The Old Fox, seeing stars, sat on the large bluestone for quite a while before he could make out his daughter's words.
Only then did he realize that what his daughter wanted to say was, "That human has saved my life, three times at that!"
Good thing it was a life-saving grace, not a life-ending one.
Otherwise, it wouldn't matter whether that human boy was from the Town Demon Office or the Town Martial Office, he would definitely rush over to break his legs.
Whatever the favor, every act of kindness would cost you one leg!
"Grandpa, that human saved me three times, and I think, shouldn't I repay him three times?"
The old father nodded repeatedly.
To repay a favor, just send some gold and silver his way. Humans like those useless trinkets that neither can be eaten nor drunk.
Or sending some old ginseng from the Northeast would also do.
Just, the daughter mustn't be compromised.
"Wait a minute... Isn't it just that he bandaged you up after you fell? How did that become saving you three times?"
The cousin, listening to her younger cousin's words, was also confused.
"Grandpa, they were originally riding horses at full speed, almost trampled me to death. It was he who saw me and made everyone else stop. That's a life-saving favor right there!"
The Old Fox nodded slightly, but felt that something was off. However, his head was still buzzing.
So he didn't realize that the culprits were originally Zhang San and his group!
"Grandpa, you always say humans are ferocious and would definitely strike us down on sight, but he did not harm me after seeing me. The grace of not killing, as significant as giving a new life. That's the second life-saving favor!"
The cousin felt there was a bit of sense in what her younger cousin said, considering that the old Taoist could have struck at any moment then.
"Grandpa, in the end, he kindly carried me to the side of the road to avoid any danger. That's the third life-saving favor!"
"So..."
The Little Fox said this, her face slightly blushing.
"Grandpa, I want to repay that human's life-saving grace."
"I want to find him and offer myself three times!"
The Old Fox looked at his naive daughter, his face filled with helplessness.
He thought to himself: Child, this is not repaying a favor, you are purely intent on draining him dry!
The Old Fox patted his daughter's head, "You are still young, there are things you do not understand yet. The matters of men and women, you cannot handle them."
With that, the Old Fox got up from the bluestone, leading the two little foxes towards a secluded cave at the top of Mingzhi Mountain, to visit his old friend.
Seeing her father looking down on her, the Little Fox was very unhappy.
She whispered to her cousin, "Cousin, when we went into the city before, I saw those beautiful human ladies, they all had big chests, if I transform in the future and make mine bigger, wouldn't all men fall in love with me?"
The cousin smiled awkwardly.
"Men, I don't understand that either. I'll ask for you later. But, is that man really that great? I don't see it."
Thinking of the gentle and handsome human man, the Little Fox felt like she was floating.
"Cousin, you don't understand, this is called love."
"Oh my, it's just being in heat, what love schmuv!"
And that man, already targeted by the vixen, was currently in his dreams, dreaming about his...old grandfather.
This time, Zhang San dreamt of himself at six years old meeting an old man with white hair.
The old man, seeing his extraordinary bones and remarkable talent, imparted him the Name Punishment Technique!
Zhang San practiced the Name Punishment Technique for eight years, then woke up.
At this moment, Zhang San was absolutely certain that his Golden Finger was dreaming!
But why did he always feel like whatever he wanted, it would come to him?
He wished he understood interrogation, and he ended up learning the Name Punishment Technique.
This was no Golden Finger, it was more caring than a real father!
So, Zhang San immediately went out, just in time for lunch.
At this time, the Martial Artists of the Town Martial Office were all dining at the manor, and Xu personally cooked, preparing many delicious dishes.
And as Zhang San arrived at the dining area, he heard many Martial Artists whispering among themselves.
"Those people from the Demon Sect are indeed tough, quizzed all morning and said nothing!"
"Several people interrogated them back and forth, couldn't pry anything out, heard that Officer Bai has had his merits increased."
"Wasn't it negotiated that thirty up front would get a reward of sixty if they confessed?"
"The price had already gone up! Now it starts at one hundred merits, and for full confessions, the reward is two hundred!"
Zhang San immediately looked around nearby and sure enough, Bai Yucheng was sitting in a corner, frowning in thought.
He didn't bother with a meal, hurriedly moving closer.
Bai Yucheng was having a headache. Those four Demon Cult Followers just wouldn't talk no matter how he interrogated them. Both intimidation and bribery had been useless, and now he got a headache whenever he saw people from the Demon Sect.
Just then, one of the Demon Cult Followers he had interacted with the most walked over and sat opposite him.
"Officer Bai, I hear the interrogation isn't going smoothly?"
Although Officer Bai was annoyed, he still managed to squeeze out a faint smile.
"A bit, yeah."
At the same time, Officer Bai noticed how happily Zhang San was smiling!
This guy couldn't have regained his memory and remembered that he was a member of the Demon Sect, could he?
Officer Bai couldn't help but be on guard.
Zhang San cheerfully asked, "I heard that now, making them talk would reward one hundred and twenty merits? If they all confess, would the reward be two hundred and forty?"
Officer Bai: ???
The rewards had already been raised to one hundred and two hundred; how had it increased even while being talked about?
But Zhang San himself was a Demon Cult Follower, perhaps he had some special interrogation methods?
Thinking this, Officer Bai immediately nodded, saying, "If you can extract all the information from them, I'll reward you two hundred and fifty merits!"
Even though it was ten merits more than he had asked for, Zhang San just couldn't feel happy now.
"Officer Bai, you know my capabilities are weak. Can I apply for an extra set of Body-Protection Armor?"
In the Town Martial Office, there was Body-Protection Armor, a fairly advanced protective gear. Zhang San had seen notes about this armor in Senior Wei's 'Xun Wind Breathing Technique', which mentioned that the armor, used in conjunction with some Wind Series Techniques, could rapidly distance oneself from an enemy and then flee.
Clearly, this Body-Protection Armor had a certain resistance to Techniques and was quite valuable.
Officer Bai, gritting his teeth, said, "If you can get all the information out of them, I'll personally gift you a set of Body-Protection Armor."
Zhang San was delighted.
This was exactly what he had been waiting to hear.
"Officer Bai, why don't you tell me, what special methods do our people here have? I'll see if I can combine them to interrogate them."
Officer Bai then told Zhang San all that he knew.
After speaking, Zhang San went to find Senior Wei, who had just finished dining.
When Senior Wei saw Zhang San coming, he felt his luck darken.
Damn it, why is this kid here again!
You're young, why not spend more time with women?
And although I find Ling a bit unusual, I think you two are quite compatible!
"Senior Wei, I plan to try interrogating those four Demon Cult Followers and I'd like to ask for your help."
Senior Wei glanced at Zhang San and pretended not to hear him, walking towards the outside.
Zhang San, thick-skinned, followed him and noticed that Senior Wei used the Swift Wind Technique, so Zhang San also cast Swift Wind Technique on himself.
"Senior Wei, I know our Town Martial Office has a Technique that can turn oneself into water. Help me with this and I'll spend merits to help you..."
"I know that Technique."
"There's also a Technique that lets one stand still and completely invisible for a few breaths..."
"I know that Technique too."
"And one that can turn into a cloud of smoke, actually being some kind of..."
"Can you mention one I don't know?"
"Old man, should I kowtow to you then?"
Senior Wei, grabbed by the sleeve by Zhang San and failing to pull away after two tries, looked back at the many Martial Artists in the canteen, feeling utterly helpless.
"You... you... you damn kid! Scoundrel! You'll be the death of me with your foolishness! Speak up, what do you want?"
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[Note 8]Noun explanation
Fool here doesn't refer to the Japanese sense. In the Tang Dynasty, calling someone a 'fool' was a popular insult meaning "idiot" or "simpleton."
In Lu You's 'Joint Discourse', there is: "Gold has turned to flying smoke, fools spend their lives guarding pots of medicine."
In this context, 'fool' refers to a foolish person.