Zhang Tian frowned as he looked at the weasel before him and the human skin on the ground.
The weasel was about half a meter long, entirely yellow, with even white whiskers beneath its head.
It was currently restrained by Zhang Qilin's hands, its small eyes darting around. It looked rather shifty.
"Fatty, how did you get this weasel back to its original form?"
Hu Bayi picked up the human skin and examined it closely. It wasn't actually human skin, but a white snakeskin, strikingly similar to human skin.
Fatty rubbed his cheek.
"Heh heh, Fatty is capable. This little guy was no match for Fatty at all. I just scared it a little, and it returned to its original form."
Fatty chuckled.
Loose lips sink ships.
The little fox, at his feet, bit Fatty's leg.
"Damn it, are you a dog or something?"
Fatty quickly flung the little fox away, wincing in pain.
"Hmph, all talk."
The little fox cursed Fatty in its heart.
"Second Brother, kill this thing. We'll roast it for dinner tonight."
Zhang Tian looked at the weasel, his voice quiet.
Zhang Qilin didn't hesitate, drawing his Black Gold Ancient Blade.
Feeling the cold aura around its neck, the weasel's body squirmed.
"Don't kill me, don't kill me, esteemed masters, I am just a small wolf who hasn't yet become a spirit. Please be merciful. If you spare me, I guarantee you good health and immense wealth!"
Seeing that Zhang Qilin was truly preparing to strike, the weasel clasped its small paws together and wiggled them, as if it were about to kneel before Zhang Tian.
"A weasel speaking human words?"
Xie Yuchen trembled all over.
His gaze involuntarily shifted to the little fox on the ground.
"What are you looking at? Haven't you seen such a beautiful little fox spirit before?"
The next moment, the little fox spoke human words.
Xie Yuchen was stunned.
He thought to himself, that night was definitely not a dream.
"Little, Young Master Zhang, your fox? And this weasel..."
Although shocked, Xie Yuchen's expression remained calm. Years of cultivation and family training had prepared him, so even in shock, he wouldn't outwardly show it.
Zhang Tian smiled.
"This fox has cultivated, so it can speak, just like this weasel. This world is indeed peculiar."
Zhang Tian didn't try to hide it. If a weasel could speak, why couldn't a fox? It made sense.
Xie Yuchen was dumbfounded.
Good heavens, do you know what I went through those nights?
Xie Yuchen felt his entire world crumble. Zhang Tian's simple statement, "This world is indeed peculiar," left him speechless.
He turned his gaze to the weasel.
"Come, Uncle will ask you, where do you live, what's your name, how many people are in your family, do you have any elders at home, and are they powerful?"
Zhang Tian asked with a smile.
The weasel trembled.
Good heavens, was he interrogating him like a census taker?
"Uh, Great Immortal, please don't joke. I'm just a small weasel who hasn't succeeded in becoming immortal. I'm all alone."
The weasel looked at Zhang Tian with fear, feeling as though Zhang Tian might rush to his home at any moment and annihilate all his brothers and sisters.
"What? Just one?"
"Second Brother, make your move. This thing, it chose to learn lying of all things."
Lin Tian waved his hand, and Zhang Qilin nodded, raising his Black Gold Ancient Blade once more.
"Wait, to the east, to the east, there's a tomb marker. That's where my home is."
The weasel shouted again, its big eyes darting around, as if devising an escape plan.
"My family has many members, but you probably won't get the chance."
Its voice suddenly turned sinister.
Its expression became extremely eerie.
The next moment, Zhang Qilin found that the weasel in his hand had transformed into a weasel skin.
The weasel itself had vanished.
Zhang Tian sighed, seeing this.
"Shedding its skin to escape, just like a shapeshifter. I was careless."
As Zhang Tian spoke, Zhang Qilin dropped the skin on the ground.
"What do we do now? Go to the east?"
Zhang Qilin asked Zhang Tian, his voice quiet.
"I suggest we rest for the night first. Even if the weasel comes, it won't be that soon."
Xie Yuchen had already recovered. As expected of someone with cultivation, his resilience was higher.
"Alright, we'll rest for the night and then discuss how to deal with the weasel."
Zhang Tian readily agreed.
If they rushed out rashly, Zhang Tian felt their chances of injury would increase, and there were too many peculiar things in the weasel's tomb.
Zhang Tian needed to plan first.
The group began to walk back. Behind them, the weasel, which had long since fled, looked at its skin and hesitated before deciding not to retrieve it.
It had gained sentience, and weasels were inherently cunning. How could it risk retrieving its skin?
"Young Master Zhang, this is my first time seeing a talking fox. It's quite strange."
Xie Yuchen remarked as they walked, looking at the fox.
He remembered the terror of being controlled by the formation that night.
Zhang Tian smiled.
"Brother Xie, she's just a silly fox, don't worry."
"Daddy, Tuantuan isn't silly, Tuantuan is very smart. If it weren't for Tuantuan, hmph, this smelly guy would have been killed by the weasel long ago!"
The little fox pouted, as if greatly wronged.
It was true, Fatty had claimed all the credit for himself, so how could the little fox be happy?
"Daddy?!?"
Xie Yuchen looked at Zhang Tian with a strange gaze.
He then specifically glanced at Zhang Tian's backside.
His eyes and expression seemed to constantly question whether Zhang Tian was a fox in disguise.
Zhang Tian's face turned ashen.
"Young Master Xie, I am human, don't doubt it. I saved her back then, which is why she calls me that."
Zhang Tian said shamelessly.
The little fox was stunned.
It finally understood why Fatty was so shameless; he had learned it from Daddy.
When had he ever saved her? He had snatched her elixirs! Yet he could twist the truth so eloquently.
Xie Yuchen understood.
"Young Master Zhang is truly kind-hearted and helpful. Yuchen admires you."
Xie Yuchen then offered a flattering remark.
The group slowly returned to the cave.
Sitting on the ground, Fatty lit the firewood he had collected earlier.
The wild boar was already hanging over the fire to roast.
Zhang Tian, meanwhile, prepared many talismans and stuck them all over the cave entrance, to prevent the weasel from sneaking in.
"I don't think what that weasel said about the tomb marker to the east is trustworthy."
After sitting down, Hu Bayi stretched out his hands to the fire and spoke slowly.
His face was dark, with scars that appeared distinct in the darkness.
"Why do you say that?"
Zhang Tian asked.
"In the diary of the survey team we saw earlier, they mentioned a graveyard in the southeast area, but the weasel said its home was to the east.
"If we go there, we might be led astray. Besides, those creatures are very cunning."
Hu Bayi said, and Zhang Tian pondered.
"So, we should go..."
"South!"
They both spoke almost simultaneously.
Hu Bayi smiled. They had good chemistry.
This brotherhood was truly developing.
Xie Yuchen, witnessing this, felt a pang of envy.
He had never had a true friend in his life.
Everything was about profit.
Then, the group sat by the fire, planning their next move.