Anxious, Gu Qingyun stamped her foot, sending waves of spirit energy rippling outward. The warm current blew over the others, rousing them awake.
Wu Yong and Zhao Si stopped not far outside the Mountain God temple. Overjoyed, Gu Qingyun called back to Head Constable Liu and the others, “Uncle Liu, I’m going outside to check on things. Everyone stay here and wait for my word!” With that, she sprinted toward where Wu Yong and Zhao Si were standing.
“Hey, Girl Gu, you...” Head Constable Liu wanted to ask what was wrong, but Gu Qingyun had already bolted out of the Mountain God temple.
As soon as she stepped outside, her surroundings shifted instantly. Unknown when it had happened, the area ahead had turned into a solemn temple hall, inside which several villagers were worshipping a deity.
Gu Qingyun’s expression turned grim. She was absolutely certain she had just stepped out of the Mountain God temple.
【An illusion.】 Staring at the scene, Gu Qingyun grew deeply anxious. The more time she wasted here, the more dangerous it would be for Wu Yong and Zhao Si.
Just as she was contemplating how to break through, a sharp whistle cut through the air. A pair of snow-white, razor-sharp claws lashed straight toward her heart, their tips as keen as blades.
Gu Qingyun instinctively ducked to the side, her feet swift as the wind. In a few quick strides, she circled behind her attacker, drew her saber, and slashed downward.
The attacker leaned backward to dodge the strike, eyes darting to the blade in her hand with a flicker of apprehension. “Little girl, no wonder you dared to chase after me alone. I didn’t expect you to have such skill. How about I return these two to you, and we go our separate ways?”
Her reply was another mid-air slash from Gu Qingyun. Unable to dodge in time, the attacker blocked directly with its claws, only for Gu Qingyun’s saber to slice off the sharp talons cleanly.
“Fine, fine! Little girl, you really insist on doing this the hard way!” Furious, the creature stopped holding back. A tail whipped out from behind it, wrapping around a large tree nearby, and slammed it toward Gu Qingyun with a deafening crash.
【It’s actually a fox demon.】 Gu Qingyun thought to herself. Unmoved, she charged head-on and delivered a casual slash, releasing a wave of spirit energy infused into her blade.
That spirit energy seemed naturally tailored to counter evil demons. The fox demon felt as though a mountain were pressing down on it, its movements slowing dramatically.
Just as the blade was about to hit, a transparent, mirror-like wall materialized at the fox demon’s feet, shielding it firmly from a meter away.
Gu Qingyun knitted her brows, pouring more strength into her strike as a steady stream of spirit energy surged toward the edge of her blade. In just a few slashes, the mirror-like wall shattered with a loud 【crack】.
Giving the fox demon no time to react, Gu Qingyun struck it directly. Blood poured like a fountain as the fox demon reverted to its true form, glaring at her with venomous hatred. “Smelly girl, you really love poking your nose into other people’s business! If I ever run into you again, I’ll slice you into a thousand—”
Before it could finish speaking, Gu Qingyun’s saber swept through, severing its head in a single stroke.
“Noisy,” Gu Qingyun muttered, glancing at the headless fox demon on the ground, then at her restored surroundings. She turned to search for Wu Yong and Zhao Si.
“Qingyun, what are you doing here?” Wu Yong and Zhao Si ran up to her. “Huh? Why are we outside? Weren’t we keeping watch inside? How did we get out here so suddenly? What on earth happened?”
“Yeah, it’s terrifying out here. Let's hurry back inside,” Zhao Si said, patting his chest in lingering fear.
Gu Qingyun gave a subtle nod. “Mm, let's head back. You two go ahead, I’ll bring up the rear.”
Suspecting nothing, Wu Yong and Zhao Si strode forward, only for Gu Qingyun to dispatch them both from behind with a swift strike each.
“Why?”
“No reason. I simply broke your illusion.”
With a soft rustle, the sounds of slithering snakes, crawling insects, and scurrying vermin carried over on the wind into Gu Qingyun’s ears.
Standing across from her was a snow-white fox that looked little different from a normal one. Traces of blood smeared its mouth, showing that casting such an illusion had taken a heavy toll.
Gu Qingyun looked at it indifferently. “Considering you haven't taken any human lives, I shall grant you mercy today. Otherwise, your soul and body would have already been wiped out.”
Hearing her words, the fox’s fur bristled, its tail twitching frantically behind it as lingering fear flooded its heart. The person across from me is telling the truth. She really has the power to kill me.
At that thought, the fox dropped to its knees, bowing in salute, and spoke in human tongue, “Senior, please spare me this once! I won't dare do it again! I promise to cultivate honestly from now on and never look for shortcuts!”
The fox spirit was filled with bitter regret. It had only heard from other foxes that cultivating with human spirit essence made one’s power grow quickly. Furthermore, demon catchers were rare these days and hard to encounter, so it had wanted to give it a try. Who could have imagined it would nearly lose its life on its very first attempt?
“How can I believe you?” Gu Qingyun’s grip on her saber shifted slightly, looking ready to draw her blade if its answer displeased her.
“I swear! I swear to the Heavenly Dao that I will walk the righteous path from now on! If I ever practice crooked paths again, let my soul be scattered to the winds so that I cannot even become a ghost!”
Gu Qingyun looked at it coolly, shaking her head slowly. “Not enough.”
The fox spirit was on the verge of tears. Still not enough?! It had no idea what else it could do to stifle her killing intent. How had it managed to run into a person like this? Usually, ordinary humans would wet their pants in fear upon seeing a demon. Was it truly destined to die here today?
Remembering that humans loved wealth, it swept its tail, sending several palm-sized chunks of gold flying through the air to land before Gu Qingyun. “Exalted One, please accept these! They were obtained completely legitimately—I picked them up in the mountains long ago!” The fox demon spoke in an obsequious tone, wanting nothing more than to satisfy the person before it.
Gu Qingyun picked up the gold and tucked it into her robes, though in truth, she placed it inside her spiritual artifact space. She then walked up to it slowly, raised a hand, and channeled her cultivation technique, using her spirit energy to engrave a glittering golden rune directly onto its inner core.
“I’ve inscribed a rune on your inner core. The moment you absorb human spirit essence, your core will immediately explode. Mind your behavior.”
“Thank you, Exalted One! This little demon will surely reform and be a good demon!” Having saved its own life, a rune was a small price to pay—anything was better than dying.
“Begone,” Gu Qingyun said calmly.
The fox spirit bowed once more before darting swiftly into the distant mountain woods. As it departed, the last remnants of the illusion slowly shattered. Head Constable Liu and the others stood at the temple entrance holding torches, looking at her.
“Qingyun, what are you standing there daydreaming for? Just now, we were walking in circles inside the temple and couldn't find you, Wu Yong, or Zhao Si anywhere. Another scholar went missing as well!”
Looking at the faint golden light bathing her body, Gu Qingyun turned around as if nothing had happened and smiled. “I just ran into a ghost wall illusion. I was slashing at the air with my saber and was just about to go search for Uncle Wu and the others.”
Head Constable Liu and his men suspected nothing. The group searched outside the temple and finally found the three unconscious men by a dry well. Head Constable Liu stepped forward and dealt three sharp slaps across their faces—a sight so fierce it made Gu Qingyun’s own face sting just watching.
Wu Yong and Zhao Si slowly stirred awake, looking up at Head Constable Liu. “Boss, why are you here?”
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