Several posts had appeared on social media—videos or photos of Qin Zhi hitting the ground from different angles, and even one of him falling from the sky. How anyone managed to film that was a mystery.
Fortunately, all the images and videos were extremely blurry, heavily compressed when uploaded. The posts had almost no engagement, barely anyone saw them—probably thanks to the relevant authorities stepping in.
The few comments were all saying the same thing: “OP’s overthinking it. It’s not sword flying, it’s just a drone shaped like a sword. I’ve seen them before.”
“That fall wasn’t even bad. The guy’s completely fine. No way he fell from the sky—probably fell out of a nearby shop, right?”
“That sword is huge. Definitely a drone. Still dangerous though—why fly it in a busy downtown area?”
Ye Yang opened a photo and looked closely. He didn’t know much about sword cultivators, but the sword in the picture was clearly not the one Qin Zhi usually carried. It looked much wider and longer. If you squinted and insisted it was a drone, it was barely passable.
He had to hand it to them—they really came up with that excuse.
“So what happens now?”
Zhuang Li was about to answer when his phone rang. It was Shen Xiujun.
“Hey, has the little bro arrived yet? If not, tell him the location changed. I’ll send you the address in a bit…”
Zhuang Li hung up and stood. “Let’s go. We’re eating hotpot somewhere else.”
—
“Is this really okay?”
Ye Yang sat there stiffly, his hand hovering over the food, not daring to take a bite.
Who would have thought? They were currently in a corner of the parking garage below the Field Operations Department. They’d set up a small folding table, a portable butane stove, and a slightly beat-up divided hotpot pot—he had no idea where they’d even found it. The four of them sat on four little plastic stools, and Qin Zhi, with the longest legs, couldn’t even stretch them out.
Qin Zhi’s illegal flight issue hadn’t been resolved yet. He had to wait for the Operations Department and the Crisis Management Department to finish processing everything. Since Shen Xiujun had brought him in, he’d somehow ended up as Qin Zhi’s guarantor, so he couldn’t leave either.
Ye Yang never imagined that despite all this, Shen Xiujun and Qin Zhi were still trying to make this hotpot happen. Was it really that necessary?
“Yes, it’s absolutely necessary!” Shen Xiujun said firmly. “I finally get a break. No one is stopping me from eating hotpot!”
Qin Zhi added, “I just pulled these radishes out of the ground. They’re still fresh. If we wait until tomorrow, they won’t taste nearly as good!” He immediately shoved a piece of radish into his mouth and started dancing around from the heat.
Ye Yang looked left, then right, hardly able to believe it. These two disagreed on everything, yet they’d somehow reached a bizarre consensus on eating hotpot.
Zhuang Li, unfazed, moved with practiced speed, snagged the last piece of beef, and dropped it into Ye Yang’s bowl. “Since we’ve come this far, let’s just eat.”
Seeing Ye Yang still frowning, Zhuang Li found it a bit amusing. “Qin Zhi’s not worried—why are you? Come on, we’re here. If you don’t eat fast enough, those two will finish everything.”
Qin Zhi caught the insult but couldn’t say a word with the scorching hot radish in his mouth. He just drew a hand across his throat in mock threat.
Zhuang Li ducked his head, elegantly dodging the chili oil flicking off Qin Zhi’s chopsticks, and didn’t miss a beat with his follow-up jab: “What, your sword got confiscated and you still want to cut me down?”
Qin Zhi deflated instantly. He still hadn’t figured out how to explain this to his master and his sect.
Ye Yang stifled a laugh, lowered his head, and took a bite of the beef. Mm, delicious!
—
By the time they finished eating, it was already dark. They packed up the table and chairs, and Ye Yang cleaned all the dishes and pots. They walked out of the parking garage and went up to the second floor.
Qin Zhi’s case had already been resolved.
“Here’s the fine and penalty notice. Take a look. If there are no issues, sign it. We’ll send a copy to your sect.”
Qin Zhi’s eyes immediately landed on the number. His hand trembled. “Ah… That much?”
Ye Yang couldn’t help but sneak a peek too… Whoa! That was serious money. His most lucrative mission reward wasn’t even that high.
The officer in charge tore into Qin Zhi without mercy: “You think that’s too much? All the manpower and resources we threw at this to clean up your mess as fast as we did—that’s not worth it? Where was this attitude when you were flying around on that piece of junk sword?”
“And besides, considering your age and the fact that this is your first offense, we’re only fining you. No other penalties. You’re getting off easy!”
Qin Zhi was too cowed to even lift his head, let alone argue. He obediently paid the fine—money the other three had just pooled together to lend him.
But as he was leaving, he couldn’t help asking, “Um… when can I get my sword back?”
The officer glanced at their computer screen and said coolly, “Three months.”
Qin Zhi nearly burst into tears.
—
Outside the office, Shen Xiujun suddenly said, “Oh hey, hold on. Let’s not go out the main entrance. We don’t want anyone recognizing you.”
Qin Zhi scratched his head. “That’s a stretch, isn’t it? The story hasn’t spread. Not that many people are paying attention.”
Zhuang Li chimed in, “I think the boss is right. Not all those posts have been taken down yet. If we run into someone who actually recognizes you, we’ll never explain it away. How about we take a teleportation array and just pretend you never left school? That guy in the video just looked like you.”
Taking the teleportation array through the demon realm passage—from the Operations Department to the Luoyang City teleport point, then to the dorm—was a straight three-point line with no chance of running into classmates.
Plus, as long as they didn’t leave the teleport point, it was extremely safe. No one dared to cause trouble at a teleport point.
The teleportation array in Luoyang City could actually pinpoint directly inside their dorm, though the fee was a bit steep. When they got to the array, Shen Xiujun shoved Qin Zhi forward to pay.
Qin Zhi: “…You want me to pay for all four of us?”
Shen Xiujun put on a stern face. “What else? Aren’t we taking this route because of you?”
Zhuang Li fanned the flames: “Yeah, exactly~”
Qin Zhi looked absolutely aggrieved. Then couldn’t I just take it alone?
Zhuang Li smiled—looking particularly fox-like. “How could we do that? We’re good brothers. There’s no way we’d let you go alone. It’s too dangerous~”
Ye Yang looked left and right, not sure what to say, when someone suddenly patted him on the back from behind.
“Hey there, little Ye Ye!”
Ye Yang turned around. It was a handsome guy with white hair. He looked a bit familiar, but Ye Yang absolutely could not place him.
Qin Zhi gasped: “Bai Jun?!”
Bai Jun responded with a warm, sweet smile and even threw up a finger heart. “You’re little Ye Ye’s friends? Autographs and photos are both fine!”
Zhuang Li pulled Ye Yang aside: “Little bro, you know a big celebrity?”
Shen Xiujun, surprisingly flustered, stammered: “I-I have a pen!”
“Looks like you’re a fan~” Bai Jun smiled and took the pen.
Shen Xiujun’s face turned red: “I’ve been following you since your idol group days. I really like you!”
Qin Zhi stared at him in shock. This rough-and-tumble guy is actually a fanboy???
Ye Yang stared at Bai Jun’s smiling face, his brain working overtime. Finally, it clicked: “Oh! It’s you. You’re Elder Bai of the fox clan!” They had only met once, and Bai Jun had dyed his hair since then, so no wonder he hadn’t recognized him.
But what was this about being a big celebrity?
Bai Jun tilted his head and winked at Ye Yang. “Finally remembered~ I almost thought you’d forgotten about me.” Somehow, the gesture wasn’t greasy at all. It was devastatingly charming—and the silent screaming from Shen Xiujun beside him proved it.
“Elder Bai… no way.” Zhuang Li rarely lost his composure. “You’re telling me he’s Bai Jun, the current generation’s elder of the Bai family in the fox clan? You’ve got to be kidding…”
Shen Xiujun was equally stunned: “Bai Jun is a demon?? I had no idea!”
Ye Yang was baffled: “How do you all know who he is?”
After his brothers explained, it took Ye Yang a while to piece it together. Not only was Bai Jun the Third Elder of the fox clan, but he was also a huge star in human society. He was famous not just in China but throughout the surrounding regions too. He’d started as an idol singer-dancer and later became a multi-talented entertainer. His most famous role was in the TV drama The Legend of the Fox Demon.
Zhuang Li: “So that was a true-to-self performance—no wonder he acted it so well.”
Bai Jun laughed cheerfully and gave a very official response: “Thanks for the compliment. Credit goes to the entire production team.”
Qin Zhi, Zhuang Li, and Shen Xiujun: “…” It was their first time face-to-face with a celebrity, and they had absolutely no idea how to respond.
Ye Yang: “By the way, Elder Bai, why are you here?”
Bai Jun’s smile deepened. “I came specifically to find you, of course.”
The fox clan had learned the moment news of Liu Chen’s appearance broke. Elder Su Huaiyu had immediately dispatched Bai Jun to protect Ye Yang.
The fox clan valued their promises above all else. Their word was as solid as a mountain. No matter how much time passed, they would always fulfill their vow to protect Ye Yang—especially since it had only been a few years.
“Thank you. But sending Elder Bai just to protect me? Isn’t that a bit…” Overkill.
Bai Jun put an arm around Ye Yang’s shoulder. “Don’t call me Elder Bai—that’s so formal. Just call me Jun Ge. Protecting you is reason number one. The second is to kill Liu Chen.”
With that clean-cut, handsome idol face, Bai Jun casually said the word “kill” with a smile. There was no killing intent in his eyes at all, yet it sent a chill down the spine.
No one would ever doubt the word of a fox clan elder. He hadn’t come to Dongzhou to hold a concert or film a drama. He’d come to kill.
Ye Yang suddenly understood. Liu Chen had harmed fox cubs—of course the fox clan would come after him. That made sense. That rogue cultivator was crafty, vicious, and used bizarre methods. They really did need to send a master.
Bai Jun gave everyone autographs and took group photos that wouldn’t reveal their background. Then he said he still had things to do: “Alright, you all head back. Don’t worry. I’m tracking Liu Chen right now. Once I kill him, you’ll be safe.”
They waved goodbye and took the teleportation array back to the dorm. The others were still savoring the moment.
Shen Xiujun: “A celebrity really is a celebrity. I used to think I was pretty good-looking, but now I feel so average.”
Qin Zhi: “His skin is amazing. Is it like that for all demons?”
Zhuang Li looked at Ye Yang: “I don’t know about other demons, but our little bro’s skin is great too. And he’s cuter.”
“That’s true.”
“Yeah, agreed.”
Qin Zhi stroked his chin, then suddenly said, “But doesn’t this feel a bit unreliable? He’s supposed to be protecting the little bro, but then he just leaves like that? Doesn’t even ask where he lives…”
Shen Xiujun sucked in a breath: “Hey, now that you mention it…”
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