Chapter 34: Did You Go Out Thieving Last Night?

The next morning, when Yang Qingyuan crawled out of bed with a pair of panda eyes, he nearly startled Wang Quanzui, who was bouncing around outside waiting for him.

"Wow! Did you go out thieving last night?"

Yang Qingyuan cast a helpless glance at her. Although Wang Quanzui was often excitable, she wasn't wrong today; had he not, in a sense, gone to play the thief the previous night? Since returning from the family head’s residence, the woman's voice had occupied his entire mind. Judging by the tone and emotion in her voice, Yang Qingyuan was almost certain that she shared a profound connection with him. She definitely knew him! Or perhaps, she was one of his parents, whom he had never met.

What baffled him was why she had suddenly fallen silent when he asked about her identity. This mystery had kept him tossing and turning all night, barely closing his eyes. It was no wonder he had dark circles under his eyes today.

"She said she might have made a mistake, and ten years ago, a demon died trying to break into the Yang family home to find her. Could it be that she, like Mu Renzhi back then, was involved with the demons?"

At this thought, Yang Qingyuan furrowed his brows deeply. It seemed his origin was becoming increasingly convoluted.

"What’s wrong with you? Why are you spacing out? You’ve been acting weird all day."

Seeing Yang Qingyuan staring blankly into the mirror while washing his face, Wang Quanzui couldn't help but wave a hand in front of him.

"It's nothing."

Yang Qingyuan wiped his face with a towel and, once finished, looked at Wang Quanzui. "You came looking for me so early; is something the matter?"

"What else could it be? We’re heading to Tushan, of course!"

"Huh? So soon?" Yang Qingyuan looked at her in surprise. "Didn't your brother say we should rest for a while before setting off?"

"Rest for what? We're going to Tushan, it's different from their missions. I’ve heard the Tushan fox demons never kill, and as the famous Land of Red Matchmakers, the scenery there is unparalleled! Especially their unique service called 'Reincarnation Connection,' which supposedly allows people who love each other to be together in their next lives! Wow, it sounds so romantic~"

"Are you going there for intelligence gathering or for a vacation?" Yang Qingyuan couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. "Besides, the Reincarnation Connection is for lovers between humans and demons. If you want romance, you’d better find yourself a demon lover."

Upon hearing this, Wang Quanzui’s dreamy expression vanished, and she gave Yang Qingyuan a fierce stomp on the foot. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't speak!"

Yang Qingyuan expressionlessly brushed the footprint off his shoe, picked up the trident leaning against the wall, and walked out without another word.

"Where are you going?"

"To Tushan. Isn't that what you said? Let’s get there and back early; maybe we can still catch up with your brother and the others."

"That makes sense. Let's go, go, go!"

***

Tushan, the ancestral home of the fox demon clan. It is said to be a beautiful city surrounded by mountains and lakes, with a miraculous giant tree—the Bitter Love Tree—towering in its center. The fox demons living there are widely known for their many Red Matchmakers, attracting humans and demons from all over seeking their connection services.

After a full day of traveling, Yang Qingyuan and Wang Quanzui reached the border between the territory of the League of One-Qi Taoists and Tushan. Looking at the desolate desert below, punctuated by sandstorms that seemed to rise out of nowhere, Wang Quanzui, who had been flying on her sword the entire way, felt her throat go dry.

Coincidentally, there was a city below. She begged Yang Qingyuan, "Qingyuan, can we rest in this city for a bit before continuing?"

"Didn't someone say earlier that she was full of confidence and could fly all the way to Tushan? What’s wrong? We aren't even at the border yet, and you're already exhausted?" Yang Qingyuan teased.

"I’m just a fragile young maiden. Do you think everyone is a monster with infinite stamina like you?" Wang Quanzui rolled her eyes in despair.

"Fine, let’s go down and rest."

"Yay!"

With his permission, Wang Quanzui’s expression changed instantly, shedding her listless demeanor to dash toward the city below.

"This girl..." Yang Qingyuan shook his head and accelerated to catch up.

"Huangfeng City? What a strange name." Moments later, seeing the large characters carved into the city gate, Wang Quanzui put away her sword.

"Indeed. Since Tushan has always been peaceful, there are rarely large-scale conflicts even at the borders, so it's natural you wouldn't recognize the name."

"That’s true. In places like the Southern Kingdom or Northern Mountains, you often hear reports of border cities being bloodied by demons. In that sense, Huangfeng City is quite lucky."

"Lucky? I wouldn't be so sure." Thinking of the bloodshed that would occur here in over a decade, Yang Qingyuan couldn't help but shake his head.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Let’s go in and see."

"Oh~"

After a brief identity check, the guards at the gate let them in. Being a border city, Huangfeng was nowhere near as prosperous as the Taoist capital. In Wang Quanzui’s eyes, it was no different from a small town. The streets were filled with yellow sand that whipped up with every gust of wind, coating everything in dust. Even during the day, there were very few people out.

After finally finding a tavern to sit in, Wang Quanzui asked the waiter while he served their food, "Waiter, is Huangfeng City always this empty?"

"Judging by your attire, you two must be from a big city, right?"

"You could tell?"

"Hehe, isn't it obvious? Actually, this city used to be quite populated. But in recent years, for some reason, the demons in the Huangfeng Ridge outside the city have become increasingly restless. Don't mind the constant sandstorms now; half a year ago, it wasn't like this. These winds are entirely the work of those demons!"