"Zhang Xiu! We're ready to leave. Have you two rested enough?"
Outside the guest room, March 7th knocked on the door. A little commotion came from inside before someone opened the door halfway.
Behind the door, Yaoshi poked out only her head. Her face was flushed, as though she had a slight fever. "Would Miss March care to look around a while longer? What hour is it now?"
"Come on, it's already been two hours! What have you two been doing in there?" Seeing Yaoshi's strange appearance, March 7th couldn't help scratching her head.
"Nothing... We shall be ready shortly." With that, Yaoshi closed the door.
Looking at the closed door, March 7th scrunched up her face, sensing something amiss.
That's strange... Was Yaoshi that tall after turning into a child? She shook her head.
"We'll wait downstairs, then!" With that, March 7th left the corridor.
Once Zhang Xiu put on his mask and came downstairs carrying Yaoshi, neither of them looked particularly out of the ordinary aside from their slightly disheveled hair. Chen Chang'an and Li Ge had already left.
After settling his emotions, Zhang Xiu's overheated mind finally cooled down.
At this point in the story, Dan Heng leaves the Astral Express for the Xianzhou and meets Luocha and Sushang, while we're about to start searching for Kafka.
Zhang Xiu only remembered the broad strokes of the plot. As for the details and such, he would have to experience them himself.
He let out a breath, then stepped out of the inn to find Stelle and the others talking.
"Whoa, you finally showed up! We tried contacting Dan Heng just now, but he didn't receive the message. Who knows where he's gone?"
Not seeing Phantylia, Zhang Xiu turned to Welt. "Phan... Where's Tingyun? Didn't she say she was coming with us?"
"Miss Tingyun said she was going to fetch a helper to track down Kafka, so she asked us to wait here..."
"That's right! We also went over things just now. Remember Kafka's projection? There was a mechanical sound in it, and Miss Tingyun said it was unique to Returnstar Port... Look, here she comes."
Following her gaze, the group saw Phantylia walking toward them with a smile, accompanied by a little dog wearing a floral jacket.
"Sorry for the wait, everyone. This little fellow is called Diting. I called in a few favors to borrow it from the Artisanship Commission."
"This is... so cute!" March 7th looked delighted, even covering her mouth and nose with both hands in excitement.
Seeing March 7th like that, Stelle gave her a mischievous look, a smile lurking at the corners of her eyes. March 7th noticed her gaze, cleared her throat, and lowered her hands.
"Ahem, what kind of treasure is this? What can it do, leap onto Kafka and bite down without letting go?"
"Haha, yes and no. This Diting was developed by the Artisanship Commission to mimic the five senses of us Foxians. Its sense of smell and hearing are both exceptionally keen."
While everyone was talking, Zhang Xiu set Yaoshi down, then crouched to look Diting in the eyes.
"Big dog, big dog... Big dog, big dog?"
But Diting didn't understand the reference at all. It simply tilted its little head, looking utterly innocent.
"Wait, why isn't it barking?" Zhang Xiu stood up and pointed at the adorable little thing with his right hand.
"Seriously, how could it possibly know that reference? Stop fooling around." March 7th planted both hands on her hips and shook her head at him.
"Ah, what a shame." Zhang Xiu sighed, then began kneading Yaoshi's cheeks.
"Hahaha, you truly are amusing, benefactor... This Diting can sniff out traces left by its target and follow the trail all the way to the end," Phantylia said with a feigned laugh.
"Just the slightest trace of Kafka will be enough, but it needs to be activated beforehand... How about this? I'll go hide, and you benefactors can try finding me with it. What do you say?"
"Huh? We have to play hide-and-seek, too? Are all the Artisanship Commission's gadgets this much trouble?"
"Haha, a craftsman must first sharpen his tools if he wishes to do his work well. I'll be off, then. No cheating, benefactors." With that, Phantylia swished her fox tail, handed her perfume to Stelle, and walked away.
While she was leaving, Zhang Xiu yawned. He was wondering what to do when he noticed his wife mingling with a group of children.
"Big sister, why are there bits missing all over your clothes?"
"Yeah, yeah! But she's really pretty!"
"Are you too hot, big sister? I've got an orange. Grandma says eating oranges makes you feel better. Here."
Surrounded by the children, Yaoshi replied with a soft laugh, "Thank you. You young friends are truly endearing. Alas, I have important matters to attend to and cannot linger."
"Wow~ You talk funny too, big sister. Just like those storytellers."
"When I grow up, big sister, could you..."
Seeing that one of the children was about to say something outrageous, Zhang Xiu immediately approached them with a smile and wagged his finger.
"Kid, I'd advise you to give up. She's my wife."
His appearance startled the children. When they recovered, they saw Yaoshi slowly walk to Zhang Xiu's side and take hold of the hem of his clothes with her right hand.
"This big brother doesn't look like a good person. And he's so grown-up, but he married a little kid just like us?"
"Mm, my brother says people like that are called perverts! We have to tell the Cloud Knight uncles so they'll drag him into the Prison of Deep Seclusion and zap him!"
"Then should we go find the Cloud Knights? Will he eat children...?"
The wooden mask on Zhang Xiu's face had a simple design, but it looked extremely creepy to the children, frightening several of them into huddling together.
"That's right! If you don't leave now, I'm going to eat you!" Feeling mischievous, he suddenly took a step toward them.
"Eek! Let's go! Find the Cloud Knights and save big sister!"
Watching Zhang Xiu scare the children away, Yaoshi chuckled. "Husband, how is your disposition any different from that of a mischievous child?"
"I quite like kids. Brats, though? Not interested in them at all." Zhang Xiu waved a hand.
"Ha, perhaps our offspring will take after you, delighting in unrestrained mischief."
"Then you'll have to help me keep him in line, honey. Speaking of which, you really do need a change of clothes. Let's buy you a few outfits later~"
March 7th still hadn't grown accustomed to their syrupy exchanges. Even Welt looked embarrassed.
Stelle was the only one who remained calm, and that was merely because her limited understanding kept her from getting it.
"Ahem. All right, Miss Tingyun should be hidden by now. Let's activate Diting." Welt reached out to take Tingyun's perfume from Stelle, then opened it and held it beside Diting's nose.
The little thing's nose twitched before it gave a "woof" and ran down the path Tingyun had taken.
The others followed one after another. Not long after they left, the children from earlier really did return with two Cloud Knights in tow.
"It's! It's right here! They must have run away. Uncles, you have to save that big sister!"
The two men were none other than Chen Chang'an and Li Ge, who had been drinking at the inn earlier. Returning to the same place, they suddenly realized something and immediately questioned the children at the front.
"This place... Could it be? Uh, can you tell us what that pervert looked like?"
"I know, I know! He had black hair and wore a mask, and his clothes were all black too."
Li Ge and Chen Chang'an exchanged glances before finally sighing. "Well, kids, this isn't something we can handle..."
"Huh? Why?" The boy leading them looked up in surprise.
After thinking it over, something clicked in his mind. He hurriedly turned to his companions and shouted, "It's... it's the dark side of the Xianzhou! Run, everyone! We've stumbled into the imperial domain!"
Seeing the children scatter in a rush, Li Ge wanted to stop them, but had no idea which one to chase.
Fortunately, Chen Chang'an later caught the boy who had led them, explained things to him, then let him go find the other children.
Before you continue