Hearing Cheng Xiaofan's question, Songxia Kuzidai felt so embarrassed that she wanted to smash her head against a wall. When had she ever been so clumsy before?
Even she herself couldn't explain how she had ended up scrambling for lobster meat with a dog.
It was all the fault of the lobster meat Cheng Xiaofan had prepared. The aroma was so enticing that she had absentmindedly stumbled outside and snatched a piece from Taoqibao's bowl.
But before she could even put it in her mouth, Taoqibao had pinned her down on the ground.
"Miss, fighting with a dog for food is not a good habit!"
Cheng Xiaofan saw Songxia Kuzidai frozen in place, unable to utter a word. He chuckled, "If I hadn't come out in time, my Taoqibao would have probably ruined your face!"
Songxia Kuzidai took a deep breath and said, "Cheng Xiaofan, I was sent by a special envoy from Sakura Country. How can you treat a foreign envoy like this? Don't you think you've gone too far?"
Cheng Xiaofan's expression turned grim, and he retorted, "Do you think I have?"
Seeing Cheng Xiaofan's face darken, Songxia Kuzidai was startled. She was here to ask for a favor, and if this man took the money but refused to go, it would be a disaster.
"I apologize, Mr. Cheng. I misspoke just now. Please forgive my rudeness!" Songxia Kuzidai hurriedly apologized to Cheng Xiaofan.
Cheng Xiaofan ignored her and returned indoors, saying to Director Dao, "Come, let's continue drinking!"
"Alright, Xiaofan, as long as I'm here with you, Brother Dao will do whatever you say!" The lobster meat was too delicious, and even the baijiu tasted incredibly good. Dao Dahai's backside felt as if it were weighed down by a millstone, making it impossible for him to get up from the stool.
Songxia Kuzidai followed them inside and stood to the side, swallowing repeatedly, not daring to rush them.
The drinking session lasted until the sun began to set.
Seeing that it was getting late, Dao Dahai stood up to bid farewell to Cheng Xiaofan, "Xiaofan, I should be going back now. Thank you for your hospitality today!"
Cheng Xiaofan noticed that Dao Dahai had drunk quite a bit and was swaying a little. He quickly said with a smile, "Director Dao, you've had a few drinks. You can't drive. Let Songxia Kuzidai drive you back!"
"..." Hearing this, Songxia Kuzidai was furious. Since when did she become this Mr. Dao's dedicated chauffeur?
But she couldn't refute him. She asked Cheng Xiaofan, "Mr. Cheng, Mr. Inoue's condition is very serious. When are we going to Sakura Country?"
Cheng Xiaofan waved his hand, a hint of impatience in his voice, "Take Director Dao back first, and then you can return to Sakura Country on your own."
"Ah, Mr. Cheng, aren't you coming with me to Sakura Country?" Songxia Kuzidai's face instantly turned pale with anxiety.
Cheng Xiaofan said, "You don't need to worry about that. I'll be there before you return to Sakura Country. You don't need to bother yourself with how I get there!"
"Alright, then I shall take my leave," Songxia Kuzidai didn't dare to say anything more and helped Dao Dahai down from the bamboo pavilion.
In the car, as Songxia Kuzidai started the engine, she gritted her teeth and vowed inwardly, "Cheng Xiaofan, you've got me this time!"
"When we get to Sakura Country, humph, my Blood Demon Sect will make you suffer a terrible fate!"
...
*Ring ring!*
Not long after Dao Dahai and Songxia Kuzidai left, Cheng Xiaofan received a call from Lu Shengming.
"Cheng Xiaofan, I just received a text from Dao Dahai saying you're going to Sakura Country. Have you really decided to go?" Lu Shengming asked.
Cheng Xiaofan chuckled and said, "I've already accepted their consultation fee, so of course, I must fulfill my promise and go!"
Lu Shengming said, "The Blood Demon Sect is a very evil cultivation organization in Sakura Country. They've definitely set a trap for you, ensuring you won't return!"
Cheng Xiaofan replied, "I anticipated this long ago!"
Lu Shengming anxiously asked, "Since you knew this, why are you still going? If Inoue Masakazu and Yoshida Hideo need treatment, have them come to you!"
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and said, "It's just that their illnesses are very peculiar and cannot be treated remotely. Only I can go?"
Lu Shengming said, "Then don't treat them. You must understand that your life, Cheng Xiaofan, no longer belongs only to you, but to all of China. If anything were to happen to you, it would be the greatest loss to all of China!"
"..." How could he respond to that?
Cheng Xiaofan was stunned!
My life was given to me by my parents, why should it belong to all of China?
I don't like hearing such grand pronouncements.
"Old Lu, my life belongs to me at all times. I ask you to take back what you just said!"
Cheng Xiaofan did not want to be constrained by any rules or regulations. "At the same time, I want to tell you that whether I go to Sakura Country or not is my own business."
"I don't like anyone interfering with my actions!"
Hearing Cheng Xiaofan's words, Lu Shengming worried that further discussion on this matter might cause him to turn hostile.
"Alright, Xiaofan, then consider me as if I said nothing!"
Lu Shengming couldn't help but sigh inwardly and said, "I only hope that your trip to Sakura Country goes smoothly and that you return victorious!"
"Thank you for your good wishes. I appreciate it!" Cheng Xiaofan hung up the phone.
Lu Shengming on the other end of the line paused for a moment, thinking, This Cheng Xiaofan can actually say nice things? He even thanked me.
After hanging up, Cheng Xiaofan called Taoqibao over.
"Taoqibao, I'm going on a long trip with Potianying tonight. You stay here and take good care of the house. The safety of our home is entrusted to you!" he instructed Taoqibao.
Normally, Taoqibao would insist on going with Cheng Xiaofan.
But this time, it became remarkably sensible.
"Woof woof!"
Please rest assured, Master. With this canine guardian here, no one will dare to cause trouble.
Cheng Xiaofan reached out and patted the dog's head, nodding with satisfaction. "Good, you've grown capable. I can naturally entrust you with this task."
After some thought, he took out a string of prayer beads made from petrified blood beech wood from his spatial storage and placed it around its neck, smiling, "This is a gift for you. Wear it, and with its enhancement, you'll truly have the bearing of a dog!"
"Woof woof!"
Taoqibao was overjoyed.
Even it felt that its image had been elevated by who knows how many notches with the prayer beads around its neck.
The female dogs in the village, upon seeing it, would surely line up and bow at its feet.
"Potianying, it's time for us to set off!" Cheng Xiaofan called out towards the woods ahead.
"Jeeeee——"
Potianying immediately flew down to Cheng Xiaofan's feet.
Cheng Xiaofan mounted Potianying. The bird let out another long cry, soared into the sky, circled twice, and then flew far away.
Only after Potianying carrying its master disappeared from sight did Taoqibao retract its gaze and sigh, "Alas, my master is truly too busy."
Then, it turned and ran back towards the village.
As soon as Taoqibao left, four figures emerged from the adjacent woods.
The leader was an old man in a blue robe, none other than the local Earth God.
Following closely behind him were three stunning beauties: the mother-daughter fox spirits Zhuxi Wangyue and Zhuxi Lingling, and another, Chinzo Mieko.
Their gazes were all fixed on the sky where Potianying had carried Cheng Xiaofan away.
"I pray that our benefactor's journey will be without incident!" Zhuxi Wangyue murmured.
Chinzo Mieko said, "Great Immortal Zhuxi, I will inform our disciples in Sakura Country to keep a close eye on Master Cheng's movements in secret."
"Should anything unforeseen happen, all my disciples will be deployed to aid Master Cheng!"
"You are all worrying for nothing!"
At this moment, the Earth God chuckled and said, "You don't understand Lord Shennong. He wouldn't act rashly without a hundred percent certainty."
Zhuxi Wangyue was astonished, "What? Earth God, you mean our benefactor is the legendary Lord Shennong?"
The Earth God nodded and said, "Indeed, Wangyue. Legend has it that your ancestor, the Great Fox Immortal, once received a favor from Lord Shennong!"
"It can be said that this Cheng Xiaofan is the very reincarnation of Lord Shennong from that time!"