CHAPTER 54: CHAPTER 54: HUSBAND, I’M COLD

Cold City experiences frequent rainfall, and it’s deep autumn now. In the blink of an eye, the clouds pass and rain falls, intensifying the autumn atmosphere.

A few drops of cold rain naturally don’t affect the cultivators much, but they do quell their rowdy reasons for gathering. As evening approaches, the loose cultivators also disperse one by one.

The cultivators guarding the City Lord’s Mansion breathed a sigh of relief. Although these people have low cultivation, their long gathering still causes trouble.

"Madam has something she’d like you to handle," Xiaolian’s voice sounded behind the cultivator.

"Could you please go to the Sword Hall, and invite Hall Master Lin to come to the mansion for a discussion?"

Without waiting for the cultivator to respond, a young man approached from across the street.

"I’ll go,"

The young man walked up to Xiaolian, gave her a smile.

Son of the Jade Heart Sect Leader, Mu Qiu.

"I happen to have some business there too."

After the young master left, Xiaolian looked at the empty street under the rain and furrowed her brow.

She always felt something was off, but couldn’t pinpoint what.

The young master’s recent feelings are off, as is the city’s atmosphere.

...

Meanwhile, over at Zhang Ze’s place.

Before the rain started, he had taken Chen Qin to the Fox Butterfly Restaurant, and they were now sitting in a private room in the backyard, drinking tea and dining.

It’s not that he has foresight or can predict the weather.

It’s just that Chen Qin happened to meet an acquaintance who extended an invitation.

The reason there was only one vacant room left last night was that this young lady had booked the entire backyard.

Li Yueqi, from the Cang Mountain Beast Taming Sect Family.

As a second-generation member of the Beast Taming Sect, Li Yueqi naturally has spirit beasts accompanying her, and there are two of them.

A Puppet Horn Colorful Scale Snake coiled on her shoulder, its head with three eyes, but only one is open.

The heavenly eye under the puppet horn fixated on Zhang Ze.

Another creature, a black wolf of unknown lineage, followed closely by Li Yueqi’s side, inseparable.

Both spirit beasts, like Li Yueqi, have concealed their cultivation.

Spirit beasts, demon beasts, and the demon race are of the same origin, but vastly different.

The Beast Taming Sect has detailed classification and research in this area, but for most people, especially the lively demon race,

the classification method is actually quite simple.

If they play with humans, they’re spirit beasts.

If they don’t play with humans, they’re demon beasts.

If they can become humans, they’re from the demon race.

Human-centric, simple.

In a private room in the backyard, Li Yueqi held Chen Qin’s hand, chatting and reminiscing, discussing the recent events in Cold City.

The Colorful Scale Snake continued to stare at Zhang Ze, while the black wolf found a comfortable spot to rest and nap.

"Xiaoqin, have you come to Cold City for sect training as well?"

"Recently, strange phenomena have frequently occurred around Cold City, with many cultivators and demons witnessing anomalies at midnight."

"I hear some cultivator gained some fortuitous encounter,"

"Perhaps a Grotto Heaven has emerged."

"Our sect also issued missions, instructing Golden Core Stage cultivators to investigate. I happened to be free, so I accepted the task."

"It seems my younger brother is in Cyan Thorn, but I can’t get in touch with him now."

"Last month, when communicating with him, he kept talking about doing something big."

"By the way, Xiaoqin. When will you come to Cang Mountain to play again?"

"In the Beast Garden, just pick any spirit beast you like, I’ll take charge and gift it to you. Don’t worry about my old man."

"Recently, a few new spirit birds appeared in the Beast Garden, they’re especially beautiful."

Holding a handful of salted roasted peanuts, Zhang Ze sat quietly on the side, listening, while pondering Aunt Niao’s matter.

Who knows whether the recent anomalies in Cold City are related to Aunt Niao’s disappearance.

Is Grandpa Wang just getting senile, or is there truly something strange about Cold City?

After finishing the peanuts, his hands were greasy, and as he was about to find a cloth to wipe them, he saw a fox tail flicking in front of him.

The voice of the proprietress, Rasi, sounded in Zhang Ze’s ear.

"Guest~, the new bed has arrived, but I can’t lift it into place, lend me a hand ლ(′◉❥◉｀ლ)"

Listening to the fox demon’s tremulous seductive voice, Zhang Ze could tell from his gut that this demoness has ulterior motives for him.

Moreover, Zhang Ze happened to have questions for her.

Zhang Ze wiped his hands on the proprietress’s fox tail, "Junior sister, continue chatting, I’ll be right back."

"Customer, you’re so annoying, it’s dirty now~," the proprietress retracted her tail and gestured to Zhang Ze.

Chen Qin’s expression changed multiple times, she suddenly understood what being a fox spirit meant.

Truly detestable.

Li Yueqi noticed, her eyes darting between Zhang Ze and Chen Qin.

"Hey, who is he to you?"

"He’s my senior brother..."

"Really?"

"Really... don’t ask, just my senior brother!"

On the upper floor.

Zhang Ze, single-handedly carrying the new bed, entered the room and then pushed away the proprietress.

"Stop being flirtatious, I have some questions for you."

"Oh, guest, I..."

Zhang Ze pulled out the Sword Hall token from his pocket, which he borrowed from the senior brother named Wang Sheng before leaving.

"This shop operates legally, not deceiving customers young or old."

The proprietress put on her half-removed clothing, sat down opposite the table with her tail held in her arms.

"Ask, and I’ll answer."

Zhang Ze put away the token, "Do you know Ling Liu? She’s a bird demon."

"She’s quite accomplished, at least at the Golden Core level," Zhang Ze added.

"In which line of work?" the fox demon thought for a while before asking.

"I don’t know, I only know she lives outside the city at Five Rams Slope," Zhang Ze recalled. Indeed, Elder Wang never told him what business Aunt Niao was engaged in.

"Then I don’t know, the bird demons I know are all in small businesses."

"Moreover, the Five Rams Slope outside the city has always been a wasteland," the proprietress habitually tilted her head, feigning innocence.

"How old are you?" Zhang Ze asked.

"Oh, guest, I..."

"Don’t dodge."

"Oh, I’m 210 years old this year, born in the year of the tiger."

Zhang Ze put away his sword, feeling a headache, increasingly perceiving the situation as bizarre.

Mortals have short lifespans, memory may fail, but why wouldn’t this centuries-old fox spirit remember?

"Are there any Great Demons in the city above the Golden Core stage?" Zhang Ze asked again.

"There were before, but over the past few years, for some unknown reasons, several seniors have successively left Cold City."

Zhang Ze eyed the fox spirit’s figure, suddenly recalling something, "Do you know Wang Buyu?"

The fox spirit tugged on her ears, flicked her tail back and forth, thought for a while before answering, "Seems to vaguely remember, isn’t he also from the Sword Sect."

Zhang Ze nodded.

"I remember, back then the young hero was really robust, his waist, made me..."

"Ahem," Zhang Ze was not in the mood to hear Grandpa Wang’s romantic tales. "Focused on the main issue."

The fox demon swallowed, "I only had a fleeting relationship with humans, only know that back then he came to Cold City for some matter, know nothing else."

Seeing no further insights, Zhang Ze momentarily found himself at a loss.

Re-opening the system after a long time, he discovered there were no cultivation techniques or tools in the exchange list to resolve the current predicament.

"Well, that’s it."

Arranging the new bed, Zhang Ze directly turned and left the room, the fox demon trailing him with her tail swaying behind.

"Guest, be careful of the steps."

God knows what tricks this fox was up to, seizing on the excuse of a few cold dishes still needing delivery in the shop, she insisted on circling back to the backyard’s private room again.

Returning to the private room, Li Yueqi saw the fox demon behind Zhang Ze, exhibiting a peculiar expression.

The Colorful Scale Snake also rose at this moment, its three eyes opened simultaneously.

Chen Qin appeared to sense something, her expression turned odd.

Zhang Ze didn’t comprehend their intentions, yet suddenly felt a soft mass press against him from behind.

For some reason, the fox spirit proprietress started to act flirtatiously again. Two plates fell to the ground from her hands as she leaned completely into Zhang Ze.

"Husband, I’m cold~"

If not for her tail getting in the way, she would’ve already stripped naked in front of Li Yueqi and Chen Qin.

Zhang Ze was bewildered, this was all rather overwhelming.