Chapter 111: Female Fox Spirits Pretend to be Ghosts in the Mountains; the Female Flower-Picker Thief Reappears in the Temple

"Woo—"

The night grew thick, and the mountain wind wailed.

The rain had only just stopped, but before one knew it, it began to drizzle again.

The entire mountain forest was shrouded in mist, and all was deathly silent.

After driving away those two young women, Luo Zijun propped the door shut with a table and chair, then returned to his bed to continue his cultivation.

Outside the house, the mountain wind whistled and howled.

The thin windows and the wooden door were all blown until they creaked and groaned, as if they were about to fall off.

At this moment.

In the dense forest not far away, two white shadows suddenly darted out from a cave.

A closer look revealed them to be two white foxes with snowy fur.

The two white foxes walked side by side, but after taking only a few steps, they suddenly raised their two front paws and stood upright on the ground.

"Sister, I'm full. Later, we must give that bad guy a good scare! The books say scholars are timid and cowardly. When we pretend to be ghosts later, we'll definitely make him wet his pants in terror and beg for mercy, hmph!"

"Doesn't the book say that scholars are gentle, refined, and courteous? Why is that person..."

"Exactly! The books say scholars are the most polite, and they are hospitable, especially to pretty girls—they can't wait for them to come inside and rest. That bad guy kept refusing us, and in the end, he even used force to throw us out. It's truly detestable; it brings shame to the scholarly name!"

"Let's scare him first, and then I'll try my Charm Technique to see if it has any effect."

"Sister, if it works, will you mate with him and harvest his Yang Energy?"

"What are you saying? We aren't the kind of monsters that harm people. Harvesting Yin to supplement Yang can indeed speed up cultivation, but that belongs to evil arts; it harms others and oneself, and would make us lose our true nature."

"Sister, I want to mate with him."

"Ah, why? Don't you hate that human?"

"It's precisely because I hate him. I want to see what kind of expression he'll have after being toyed with by me, once he realizes I'm a slutty fox. Hehe, I bet he'll be scared to death."

"..."

The two foxes talked as they walked, and soon they saw the small house ahead.

And at this moment.

Inside the house, Luo Zijun had already re-entered his meditative state and was focusing on his cultivation.

"Woo... woo..."

Suddenly, a sound came from outside the window, sounding like the wind, yet also like weeping.

In this silent mountain forest, it sounded exceptionally chilling.

Luo Zijun was immersed in his cultivation and paid it no heed.

Just then, after the window rattled, it was suddenly flipped open by the wind with a "slap."

Following that, the cold wind whistled inside.

Only then did Luo Zijun open his eyes.

Just as he got up to close the window, he suddenly heard the faint, ethereal sound of a woman crying outside.

Immediately after, another shadow appeared outside the window, twisting and turning in the wind.

"Woo-woo... woo-woo..."

The shadow suddenly emitted a mournful, chilling wail.

Luo Zijun got off the bed and clenched his fists.

"Woo-woo... we died so miserably..."

Suddenly, another shadow appeared beside the first one. The two shadows entangled, drifting back and forth in the wind, their crying becoming increasingly shrill and eerie.

Luo Zijun sneered and quietly hid beside the window.

"Woo-woo... woo-woo..."

The two shadows twisted and drifted, getting closer and closer to the window.

Then, two heads with disheveled long hair swayed as they poked in from outside the window, crying as they said, "Woo-woo, where is my head... where is my head... did it fall into the house..."

Who would have thought that at this very moment, two sandbag-sized fists would suddenly fly out from the darkness and land several punches right on those two heads with a *thump-thump*!

Immediately, the two fists transformed into claws, grabbing the long hair of the two heads, one in each hand, and with a forceful tug, pulled the two shadows from outside the window directly into the room.

"Ah—"

The startled cries of two women suddenly rang out.

Luo Zijun jumped up, mounting one and pinning the other, raising his sandbag-sized fists to continue beating them both.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A flurry of heavy punches immediately sent the two women into shrill screams.

"Sister, cast your spell quickly!"

The figure pinned beneath Luo Zijun hurriedly covered her head and cried out.

As for the other figure, whose hair was being grabbed and who was pinned to the ground, she struggled, her hands beginning to clasp together to form a seal.

Luo Zijun sneered and said, "Still trying to pretend! Casting a spell, are you? Fine, let's see me cast a spell too!"

Saying this, he raised his fists again and landed several *bang-bang* punches on them.

These two had returned to seek revenge, actually playing the ghost to try and scare him—did they really take him for some weak, timid, and cowardly scholar?

I'll beat you to death!

Following that, there were several more *bang-bang* punches.

The tall figure's hands, just about to clasp together, were forced apart by his punches, and she covered her head and groaned.

"Playing the ghost, are you?"

"Casting a spell, are you?"

"So it's 'elder sister' and 'younger sister', is it?"

As Luo Zijun spoke, he swung his fists, pounding them without the slightest bit of chivalry.

He started by pounding their heads, then their backs, then their buttocks, and finally their chests, pounding until the two of them were howling.

"Elder sister, cast your spell quickly... Wuu wuu, why can't I move the demon power inside my body..."

The petite figure pinned beneath Luo Zijun began to cry.

Upon hearing this, Luo Zijun sneered again: "Tsk tsk, even demon power is coming out now; you two are demons, aren't you?"

The petite figure immediately cried out: "Yes! We are demons! Very powerful demons! If you don't let go, we will eat... Ah!"

"Bang bang bang bang!"

Before she could finish, Luo Zijun unleashed another fierce round of pounding on her.

"Demons, are you? Going to eat me, are you? Let's see who eats whom today!"

After another round of fierce pounding, Luo Zijun used one hand to start tugging at her cheeks and ears, then tugged at her mouth, mocking: "Where are the demons? Where are the fangs? Why can't this Young Master see them?"

"Wuu wuu..."

The petite figure was covered in tears.

"Imprison!"

At this moment, the tall figure being held down by one of Luo Zijun's hands finally brought her hands together and formed a hand seal.

Then, a milky-white light suddenly lit up.

But suddenly, it flickered, flashed once, and vanished without a trace.

At the same time.

The Blood-colored Jade Pendant in Luo Zijun's Storage Bag flickered with a faint light.

That Scholar Nameplate also moved suddenly, and then wisps of energy, invisible to the naked eye, swirled around his body.

The tall figure's joined hands suddenly went limp and fell apart, and she said with a sobbing tone: "It's no use... the Literary Qi on this person is too strong..."

Luo Zijun was already dumbfounded when he saw that white light.

Upon hearing this sentence, he was instantly shaken.

Then, he suddenly saw a scene that left him stunned!

The tall figure whose head he was pinning down was struggling while shaking her head, twisting her slender body, and suddenly, a fluffy, snow-white tail stood up from behind her perky buttocks!

He opened his mouth, stayed stunned for a few seconds, and hurriedly used his other hand to reach toward the buttocks of the petite figure beneath him.

"Ah! You lecher, don't touch people's bottoms! I don't want to mate with you! You bad person!"

The petite figure wailed.

Luo Zijun was instantly stunned and terrified.

Because he had touched another fluffy tail!

These two women are really... demons???

He found it hard to believe.

Consequently, he gripped that fluffy tail and began to pull upward with force, attempting to yank it off the petite figure's buttocks.

"Ah! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts... so painful!"

The petite figure beneath him immediately burst into loud, painful sobs.

"Elder sister, save me... this bad person is pulling my tail, wuu wuu..."

Luo Zijun: "..."

He didn't believe it!

Immediately, he pulled the tall woman in front of him over, grabbed her tail, and began to pull with force.

"Ah—"

The tall woman let out a miserable shriek and began to cry and beg for mercy: "Young Master, spare me... wuu wuu... it hurts..."

Luo Zijun: "..."

The petite girl hurriedly cried out: "Bad person, don't bully my elder sister... wuu wuu, whatever you want, I will give it to you..."

At this moment, Luo Zijun was shocked, terrified, and incredulous.

These two were actually demons!

However, why were these two demons so weak that they couldn't even beat him?

"Literary Qi..."

Associating this with what the tall girl had just said, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Could it be that Literary Qi cannot be used to fight, but can ward off enemies?

A passive skill?

At this very moment, Luo Zijun was already riding a tiger and could not get off; naturally, he dared not let them go easily.

If he let them go, who knows if they would immediately cast spells to deal with him once they gained their freedom? Then he would truly be calling to heaven with no response and to earth with no reply.

Perhaps he would be sucked dry alive by this pair of fox demon sisters immediately!

Thinking of this, he immediately suppressed the fear in his heart, dragged the tall girl over, overlapped her with the petite figure beneath him, and then sat directly on top of both of them, pressing down on them with force, using his two hands to grab their hair, one for each, and pinning them firmly to the ground.

"I ask, you answer. If you dare to lie, I'll rip your tails off! Cut off your buttocks! Smash your heads to pieces!"

Luo Zijun feigned ferocity and composure to threaten them, though his voice was already trembling.

"You... Young Master, please ask..."

The tall girl stacked on top said, crying and trembling.

Luo Zijun asked: "Are you demons?"

"Yes..."

"What kind of monster are you?"

"Little fox..."

"Fox demon? Then when you came before, why didn't you have tails? But now you do?"

"Before... before, our souls were possessing bodies..."

"Soul possession? How did you possess the bodies? Tell me everything clearly!"

"Wuu, we practice Soul Cultivation, and our souls can leave our bodies... Before, we saw two girls talking behind the temple, so my sister and I had our souls leave our bodies, flew over, and entered their bodies. Then we used their bodies to come over, intending to... to play with Young Master..."

Luo Zijun was astonished.

"Soul Cultivation, souls leaving the body? Is this kind of technique something only you monsters can practice?"

"No, humans... humans can also practice it."

"Do you have the technique?"

"Yes, this little one has a book here, 'Soul Cultivation Art'... If Young Master lets us go, this little one will give it to Young Master..."

Before the words were even finished, Luo Zijun raised his fist directly and punched her a few times, shouting: "Take it out right now!"

"Wuwu, oh..."

The tall white fox cried as she pulled a book out from her towering chest.

Luo Zijun snatched it away, put it into his Storage Bag, and asked again: "Are there any other techniques?"

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Without waiting for the white fox beneath him to answer, Luo Zijun gave her a few more punches and said: "Speak!"

"Wuu... there is also a set of Charm Technique, and a set of Disguise Technique..." "Take out the Disguise Technique!"

After saying this, he punched her twice more.

The white fox immediately cried: "Young Master, stop hitting me, I will agree to whatever you say..."

As she spoke, she pulled another book out from her towering chest.

Luo Zijun immediately snatched it over and put it into his Storage Bag. Just as he subconsciously prepared to swing his fist again, the white fox hurriedly cried: "Young Master, stop hitting, stop hitting, if you hit anymore, you'll break me... wuwu... this little one is going to pee..."

"Don't you dare pee! A vixen's pee must be foul!"

Luo Zijun lowered his fist, stopped hitting, and asked again: "Have you ever harmed people in the past?"

The white fox hurriedly said: "Never, my sister and I only recently took human form. Usually, we just hide in our cave to read and study, practice, and sleep. Occasionally we come out to forage, but we have never harmed anyone. Today we came out to forage and saw Young Master living alone in the small hut. We have been lonely for too long, so we possessed them to come over, wanting to talk and play with Young Master for a while. We absolutely had no intention of harming Young Master..."

"I don't believe a monster's words, especially a female monster!"

Luo Zijun naturally would not believe her and immediately asked again: "You were just preparing to cast a spell on me, but it didn't succeed. What was the reason?"

The white fox answered pitifully: "Young Master has Literary Qi protecting your body, and also treasures protecting your body..."

!

"Literary Qi protecting my body? Treasures protecting my body?"

Luo Zijun was stunned upon hearing this. He thought carefully; the treasures were nothing more than those few strange items.

The Copper Mirror, the Jade Pendant, the black Shitou.

Wait, there was also that Snake Skin!

"What other treasures do you have on you? Take them all out!"

Since these two fox demons could not harm him, he was no longer afraid.

Both white foxes began to shake their heads.

"No... we have no treasures..."

"We have lived in the mountain cave for years, where would we have any treasures..."

Luo Zijun immediately grabbed a tail in each hand and threatened: "If you don't tell the truth, this Young Master will start again!"

"Ah! Young Master, please don't..."

"We... we really have no treasures..."

The two fox demons hurriedly stuck their bottoms up and begged for mercy.

Seeing that the two monsters did not seem to be lying, Luo Zijun let go and said: "Tell me about Soul Cultivation, starting from the very beginning. If you deliberately deceive me, hmph, today I will peel your fur off to make a fox-fur coat!"

The tall fox demon let out a "wuwu" sound, and had no choice but to sob and start from the very beginning of their practice.

"First, according to what the book says, bathe and change clothes, light a stick of sandalwood incense, calm the mind and focus the spirit..."

Luo Zijun sat astride the two foxes, clutching a small ear of each fox demon in his hands, listening carefully.

Whenever there was something he didn't understand, he would make the fox demons explain it in detail.

The petite fox demon lying at the very bottom sobbed silently, letting his fingers reach into her small ear and scratch around wildly.

"Human cultivation is different from us monsters. A human body cannot directly practice Soul Cultivation; it requires the soul to leave the body and possess other living beings before one can continue to practice Soul Cultivation..."

"Only after practicing to a very high realm can one practice it alone..."

"Soul Cultivation fears lightning the most, and one must not get close to people with vigorous blood and Qi, or people with strong Literary Qi..."

After a full hour, the fox demon finally finished explaining everything.

The petite fox demon pressed at the very bottom finally dared to speak, sobbing: "Young Master, please get up, I'm about to be crushed flat..."

Luo Zijun savored the information for a while before coldly snorting: "If this Young Master lets you leave, will you come back for revenge?"

"No, we won't..."

The two foxes said in unison.

Luo Zijun thought for a moment, then suddenly raised his fists and landed several heavy blows on the backs of the two foxes' heads.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The two fox demons' bodies went limp instantly, and they fainted.

Luo Zijun hurriedly got up, opened the door, left, and ran toward the temple.

He certainly dared not live in that thatched cottage any longer.

Monsters had appeared.

Although the fox demons were easy to deal with, he feared there might be other monsters, or that these two fox demons might have other accomplices.

He did not want to be drained dry by monsters, especially not by two monsters draining him at the same time.

It was safer in the temple!

He ran quickly into the temple, thought for a moment, and went straight to the Heavenly King Hall.

At worst, he would just make do for the night in the main hall.

Fortunately, he had brought daily necessities in his Storage Bag; he had everything, including a quilt and a pillow.

Not long after he left.

Inside the thatched cottage, the two fox demons slowly woke up.

The two foxes looked at each other pitifully in the darkness for a while, then suddenly hugged each other and began to cry, "Ying ying ying."

"Sister, humans are so scary... The books were all lying, scholars are even scarier, wuwuwu..."

"Wu, let's go back quickly, let's never come out again..."

"Wuwuwu, that person is so bad, so bad, he actually wanted to pull out our tails and cut off our butts, wuwuwu... so scary..."

The two little foxes shivered, not daring to stay any longer, and immediately supported each other, left the thatched cottage, and went away crying and sobbing.

"Sister, I will work hard to cultivate, become big and strong, and go find that bad person to take revenge in the future! When that time comes, I will also pull out his tail and cut off his butt!"

"Humans don't have tails."

"They do, Sister, he has one, I felt it..."

"Ah... it seems what the books say really cannot be fully trusted. Once we have completely shapeshifted, we will go to the Human Realm and see for ourselves..."

"Mm-hmm."

The Heavenly King Hall is also known as the Maitreya Hall.

In the center of the hall, Maitreya is enshrined; the Four Heavenly Kings are enshrined on the left and right, and Skanda is enshrined at the back, hence the name.

When Luo Zijun arrived here, he discovered there was no one in the hall.

On the altar table, candles were burning, and fruits were offered.

In the incense burner, much of the sandalwood had already burned into ash.

Under the dim light, that Maitreya Buddha was sticking out his round belly with a face full of smiles; it looked quite humorous during the day, but at night, it looked inexplicably eerie.

And those Four Heavenly Kings, holding Treasure Tools, were mighty and majestic, with various expressions that made one feel awe-struck.

Luo Zijun walked around the main hall once, and seeing nothing unusual, he went to a corner and took out his quilt from the Storage Bag.

Just as he was about to spread it on the ground, he turned his head and glanced at the doorway.

After thinking for a moment, his gaze turned toward the stone platform and that Maitreya Buddha with the big belly.

Behind the Maitreya Buddha, there was an empty space.

He did not hesitate, immediately hugged his quilt, jumped onto the stone platform, walked behind the Maitreya Buddha, and spread the quilt on the ground.

"Offense taken, this little one meant no harm. There are monsters haunting your temple tonight, and there are no guest rooms to stay in, so this little one can only sleep here. I hope the Bodhisattva will protect me and let this little one have a good night's sleep."

Luo Zijun pressed his palms together toward the Maitreya Bodhisattva, bowed, and then lay down on the quilt.

Then he took out another quilt and covered himself with it.

It was getting late, so he should sleep early; if the rain did not stop tomorrow and those people refused to leave, he would go down the mountain and return to the city by himself.

He did not want to stay any longer in this place where monsters haunted.

Although those two fox demons had not caused him any harm and had even given him two cultivation techniques and taught him how to cultivate, this kind of place where monsters could come and go as they pleased was really not very safe; it was better to leave early.

Thinking this, he closed his eyes, but felt no sleepiness at all.

He tossed and turned for a while.

He had no choice but to sit up, and by the faint light, he took out the book "Soul Refining Art" and opened it to read.

"Humans have three souls and seven spirits; lose one and it is irreparable. The soul can exist apart from the body, while the spirits must remain attached to the body to function..."

"To cultivate the soul is also to cultivate the spirits. The soul is Yang, the spirits are Yin; only when Yin and Yang are combined can there be harmony..."

"Only when the soul and spirits are strengthened can a person's spirit, will, endurance, body, and so on be strengthened..."

"When the soul is in the initial stage of leaving the body, the wind can blow it away, the sun can burn it to ash, and those with vigorous blood and Qi can cause it to scatter with a single wisp of blood energy..."

"Therefore, in the initial stage, the soul must travel with the spirits, attaching itself to a physical form, in order to cultivate and train, and achieve the Great Dao..."

Luo Zijun turned the pages one by one, reading carefully.

The more he read, the more amazed he became.

The more he read, the more excited he became.

If he could successfully cultivate his soul, then he would no longer fear whether the White Snake's task could be completed.

By then, whether he succeeded or failed, even if that wisp of soul flew away, he would be able to repair it and retain his memories, and would never become dull and foolish again.

Looking at it this way, he had indeed lost a wisp of his soul back then, and it had gone to that world.

In the initial stage of Soul Refining, after detaching from the physical body and exiting the body, one must attach to the body of a living creature in order to continue cultivating.

That is to say, if his soul could exit his body by then, he would have to attach to the body of another living creature, preferably various animals, so that he could continue to cultivate his soul; otherwise, he would scatter at any moment.

After reading for a while longer, his eyes began to ache.

Thinking that there might be other things to do tomorrow, he did not dare to continue reading, rubbed his eyes, put away the book, and then closed his eyes and lay down.

Before long, sleepiness washed over him.

Just as he was between being half-asleep and half-awake, the candlelight burning on the stone platform in front of the Maitreya Buddha suddenly flickered a few times.

"Whoosh—"

A gust of chilly night wind blew in from outside the door.

Luo Zijun suddenly opened his eyes.

He pricked up his ears to listen, but could only hear the sound of the wind and rain outside, as well as the sound of the doors, windows, and tree branches blowing.

Yet he still sat up, his gaze shifting from beside the Maitreya Buddha toward the doorway.

The doorway was empty, and the space outside the door was empty.

There was nothing unusual there.

He held his breath, remained motionless, and observed quietly for a good while before lying back down.

Just as he lay down, he suddenly went "Pfft!" and scattered a handful of lime mixed with poisonous powder toward the space above his head, then immediately leaped up from where he was without any hesitation, and with a "Whoosh!", he darted toward the main hall entrance like lightning!

Who would have thought that just as he darted out of the hall door, a fair, petite palm suddenly reached out from the side and struck his nape.

"Bang!"

Luo Zijun's body went limp, and he collapsed.

That person reached out a small hand and caught him in her arms; just as she was about to speak, Luo Zijun suddenly opened his eyes and "Boom!" smashed a fist into her chest, sending her slender body flying away.

"Ah..."

That person immediately let out a woman's cry of alarm.

Luo Zijun took to his heels and ran.

Who would have thought that just as he ran under the corridor, another figure suddenly darted out from the side, reached out a palm, and grabbed toward him.

"Pfft!"

Luo Zijun raised his hand and scattered another handful of poisonous lime.

"Whoosh—"

He leaped up once more and darted away like lightning.

Just as he was about to dart through the nearby circular gate, a large net suddenly appeared at the gate, a cold glint flashed, and he was caught directly inside it.

Immediately, two figures flashed out from both sides of the circular gate and pinned him to the ground.

"Bang!"

Then, those two palms struck his nape simultaneously.

This time, both palms used their full strength.

Luo Zijun's vision went black, his body went limp, and he completely lost all strength.

However, in the instant before he passed out, he heard that familiar and terrifying voice, like that of a devil.

"Have you become a bit stronger? Very good, let's have more of him tonight..."

(End of chapter)