “Apologize to me, or this isn't over!”

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Apologize right now, you purveyor of domestic violence! Child abuse! Hindering my normal physical and mental growth! Persecuting the future of the world (All demons: How terrifying the future of the world could be!)! Apologize immediately, and I’ll forgive you!” Huo’er unleashed every word it knew in one breath.

“Fine, I’m sorry, Huo’er,” Zhou Ying finally conceded, unable to bear the noise.

“Hmph, that’s better. I am magnanimous, so I forgive you.”

Zhou Ying and Huo’er finally left the gridlocked scene. For them, the event was merely a snack time for Huo’er and a brief mention in the papers: “Wealthy Businessman Dies in Freak Overpass Accident; Cause Under Investigation.” But for many humans, this was a momentous tragedy. This was true not only from the victim’s perspective but also for the assassin who controlled the fox spirit and the Guishi.

A scream mixed with pain, disappointment, rage, and utter heartbreak erupted from the man.

The instant his connection with the fox was severed, he knew disaster had struck. Then the Guishi returned, bringing precise news: “The Fox was eaten by a powerful demon.” As it reported this, the Guishi's face clearly displayed mockery and schadenfreude.

Like the fox, the Guishi had been acquired and controlled by this man through unscrupulous means. The difference was that the Guishi was relatively easier to obtain. One only needed to find a human child with compatible astrological data, abduct or kidnap them, extract their heart's blood, and refine it to gain a highly capable and perfectly obedient servant. The fox, however, was much rarer.

Demons could ally with humans, but controlling them required immensely powerful magic (Imagine possessing such formidable power—why bother controlling a demon to do chores?). This man made a living using Guishi for assassinations and theft, but because his own magical prowess was low, the Guishi's abilities were limited, restricting him to petty activities. That was until recently, when he accidentally encountered a fox demon grievously wounded from a recent battle. He naturally seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, immediately turning the fox demon into his thrall. Although the fox, like the Guishi, was compelled by sorcery to obey him, it secretly harbored deep-seated hatred. But he didn't care; with this fox, he could finally stretch his legs and achieve things previously only dreamed of.

As soon as the fox recovered from its injuries, he took on the assignment to assassinate the tycoon. One million yuan, a negligible sum to the client who stood to gain from the target's death, was an astronomical figure to him. What truly excited him was the fox’s successful first strike, which confirmed the strength of the power he now wielded, hinting at how much he could accomplish, how much money he could earn, or how great an influence he could command in the future... Just as he began weaving these grand plans, his dream shattered.

The fox was eaten.

Swallowed whole by a mighty demon.

Against such overwhelming power, he had no room for revenge, and obtaining another demon servant seemed nearly impossible. He understood this clearly, and the Guishi did too, which was why even after being severely punished by him, the Guishi still hid a smile. It held back one crucial piece of information—information it could have concealed had the man not asked: the one who ate the fox was a Bifang that should never have appeared in the human realm.

Shen Aixiang gazed with a crestfallen face at the empty classroom and sighed, grabbing a broom to begin sweeping.

Shen Aixiang was precisely the kind of child who found himself routinely extorted for pocket money or made the subject of pranks simply for amusement. Today, he had been naturally abandoned by his group members to handle the cleaning duties alone. No matter how hard he worked, the sun dipped lower, and only as he wiped down the final desk did the sunlight flash briefly against the distant buildings before disappearing altogether.

The classroom, instantly filled with shadows, suddenly felt menacing. Shen Aixiang snatched his bag and bolted for the door, then rushed back just as quickly to lock it, remembering he had left it open. As he ran past row after row of empty classrooms, all the ghost stories he’d heard about the school flooded his mind. Shen Aixiang closed his eyes and sprinted toward the school gate.

“Ow!”

He collided head-on with someone. The person yelped and grabbed Shen Aixiang, shouting loudly, “Are you blind when you walk?”

Six or seven boys stood before him, all in athletic wear, dripping sweat, shirts slung over their shoulders, and holding ping-pong paddles. Shen Aixiang knew the school’s ping-pong team was training late every day for the provincial competition. He desperately wanted to avoid these students, who generally had a poor reputation among the class, but it seemed impossible to escape them today.

“What class are you? Watch where you’re going.” The ping-pong team members, exhausted from intense training and having lost several matches lately, were in no good humor. Seeing Shen Aixiang’s expression—a look that practically invited bullying—they couldn't help but yell at him.

“He’s in my class,” a voice came slowly from behind.

Lin Rui had been trailing listlessly at the back. The teammates he had just defeated were displeased, and he himself was annoyed at being dragged into this training session by the teacher. Now, hearing the ping-pong team members murmuring insults—saying the teacher favored him to let him join the team—he seized the opportunity to join the fray. He had long wanted to teach them a lesson and might as well use this chance to quit a team he never wanted to join in the first place.

“Lin Rui,” Shen Aixiang murmured. Though Lin Rui was an honor student and they shared a classroom, they seemed inhabitants of different worlds. Still, they recognized each other.

Then, Shen Aixiang coordinated with Lin Rui, letting out a sharp scream as Lin Rui’s punch landed.

Ten minutes later, Shen Aixiang and Lin Rui walked out of the school gates, one slightly ahead of the other.

Shen Aixiang knew it was too late to go home now; his mother would certainly nag incessantly. If he told her the truth, she would only march to the school to complain to the teachers, making his life there even harder. He hurried down the road home, hoping to arrive before his father to avoid yet another slap for being out so late "playing around."

He covertly glanced back at Lin Rui. Lin Rui wasn't noticeably speeding up but remained walking a short distance behind him. Half the students at Shannan Road Elementary lived in Taoyuan Community, meaning many students walked the same way home after school. Seeing Lin Rui maintain a steady pace, Shen Aixiang felt a pang of envy that Lin Rui didn't have to worry about parental reprimands upon returning home. A student as outstanding academically and morally as Lin Rui must be cherished by both teachers and parents. Shen Aixiang was certain that, regardless of the circumstances, Lin Rui would never be scolded by his parents without reason.

Lin Rui, yawning as he walked, was thinking along entirely different lines from Shen Aixiang. His mother was working late again tonight, tutoring students. By the time he got home, she would likely already be gone. Since Mother wasn't home, there was no need to pretend to study diligently. So, what should he do tonight? Play games? Sleep? Watch a movie? Or perhaps find Huo’er to go hunting? It had been a while since they hunted. Decision made: he would hunt a hunter to eat! Lin Rui resolved this, bouncing slightly as he headed back.

Upon returning home, Lin Rui was surprised to find his mother hadn't left for work.

“Xiao Rui, wash your hands and get ready for dinner,” Lin Qingping said, taking his school bag and gently wiping the dust from his face.

“I kept winning today, but it wasn’t fun; I don’t like ping-pong.” Lin Rui omitted any mention of the altercation with the ping-pong team after school. His plan required gradual execution; the most important first step was letting his mother know he disliked the sport.

“You child, you get involved in a sport and then suddenly dislike it. Mom doesn't want you to become a bookworm.”

“I’m not a bookworm.” Lin Rui washed his hands and immediately darted to the table. “Mom, you don’t have overtime tonight?”

“Good.” Lin Rui replied instantly. Any minor friction with classmates could be resolved with a single finger, and he certainly didn't want to worry his mother.

“Huo’er, turn into a human and show yourself to my mom.” Lin Rui clutched his head, trying hard to formulate a plan.

“You want me to turn human? But I can’t do that,” Huo’er replied, scratching its head in difficulty (As a spirit beast, the Bifang possessed mighty power, but apart from transforming into flames, they could not easily shift forms. Only the most powerful Bifang, thousands of years old, had the ability to take human shape—an impossibility for Huo’er.) “Why don’t you ask Ying or Liu Di to help you change?”

“Hunting! Hunting!” Huo’er suddenly grew energetic. “Hunt a demon to eat? Or go beat up Liu Di? Or maybe hunt a hunter? But you don’t like eating them!”

“It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter. I just want to stretch my limbs. Whatever I catch, you can eat,” Lin Rui said.

“Which one?” Huo’er asked indistinctly, its mouth full of something.

“One of the students in my class, who also lives in Taoyuan Community. Most importantly, he’s a timid, useless fellow. If we scare him, he’ll obediently follow orders and do whatever we tell him to,” Lin Rui mused, stroking his chin with a confident smile.

Shen Aixiang had been living in trepidation these past few days. Lin Rui’s violent outburst against the ping-pong team had, after all, been on his behalf, and he deeply feared that the supposedly "tough" students at school would seek revenge on him. He secretly observed Lin Rui and found that the perpetrator of the violence appeared remarkably composed, as if he had already forgotten the incident, treating the casual beating of others as something perfectly normal.

Lin Rui had transferred to this class almost a year ago, but Shen Aixiang had never really paid him much attention. Generally, a student as academically and morally superior as Lin Rui existed in an entirely different sphere from Shen Aixiang.

Things, however, were not as simple as Shen Aixiang perceived.

Soon it was his group’s turn to be on cleaning duty again. As soon as school ended, the other students in his group immediately packed up, acting as if leaving Shen Aixiang alone to do the cleaning was the established order. Shen Aixiang was accustomed to this treatment and resignedly began preparing to sweep.

“Shen Aixiang, aren't you leaving?” Lin Rui had returned at some point, leaning against the doorframe. “Didn’t we agree to play games at my place today?”

“Go to your place? I, I...” Shen Aixiang couldn't recall such an arrangement. He usually didn't dare speak to Lin Rui, let alone visit his home.

“You forgot? I already asked my mom to prepare extra food for you. Let’s go.”

“I have cleaning duty.”

Lin Rui raised an eyebrow, gesturing toward the others. “Tell them to do it. It’s not like you’re the only one, and besides, they always leave you alone to do it anyway, right?” Seeing Lin Rui’s sarcastic smile, the other classmates immediately pictured the consequences—like being reported to Teacher Xiang—if they objected. No one dared speak, watching as Lin Rui pulled Shen Aixiang away.

*That was a fight you started—*Shen Aixiang thought, but he dared not voice it.

Fortunately, the time spent at Lin Rui’s house was quite pleasant.

Lin Rui seemed to come from a single-parent home, but his mother was gentle and kind, and her cooking was exceptionally good. Moreover, she didn't object to her child playing games after finishing homework. So, as Shen Aixiang was leaving, he felt a pang of jealousy toward Lin Rui.

“Alright, alright, off you go. I’m nearly exhausted from playing with you all evening,” Lin Rui roughly pushed Shen Aixiang out the door, yawning widely. He was a stark contrast to the well-behaved, gentle demeanor he exhibited at home, his face now alight with impatience.

Earlier, Lin Rui had been the one playing enthusiastically, repeatedly insisting that Shen Aixiang stay for “just one more round,” but Shen Aixiang dared not express his true feelings.

During physical education class, Shen Aixiang dreaded the moment the teacher told them to form teams freely, as he was always the last one picked, left standing on the sidelines watching everyone else play with gusto. In stark contrast was Lin Rui, whom everyone scrambled to include in their groups, save for a few who prided themselves on their athletic prowess and refused to stoop to asking.

Shen Aixiang stood on the periphery of the crowd, staring out with a pitiable gaze.

Lin Rui looked up to see the teacher watching them, so he jogged over to Shen Aixiang, raised his hand, and asked, "Lin Rui and Shen Aixiang are a team. Who wants to join us?"

The teacher nodded in satisfaction, further solidifying the impression that Lin Rui was not only an excellent student but also a considerate classmate willing to help those who lagged behind.

"I don't know how to do this problem."

"Me neither."

"Has anyone solved it yet? Help!"

Before the notoriously strict math teacher arrived to collect homework, the classroom was filled with overlapping groans of despair. Soon, the few students known for their academic excellence became the targets of a surrounding crowd. Some reluctantly hid their papers, unwilling to help, while others smugly presented their work for others to copy.

Shen Aixiang clutched his notebook and cautiously approached Lin Rui, asking ingratiatingly, "Lin Rui, do you know how to do this problem?"

There were no supplicants around Lin Rui, because everyone was familiar with his temperament; he disdained anyone who couldn't even manage their homework. Far from helping, they’d be lucky to avoid being mocked as an idiot. Sure enough, he shot Shen Aixiang a disdainful look: "Idiot. You can't even do something this simple. Don't even think about copying mine; even if you did, you still wouldn't understand it."

"Lin Rui..."

"Bang!" Lin Rui slammed his exercise book onto the desk, flipped to the required page, and demanded, "Tell me, what specifically don't you get?"

"...I don't get any of it..."

"All of it... You really are uniquely dense... Look, this is how you do this problem. Hurry up and learn it so I can leave—my mother asked me to take you over to play..." Seeing Lin Rui teaching Shen Aixiang, the other students gradually edged closer, craning their necks to listen.

"Lin Rui, I lost my textbook..." Shen Aixiang choked out, on the verge of tears.

"Don't ask me. I won't lend you mine."

"Waaah, what do I do? This is the third one I've lost. My mom definitely won't buy me another one... Waaah, I’m going to get beaten..."

"Stop crying in my ear, you’re annoying!"

"Waaaaah..."

"Where did you originally put your book?"

"In my desk... Waaah..."

"When did it go missing?"

"It was there during the last class..."

"You three, I saw you loitering around Shen Aixiang’s desk just now. Did you take it? Hand it over now, or I’ll search you!"

"..."

"Won't confess! I'll tell the teacher you stole Shen Aixiang's book."

"..."

"Ask me for proof? I’ll just say I saw it with my own eyes. What are you going to do about it? You think the teacher will believe you? Give me back my book? Heh heh heh, give the book back, and then I’ll let you go—I'll treat Shen Aixiang and me to ice cream!"

"..."

"Stop crying; didn't I find your book for you! I even treated you to ice cream! I already told my mom I was coming to your place today. Stop crying like I beat you up on the way!"

A few boys cornered Shen Aixiang and aggressively demanded his money. One of them even snatched his backpack and started rummaging through it.

"I only brought ten yuan." Startled by the older boys, Shen Aixiang immediately handed over everything he had.

"Hmph." The boy threw his backpack on the ground, stomped on it, and sneered, "We need at least thirty. We're going online today! Or we’ll skin you alive."

"I really only have this much... I'll owe you, and I promise to pay you back tomorrow..." Shen Aixiang pleaded.

Rubbing his painfully pinched hand, Shen Aixiang slipped back into the classroom and leaned close to Lin Rui, asking, "Xiao Rui, do you have twenty yuan?"

"Mmm, here." Lin Rui, engrossed in a book on computer programming—determined to tamper with the code to change his game level and defeat Liu Di—pulled a fifty-yuan note from his pocket without looking up and tossed it to him.

"I'll pay you back tomorrow," Shen Aixiang said, taking the money, then pausing to think. He turned back. "Xiao Rui, do you have change for twenty? If I take this much, they’ll just snatch it all."

"Snatch?" Lin Rui finally snapped out of his focus. "What are you getting money for?"

"..." Shen Aixiang lowered his head.

Those boys, seeing Shen Aixiang returning furtively, were about to approach him when they looked up and saw Lin Rui, hands firmly on his hips, standing before them, demanding menacingly, "Was it you guys bothering me while I was reading? And you tried to swindle fifty yuan out of me?"

"N-no, we didn't..." The moment the boys saw Lin Rui, they instantly seemed to shrink.

Lin Rui narrowed his eyes, considering. "It’s been a while since I had fried whole chicken..."

"Y-yes, the Cai Family Fried Chicken Shop's, right?" the boys said flatteringly.

"I want it after school. I need two birds (the other one is for Huo'er)..." He glanced at Shen Aixiang, whose eyes were wide open, and sighed. "I guess I need three..."

"That's enough." Zhou Ying let Huo'er up.

For Huo'er, removing feathers was bothersome; sometimes its favorite food, toys, or books would get scorched, and it was too lazy to clean up the mess. Zhou Ying making this daily effort saved Huo'er a lot of trouble. Huo'er snatched the large clump of feathers from Zhou Ying's hand and pecked and scratched at them with its beak. In moments, the feathers transformed into something resembling a blood-red jade. "Fox, take this. You can use it to bomb the school next time, and then you won't have to go to class every day."

"If they keep pressuring me to play ball, I might just do that," Lin Rui grumbled, snatching it and attaching it to the key ring around his neck.

"Now go play," Huo'er chirped, flapping its wings with relief.

"Come out!" As soon as Lin Rui entered the deserted alley, he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and shouted loudly. After waiting for a moment in the dead silence, his face darkened further. He punched the wall with his fist: "I'm not in the mood today, so don't provoke me into getting angry!" He had been in a foul mood these past few days, looking for anyone or any demon to beat up and vent on.

A Ghost Emissary tentatively poked its head out from around the corner of the wall.

"A Ghost Emissary? These things are rare," Lin Rui advanced step by step. "I don't care who killed you to make you this way, but why are you following me? Is your master giving the orders? Is he tired of living?"

The Ghost Emissary recoiled in terror, shaking its head desperately.

Lin Rui looked at it and realized it was formed from a human child around ten years old. If alive, this child would likely still be in elementary school, just like "Lin Rui," and cherished by his parents. Now, not only had he been brutally killed, but his soul was still being controlled by the murderer. Thinking of this, Lin Rui abandoned the idea of beating the creature up. He waved his hand and said, "Scram! Go back and tell your master that if I catch you following me again, I won't be so polite."

The Ghost Emissary acted as if granted amnesty, vanishing in a flash.

Lin Rui tilted his head, trying hard to think—why was this Ghost Emissary following him? Had he unintentionally offended someone recently? Was it that thug he extorted last time, the Daoist he beat up the time before that, or the nun before him...? He did these kinds of things so often that he couldn't pinpoint the target right away. "In any case, whoever refined a Ghost Emissary is no good. Next time I see them, I'll break their legs!" he resolved fiercely in his heart.

"Lin Rui, Lin Rui, why did you leave without waiting for me?" Shen Aixiang called out from a distance, chasing after him.

Lin Rui sighed. "I thought you had left." He had already decided to distance himself from Shen Aixiang, but unfortunately, carrying it out proved more difficult than expected.

"What are we playing today?"

"Anything is fine..." Lin Rui drooped his head listlessly, shuffling along behind him.

"Lin Rui, do you know how to do today's math homework?"

"Yes. Only an idiot wouldn't."

"Can you teach me later?"

"Lin Rui, are you talking to yourself?" Shen Aixiang asked worriedly.

Lin Rui turned to him and forced a strained smile. "No, I'm reciting my lesson."

Zhou Ying, carrying Huo'er on his shoulder, was just leaving for work and brushed past Lin Rui. "Hello, Uncle Zhou," Lin Rui greeted him very politely with a sweet smile in front of Shen Aixiang and the other neighbors in the building. Shen Aixiang quickly followed suit: "Hello, Uncle Zhou." Watching Zhou Ying descend the stairs looking dizzy, Lin Rui's mood finally lifted a little. He could even hear Huo'er laughing, "Uncle Zhou, hahahaha, Uncle Zhou..."

"Nine-Tailed Fox? Seriously? There are creatures like that in this city?" The man suddenly jumped up and grabbed the Ghost Emissary.

The Ghost Emissary nodded repeatedly, dipped its hand in the tea on the table, and drew a small fox to indicate that it was a juvenile Nine-Tailed Fox.

The man sank back into his chair, muttering to himself, "Even if it's a young fox, its parents are beyond my ability to handle. If only the fox cub I was raising hadn't died..." Ever since his fox cub was eaten by Huo'er, this man had been mired in depression, never even leaving the city, spending his days lying in a hotel drowning his sorrows. He knew his power had severely diminished after losing his cub, and the few jobs he had taken on were now impossible to complete. Furthermore, those employers were figures who absolutely would not tolerate refunds after receiving a deposit. He had no idea what to do next. Sending the Ghost Emissary out this time was originally to find a suitable human child to create a few more Ghost Emissaries for his use, but instead, the Emissary brought back news of having seen a Nine-Tailed Fox.

A Nine-Tailed Fox was a high-level monster. If he could control such a creature, he could...

However, that was just wishful thinking. If he still had that fox in his possession, he might consider such a plan, perhaps with a chance of success. But encountering a monster like that now? He was lucky if he wasn't running for his life.

The Ghost Emissary suddenly flew in front of him again, drawing a picture of a human woman and a small Nine-Tailed Fox on the table.

"What?" The man's eyes lit up. "You're saying that Nine-Tailed Fox is living with a human?"

The amusement park, bathed in moonlight, was silent and deserted. All the rides stood like shadowy figures, exuding a unique, tranquil air. Against this backdrop, a man and a woman strolled hand-in-hand, their faces alight with intimacy as they whispered sweet nothings to each other.

"Hahahaha, I'm the best!"

"If you don't fly, I bet you can't catch me!"

"Even if I don't fly, you still can't catch me!"

A burst of noisy activity approached from a distance. Soon, two figures—one red and one white—dashed over. They leaped like they were executing a triple jump, first stepping on the man's head, then the woman's head, before jumping onto the carousel and shouting as they sped past.

"Bifang..." The woman screamed and fainted in the man's arms after clearly seeing what was stepping on her.

"Damn Huo'er! Damn fox! Ruining my date again!" The handsome man yelled furiously, shaking his fists.

"Damn dog! Still trying to seduce decent women... Wait, not decent, a tasty-looking monster." The white Nine-Tailed Fox ran back, took a good look, and deliberately shouted loudly.

"A tasty monster!" Bifang immediately appeared on the scene, clutching food snatched from the Nine-Tailed Fox, only to have it snatched back by the opponent.

"This is the beauty I just found!" Liu Di held the woman tightly in his arms.

"Where is she beautiful? Where is she beautiful? She just looks generally edible!" Huo'er inspected her from head to toe and commented dismissively. "So skinny, all dry bones..."

"No one said we were letting you eat her!"

"This is my territory. All the food that appears here belongs to me!" Essentially, Huo'er had claimed all of Lixin City's streets (due to Zhou Ying's profession), the amusement park, parks, cinemas, and places where pigs, chickens, and cows were raised as its personal domain. As for bars, nightclubs, and karaoke halls, he generously ceded those to Liu Di.

Taking advantage of the argument between Huo'er and Liu Di, Lin Rui slowly finished the roasted chicken.

"I'm furious! You two unruly brats ruin every date!"

"Who's unruly?"

"You two!"

"Ask Ying—is there any better child than me!"

"I'm the most obedient child to my mother!" This time, even Lin Rui jumped into the fray.

"Everyone knows you two are the most ill-mannered violent children combo in Lixin City!" Liu Di sighed deeply over the future education of the monster generation. Seeing that the woman was about to wake up, he decided to stop them from ruining his good time further and carried her off to find a better date location.

"They lost the argument, so they ran away," Lin Rui flicked his tail.

"Exactly, exactly! Where else can they find such wonderful children as us?" Huo'er held a very high opinion of its own daily conduct.

Having driven Liu Di away, the amusement park became entirely theirs. The two chased and played, riding the roller coaster for a while, the Ferris wheel for a while, running all over the grounds until dawn was almost breaking before they tired and sat down in a tree.

"Ah ha..." Lin Rui yawned, resolving to sleep during class later.

"You two have been quite close lately. He always complains that you don't come to play with me because of him."

After seeing Lin Rui out, Shen Aixiang leaned against the door and sighed. He was alone in the house again.

He switched on all the lights, turned up the television volume, and curled up on the sofa to watch.

His father was a truck driver, and his mother was a procurement agent. Nights like this, when he was home alone, happened several times a month. He had grown somewhat accustomed to this life since his grandmother, who used to care for him, passed away two years ago. He could cook, wash dishes, and do laundry; it seemed like having his parents absent didn't matter much. But whenever the house fell silent late at night and all the lights in the neighborhood went out, he would inexplicably remember the ghost stories his grandmother used to tell him, making him too scared to sleep.

"Ring..." The telephone suddenly rang.

"Hello, Shen Aixiang, it's Lin Rui. Are you scared being home alone? Do you need me to stay the night with you?"

"N-no, I'm fine," Shen Aixiang said. Although his heart yearned for him to come, he couldn't bring himself to admit he was afraid.

Shen Aixiang hung up and sighed. Lin Rui was truly amazing—not only did he excel academically and have good popularity (?), but he was also incredibly brave and fearless. If only he could be like that.

Alright, time to sleep. He had to learn to be as courageous as Lin Rui. Shen Aixiang turned off the television, put the comic book he had promised to lend Lin Rui into his bag, and then stumbled into bed with a yawn.

Shen Aixiang hadn't dared to turn off the light, but when he drifted into a hazy sleep around midnight, he noticed the room had grown dim. Half-opening his eyes, he wondered, Did the power go out? But when he looked up, he saw a semi-transparent figure hovering in front of the light, blocking it.

"A ghost!" Shen Aixiang let out a sharp scream, instantly becoming completely awake.

"Hehehehehe..." The ghost let out a laugh, its face bearing a ghastly smile as it floated toward Shen Aixiang.

"Lin... Lin Rui?"

Lin Rui was enjoying a pleasant dream about his mother praising him when he was jolted awake by the telephone. To avoid waking his mother, he reluctantly grabbed the phone.

"Lin Rui, Lin Rui, help me! A ghost is trying to eat me!"

"You must be having a nightmare," Lin Rui mumbled, rubbing his eyes, and slammed the phone down. However, the moment he turned around, the phone started ringing frantically again.

"Lin Rui, help... help..."

"You won't even let me sleep if you're having a nightmare!" Lin Rui exploded in anger and violently threw the phone down, then cast a silencing spell around it, yawned, and returned to bed.

He hadn't slept long before an icy atmosphere seeped into his room. Before the Ghost Emissary could reach his bedside, Lin Rui had already grabbed it by the neck: "Another Ghost Emissary. Tell me, what is your master sending you for?" Having been woken up twice in a row, he was beyond annoyed.

This Ghost Emissary was even younger than the last one Lin Rui had seen—a girl of seven or eight. She struggled desperately, forcing out a few words from her mouth: "I... I have... something to say."

"This one can talk," Lin Rui threw it forcefully onto the floor. "Speak!"

Lin Rui's eyes darted, and he understood everything. The person raising these Ghost Emissaries was a professional assassin. However, his current target was protected by someone from the same profession or shielded by some kind of magic. His Ghost Emissary couldn't handle the opponent, so seeing Lin Rui, the master intended to use him to accomplish the task. Unfortunately, he had clearly chosen the wrong method to threaten Lin Rui.

Lin Rui tossed the photograph aside: "Scram! What does that idiotic human's life or death have to do with me? I don't care if he lives or dies. Go back and tell your master that if he keeps bothering me, I'll pay him a visit someday and eat him. Tell him to take a good bath and wait! Scram! Stop disturbing my sleep!"

The Ghost Emissary looked at him, attempting to speak several times, but ultimately could not, flying out through a gap in the window.

"Idiot, getting captured by a few Ghost Emissaries. Humans really are useless," Lin Rui grumbled, burying himself back under the covers. But for some reason, the image of Shen Aixiang, terrified out of his wits, surfaced the moment he closed his eyes. Humans were afraid of ghosts, especially someone as inherently timid as him. He might already be scared to death. It was his own fault for being useless; besides, without him around, he’d have far fewer troubles daily.

Ghost Emissaries were made from human children, weren't they? Although Lin Rui had never made one himself, he knew a little about the process. First, select a suitable child, ascertain their birth date and hour, kill the child at the precisely calculated time, and then use their blood, organs, and birth data in a ritual to bind their soul to the caster. Sometimes, if the chosen child was particularly stubborn or possessed some latent magical ability, the caster would use special methods—like the speechless Ghost Emissary Lin Rui saw yesterday, whose tongue had surely been cut out beforehand. However, children treated this way generally became relatively powerful Ghost Emissaries. As for Shen Aixiang, being a standard Ghost Emissary would be a good outcome for him.

Ghost Emissaries could never escape their casters until the caster died, after which the Ghost Emissary usually faced the fate of utter annihilation.

Shen Aixiang had probably completely turned into that person's Ghost Emissary this time. Lin Rui rolled over in bed again. It was all because he himself was too incompetent.

"Help, waah waah, Mom, Dad, Lin Rui, merciful Guanyin Bodhisattva... Help me, waah waah..." Shen Aixiang's cries were hoarse, yet he kept crying ceaselessly. He covered his face tightly with both hands, daring not to look at the several ghosts drifting around him or the sinister, terrifying man.

"No one is coming to save you," the man said, gripping his hair and yanking him up. "Listen. If you want to live, you will obey my orders. Go back and stick this talisman onto that fox—that Lin Rui—when he’s not paying attention. Otherwise, I will kill you."

"Ah..." Shen Aixiang let out a miserable shriek.

"Lin Rui is a monster? How is that possible? How could he be a monster? You're lying to me!"

"He's not just a demon; he's a Nine-Tailed Fox, a rarity even in the Human Realm..." the man murmured wistfully to himself. "Listen, if you don't do as I say, I'll kill you right now." With a flick of his finger, another guishi flew over, pressing its head against Shen Aixiang's skull.

This time, what invaded Shen Aixiang's mind was the process of a child's murder—how the organs were removed, the blood drained, and how, for defiantly cursing until the end, the tongue was sliced out... Shen Aixiang instantly lost consciousness.

The bone-chilling cold touching his forehead shocked Shen Aixiang awake. A guishi was hovering over him, wiping at his head, and it giggled before flying away upon seeing him stir. Encounters with demons, being kidnapped, Lin Rui being a yao guai, facing a gruesome death... these memories trickled back into his mind. "Ah..." Shen Aixiang let out a piercing scream.

"Shut up, you bastard!" a sharp, angry voice snapped from nearby.

Shen Aixiang managed to scramble up, seeing Lin Rui standing there, locked in a cold standoff with the man. The man was flanked by floating guishi, clutching several yellow talisman papers, while Lin Rui clearly showed his yao guai nature, his claws and fangs gleaming.

"The first human I've met who dares to threaten me. Seems you're tired of living. I'll just use you for Huo'er's late-night snack," Lin Rui said with a cold smile.

"Fox demon, just a little brat who spouts nonsense. Since you dared to show up, I suppose I must teach you a lesson."

"Let's see who ends up teaching whom."

Shen Aixiang scrambled backward on all fours, retreating, "Lin Rui really is a yao guai, Lin Rui really is a yao guai..."

"Do you care what I am!" Lin Rui roared at him, then swept his sharp claws and lunged at the man. The man hastily backed away, commanding the guishi to surround Lin Rui.

The guishi emitted piercing shrieks and rushed Lin Rui all at once. Lin Rui had been tracking his enemy alone for over a hundred years, and coupled with his recent sparring sessions with Huo'er, Zhou Ying, and Liu Di, setting aside his magical power level, his sheer combat skill was extraordinary. How could a few guishi match him? In just a few moves, they were sent flying everywhere, crashing down onto the floor with dull thuds.

"Hmph, only you are left," Lin Rui approached the man, fingers splayed menacingly. "Let's see what skills you possess besides killing children and commanding guishi. Your tongue looks quite nice; it seems rather tasty."

"He really is a yao guai, he really means to eat people." Shen Aixiang felt cold sweat stream down as he looked at Lin Rui’s deadly serious eyes. His hand brushed against a piece of paper; looking down, it was the talisman the man had given him earlier, instructing him to stick it onto Lin Rui.

Lin Rui grabbed the man and gave him a fierce beating, thwack, thump, bang. He hadn't been in a good mood lately and took this chance to vent. Finally, he conjured a rope and bound the man to a chair, sneering, "Hmph, wait here while I bring Huo'er to eat you! This is the consequence of daring to mess with me. Don't worry, even though you look repulsive, Huo'er will roast you nicely."

"Hey, Shen Aixiang, are you still alive? Go home, you have class tomorrow," Lin Rui called back in Shen Aixiang's direction.

"I... I..."

"Why are you always such a coward? Let's go. If my mother finds out I snuck out at midnight, I'll turn into a bad kid."

"Lin Rui, you came to save me?" Shen Aixiang burst into tears.

"I didn't come to save you! I couldn't stand that he dared to threaten me! Are you leaving or not? Are you too scared to even stand? I'm making this clear, I'm not carrying you."

"Waaah, Lin Rui, you really did come to save me..." Shen Aixiang began to sob loudly. "You really are a good yao guai, even if you are one."

Lin Rui shrugged. "I'll make you forget about tonight in a bit. Just think of it as a terrible nightmare. And of course, you'll forget I'm a yao guai."

"But this... he gave me this, told me to put it on you." Shen Aixiang showed him the talisman.

"What is this..." Lin Rui frowned instantly.

In that very moment, Shen Aixiang suddenly lunged forward, raising his hand and slapping the talisman onto Lin Rui's forehead. Lin Rui immediately collapsed to the ground, transforming back into his true Nine-Tailed Fox form. Eye to eye, a guishi floated out of Shen Aixiang's body.

"Hahahaha, didn't expect that, did you? I originally had six guishi, not five! Hahahaha..." The man suddenly burst into uproarious laughter. Even though blood was dripping from the corners of his mouth and forehead from Lin Rui's beating, it didn't dampen his spirits in the least. As he ordered the uninjured guishi to untie him, he instructed the struggling guishi still trying to get up to prepare. "I never expected to gain both a guishi and a prime Nine-Tailed Fox in one day. I'm so lucky, hahahaha..."

Lin Rui's face turned deathly pale.

He finally understood that the man's initial goal wasn't to threaten him into doing something, but to control him, to make him his puppet. Now, controlled by the talisman, he couldn't move at all. Was he truly destined to be manipulated by this man?

The man swaggered over to Lin Rui, inspecting him carefully as if examining an object, offering critiques. Then, he drew a dagger and sliced Lin Rui's face a few times, collecting the blood. "Don't hit Lin Rui! Don't hit Lin Rui!" Shen Aixiang lunged forward, trying to grab his leg to stop him, but was swatted to the ground with one hand and kicked aside. "Don't rush. After I'm done with him, it'll be your turn! In the future, I'll make you the dedicated guishi to serve him."

"Hahahaha, a Nine-Tailed Fox! I'll have a Nine-Tailed Fox soon!" The man cackled wildly as he took the tools handed to him by the guishi and began chanting incantations. "I will rise above everyone! Let's see who dares to look down on me now!" His wild laughter echoed oppressively throughout the room.

Lin Rui watched their every move tensely, desperately racking his brain, biting his lip until it grew paler and streaks of red blood appeared. Suddenly, tears rolled down his cheeks, and he whispered hoarsely, "Mom, Mom... I'm sorry for making you sad again... Mom..."

"Lin Rui, Lin Rui, what do we do?" Shen Aixiang cried out in terror.

"Listen, are you willing to be manipulated by him even after death, just like those other children?" Lin Rui asked in an unnervingly cold tone.

"I... No, I don't want to die..."

"What if death is inevitable?"

"I don't want to die..." Shen Aixiang shook Lin Rui hard. "Aren't you a yao guai? Think of a way, quickly."

"I have a way, but you might die along with me—think about it. Isn't dying better than becoming his guishi?" Lin Rui said with a cold smile.

"Neither is good... Waaah..."

"You really are a coward! I already know I'll likely die, so what? You still have a ten percent chance of living!" Lin Rui steeled his resolve and glared at him fiercely.

"Fine, okay, I'll listen to you," Shen Aixiang promised immediately, unwilling to be called a coward, but then asked worriedly, "Lin Rui, we aren't going to die, right?"

"Hmph, look out for yourself. As for me..." Lin Rui watched the man who was completely engrossed in his ritual, gritted his teeth, and made his final decision: "Throw whatever I have around my neck at that man."

"Around your neck... the key?"

"The other one!"

"The stone?"

"Throw it! After you throw it, run outside. Don't look back. Keep running until you're out of this building. Remember, don't tell my mom anything about today, but go tell that man surnamed Zhou who lives upstairs from me. Now, throw it!"

Shen Aixiang raised his hand and flung the red stone he'd taken from around Lin Rui's neck toward the man. He then bolted toward the door. The stone hit the ground with a colossal boom and exploded outward like a bomb, scattering a sheet of fierce flame that burned intensely. The man was standing right next to the fire, leaving him no chance to escape; he was immediately swallowed by the flames, seen thrashing futilely as a humanoid blaze, letting out horrific howls.

The moment Shen Aixiang threw the item, Lin Rui had closed his eyes, fully resolved to die.

Whether for the dignity of his race or his own pride, he could not allow himself to become another's slave.

Shen Aixiang, you big idiot, you need to run hard! This is Bi Fang's fire; its speed of combustion is incomparable to ordinary flame.

Mom, Mom, I'm going back to my birth mother now, but I still want to be your child, to be your child forever. How wonderful that would be... Mom, please don't cry...

"Lin Rui, it's on fire, let's run..." Lin Rui heard Shen Aixiang's cry and opened his eyes, finding that Shen Aixiang had somehow returned and was desperately tugging at him. "Wait, why did you come back!"

"It's on fire, run!" Shen Aixiang yelled, snot and tears streaming down his face.

"Tell yourself to run, or you can burn to death with me!"

"Waaah, you came specifically to save me, I won't leave you behind." Shen Aixiang, surprisingly energized by the crisis, began dragging Lin Rui. But the doorway was already sealed by flames, and he hesitated, afraid to approach. "Waaah, Lin Rui, what do we do? I don't want to die..."

"The fire is spreading fast; you can't get out either," Lin Rui said calmly.

"I don't want to die..."

A guishi suddenly appeared before them.

Lin Rui recognized it as the mute guishi, knowing it was the strongest of the six. He asked coldly, "What else do you want? Your master is about to turn to ash. You won't last long either—in half a day at most, you'll vanish like him. What can you still do?"

The guishi looked at him, and astonishingly, a smile appeared on its face. It turned to look at the still-writhing humanoid flame, then nodded vigorously, reaching out toward the talisman on Lin Rui's forehead, only to quickly pull its hand back as if electrocuted.

"You're grateful I killed him to avenge you, so you want to help me remove this talisman?" Lin Rui hypothesized.

The guishi nodded affirmatively.

"That's your master's talisman. If you touch it directly, your soul will be scattered before it's even removed."

The guishi smiled even more broadly. It suddenly soared up and charged into the blaze. Although it was a spirit, this flame caused by Bi Fang's fire could still burn it. In no time, its entire body was engulfed in flames. Then, carrying the fire, it rushed back toward Lin Rui one last time. Before its form was completely consumed by the flames, it lunged onto the talisman. The moment the talisman touched the fire, it too burned away and detached from Lin Rui's forehead, vanishing into the air along with the guishi.

Before the guishi completely vanished from the world, it looked back one last time at the man, seeing that he had already turned to ash before it did. After all the effort it took to lure him here to provoke Lin Rui, its blood feud was finally avenged today; it didn't matter if its soul was scattered. It laughed silently and disappeared into the air.

Lin Rui rolled off the ground, reverting to his human form. He quickly raised his hand, sketching a circle that blocked all the flames outside.

"Lin Rui... we're going to die..." Shen Aixiang was still clinging to Lin Rui, weeping hysterically.

"No, we are saved." Lin Rui looked up and saw the other five guishi scattering in panic, shrieking as they fled the flames. He sighed and beckoned to them, "Come here, you can follow me too. Although I can't help you achieve reincarnation, it's better than having your souls scattered right now."

Eager to survive, the guishi immediately gathered around him.

Lin Rui recited an incantation, and the two of them plus the five guishi vanished instantly. The roof, burned through by the massive fire, collapsed just then.

On a distant street, Huo'er was pressed against the car window, pointing at the firelight in the sky and shouting, "Ying, look quickly! That's the feather I gave the fox! But I told him to burn the school, and he seems to have burned the wrong place. The school isn't in that direction... Never mind, I'll just burn the school myself next time."

Zhou Ying looked over and shook his head. It seemed that no matter how carefully he brushed Huo'er's fur earlier, a fire disaster was unavoidable.

"Shen Aixiang, Shen Aixiang, wake up! Time for school!"

Under Lin Rui's loud clamor, Shen Aixiang finally managed to open his eyes. "Lin Rui... it's on fire!" He shot up, only to find himself lying safely in bed.

"What fire! I'm just scrambling eggs!" Lin Rui's voice came from the kitchen.

"Scrambled eggs..." Right, he was scared alone at home yesterday, so Lin Rui came over to spend the night with him. Shen Aixiang jumped up, pulling on his clothes as he ran toward Lin Rui. "Lin Rui, I had a terrible nightmare last night! It was so scary!"

"What was it?"

"...I forgot..."

"Hmph!!" I used magic on you; it's no wonder you remembered.

"But I remember in the dream, even though I was very timid, I was very loyal! And I even went to save you!"

"You were loyal! And you saved me!" This was infuriating; it was clearly he who had saved the other.

"No, I was!"

"I was..."

"Me!"

"Hmph, hurry up and eat. How are my scrambled eggs?"

"Delicious, Lin Rui, you're amazing!"

"Of course..."

The few guishi floated around the room, chuckling stealthily. It seemed their new master was a decent yao guai. From this day on, they could follow their master to school and attend classes like living children, instead of being sent out to stalk, murder, or steal...

"Hey, you guys, before school ends, steal ten chicken burgers for me for lunch. And make sure the cola has no ice. Hear me!"

The guishi could follow their master to school starting today, attending classes like living children, rather than being sent out to murder or steal... perhaps that was the case...

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