Chapter One - One Hundred Thousand Whys

After the old village chief handed the cloth pouch to me, he passed another package to Li Kun. "Master, these are what we promised you earlier, just a token of our appreciation."

Hearing this, Li Kun reached out and took the cloth bag. This bundle should contain a considerable amount of cash. The few of us had no reason to decline either; this was something we earned with our lives, so naturally, we could not refuse it.

Li Kun was about to open it to take a look, but Xu Tian stopped him from the side. Li Kun turned to look at Xu Tian, not understanding what he meant. Xu Tian said, "No matter how much is inside, let's wait until we get back to check."

Seeing Xu Tian act this way, the old village chief smiled and nodded. Meanwhile, I untied the cord on the small cloth pouch in my hand. Under the gaze of the others, I drew out a piece of jade that was entirely emerald green.

Seeing that it was just a piece of jade, I felt a bit puzzled. Why was it just a piece of jade? Besides, I could not discern anything unusual about it, so I wanted to hand it over to Xu Tian beside me.

Xu Tian waved his hand and said, "Let's study it after we get back. Don't forget we still have a major matter at hand. If we delay, the three of us brothers won't have a good outcome."

Hearing Xu Tian say this, the old village chief hurriedly asked, "Three Masters, are you leaving already? I've already prepared wine and food, waiting for you all to return."

When Li Kun and I heard Xu Tian's words, we suddenly remembered that right at the village entrance, there was still an existence we couldn't afford to offend, waiting for us. If we kept that being waiting too long and incurred its displeasure, I'm afraid none of the three of us would have a pleasant time.

Thinking of this, we bid farewell to the old village chief. Although the chief tried repeatedly to make us stay, seeing our determination to leave, he could only say goodbye.

After parting ways with the old village chief, some of the villagers escorted the three of us to the entrance of the village. Upon seeing our van, we got inside. However, after looking back and forth without catching a glimpse of Hu Yue'er, we decided to drive out of the village first and figure it out along the way.

Under the watchful eyes of the villagers, our vehicle slowly pulled away from the village. Seeing that the villagers behind us had turned back one by one, I finally parked the car on the roadside. Then, all three of us opened our doors and stepped out.

We stood on the dirt road, looking around in all directions. Apart from mountains, stones, and sand, there was no sign of Hu Yue'er anywhere.

Seeing this, Li Kun said, "Old Liu, could that fox immortal have gotten lost? Didn't we tell her to wait for us at the village entrance? How come she's missing?"

Xu Tian suggested, "Could she have already left?"

I shook my head and replied, "Probably not. That fox immortal doesn't know yet how completely the world has changed. Since she said she would wait for us at the village entrance, she certainly wouldn't leave. Old Li, activate your blood eyes and walk back a bit to see if you can spot her."

Li Kun nodded, but just as he was about to open his ghost eyes, we heard a gentle voice ring out beside us: "I've been right by your side all along, only I didn't show myself. Actually, I've been observing this thing the whole time."

As she spoke, Hu Yue'er pointed at the van beside us and asked, "What is this thing? There are no horses pulling it in the front, yet how can it run so fast?"

I patiently explained, "This thing is called a car. Cars in the past needed horses to pull them along, but now that's no longer necessary. Once we get back, you can first learn about modern writing, and then read more books. With your talent, it won't take long for you to understand our current world."

Hearing my words, Hu Yue'er nodded and said, "That is quite novel. How do you get inside?"

I led Hu Yue'er to the front passenger side, pulled open the door, and said, "Pull this handle with your hand and lift up, then the door opens. Just sit right on this."

Hu Yue'er's face was filled with curiosity, looking just like an inquisitive child. Once she sat inside the car, she looked here and there, her face brimming with wonder.

After I fastened the seatbelt for Hu Yue'er, she frowned at me and asked, "What are you doing? Why are you tying me up with a rope?"

Hearing this, I offered a wry smile and could only explain, "This is a seatbelt. When riding in a car, you must wear this to ensure your safety."

Hu Yue'er unhappily protested, "I don't like being tied up with this rope. Untie me. This carriage can't hurt me."

Li Kun and Xu Tian were snickering in the back, their faces full of schadenfreude. I shook my head helplessly, thinking to myself that it seemed we had brought back an ancestral deity.

With that, I started the engine. When Hu Yue'er saw that the carriage was once again moving on its own and that riding along such a mountain road wasn't even very bumpy, her expression of amazement was beyond description. She kept turning her head to ask me one question after another.

"Why do you keep moving this thing?"

"This is for shifting gears."

"What is this round thing?"

"This is the steering wheel."

"Oh, is this a mirror? It's so clear!" With that, Hu Yue'er reached out two fingers and pinched the rearview mirror above my head. Then we heard a crisp snap, and the rearview mirror was broken right off by Hu Yue'er.

All three of us had dark lines running down our faces. Along the way, aside from asking about this and that, Hu Yue'er kept staring at herself in the rearview mirror. It seemed that even a fox immortal was a vain one who loved beauty.

By the time we reached the county center, Hu Yue'er's mouth didn't stop moving for a moment. Remarks like "this looks so good," "that looks so strange," or "so many carriages without horses" were endless. I patiently answered every single question for her, while the two guys behind me enjoyed their leisure. Sitting cross-legged in the back, their gleeful expressions never stopped the entire trip.

I drove the car straight to the location of the Liuyun Shop. After getting out, I opened the door for Hu Yue'er. Once she stepped down, I said to her, "Senior, we've arrived. This is the place where we will be staying from now on."

Hu Yue'er looked at the three-story shop in front of her and said, "Is this an inn? It's quite pretty."

I gave a wry smile, offered a brief explanation, and then said to her, "Senior, after coming to the human world, we cannot address you that way anymore. You need to have an identity." Hu Yue'er waved her hand dismissively and said, "Since this is your place, you can have the final say."

I nodded and said, "Then from now on, you will be my distant cousin from Liaoshi, and your name will simply be Hu Yue'er. How does that sound to you?"

Hu Yue'er nodded and said, "Mm, then you all can just call me Older Sister from now on."

Only then did I let out a sigh of relief, fearing that the fox immortal would refuse. I nodded to the two guys beside me, and we walked straight into the Liuyun Shop.

By this time, the two storefronts of the Liuyun Shop had been completely knocked through into one, and the interior decoration was fully completed. The dividing wall between the two shops had been demolished, floor tiles were laid, and several large display racks had been positioned, filled with numerous antiques and porcelains.

It seemed that during the few days we were away, Xu Tian's cousin had managed the shop in good order, and the basic setup was already complete.

After exchanging greetings with Xu Tian's cousin, we headed upstairs. First, we checked the second floor, which had also been opened up into a unified space. Most of the more precious items were placed on the second floor, though there were still some odds and ends from the old shop that hadn't been cleared away yet.

The second floor would henceforth be used to store more valuable items as a storeroom, while the third floor was where we would normally live. There was also a rather spacious living room up there, and the third floor clearly looked much better than the second, fully equipped with basic furniture.

I first led Hu Yue'er to the innermost, largest room with the best sunlight and said, "Senior, you will live here from now on. If I stay here, my room will be the one directly across from yours. Li Kun lives next door to me, and Xu Tian doesn't live here—he has his own home and goes back every day."

Hu Yue'er walked around the room, which was quite suitable for a woman. After looking around for a moment, she nodded with satisfaction and said, "I like this place. By the way, what about bathing?"

I walked Hu Yue'er through how to use the various common facilities in the room, and after testing them herself, she nodded to indicate she had learned everything.

Hu Yue'er's adaptability truly astonished me; as expected of a fox immortal, she learned at lightning speed, mastering everything after seeing it just once.

Once we finished going over the basics, Hu Yue'er and I returned to the main living room, where Xu Tian and Li Kun were sipping tea and chatting.

Li Kun beamed at me and said, "Old Liu, guess how much the old village chief gave us?"

I held up two fingers and said, "The village chief mentioned twenty thousand earlier, and since he also gave us a piece of jade, I figure it's worth around twenty thousand too."

Hearing this, Li Kun chuckled and raised three fingers. Xu Tian was also grinning from ear to ear, saying, "Old Liu, we really struck it rich this time. That's a full three hundred thousand! We could buy several more shops with this."

Hearing this, I spat out the mouthful of tea I had just swallowed. I knew the villagers of Goutou Village were wealthy, but to reach such an outrageous degree—after resolving the headless ghost and skinned ghost and saving their ancestors, the old village chief actually rewarded us with a full three hundred thousand.