Chapter 21: Fine

She Weilong propped himself up against the wall and raised his head, glancing at the surveillance camera not too far away. He tried very hard to make himself appear less terrified. If the camera wasn’t present, he would definitely have kneeled in front of Boss Zhuang without demur.

Zhuang Qing stepped out of the lift. His gaze swept across She Weilong. He hadn’t even uttered a single word when She Weilong’s legs grew weak and he slumped to the floor, supported by the wall.

Fu Li saw that the person who had arrived was Zhuang Qing and couldn’t help feeling somewhat envious. “You really have lots of money.”

The price of a room in this hotel was very high.

“I came to find you,” Zhuang Qing ignored Fu Li’s envious gaze. “Come with me.”

“How did you come up without a room card?” Security at the hotel was extremely tight. If one didn’t swipe the sensor in the lift with a room card, the lift wouldn’t go up at all. Fu Li stared at Zhuang Qing, looking him over. “You used a magic technique to conjure it up?”

“Is that what you’re concerned about?” Zhuang Qing restrained his temper. “Come.”

“Wait a moment,” Fu Li very magnanimously didn’t quibble over Zhuang Qing’s attitude. He turned and looked at She Weilong, saying with furrowed brows, “As a proper male snake, why is it that even after painstakingly cultivating a human form, you still act like a snake? The image of you sitting on the ground for no reason isn’t very nice to look at. Get up.”

Feeling very wronged, She Weilong propped himself up against the foot of the wall and stood up.

“Stand firm. Your legs shouldn’t tremble. Your waist and back should be straight,” Fu Li saw that She Weilong still seemed afraid of the slightest thing and gave up on teaching him.

If this were the past, no leader would want this sort of yaoguai even if they took on the role of mountain scouts. So, he wouldn’t waste his good intentions either.

Zhuang Qing glanced silently at the snake yao seated on the ground.

She Weilong was originally already very scared, so when Zhuang Qing glanced over, he nearly burst into tears from terror. It had only been more than twenty years since he cultivated a human form. If he hadn’t encountered this good situation where the management bureau’s control of the cultivation world prevented formidable yao from bullying other tiny yao, he wouldn’t even have dared to leave his cave with his tiny bit of cultivation. Coupled with the snake species’ innate reverence and allegiance to dragons, he couldn’t help wanting to kneel with just one glance from Zhuang Qing.

Get a grip, this isn’t a feudalistic era where emperors rule. Even among yaoguai, it’s no longer popular to kneel here and there. She Weilong continuously encouraged himself internally. However, his legs that were as soft as noodles told him through its realistic actions that this sort of mental suggestion wasn’t of any use.

“Children cannot be taught.” Fu Li shook his head and turned, speaking to Zhuang Qing, “I happen to be getting off work, let me change my clothes first.”

“En,” Zhuang Qing made a flat sound of agreement.

She Weilong watched the two people leave with his hands held against his chest. Even after a long while, he still couldn’t breathe easier. So the boss of the cultivation world wasn’t here for him? Also, who was that security guard? He could actually see through his original form in one glance, and was so calm even when faced with the boss of the cultivation world?

Could he also be a senior with profound cultivation?

Recalling his rude words towards the other party, She Weilong was so regretful that he almost failed to maintain his human form.

Wasn’t it good to be content with being a flower vase of a male actor? Why did he have to run to a senior of the cultivation world and court disaster?

After a change of clothes, Fu Li stepped out of the hotel and sniffed. “So fragrant.” His divine consciousness searched around their surroundings and discovered a large food stall in a small alley not too far away. Bright red crayfish were boiling in a pot, emitting an alluring fragrance.

Zhuang Qing watched Fu Li suddenly head towards a path and asked with creased brows, “Where are you going?”

“Don’t you have something to say to me? It’s only meaningful to eat while talking,” Fu Li waved a hand at Zhuang Qing as if he was beckoning to a dog. “My treat.”

“Roadside stalls aren’t sanitary, who wants to eat at those things?” His voice grew even colder.

Ten minutes later, the two people were seated at a collapsible table. The sizzling sounds from the wok behind them could be heard, as well as the owner’s out-of-tune humming. The crayfish were stir-fried in hot oil and then seasoned with chili, Sichuan peppers, and garlic. Right before they were poured out of the wok, bits and pieces of chopped onion were sprinkled on top. The incomparably enticing fragrance that wafted from it soon afterwards automatically evoked a longing to polish it off.

They put on disposable plastic gloves, broke open the front claws of the crayfish, and lightly sucked on it with their lips and tongue. The mala taste was accompanied by the sweetness of the tender crayfish. When paired with a mouthful of ice-cold beer, the summer night became cool, refreshing, and pleasant.

Seeing the lively manner in which Fu Li was eating and how there were three or four crayfish less within a short span of time, Zhuang Qing pulled up the sleeves of his shirt and also dug in. When it came to eating aquatic products, no one could eat faster or cleaner than the dragon clan. Very soon, the number of crayfish on the platter became less and less. Fu Li pretended to accidentally pull the platter towards him. Looking up, he asked Zhuang Qing, “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“Boss, another large portion of mala crayfish,” Zhuang Qing noticed Fu Li’s movements and called out to the owner.

“Sure.”

Fu Li used his chopsticks to jab the remaining few skinny crayfish and suddenly had an indescribable feeling that he was being ‘taken advantage of for food’. This Zhuang Qing was covered head to toe in famous brands and was even the boss of some bureau. Surely he wouldn’t do this kind of embarrassing thing?

Zhuang Qing stretched out his chopsticks and grabbed the fattest crayfish in the platter before asking, “You recently helped to gather trash?”

“Trash?” Fu Li stared blankly and nodded. When he realized what he meant, he shook his head and sighed. “The earth and water are the origins of all living things, yet some people don’t cherish them the slightest bit. When I saw the trash in disarray, I couldn’t resist helping them to gather all of it.”

Zhuang Qing threw the peeled crayfish shells onto the plate for waste. “Tidying trash is a good thing, but because you tidied so much of it in one night, it caused a huge commotion on television. Everyone’s even guessing if a yaoguai was protesting.”

“Their guess is on point.”

“To human knowledge, there exists no yaoguai in this world,” Zhuang Qing lowered his voice. “Can’t you be a bit more discrete in your actions?”

“Then the next time, I’ll tidy up the trash on three separate occasions?”

“…”

“These two handsome guys, your large portion of mala crayfish is here,” The stall owner placed a large platter of crayfish in front of the two people. His standard Mandarin was a bit off and he had a southwestern accent. “Handsome, this crayfish is quite spicy. Do you want another two cans of herbal tea?”

Fu Li nodded.

Two cans of herbal tea with condensation on it was very quickly placed on their table.

“Your actions can easily cause panic among the humans,” Zhuang Qing peeled off his gloves and handed his phone to Fu Li. “Look at how severe the commotion is on the internet.”

Fu Li didn’t have a handphone. Although he didn’t quite understand how to operate one, he still knew how to scroll through comments. He started to read the popular comments on weibo.

Baby is only seventeen: Even yao spirits know how to protect the environment, what face do us humans have to pollute the environment?

Single ball ice-cream: Humans are inferior to yao – will the faces of those who litter turn red upon seeing this news?

Chestnut: No matter who did this, I believe he had good intentions. Look at this mountain of trash – all of this was created by us. Everyone has a responsibility to protect the environment – it’s easy to write out these eight words, but how many can truly do it?

There were still many comments below. In essence, everyone was discussing matters related to the environment. Fu Li didn’t see any words related to ‘fear’ or ‘alarm’. Was this… also considered bringing about panic?

After reading all of the popular comments, Fu Li felt a faint elation. To him, doing these things was still very meaningful. He put down the handphone and glanced at the platter. Why was there only half of the crayfish left?

“Mr Zhuang, you’re very fond of eating crayfish?”

“No,” Zhuang Qing spoke while taking the crayfish. There was a mountain of crayfish shells on the plate for waste in front of him.

Fu Li, “…”

Forget it. It was very normal for young yao to be a little hypocritical; it was a minor shortcoming.

In the end, the two people ate three platters of crayfish. Fu Li paid for it and then looked back at Zhuang Qing, who was seated at the table and gracefully wiping his mouth. “Mr Zhuang, let’s go.”

Zhuang Qing glanced up at Fu Li and got up, heading out. In this slightly warm alley, the Zhuang Qing who was wearing a white shirt and suit pants, and the Fu Li who was dressed in a tee-shirt and jeans, unexpectedly didn’t seem like people from different backgrounds.

The footsteps of the person wearing leather shoes was steady and firm, while there was a subtle gaiety and buoyance to the footsteps of the person wearing sports shoes. Suddenly, the feet clad in leather shoes came to a stop.

Zhuang Qing turned and looked at Fu Li. “According to the 131st rule of the bureau’s public security regulations, cultivators who casually use magic techniques and arouse panic among the humans will be fined a minimum of a thousand yuan. There is no maximum amount.”

Fu Li looked at Zhuang Qing in disbelief. He didn’t say so just now and only asked him to pay the fine after finishing the crayfish he treated him to. Was he still a yao?

Zhuang Qing touched a hand to his nose. He could still smell the fragrance of the mala crayfish on the tips of his fingers. He looked up and took another look at Fu Li’s wide-eyed appearance. Turning, he continued walking ahead. “But given that your actions this time have increased the importance humans place on the environment, I’ll allow a special exemption of the punishment.”

Fu Li heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that this meal of crayfish he had treated him to hadn’t been for naught.

“Let’s go, I’ll send you back,” The Zhuang Qing who had eaten and drank his fill was in a very good mood.

Fu Li recalled how Zhuang Qing had asked Chu Yu for the petrol fee the previous time and stood beside the car door with some hesitation. “Will you ask me for petrol fees?”

“Tch,” Zhuang Qing smiled coldly. “What rare treasure does my magnificent dragon not have? Am I so miserly that I lack this tiny bit of petrol fees?”

Fu Li came to a sudden understanding. True, the dragon clan had always lived in the depths of the ocean. What they least lacked was all kinds of treasures. He certainly wouldn’t fancy his bit of money.

The car traveled at a moderate pace along the road. The crescent moon gradually sunk into the layers of clouds. Thick clouds filled the sky; it seemed like it would rain soon.

A tiny cat scampered out of a street. Zhuang Qing couldn’t brake in time and used a magic technique to stop the car.

“Meow,” The tiny cat flicked its tail ignorantly and without fear. It crossed the street at an exasperatingly slow pace before vanishing at a run into the other side of the street.

The car set off once again. Fu Li turned and looked at Zhuang Qing. The other party hadn’t shown any expression from start to end. Fu Li couldn’t help but suspect that he hadn’t transformed from the body of a sea dragon, but from a Jindiao dragon along the corridors of the palace. Only a statue didn’t have expressions.

There were flashes of lightning in the sky’s horizons. Within the thick layers of clouds, something enormous seemed to have flitted across, though it soon vanished within the clouds.

Fu Li and Zhuang Qing glanced up at the sky.

Hailstones suddenly rained down with pitter-patter sounds. The lack of prior warning meant that the windshield took several consecutive hits. Zhuang Qing’s face darkened. Fu Li set up a barrier, preventing the hail from smashing down on the car.

After sending Fu Li home, Zhuang Qing drove the car back into his garage. Stretching out a hand, he touched the area on the windshield that had been hit by the hail. His black pupils turned golden with hints of fury.

He fished out his phone and added a penalty to the bureau’s internal system.

The Northern Lake azure dragon violated the rules by causing hail to rain down, thereby resulting in countless losses to the common people – to be sentenced to ten years of prison and fined two million yuan.