Huo Xiao Di, upon seeing him, immediately felt a surge of annoyance. He tried his best to put on a stern face, but for some inexplicable reason, he found himself unable to truly stay angry.
His round face strained hard to maintain its serious expression, yet his gaze softened involuntarily. A subtle warmth, faint and gentle, welled up in his heart without him realizing it.
However, his words remained stubborn and firm. In a low voice, he asked, “It’s you? What are you doing here?”
Zhan Ri Fei smiled, his voice also lowered. “Naturally, I have a favor to ask of you, Huo Xiao Di.”
Huo Xiao Di glared at him, saying, “You want my help? With what?”
Zhan Ri Fei replied, “I’d like to ask Huo Xiao Di to distract a few persistent ghosts from the Jin Shi Hall for me—have them run in circles here for a while.”
Huo Xiao Di’s tightly held lips finally couldn’t maintain their rigidity. They relaxed, revealing his charming, rabbit-like front teeth that could charm the life out of anyone.
“And what kind of people from Jin Shi Hall could make you so wary?”
Zhan Ri Fei sighed bitterly, “It’s not me who dazzles people with a ‘fleeting glance.’ It’s inevitable that these sticky plasters latched on and now refuse to come off.”
Huo Xiao Di raised his delicate brows. “Who came? Was it Hua Feng Zi’s family, or Yan Zi Qing from Ten Mile Slope?”
“Naturally, it’s the five brothers from Hua Feng Zi’s household. I hear there’s even a biting fox coming to join them soon.”
Huo Xiao Di blinked and said slowly, “And why should I help you with this?”
Zhan Ri Fei maintained his faint smile, though a hint of mischief seemed to lurk within it.
“Because I can help you handle those two people by the hillside.”
Huo Xiao Di widened his eyes again and retorted, “What, you think I can’t deal with them myself?”
“It’s not that Huo Xiao Di can’t handle them, but because I can’t shake off those sticky plasters.”
“So this way, we’ll owe each other nothing?”
“Exactly. Neither of us will lose out.”
The two looked at each other, scrutinizing each other’s expressions, and then, once again, they couldn’t help but burst into shared laughter.
No one else could discern whether they truly believed each other’s reasoning—reasoning that, despite sounding quite convincing, left room for doubt.
Huo Xiao Di extended his hand. “Hand it over.”
Zhan Ri Fei was startled.
“What?”
“Of course, your bamboo hat,” Huo Xiao Di replied, casting him a glance. “Since we’re going to play with the five brothers from Hua Feng Zi’s family, we might as well make it interesting.”
As he spoke, he placed the bamboo hat on his head and said leisurely, “To match Hua Feng Zi and his brothers’ style of play, it has to be something truly unique. It’d be such a pity if you weren’t there to watch.”
Zhan Ri Fei said, “I’ll have to experience Huo Xiao Di’s flair for creativity some other time.”
Huo Xiao Di teased, “What, are you already looking forward to the next time?”
Zhan Ri Fei smiled. “That depends on whether Huo Xiao Di has any other small troubles for me to sort out.”
His expression turned serious as he added, “But if that fox arrives, you must be extra cautious.”
Huo Xiao Di squinted. “Are you referring to the ‘Ever-Changing Black Demon Fox’?”
“Exactly,” Zhan Ri Fei confirmed.
Huo Xiao Di grinned cheekily. “I’ve heard this person’s mastery of lightness skills and disguise techniques has reached perfection. I’m eager to meet them. But speaking of reaching perfection, the lightness skills of Ling Long Manor aren’t far behind.”
He smiled smugly, his rabbit-like teeth glinting as if the lightness skills of Ling Long Manor were the origin of all lightness techniques in the world.
Even Zhan Ri Fei couldn’t help but smile at this.
While they were speaking, Huo Xiao Di suddenly paused, listening intently. His expression shifted, becoming sharp and focused.
“They’re here. They’ve already reached the mountain pass over there.”
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