Chapter 69
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The rancid wind carried a furious roar through the night.
The roof tiles of the long corridor clattered down, shattering upon hitting the ground near the feet of the servants and guards. The debris scattered in all directions, but fortunately, no one was injured.
Most of the people instinctively covered their ears in shock, trembling slightly. Some were blown off balance by the gusts stirred up by the sound wave, stumbling into one another and tumbling to the ground in a heap.
The branches of the trees swayed wildly, leaves falling like a rain of green. Amidst this chaos, the pair of fox demons, one red and one white, staggered backward from the shockwave. They looked toward the scholar in terror, and beyond him, to the massive shadow looming behind him. It towered above the roof, its form obscured by the darkness. Though its features were indiscernible, its thunderous roar struck a deep and inexplicable fear into their hearts.
Not far away stood a Daoist dressed in green robes, his hair tied into a Daoist topknot. Holding a bronze mirror in his hand, he gazed over with excitement etched on his thin, monkey-like face.
The red fox loosened her grip on Yan Zhi and leaned closer to the white fox. Her green eyes glimmered, fixed intently on the pair before them.
“Elder Sister… That scholar and Daoist, they look familiar.”
The white fox bared its elongated snout and replied in a low voice: “The Mountain God Temple.” Reminding the other before adding cautiously: “That Daoist doesn’t seem particularly trustworthy. Be careful, younger sister.”
Sun Yingxian overheard their fox chatter. Seeing the wariness in their eyes, he surmised that they were minor demons with little cultivation. If they had been like the great demons his master used to eradicate, they wouldn’t be dithering here—no, the entire estate, or perhaps even this entire town, would already be in ruins.
The Daoist licked his lips and called out to the scholar: “Don’t interfere! These two demons are mine!”
Around them, the servants and guards, now terrified by the massive shadow behind Lu Liangsheng, turned and fled in panic. Their wails echoed as they stumbled over one another in their frantic retreat.
“There’s a giant demon behind Young Master Lu!”
“Run!!”
“Protect the master—!”
In their panic, some of the servants shielded the old man and ushered him into the corridor. Meanwhile, the red and white fox demons glanced at the scene from the corners of their eyes. Taking advantage of the chaos, they both swept their arms outward. A gust stirred up fallen leaves and dust, which swirled into the air, forming a thick cloud. Using the smokescreen as cover, the two demons turned and leaped onto the roof of another building.
Sun Yingxian swept his sleeves, dispersing the dust as he charged forward. Spotting the retreating backs of the two fox demons mid-air, he shouted sternly:
“Don’t run!”
With dissatisfaction, he flung several yellow talismans from his hand, forming a finger incantation. With a ‘Woosh’, the talismans burst into flames.
“By decree! Wind, thunder, swift fire—go!”
Bang!
The corner of the roof trembled. The red and white foxes, poised on the eaves, turned their heads, opened their mouths, and simultaneously spewed a stream of green smoke. The smoke collided with the four talismans in mid-air.
There was a loud explosion.
The resulting explosion lit up the night with a fiery brilliance, casting vivid light over the surroundings. The onlookers hiding behind the corridor—including Zhou Zhen and his wife—stared, wide-eyed and speechless. The confrontation between the Daoist and the fox demons gave them a visceral understanding of the power of cultivators and demons. Such abilities were far beyond the realm of ordinary mortals.
As quickly as it had appeared, the fire vanished.
Darkness returned, accompanied by the silver-bell laughter of the two fox demons.
“So, the little Daoist’s skills amount to this? He scared us two sisters so badly that our hearts are pounding!”
Below, the Daoist furiously waved his wide sleeves, scattering the ashes of the talismans. He looked up at the roof, stomping his foot in frustration.
“Come down here and let me feel whether your hearts are pounding!”
He leapt upward but abruptly fell back down. The two fox demons paid him no further mind, focusing instead on escaping. Just as they turned, their path was blocked by a massive, ferocious beast. A tiger’s gigantic claw swung toward them.
Instinctively, the two demons raised their arms to block.
Boom——
The two figures were blasted off the rooftop like cannonballs, slamming violently into the passageway below. They rolled several zhang before coming to a stop, the impact leaving the ground beneath them cracked and shattered along their path.
Their fur was torn, fresh blood seeping from the wounds. Crimson streaks flowed from the gaps in their long snouts, dripping onto the ground. The two demons lay motionless, barely clinging to life.
In the distance, the onlookers craned their necks, standing on tiptoes to get a better look at the two unmoving figures. They whispered among themselves.
“They’re not moving anymore.”
“They must be dead…”
“So, that giant beast was summoned by Young Master Lu using some kind of spell? He always seemed so scholarly. Who would’ve thought he’s a true adept, like the ones in the stories…”
Zhou Zhen quickly adjusted his collar and coughed a few times, silencing the murmurs around him.
“Tonight’s events must not be spread beyond this estate. If I hear any talk of this outside, your monthly wages will be docked.”
The elder swept a sharp gaze over the crowd, his commanding presence quieting them completely. Shaking his sleeves, he cast a curious glance at the fallen demons. Seeing that the danger had passed, he began striding toward the scene.
At the same time, Sun Yingxian hurried over to the two fox demons but turned his attention to the scholar nearby.
“Hey, hey… Weren’t you supposed to stay out of this?!”
At the end of the flower-strewn path, Lu Liangsheng walked toward them as well, holding a fallen painting scroll in his hand. Hearing the Daoist’s rebuke, a faint smile played on his lips as his gaze shifted to the two demons on the ground.
“I know you’re skilled, but even the most meticulous plans have their flaws. These two demons still retained their feral instincts, so I had to intervene to stop them.”
Everyone plays their part. Hearing this, Sun Yingxian felt quite pleased with himself. He flipped the bronze mirror in his hand over and over, examining it with a self-satisfied air.
“Of course not… Luckily, these two demons are female. If they were male, I would’ve pinned them down with one hand holding a yellow talisman and the other wielding my Demon-Subduing Mirror, smashing their faces into the ground!”
As the Daoist uttered the word “smashed,” the two fox demons lying motionless on the ground suddenly opened their eyes and exchanged a glance.
“Now’s our chance!”
The red and white foxes flipped over and sprang to their feet, their bodies taut as they prepared to pounce. The elderly Zhou Zhen, who had been halfway across the corridor, cried out in alarm and quickly turned around to retreat.
Two afterimages shot up at an incredible speed. The Daoist flipped his Demon-Subduing Mirror and aimed it toward the demons. However, as the mirror’s light flashed, the two foxes veered off course in a sharp arc and hurtled straight toward the scholar.
Damn it! These fox demons are so cunning!
“Careful!” Sun Yingxian shouted.
The two figures closed in from the left and right, their claws glowing crimson as they grew larger, as though tearing through the night itself. The scholar stood frozen, seemingly oblivious to the impending danger. The claws slashed through his robes and body, but instead of flesh and blood, there was only an unnatural lack of substance.
The red fox’s pupils contracted sharply. Before her very eyes, the scholar disintegrated into a scattering of dust particles. Even Sun Yingxian, who had rushed over, was momentarily stunned.
“A fake…” The red fox exclaimed, her voice sharp. “Sister, we need to run!”
In an instant, a glowing green ghostly face emerged, carrying a wailing gust of sinister wind as it rushed forward, colliding with the red fox. Demonic energy intertwined and clashed violently. A few strands of fox fur gently drifted from the sharp tips of Nie Honglian’s fingernails, falling to the ground.
“Injured and still able to run.”
The crimson eyes shifted, and the two fox demons had already leaped onto the wooden building in the front courtyard, sprinting toward the rooftop by the main gate.
The long street lay cold and quiet, broken by a sudden shout.
“Daren, over there!”
Hiyahhh——
The moonlight spread like frost, casting a pale glow over the darkened sky. Suddenly, the sharp whinny of a horse pierced the night. A figure carrying four blades on his back leaped from the saddle, soaring into the air. The weapons at his waist gleamed with a chilling light under the moon’s gaze.
“Demons! How dare you wreak havoc within the city!”
The two demons, mid-flight along the street, turned their heads. A thin blade sliced through the moonlight, whistling toward them.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing echoed across the street. The white fox swung her arm, her iron-like claws deflecting the incoming blade. The weapon was knocked aside and embedded itself into a nearby wall with a resounding thud, its handle still quivering from the impact.
The next moment, the figure who had leaped from the horse drew another weapon from behind with a swift motion.
“Hah!!”
With a roar, the long blade was unleashed, descending from the sky like an angry arc of light.
For a fleeting instant, the three figures seemed to freeze in mid-air. The white fox suddenly shoved her sister aside, her movements sharp and urgent. The descending blade flashed coldly in the moonlight.
Squelch!
Blood sprayed in all directions!
A piercing fox’s wail rang out, shrill and agonized.
“Ahhh—!”
A bloodied figure crashed to the ground, dragging a crimson streak behind it.
Zuo Zhengyang landed with a resounding thud, gripping a blood-soaked fox tail in his hand. His gaze rose, following the trail of smoke. The red and white foxes had already escaped far into the distance. Without hesitation, he tossed the severed tail to one of Zhou Manor’s servants who had called out earlier. Turning, he pulled the thin blade from the wall.
“Go back and tell Lu Liangsheng that I am pursuing the fox demons.”
With that, he mounted his horse in one smooth motion. Cracking his whip with a sharp snap, he shouted, “Hyah!” and galloped off into the night, the hooves pounding against the ground as he gave chase.
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