Chapter 108: Drama Queen!

Tang Luo pushed open the unlocked door of the lounge, inside was ordinary office decor, except for an added screen, behind which lay a bed.

The Heavenly Hound jumped to the ground, wandered around a bit, and let out a "meow" toward Tang Luo.

"Got it. Though my nose isn't as sharp as yours, I'm experienced enough," Tang Luo said, walking over to sit in the boss's chair.

There's demonic energy here!

When Tang Luo just called Xue Nianzhi a "little demoness," he wasn't praising her, nor using it as an adjective—he was literally saying she is a demoness.

Tang Luo doesn't have the Heavenly Hound's nose, but as he said, he's experienced.

At this close distance, a mere fox demoness trying to escape Tang Elder's divine sight? Impossible!

"Yo, Mr. Tang really doesn't treat himself as an outsider, huh." Xue Nianzhi walked in, casually locking the door behind her, and looked at Tang Luo as she spoke.

It's hard to tell whether she's trying to seduce or mock him.

"This is naturally my place." Tang Luo spoke righteously.

"Alright." Xue Nianzhi walked to Tang Luo's side, then sat on the desk, her beautiful legs unmistakably displayed, "Mr. Tang, what do you need to agree to renew the lease? Tell me, maybe I can satisfy you."

"I doubt you can satisfy me." Tang Luo said, "After all, I'm a disciple of Buddhism—renting my house to a demoness, if the Buddha blames me, what then?"

"Mr. Tang, you really know how to joke, demonesses and such—" Xue Nianzhi's smile gradually faded.

Tang Luo laughed: "Now do you understand what I mean?"

"You—" Xue Nianzhi's face changed, her pupils instantly turning into vertical slits like a cat's, emitting a faint glow.

But before Xue Nianzhi could make any further move.

A black mist-wolf head appeared beside her, its ruby-like eyes blazing like fire, staring at Xue Nianzhi.

Xue Nianzhi's body went completely rigid, and not only that, a pair of white triangular ears suddenly sprouted from her hair, and beneath her skirt appeared a white, fluffy tail.

She had transformed from human into a beast-eared maiden, simultaneously gaining a wild nature.

But this wildness now lay trembling beneath the Heavenly Hound's jaws, too afraid to move.

"Indeed, a half-demon, and very diluted." Tang Luo lifted Xue Nianzhi's chin, turning it left and right, adopting a professional examination pose.

The term "demoness" is actually not accurate.

Not every "demon" qualifies to be called a "demoness."

In the Journey to the West world, demons are divided thus: those without awakened spiritual intelligence are merely ordinary beasts.

Only after awakening spiritual intelligence do they qualify to be classified as "demons."

After awakening spiritual intelligence, embarking on the cultivation path, generating demonic power, they are called "lesser demons"—those that walk upright, can speak human words or cannot walk upright, like oxen and tigers, are typical lesser demons.

Above lesser demons, those capable of assuming human form are qualified to be called "demonesses."

Demonesses, among the entire demon race, are not weak.

Sun Wukong casually smashes piles of demonesses with his staff, precisely because he is strong enough.

Demons capable of appearing in human form generally possess some strength.

But there are exceptions, namely the "half-demon" before us.

After demons assume human form, they also lose "reproductive isolation"—different kinds of demons, demons and humans, can all bear children.

The offspring of humans and demons are half-demons.

The vast majority of half-demons are born in human form, possessing only minor demonic traits; some lean toward beast form, primarily beast-like with few human traits, which is rather shocking.

"This city really does have demonic energy, huh." Tang Luo said.

Last time I killed a mirror demon, Tang Luo confirmed the existence of some "demons, monsters, ghosts, and evil spirits."

Some may be related to the Divine Demon Game, others likely not—like this half-demon little fox before us.

Tang Luo can affirm that the little fox before him is not formed from a fate fragment of a Divine Demon Wanderer fused with a fox demon, but is naturally a half-demon.

Tang Luo can still distinguish between naturally born half-demons and Divine Demon Wanderers later fused with a demon's fate fragment.

Yao Jingwu is the latter, Xue Nianzhi the former.

As for how to tell them apart, that relies on the veteran driver's experience—only understandable, not expressible in words.

The veteran driver looked at the half-demon little fox before him and asked: "Where are your elders?" He waved his hand, signaling the Heavenly Hound not to frighten others.

If he frightens her further, some embarrassing things might happen.

"What, what?" Xue Nianzhi's ears on her head trembled involuntarily.

"As a half-demon, which of your parents is a demon?" Tang Luo asked.

"I..."

"Don't worry, I'm a disciple of Buddhism." Tang Luo said.

"You're a monk?" Xue Nianzhi climbed down from the desk, her legs went weak, and she nearly fell to the ground.

The pressure brought by the Heavenly Hound is not merely a difference in strength.

"Of course." Tang Luo said.

Xue Nianzhi looked at Tang Luo, feeling not at all that he resembled a monk: "My mother..."

In the following minutes, Tang Luo listened as Xue Nianzhi recounted her past story.

It's not complicated to say—Xue Nianzhi's mother is like her, also a half-demon fox, at roughly the same level as Xue Nianzhi.

Beast ears and tail, plus physical strength beyond ordinary humans and a hint of charm ability—her strength is weak.

As for why Xue Nianzhi's mother is a half-demon, it's because her maternal grandmother was also a half-demon.

However, Xue Nianzhi's maternal grandmother had already passed away before Xue Nianzhi was born.

"So besides your mother, you've had no contact with any other demons?" Tang Luo asked.

Xue Nianzhi nodded repeatedly.

She merely used her own bit of fox-demon charm ability to make her life a little better.

Though a half-demon, she has lived like an ordinary person since childhood, with no difference.

I have never even come into contact with other demons.

"No." Xue Nianzhi said, her expression solemn to the extreme, reporting that she had never done anything bad.

Stories about beautiful fox demons and handsome monks are all fake.

"Oh." I originally wanted to learn about the demons and monsters of the real world through this little fox—yaoguai, wangliang—but what I encountered was also just a "cai gouzi."

Or perhaps, in such a thin spiritual energy environment, those things are merely clinging to life, utterly insignificant, and can't even be aware of each other's existence, let alone huddle together for warmth?

"Take me to see your mother." Tang Luo said.

Xue Nianzhi knew nothing when asked three questions—she didn't know whether her mother would know more.

"Master, we have never done anything bad, nor harmed anyone." Xue Nianzhi said.

"... Just to meet and understand the situation." Tang Luo said, "Don't worry—look, my dog is, in a sense, also a demon, and we get along very well."

"Hmph." Xue Nianzhi glanced at the Tiangou, her smile very dry.

"Let's go." Tang Luo stood up.

The Tiangou also leapt up—this time it didn't jump onto Tang Luo's shoulder, but onto Xue Nianzhi's head, waving its paw twice, as if directing a horse.

Xue Nianzhi froze instantly.

"It's fine, she's just finding a place to stay." Tang Luo said, "You lead the way."

"Oh." Xue Nianzhi couldn't even nod, walking forward with a stiff neck and head.

Fortunately, the Tiangou crouched for a while, then lay down completely, fully relaxing.

This let Xue Nianzhi breathe a great sigh of relief.

After a few words of advice, the two walked out of the store under the envious gazes of the shopping guides and arrived at the nearby parking lot.

Xue Nianzhi is a local—specifically a local fox—now living with her parents, and the family has some modest wealth.

Her father is a teacher, her mother used to be a teacher as well, retired early many years ago, just like an ordinary middle-aged woman, whose current greatest hobby is finding a good match for her daughter and marrying her off.

Then she could enjoy a blissful two-person world with her husband, traveling all over the world.

After traveling for a few years and returning, she could just in time hold her grandson or granddaughter.

So when Tang Luo appeared before her, Xue Mu's eyes lit up, her face full of smiles: "Daughter, you're thirty! You've finally opened your orifices! The first time you bring someone home, you bring such a handsome young man—"

"Young man, what's your name?"

"Where are you from, who's in your family, what do you do for work, is your hair dyed, not prematurely aged?"

"When do you plan to marry my daughter, when do you want children?"

"How many—one boy and one girl, what do you think?"

A rapid-fire barrage of questions.

Hearing this, Xue Nianzhi beside them, unable to keep up, trembled with fear—what if she angered this self-proclaimed monk, who might sic his dog—or cat—on the fox demon?

"Mom!" Xue Nianzhi said, ignoring the Tiangou still on her head, covering her mother's mouth, "He's not, we're not!"

"Haha, little girl, your face is still pretty thin—I'll tell you, at crucial moments, you just have to strike! I got your dad that way back then—he was so popular back then, if I hadn't acted fast, he'd probably have been snatched by some other fox demon." If Xue Nianzhi still had a bit of fox demon aura, Xue Mu had none left.

"He knows our identity!" Xue Nianzhi said.

Is it really such a big deal not to marry by thirty? She's a fox demon! Not an ordinary person!

In the eyes of elders, whether you're a half-demon fox or a human, if it's time to push marriage, they'll push marriage.

"What do you mean?" Xue Mu looked at Xue Nianzhi.

"Just that he knows..." Xue Nianzhi whispered.

Xue Mu's face darkened bit by bit, and simultaneously, the appearance originally belonging to an ordinary person began to change.

Beast ears grew out, becoming radiant and dazzling.

"Amitabha, the monk's dharma name is—"

"I'm back."

The sound of the door opening interrupted Tang Luo's words.

A man wearing glasses, with temples streaked with white, and an elegant scholar's demeanor—an old handsome scholar—paused in the act of pushing the door open.

He heard Tang Luo's words and also saw his wife's current appearance.

"... It's over." Xue Nianzhi wailed in her heart.

The peaceful life thus came to an end.

"Master Fahai!"

After two seconds of stiffness, the old scholar lunged forward at Tang Luo, blocking his wife and daughter, "I've known for a long time! They're demons! But they've never harmed anyone! I can become a monk with you, but please, Master, spare them!"

"Eh?" Xue Nianzhi widened her eyes—her father knew?

"No!"

Xue Mu grabbed her husband, shoved him behind her, "We live and die together, you stinking monk! Don't think I'm afraid of you! Though I'm not as strong as Bai Suzhen, do you think I'll just surrender?"

"..."

Tang Luo looked at the Tiangou, suppressing the urge to let it eat these two drama queens in one bite.

"You've worked hard." He looked at Xue Nianzhi, "Little fox, it's not easy."

Xue Nianzhi covered her face, should I just leave home from now on?