"You still haven't answered my question. Are you from the Shan Hai demon race, or the Bai Ze demon race?" I asked.
"Heh, if I were from the Shan Hai demon race, do you think I would tell you the truth?" the girl chuckled.
This was a logical conundrum, a bit of a loop. No matter how she answered, it was impossible to determine which faction she belonged to.
"Alright, I'll take you, but you have to promise not to make a move. The current Lord Bai Ze is still very weak." I deliberately feigned weakness, begging.
"Hmph, don't waste my time. You, a human servant... it's not your place to worry about such things," the girl taunted me.
Of course, I didn't care, nor was I worried about her attacking Bai Ze, because the Bai Ze I intended to take her to meet was the great demon of dark energy, Daji.
"Follow me." I led the girl back to the White Egret Hotel, went up to the second floor, and knocked on Daji's door.
Daji's aura moved towards the door. She stopped about two meters away, pausing for a moment. She couldn't sense energy directly, but perhaps she could perceive that a powerful demon of equal strength stood in the corridor outside. However, Daji was much stronger than this girl, so she didn't pay it much mind. She continued to the door, opened it, and smiled at me, "Morning. When did you sneak back last night?" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"...You, you are the reincarnation of Bai Ze?" the girl whispered, her voice trembling slightly. I couldn't tell if it was from nervousness, excitement, or anticipation.
Daji rubbed her eyes. "Who are you?"
It seemed she wasn't from the Shan Hai demon race. If she were, she would have undoubtedly attacked without question, rather than engage in idle chatter.
Congratulations to myself. I had gained another powerful ally. Well, my thick skin could also be considered a weapon of support.
"I'm Xu Ran. You... you don't remember me?" The girl raised her delicate eyebrows, looking as if she might cry.
"Xu Ran? Don't remember," Daji shook her head.
"Then you definitely aren't the reincarnation of Bai Ze!" the girl stated with certainty, then shot me a glare and turned to leave.
You've come this far, how can I let you leave? I immediately gave Daji a look. Daji reacted incredibly fast. Before my eyes had even fully returned to normal, she had shot out, brushing past my shoulder. By the time I turned around, the girl's shoulder was already pinned by Daji, rendering her immobile.
This was an anti-joint technique. Although the shoulder blade is the most flexible, being controlled at a specific angle made escape impossible. If she wanted to break free, there was only one way: transform back into her demon form, breaking the limitations of human bone structure.
"You... you are from the Shan Hai demon race!" the girl exclaimed with a look of sudden realization. Before I could explain, she chose to transform.
It turned out to be a giant bat!
It was the first time I had ever seen a bat as tall as a person, and I was quite startled. Fortunately, Daji was experienced and immediately engaged the bat in combat.
The bat's advantage was flight, but the corridor was too narrow for it to maneuver. It transformed back into a human and exchanged blows with Daji. It still couldn't defeat Daji and had its arms twisted behind its back again. This time, Daji was smarter and twisted her other arm as well, preventing her from transforming and escaping.
At this point, other guests, disturbed by the commotion in the corridor, opened their doors to investigate. Having undergone a transformation once, though not a complete one, the girl's qipao had been caught on the bat's wings. Now, it hung awkwardly on her arm, a somewhat embarrassing sight. I immediately rushed over to block the guests' view, allowing Daji to escort her into the room.
Following them into the room, Daji had already wrapped the girl in a quilt, making it even harder for her to transform. Daji sat on the quilt and laughed, "Interesting! This is the first time I've heard of a bat becoming a spirit!"
"You haven't heard of it before?" I asked.
"No. I've only heard that in the southeast, there are large bats with long lifespans that might become spirits. It's not possible in our native land," Daji replied.
"I just came from the southeast," the girl grumbled from inside the quilt. "You stinky fox, if you have the guts, let me go, and we'll find an open space for a one-on-one duel!"
It wasn't surprising that she could guess Daji's fox identity. After all, that scent was unique to fox demons. With her wrapped in the quilt and Daji having just woken up, it would certainly be filled with her scent.
While they were bickering, I closed the door and directly called Yao Yao. "Darling, do you know any demon named Xu Ran?"