In a dreamy celestial peak, an imposing hall stood mightily.
An elder, who exuded immortality and righteousness, slowly spoke, "Although the Xiao clan is waning and delisted from the nine major clans, it has always been a good friend of our Su clan. You have been betrothed to the young master of the Xiao clan, Xiao Chen. This journey to the mortal world is to settle this bond and also to help the Xiao clan, exerting the modest strength of our Su clan. Wanyi, remember this."
Standing below the hall was a young and beautiful woman clothed in green, her skin as white as snow, pure yet also charmingly adorable.
"Yes, Master," Su Wanyi bowed her body and responded, a hint of excitement in her heart, for she had heard that the mortal world is a vibrant place filled with delightful things to eat and play with.
"Take the important items I gave you and give them to Xiao Chen. I am now going to teleport you to the hidden location of the Xiao clan in the secular world. There will be someone waiting for you there."
With that, the elder extended his hand, a beam of white light flashed, and in an instant, the light enveloped Su Wanyi’s body.
Suddenly, a disheveled young disciple rushed into the hall, exclaiming, "Master, people from the Holy Gate have begun attacking the mountain. They demand the Heaven Book!"
The elder's face tightened, a trace of distraction in his eyes. With a wave of his hand, the light encasing Su Wanyi faded away, and both she and the light disappeared from the hall.
"Darn! In a panic, I exerted too much force, and teleported her too far," the elder shook his head in regret. "Well, although Wanyi is somewhat bad with directions, there is someone waiting nearby, she’ll be found sooner or later, it’s just a matter of a few more days than expected."
...
"Where are the people who are supposed to pick me up?" Su Wanyi stood amidst the crowds, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, utterly at a loss.
As she walked out a few steps, Su Wanyi's face suddenly turned somber, sensing something ominous, "Demon aura!"
Following her senses, Su Wanyi saw an old and young pair conversing at a stall on the roadside.
"Young man, I see your fingers are thick, and your steps are shaky. You must have been single for twenty years," a ragged old man squatting by the roadside suddenly said.
Xiao Chen's steps faltered; he looked down and couldn't help but feel irritated. "Has my loser aura become that noticeable? Even a beggar on the side of the road is making fun of me?!"
"I have a treasure here, would you like it?" The old man asked with a lascivious smile.
"What kind of treasure?" Xiao Chen looked at the old man's random trinkets with disdain.
The old man reached out and drew a scroll out slowly. On the canvas was a charming and stunning portrait of a woman in ancient dress.
"What kind of treasure is this?" Xiao Chen asked disdainfully.
"Would you like to take a wife like this home?" The old man asked, grinning mischievously.
"Who wouldn't want to? But can the beauty in your painting come out and marry me?" Xiao Chen retorted.
The old man slapped his thigh and mysteriously stated, "Indeed, she can!"
"Young man, to be honest with you, this is no ordinary painting, and the beauty in the painting is not an ordinary woman, but a thousand-year-old nine-tailed fox spirit!"
"Stop making up stories! I'll just watch you weave your tale!" Xiao Chen showed an amused expression.
"After the fox spirit matures, for every hundred years of practice, it grows an additional tail. After it grows nine tails, it can turn into a human! Regrettably, this fox spirit became sealed in this painting shortly after it achieved its full potential."
"But how come I don't see any tails?" Xiao Chen challenged.
The old man pointed at the painting frantically, "That's the catch, isn't it? To unseal this painting is actually quite simple. You just need to add nine tails to the lady in the painting, and she will be able to step out from the painting. And as a token of gratitude for your rescue, won't she pledge herself to you? Hehehe..."
"Easy with the deception. I'm not very educated. If it's that easy, why haven't you added the nine tails for the lady in the painting, so she can come serve you?"
"Haha... My old bones are already frail, I'm not fit for such a blessing." The old man narrowed his eyes at Xiao Chen and asked, "What's your name, young man? If you buy my drawing, I'll throw in a free fortune-telling."
"When did I say I wanted to buy this painting?" Xiao Chen still gave his name, though, "My name is Xiao Chen."
"Xiao Chen? That's a good name! You seem radiant, with perfect facial features, good fortune with women is imminent, congratulations!"
I have been single for more than twenty years, and you are telling me good fortune with women is coming my way? Not even Xiao Chen himself believes that!
Over here, Su Wan’er could hear their conversation. Her eyes lit up when she heard the name Xiao Chen.
"My master sent me to find the young master of the Xiao family, Xiao Chen? Could it be him? He also said that there will be someone to meet me near the teleportation point, I didn't expect that the young master would come to meet me himself?"
"Is your name Xiao Chen?"
A pleasant voice came, Xiao Chen turned his head and his eyes brightened.
The one who called his name was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, wearing a green shirt, with a slender figure and beautiful complexion. A pair of clear eyes gazed at him affectionately, with a sweet smile at the corner of her mouth. The brilliant sunlight shines on her, as if she is an angel surrounded by holy light, who does not dare to have any blasphemous thoughts.
Xiao Chen regarded himself as having seen countless beauties in his career, but the purity and beauty of the girl in front of him were unparalleled.
"Yes, my name is Xiao Chen." Xiao Chen nodded awkwardly.
"Then are you from the Xiao family?" Su Wan'er asked again.
"School gate?" Xiao Chen was stunned, a bit embarrassed, "Yes, I work at the school gate, responsible for the security."
Xiao Chen tried to make his security work sound more glamorous, but to Su Wan'er, he seemed to be someone from the Xiao family.
"His name is Xiao Chen! And he's from the Xiao family! There shouldn't be anyone else with the same name in the Xiao family, right? Then he must be my..."
"Husband!" Su Wan'er suddenly rushed over, hugging Xiao Chen tightly, "You're so kind! You came to welcome me yourself!"
Xiao Chen was stunned, standing still like a wooden statue. "What's going on? Do women throw themselves at security guards now?"
Xiao Chen wanted to ask, are you mistaking me for someone else? But he didn't dare to ask, because he was afraid she might say yes.
"Congratulations, young man!" The elderly man by the side showed an envious smile, "I told you your luck with women would be on the rise, and it indeed is! And with that vixen in the painting, the blessings of beauty are boundless! To celebrate this great joy, I will give you a big discount, it can be yours for just a hundred!"
Finally having sold the painting, the old man left without even taking his stall, mumbling:
"Fox spirit, I finally sold you. Please stop bothering me in my dreams!"
