Yang Xue asked Mao Mao to escort the strong man home in person. After picking up the child, they were to transfer quickly.
The government was not easy to deceive. A living person disappearing in broad daylight - they wouldn't think it was the will of heaven. They would surely go to the strong man's home to check.
As instructed, Mao Mao gave the strong man twenty taels of gold, which scared him so much that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed continuously.
"I can't even begin to repay your kindness for saving my life. I'm extremely grateful, but I can't take this gold!" The strong man cried bitterly, hugging his child and kowtowing repeatedly. "Please thank the female hero for me. I'll be a horse or an ox to repay her in my next life."
"My sister said that she also got great fortune from saving you. You don't need to thank her. This gold is a reward from the God of Wealth. It's a waste not to take it." Mao Mao looked at the thin child in his arms and said earnestly, "Take it all for the sake of your child."
"Just one tael of gold is enough for me..." The strong man wiped away his tears and looked up at the money bag with a sniffle, only to find five gold ingots.
"It's not much, just five." Mao Mao smiled. "I didn't dare to give you too much, for fear of thieves coveting it. My sister said that the next - life stuff is all nonsense. People should live in the moment and seize the day."
The strong man was stunned and didn't move for a long time.
"Are you okay?"
"Please thank the female hero for me. I understand." Suddenly, he shed sorrowful tears but seemed to be relieved.
All his life, he had worked hard and been extremely cautious, yet he had suffered such a great disaster. He always comforted himself that maybe he had done something bad in his previous life. Or he told himself that although he had suffered in this life with a clear conscience, he might have a better life in the next...
The female hero's words made him suddenly realize.
Yang Xue returned to the restaurant to continue her meal. The food was still warm. When one was in a good mood, everything tasted delicious.
Just as she was feasting heartily, she suddenly felt a cold breeze blowing from the side.
"Miss, may I make your acquaintance?" A man's voice sounded above her, with a hint of pride hidden in his calm tone.
Yang Xue looked up and was stunned by the eyes of the person in front of her.
What special eyes, with an air of royalty.
Although looking down at her, he seemed to be looking at her with his nostrils. His noble head would never bow.
A black robe made his face extremely pale. His strong and tough facial features had a touch of exotic charm. The pigeon - egg - sized sapphires on his cloak were dazzlingly bright.
Such a straightforward opening line, coming from such a confident and flamboyant person, did not seem out of place at all.
Yang Xue sized him up. He sat down on his own and said bluntly, "As fellow demons, I greatly admire your appearance and bearing, and I'm even more in awe of your kindness and unruly spirit. May I have the honor of getting to know you?"
Such a direct opening line!
Yang Xue quickly analyzed in her mind and only guessed that he might be the king of a mountain bandit group. She stood up and gave him a charming smile.
"Although I don't know where your admiration comes from, I never refuse friends. But isn't it a bit too sudden to make friends after only a few words between us strangers?" In modern times, this would be a very clumsy way of hitting on someone. Even a domineering CEO couldn't get away with it.
Although this demon looked a bit like a vampire and was quite good - looking, she had never been impressed by this kind of thing since childhood.
"It doesn't matter," the Leopard King seemed to realize his abruptness. He gave a faint smile, looking at the lively woman in front of him, trying to appear more approachable. "I'd like to ask the miss for a glass of water. I wonder..."
"Of course. Please sit down." Yang Xue thought more highly of this demon for changing his self - address from "This King" to "I".
Her gaze turned to his attendant who never left his side. The attendant was looking at them very warily.
Xiao Rou was already trembling with fear from this person's aura. She leaned behind Yang Xue and couldn't help but grab her sleeve.
Mao Mao was ready to fight at any moment, protecting Xiao Rou behind her. If she had turned into a cat, she would probably be all fluffed up by now.
"Sister, the one behind him is a wolf demon, and the one in front is even more terrifying. Let's run away quickly," she whispered tremblingly, her legs weak.
Yang Xue patted the back of her hand and pulled her into her arms. "Don't be afraid. I'm not weak now."
"But..." But she was so weak. She was just a little rabbit. It was already very brave of her not to run away immediately when seeing these demons!
"This little rabbit is quite cute. Don't be afraid of This King. I haven't eaten rabbits for many years. Moreover, it's a difficult path for a rabbit to become a demon. This King won't be so unruly," he said sincerely, his gaze turning to Xiao Rou.
"Sister..." Hearing this, Xiao Rou trembled even more.
"Your attendant is a wolf demon. It's normal for my sister to be afraid. May I ask what your true form is, sir?" Yang Xue was very curious. What kind of animal could this demon be, with such an appearance?
His face was so white. Could he be a fox?
But his eyes weren't charming enough. Probably not.
"Our king is the Black Panther King of Mount Daqing. He sincerely invites the miss to visit Mount Daqing. If the miss is interested..."
"Grey Wolf," the Black Panther King interrupted him. "You may step back first."
This White - Bone Demon in front of him was not an ordinary female demon. If he directly stated his intention towards her, he might scare her away.
Mao Mao was observing their every move and immediately understood their meaning.
"Sister, didn't you make an appointment with Sun Wukong to drink today? Why hasn't he come yet?" As she said this, Mao Mao glanced at the Black Panther King from the corner of her eye, thinking that if this guy had designs on her sister, whether it was for her beauty or demon core, bringing up Sun Wukong might make him a bit more cautious.
Yang Xue was stunned for a moment but quickly understood her meaning. "Maybe he forgot. After all, he has important tasks to protect Tang Seng on his journey to the Western Heaven to fetch scriptures."
She deliberately mentioned Tang Seng to see if he was like other demons who wanted to eat his flesh.
"I've heard rumors that Miss Bai is acquainted with Sun Wukong. It seems they're true," he said thoughtfully. "But that monkey has converted to Buddhism. He may be a threat to our demon race. If the miss doesn't mind, she can join my mountain. Even if one day he is ordered by the Buddha of the Western Heaven to get rid of you, you'll have a place to go."
Everyone was surprised. They didn't expect the Black Panther King to know so much about her situation and even see the intentions of the Western Heaven.
Presumably, his cultivation was extremely high. He must be quite old, at least one or two thousand years old.
Xiao Rou grabbed Mao Mao's arm and buried her head, not daring to look at them. She just wanted to disappear into the ground.
"Hey!" Suddenly, a somersault cloud landed beside their table. Sun Wukong carried his Golden - hoop Rod on his shoulder, smiling as he swept a glance at the Black Panther King. "Old Black, long time no see. Why don't you stay in your cave to take care of your skin? What if you get tanned outside?"
The Black Panther King's face turned ashen instantly. His previous calm and composure disappeared. He stood up angrily. "Why are you here?"
Sun Wukong had hit his sore spot. He used to be really black. Later, in order to make his face whiter, he had even spent three - tenths of his cultivation to keep his human form as white as snow.
"Great Sage!" Yang Xue beamed with joy. She opened her eyes wide and looked at the majestic Sun Wukong who seemed ready to fight. Naturally, she grabbed the corner of his clothes. "You really came?"
Sun Wukong put away his hostility and turned to look at Yang Xue. He was suddenly at a loss for her such intimate and natural gesture. "If I hadn't come, you would have been captured by this old leopard to have your demon core cut out!"