Chapter 9

A few hours later, inside the lakeside villa, a grave discussion was underway.

The fox sat slumped and dispirited beside the gray wolf. Beside him, the gray wolf stood with her back perfectly straight; despite being incredibly nervous, she maintained a composed and calm expression. Only the child in her arms, clutching a ragdoll, looked back and forth between them, offering a wide, generous smile to whoever met her gaze.

Opposite the three of them sat several police officers and a Taoist priest. Outside, it was clear that five or six more officers were keeping watch.

The reason things had reached this point began with the capture of the fox. He had intended to fight to the death, but the Taoist priest, Wenyuan, and the police had both stated they were not there to arrest him. They simply wanted to ensure the child he had taken was safe and hoped for a friendly dialogue.

The fox was skeptical of these cunning humans. He believed that if they had mobilized so many people to catch him just to ask about the child, it must be a ruse to lure him back and kill him.

In the end, it was Taoist Wenyuan who arrived in person, invoking the name of his own senior brother, Taoist Lingyun, to put the fox somewhat at ease.

"The child was entrusted to you by my senior brother; he trusts you, and so do I. I observe that you possess no aura of blood or filth. You have never consumed humans and have always cultivated the righteous path of heaven and earth. We hold such demon-immortal predecessors in high regard."

The fox had never been complimented so bluntly, let alone by a seemingly formidable Taoist who had actually called him a "demon-immortal predecessor." He couldn't help but relax further, his head lifting slightly.

"Hmph, of course."

Wenyuan smiled and said, "On behalf of my senior brother, I thank you for your willingness to help care for the child. It must have been difficult for you these past two days."

He used the word "you" in the plural, clearly having guessed that it wasn't just one demon looking after the child, but two—a fact confirmed by the latest photos sent down from the mountain.

The fox immediately shook his head. "It wasn't difficult." Only after speaking did he realize something was off, so he quickly added, "I have been taking care of her by myself."

Taoist Wenyuan didn't press the point, shifting the conversation instead: "Did you two recently come down from the mountains?"

There were very few demons left in this day and age who still lived such primitive lives, unless they were fresh from the mountains and unfamiliar with the human world. Otherwise, even the most untalented minor demons would get themselves a smartphone or some modern gadget to enjoy life. He hadn't seen a simple, rustic demon like the fox in a long time.

The fox was startled. How did this Taoist guess so accurately? He couldn't quite gauge the Taoist's level of cultivation, only feeling that the man was dangerous.

"So what if we did? Are you trying to force me back to the mountains?"

"Of course not. We welcome every kind-hearted demon. It’s just that human society develops very rapidly. Everyone walking in the world has an ID card, a bank card, and a fixed residence. Isn't living in the mountains quite inconvenient for you? Food must also be much harder to find than before. Actually, there are many delicious foods for you to try in the human world."

Over the past two days, besides a large rat, the fox had only gnawed on chicken feet, which did nothing to satiate his hunger—they barely filled his mouth. Hearing the Taoist mention food made him feel a bit hungry.

"Why don't you ask your companion to come over, and we can discuss getting you both ID cards? That way, you can walk openly in the human world."

Though he had only just learned of such a thing as an ID card, the fox understood it was similar to the old travel permits; without some form of identification, it was inconvenient to go anywhere.

The fox fell into a dilemma. He didn't know if he should trust the Taoist. The gray wolf and the child were safe for now, and they could escape if something went wrong, but if he took the initiative to bring them out and something happened, he would never forgive himself.

"How do I know you don't have ill intentions?"

Taoist Wenyuan said with conviction, "I can swear upon my Taoist heart."

The fox was stunned. For a Taoist, swearing upon one's Taoist heart meant there was almost no possibility of lying; should their words contradict their heart, not only would their future cultivation stagnate, but they would also suffer retribution from the Heavenly Dao.

"Fine. Swear now, and if you do, I will believe you."

Taoist Wenyuan raised his hand and said with a serious expression, "I, Wang Wenyuan, swear upon my Taoist heart that everything I have said to my young friend, the Red Fox, is true. If there is even a half-truth, I am willing to be struck by the five heavenly thunders."

The sky remained silent, with no sign of thunder. Only then did the fox relax. He glanced at the police and said to Wenyuan, "I only trust you now. I can take you to them."

"Very well, I will go with you."

***

The fox then led Wenyuan back to their newly established home.

The gray wolf didn't know what had happened. Seeing the fox hadn't returned for a long time, she was just contemplating whether to go out and look for him when she saw him return with a Taoist, followed by several police officers trailing at a distance.

Her expression changed instantly, and she went into defensive mode.

The fox hurried toward her, calling out that it was fine and not to be afraid.

And so, the scene became two demons and a child sitting in a row, with a group of police and Taoists sitting opposite them.

The fox briefly explained the purpose of these people to the gray wolf. Skeptical, she asked, "If you are so eager to help us get ID cards, what other schemes are you hiding?"

Unlike the naive fox, she didn't believe humans were that friendly toward demons. "Those not of our race must have different hearts"—that was a lesson learned through blood and tears.

Wenyuan looked at the well-cared-for child, his eyes lighting up instantly; the child appeared to have excellent natural talent.

Suppressing the urge to reach out and touch her, he gestured to the police captain sitting next to him, signaling him to speak.

Captain Yan Kai, who had come along, was also encountering demons at such close range for the first time. He said somewhat nervously, "Actually, we want to understand what happened in the villa that night. Since you were in the vicinity, you must have seen something, right? Could you describe it to us in detail?"

Although the two demons had been watching from nearby, apart from the escaping aura and the sounds of the battle, they hadn't really seen much of anything.

The gray wolf described what they had seen, with the fox adding a detail from time to time.

The police listened, baffled and wide-eyed, while only Taoist Wenyuan, sitting beside them, wore an extremely grave expression.

This demon was more powerful than he had imagined. For a moment, he felt a flutter of fear; if his senior brother hadn't suppressed the demon, and it had truly escaped, he shuddered to think how many people would have died.

When the two demons finished, the police blinked, locking eyes for a moment. This was completely beyond their scope of understanding, so they had to skip the topic for now and handle their official duties.

"As demons living in the human world, you must obtain human ID cards and register your household. This is something every human must possess. Additionally, if you have time, we hope you will attend the legal education activities held at our police station; it will be very helpful for your integration into society."

Whether they were demons or not, since they could turn into humans, they would be treated as humans, and those without status needed to be registered.

The gray wolf, knowing the benefits of having a registered household, didn't object.

"Getting registered is fine, but you cannot have the child. The old Taoist entrusted her to our care."

Yan Kai frowned subconsciously. Although over thirty people had died in the Liu family and the child's direct relatives were gone, she still had relatives on her mother's side. By any calculation, she should first be handed over to her mother's family for upbringing.

"But she still has her maternal grandparents. Her kin are still alive. You have no blood relation to her, so the custody does not belong to you."

The gray wolf immediately clutched the child tighter. "I don't care!"

She used a bit too much force, causing Qingyao to grimace in discomfort. However, the child simply reached out to gently tug at the gray wolf's arm before pressing her face against her.

Seeing this, Yan Kai didn't provoke her further, deciding to first contact the child's maternal relatives.

"We need to give the child a physical examination," he added. "You may come along."

"To the hospital?"

"Yes, to the hospital."

"Fine."

***

Before going to the hospital, the police had unfinished business. They took out their notebooks and pens and began to grill the two demons for details.

"For household registration, we need detailed information. Could you state your names, ages, and places of origin?"

The fox scratched his head, struggling for a long time to remember his name. It had been so long since anyone had called him by that name that he had almost forgotten it himself.

"I think I'm called Hu... Hu Yuanfei." He complained, "What a hard name to remember."

This was the first time the gray wolf had heard his name, and she couldn't help but cast a glance at him.

Yan Kai wrote down his name and continued, "And your age?"

"That was so long ago, who remembers when they were born?"

"Well, roughly when?"

"I remember that back then, everyone had their heads shaved—every human was bald, it was so ugly. That must have been over three hundred years ago."

The police officer's hand paused. A fox from the Qing Dynasty? "Specifically, how many years?"

"Sixty? Eighty? I spent many years in deep slumber; I lost track of the days."

"Then we'll record it as three hundred and eighty years. As for the specific date, let's just use today's date. Where were you born?"

"I don't know the name of that place, but I know it wasn't far from the Holy Mountain of the Fox Clan, Qingqiu. We used to worship toward the north."

A police officer nearby pulled out his phone to check. "Qingqiu is likely near the present-day Qinghao County in Shandong. So he lived south of the county."

"Then we'll just register it as Qinghao County."

"Are there any direct relatives left?"

Hu Yuanfei shook his head. "I am the only one in my clan who attained sentience; the others died long ago."

After he began his cultivation, he would often inhale moonlight and refine it while sleeping. At first, his sleep was short, but later, it grew longer and longer—sometimes he would wake up to find a year had passed. The lifespan of ordinary foxes was not that long. One day, he suddenly realized his parents were gone, and few of his siblings from the same litter remained. Later, fewer and fewer foxes with familiar scents were left, until they all disappeared.

He had finished grieving these things hundreds of years ago; now that he thought about it, he felt nothing at all.

Yan Kai finished his notes and neatly put away his book. "Alright, thank you for your cooperation. I also need an ID photo of you. Is it alright if we take it here?"

Hu Yuanfei blinked, confused. "What is an ID photo?"

Yan Kai picked up his phone. "It's a photo taken with a phone." He stared at the fox's red hair. "Your hair color doesn't meet the standards for an ID card. Is there any way you can change it?"

Hu Yuanfei huffed. "This is my natural color. It looks great."

Taoist Wenyuan persuaded him, "It is indeed beautiful, but ID photos require black hair. You can change it back after the photo is taken."

Hu Yuanfei reluctantly agreed, turned his hair black, and sat upright before a white wall to have his photo taken.