Yuan Zhong smiled slyly as he looked around at the women. The Fox Clan was famous for its beauty, and the glow of the pearls only added to their allure. He loved beautiful women—who didn’t? Rolling around in their company was one of his favorite pastimes.
“But with so many lovely ladies, I’d regret marrying just one,” he joked crassly, laying his head on a clan girl's lap. It was so soft, so fragrant. He gazed up at her eyes, which shone like stars, full of warmth and tenderness.
Yet, in his mind, he saw an image from long, long ago—those eyes he had once glimpsed from the high platform of the gods. Every spiritual channel in his body had opened because of those eyes. He still didn’t understand what had happened to him back then, but he knew he would never find another pair like them. Since then, all the beauties in the world seemed the same. It was as if time had stopped for him at that moment on the platform, and never moved forward again.
Of course you can’t find them, a cold, hollow voice echoed in his heart. You saw a deity—how could you ever find that again?
Yuan Zhong turned over regretfully, yet with a sense of satisfaction, and wrapped his arms around the woman's waist. “Sister, I’m drunk. I want some grapes,” he playfully demanded.
Suddenly, there was a faint commotion outside. Yuan Zhong, lazily chewing on grapes, turned his head, drowsy from the alcohol. A guard was reporting to Elder Xin Chou: “Someone has breached the barrier, but it’s not a War Ghost—it seems to be a mortal woman.”
Yuan Zhong sprang up in shock, the grape he was about to eat fell onto his clothes, then rolled onto the floor.
“I’m leaving,” his face had turned pale.
Elder Xin Chou was surprised. “Leaving so soon?”
Yuan Zhong transformed into a beam of golden light and shot several meters away, leaving only one sentence behind: “Don’t let that woman in!”
In a rush, he found the Jile Bird, which was in the middle of eating. The proud and beautiful spirit bird screeched in displeasure at being disturbed.
“I’ll buy you the finest Tianxia Wu Shuang wine next time!” Yuan Zhong hastily promised. “Just fly quickly!”
Reluctantly, the Jile Bird flapped its wings and slowly took off. But it hadn’t flown far when Yuan Zhong saw Ji Tan Yin again. She was riding on that strange mechanical bird of hers, trailing behind him at a sluggish pace.
What is wrong with her?! Yuan Zhong’s scalp tingled with frustration. He rummaged through his pockets for a while—his jade chess piece was gone, but there were a few silver ingots in his money pouch. Without thinking, he tossed one out. Sure enough, the mechanical bird sputtered and crashed to the ground with a clatter.
He sighed in relief, but before he could relax, Tan Yin took out another small mechanical bird from her Qiankun bag. With a flick of her wrist, it grew in size, and she mounted it, once again following him persistently.
This nightmare seemed like it would never end. Yuan Zhong threw another ingot, hitting her bird and causing it to fall again. He urged the Jile Bird to fly faster. But after a short distance, Tan Yin summoned yet another bird and continued her pursuit. He kept throwing silver, and she kept replacing her bird.
Finally... he ran out of silver.
Yuan Zhong looked up at the sky and let out a long, exasperated sigh. He whistled, and the Jile Bird stopped in mid-air.
“Hey!” he shouted at Tan Yin from a distance. “Why are you following me?!”
Tan Yin thought for a moment and then answered earnestly, “To protect you?”
“I don’t need your protection!” Yuan Zhong was furious. If the Grand Monk of the Fox Clan needed to be protected by a mortal girl, where would his dignity go?
Tan Yin thought again and said, “To take care of you?”
“Who needs you to take care of me?!”
She pondered for a long time, then hesitantly asked, “I can fix machines?”
“I don’t use machines anymore,” Yuan Zhong replied coldly.
Tan Yin racked her brain, but couldn’t come up with any more convincing reasons.
Yuan Zhong looked at her coldly. The night wind was strong, whipping her long hair into a mess. Beneath her disheveled locks, her eyes were so bright, like... black gemstones.
After a moment of silence, Yuan Zhong finally spoke. “Who exactly are you?”
“Ji Tan Yin, a craftsman,” she answered quickly.
“That’s not what I’m asking.” He smiled, but it was full of sarcasm. “You’re good at playing dumb. You know exactly what I mean.”
Tan Yin shook her head silently, and after a long pause, she finally said, “...I won’t harm you.”
Was that all she could say? Yuan Zhong’s anger swelled. She was cunning, but at the same time so foolish—her actions were clumsy, and her words even more so. Yet despite her naivety, she hid her true identity well. He hadn’t noticed how formidable she truly was until now.
“Oh...” he drawled out mockingly, a smile playing on his lips, his tone suggestive. “You’ve fallen for me, haven’t you? Do you like me?”
Tan Yin shook her head, her gaze calm and clear.
“Don’t deny it. Women always say one thing and mean another,” Yuan Zhong laughed heartily. “You’ve seen my real face and my body too. You have a secret crush on me, and you’re too embarrassed to admit it, right?”
She remained silent.
Yuan Zhong flipped his long hair dramatically and sighed. “I appreciate your feelings, but I’m sorry, my heart already belongs to someone. You’ll have to find someone else.”
Tan Yin softly said, “Please let me follow you. I won’t harm you.”
The Grand Monk could only let out a bitter laugh. Whether he tried coaxing her or threatening her, nothing worked. He couldn’t kill her, and he couldn’t outrun her either. What could he do?
“If you follow me, will it be for your whole life?” he asked.
Tan Yin’s voice was as soft as the wind. “Yes, until the end of your life.”
Yuan Zhong groaned, half amused and half exasperated. “I’m touched. This is the first time a woman has ever said that to me.”
After speaking, his expression slowly turned cold. He stared at her and, with icy disdain, said each word deliberately: “But I don’t want you following me. Get lost. Don’t let me see you again. I don’t want to look at you.”
He whistled, and the Jile Bird let out a long cry before soaring into the sky.
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