Finding Zhou Shang was indeed quite easy.
Bai QingYue swiftly glided through the barren hills, dense forests and run-down villages until he reached a more densely populated region.
The moment he ventured forth among the people, the glances and stares didn’t stop.
Realizing quickly, he had to disguise himself, and making do with his resources, he snatched a large round hat with a veil and tied his hair up neatly to hide his striking hair colour and his alarmingly beautiful facial features.
With his height, he still stood out, but he was able to pass for a human.
His sense of smell led him to a tall building called The Blossoming Petals.
As he walked in, strong artificial scents mixed with alcohol assaulted his nose.
The lodging was crowded, filled with people to the brim, with men cheering for the dancers on the main stage. There were dim yellow lights and heavy smoke from incense that was spread everywhere. His sense of hearing and smell ached from this environment yet nothing showed on his face. He was aloof and uninterested.
A woman in a blood red outfit rose to the stage and hushed the crowd, the men then settled down and Bai Qingyue stood at the corner of the room, hiding in the shadows. He was able to immediately spot Zhou Shang who was making quite a figure with his fur cloak and rugged features.
Suddenly, he smelled fresh blood. Glancing towards the stage again, his gaze was captured by the girl who’s wrist was held up, as blood trickled down her arm.
She was a vision clad in silk like the rest of the girls on stage, but something about her made him unable to look away. Her luscious lips and beguiling eyes called to him, her dark as ink hair was sprawled around as she miserably tried to escape spread around her like a halo.
Perhaps it was that frightened expression of a cute, cornered rabbit that truly captivated him.
The men were making bids on her. Her value lessened because of the scars she had on her face...
Just watching the scene aggravated him. His eyes darkened into ocean deep water orbs, and the temperature around him plummeted down to a murderous chill.
As luck would have it, his target was the one who made the final bid on the girl.
Zhou Shang still sat there casually, completely unaware of his upcoming demise...
Soon after, all the girls were dragged away and the bidding ended. Those who made the purchases quickly scattered, the rest demanded more entertainment.
Bai Qingyue followed Zhou Shang undetected, hiding in the shadows. This might have been more difficult to accomplish, had Zhou Shang not been muddled with alcohol, his mind clouded.
As he walked by, his keen hearing caught onto the words of a few whispering villagers.
"I ran away to the city as soon as I heard the news.."
"Nearly all of the monastery... Slaughtered, It was the work of a weasel demoness out for revenge and a fox demon together. The weasel died but the fox escaped..."
"There are hunters everywhere tonight looking for the white haired fox demon, one of the priests that survived managed to draw up a portrait. Even the famous Virtuous Sword sect had sent disciples to apprehend the culprit."
Great. More trouble.
It seems he will have to go into hiding after this ordeal.
Zhou Shang went out of sight and Bai QingYue ignored the rest of the chatter. Silently like a shadow, he walked into the same room as Zhou Shang.
The girl was inside, pleading the man.
She screamed and shrieked, the salty scent of her tears assaulted him as he opened the door and caught the man on top of her with his pants hung low and unaware. In such a defenseless position, he quickly grabbed one of the arrows scattered in the corner and shoved it straight into Zhou Shang’s heart.
Zhou Shang with his last breath was about to scream, but Bai QingYue flexed his claws and easily slashed his vocal cords, it was not that different from slicing butter.
Unfortunately, the girl underneath the man yelled instead.
"Help! Help me please...!" She shrieked underneath the man.
Bai Qingyue uncovered himself as he took off the hat and veil.
"This is in gratitude for capturing me at my weakest and selling me to those Taoist phonies." Just as Zhou Shang reached the end of his life, He made his farewell. His voice remained monotone the whole time.
Bai Qingyue pulled the arrow out and with a spurt of blood from the wound, tossed the fresh corpse to the side. Zhou Shang’s corpse hit the corner of the room with a thud, right by his bow and arrows.
His gaze went back to the girl on the bed.
He found himself hypnotized by her once again. All bathed in blood and half clad in silk, he noticed how the colour contrasted her pale skin and matched beautifully with her painted red lips, her hair was spread about on the bed like seaweed.
Her eyes were moist with tears and black as the abyss, shining.
Truly mesmerizing.
She gazed back at him as if he was her saviour, and the sight made him remember what was just about to occur. He couldn’t help but sneer in disgust.
He found himself rather pleased that he reached her in time before she could be defiled.
As they stared at each other, he heard noise outside of people passing by.
They had heard the shrieks and assumed it was the pain of a girl’s virginity being taken.
However, it was the footsteps later on that alerted him. They were fast, on pace and silent.
Most likely it was the quietness of the footsteps that made him realize he was dealing with people with higher cultivation than those he came across before.
Still recuperating from his wounds, he preferred to lay low instead of an all out brawl right now.
The girl stared at him dazedly and just as she was about to speak he warned her, lest she decides to scream again.
"Girl, be quiet or speak softly, I won’t hesitate to wipe you out as well if you screech again."
He noticed how quickly his words made her attitude change. Her cheeks heated up and she asked for privacy to dress up.
Actually, that was rather cute, she was so easily embarrassed.
He snorted at his own thoughts. What came over him?
Turning around, the nine tailed fox spirit assured her he won’t be touching her. His voice filled with loathing.
Just thinking about that man touching her now filled him with unexpected rage.
He heard her soft voice in the back, it was gentle and almost sweet.
"Thank you so much for saving me just now, I don’t know what I would have done without you. May I please know your name?"
Bai Qingyue glanced back at her, she covered herself better but finding her here in this situation made him upset for reasons unknown to him.
"And here I thought you were just doing your job. My name is not to be uttered by the likes of those such as yourself."
In fact, he was hiding his identity.
Why?
Would she consider him a monster like the rest of the human folk he encountered here did?
Best to err on the side of caution.
"Ahem..I should thank you anyway. If you are leaving, can you take me out of the brothel house with you? I beg you, I would owe you a favor for life!" She knelt down in front of him and kowtowed. Pleading.
Bai Qingyue found himself muddled by her, struck by a spell. The more he saw, the more he liked. The more he heard, the more pleasant she became.
Honestly, this strange feeling was already maddening the Fox God. He felt like he was close to losing his rationality!
However, none of his internal conflict showed. Masking his thoughts, he smirked at the girl, acting unfazed.
"What could you possibly offer me? He flexed his fingers and responded.
If you offer me yourself, I will consider.
His thoughts brought him to a full stop. Before she had a chance to say anything, he quickly hushed her and continued the charade.
With a sigh, he answered. "Don’t bother, I will take you out of here, from the kindness of my heart. But we will have to spend the night in this room with the corpse’s stench, without you making a sound. I have annoying pests hunting me down and am in need of hiding for the night."
A half truth, he needed to hide for but a short while, but his instincts told him not to let the girl go.
The girl nodded enthusiastically to his demands. His cold eyes glowed in response.
The more he gazed at her, the hotter the temperature rose.
It was getting so suffocating that he loosened his collar. Exhaling heavily, he couldn’t help but mumble under his breath. "Why is it so hot in this tiny compartment?"
The girl shook her head confused, but her gaze went towards the stool on the side of the room where a burnt out candle smoke spread around. His gaze followed hers and his nostrils flared.
Aphrodisiac.