The Daoist discreetly pulled a talisman from his pocket, ready to engage in combat with the man before him.
"Take this!"
The Daoist's eyes never left the man in front of him. Just as Kei was about to chant, a talisman was thrown out.
The talisman glowed and was about to release its power when—
"Acupressure Seal."
With a single finger pointed through the air, Kei's Ripple Energy directly struck the talisman, forcibly sealing its power before it could activate.
"Relax, I'm not here to fight. I just want to buy the fox demon. I like fox demons a lot."
"I simply want to buy her to keep as a collectible. You can name your price."
Kei's reason sounded completely plausible. After all, fox demons were known for their beautiful appearances and were popular among many people.
People like Kei, who wanted to buy them just to keep them as collectibles, were not rare. His excuse was perfect.
"You want to buy a fox demon?"
The Daoist was startled by Kei's acupressure technique and immediately became more polite. He carefully looked at Kei's clothing.
"You're a doctor?"
"Yes, I'm not a Daoist, and I'm not in the business of capturing demons. You don't need to worry about me stealing your business."
"Alright then, I'll show you the goods. But let me be clear, this is a genuine Tushan fox demon, pure and authentic, of excellent quality."
"Hmm, have you heard of Qian Wan?"
"I've heard of him. That man's body is so weak, half-dead, but his family is wealthy enough to own an entire city's worth of fortune. Why, do you know him?"
The Daoist suddenly realized something as he looked at Kei's outfit and the signboard beside him.
"Could it be that you cured Qian Wan's illness?"
"You guessed right. So, do you have the goods or not?"
"Of course I do, absolutely. Come on in, I'll show you."
The Daoist's attitude made a complete 180-degree change upon hearing that Kei was connected to Qian Wan. He was practically groveling.
"Wow, that fat guy's name holds that much power? Just mentioning him makes people act like this!!"
Kei suddenly realized that the chubby man he had casually helped before was actually quite a big shot.
Under the Daoist's guidance, Kei walked to the back of the temple. There, he saw two fox demons with golden hair and green ears folded down.
"Sister!"
"Rong Rong, I will definitely protect you!"
Tushan Honghong clutched the iron bars of the cage with all her strength, trying to pry them open. But the cage was covered with talismans meant to suppress demons.
The moment her hands touched the iron bars, it was like pressing them against red-hot metal. Soon, her hands were covered in blood.
"You little demon, still trying to escape, huh? Take this!"
The Daoist pulled out another talisman, ready to slap it on Tushan Honghong. But before he could act, Kei grabbed his hand.
"Alright, let's start talking about the price."
"Fine, look at these two little ones. Although they look dirty and not so cute right now, clean them up and they'll be real beauties."
"Half price for the little fox demon."
"No way. Little fox demons have their own charm. If you take them home and properly train them, they can be of great value."
"I'll pay seventy percent of the market price for both of them. Take it or leave it."
The Daoist looked at Kei, who was calmly naming his price. He realized that Kei must be an expert and felt unwilling to sell so cheaply.
But then he remembered how Kei had effortlessly sealed his talisman, and the fact that he was connected to Qian Wan.
The Daoist grew fearful and decided not to push his luck.
"Alright, for your sake, seventy percent is fine for both of them."
The Daoist said.
Kei took out money from his pocket and tossed it to the Daoist. After counting the money and confirming it was accurate, the Daoist spoke quickly:
"Alright, the deal's done. I'm leaving now."
Once the Daoist got his money, he immediately called his junior brother and hurried away in the middle of the night.
Although his temper was bad, his experience in dealing with people was not lacking. After getting the money, he ran away as fast as possible, fearing he would be killed for it.
After the Daoists left, only Kei, Tushan Honghong, and Tushan Rongrong remained in the temple.
Kei walked up to Rongrong's cage and reached out to touch it.
"Stop! Don't hurt Rongrong! If you have a problem, come at me instead!"
Tushan Honghong shouted from the side, once again trying to break open the cage. But the talismans on it threw her back.
"What a stubborn temper."
Kei began removing the talismans from Rongrong's cage one by one before opening it.
Under their surprised gaze, he carefully peeled off the talismans stuck to Rongrong's body.
"Alright, there's no need to cry or be afraid anymore. Let me tell you a secret. Actually, I'm a fox demon too!"
"Eh?"
"Really?!"
Tushan Honghong looked incredulous, while Rongrong's expression was filled with doubt.
Kei walked over to Tushan Honghong's cage, calmly removed all the talismans, and then opened the cage.
As soon as the cage was opened, Honghong darted out with incredible speed and shielded Rongrong behind her.
"You can't fool me. You smell just like a human. You don't have even a trace of a fox demon's scent. I won't fall for your tricks!"
Tushan Honghong remained extremely alert, still far from being the clumsy, naive Tushan Susu of the future.
"That's because I am a human."
"But I was raised by a fox demon. The name Kongling should sound familiar to you, right?"
Kei replied.
"You... You mean Kongling-nee-san?"
The two girls were stunned. The name Kongling was very familiar to them.
Among the three prominent fox demons — the strict Fengxi, the stern Kongqing, and the gentle Kongling — their favorite was Kongling.
"Are you... Are you telling the truth?"
Although Tushan Honghong was very alert, she was still just a child. Hearing a familiar name made her hesitate.
"If I was lying, if I were a wicked human, then why would I set you free from the cages?"
"If I truly meant you harm, I could have just taken you away while you were trapped."
Kei looked at the wounds on Tushan Honghong's body caused by her struggle against the talismans.
He used his acupressure technique combined with Ripple Energy to heal her injuries.
Before Honghong could even react, her wounds began to heal rapidly.
Seeing this miracle and considering Kei's words, she thought it over carefully.
"T-Then, thank you."
"Thank you."
Tushan Honghong and Tushan Rongrong politely thanked him.
"So, are we going back to Tushan now?"
"No, if you go back like this, you'll just get captured again. You're too weak to protect yourselves."
"I'll take you near Tushan, and then you can make your way back on your own."
Kei thought about it. Since he was heading east anyway, he could drop them off near Tushan along the way.
Hearing Kei's words, Tushan Honghong and Tushan Rongrong were finally relieved. They followed Kei, ate some food, and then curled up in a corner of the temple, holding each other as they fell asleep.
The Next Morning.
Kei packed his things, and Tushan Honghong woke up from the noise.
She woke Rongrong and walked over to Kei.
"Where are we going next?"
"First, we'll go to a nearby city, buy some supplies, heal some people, and then continue heading east."
"Go to a human city?! Isn't that dangerous?!"
Tushan Honghong's eyes widened with surprise. From a young age, they had been taught that humans were dangerous and terrifying.
Human cities were the most dangerous places and were absolutely forbidden!
"Ah, humans know little about demons, and demons know little about humans."
"It'll be fine. Just follow me. Oh, and while we're there, I'll buy you two some new clothes."
With that, Kei started walking. Tushan Honghong held Rongrong's hand and followed him.
About an hour later, they reached the city.
When they arrived at the city gate—
"Divine Doctor!"
"What are you doing here?!"
Kei saw a familiar chubby figure standing at the city gate, looking around. His eyes finally locked onto Kei.
"Divine Doctor, you left me behind yesterday! I spent so much effort trying to find you!"
Qian Wan had spent a lot of money to find Kei's whereabouts, figuring out Kei's likely destination and rushing over with hired help.
He even used magical artifacts to arrive before Kei did.
"The treatment's done, the work is completed, and we're even now. Why are you looking for me?"
Kei asked in confusion.
Qian Wan rushed up to Kei and dragged him to a secluded alleyway before saying, "I was thinking about what you said yesterday, and it all made a lot of sense."
"I want to discuss this with you properly."
"What's there to discuss? If you think demons are okay, then try to interact with them. If you think demons are monsters who eat people, then don't.
Why are you coming to me about it?"
Kei still couldn't figure out what Qian Wan wanted.
Qian Wan's eyes sparkled with excitement. After confirming there were no eavesdroppers, he said, "Of course it's about business!"
"You don't understand, Divine Doctor. Right now, the human business world is already saturated. My family's trading business is big, but we've reached our limits!"
"But the demon side's business trade is still undeveloped. There are so many good things over there!"
"By connecting both sides, we can make unimaginable amounts of money!"
"Just think about it! If we establish trade networks between demons and humans, everywhere in the world will have our businesses!"
"I'm going to build a commercial empire!"
Kei looked at him, astonished. "No wonder you've been making money. You really deserve it. If you aren't the one making money, then who is?"
"But if people find out you're trying to establish trade between humans and demons, you'll be executed."
"Divine Doctor, you don't understand. Right now, there's conflict between humans and demons, but I firmly believe that one day, they will reach cooperation!"
"It's a historical inevitability! It's a change that will eventually happen!"
Qian Wan declared confidently.
"Kid, have you secretly received higher education?"
Kei widened his eyes in surprise. The earlier talk about making money didn't shock him, but Qian Wan's recent statement genuinely surprised him.
How could this guy predict that humans and demons would peacefully coexist in the future?!
"W-Wait! How do you know humans and demons will live together peacefully in the future? Right now, they're practically mortal enemies!"
Tushan Honghong couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked.
"Hm?"
"Oh, don't mind her. I just bought this little fox demon. You can speak freely."
"Well, alright. Little one, don't go around spreading this."
Qian Wan cleared his throat and explained, "Both demons and humans live on this land. They've been fighting each other for who knows how many years."
"There are only three possible outcomes:
First, humans are wiped out, and demons rule this land.
Second, demons are wiped out, and humans rule this land.
Third, humans and demons coexist in peace.
They've fought for so many years without either side being able to eliminate the other. The most likely outcome is that humans and demons will be forced to coexist."
"It may take hundreds or thousands of years, but it will definitely happen one day!"
Qian Wan spoke with unwavering confidence.
"Impressive. Ordinary people can hardly see what's right in front of them. A wise man can calculate three steps ahead. But you, you greedy merchant, are making calculations for a thousand years!"
Kei praised.
"Divine Doctor, you flatter me, you flatter me."
Qian Wan grinned proudly.
"But this has nothing to do with me. Farewell, future merchant overlord."
Kei said, then took Tushan Honghong and Tushan Rongrong into the city. When the guards questioned him, Kei explained briefly, and they let him pass.
"Divine Doctor! Wait for me! Listen to me...!"
Qian Wan hurriedly chased after them.
For the rest of the day, Kei went around the city treating people, while Qian Wan followed beside him, shouting promotions.
In just half a day, Kei treated over a hundred people. Some had serious illnesses, some had minor ailments, and many came for preventive treatment because his prices were cheap.
"Big sister, the humans on the street didn't hurt us at all!"
Tushan Rongrong looked at the bustling street and even tried speaking to a passerby.
The man was surprised to see her ears but relaxed after learning she was with Kei, even complimenting her for being cute.
"Don't let your guard down! This is just a facade!"
Tushan Honghong remained on high alert.
"Mm, I know."
Although Rongrong said so, her eyes shone with admiration as she looked at Kei.
She was beginning to understand the value of wisdom.
Strength was only there to support intelligence. Often, a problem could be solved by words alone without resorting to violence.
And that was the best solution.
After a whole day of treating people, Kei took Honghong and Rongrong to buy new clothes and some food.
Then, without wasting any time, they left the city and continued traveling, Kei focusing on his journey of medical practice.
As Kei helped a demon treat its injuries, Tushan Honghong, who had lowered her guard somewhat, curiously asked,
"I've always had a question for you. Why didn't you kill those two Daoists?"
At this moment, her hatred for the two Daoists who kidnapped and tortured her and Rongrong was still intense. She really wanted to kill them with her own hands.
(End of Chapter)
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