Chapter 3

Chapter 3

With the passing tourists as a backdrop, cherry blossoms drifted in spirals through the air.

Two people of exceptionally striking appearance stood pulling at each other and exchanging glances, looking like a brightly colored painting.

Many passersby thought they were filming a short drama and couldn't help stopping to watch.

Jiang Lin discreetly mobilized the spiritual energy within him, prepared to prevent this little fox demon from escaping.

But surprisingly, the little fox demon didn't resist being held by him. Instead, he kept his round eyes wide open, tilting his head slightly, his clear pupils reflecting Jiang Lin's image as if observing him. His expression was innocent and harmless, full of curiosity.

Noticing the growing crowd of onlookers, Jiang Lin softened his expression and spoke in a soothing tone: "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. Let's leave here first."

He tentatively took a couple of steps, pulling the little fox demon along, and was slightly surprised to see him obediently follow without any sign of resistance. His attitude softened even further.

Leading him to a stall, Jiang Lin casually picked up a pair of croc-style slippers and placed them on the ground: "Put these on."

Bai Zhizhi looked at the oddly shaped shoes and stepped into them.

The soles were soft underfoot, yet the texture felt oddly hard—like the ice cream he had eaten earlier. It smelled fragrant, but tasted just average. The human world was so strange, full of inexplicable things.

Jiang Lin paid for the shoes and turned to see Bai Zhizhi lowering his head, curiously examining the footwear. His long, silky, smooth hair drifted in the breeze, and his delicate, refined features were full of naive innocence.

Glancing back at the back mountain, now devoid of any trace of demonic aura, Jiang Lin said, "Come on, I'll take you back to the bureau first to register your identity."

Bai Zhizhi looked up at Jiang Lin: "Bureau? Identity?"

Jiang Lin was about to say something when Lin Xiaoyang, who had been the most noisy earlier, ran over: "Brother Jiang!"

When he got closer and saw the person Jiang Lin was holding, along with the pair of white fox ears on his head, he widened his eyes in shock: "Th-this..."

Jiang Lin said, "There are too many people here; this isn't the place to talk. Let's head back first. Inform the others and do another sweep of the mountain."

Lin Xiaoyang responded with an "oh" and obediently followed behind.

Bai Zhizhi was led into a vehicle—another thing he had never seen before. He sat quietly, turning his head to look around, analyzing the situation in his mind.

The man called Brother Jiang had clearly come for him, but he bore no ill intent. Most people here were ordinary mortals. So far, he had only encountered two people with cultivation: one very weak and one extremely weak. Neither was a threat.

He touched the bracelet hidden on his wrist—a magical artifact refined by his mother. It could store items and withstand a fatal blow from an Immortal. His safety was not a concern.

Reassured, Bai Zhizhi decided to go along with them for now, to check out this "bureau" and hopefully figure out where he was and how he had gotten here.

Jiang Lin drove, while Lin Xiaoyang, sitting in the passenger seat, noticed Jiang Lin had activated the car's formation, ensuring the little demon couldn't escape. He then cheerfully struck up a conversation: "You're a fox demon, right? Which mountain did you cultivate on? Have you ever been to the human world before?"

Bai Zhizhi blinked but didn't respond. Human world? In Qingqiu, they called the mortal world the "secular world." Was this "human world" the same as their concept of the secular world?

Seeing that he didn't answer, Lin Xiaoyang continued, "What's your name? Did you just come out of seclusion today? Let me tell you, these days, humans are in charge. If you demons want to live a stable life, you have to hide your identity. Can't let people find out."

Bai Zhizhi finally turned his head slightly to look at him: "What happens if people find out?"

His voice was clear and pure, carrying a youthful timbre that made it obvious he was young.

Lin Xiaoyang squinted slightly, amused, and put on a fierce expression to scare him: "If people find out, they'll catch you and eat you. Demon meat is the best, especially a freshly transformed little demon like you—so tender, and it can even prolong life!"

As soon as he said that, Jiang Lin shot him a glance: "Don't scare him."

He glanced at the rearview mirror at Bai Zhizhi, who was sitting obediently, and reassured him, "Don't listen to him. Humans don't eat demons. But ordinary people don't know demons exist, so if you want to move freely in the human world, you do need to hide your identity."

Bai Zhizhi fell silent. Humans in charge? This place was indeed strange. Human cultivators were actually afraid of mortals and even made demons hide themselves. How bizarre.

After being taken all the way back to the bureau, Bai Zhizhi discovered more strange things about this place. There was no spiritual energy here, yet there was a different driving force. The moving vehicles here were not slow. Though the buildings were narrow, they towered into the clouds. To reach upper floors, one didn't need to use spiritual energy to leap; instead, they could freely move up and down using external objects.

Most importantly, all these things could be operated by ordinary mortals.

Seeing that Bai Zhizhi was cooperative and showed no intention of escaping, Jiang Lin's attitude toward him grew even gentler. He led him to an office equipped with a formation, then brought him some water and food: "Wait for me here. Someone will come by to explain the situation and rules of the human world. Don't worry, as long as you cooperate, no one here will hurt you. If you have any needs, you can tell us."

In the current world, spiritual energy was scarce. Even human cultivators were rare, let alone demon cultivators. Any demon that successfully transformed into human form had great fortune. As long as they didn't disrupt the peace of the human realm and were willing to abide by human laws, the bureau would do its best to protect their safety.

After temporarily settling Bai Zhizhi, Jiang Lin went to the director's office.

The director of the main bureau was staring at a screen on the wall, which displayed footage of Bai Zhizhi in the office. Seeing Jiang Lin arrive, the director asked directly: "You went and only found this little fox demon?"

Jiang Lin nodded: "By the time I got there, there was no trace of demonic aura on the mountain anymore. If this little fox demon hadn't just come down the mountain and still had incomplete transformation, we might not have discovered him at all."

Because this little fox demon also had no demonic aura. If he retracted his ears, even Jiang Lin might not be able to tell he was a demon.

The director sat back in his chair: "What do you think about this?"

Jiang Lin looked at the screen. Bai Zhizhi was drinking water. He first examined the cup, sniffed it, then took a small sip cautiously. Newcomer's careful exploration, his ears occasionally flattening back—so well-behaved it softened one's heart.

Jiang Lin said: "I plan to keep him with me for now."

The director: "You'll take him?"

Jiang Lin nodded: "Based on the intensity of the demonic aura that erupted on the mountain, there must have been a powerful demon cultivator's cave dwelling opened. But only he came out. I can't detect his cultivation level. He must have some concealing artifact. Either he is that powerful demon cultivator, who once went into hiding and slept in the cave for millennia before waking up, or he is the descendant of that powerful demon, kept locked in the cave to cultivate, finally transformed into human form and escaped."

Jiang Lin continued: "I lean toward the latter possibility, but either way, if I keep him with me, I can help him integrate into human society while keeping an eye on him."

The director pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Handle it as you see fit. Report any developments immediately."

What Jiang Lin said matched the director's own thoughts. Whether this little fox demon was the powerful demon itself or its descendant, given the intensity of the demonic aura at the time, his origin was certainly extraordinary. Having Jiang Lin as his guide to help him blend into society would maximize the chances of him maintaining a friendly attitude toward humans.

While they were discussing Bai Zhizhi's future, Bai Zhizhi had already learned a rough understanding of this world from the person who came to register his information.

It turned out that Qingqiu was considered a myth from ancient times in this world's human cognition. There were no gods or immortals in this world—only in ancient myths. Later, the Dao collapsed, immortals and gods ceased to exist, leaving only ordinary humans to multiply. After thousands of years of evolution through the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, it formed the current human society.

No wonder that cultivator earlier said humans were in charge now. With nearly ten billion people, cultivators might number in the tens of thousands, and demon cultivators registered on record were less than a hundred. The disparity was so great that everyone had to lie low.

Bai Zhizhi digested this information a little and asked: "Besides me, are there any other fox demons?"

The young woman who came to give him an introduction checked the tablet and nodded: "There's a red fox. He transformed into human form three years ago at Beijie Ridge. He was caught because he stole a few chickens raised by humans."

Bai Zhizhi instinctively looked down at his own clothes, feeling a bit uneasy: "After he was caught? Where is he now?"

The young woman said: "Now he works at the zoo."

Bai Zhizhi: "What is a zoo?"

The young woman pulled up information about the zoo and explained: "See, this is a zoo. People buy tickets to come in and watch animals. That fox demon works there in his true form during the day, performing for visitors, and attends night school in the evening."

She looked at this little fox demon, who was so beautiful he seemed ethereal, and comforted him considerately: "Through his own hard work, he has successfully integrated into human society. So don't worry, it's not hard to integrate."

Bai Zhizhi was shocked. A fox demon, forced to perform like that just to survive? The human world was terrifying!

Author's note: