In a scene filled with uncertainty, whether it was due to the scorching heat or exhaustion, the charming proprietress had beads of sweat dotting her forehead. Strands of mischievous hair stuck to her forehead, adding to the allure of her delicately featured face untouched by makeup, evoking a sense of pity.
As the last bowl of tofu pudding was placed on the table, the proprietress staggered, and with perfect timing, she fell onto Chen Xuanze. The surrounding diners, witnessing this spectacle, widened their eyes in astonishment.
They saw it clearly – the slender arm of the proprietress sank deep into the charming valley between her breasts, distorting the contours. It was sensuous, too sensuous, and the onlookers couldn't help but make continuous clicking sounds with their mouths.
"Sorry, sorry," the proprietress, who had managed to stand up again, apologized hastily. Chen Xuanze waved his hand to indicate it was fine and whispered in a voice only the proprietress could hear, "Not enough money? Daring to steal a demon guarded by the Demon Subduing Guards, you truly have great courage. Why not take out the copper coins and see what's different?"
With just one sentence, the proprietress, who had just stabilized herself, fell again. This time, she didn't dare to lean on Chen Xuanze but sat down on the floor beside the table, trembling continuously.
Some of the regular customers, witnessing this, hurriedly comforted her, "Miss Hua, this young man is not holding it against you. Please get up quickly." Unaware whether it was due to the hot weather or fatigue, the charming proprietress's forehead was covered in tiny beads of sweat, with playful strands of hair sticking to her forehead. Coupled with her naturally beautiful face untouched by makeup, it evoked a sense of compassion.
As the last bowl of tofu pudding was placed on the table, the proprietress stumbled, and with perfect precision, she fell onto Chen Xuanze. The surrounding diners, witnessing this spectacle, widened their eyes in astonishment.
They saw it clearly – the slender arm of the proprietress sank deep into the charming valley between her breasts, distorting the contours. It was sensuous, too sensuous, and the onlookers couldn't help but make continuous clicking sounds with their mouths.
"Sorry, sorry," the proprietress, who had managed to stand up again, apologized hastily. Chen Xuanze waved his hand to indicate it was fine and whispered in a voice only the proprietress could hear, "Not enough money? Daring to steal a demon guarded by the Demon Subduing Guards, you truly have great courage. Why not take out the copper coins and see what's different?"
With just one sentence, the proprietress, who had just stabilized herself, fell again. This time, she didn't dare to lean on Chen Xuanze but sat down on the floor beside the table, trembling continuously.
Some of the regular customers, witnessing this, hurriedly comforted her, "Miss Hua, this young man is not holding it against you. Please get up quickly."
Little did they know that the proprietress, called Miss Hua, was purely scared, not feeling guilty at all. Chen Xuanze chose this breakfast stall not because of the bustling crowd, but like most men, he noticed the mature and charming proprietress from afar.
He hadn't had a chance to appreciate her yet when the Demon Sealing Scroll prompted him, "Peach Blossom Demon, eighty years of cultivation. Without resentment, can subdue or not subdue."
Eighty years of cultivation, just at the eighth level. He initially planned to see what was special about this Peach Blossom Demon's breakfast stall and had no intention of dealing with the demon.
Unexpectedly, he resisted the temptation of the reward and refrained from taking any action. However, the little demon was the first to set her sights on him.
When she fell on him, her nimble hands swiftly swept through his sleeves in his embrace.
Unfortunately, with the Void Storage in place, Chen Xuanze had nothing extra for her to steal, apart from the wooden pendant and the copper coin representing his identity.
Shaking his head, Chen Xuanze didn't trouble the proprietress. He stood up and walked over, ignoring her constant rubbing against him as she sat on the ground. He extended his hand and helped her up.
The proprietress was sensible. When Chen Xuanze supported his arm, she hung the wooden pendant and copper coin back intact around his waist.
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After stabilizing herself, the proprietress slightly bent towards the surrounding customers and quickly escaped into the shop, with no intention of coming out. She had made up her mind to pack up and leave as soon as this lanky fellow had his fill.
Kyoto City was not a place to linger.
Before long, having finished twenty large portions, Chen Xuanze called out, "Proprietress, come out for a moment."
When the proprietress, suppressing her trembling, walked out of the shop, Chen Xuanze said, "Give me ten of each filling, and four bowls of tofu pudding, all packed."
The dumplings here were really good, with fresh ingredients making each bite flavorful and oily.
Having satisfied his hunger, Chen Xuanze thought of the monk, the Taoist, the snake demon, and his good leader, Li Gou. Having struck it rich in the evening, he planned to bring back some delicious food for them as a team-building activity.
The proprietress nodded slightly and was about to return to the shop when she heard the latter half of Chen Xuanze's sentence: "After finishing the morning business, come to our place. Don't be nervous; it's just a routine inquiry."
It seemed that the Demon Subduing Bureau indeed had such a practice, but nobody bothered before. As long as demons behaved and didn't cause trouble within the city, the Bureau generally left them alone. After all, demons had money, and it was better to have them living underground in the city than to drive them out to commit more crimes.
The proprietress stood there, reluctant to go. Chen Xuanze, seeing her silence, impatiently said, "You know the rules at our place. Whether you go or not is up to you. Don't stand there, hurry up and pack. We're waiting."
The proprietress snapped out of her daze and quickly returned to the shop.
The nearby customers, unaware of the situation, thought that some wealthy family had taken a liking to this attractive widow, sending this lanky fellow to collect her. They couldn't help but glare at Chen Xuanze.
However, no one dared to approach and argue, nor did anyone voice their questions.
After a while, Chen Xuanze, carrying the packaged food, leisurely walked towards the Demon Subduing Bureau. The sun had just risen.
When he was far enough away not to be heard, the customers started cursing.
Some said the lanky fellow had been emptied by wine and women, some cursed his family for lacking certain anatomical features, and others began lamenting the miserable state of the world.
As they cursed, the conversation shifted to the current political situation, and they began criticizing the court together.
They dared not criticize the emperor or the royal family directly; hence, they vented their frustration on the entire court, accusing officials' sons of wasting money on entertainment, ministers of being caught secretly visiting the red-light district, and the judiciary being full of unjust cases.
They spoke as if they had witnessed everything firsthand.
While it was fine to criticize the officials, if they dared to insult the Zhao family, the Black-Clothed Guards wouldn't let them off easily.
Sending the proprietress to the Demon Subduing Bureau, Chen Xuanze had his own thoughts.
Becoming a demon through a peach tree was difficult, and becoming a demon through peach blossoms was even more challenging.
The appearance of a peach blossom demon indicated the existence of an unknown thousand-year-old peach tree forest.
The Huang Registry of the Demon Subduing Bureau recorded: Peach Blossom Demon, formed when hundreds of peach trees bloom for a thousand years, gathering earth energy and drawing upon the spiritual resonance of heaven and earth. It can only be created under fortuitous circumstances. In the recent millennium, it has not appeared.
A thousand-year-old peach tree forest with at least a hundred trees – how many peach-wood swords would that be!
As for thunder-struck peach wood, that was easy. He had thunder techniques; one strike would do.
Why did he encounter a Peach Blossom Demon? Chen Xuanze didn't think too much about it.
In this world, there were numerous strange and peculiar things.
...
As he approached the Demon Subduing Bureau, Chen Xuanze saw an ordinary carriage leaving from the front gate.
Few people came to this place, let alone visiting so early in the morning. The style of the carriage didn't resemble those of the Demon Subduing Bureau; their carriages were usually large and primarily used for transporting demon corpses.
Driven by curiosity, Chen Xuanze used his Heavenly Vision and Qi Observation Technique to take a look. To his surprise, a golden dragon shadow hovered above the carriage.
The coachman, on the other hand, emitted a black aura, reaching a height of nearly four meters.
Chen Xuanze understood that it was probably someone from the royal family inside the carriage. The seemingly inconspicuous coachman was at least a sixth-ranked copper-skin expert.
Privately, Chen Xuanze had inquired with Li Gou, and a hundred households were sixth-ranked.
This coachman had an aura even higher than a hundred households. It had to be said that the royal family had deep foundations.
As the carriage crossed paths with him, the curtain lifted, revealing the fierce face of Zhao Baixiong.
"Hmph." He snorted at Chen Xuanze, and the curtain fell again.
Chen Xuanze found it inexplicable. The matters from yesterday were resolved, so why was he doing this again?
"Hmph, is the young master losing a piece of meat or wasting silver? How childish."
After internally ridiculing the Crown Prince, Chen Xuanze swiftly left.
When he reached the gate of the northern district, Chen Xuanze, who had forgotten to dispel his Qi Observation Technique, had his eyes stinging with tears due to the irritation.
This time, it was somewhat better than when he observed the golden dragon's aura, and his tears were clear without any traces of blood.
"Not bad this time." Chen Xuanze comforted himself.
Holding the buns and not entering the gate, he headed straight for the gatekeeper's room.
"Uncle Han, have you eaten? Want some buns?"
With a simple and honest appearance, Chen Xuanze handed the buns to the gatekeeper, Old Han.