Nongyu

The short old man in gray had a pair of vicious inverted-triangle eyes, and he kept sizing Su Che up from head to toe.

Among cultivators, there were quite a few who did not seek the Great Dao, but instead flaunted wicked arts. To say they sought worldly wealth and honor would be giving them too much credit; in the end, it was nothing more than wine, women, wealth, and power.

This short old man was plainly one of them.

It seemed he was also one link in Boss Song's coffin-shop business chain.

"Have you seen me before?"

Su Che ignored the short old man and merely asked the middle-aged man beside him.

When he saw a trace of confusion flash across the man's face, he understood. That day, the man had been in such a hurry to find his wife a path to survival that he naturally had not seen the scene of him tormenting Qingqiu.

"Huh?"

The middle-aged man was naturally utterly bewildered.

"Hmph. You work for Old Song, yet you never asked about me?"

Su Che wore the air of someone demanding an explanation.

The old man in gray frowned, scrutinizing Su Che and Qingqiu before looking again at the middle-aged fellow before him.

"You look unfamiliar, brother."

The old man in gray bared his teeth. "Which line of work brings you riches?"

"You've been digging for food in the soil of Guobei, Shanyin, for so long, yet you don't recognize this servant's husband?"

Qingqiu beside him gave a few sly chuckles.

"This is the famed Ghost Slayer Liu Yidao, Master Liu, whose name resounds throughout the jianghu." Little Fox pulled out some unknown jianghu nickname. "Never heard of him?"

"Ghost Slayer may have a loud reputation, but it cannot frighten me. Besides, one mouth, two lips—if you say you're the emperor, that's your business."

The old man in gray's gaze shifted. "Lord Dushan's rule is that no one may fight within Dujue City. If you want to show off that worthless blade technique of yours, find somewhere else."

"Who wants to chop you up? With your little bit of skill, are you even worthy of making my husband draw his blade?"

Qingqiu pulled something from her sleeve and tossed it straight at the old man in gray.

"We came to you because there is good business to discuss."

The old man in gray closed his hand around it. It felt warm and smooth to the touch. Looking closely, he found it was a fragment of jade, carrying the scent of earth, apparently broken off from some unknown object.

Cloud-and-thunder patterns ran across its entire surface. The old man in gray felt the broken lines in the jade, and it appeared to have quite some age to it.

"Gold is born in Lishui; jade comes from Kunggu." Qingqiu spoke from the side. "Do you recognize this piece of Kunggu Jade?"

"Freshly out of the dirt. Is Master Liu looking to raise coffins and make a fortune too?"

"We need you to find a place. If you find it, you will be rewarded with a hundred taels of gold."

Qingqiu looked at the old man in gray. "Whether you succeed or fail, wait at the Old City God Temple in Shanyin County Town tomorrow and give us your answer."

The old man in gray glanced at Qingqiu and weighed the jade fragment in his hand.

"Fine. I'll give you your answer in Shanyin County tomorrow."

Qingqiu turned her head and put on a show of looking at Su Che.

"Husband, we've greeted them. Let's be on our way."

Su Che had no idea what medicine this fox was selling from her gourd, but he nodded along with her meaning.

This was probably the main course of the show she had brought him here for.

"Let's go."

Su Che called out, and Qingqiu left the market with him, holding up her umbrella.

The two followed the street all the way out of the city.

"How long can such a scene endure?"

Only after leaving the small Dujue City did Su Che let out a long sigh.

The reason Dujue City could exist here ultimately rested upon the great demon known as Lord Dushan.

The Old Lion's remains were about to emerge. Sooner or later, figures from every road would gather here. What would Dujue City look like then?

That went without saying.

"Who cares?"

Little Fox looked at Su Che. "You've ended up like this, and you still have the mind to worry about them?"

"Hm?"

"Cultivation, your body—don't you care about any of that? This servant hasn't even married into your household yet. I don't want to become a widow waiting at the gate already."

"Actually, when I left home, someone gave me a sentence."

"Can one sentence be some miraculous elixir? What the hell use is it?"

"One of my elders had someone bring out a sentence from the palace. He said: 'A snake hides within five paces, waiting for its chance to kill; use the sword to awaken the spirit, and quietly await good news.'"

"'A snake hides within five paces'—I think the first layer of meaning is that danger is concealed at my side. Looking at it now, Records of the Hidden Within says that the Dark Serpent devours deer, so another layer of danger should be a veiled reference to White Deer Grotto."

"'Waiting for its chance to kill' should mean he advised me to find an opportunity to eliminate the danger around me. And 'use the sword to awaken the spirit' means I should begin with the path of the sword." Su Che pondered. "'Quietly await good news' should mean he will naturally make arrangements later."

The Duling Su Clan had few members. Su Che did not believe the person in the palace would simply give up on him.

Since the other party had already made arrangements, all he needed to do was wait.

"Hmph, mystifying tricks."

Qingqiu said this with great displeasure.

"You're the one playing mystifying tricks. What are you plotting by provoking that Song fellow?"

"Don't worry. We're practically betrothed now. What's mine is yours, and what's yours is still yours. If it works out, you certainly won't be denied a share of the benefits."

"Fine. Then I'll ask my family elders to marry you into my household with the three matchmakers and six rites."

"Ah, so suddenly?"

"What's sudden about it? You are from a famed family of the sea as well. Marrying you would not disgrace our Duling Su Clan. I only wonder how much dowry you'll bring. Your husband is very short on money."

"Our family's customs are that the dowry is extremely generous, and we don't even ask for any betrothal gifts from you. In the Eastern Sea, only foxes who cannot marry off ask for betrothal gifts."

"Wouldn't that make them even less likely to marry off?"

"We're foxes. Foxes don't take such things too seriously."

Little Fox laughed and joked.

Su Che played along with her.

Thus, the scholar in azure robes and the fox demon holding a paper umbrella strolled among the rolling foothills of Mystic Mountain.

The cool sunlight of dawn passed through layer upon layer of pine woods and spilled over grass blades whose dew had not yet dispersed. The sweetness in the air seemed all the richer.

Su Che felt that Little Fox was rather nice.

Mm.

Nice.

As they continued onward, the scent of human life gradually grew stronger.

Su Che could finally use the mountain terrain to see Shanyin County Town in the distance.

He had not expected Dujue City to be so close to Shanyin.

A thought flashed through his mind. They had walked for only half a day; judging by their pace, Dujue City could geographically be considered adjacent to Shanyin County Town.

"Alright, this is as far as I can go."

Little Fox grinned.

"This servant can only see you off this far, husband. A dignified county lieutenant wandering about the county with a woman truly would be somewhat improper."

"What are you saying?"

Su Che still wanted to continue teasing her for a few more lines.

"Shanyin County will probably become the most crucial place next. Experts from every side will inevitably gather there. We should be more careful."

Little Fox blinked. "If Master Liu wants to find me, go to Old Song's coffin shop."

Oh, she still remembered that Liu Yidao?

"Aren't you afraid the real Liu Yidao will come to Shanyin?"

"Liu Yidao has already come," Little Fox said with a sly laugh. "When this servant first arrived in Jiangnan and roamed the jianghu, I used Liu Yidao's name."

No wonder the two of us have a fated bond from past lives—we're both born nesting-doll freaks.