Chapter 118: Brother, You Smell So Delicious

After listening to Pei Shaoqing, Li Jiangjun's eyes rolled around, "My Lord, even an emperor doesn't expect hungry soldiers to work."

"Speak." Pei Shaoqing knew it had conditions.

Li Jiangjun gave a cheeky grin, stood on its hind legs, and rubbed its paws together like a fly in a rather sleazy manner, "I want that Fox Demon's Inner Core."

"It has an Inner Core even before taking human form?" Pei Shaoqing, whose relevant knowledge mainly came from the various novels and film works he had watched in his previous life, asked doubtfully.

Li Jiangjun replied: "Of course it does. The biggest difference between a Demon and an ordinary beast is that it has gained intelligence and condensed an Inner Core. The Inner Core is the essence of a Demon. It has many benefits; consuming it can strengthen the body, prolong life, improve one's complexion..."

It couldn't continue, because Pei Shaoqing was practically drooling. It looked at Pei Shaoqing with a terrified expression, "My Lord, why are you looking at your subject like that?"

"Brother, you smell so delicious!" Pei Shaoqing stared at it with burning eyes, "You must have an Inner Core too, right?"

"=()!" Li Jiangjun stepped back in alarm, "My Lord, what are you trying to do! Your subject treats you as my Lord, yet you actually covet my body?"

"Just a joke, look at how scared you are. The Inner Core is yours," Pei Shaoqing curled his lip and waved his hand.

An Inner Core is definitely more useful to a Demon than to a human.

He was eager to improve Li Jiangjun's strength.

In any case, a Demon is a treasure from head to toe; even if the Inner Core were given to Li Jiangjun, he wouldn't come away empty-handed.

Li Jiangjun breathed a sigh of relief and immediately became cheeky again, "Of course I knew my Lord was just joking. I was just playing along with you, My Lord. How was it? Was my performance of fear just now realistic?"

"Let's go." Pei Shaoqing kicked it.

Li Jiangjun scrambled up and followed.

On the other side, Zhou Li was in the office reviewing case files.

At this moment, the Musketeer Flag Chief strode in and reported: "Sir, subordinates have reported that the Baron of Pingyang has gone to interrogate Tian Erni again, and he even brought a cat."

"Brought a cat?" Zhou Li raised his head.

What kind of maneuver was this?

The Musketeer Flag Chief nodded, "Yes, I heard that the cat was even wearing Golden Armor and a cape. It seems the Baron of Pingyang specifically had someone bring it from Tongzhou."

"What method is he trying to use? Report to me immediately once the Baron of Pingyang comes out," Zhou Li said.

The Jing'an Guard prison generally does not hold prisoners.

Because the Jing'an Guard rarely captures people; most are executed on the spot, and even if they are brought back, they are collectively beheaded the next day or a few days later.

Therefore, the Jing'an Guard prison is sometimes very empty.

The Baozhou Baihu Suo had just executed a batch the day before yesterday.

Consequently, only Tian Erni was being held inside now.

This provided just the right space for Li Jiangjun to perform.

After entering the prison, Pei Shaoqing did not continue walking inside, and Li Jiangjun swaggered into the depths alone.

"Tian Erni!"

After suffering severe torture, the physically and mentally exhausted Tian Erni, who was feeling drowsy, heard someone calling her.

She thought they had come to interrogate her again.

She sneered and struggled to open her eyes.

She looked up, but saw no one.

"Who? Who is playing tricks? Do you think I'll be afraid? If you're a man, come out!"

She looked disdainful and said with contempt.

"Insolent! Tian Erni! Bow your head!"

A shout rang out from beneath her feet.

Tian Erni subconsciously lowered her head and was immediately stunned.

She saw a cat standing in front of her that was far more robust than an ordinary cat, wearing Golden Armor and covered by a red cape, standing on its hind legs, looking majestic.

"Is... is it you who is speaking?" Tian Erni swallowed her saliva and asked cautiously and tentatively.

"Insolent! Call me Lord Divine Cat!" Li Jiangjun said sternly: "Tian Erni! Do you know your crimes?"

"Cat God!" Seeing such an extraordinary cat speak human words with her own eyes, Tian Erni had no doubts. She believed it as easily as she believed in the Fox Immortal and hurriedly cried out her grievances, "Lord Cat, what crime have I committed? I am a servant of the Fox Immortal!"

"Fox Immortal? A Fox Demon, that is!" Li Jiangjun's multicolored whiskers twitched as it said coldly: "That Fox Demon has brought disaster for many years. I have been instructed by the High God to descend and subdue the Demon.

However, fearing interference with the workings of the human world, it was inconvenient for me to act personally, so I secretly guided the Jing'an Guard to uncover the truth of Tianjiaba and captured you. Yet you remain obsessed and continue to cover for the Fox Demon! Are you not afraid of going to hell?"

"What!" Tian Erni exclaimed, and stammered: "That... that is not a Fox Immortal?"

"Immortals are all like me, punishing the wicked and doing good for the local people. When has there ever been a righteous god who slaughtered the innocent?" Li Jiangjun said with an air of righteousness.

Looking at the dignified Li Jiangjun, and then thinking of the secretive, heart-eating Fox Immortal, Tian Erni had already made a distinction in her heart, and her face turned deathly pale.

She had been deceived!

"Spare me, Immortal! Spare me! I was bewitched by that Fox Demon; I didn't want to hurt anyone either!"

Since that was not a Fox Immortal at all, there was naturally no art of resurrection. If she died, she would truly be dead, and she might even go to hell and be thrown into a vat of boiling oil.

So Tian Erni quickly conceded.

"Hmph! Considering you were bewitched, I will give you a chance to turn over a new leaf. I will now go and appear in Pei Shaoqing's dream to have him come and interrogate you again. You must honestly confess the whereabouts of the Fox Demon, otherwise, even an Immortal cannot save you."

Li Jiangjun's eyes were bright and piercing as it spoke with resounding force.

"Yes, yes, yes, I will definitely confess everything honestly." Tian Erni was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice, "Thank you, Cat God, for giving me a chance. From now on, this commoner will worship only you."

"See that you do." After Li Jiangjun finished speaking, it added: "Close your eyes. I am about to perform an Immortal Art to teleport away. The divine light is blinding and I fear it will sear your eyes."

Tian Erni obediently closed her eyes.

Li Jiangjun dropped to all fours and turned to run.

When Tian Erni opened her eyes, she found that the cat had indeed vanished without a trace. She couldn't help but sigh in her heart; this was the true, miraculous Immortal Art!

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn later.

Pei Shaoqing arrived late, all by himself.

"My lord, I'll speak! I'll speak! I'll tell you where that Fox Demon is," Tian Erni said impatiently.

Pei Shaoqing's expression was complex. "I was just taking a nap when a Golden Armor cat god entered my dream and told me to interrogate you. I initially thought it was just due to the excessive pressure of solving cases, but I held onto a glimmer of hope and decided to try. I never expected it to truly be a deity entering my dream."

"Yes, yes, yes! Covered in Golden Armor, with a red cape, looking majestic—that is the very cat god who came to enlighten this common woman," Tian Erni said, spittle flying.

Pei Shaoqing slowly exhaled. "Then hurry up and confess truthfully. Since the cat god told me in the dream to spare your life afterward, I shall spare your life."

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!" Tian Erni was ecstatic and hurriedly said, "That Fox Demon is hiding in the back mountain of Tianjiaba. This common woman is willing to lead you there."

"Good." Pei Shaoqing stepped forward to untie her, then shouted, "Someone, quickly treat Tian Erni's wounds."

Zhou Li hurried in with a group of people, and after seeing this scene, he asked quickly, "Baron of Pingyang..."

"Tian Erni has already agreed to lead us to find that Fox Demon," Pei Shaoqing knew what he wanted to ask.

The crowd immediately erupted into a stir, discussing it fervently.

"What? This base woman actually confessed!"

"What method did the Baron of Pingyang use? Just a moment ago, Tian Erni was extremely stubborn and refused to say a word no matter what."

"He is truly worthy of being the Baron of Pingyang! No wonder he is favored by the Emperor; this skill is truly admirable."

Liu Yuheng and Gongsun Yi were also astonished.

They had seen with their own eyes what kind of state Tian Erni had been tortured into, and she hadn't spoken then; now she was actually willing to lead the way—what method had the Young Master used?

Liu Yuheng vaguely guessed it might have something to do with the cat she brought, but she couldn't guess anything more.

"Quickly take Tian Erni down to treat her wounds." Zhou Li immediately ordered his subordinates to take her away, then said to Pei Shaoqing with a face full of admiration, "The Baron of Pingyang is truly someone I admire from the bottom of my heart! He is worthy of being a talent who earned his title through merit; he settled Tian Erni the moment he made a move."

"Just a trick." Pei Shaoqing did not want to chat more about this matter and said, "Centurion Zhou, hurry and assemble the men. Once Tian Erni's bleeding is stopped and she recovers some strength, we will go and meet that Fox Demon."

"I will go at once." Although Zhou Li was dying to know what method Pei Shaoqing had used to interrogate Tian Erni, he also saw that he did not want to share his technique, so he could only suppress his curiosity.

About an hour later, Pei Shaoqing and Zhou Li led over a hundred cavalrymen in a grand procession toward Tianjiaba.

Among them were also a dozen people from the Iron Sword Sect.

"Giddyap! Giddyap! Giddyap!"

………………………

Upon arriving at the back mountain of Tianjiaba, everyone dismounted and entered the mountain on foot, with Tian Erni leading the way at the front.

The group walked in the mountains for over an hour.

This Fox Demon was truly vigilant.

Living so far away from Tianjiaba.

Tian Erni suddenly stopped, subconsciously lowered her voice, and pointed to a vaguely visible cave in the distance, saying, "My lord, that Fox Demon is inside."

"Is it usually at home at this hour?" Pei Shaoqing did not act rashly but asked a question first.

Tian Erni pursed her dry lips. "That Fox Demon is timid by nature. Unless it is following me to feed, it basically never comes out to move about. Even if it does come out, it always chooses the night when there are few people. At this hour, it is definitely in the cave."

"Centurion Zhou, divide the men into four groups, spread out far away, and surround the four directions of the cave. The other three sides should only act once our side moves." Pei Shaoqing briefly laid out the hunting plan to Zhou Li.

"The Baron of Pingyang is indeed thoughtful." Zhou Li habitually flattered him, then immediately went to make arrangements.

Soon, the grouping was completed. The other three groups began to circle far around the cave, and after each reached their position, they sent men to climb trees and signal with flags.

Pei Shaoqing gave the order, "Charge!"

Everyone behind him drew their blades in unison and rushed up.

The four groups of men moved at almost the same time.

The Fox Demon inside the cave opened its eyes abruptly, its figure darting out of the cave entrance like a wisp of white smoke. Seeing people charging from the front, it turned to run, but soon discovered that there were people in all directions, and in the blink of an eye, it was completely surrounded.

Only then did the crowd see the appearance of the Fox Demon clearly.

It was a size larger than an ordinary fox, snow-white all over without any stray fur, and its eyes were blood-red. It did not look like it had the seductive charm of a fox, only an evil and ferocious aura.

"Good job, Tian Erni! You actually dare to collude with mortals in an attempt to kill a god; you will surely die a horrible death!"

The Fox Demon caught a familiar scent from these Jing'an Guards and shrieked in a sharp voice.

Judging by the voice, it was a male fox.

"You Fox Demon, you are at death's door and still trying to intimidate others." Pei Shaoqing sneered and scolded sternly.

But the Fox Demon was not wrong about one thing.

Tian Erni would indeed die a horrible death.

He had no intention of actually letting this accomplice go.

The Fox Demon looked around, its gaze landing on Pei Shaoqing, who appeared to be the leader. "Let me go. When the day comes that I attain the Dao and take human form, I will certainly offer a generous gift."

Heh! This fox is actually trying to feed me empty promises.

If you were a female and could transform on the spot into a white-haired loli with big breasts and long legs, then even at the risk of the fox teeth hurting my manhood, I could consider giving you a chance to redeem yourself by performing meritorious service.

But unfortunately, you are a male, so go die!

"Still trying to spread demonic lies! This official doesn't buy your act!" Pei Shaoqing was filled with righteous energy, staring at the Fox Demon with eyes like torches, and waved his hand: "Do it!"

(End of chapter)