The Fox King

Chapter 59: The Practical Thing To Do

Wu Shan had informed Zhe Huo in advance that something at the level of an ice demon ought to be brought to a second-tier demon hunter conclave, in order to fetch the best price. With Luo Qinghan by her side, Zhe Huo wandered through the city, eventually setting her sights upon a conclave announcing itself as the ‘Eight-Pointed Star’.

She made sure Qinghan’s felt cap fitted tightly on his head, and that nothing was poking out from underneath his coat. When the fox ears and tail were securely hidden from sight, only then did she venture into the conclave.

It was in the middle of the day, so there were quite a few demon hunters here to do business. Pulling Qinghan along by the hand, Zhe Huo lined up with all the others. However, various demon hunters soon detected the boy’s unusual nature. Zhe Huo hugged him tightly to herself, and looked straight ahead.

Then one of the hunters, unable to hold back any longer, walked up to them and stared hard at Qinghan. “Madam, are you here to sell this demon?”

Zhe Huo immediately shot him a furious glare. “The hell I am!”

Her grip tightened around Qinghan. If she’d known there were going to be so many people lusting after the boy like this, she’d have just left him behind to wait for her back at the inn.

However, the demon hunter responded to her hostility with a pleasant smile. “How about this, madam? Why don’t you sell him to me, instead? You can set the starting price.”

Qinghan clutched handfuls of her dress. His eyes, however, were cold and serene.

Feeling the boy’s little hands clinging to her, Zhe Huo knew the wee thing was scared. She warded her arms over him protectively, and displayed her badge of rank. “Get lost!” she snarled. “He’s not for sale!”

Now that he knew her rank, the demon hunter had no choice but to leave in a huff—only to be replaced by another halfway-smiling hunter, who was also leering openly at Qinghan. “Now, where’d you find such quality goods, missy?” he cackled. “This fox demon is far more powerful than any demon his size ought to be. Sell him to a worthy medicine maker, you’d make a fortune!”

“What’s it to you? Either get back in line, or scram!” Zhe Huo was ready to take on all comers roaring.

The demon hunter showed her his own badge of rank. She stared at it. Crap, he was Rank 30—that was a whole seventeen places above her.

However, the hunter didn’t trouble her over it. Instead, he cheerfully said, “How about this, missy? Five hundred thousand spirit gems for the little demon.”

Zhe Huo’s eyes nearly fell out of her head. Five… hundred thousand…

Was her little Luo Qinghan really worth that much?

She looked at the demon hunter, then down at Qinghan, who also looked up at her with deep blue eyes brimming with tears. “Zhe Huo…” He called her name in a trembling moan.

This poor thing… Zhe Huo shook herself free from the allure of wealth, wrapped her arms around the boy, and hollered with rage, “My Luo Qinghan is hardly worth a mere five hundred thousand!”

The demon hunter arched an eyebrow. “How much would you be willing to sell him for, then?”

“Perish the thought! He’s not for sale!”

“Not for sale? Then what are you keeping him around for?”

This caught her off-guard. “None of your business!” she blustered.

Some in the crowd were laughing. “Maybe the girl’s fallen under the fox demon’s enchantment! A word of advice, girl: Manipulating people’s hearts is what fox demons do. Sell him off for the money—that’s the practical thing to do.”