"Erlong, you look so beautiful when you smile."
Seeing this, Flender could not help himself.
Liu Erlong blushed and parted her lips.
"So I'm not beautiful when I'm not smiling?"
Flender's heart stirred at her response. Instead of flying into a temper as she used to, Liu Erlong actually seemed a little shy.
He immediately pressed his offensive.
"No, Erlong, you're always beautiful. You're just especially beautiful when you smile. You should smile more often."
For the moment, even the air of a profiteering merchant about Flender faded considerably.
While they searched for Demon Beasts, one half-resisted and half-yielded, while the other had a thief's intentions but little of a thief's nerve. Their feelings for each other rapidly warmed, though things did not progress all that quickly.
"I've been in the city all this time, so I really don't know where to find any Demon Beasts. Do you, Erlong?"
After several fruitless days, Flender grew anxious. After all, if they were too late, they might not be able to join an immortal sect.
Liu Erlong thought for a moment. "I have heard something, but I can't guarantee it's true."
"A lead is enough. Let's hurry, or someone else will beat us to it."
"All right."
Liu Erlong led Flender swiftly back the way they had come.
"There should be a fox demon nearby. Its cultivation isn't high, but I was alone at the time and didn't want trouble, so I left it alone."
Through their combined efforts, they found the old fox the following evening.
It was a fox nearing the end of its lifespan, its fur already white.
"I believe I've committed no great evil in my life. Now I only wish to pass away peacefully. Why must you two pursue me so relentlessly?"
The old fox's resentment rose