Soon, the villa’s doors swung open, and a group of men in black suits and sunglasses emerged, forming two lines on either side.
With a sweep of his spiritual sense, Leo realized these men were not from the Fox Clan but were humans.
“These people are the villa’s security, a bridge between the Fox Clan and human society. They are specially trained by the Fox Clan, their souls cleansed to obey only the Fox Clan,” Hannah explained.
With Hannah’s explanation, Leo understood. The Fox Clan needed to survive in this society, requiring food, clothing, and shelter. They couldn’t interact with humans in their fox forms, so they trained some agents. In essence, they were puppets.
Hannah signaled to Leo and prepared to enter the villa. Leo had barely taken a few steps when one of the suited men blocked his path, clearly indicating he was not allowed to enter.
Leo stopped and looked at Hannah without saying a word.
“Twenty-eight, what do you think you’re doing?” Hannah’s tone was icy, her face stern.
One of the men, presumably the leader, spoke in a neutral tone, “Princess Hannah, this is the sacred ground of the Fox Clan. Humans are not allowed to enter; it’s the rule.”
“Not even my guest? Who gave you the courage!?” Hannah retorted angrily.
“We are merely following the rules. Please understand, Princess Hannah,” the leader replied without backing down.
Hannah laughed in anger, “Fine, if we’re not allowed in, then we’ll leave.”
As she turned to leave, the suited men quickly blocked her path at the leader’s signal.
“Twenty-eight, what is this? You won’t let me in or out?” Hannah glared at the man she called Twenty-eight, her gaze cold.
“Princess Hannah, please consider the future of the Fox Clan. Don’t be capricious,” Twenty-eight seemed determined to oppose Hannah.
Leo couldn’t stand it any longer. He formed a hand seal with his right hand and released his spiritual energy.
“Little girl, there’s no point arguing with these puppets. Let’s go,” Leo said as he turned and entered the villa. Strangely enough, this time the suited men did not stop him.
Seeing Twenty-eight’s conflicted expression, Hannah knew Leo had done something. She snorted coldly and quickly followed him.
As soon as they entered the villa’s hall, Leo stopped because a fox appeared before him.
It was a large, thin gray fox with vigilant eyes scrutinizing him. Sensing the strong demonic aura from the gray fox, Leo knew it had gained intelligence and could speak human language.
“Elder Grey, what is the meaning of this? Are you trying to isolate the White Fox Tribe?” Hannah’s tone was very unfriendly.
The gray fox withdrew its gaze from Leo and let out an unpleasant laugh, “Princess Hannah, don’t say that. I am only thinking of our clan’s well-being. How could I isolate the White Fox Tribe?”
Hannah snorted and didn’t want to say more.
The gray fox then looked at Leo with hostility, “Who is this human?”
“He is my friend and a guest of the Fox Clan. Elder Grey, isn’t it inappropriate to turn away guests?” Hannah replied.
“Humans and demons are different, especially since he is not an ordinary person but a Cultivator!” The gray fox’s words were clearly hostile.
“So what if he’s a Cultivator? He’s my friend now,” Hannah retorted.
The gray fox laughed twice, “Since he is a friend of the esteemed Princess Hannah, then he is a guest of our Fox Clan. Please come in.”
The sudden change in attitude from the gray fox left Leo bewildered. He thought to himself that this old fox must be neurotic.
Hannah squinted at the gray fox and asked, “Elder Grey, is Aunt Xena here? I have something to discuss with her.”
“Lady Zoe left three days ago and will probably return tomorrow morning. Princess Hannah, you might as well stay in the villa for now,” Elder Grey replied with an uncomfortable expression.
Hannah felt something was off with Elder Grey today but didn’t suspect anything. She nodded, “Alright then, please arrange for us to stay in Tranquil Heart Gardens.”
The gray fox suddenly transformed into a human form-a hunched old man in a gray robe. He extended his hand, “Princess Hannah, please follow me.”
They passed through the back door of the villa and walked along a cobblestone path until they reached a quaint courtyard.
“Princess Hannah must be tired from her journey. Please rest first; I will arrange a welcoming banquet for you later,” Elder Grey said politely, completely ignoring Leo.
After Elder Grey left, Hannah put her hands on her hips and puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction, “This Elder Grey is getting more outrageous. I’ve only been away from Greenmount for a short time, and he’s already showing me attitude!”
“Be careful; walls have ears,” Leo chuckled.
“Hmph! What can he do if he hears me? When my mother was alive, these guys were so respectful to me. Now that she’s gone, they treat me like this. It’s really disheartening,” Hannah said with an exaggeratedly mature demeanor that made Leo want to laugh.
“Little girl, can’t you see that gray old fox has ulterior motives?” Leo reminded her.
Hannah raised an eyebrow, “I know. Whatever he’s planning, he won’t bully me!”
“I think he’s not trying to bully you but wants access to that secret realm you mentioned,” Leo speculated.
Hannah shook her head, “Only the White Fox Tribe has the right and ability to enter when the secret realm opens. Elder Grey wouldn’t dare.”
“Let’s just take things as they come,” Leo yawned. “Let’s rest first. Whatever your clan members are planning, we’ll deal with it as it happens.”
Around eleven at night, a maid entered Tranquil Heart Gardens to invite Hannah to a banquet.
After freshening up slightly, Hannah took Leo to the hall designated for Fox Clan banquets.
The banquet hall was grand and luxurious. Entering it felt like stepping into a massive palace.
As the only non-fox at the banquet, Leo quietly followed behind Hannah while occasionally using his spiritual sense to scan the fox demons in the hall.
About half of the foxes in the hall had transformed into human forms; the other half remained in their fox forms. Clearly, those who had transformed were higher in cultivation and status than those who hadn’t.
With just a quick scan, Leo understood the cultivation levels of all the foxes in the hall. Simply put, his current cultivation could easily overpower all of them.
Among them, only three foxes had noteworthy cultivation levels: Elder Grey; another fox with blue fur; and one with red fur.