Chapter Twenty: Bai Susu

“Alright, alright, I agree to everything. Thank you all. Wife, quickly go bring our little daughter over,” the great fox said to Liu Jun and the others, then turned to the beautiful woman who had entered the room unnoticed.

“Your daughter’s demonic cultivation foundation, built over a hundred years, has been destroyed. To restore her, she must perform good deeds to accumulate karmic power, using the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to heal herself,” Mo Li explained to the great fox.

“Very well, we’ll follow your advice,” the great fox replied.

“What is your daughter’s name?”

“The elder daughter is Bai Suzhen, and the younger one is Bai Susu,” the great fox answered.

The fat man took a sip of water and immediately spat it out, while Liu Jun’s mouth twitched. Suddenly, they both thought this great fox was not quite right in the head. Bai Suzhen—she was a thousand-year-old snake demon. Naming his daughters after her—wasn’t he afraid of being bitten by a snake?

“Zhang Dafu, make a memorial tablet inscribed with the name Bai Suzhen, to be placed in the house for day and night worship. Also, perform good deeds under the name Bai Suzhen. Hmm, write ‘Fox Demon Bai Suzhen’ on the tablet,” Mo Li told Zhang Dafu, slightly revising the name on the tablet. Apparently, Mo Li knew of the snake demon Bai Suzhen.

Zhang Dafu nodded and went to prepare it. At this point, he had no choice but to follow orders; after all, he had not yet lived long enough.

Zhang Ming still held the white fox in his arms. Perhaps the fox’s return had calmed him down and restored much of his composure. He bowed in thanks to Liu Jun and the others. Mo Li looked thoughtfully at Zhang Ming and the white fox, then rummaged through her cloth bag and produced a porcelain bottle. She poured out a small, round, bright red pill and handed it to the white fox, who swallowed it in one gulp.

“This is a Transformation Pill from the Quanzhen Sect. When a demon eats it, she can take human form for a period of time,” Mo Li explained.

Liu Jun and the fat man eagerly watched the white fox, waiting for her to transform. Thoughts of the legendary Daji flashed through their minds—words describing her exquisite beauty, such as slender and graceful, petite and delicate, an unparalleled beauty. Just as they were imagining this, a wisp of white smoke rose, and the white fox completed her transformation. Liu Jun and the fat man both froze.

“Brother, this fox demon looks nothing like the Daji I imagined,” the fat man murmured.

“Maybe... this Daji was a flesh-and-blood version?” Liu Jun replied after a brief silence.

The white fox’s human form was not unattractive—quite beautiful, in fact—but her figure was somewhat full-bodied. It was a far cry from the Daji they had pictured.

Zhang Ming eagerly approached the white fox, and they embraced in tears. Ah, the love that has endured loss and hardship makes each other cherish the bond even more, rendering their romance all the more beautiful.

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“No, I damn well don’t feel sentimental. I’m a lone wolf—how many love stories have I eaten? Why get all lofty and poetic now?” Liu Jun thought gloomily.

As he was lost in thought, the beautiful woman entered carrying an even smaller fox, snow-white and peacefully sleeping. The great fox stepped forward, took the little fox, and handed her to Mo Li.

“Friends, we cannot leave our clan land for too long. We entrust our daughter to your care. Farewell, until fate brings us together again,” the great fox said, then took the beautiful woman’s hand and turned to leave. The woman glanced back every few steps; her reluctance was clear, but the great fox pulled her along. As for the great fox himself, he was not heartless—he just chose not to show it. After all, one would have to love their daughter deeply to deal with Taoist priests on her behalf.

After they left, Mo Li did something Liu Jun didn’t expect: she handed the little fox to Liu Jun, explaining this was the old man’s wish. The little fox squirmed in Liu Jun’s arms, likely uncomfortable with how he was holding her.

After some fuss, everyone was exhausted. They went inside to rest. Liu Jun placed the little fox at one end of the bed and slept at the other, careful not to crush the small creature.

The next morning, Bai Susu woke up and, not seeing her parents, threw a tantrum. Eventually, her elder sister Bai Suzhen took her in her arms and coaxed her.

After breakfast, they packed and prepared to leave. Zhang Dafu came to see them off, expressing his gratitude and noting that the 600,000 yuan had already been transferred to the old man.

They boarded a stretched Hummer. Mo Li sat alone in the back, eyes closed resting. The fat man sat opposite Liu Jun, with a three-year-old little girl beside Liu Jun—a pair of big, sparkling eyes, chubby cheeks, and twin ponytails. It was none other than Bai Susu, who had also taken the Transformation Pill.

Bored on the road, the fat man mustered courage and began teasing Bai Susu.

“Susu, are you bored? Uncle Fat has a riddle for you.”

“Okay!” Susu blinked her big eyes and replied.

“A black man married a white woman, and they had a baby. Now, do you think the baby’s teeth are black or white?”

“White,” Susu answered.

“Haha, wrong! Newborn babies don’t have teeth,” the fat man grinned mischievously.

“That’s not true! I had teeth when I was born, and I could even talk,” Susu retorted.

The fat man was stunned—this cross-species conversation was indeed tricky. After a moment, he persisted.

“Susu, seven children divide three apples, but you can only make four cuts. How do you cut to divide them fairly?”

“That’s easy! Cut four children with four cuts, then the remaining three children divide the three apples. Problem solved,” Susu said.

The fat man was speechless—too ruthless for such a little girl. Mo Li opened her eyes, glanced at Bai Susu, then closed them again to rest.

Soon, they arrived at the train station. First, they went to the police station to get a temporary ID for Bai Susu. Before departure that morning, Mo Li had the old man register the little fox in the household registry. The old man was quite efficient; it didn’t take long before the registration was complete.

“Fatty, brother thinks you’re alright, but sending someone off means we must part. Farewell, until fate reunites us,” Liu Jun said to the fat man at the ticket gate.

“Brother Liu, what are you saying? I just came out to have fun and now I’m ready to go back with you. My home is in Yan City too. Aren’t you all boarding the same train in Yan City?” Fatty looked at Liu Jun puzzled.

Liu Jun said nothing as he followed Mo Li to buy tickets and took the little girl through security. This time there were no demons causing trouble, and they boarded smoothly.

Inside the sleeper compartment, besides Liu Jun and company, there was a young couple. The woman talked incessantly while the man remained mostly silent, occasionally responding with a word or two. She said their dorm mates were timid and that when they played with the “spirit board,” she deliberately spooked them all away, laughing heartily. The man said little, merely humoring her.

Liu Jun quietly lay down. The little girl didn’t fuss but left her own berth to sleep beside Mo Li. Fox demons liked to guard Taoist disciples as they slept...

Originally, Liu Jun thought the return journey would be uneventful. But after Fatty got friendly with the couple, he spent half the night telling them ghost stories, frightening the woman into letting out a scream as piercing as a train whistle. The whole carriage woke up, summoning attendants and police who had to come and explain the situation.

“I thought this girl had guts when she told me about scaring her roommates with the spirit board. Didn’t expect to get scared like this herself,” Fatty muttered quietly.