Wait a minute, where is my master?

At the banquet.

The scattered Demon Kings exchanged toasts, deliberately or inadvertently casting their glances toward Little White and her companion.

They had long been acquainted, so there was no need for that male Fox Spirit to go to such lengths.

However, the Demon Kings were not fools; they knew the other party wanted to use this pretext to probe the newcomers, so no one jumped out to say anything.

After all, Elder Hu had finally laid the ground, and now it was time for the newcomer to introduce themselves.

Zhuzhu saw the other party speak and was not panicked at all.

She had already discussed it with Little White on the way here,

After all, they were undercover; how could they have managed without preparation?

"This friend of mine is a very rare descendant of the Snow Wolf Clan, with cultivation at the Nascent Soul Realm, named Xue Zhongfei. We have been old acquaintances for hundreds of years. Hearing that Brother Mao was hosting a banquet here today, he wanted to come and broaden his horizons."

Zhuzhu answered neither submissively nor arrogantly, following the rules without revealing too much information.

But the male Fox Spirit obviously didn't want to let the other party cover up the conversation so easily.

Just knowing a name and a race, what kind of probing is that? Every Demon King present today is well known through and through.

"Oh? This fellow from the Demon Realm turns out to be from the Snow Wolf Clan, that's quite rare, eh? But as far as Elder Hu knows, after the great war between immortals and demons a thousand years ago, this clan had been swept into the small world along with the shattered Four States. To be able to see one in the Nine Provinces Realm today is indeed rare. I wonder how Sister Zhu came to know this friend."

The Fox Spirit gently stroked his folding fan, his face carrying a hint of curiosity, as if he were truly a brotherly neighbor showing concern for his sister.

"Brother Hu, those words of yours—how come it sounds to me like there's a hidden meaning? Are you distrusting my friend, or are you distrusting me, Zhu Qingmei? If you're not at ease with me, why bother inviting me at all?"

The Spider Demon seemed to be answering the Fox Spirit's words, but her gaze was fixed on the leading rat demon, Mao Jin.

She knew if she explained too nicely right now, it would surely arouse their suspicions. But if she toughened her stance just like usual after saying a few words, they might not suspect anything.

Indeed, as soon as Mao Jin saw that the Spider Demon was giving him no face at all, the doubts in his heart were greatly reduced.

He was about to smooth things over when the Snow Wolf Demon King sitting next to the Spider Demon, holding an ice sculpture, spoke up.

"I heard from Sister Zhuzhu that the Demon Kings of Ten Bamboo Cave are generous, and the friends they make are all heroes of the Demon Clan. How come today's meeting is so nit-picky? This Fox Spirit just wants to know my identity, so I'll tell you.

Have you ever heard of the big-bellied old monk from Wanbao Temple? That's the monk who enlightened Sister Zhuzhu back in the day, and I once practiced with the old monk for a while. Sister Zhuzhu and I met during that time.

Later, I grew tired of the old monk's strict discipline, not being allowed to do this or that, even managing what I ate, so I left.

Recently, there's been some talk about Qingmu Secret Realm opening in Qing State, and having nothing better to do, I was thinking of going to see it. Unexpectedly, I ran into Sister Zhuzhu here and also heard about this banquet, so I thought I'd come and make some friends.

I even brought a gift. Now it seems, making friends wasn't worth it after all!"

Little White, in a deviation from her usual demeanor, slapped the frozen Taoist and talked brashly for quite a stretch.

She stood up, ready to pull Zhuzhu away.

"Hey, hey, hey, friend, calm down, calm down."

The leading rat demon quickly stood up to stop her, simultaneously transmitting a message secretly to the male Fox Spirit.

"Little brother, do you think her words are credible?"

"Big brother, I've heard that the Snow Wolf Clan's wits and temper are indeed different from ordinary people, and her impulsive behavior fits the description.

So let's stop her first and then talk. If what she is saying is true, then on the first day of September, her help could be a great asset to us. After all, one who had the opportunity to practice with the big-bellied old monk of Wanbao Temple must be far stronger than the common Demon Kings here."

"Then what are you waiting for? Go and persuade her!"

"...Alright, big brother."

In an instant, their silent exchange was complete.

"The demon still has doubts, but it seems they're about to try and retain you. Speaking of which, Little White, who did you learn this tactic from?"

Jin Xu transmitted to the two women.

On the way there, the Taoist had reminded Little White that after entering the demon's cave, they would certainly be subjected to suspicion and interrogation, and they had to think of a plan in advance. But at the time, Little White said she had her own way of dealing with it, and told the temple master to be at ease. Who would have expected that she would now employ the tactic of advancing by retreating, one of the thirty-six stratagems.

"Hey, temple master. When I accompanied my father to negotiate with the various clans, there was a leader of the Demon Clan who negotiated like this. It made a strong impression on me, so I remembered it. I never thought it would come in handy today," Little White responded via transmission, her tone carrying a hint of pride.

"Then... did the demon leader succeed in the negotiation at the time?"

The little Taoist asked, driven by curiosity.

"No, he was killed on the spot by my father."

"...Well, let's just hurry up and stick to the original plan to get me into the 'back kitchen'."

Jin Xu thought to himself that schemes must still be based on a certain level of strength to be effective.

"Watch and learn, temple master."

These words may have seemed complicated, but in reality, the communication through transmission happened in the blink of an eye.

And sure enough, almost simultaneously with the end of the Taoist's transmission,

the white-clothed Fox Spirit stood up, bowing his head, tucked his folding fan into his waistband, and began to speak placating words to Little White and the Spider Demon.

"The two of you, Brother Hu here had no ill intent. I hope you can both forgive my rash words, I..."

The Fox Spirit's attitude did a complete one-eighty.

The Demon Kings who had just been coldly observing and were busy clinking glasses, also began persuading them to stay, under Mao Jin's prompting.

It's like they say: when you want to open a window for someone, let them know you're about to smash a wall first.

Just a moment ago, the demons were thinking about interrogating them for their background, but now they were busy trying to keep Little White.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea,

Husky sat down, feigning reluctance.

Then she waved over a little demon attendant: "You, yes, the one with the long nose, come here. Take this person to your kitchen. You do know what natural thawing is, right? Definitely don't use hot water to soak."

The long-nosed little demon was bewildered and only after making sure he got an affirmative look from his king, did he trot over, intending to take the frozen man from the Snow Wolf Demon King's hands.

However, as soon as Little White moved Jin Xu from her shoulder to the little demon's,

There was a crack, and the sound of breaking bones echoed through the cave.

The long-nosed little demon collapsed to the ground, smashed by the frozen Jin Xu!

The scene instantly fell silent, and those who had just sat down all stood up again.

They stared dumbfounded at the little demon lying on the floor, being crushed and coughing up blood by the ice man.

Little White was also caught off guard by this sudden accident, and was slightly stunned.

As a member of the Demon Clan and a Body Cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm, she had indeed neglected the temple master's weight.

But Husky, in a moment of quick thinking, took the initiative.

Seizing the mood of everyone just now trying to persuade her to stay, she spoke dismissively.

"Brother Mao, don't you feed the little demons in the cave any meat usually? How can it be so frail that it collapses just from carrying someone?"

Demon King Mao Jin: "..."