My Evil Wife Is a Nine-Tailed Fox

Three days later, Zhao Yichen's uncle's remains were put to rest. Shen Minyao stood next to him at a safe distance, watching the funeral in boredom. Although she had lived two lives as a human, this was the first time she attended a funeral held by humans. They were all yapping on how good the old man was, without knowing the reason behind his death. 

"Humans. They only knew how to be kind and appreciate one's kindness when the person is already dead. What a bunch of ingrates." She scoffed next to Zhao Yichen. Humans never failed to disappoint her, whether in the past or in this current era she was living in. Their greed and selfishness knew no bounds. 

Zhao Yichen gave her a weak smile, but he didn't dare to defend his race from the fox woman. What Shen Minyao said was true, anyway. Where's the lie? Most humans like him didn't know how to cherish something or someone until it was too late. 

This was why he wanted to cherish his time in the world, making sure to live without regrets… now that he was given a second chance. When he thought about it, he had always been waiting for death to come knocking on his door willingly before he met the fox woman. 

It was only after he experienced standing at death's door that he realized how wrong he was for not taking his life seriously. Since human life was fleeting, it was more reason for him to live to the fullest. 

"I can't see Miss Yan anywhere," he commented once he noticed that the beautiful actress didn't show up to his uncle's funeral this time. 

"Why would she? She already got the information she needs. Now, she only needs to find a perfect time to strike at me," the fox woman replied coolly as if the threat the other demons posed towards her didn't bother her one bit. 

"Then, you should be more careful this time. Are you sure you aren't going to take Xiao Bai and Yu Yan with you?" He asked. Those two guardians were keeping him company for the past week, leaving Shen Minyao on her own. It was only recently that Mu Qing appeared and accompanied her. 

Speaking of the grim reaper, Zhao Yichen realized that he hadn't seen the man since they left Qin Zhi's mansion. Why was he missing when Shen Minyao needed help in protecting herself from a possible assault? 

"Is Lord Hell still not with you?" He asked the fox woman. It would have been better if Mu Qing returned soon, so he wouldn't worry too much about Shen Minyao's safety. 

"He said he needed to report with his superiors. He should be back soon." Shen Minyao tried her best to suppress yawning out of boredom. Even if she wasn't really a human, doing such an action would put the Shen family in a precarious situation. 

An hour later, the funeral was finally done. One by one, the people left the site. Zhao Yichen made his way towards his grandfather, but he bumped into one of their guests as he went. The older man apologized to him and walked away as if nothing happened. 

Shen Minyao stood rooted in her place, though; her eyes following the unknown man who bumped into her human contractor. The man scented like a normal human, but she had this inkling that something was amiss with that human. 

Anyway, what mattered was that Zhao Yichen was safe. Her gaze swept back to him and saw him exchange a few words with the old man. Soon, the two of them came walking in her direction. 

Shen Minyao straightened her back and plastered a polite smile on her face now that she was in front of Elder Zhao. 

"Miss Shen, thank you for being here with us. I apologize if your engagement ceremony with Yichen would be delayed for a few weeks. I didn't see this misfortune coming," the old man told her. 

"It's not a problem to me, Elder Zhao. Brother Yichen and I could wait. Family is more important than anything else," the fox woman replied with a smile. 

The old man sighed and patted her shoulder before reminding his grandson to take care of her, making sure she would return safely to her dormitory. 

As the two left the funeral, leaving Zhao Yichen's family behind; they could sense the eyes of the relatives glaring their way as if those humans couldn't wait for them to leave. 

"The scent of disgust and hatred coming from your relatives is too strong. Are you sure you are related to them?" Shen Minyao asked as soon as she took a seat in the backseat of his car, next to Zhao Yichen. 

"They only view me and my father as a threat and competition for the inheritance," he explained. "As far as I know, my father never got along with his brothers because they were born from different mothers." 

"Ah, now that makes sense. They don't view you as their family; hence, they don't feel any remorse for whatever they did to you a few months ago." 

Zhao Yichen fell silent at that. Perhaps it was his father's and his misfortune to be born to a family with such greedy and hateful relatives. It would have been better if he was born in a simple family, where he would be surrounded by people who love him unconditionally… rather than live lavishly but alone. 

"…I heard from Yu Yan that you are planning to go north soon. Is it true?" he asked, purposely changing the topic between them. 

"En. Our semester break is coming soon, so I intend to use that free two weeks to see what is going on in the North for myself," Shen Minyao replied. Qin Zhi might not be joining us, though." 

"Well, isn't he the CEO of a company? If he delegates the important tasks to his subordinates, a two-week vacation is a long time for someone like him. Unless, of course, he has a deputy CEO to assist him while he is gone." Zhao Yichen understood why Qin Zhi was hesitant to leave with her. Running a company wasn't a walk in a park, after all.

"He'd been doing it for years. Do you think Qin Zhi would manage the company on his own? He had a human family that worked as his caretaker. 

"The reason why he couldn't leave is that a threat may arise. There might be another demon invasion at his doorstep once the enemies found out he left his territory. The whole Jiang City and the smaller towns below belong to him; if he left for the North with us, he might leave the region vulnerable in his absence." 

Zhao Yichen blinked at that. He wasn't aware that Qin Zhi had such an important role in the demon society. No wonder he was revered as Lord Qin and held in such high respect by the other demons they met during their stay at Qin Zhi's mansion. 

"Unless Li Fei'er decided to come with us, he would never change his mind." 

"Are they really that close?" Zhao Yichen asked. He had to admit… he was surprised at how a shaman and a demon lord could get along with each other. He had never heard the two complain about each other. Instead, they worked together to eliminate the rogue demons that terrorized the city. 

"You wouldn't be surprised if you knew what they were centuries ago." Shen Minyao chuckled, but she didn't dare to explain more to her human contractor. 

Zhao Yichen didn't ask some more, either. He supposed that it wasn't his place to question Shen Minyao about Lord Qin's private affairs. Still, he was curious about what she had said. Did she mean that Li Fei'er was alive centuries ago? 

When they arrived in front of Shen Minyao's dormitory, they found Mu Qing standing outside the gates, waiting for her return. 

"Got their approval?" Shen Minyao asked him, while Zhao Yichen stood silently next to her. 

The grim reaper nodded. 

"En. I am to make sure that his soul will be completely eradicated," Mu Qing replied. 

"Then, let's plan and make preparations. We need all the information we could get about what's happening in the northern lands. 

"…Shen Minyao, I wouldn't be able to accompany you, so you better take care of yourself," Zhao Yichen told her with all seriousness. He knew that Shen Minyao was a strong demon, but it didn't change the fact that their lives were bound to each other… until such a time that she could sever that tie to free both of them. 

The fox woman stared at him for a moment and ruffled his thick hair. Was he always this much of a worrywart about her? As a demon that was contracted to him, he should at least place some faith in her.

"This one wouldn't easily lose. I'll come back as soon as possible.." She assured him.