"Hmm if I was a young girl where would I be at this time of day?"
Attempting to put himself in the lost girl's place Ao Tian Xue thought of several locations that are possible.
"Well I suppose a few of the places I got in mind won't work."
Looking through the details of the poster again a few of these locations are immediately crossed off.
This girl by the name of Chū Yún (出云) is supposed to have gone missing in the eighth mountain so the possible locations should be between the seventh mountain and the ninth mountain if she had gone far.
The amount of time in which she had gone missing is around three hours so the chances of her having done just that is somewhat likely.
"If she was still on the eighth mountain those who are searching for her there either need to get their eyes checked or just plain idiots."
Considering how much time has passed that might very well be the case and should that be true it would be best to leave the eighth mountain as the final location to be checked.
Going by the common sense of child rearing this girl should still in her growth period so she should be starving at this time so she has a high chance of following her instincts and be led by the aromatic scent of food.
Naturally fox immortals and demons who are closer to primitive beasts tend to have a sharper sense of smell than humans and this rings true even if they are but a child.
"........."
Narrowing the possible locations down further Ao Tian Xue felt that it was very likely for this girl to be roaming the streets at this hour.
"Well I guess if working as a matchmaker doesn't work out I can always opt to become a detective."
Walking the busy streets of the seventh mountain with these clues in his head a rather specific scenario of encounter comes to mind.
But-
"Brat hand over the money before I call the authorities!"
"I don't have a single coin on me so put it on a tab or something."
"What kind of street stall does tabs!?"
"..."
What makes life interesting is always the unexpected so when things don't go as planned that is when life's amusement truly begins.
"So that's her..."
Flowing dark hair, long eyelashes that emphasize her charming blue eyes, and black robes that serve to compliment her natural beauty.
There's no denying that this girl looked more like a doll made by the hands of a named artisan rather than a natural lifeform.
"..."
But the sight of her holding a grilled squid in one hand with a bit of sauce staining the corner of her lips-
"Rather bold..."
No doubt the impression this girl gives off is the very definition of audacity.
Even while the stall owner is demanding for her to pay she seemingly couldn't care less as she continues to bite and chew at the food she didn't have any means to pay for.
Looking between the picture on the poster to the girl who is standing in front of the stall Ao Tian Xue made a final check to confirm everything.
"Meh looks like a pain in the ass..."
Despite how much of a hassle this situation looks from a distance the white fox is left with little to no choice on the matter as the reward for finding this girl and turning her over to her parents is far too enticing to pass up.
Moving towards the site of commotion Ao Tian Xue pushes through the sea of crowds and eventually stands to the side of the stall with his wallet ready.
"Meister how much is it?"
"..."
"..."
Simultaneously both the stall owner and the girl turn towards him.
"20 copper coins."
For the stall owner he could care less about where the money had come from so long as it lands in his hands.
"..."
20 copper coins is considered cheap but it still causes a bit of pain to assault Ao Tian Xue's heart as he puts up a light frown.
However-
(Tch... Screw it I'll think of it as making a small investment...)
He did feel a bit better when he thought about the reward that will be given to him in the end.
(Hmm maybe I should tell her parents that there's an interest fee for finding her and being made to pay for whatever she ate along the way... I could always just make up a five digit number at random.)
Handing over the 20 copper coins to the stall owner Ao Tian Xue sunk into a state of deep thinking.
"Hey."
(No... That might be biting off more than I can chew.)
"Hey."
(To offer that much money for finding her, this girl must have a powerful background...)
"Quit ignoring me!"
(Maybe I can kiss up to them for some benefits.)
Already scheming of how he may be able to squeeze the most out of this opportunity Ao Tian Xue didn't even realize that the young girl is trying to get his attention.
(Let's se-)
As the girl grabs him by the shoulder and begins to shake him Ao Tian Xue is immediately brought back to reality.
"If you're planning to bring me back to my parents you can forget about it."
As soon as these words come out of the girl's sauce stained lips Ao Tian Xue's expression freezes.
