At the exit of Jinling International Airport, Xiaoyan, who was sporting a sleek pompadour and dressed in a pure white Zhongshan suit, walked out.

His skin was clean and fair, exuding a sunny atmosphere as if he were a college student newly returned from studying abroad during the Republican era.

"Didn’t they say someone would come to pick me up? That old guy fooled me again," Xiaoyan shrugged helplessly. This kind of thing happened to him often, and he was already used to it.

He tried to hail a cab but when he pulled out Euros, the taxi driver stared at him like he was a fool and then drove off.

Scratching his head, Xiaoyan finally realized that he had been in such a hurry when he left that he had forgotten to exchange currency. It seemed his HSBC card wouldn't work in the local ATMs either.

He had no choice but to ask a cleaner for the nearest branch, then walked towards it on foot. The bank was quite a distance away, and he had to cross a resettlement area by the airport. But Xiaoyan, feeling sentimental near his hometown, strolled leisurely, taking in the sights.

The resettlement area, similar to a suburb, was at the urban-rural border. It wasn’t too crowded. The trash on the shaded walkway had piled up, creating a natural garbage dump.

As Xiaoyan passed a garbage dump, several five or six-year-old children were playing noisily nearby, seemingly throwing stones at the dump.

At first, Xiaoyan paid no mind, but after a few steps, he heard a pitiful squealing sound coming from the direction of the dump.

Turning to look, he saw a trembling puppy crouching in the corner of the dump. The dirt-covered dog was about a month old with tearful eyes blinking in fear.

The puppy was quite intelligent. Once it noticed Xiaoyan looking its way, it barked at him a few times, but then a stone that the children threw made it tremble in fear.

"Scram! All of you, scram!" Xiaoyan dispersed the naughty children with a wave of his hands and squatted to inspect the puppy.

The underlying fur of the puppy should have been pure white. Its muzzle was pointed and its eyelashes were also long. If not for the occasional whimpering, Xiaoyan would have thought it was a fox.

Xiaoyan was not typically compassionate, but he felt a pang of sympathy. Muttering to himself, he said, "My master once told me, the first time he found me, I was also cowering in a garbage dump, being pelted by stones thrown by children."

Perhaps it was the similarity and pitiful scene, or the fact that he had just returned to his homeland without any friends, Xiaoyan decided to take in the poor puppy.

He carried a simple suitcase with him, which contained his ID and a few pieces of clean clothing. He took out a Zhongshan suit jacket, wrapped the puppy up in it, and carried it in his arms as he walked into the distance.

The puppy gradually settled down in Xiao Yan's arms, revealing just its sharp little head. It blinked its curious eyes at Xiao Yan. Oddly enough, its gaze didn't seem like that of a dog.

The settlement was separated from the city by a river. It was a tributary of the Yangtze River, and because it originated from the mountains next to the Jinling Airport, the water remained unpolluted and clean due to the recent emphasis on environmental protection.

Crossing the river, Xiao Yan decided the puppy was far too dirty. The stench was so overwhelming, he decided he might as well give it a wash by the river. The weather in Jinling during April and May wasn't cold.

However, the moment Xiao Yan put the puppy in the water, it started squeaking non-stop and squirming.

"I'm just cleaning you. I promise I won't eat you, don't worry," Xiao Yan said offhandedly. Oddly enough, the little creature seemed to understand him and immediately calmed down.

Xiao Yan found it very strange. "Could this clever little creature be the spiritual beast Fourth Master mentioned? But there's no aura fluctuation in it."

"Hey, you're ruining the clean water. Can't you see that people are washing their feet upstream?" An irritable voice rang out from downstream.

Xiao Yan paused. He was used to observing his surroundings, but ever since he could sense killing intent, he relied less on his eyes.

Just coming off the battlefield, he was still clinging to this habit. As a result, he hadn't observed his surroundings before deciding to bathe the puppy.

Upon hearing the sound, he looked up. Sure enough, about a dozen meters downstream, a red BMW was parked by the river. Next to it stood a young woman with bare feet, carrying her sandals and walking towards Jinling.

On a closer inspection, Xiao Yan was shocked. The girl seemed to be around twenty years old, dressed in capri jeans and a white cartoon t-shirt, with her hair tied in a ponytail. Her face, a perfect oval, boasted two small dimples, creating a sweet and beautiful visage.

"Hey, pervert, what are you looking at? Apologize immediately," the girl demanded with a touch of arrogance, which only added to her charm in Xiao Yan's eyes.

Laughing lightly, Xiao Yan assessed the girl from the corner of his eye until her skin seemed to prickle from his gaze. He then lifted his chin and responded, "I'm just bathing my puppy and didn't notice you downstream, apologies."

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's arrogant apology, the beauty was just about to explode in anger. However, she was suddenly entranced by the white puppy nestled in Xiao Yan's arms. The initial irritation on her face instantly transformed into delight.

The next moment, she had forgotten Xiao Yan's rudeness and instead ran over, eagerly taking the little fellow from Xiao Yan's arms. She said, overjoyed, "Such a cute silver fox, is it yours?"

Xiao Yan didn't get mad at her recklessness. He had seen many girls like this one. She probably had a bit of a princess syndrome, but she was naturally innocent and kind-hearted.

"I just picked it up from the garbage pile over there," Xiao Yan confessed, petting the little creature's head. "I didn't expect it to be so lovely once cleaned up."

After its bath, not a single stray hair was left on the pup. It was so white it could have been dyed, and its face, resembling that of a fox, was very charming. No wonder the young beautiful girl liked it.

Hearing the pup was found in the garbage, the young girl couldn't help but blurt out, "Can you give it to me? I like it so much." She paused as if she sensed the inappropriateness of her words, then added, "I'll pay you for it, a lot of money."

Before Xiao Yan could respond, the pup had already sprang from the young girl's arms, jumping into Xiao Yan's embrace. It brought with it a faint scent of youthful femininity that had Xiao Yan momentarily charmed.

Seeing the disappointed girl, Xiao Yan laughed and said, "Everything in the world is about fate. Perhaps it is the fate that binds the two of us together. How about this, I'll let you name it since it doesn't have a name yet."

The previously crestfallen girl's eyes brightened immediately. Scratching her head, she thought for a moment before declaring, "It is a silver fox, but much more beautiful. I have a silver fox at home called Big White. Let's call this one Small White."

Although Xiao Yan wasn't enamored with the name, he had already made the offer and felt compelled to keep his word. He managed a smile and reluctantly accepted the name for the little creature.

Small White didn't seem too happy either. He waved his paw toward the young beautiful girl. She thought Small White was playing with her and was happily hopping and cheering.

Initially, Xiao Yan wanted to rush to the bank to withdraw money, but he was detained by the young girl. All he could do was squat next to them, smoke a cigarette, and watch the girl play with Small White.

After a while, the two got to know each other better. The young girl's name was Lin Xian'er, a budding leader in an investment department. Despite her young age, her company was planning to build a resort by the river, and she was there for a site visit.

When Lin Xian’er learned Xiao Yan was headed to the bank, she urged him not to leave so hastily. She had a car and could take him anytime.

Faced with a naive, beautiful girl like Lin Xian'er, Xiao Yan felt helpless. He couldn't shout at or scold her, so he could only roll his eyes in resignation.

Suddenly, the sound of car engines roared from the riverbank. Soon, a van with no license plate pulled up nearby. The car door swung open, and six or seven men in black jumped out.

Xiao Yan, a martial enthusiast, had excellent hearing. He was in the wind’s favor, so he heard the lead man in sunglasses say from afar, "That is Lin Xian'er's BMW. It’s the woman by the river, she can’t have got away."

"Little effort brings great reward. Damn it, I finally got my chance."

"I heard that this chick's a beauty. This time, we're going to have some real fun. The last one was too ugly, it makes me retch remembering it."

"Despite calling her ugly, you still went for it over ten times. You’re such a hypocrite!"

Foul language permeated the air, quite unbearable to listen to, but Xiao Yan immediately understood that these men were targeting Lin Xian'er.

Even though the young girl was a bit of a chatterbox, talking to Xiaobai all afternoon, fate brought them together and Xiao Yan couldn’t stand by idly.

Therefore, Xiao Yan tried to get Lin Xian'er's attention, but she mistook his intentions and feared he would take Xiaobai away, so she stayed put. Soon after, the men in black closed in on Lin Xian'er.

"Miss Lin, Mr. Lin has sent us to pick you up. Please come with us," the man with the sunglasses smiled and beckoned to the oblivious Lin Xian'er.

Lin Xian'er responded without turning her head, "I understand. I'll go back in a bit. You guys go ahead."

The man with sunglasses exchanged glances with a chunky man next to him who then nodded and reached out to grab the back of Lin Xian'er's clothing. Just as his hand was about to connect, a strong raw-boned hand popped out from the side and clamped onto the chunky man's wrist, then the firm hand gave a tug and a release.

"Ah..."

The chunky man cried out in pain, clutching his limp wrist and retreating in agony. Beads of sweat as large as beans rolled down from his forehead, as his face turned ghastly pale from the pain.

The man with the sunglasses took a gasp of cold air when he saw, from a mere tug and release, the chunky man was dislocated so easily.

Following the line of sight, a tall figure stood in front of Lin Xian'er: a handsome face with a provocative grin, giving off a chilling vibe.

"What are you? Mind your own business, or else we'll kill you," the man in sunglasses swallowed, threatening. To show his ferocity, he purposely made his face look as intimidating as possible.

Xiao Yan did not want to waste time arguing with them, and instead sneered, "I'll give you ten seconds to leave my sight, or you'll regret it."

Finally, Lin Xian'er, who was behind him, reacted. She moved forward and grabbed Xiao Yan's arm, pleading. "Big Brother Xiao, they're on our side. My father sent them to pick me up; don’t fight…"

"You silly girl, although I’m not sure who your father is, he wouldn’t send an unlicensed van to pick you up, would he?" Xiao Yan expressed with an indifferent look, completely disregarding the hoodlums around him.

Lin Xian’er glanced in the distance, her face quickly changed. Pointing at the gang, she panicked, "What are you doing? Who sent you? You want money, I can give you money…”

"No need to say more, I'm here," Xiao Yan stopped Lin Xian'er from speaking further. If these people were here to kidnap Lin Xian'er, there was no point in discussing anything.

The man with sunglasses put on an enlightened look and chuckled, "I was wondering what's going on. So, you want to play the hero and save the damsel in distress. Guys, let's show him the taste of being a hero…"

"You have three seconds left!" Xiao Yan warned the man with sunglasses. Three more seconds to regret.

The man with sunglasses was infuriated, "Damn, you're pretty confident. Even if you're a bit capable, let's see how you can take on all seven of us…"

The man with sunglasses hadn't finished speaking when he received a hard punch to his face. The punch was unbelievably fast, arriving in an instant, and he was unable to dodge it.

The punch severely shattered his sunglasses, embedding glass shards into his flesh, causing him to wince in pain and let out a scream.

"Get him!" The finally awakened hoodlums rushed toward him, their steel pipes slamming towards Xiao Yan's head.