Encountering Demons

Because the fog was thick, one could only see three or four zhang away, so the donkey cart moved very slowly.

After grinding along for more than ten li, the fog still hadn't dispersed, and they couldn't even tell how much time had passed.

"Hey, fellow villagers, can I catch a ride!" Just as they were walking, a clear, lively female voice suddenly appeared from behind. It sounded like a child of about ten years old.

"Whoa!" Zhao Datou was a straightforward person. He immediately stopped the donkey cart and laughed towards the back, "Little girl, why are you out on such a foggy day?"

Meng Yuan and Tie Niu sat on the flatbed cart and looked back. They saw a brown-yellow shadow dart out of the fog and quickly jump onto the cart.

It wasn't a little girl at all, but clearly a Weasel!

This Weasel had a slender body, short limbs, lively eyes, a brown-yellow back, and a light white belly.

It even had a small bundle tied around its neck, as if it was going on a long journey.

As soon as it got on the cart, it stood upright on its hind legs and vigorously shook off the cold dew on its body, getting it all over Meng Yuan's face.

Meng Yuan didn't dare to make a sound, Zhao Datou and Tie Niu were also stunned on the spot, and the donkey's hind legs were trembling even more.

They had known before that there were Demons and monsters in this world, but they had only heard about them. This was the first time they had seen one with their own eyes.

"It snowed the day before yesterday, and today there's a demonic fog! This shows that when a country has a foolish ruler, Demons are bound to appear!" The Weasel's voice was clear, and it spoke some nonsensical words with conviction. It looked very capable, loosening its bundle while excitedly saying, "Hurry up, hurry up! Old donkey, gee-haw!"

The Weasel skillfully shouted the commands for driving a donkey, clearly knowing what it was doing.

Sure enough, the donkey actually started moving forward.

"Where are you going?" After taking over the reins, the Weasel remembered to ask the owners.

"Great Immortal, we're going to Songhe Prefecture city." Meng Yuan saw that the Weasel didn't ask for offerings and didn't show any intention of harming anyone, so he replied.

"That's right on the way!" The Weasel's voice was as clear as a young girl's, but its tone was old and arrogant. "You can't call me Great Immortal, just call me Grandmother! I've eaten more chickens than the three of you have eaten salt!"

The Weasel's words were disorderly, but it seemed like it really was just hitching a ride. Meng Yuan and Zhao Datou exchanged glances and decided to continue on their way and wait and see.

The Weasel no longer paid attention to Meng Yuan and the other two. It looked around, then took out its small bundle on its own. It didn't untie it, but just reached a claw inside and took out an egg.

The egg should have been a wild chicken egg or something similar.

The Weasel cracked the eggshell, carefully and cautiously peeled it with its claws. It was actually boiled. Then it ate it in small bites. When it ate the yolk, it even hummed twice with great satisfaction.

It was clear that this Weasel hadn't eaten many good things.

"It's not that Grandmother won't share with you. Is it a lot? Not much." When the Weasel saw Meng Yuan and Tie Niu staring with wide eyes, it turned its back so they couldn't see, and kept saying things they couldn't understand.

Soon, the Weasel finished the egg and took out a miniature bronze mirror and a wooden comb from its bundle. It groomed its fur in the mirror, truly being vain.

Meng Yuan remained vigilant, thinking that this Weasel had a lot of tricks up its sleeve.

Soon, the Weasel finished tidying up, sat down with a plop, and asked like it was making small talk, "Are you two married?"

Tie Niu shook his head blankly, and Meng Yuan also shook his head.

"Get married early, don't just drift through life!" The Weasel was old and arrogant.

Meng Yuan and Tie Niu really didn't know what to say.

"The smell of cow dung on you is quite pleasant." The Weasel praised, tilting its head back to look at Meng Yuan, and said, "Why do you still have a bloody smell on you?"

"I'm a gelder," Meng Yuan said.

"Gelder?" The little Weasel first tilted its head to think back, then happily said, "You mean the one who cuts off testicles? Hehe, I've seen everything!"

It put its front paws on its hips, looking very proud.

Seeing that it looked like it was seeking praise, Meng Yuan casually praised, "Grandmother is knowledgeable about the world, has extensive experience, and is wise and mighty."

"Little gelder, you speak quite nicely!" The Weasel was clearly susceptible to flattery. It happily jumped up and said, "Say it a few more times, I haven't memorized it yet."

Meng Yuan had no choice but to repeat it three more times.

The Weasel quietly muttered it several times, looking like it was going to use these words to flatter others.

After memorizing it, it happily shook its head and said, "Little gelder, stretch out your hand."

Was it going to give him a reward? Or a writing fee?

Meng Yuan took a deep breath, kept his right hand behind him in defense, and extended his left hand, placing it on the cart board.

The Weasel leaned forward, then turned around, wagged its tail, stuck out its butt, and rubbed against the tiger's mouth of Meng Yuan's hand.

It was slightly warm, and there was no foul smell. But Meng Yuan knew that this was the Weasel marking its territory.

"Grandmother has a wide network. If there are any gelding jobs in the future, I'll find you. You have to give me a discount!" The Weasel was very serious.

Meng Yuan would never have thought that one day he would get business referrals from a Weasel. And looking at the situation, he had also become one of this Weasel's "contacts."

"Sure," Meng Yuan could only agree. Seeing that the Weasel seemed a bit slow-witted, he probed, "How many contacts does Grandmother have?"

"Hehe, lots! What are you going to the city for?"

The Weasel chuckled and changed the subject, clearly showing its shallow cultivation by revealing its nervousness when lying.

"Visiting relatives," Meng Yuan felt a bit less afraid and made up a story, asking in return, "What are you going to do, Grandmother?"

"Going to celebrate my godmother's birthday!" The Weasel was very happy and said proudly, "My godmother said she's going to introduce me to a good marriage prospect, a son-in-law's family with endless chickens and endless eggs!"

No wonder it had a mirror and a comb, and told me to get married early. So you're going on a blind date!

Speaking of this, the Weasel asked curiously, "What's the popular hairstyle in the city now?"

You can't learn the popular hairstyles! Meng Yuan looked at the Weasel's small head and honestly replied, "I really don't know."

"Bumpkin!" the Weasel sneered.

After traveling another seven or eight li, the Weasel called for the cart to stop. It climbed onto the donkey's back, stood up on its two legs, looked around, and sniffed with its nose, as if trying to figure out the direction.

"We're not going the same way anymore," the Weasel sighed, looked at the three of them, rubbed its front paws together, and then reached into the bundle for a long time, looking reluctant. Finally, it pulled out a tiny bit of broken silver. "Grandmother won't ride your cart for free! This is my private savings!"

It reluctantly threw the silver to Zhao Datou, looking stingy. Finally, it looked at Meng Yuan and said, "Little gelder, when Grandmother gets you some work, you have to give me a cut!"

How much can a gelder earn! And you want a cut? Meng Yuan, however, looked very serious and said, "That's the rule of the trade. Since Grandmother is the introducer, Grandmother naturally gets a share."

Only then was the Weasel satisfied. It jumped off the cart, carrying the small bundle, and disappeared into the mist in a flash.

"Giddy up!" Seeing that the demon was gone, the donkey sped forward without Zhao Datou even needing to whip it.

The three of them didn't dare to talk about anything, just drove forward. In their haste, they took a wrong turn and didn't arrive at the gate of Songhe Prefecture until after noon, when the mist had dispersed.

There were many people coming and going under the city gate, and the three of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Datou grabbed Meng Yuan and Tie Niu's hands and carefully instructed, "You can't talk about what happened today. Yellow fur is the most vengeful. If we ruin their business because of us, don't expect to live a peaceful life in the future."

As he spoke, he grabbed a handful of donkey dung from the ground and vigorously rubbed Meng Yuan's tiger's mouth, then grabbed some wet dirt to rub, afraid of leaving the Weasel's smell.

After finishing this, Zhao Datou took out the fare the Weasel had given them, which was about one qian. They spent it all at a stall outside the city, buying flatbreads filled with fatty meat, and the three of them had a delicious meal.

"We were lucky today to meet an honest one who even paid for the ride," Zhao Datou said with lingering fear, seriously instructing, "But don't think all demons are good. This Yellow fur is close to humans, so it understands a bit of human nature. Some demons will eat people, they are very fierce! And some specifically seduce men, you have to be careful!"

He pointed at Meng Yuan's tiger's mouth and said seriously, "Little Meng, if you feel an extra person in your bed in the middle of the night, and they arepestering you to sleep with them, that's a Great Immortal coming to absorb your yang energy. You must control yourself!"

Meng Yuan rubbed his forehead, thinking to himself, if that day really comes, how can I control myself?