Chapter 41: Being a Good Person, Demons and Cultivators

Mo Fan looked at the boy before him with a sense of anticipation.

His reason for saving the child was twofold: first, out of sympathy for a human boy, he could not bear to see him devoured by that fox demon. Second, he hoped to find out if the boy was literate and could teach him how to read.

Of course, for Mo Fan, the latter was the primary motivation.

It was not that he had not considered asking the fox demon, but he knew there would likely be no gain; after all, every demon he had ever encountered was, without exception, illiterate. He certainly did not expect those lazy, gluttonous demons to settle down and study.

However, the boy’s answer left Mo Fan quite disappointed.

"I don’t know how to read. My family is poor; we have no money for a private tutor."

The boy lowered his head as he spoke, his fingers subconsciously twisting the hem of his clothes, and he fell silent.

Seeing this, Mo Fan let out a soft sigh and thought to himself, "What am I doing? To actually pin my hopes on a little brat, only to bring trouble upon myself!"

"Well then, since you’re free now, you should be off!"

Mo Fan waved his hand, signaling that the boy was free to leave.

Upon hearing this, the boy’s body trembled. He looked up at Mo Fan, his eyes instantly turning red. "Big Brother, I… I’m scared. Could you please…"

"Don't even think about it!"

Mo Fan cut him off sharply and immediately turned to walk away.

He was joking, right? He was a dignified demon; saving the boy had already been generous enough. Did the kid actually expect him to escort him home?

If the boy was scared, did that mean he, Mo Fan, wasn't? That was human territory!

Before Mo Fan had taken more than a few steps, the sound of the boy crying reached his ears. He felt a sudden surge of irritation, thinking, "Mo Fan, oh Mo Fan, you can’t afford to be a good person. If he wants to cry, let him cry; it’s better than losing his life. Besides, you’ve already saved him once; you don’t owe this child anything!"

"Right, damn it! I’ve already saved him once. If I let him die in these mountains now, wouldn't that have been a waste?"

Mo Fan’s thoughts were complex. He knew full well that with the boy’s limited ability, he would likely be devoured by the wolves and leopards of the Demon Spirit Mountains before he even managed to leave.

"What a nuisance!"

Mo Fan turned back, walked to the boy, and looked down at his weeping face. With a dark expression, he said, "Stop crying! You’ll attract wild beasts!"

"Big Brother…"

The boy, who had been sitting on the ground sobbing, froze. He stared blankly at Mo Fan, seemingly surprised that this somewhat fierce-looking, bald brother had returned. He had been truly terrified just moments ago.

"You… why did you come back?" the boy asked blankly.

"If I hadn't come back, you would have been eaten by beasts. So, I figured I might as well finish what I started. If I return this little 'Buddha' home, I might feel a bit better myself!"

Mo Fan shrugged, then half-squatted on the ground and said to the boy, "Climb on my back!"

"Oh…"

The boy nodded, hurried over to Mo Fan, and climbed onto his slightly broad back.

After taking the boy on his back, Mo Fan chuckled bitterly. "I wonder if I owed you something in a past life. I am a dignified de—cough, cough…"

"Big Brother, what’s wrong?"

"Nothing. I’m just scolding myself for bringing this trouble on myself."

With a dark face, Mo Fan carried the boy and headed into the distance, soon crossing the ravine and continuing eastward.

***

On the way, Mo Fan suddenly asked, "What is your name?"

"Bao'er."

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it’s a nice name. Where does your family live?"

"Yunling Village."

"You were snatched by a demon and brought into these deep, old forests. How come you aren't afraid?"

"Because Big Brother is protecting me, so Bao'er isn't afraid!"

"..."

"Big Brother, what is your name?"

"My name is Laibao. Are you not afraid of demons?"

"I am!"

"If I were a demon, would you be afraid?" Mo Fan asked, genuinely curious about the answer.

"No!"

"Why?"

"Because Big Brother saved me. Even if you were a demon, you would be a good demon. Besides, Big Brother, you are clearly human, so how could you be a demon?!"

Hearing Bao'er’s words, Mo Fan fell silent. A familiar figure appeared in his mind, forcing him to stop in his tracks.

"Big Brother, why did you stop?" Bao'er asked curiously.

At that moment, the boy was hanging on Mo Fan’s back, unable to see what was ahead. Naturally, he did not know that not far in front of them, a youth dressed in green, with a white fox on his shoulder, was watching Mo Fan quietly.

"What a coincidence, we meet again!"

Seeing that the youth did not speak, Mo Fan awkwardly offered a greeting. "My name is Laibao. What is yours?"

"Yan Mo."

The youth replied, then glanced at the boy peeking out from behind Mo Fan, his brows slightly furrowed. "It is not a coincidence. I have been waiting for you for a while."

"Are you here to kill me?" Mo Fan’s tone turned somber.

"I didn't intend to, but if you have committed evil, then I have no choice but to kill you."

Yan Mo shrugged, then suddenly asked, "I can sense the aura of that black fox demon on you. You’ve met her, then?"

Black fox demon?

Mo Fan instinctively thought of the noblewoman he had just killed; she had indeed been a black fox demon.

"She has been killed by me!"

"I don't suppose you would avenge a demon, would you?"

Mo Fan stared at Yan Mo with a grave expression, only to see a look of astonishment on the youth's face.

"She is dead?"

Yan Mo was surprised, then turned his head to look at the white fox on his shoulder. "Is that true?"

"It should be correct. I can see a trace of a fox clan spirit's aura on him, and the divination for that black fox demon has been interrupted. It is likely not a lie," the white fox replied.

Hearing the white fox speak in human language, a flicker of surprise crossed Mo Fan’s eyes. He had not expected the white fox to be a demon as well, and it seemed quite intimate with this human cultivator named Yan Mo.

Interesting. A demon actually keeping company with a human cultivator!

But why hadn't he sensed the aura of his own kind coming from her?

Mo Fan was surprised, but Yan Mo suddenly said, "I didn't expect you to kill that fox demon. You have some skill. Put the child down, and I will stop making things difficult for you."

Hearing this, Mo Fan felt a sense of relief. Just as he put Bao'er down, the little boy ran in front of him, spread his arms to block the way, and shouted at Yan Mo, "Bad guy! I won't let you hurt Big Brother!"

When these words were spoken, both Mo Fan and Yan Mo were stunned.

"Do you know what he is?" Yan Mo frowned slightly and whispered, "He is a demon!"

"I don't care! Big Brother saved me. Stop talking nonsense, you bad guy!" Bao'er shouted at Yan Mo with a look of annoyance.

Mo Fan, who had been about to leave, stopped in his tracks. He didn't leave immediately; instead, he suddenly began to laugh. He realized that even if he was a demon, doing a good deed occasionally felt quite nice. At the very least, he enjoyed this moment.

"Did you kill that black fox demon to save this child?"

Yan Mo looked at Mo Fan again, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"You could say that," Mo Fan did not deny it.

Seeing this, a strange expression crossed Yan Mo's face. He laughed suddenly, "You really are a strange demon, killing one of your own to save a human."

"You are also a strange human, actually staying with a demon!" Mo Fan retorted, looking at Yan Mo with an equally strange expression.

"For me, Yunshang is not a demon!"

Yan Mo frowned slightly, then looked back at Bao'er. "Do you want me to take you home?"

"I don't want you to take me! You are a bad guy. Big Brother will take me back!"

Bao'er could not understand the exchange between Yan Mo and Mo Fan, so he continued to glare at him angrily, which caused the white fox on Yan Mo's shoulder to let out a giggling sound.

"Bad guy, and you say you're not a demon!" Bao'er huffed, looking at Yan Mo and the white fox.

"..."

Yan Mo was speechless. The white fox’s giggling stopped abruptly, and she muttered in annoyance, "Little brat!"

"So, can I go now?"

Seeing the expressions on the human and the fox, Mo Fan knew they would no longer attack him.

"Of course. You are a very interesting… friend. I hope that we…"

Yan Mo began to smile, but before he could finish his sentence, his expression changed slightly. With a flick of his wrist, a yellow paper talisman appeared in his hand, covered in complex runes that were glowing with a faint red light.

"It seems the plaster of the Academy has come again," the white fox whispered.

"No matter!"

Yan Mo waved his hand, and the talisman vanished. He then said to Mo Fan, "Brother Laibao, I have other matters to attend to, so I must take my leave first. I hope you can safely escort this child back to the Southern Borders. Yan Mo thanks you!"

Yan Mo bowed to Mo Fan and smiled. "There aren't many friends as interesting as Brother Laibao. If we meet again in the future, we must have a drink together!"

With that, Yan Mo did not hesitate to summon his wooden sword. He leaped onto it and rode the sword into the distance, disappearing in an instant, leaving Bao'er in a state of wide-eyed amazement.