Chapter 101: Little Fox in Danger

It was almost six o’clock when Qi Ke got into a taxi headed for South City.

Qi Ke had the driver take the most remote back road.

The older driver was hesitant at first, but the fare Qi Ke offered was too generous to refuse, so he gritted his teeth and agreed.

This route was much longer than the main road and far more difficult to drive. One section could hardly even be called a road.

The road was narrow, only wide enough for a single small car, with no streetlights on either side.

But Qi Ke didn’t mind. He had no other choice.

The car soon left the bustling city streets behind and turned onto a quiet, secluded path.

The leaves on the trees lining the road had mostly turned red, their mottled colors looking almost dreamlike under the headlights. Along the path were many earthen mounds of varying heights. Qi Ke couldn’t help but stare for a moment before realizing they were the ancestral graves of nearby residents.

His brow furrowed. The young man looked away, his eyes clouding over. He subconsciously gripped the pendant on his chest, an unexplainable sense of unease creeping into his heart.

After some time, the roll of thunder followed.

Heavy clouds obscured the moon, and the last sliver of light on the horizon was swallowed by the overcast sky.

Even inside the car, the young man could feel the tension and fear in the air.

Fat raindrops began to fall from the sky, splattering against the clean, clear car windows. The driver almost complained, but the thought of Qi Ke’s generous payment made him bite his tongue.

"Don’t worry, this rain won’t last long. We’ll definitely make it to South City before nine," the driver said reassuringly, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it.

Since they couldn’t open the windows in the rain, the car quickly filled with the thick smell of smoke. Qi Ke frowned and asked the driver to turn on the car’s ventilation system, and only then did his expression ease.

"Sorry about that. I get drowsy once it gets dark... need one of these to stay sharp," the driver said, his tone apologetic.

"It’s fine." Qi Ke didn’t even turn his head, his gaze fixed on the view outside the window.

Puddles were already forming on the road, turning the dirt path into a muddy mess. Rainwater overflowed from the dry, faded grass in the distance... even the car windows were fogging up. But for some reason, Qi Ke felt that something was wrong.

He had asked his manager; this was the only road to South City besides the main one. Because it was difficult to drive and one-way, hardly anyone ever used it.

’But what about the residents?’

He had clearly seen a few houses just now. A dog tied up outside one had barked furiously as they passed, but the lights inside the house were off.

It was just past seven o’clock, right around dinnertime. One or two houses might be a coincidence... but every single house they had passed along the way was the same.

’It’s... eerily quiet.’

Some things were better left unthought, but once the idea took root, a chill crept into his heart. Qi Ke looked up again, and suddenly this secluded path they were traveling felt like a place of death.

After a moment of thought, he cracked the window open. Along with the wind and rain that rushed in came the sound of a car engine... only, it didn’t belong to the car he was in.

"What are you doing opening the window, kid? The rain’s getting in..." The driver frowned, annoyed now despite the large fare he’d been paid.

"Oh, I’m a little carsick." Qi Ke calmly closed the window, his fingers tapping lightly on his knee twice.

Just ahead was the one-way section. The road would get even narrower and more difficult to navigate.

"Sir, please pull over up ahead," Qi Ke said calmly.

"Now what? You can’t open the window again in this rain... If you really need to throw up, there’s a garbage bag behind the seat," the driver said, his voice unconsciously rising.

"I need to piss," Qi Ke said casually.

The words had barely left his mouth when the driver handed him a plastic water bottle. "How about you make do with this? It’s pouring out there, it won’t be convenient for you to get out..."

"I don’t want that..." Qi Ke waved his hand impatiently. His gaze fell on the dark stretch of road ahead as he spoke again. "Just pull over and wait for me for ten minutes. If I’m not back, you can leave on your own."

The rain was getting heavier. With mountains on both sides of the road, a mudslide would be catastrophic.

’Besides, the people who’ve been following us definitely won’t be that patient.’

The driver cursed Qi Ke internally for being so much trouble, but his face remained impassive.

"Well, hurry back. I’ll be waiting..." The man pulled another cigarette from his pocket. Then he took out his phone and added, "Why don’t you give me your number? That way, if anything happens, I can come find you."

Even though the kid had told him not to wait, if something happened out here in the pitch-black darkness... his conscience wouldn’t be clear.

Besides, he’d already taken the money. He had to see the job through, right?

"That won’t be necessary. Just remember, if you leave, wait here for at least ten minutes first." Qi Ke gripped his phone, his voice turning a few degrees colder.

The driver was a bit exasperated. "How about I..."

Before the driver could say more, the car came to a stop, and Qi Ke threw the door open and jumped out. The driver didn’t even have time to react before the young man vanished into the woods...

He couldn’t see a thing in the gloomy night. He turned on the high beams, but they only illuminated a dark, deep road.

’Wait, what was that sound just now...’

The driver looked back curiously. It took him a moment to realize that another car was stopped behind his taxi.

He’d been driving this whole time and hadn’t noticed it at all.

He wanted to let them pass, but this was a one-way road. In any case, they didn’t seem to be in a hurry. They hadn’t honked or even turned on their lights this whole time.

So the driver sat up straight again, ready to play it by ear.

’It’s pouring out there. I’m not getting out and getting soaked like a drowned rat.’

’Better to wait for someone to get out of the car behind me, then I can explain the situation.’

After getting out of the car, Qi Ke plunged into the forest. Shrouded in gloom, the woods were sinister and terrifying, filled with the smell of damp earth.

The farther he went, the muddier the ground under his feet became.

Qi Ke frowned, his knuckles turning white as he clutched the fragment.

He could still see the car’s headlights on the road if he turned back. His heart tightened, and ignoring the mud splattering his pant legs, he ran faster, deeper into the forest.

’I can definitely reach South City this way, as long as... I’m not found by those people.’

As if struck by an idea, he took off his cream-colored jacket and deliberately hung it on a tree branch. Then he pulled out the only phone he could use.

The next second, the handsome young man vanished, and a black shadow melted into the depths of the forest like a ghost.

He was of the cunning and treacherous Fox Clan, branded with countless disgraceful labels. But he had never deceived anyone, nor had he ever broken a promise.

He didn’t believe in being "born that way." He only knew that even if he was a natural-born liar, as long as he offered his heart with sincerity, someone would eventually see his earnestness.