Chapter 9: The Way Is Said to Be Sunny, Yet There Is Rain

When the demon fox grew angry, Lingxiang was already on guard. As he closed in, she instantly cast a shield with the Bolan Buqing Jue, then pinched out the Lianxin Sword Art with her left hand, using her fingers as a sword to strike toward his chest.

The fox demon did not expect Lingxiang's counterattack; he barely dodged it, yet his clothes were still torn.

Before he could steady himself, Lingxiang attacked his lower stance with sword Qi to block his path, while her right hand flew to weave the Wave-Crashing Sea Tide Art, hoping to use the Water Prison technique to trap the demon fox.

The fox demon flew into a rage: "You little yellow-haired girl, how dare you resist this lord!"

The demon used a blink to dodge the witchcraft, then raised his hand and swept a formless Qi toward Lingxiang.

The technique was so fast that she had no time to form seals to defend herself; she was instantly struck by the air current and slammed into the stone wall. Lingxiang felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and back, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out.

The demon fox curled his five fingers and sprang up, revealing his demonic form, much like a wild fox hunting. His claws were as long as young bamboo shoots and as sharp as sword blades; in an instant, he was about to seize Lingxiang.

At the moment of life and death, a giant rock suddenly rose between the two, blocking the demon fox's attack, and then transformed into several large stones that shot toward him.

The fox demon retreated in a hurry while dodging. When he stood steady and looked back at Lingxiang, the stones had vanished without a trace.

"Who dares to trespass in this lord's cave and use illusions to deceive me!"

"Cease your babbling, you monster! Stop your arrogance! And stop taking human lives!" It was Chiyanzi's Five Root Incense Art.

As he spoke, Chiyanzi flew out, his right hand wielding a horsetail whisk with Qi as a blade, while his left hand pinched a seal, casting the Drunken Branch Entanglement at the fox demon.

"Hmph! Mere parlor tricks!"

The demon fox turned his claws into hands, dodged the Qi blade, and actually caught Chiyanzi's move directly. He then spun his body and, seizing the gap in the technique, struck a palm toward his chest.

Chiyanzi could not dodge and took the palm strike head-on; feeling a pain in his chest, he retreated several steps.

"Immortal Master! I have come to assist you!"

A flash of sword light passed, and the fox demon retreated in a hurry. A fair-faced young man stood before him.

"It's you again! You defeated loser, how dare you come here seeking death!"

"Cease your babbling, you monster! Return my sister at once!"

Liu Xia thrust toward the fox demon with a "Weeping Willow Points at the Moon" move, and Chiyanzi also leaped up, gathering his Qi and pinching a seal to join the fray.

As the three were locked in combat, Long Qi quietly arrived at Lingxiang's side, intending to take her away.

"Do not worry about me, we cannot escape. Go up quickly and fight while retreating with those two."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Do you think I would leave you here to die?" As he spoke, he picked up Lingxiang and headed toward the cave entrance.

"We agreed when we came that we would save you first, then plan our next move."

Over there, while the fox demon was fighting the two, he noticed someone attempting to take Lingxiang away.

"Heh! A fine feint to the east while attacking the west!"

He spun his body, instantly appearing behind Liu Xia to strike his back, then arrived before Chiyanzi in a flash, using his cultivation technique to send him flying.

In the blink of an eye, both were severely wounded and fell unconscious.

Long Qi had his back to the fox demon and did not realize the danger had arrived. Just as he was about to step out of the courtyard gate, he was swept by a demonic wind. He hurriedly shielded Lingxiang, twisted his body, and slammed his back against the wall.

The demon fox looked at the unconscious Long Qi and grabbed Lingxiang by the neck, lifting her up.

"A mere mortal, actually dreaming of snatching someone from this lord's hands, simply..."

Lingxiang had been secretly gathering her Qi when Long Qi was struck. She took a Pill from her Universe Bag, held it in her hand, and pinched a seal with her left hand, ready to strike.

It all happened in a flash. She used all her strength, and while the fox demon was speaking, she shoved the Pill into his mouth and activated it with the seal in her left hand.

Before the fox demon could finish his sentence, he was caught off guard and felt a churning in his throat. When he regained his senses, rage surged, and he exerted force in his hand, intending to take Lingxiang's life.

Lingxiang pinched the Bolan seal with her right hand to resist with all her might, while her left hand continued to catalyze the Pill. However, she was already injured and, lacking strength, she gradually sank into Chaos.

The fox demon, on his end, also felt his hand go limp and his body turn soft as water; he suddenly fell asleep.

As soon as Lingxiang opened her eyes, she saw a stage where four women were dressed scantily, dancing lewdly. Looking around, she realized it was a brothel.

"This fox, he really is no good!"

She had thought she would die under the fox demon's claws, but she had not expected the Dream-Returning Pill to take effect so quickly.

In that case, those three should be saved.

The so-called Dream-Returning Pill uses the power of the Pill to bring the caster into the dreamer's dream, thereby learning what knots are in the dreamer's heart.

Originally, this Pill was used to treat heart ailments or dispel nightmares; she had not expected it could also be used to save her life.

Although it is Middle Grade, after taking this Pill, a person would still sleep for two or three days. As for this fox, although he has cultivation, he is ultimately a beast, so he will likely be out for three or four days.

She would not be able to get out for a while anyway, so she might as well see what the fox demon's heart knot is and why he kidnaps women to ruin their marriages.

But why did this fox come to this brothel? Could it be that he has taken a fancy to a girl here?

Just as Lingxiang was puzzled, she saw the procuress lead several burly men to the second floor, enter a room, and shortly after, drag a man downstairs.

Looking closely, wasn't that the fox demon? Why was he beaten until he was covered in wounds? She almost didn't recognize him.

Lingxiang hurried to follow. She saw the burly men drag him and throw him out the door, and the procuress immediately spat on the ground.

"You Wu Yuan, you have no money yet you still pine for my Chunhua! And you talk about deep affection! Let me tell you! This is a brothel! If you want to marry her, you need the three letters and six rites! You are just a poor scholar, aren't you afraid of people laughing their heads off!"

After finishing, she turned around and went inside to entertain others.

So the fox demon's name is Wu Yuan. But he is clearly a human, how could he become a demon, and how could his demonic power be so profound?

Just as Lingxiang was wondering, the scene around her blurred and changed.

"Brother Yuan, Chunhua admires your talent, but we are destined to have no future together. In this life, I fear we cannot be together."

"Miss Chunhua, do not say such things. We are in love and of one heart. If we can succeed, we will surely grow old together in harmony." As he spoke, he seemed to have made a great resolution. "Wait patiently for me for two days. Once I sell that old house, we will leave this place and find a beautiful spot with mountains and rivers to live as a pair of immortal lovers."

Ugh! Such pedantic words made Lingxiang shiver. Just as she felt disgusted, the surrounding scene blurred again.

She saw a man and a woman in a forest, carrying packs and running blindly forward.

"Brother Yuan... I... I cannot run anymore... let us rest for a moment..."

"Very well... we have been running for a day. The workshop must not have opened yet, so they should not know about us." As he spoke, Wu Yuan helped Chunhua sit down.

Chunhua took out a water bag and handed it to Wu Yuan, saying, "We have run for so long, my throat is parched. Drink some tea to moisten it."

"You drink first." Wu Yuan, his face full of heartache, handed the water bag back to her.

"I have more here. To ensure there's enough, I prepared two bags," Chunhua said, taking another bag of water from her pack.

"You really are thoughtful."

After resting for a moment, Wu Yuan prepared to help Chunhua up, but no matter what, he could not rise; then, he was seen foaming at the mouth, clutching his abdomen with his hands, curled up on the ground in a state of extreme agony.

At this moment, Chunhua stood up.

"Oh my~ I didn't expect you to really be such a lovesick fool; I'm almost reluctant to kill you now."

"Why... why... treat... me... this... way..." Wu Yuan's eyes widened, and he tried his best to squeeze these words out through his teeth.

"Why? Hah~ then I shall perform a kindness today and let you die knowing the truth," Chunhua said, sitting down beside the constantly convulsing Wu Yuan.

"I was originally a daughter of an official family, but because my father offended the Emperor, our whole family was exiled. I once lived in luxury, but I fell from grace and was forced into being an official prostitute. Do you know what kind of life worse than death that was? After finally winning a battle and being pardoned and released, I was sold by a corrupt officer to that brothel, forced to smile and sell my body all day long..." As she spoke, she brushed off her dress and stood up.

"Ah~ these are all old stories, not worth mentioning," Chunhua looked down at Wu Yuan from above, "I thought I would only be like this for the rest of my life, but then I met you. You really thought you were talented and full of wisdom? You were just a pawn for me to escape that hellhole. I finally got you to set your heart on me, but who would have thought you were a pauper without even the silver to redeem me? So I had no choice but to convince you to sell your old house and work from the inside to help me escape."

"Having finally escaped, do you think I would spend a lifetime suffering with a poor wretch like you!" Chunhua said, crouching down to take the pack from Wu Yuan's body, then turned and left.

Wu Yuan's eyes were splitting at the corners as he glared at Chunhua walking away, until he breathed his last, yet he still died with his eyes wide open.

"I hate... I hate so much..."

At this moment, Wu Yuan's voice echoed all around.

"My mother abandoned me, and you abandoned me too..."

So full of resentment.

"So much hate... the women of this world..."

At this time, the setting sun slanted low, and a fox appeared from nowhere, cautiously testing the air as it came to Wu Yuan's side to sniff; when it sniffed his face, it happened to inhale a mouthful of his resentment, along with his soul and spirit, into its own body.

Oh~ so it was born of resentment; no wonder it possesses such powerful strength.

At this moment, everything around them suddenly froze and stopped moving.

"What a bold yellow-haired girl! Daring to pry into my heart!"

Lingxiang turned her head, only to see the demon fox strike with a palm, but she remained unhurried and did not dodge.

The fox demon's palm passed straight through Lingxiang's body.

Lingxiang sat down and said, "I am merely a wisp of consciousness, not a Primordial Spirit, how could you possibly strike me?"

"What did you do to me!?" the demon fox asked in a rage.

"Do not look at me like that; it was merely for self-preservation."

"Hmph! As expected, all women in this world are equally cunning!"

"Even a 'cunning rabbit with three burrows' can be eaten by a fox, yet you, a fox with such profound cultivation, call me cunning—it's simply laughable."

The fox said nothing, only glaring angrily at Lingxiang.

"Sigh~ you are also a pitiful person, so why make things difficult for me? Look at me, I have cultivated for many years without a breakthrough, not even worthy of having a Primordial Spirit. Forced by necessity, I came down the mountain to sell medicine; come to think of it, I am quite pitiful myself."

"Do not spout nonsense before me! Quickly undo this Witchcraft!"

"I am not stupid; why would I let you wake up just to kill me?" Lingxiang said, flicking her fingernails, "How about you sit down and have a proper chat?"

"I have nothing to say to women!"

"Tsk tsk tsk! Look at what you're saying. Without women, where would men come from? Although I don't know why your mother abandoned you, she did, after all, give... er... give birth to you, didn't she?"

"Hmph! A mouth full of gibberish!" Although the fox demon said this, he sat down nonetheless.

"Do not be angry. When the time comes, the Witchcraft will naturally break. I was beaten by you like that; even if I drag it out until then, I might not survive. The words of one about to die are kind. You should listen to me: not all women are like the ones you met during your life. Blame it on your own bad luck; perhaps it was a sin from your past life that the Judge recorded, a debt you must repay in this life."

"Hmph! Still spouting nonsense!"

"I am not speaking falsely. The eldest daughter of the Liu family you captured is a good girl. If you don't believe me, wait until the Witchcraft breaks and go ask her yourself."

"What is the meaning of this?"

"That Miss Liu wasn't taken from Liu Fu, was she?"

"So what?"

"It's nothing. I said it, but you might not believe me. It would be better if you asked her yourself when the time comes, which would be more convincing." Lingxiang looked up at the frozen falling leaves, "Remember to burn some paper money for me on this day every year; that is the only wish I have left."

"Come to think of it, are you a ghost or a demon now?"