"Wow, what a beautiful name," Chen Lu said admiringly, "Lake's light, mountain's glow, vastness of the four seas; brother's name is truly grand!"
This was pure flattery, no, fox-flattery.
In my world, there's no such thing as flattery. I remember what some demon told me last night: only wild animals can become demons; domesticated ones cannot. This is because a prerequisite for becoming a demon is longevity. The lifespan of a horse is around thirty years, making it a seasoned traveler. If a horse lived to be a hundred, its intelligence and cultivation would only reach the level of a ten-year-old human. But the problem is, if a horse lived to be a hundred, how would humans perceive it? It would already be a legend, under constant observation. Every aspect of its eating, drinking, sleeping, and defecating would be scrutinized. How could it possibly cultivate then?
Therefore, "old but not dead is a demon" refers to animals in deep mountains. If domesticated animals grow old but don't die, they ultimately become specimens.
Upon arriving in the courtyard, the fox demon saw Chen Lu's Audi and proactively asked, "Miss Chen, may I ride with you?"
"Sure, sure, I'd be delighted!"
"Is that alright?" I asked with a frown, worried the fox demon might let something slip.
The fox demon gave me an 'OK' gesture. I understood her intention: for the team's safety, she was taking the risk of "losing her virtue" by staying by Chen Lu's side, to prevent her from causing trouble midway.
The rest of us got into the Coaster. Lao Ba was the last one to board. I pondered the plan to return to Jiuxian Cave again, then asked Yaoyao for permission, "How about letting Lao Ba go alone, and he can infiltrate the Fanshen Village area first, communicating with us at any time?"
"Certainly," Yaoyao replied.
Lao Ba had fought Yaoyao alone and was thoroughly defeated. He was genuinely impressed with Mu Jige and obeyed her words. He immediately got out of the car and headed for Jiuxian Cave alone.
I drove the Coaster, following the Audi. On the way, I asked Bingbing, who was in the passenger seat, to text the fox demon: "Find a way to make Chen Lu take the back roads."
I was afraid of sBA setting up checkpoints at the highway exits, and I also wanted to test the fox demon's response capabilities.
I don't know what the fox demon told Chen Lu, but Chen Lu did indeed take the back roads. Not only that, but she rarely took national or provincial roads. She chose only small paths, winding through towns and villages. To be fair, the economy in Northeast China isn't great overall, but its infrastructure construction is truly impressive. Even the village roads are built to a high standard, allowing the large Coaster to pass without obstruction.
More than two hours later, we arrived in the provincial capital, Shengjing. Chen Lu called me. After being "nourished" by the fox demon all the way, her voice had become much sweeter: "Chengfeng, I told Brother Hu that I want to arrange for you all to stay at our hotel first. What do you think?"
"You have a hotel?" I asked, not knowing this before.
"It's a family business, but the location is a bit remote, in the Qipanshan Resort area. I don't know if it's convenient for your team."
"Please wait a moment, I'll ask them." I hung up and had Bingbing take over driving. I used my phone to check the Shengjing map and found the Qipanshan Scenic Area. I quickly understood that this was likely the result of Hu Yao whispering in Chen Lu's ear. Qipanshan is in the suburbs of Shengjing, about five kilometers from the city center, neither close nor far. On the other side, it connects to the Liaodong hilly region, with no less than a hundred mountains of various sizes within a radius of dozens of miles. There are only a few small villages scattered within, making it a natural hunting ground close to the city.
It seems this fox demon is also a foodie, prioritizing meals.
No, only meals, not "all day." She is, after all, female. What she transformed was just a face. Earlier, on the Coaster, Xiong Xiaomeng explained this to me. Generally, a demon that has transformed into human form can only switch between its demonic form and human form, and cannot change its appearance at will. But the fox demon is an exception. This is her trump card, her disguise technique cultivated for hundreds of years. However, she can only alter her face locally; the parts below her neck cannot be changed.
Earlier, in the private room at the restaurant, to avoid revealing her true form, the fox demon even folded the tablecloth into strips and tightly wrapped them under her armpits, transforming her breasts into firm pectoral muscles.
I called Chen Lu back: "Okay, then I'll trouble you. Old classmate, it would be even better if we could have an entire floor to ourselves, as I'm worried about disturbing other guests with the livestream."
"Haha, I've reserved a small, independent building for you, with twenty rooms, all for your use!"
She's truly generous. I wonder how much credit I deserve for this favor. I estimate less than a fraction; it's all due to the fox demon's public relations efforts...