"Look, that little girl has white hair," a passerby exclaimed.
"Is she sick? She looks so pitiful."
"What a shame, to have such a strange illness at such a young age, and a girl too."
"Still, the child is quite pretty. Perhaps it's a case of beauty meeting misfortune."
At the train station, a group of onlookers frequently cast glances at the little one holding Zhang Tian's hand. Tuanzi's white hair was a magnet for attention, drawing countless curious looks. In this era, white hair was practically unheard of.
"Boss, let's go quickly. Everyone's staring at us like we're monkeys," Fatty grumbled, unaccustomed to such attention.
"Chouchou, your grammar is wrong! They're staring at us like goddesses!" the little fox retorted, her large eyes wide and her voice melodious. This comment sparked even more heated discussions among the crowd.
Zhang Tian nodded and quickened his pace. They soon arrived at a bustling marketplace near the train station, a necessary route for anyone exiting. In such a high-traffic area, a market was indeed the most logical place to be.
"Boss, it's almost New Year. Can we buy some more things?" Fatty piped up again, his gaze fixed on the sugar figurines and childhood snacks lining the street. He licked his lips. In the past, when he sold tapes, a hot meal was a luxury; buying so many things was unimaginable. But things were different now. Fatty's wings had grown strong, and he could now sail far on his own.
Lin Tian nodded, observing the unique local specialties of Beili. He then led the group towards the market stalls.
At this moment, the little Tuanzi, unprompted, slipped from Lin Tian's grasp, as if drawn by something. Lin Tian didn't think much of it, continuing to shop with Fatty. His mother loved White Rabbit milk candy, and Lin Tian planned to use it to win her favor and improve his standing in the family.
Meanwhile, in the crowd not far away, Tuanzi, clutching a few coins, skipped merrily through the market. "Hmph! Tuan Tuan wants to shop by herself!" she muttered, her small body weaving through the throng. Her long hair bounced behind her. Unbeknownst to her, she had already attracted the attention of a group of people.
Human traffickers were prevalent in this era, and unfortunately, quite active. Such situations existed everywhere, and coupled with Tuanzi's striking appearance, she was quickly targeted. To these scoundrels, it didn't matter whose child they were taking; their only concern was how much they could sell the child for.
"Boss, this child is beautiful. Even with white hair, she'd be excellent for a wealthy family," one of them whispered.
"She could fetch a thousand yuan, easily."
"Really? A thousand yuan! That much?" The men exchanged excited glances, their greed evident.
Amidst the crowd, a dark-skinned man with a scar across his face looked aside. "You, go and trick her over," he ordered, looking at a young boy. Children were the best at luring other children. The boy, having been trained by them, knew exactly what to do.
Nodding, the boy casually walked over to Tuanzi. "Little sister, are you alone?" he asked, a bright smile on his face.
"No! I have Daddy, big brother, and Chouchou, and Blacky!" Tuanzi replied in her sweet, childish voice, listing Zhang Tian and the others. The first few names were fine, but "Blacky"?
"Um, I have something fun here. Do you want to play?" The boy, seeing Tuanzi's innocent eyes, felt a pang of hesitation.
"Fun? Okay!" This was Tuanzi's first time in the human world, or rather, her first time as a human, and she was understandably excited. Without a second thought, she followed the boy.
"Boss, we've bought most of what we need. By the way, where's the little fox?" Hu Bayi asked.
"Second Brother, your daughter is missing," Fatty interjected. Zhang Tian and Zhang Qilin exchanged a look.
"We're in trouble!" Zhang Tian's heart sank. He wasn't worried about the little fox's safety, but rather about what *others* might experience. The little fox was at least a minor demon; even in her non-human form, ordinary people would be no match for her, let alone in her human guise.
"Damn it, let's find her quickly. It'll be bad if someone gets hurt," Zhang Tian said, and they all immediately began searching. Although human lives weren't worth much these days, perhaps less than two hundred yuan, they couldn't let Tuanzi go on a rampage. Fortunately, Hu Bayi's tracking skills were exceptional. Soon, the compass pointed towards Tuanzi's direction. As a demon, she was relatively easy to locate.
They soon found her in a dark alley, inside a secluded hut. At the very back, five or six skeletal remains lay scattered. Tuanzi licked her small lips. "Hmph! They wanted to sell this fox immortal to a fat man and even harm me! Serves them right," she muttered. "Tuan Tuan will just give them a small punishment." The traffickers had clearly been drained of their vital essence by the little fox, leaving only their bones. With a wave of her hand, the skeletons turned to dust, scattering in the air.
Just as Zhang Tian and the others arrived, they witnessed the little fox scattering the ashes.
"Boss, she's learned Fatty's true teachings. She's graduated," Fatty said with satisfaction.
"Yes, you're very clever," Zhang Tian replied, rolling his eyes at Fatty before walking towards Tuanzi. Zhang Tian wasn't one to lash out without understanding the situation.
"Tuanzi, did you kill them?" Zhang Tian asked.
"Yes! They tried to lure Tuan Tuan to bad people! Hmph! They also said they'd already sold many, many children. So Tuan Tuan sucked them dry," she explained, licking her lips. "They had dark hearts."
Human traffickers. That changed everything. Zhang Tian waved his hand, no longer inclined to scold. It was indeed satisfying. However, he still needed to impart some lessons, perhaps suggesting a more prolonged torment next time.
Zhang Tian and the others then led Tuanzi towards the courtyard, with no further incidents occurring. The most notable thing was the constant stream of gazes they drew from passersby.
Meanwhile, off-screen.
[Nicely done, very satisfying.]
[I don't think there are any laws against demons killing people, are there?]
[With the establishment of the New Xia Kingdom, such things aren't even acknowledged. Even if they were wiped out, it probably wouldn't matter.]
[These beasts deserved worse than to turn to ashes.]
[So satisfying, I could be happy for a year!]
[To the person above, how would you be happy?]
[???]
Countless people were discussing the events, but not a single one felt it was wrong. After all, it was a demon who had killed them; what did it have to do with Zhang Tian?
Chen Xi watched the scene unfold on the screen and sighed. Indeed, human lives were truly cheap back then. A thousand yuan could buy a child as young and innocent as Tuanzi. Looking at Zhang Tian and his companions, Chen Xi felt her earlier words were like slapping herself in the face. Without another word, she slowly took out a diary from her pocket. It belonged to her grandfather, and she wasn't sure if its contents were accurate. It spoke of an expedition to the ancient city of Jingjue, but offered very few useful clues.