A Yao Agent

When they met again, the Fox Woman was still the same Fox Woman, but Su Changsheng was utterly different.

With strength came confidence. Facing the Fox Woman, Su Changsheng was no longer as uneasy as last time. Instead, he studied her in turn.

She was still as lovely and lively as ever, with a pair of exquisite, phoenix-shaped fox eyes. A faint floral fragrance clung to her, without the slightest trace of a fox's rank musk.

In the depths of winter, who knew where she had found flowers? They were rare treasures at this time of year.

"Did you need something?" Su Changsheng lowered his head and asked mildly.

Standing nearly three meters tall, he was a crane among chickens even in the Yao Market. The shadow he cast almost completely enveloped the Fox Woman.

The Fox Woman looked Su Changsheng up and down for a long while before finally frowning. With a hint of surprise, she said, "It really is you. You've gotten thicker and bigger. I didn't recognize you at first."

Su Changsheng already had his explanation prepared. He replied just as mildly, "I merely shed my skin once."

He said nothing about advancing in level, instead using his shedding as an excuse to conceal his changes. After all, the strength he currently displayed really was at the peak of a second-level half-demon.

But if anyone truly took him for one...

Of course, he had another purpose in saying this: to head off the Fox Woman's attempt to sell him the Little Venomous Dragon Shedding Talisman.

He was plainly telling her that he had already finished shedding, so she could go back wherever she had come from. His attitude made it perfectly clear that he wanted nothing to do with her.

This half-demon Fox Woman was difficult to deal with, and troublesome too. He would avoid getting involved with her whenever possible. Honestly, keeping a respectful distance was the proper approach to such a troublesome yao.

Wouldn't that time be better spent admiring the lovely figures of the young demonesses at the Demoness Market stalls?

Yet the vixen did not get angry. Narrowing her eyes, she smiled faintly and said, "Shedding, hmm? I really do envy you snake yao. You can increase your size and strength by shedding your skin again and again."

"You're hardly worse off. You can grow a few more tails yourselves. I still have things to do, so I'll take my leave."

Su Changsheng offered that compliment, then turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

The Fox Woman froze, her expression darkening slightly. The aura of a level three half-demon abruptly surged out, enveloping the surroundings. The nearby yao fled like rats with their heads covered, leaving Su Changsheng alone in an instant.

"Wait!"

"I have something to discuss with you!"

The Fox Woman's voice drifted eerily from behind him.

Women were nothing but trouble, and yao were no exception!

Su Changsheng sighed. Knowing he would not get away easily this time, he might as well hear what the Fox Woman wanted. His identity as a half-demon white snake was a disguise anyway. At worst, he could abandon it.

"What exactly do you want?"

With that thought, Su Changsheng abruptly turned back and asked, his expression slightly cold. Mainly, the commotion caused by the Fox Woman releasing her aura had drawn the gazes of quite a few yao in the distance. For someone accustomed to keeping a low profile, that was deeply uncomfortable.

His displeasure was only natural.

"Don't be impatient. Let's talk over there!"

"Come along!"

The Fox Woman pointed a slender finger toward the Spirit Plant Shop and spoke softly.

The fee was still ten jin of blood food. The two yao found a secluded spot, sat down, and began talking.

"My name is Little Four. What should I call you?"

The Fox Woman asked first.

Level three half-demons had already left the lowest ranks of yao behind. Though they fell short of those above them, they had more than enough compared to those below. Such yao often had the leisure to give themselves names.

Some named themselves after their species, drawing inspiration from their inherited bloodlines. The Black Tiger Yao, for instance, had simply taken Black Tiger as his name.

Others followed customs passed down from humans and chose fancy nicknames. There were plenty of those too.

By asking this, however, the Fox Woman was acknowledging Su Changsheng's strength, placing him on the same level as herself-a level three half-demon.

It seemed that Su Changsheng's second shedding and increased size really had intimidated her considerably.

"You can call me Xi!"

Su Changsheng answered without hesitation.

Humans had to acknowledge their ancestors and return to their roots; yao had even more reason to trace the origins of their bloodlines. As a lowly half-demon with a human head and a snake's body, surely it was not too much for him to claim the great deities Nüwa and Fuxi as his ancestors!

And taking it a step further, surely calling himself Xi was not too much either? After all, it sounded the same, but was written with a different character.

"Xi?"

The Fox Woman quietly repeated it twice, as though committing it to memory. Only after a moment did she say, "Xi, you made this kind of Concealment Rune, didn't you?"

She drew a Concealment Talisman from amid the surging waves of her pale cleavage. The fluctuations of demon power upon it were exceptionally familiar to Su Changsheng. It was unmistakably his handiwork.

But Su Changsheng's expression remained calm, without the slightest change in his eyes. Neither admitting nor denying it, he merely watched the Fox Woman impassively and waited for her to continue.

In the current situation, admitting or denying it was immaterial. Keeping a cool head and meeting every change with an unchanged stance was the proper course.

The same principle still held: with strength came confidence. He did not fear the Fox Woman. At worst, he would abandon his identity as a half-demon white snake.

"How about selling all these runes to me from now on?"

The Fox Woman asked softly.

Just as I thought, Su Changsheng said inwardly. The Fox Woman must have obtained one of his Concealment Runes through some channel, recognized its excellence, and learned his identity from the Eagle Yao.

She had been waiting for him at the Yao Market all along!

"Why should I?"

Su Changsheng countered. There was no way he would agree so easily.

"I'll buy them at the highest current price in the Yao Market. You can focus entirely on making talismans without worrying about these trivial matters. Not only that, trading exclusively with me will greatly reduce your risk of exposure and guard against those fellows watching from the shadows."

"And if you agree, I'll give you the method for making the Little Venomous Dragon Shedding Talisman immediately. Even if you've already shed your skin, this sort of Shedding Rune will still be very useful to you. It originated from an innate rune on a pureblood lesser yao."

The Fox Woman went on at length, doing everything she could to sway Su Changsheng.

After hearing her out, Su Changsheng fell silent. Some of what the Fox Woman said really did make sense.

As he made more runes, his consumption of blood food kept increasing too. Every month, he had to make several trips to the Yao Market to obtain the supplies he needed.

But if you kept walking along the riverbank, how could your shoes never get wet? With so many people around and so many prying eyes, the risk of his true identity being exposed would increase greatly.

Besides, a single trip to the Yao Market took nearly an entire day, cutting far too much into his cultivation time. If the Black Tiger Yao discovered later that he was frequently away from home, wouldn't he have to waste his breath explaining himself again?

After turning it over in his mind, finding a yao agent to sell his Concealment Runes seemed entirely feasible, with risks he could control.

As for whether the Fox Woman resold the runes at a markup after buying them or had some other use for them, Su Changsheng could not be bothered to care.

That had absolutely nothing to do with him.

After another stretch of silence, Su Changsheng finally said slowly, "Fine. We'll trade once every half month, with payment in blood food calculated at the price then. Between seven and ten each time."

"Ten at most?" The Fox Woman frowned and continued, "That's a little too few! I need all of them."

"That is all of them! I need to cultivate and replenish my demon power too. You don't think making these runes is easy, do you?" Su Changsheng replied mildly.

It really was easy. If he cut back on his cultivation time, he could make three in a day! A thirty percent success rate utterly crushed every other talisman-making yao.

But he still understood the principle of not putting all his eggs in one basket. He had to remember that going too far was as bad as falling short. Given his current strength, seven to ten every half month was just right.

It would never tempt the Fox Woman into taking a desperate risk.