Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

For the next few days, everything was calm and nothing happened.

Inside the General Pill Hall, including the entire Demon King's Mansion and the surrounding city, everything remained the same.

It's the same as usual, and it's the same now.

The Evil Bone Taoist did not come looking for him again, nor did anyone else.

Gou An even went to the mine once to deliver some pills, and the rhinoceros demon Black Horn in the mine couldn't detect anything unusual.

Since Jin Yangshan Jun was his superior and showed no unusual behavior, Gou An felt even more at ease.

After all, this idiot isn't very smart; if there's a real problem, he'll definitely be able to tell.

That day, Gou An was absorbing spirit stones inside the house.

Having just absorbed a round of spiritual energy, the panel in my mind currently displays:

[Current Realm: Mid-stage Demon Transformation]

[Demon Power Value: 5358640/6000000]

We are still more than 600,000 short of breaking through.

Just as Gou An was preparing to strike while the iron was hot and absorb another round of spirit stones.

Niu Cuihua's voice came from outside the door: "Master, Huguo requests an audience."

"Protector of the Nation?" Gou An frowned immediately upon hearing this and quickly asked, "Which Protector of the Nation?"

"Cangxuan protects the nation!" Niu Cuihua added.

Gou An breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that it wasn't the Evil Bone.

So he quickly got out of bed, pushed open the door, and went out.

At this moment, the old fox was already sitting in the chair in the courtyard where Gou An usually lay down to sunbathe. When he saw Gou An come out, he immediately waved and said, "Young friend, come quickly."

"Greetings, Protector of the Nation!" Gou An immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"No need for formalities," the old fox smiled and said, "I've come to see you today for only one thing."

Gou An blinked: "What is it?"

Are they already preparing to make me the head of the Pill Hall?

"The Demon King was very pleased to see the pills you refined," the old fox stroked his beard and said. "If you wish to see me in two days, you'd better be prepared."

Upon hearing this, Gou An's heart stirred, and he quickly asked, "Guardian, what preparations should I make?"

"I'm here to tell you this!" The old fox pointed to the chair beside him and said, "Sit down and tell me slowly."

Gou An quickly sat down to the side and listened intently.

"You should know something about our Demon King!" the old fox said. "The Demon King doesn't like to show his face in public, and he delegates almost all important matters to us, the Seven Protectors."

"That is why the Demon King is somewhat aloof. You must be careful what you say in front of him and never make jokes."

Gou An nodded after hearing this and assured him, "Don't worry, Huguo, I will definitely keep my mouth shut."

The old fox lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of advice: "Also, regarding your matter of refining pills..."

He paused, his gaze falling on the grass and trees in the corner of the yard, his tone calm but with a hidden meaning.

"When I presented that pill to the Demon King last time, I said that it was a pill that you and I had jointly researched and refined together."

Gou An was startled and was about to speak when the old fox gently raised his hand to stop him and continued in a slow voice, "I'm not doing this to steal your credit."

"It's because the Demon King has been living in the deep palace for a long time, and you are a newcomer who has only been in the City of Ten Thousand Demons for a few years. Your cultivation is mediocre, yet you are able to refine such pills. The Demon King will inevitably be suspicious and wonder if there are other forces behind you or if you have other schemes."

"However, if I were to train with you, with my identity as your guarantee, it would actually be a form of protection for you."

He turned his head slightly, looked at Gou An again, and said only briefly:

"You will meet the Demon King in two days. If the Demon King asks about the details of the pill refining process, you don't need to rush to claim all the credit. Just answer the questions about the pill refining process truthfully, and when you speak, just mention that I helped you with the pill formula and the control of the heat."

"You'll be rewarded handsomely. The Demon King will reward you for your merits, and I certainly won't overlook your abilities. However, you must know how to maintain a proper facade regarding your status. Don't tell the Demon King that you alone were responsible for refining all the pills."

"Did you understand?"

The old fox spoke calmly, yet Gou An had no choice but to agree.

Gou An didn't know if what the old fox said was true, whether he really wanted to protect him, or simply wanted to claim credit for his work.

However, given the current situation, we absolutely cannot afford to fall out with the old fox.

The threat posed by Lord Jinyang is still present. If he were to provoke another old fox, his situation in the City of Ten Thousand Demons would become even more difficult.

"Don't worry, Protector, I've got it. I know what to say when the time comes." Gou An quickly cupped his hands again, adopting a very humble posture.

The old fox stroked his beard, nodded slightly, and smiled, seemingly quite satisfied with Gou An's reaction.

"I will come to pick you up in two days!" the old fox continued. "Dress neatly and properly; the Demon King has always been fond of cleanliness."

"I understand!" Gou An nodded again.

After saying a few more words of encouragement to Kuo An, the old fox made an excuse to leave.

Gou An watched the old fox leave, repeatedly pondering the advice he had just received, afraid that he might forget a single word.

To meet the Demon King?

The last time I saw the Demon King was at the alchemy conference.

He appeared taciturn, sitting there motionless, like a tree stump.

I only saw it from afar at the time, I wonder what it will be like to meet it up close?

In addition, Gou An himself had a guilty conscience and was very worried that if the Demon King asked about Lord Jin Yang in person, he would accidentally expose himself.

So for the past two days, Gou An has stayed indoors, constantly deducing what might happen, and then thinking about how to respond.

Strive to be watertight.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

At dawn, the old fox personally came to the courtyard gate to guide Gou An to meet the Demon King.

Gou An woke up early in the morning and, upon seeing the old fox appear, quickly straightened his new clothes.

The old fox looked Gou An up and down and nodded with satisfaction: "Although you are just a wild dog in human form, your appearance is quite handsome."

Gou An gave an awkward smile, unsure how to respond.

"Alright, follow me!" The old fox said no more, and with a wave of his hand, he created a passage that led directly to the depths of the Demon King's Palace.

Immediately afterwards, the old fox reached out and pressed down on Gou An's shoulder, gently lifting him off the ground and carrying him straight towards the central area of ​​the Demon King's Palace along the wind path.

Although the General Pill Hall is also located within the Demon King's Palace, it is situated on the edge of the palace, quite a distance from where the Demon King resides.

After descending from the sky through the wind tunnel, Gou An arrived at the depths of the Demon King's Palace, in front of an exquisite and luxurious hall.

"Follow me!" the old fox said to Gou An, and then walked ahead.

Gou An readily agreed and quickly followed.

Upon entering the main hall, the old fox led Gou An into a room.

However, there was no sign of the Demon King inside, which puzzled Gou An.

"Close the door!" the old fox said to Gou An with his back to him.

Gou An felt a chill run down his spine.

Did that old fox really go to all that trouble to bring himself here to see the Demon King?

Where is the Demon King?

Why close the door?

Did he just praise himself for being handsome?

hiss!

Once Gou An started thinking, he couldn't stop.

Could this old man be a pervert?

Do you like men?

Seeing that Gou An hadn't closed the door yet, the old fox could only wave his hand, creating a gust of wind to close the door.

"What are you staring at?" The old fox rolled his eyes at Gou An, then walked to an empty wall in the room, made a hand seal, and pointed at the wall in front of him.

The originally empty walls began to distort, and eventually a portal to another dimension appeared.

Behind the door lies a landscape of green hills and clear waters.

"Go in, the Demon King is inside!" After saying that, the old fox sat down on a chair by the door to rest, clearly not going in with him.