The Fox Hunter's Unexpected Love Story.

With the significant downpour on that evening, Zhao Shenbao held his umbrella firmly to counter the strong chilly winds that threatened to blown away his only sole shelter. It was already dark and the streets were dimly lit by scattered lanterns hanged outside a few stalls and shops.Zhao Shenbao took quick yet steady steps on his way back to the emporium. There were hardly any passers-by and he didn't bother to look around for any possible enemies that might have been lurking around to ambush him now that he was a successful man envied by many .

When he arrived at the emporium, he opened the ornate main door and swung inside without hesitation. His gaze immediately fell on Zhao Ruoxuan who was seated behind the counter. His head was placed on the counter with the hard surface pressing his cheek with his slightly parted lips protruding in a sulky pout typical of a pufferfish .His eyes were closed ,his breath calm and steady exhibiting how peaceful his slumber was. Zhao Shenbao halted a bit and watched him in admiration for a while. He later smiled wistfully envying Zhao Ruoxuan for being able to sleep so peacefully and comfortably on such a place while he himself spent many nights tossing in his cozy bed without sleeping a wink.

His robes were soaked a bit as a result of the splattering caused by his footsteps in the rain so he changed into a pair of clean robes and walked back to the reception room where Zhao Ruoxuan was still sleeping. Not intending to disrupt Zhao Ruoxuan's sleep,he walked stealthily over to the counter and quietly opened one of the drawers and took out a ledger. He skimmed through the ledger book taking into account the outcome of the sales for the entire day.

As if sensing someone's presence,Zhao Ruoxuan coincidentally opened his eyes only to get startled by his boss who was busy flipping through the pages of the ledger book.

"When did you come back?" Zhao Ruoxuan asked still startled.

"A few minutes ago,"Zhao Shenbao replied,his gaze still glued on what he was reading,"Seems like today many people showed up,"He added with a satisfied smile.

"Of course.Thank God those problematic customers did not show up,"Zhao Ruoxuan said his voice laced with excitement.

"Lock the main door,"Zhao Shenbao instructed him.

"By the way where did you go?"Zhao Ruoxuan asked curiously while walking towards the door.

"I went for a traipse."

Zhao Ruoxuan let out a disappointed "oh". Given the duration of time Zhao Shenbao was out for,he was expecting Zhao Shenbao would share some exciting experiences about his day. Zhao Shenbao kept the ledger,wished his friend a peaceful night and walked to his room.

*****

Hu Lan finally opened his eyes. He was still in his true form. Due to the heavy injuries,he wasn't likely to regain his human form any time soon. He was in a dark room but due to his nocturnal ability he was able to see the surrounding but he couldn't fight the confusion that came along with the unfamiliarity of the place. The room was a little more spacious for a small creature like him with a small high window.

Even with his weak limbs he tried moving around. He walked towards the door but before he could get any closer he was suddenly stopped by an invisible force, making him unable to move forward. After several attempts he was still unable to penetrate through the invisible barrier in the room. In his true form,his spiritual power was not strong enough to enable him to break through the barrier.

In a moment of despair he lay on the cold floor in frustration and flopped his ears. Never in his life did Hu Lan ,the strongest fox spirit think he would find himself trapped in an unknown place without having the faintest idea about the identity of his abductor and his real intention behind holding him hostage.

*****

Meanwhile in Zhao Shenbao's room,Zhao Shenbao tossed in bed for a hundredth time or more. He had lost count of the number of times he kept rustling, his body and soul unwilling to settle in to slumber land. Ever since he opened his emporium ,he hadn't been able to have a good night's sleep. He had been battling insomnia for long. It felt like he had joined some kind of no sleeping cult where he had to exchange his sleep for wealth.

'That fox was heavily injured. Maybe I can pass time by treating it,'he thought and got up from his bed ,marching out of the room.

The door to Hu Lan's hostage room creaked open and Zhao Shenbao walked in. Hu Lan was curled up on one of the corners. With the cold floor,his injuries were getting worse and he felt his energy being drained away as a result of his malfunctioning golden core. He raised up his head lazily, staring directly at the intruder. With his several years of cultivation experience,he could feel the effect of Zhao Shenbao's aura as he walked closer towards him. He could feel how powerful the abductor was.

Without getting a proper chance to analyze Zhao Shenbao,his whole body and essence was mercilessly sucked into a spirit pouch. He had to get used to getting trapped often like that. When they entered his room ,Zhao Shenbao released him allowing him to regain his true form. He settled beside the injured fox and began examining his wounds. Apart from selling fox products Zhao Shenbao was skilled at treating such kind of injuries. He regarded himself as a doctor with benefits because he treated the victims for his own gain. For simple injuries,he would channel some of his spiritual power to heal the wound while for serious injuries he would use both spiritual power and medicinal pills that he refined himself. Hu Lan felt relieved by Zhao Shenbao's actions not knowing what the latter's motive was.