Ah Jiu tilted his head slightly, peering at Mo Yuan from the corner of his eye. Seeing Mo Yuan’s expression, a look of suspicion immediately stained his innocent face.
This stingy man would not be so kind!
Despite his inner doubts, when Ah Jiu turned to face Shi Yu, he still smiled in a naive and innocent manner. “I know, brother.”
Seeing the little fox looking so well-behaved, especially in contrast to Mo Yuan, Shi Yu took Ah Jiu’s hand, and his originally cool demeanor could not help but soften a little.
“My name is Shi Yu, and he is Mo Yuan. You can follow us for the time being.”
“Mm, I know, Brother A-Yu!” Ah Jiu nodded obediently.
Listening to their conversation, Mo Yuan’s eyes sank slightly. Having already understood the brat’s tricks, he remained silent.
When Shi Yu turned to pack his things, Mo Yuan reached out and grabbed Ah Jiu.
“Little fox, do not push your luck. You are not allowed to call him A-Yu!”
Mo Yuan’s expression sharpened, and his low voice rose abruptly.
“Stingy brother, stingy, I will not talk to you!”
Ah Jiu shouted angrily, then closed his eyes and covered his ears, refusing to listen to Mo Yuan.
The chill in Mo Yuan’s eyes deepened. He leaned into Ah Jiu’s ear and whispered coldly, “You had better not make me angry!”
Feeling the breath near his ear, Ah Jiu’s small body trembled uncontrollably, and he froze on the spot.
Mo Yuan curled the corners of his mouth into a faint smile and walked out with a light step.
Shi Yu was standing outside, his gaze fixed on the entrance of the village, appearing completely unaware of their interaction.
“A-Yu, what are you looking at?”
Mo Yuan walked quickly to Shi Yu’s side and followed his gaze, but he did not discover any abnormalities.
In truth, Shi Yu did not see anything unusual; it was only because the system had just reminded him that a hidden mission had been triggered.
“Congratulations to Shi Yu for triggering a hidden mission: Please help Ah Jiu find his mother and kill her.”
Shi Yu recalled the mission reminder from the system, a flash of confusion crossing his dark eyes.
According to Ah Jiu’s account, his mother was already dead. Why would he need to kill her? Could it be…
“Senior Brother, do you think those people are truly dead?”
Shi Yu retracted his gaze and turned to look at Mo Yuan.
“They truly have no breath, but they are able to move at night. I am still inclined to believe that they are not dead.”
Mo Yuan recalled the scene he saw last night, his brow furrowing slightly, and his peach-blossom eyes reflecting deep thought.
Shi Yu’s entire aura seemed restless. He stared fixedly at the center of the village, looking distracted.
But the system wants me to kill her. What will happen to Ah Jiu?
Mo Yuan sensed that something was wrong with Shi Yu and was about to ask, but Ah Jiu walked out of the house with his head hanging low.
“Brother Shi Yu, can we go look for my mother now?”
Shi Yu looked at his dejected expression, assuming it was simply because he missed his mother, so he did not think much of it.
A hint of amusement flashed in Mo Yuan’s eyes. He felt quite satisfied with Ah Jiu’s performance when he heard how the boy addressed Shi Yu. However, when Shi Yu led Ah Jiu past him, the little fox actually dared to glare at him.
Mo Yuan raised an eyebrow in surprise and curled his lips; this brat had quite a lot of courage.
“Senior Brother, let us go into the village to take a look.”
After calling for Mo Yuan, Shi Yu pulled Ah Jiu along and asked, “Ah Jiu, can you take us to your home?”
Ah Jiu nodded obediently and led Shi Yu forward.
The three arrived at a dilapidated hut. This house looked out of place in the village, and Shi Yu could not help but feel a sense of emotion.
It seemed that Ah Jiu and his mother lived a very difficult life. Misfortunes truly never came singly.
“Mother is inside. Uncle Lin buried her before, but she still appears when night falls.”
Ah Jiu looked at his familiar home, recalling what had happened earlier, his face filled with confusion.
“Uncle Lin?” Mo Yuan heard this unfamiliar name and looked at Ah Jiu with an inquiring gaze.
But Ah Jiu did not look at him at all, explaining only to Shi Yu.
“Uncle Lin is our village chief. He often helped my mother and me with manual labor, but he is dead too. Everyone in the village is dead. Wuwuwu.”
As Ah Jiu spoke, he began to sob again.
Shi Yu signaled Mo Yuan with his eyes, and Mo Yuan nodded after receiving the hint.
Shi Yu picked up Ah Jiu and walked into the dilapidated house.
On the simple bed, the corpse had already begun to rot. The face was terrifying, and pale red blood had stained the bedding.
She lay there quietly without a trace of breath, like a real corpse.
Ah Jiu struggled to get down and rushed toward the bed.
“Mother, Ah Jiu is back. Please wake up and look at Ah Jiu.”
But the person on the bed did not provide any response.
White light flashed, and Ah Jiu turned back into a white fox, circling the corpse incessantly, as if wanting to do something.
“Shi Yu, stop him.”
A cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang out in Shi Yu’s mind, the sound shaking his head with pain.
With no time to think, Shi Yu stepped forward and pulled Ah Jiu away.
The little fox continued to struggle, calling out desperately toward the bed.
Mo Yuan was also startled by Shi Yu’s sudden movement and quickly stepped forward to help.
“What is the matter, A-Yu?”
Shi Yu did not speak; he merely stared at the little fox with a frown, raising a hand to press against his aching head.
“Ah Jiu, what were you trying to do just now?”
Shi Yu’s tone was exceptionally serious, staring straight at Ah Jiu, waiting for an explanation.
Mo Yuan had never seen Shi Yu looking so serious and grave, and he was quite puzzled.
“I want to save Mother! I want to save Mother!”
Ah Jiu turned back into a child, gradually stopping his struggle. Held in Shi Yu’s arms, he buried his face in Shi Yu’s shoulder and cried.
“System, what was Ah Jiu doing just now?”
Seeing that he could not get an answer, Shi Yu simply asked the system directly.
“He is a nine-tailed fox demon. He was likely trying to bring his mother back to life by transferring his cultivation essence.”
The system’s mechanical voice continued: “His mother’s demon core is still intact. If he forcibly transfers his essence, both of them will die.”
The demon core is still there, so she is truly not dead yet. But why did she become like this?
After listening to the system’s explanation, Shi Yu held Ah Jiu closer, feeling a lingering fear.
“Ah Jiu, be good. Brother will definitely help you.”
Shi Yu’s eyes flickered with contemplation, and his face was full of worry.
Ah Jiu was still small and could not lose his mother. He did not know what the penalty for failing the mission was, but it was worth a try.
Shi Yu raised his eyes to look at the person on the bed, his gaze gradually becoming firm.
Mo Yuan saw that Shi Yu had calmed Ah Jiu down and walked to the bed, carefully observing the person lying there.
“A-Yu, come and take a look. Something is wrong with her.”
Mo Yuan’s peach-blossom eyes were now fixed on the red light emanating from the person’s body.
Shi Yu also pulled Ah Jiu to the bedside.
“Little brat, was your mother like this before?”
Mo Yuan turned to ask Ah Jiu, and Ah Jiu stared at his mother in confusion as well.
“No, Mother’s body never glowed with red light.”
Mo Yuan looked at Shi Yu, and Shi Yu naturally understood his meaning. He raised his hand to cast a spell toward the red light.
However, when the spell touched the red light, it vanished instantly.
Shi Yu felt a wave of heat in his hand and quickly pulled it back.
Seeing his reaction, Mo Yuan asked urgently, “A-Yu, are you alright?”
Shi Yu shook his head slightly and looked at the palm he had just used to cast the spell; his originally fair palm was now slightly red.
Mo Yuan hurriedly grabbed Shi Yu’s hand, took out a medicine bottle, and applied the ointment with gentle movements.
Shi Yu raised his eyes to look at Mo Yuan, meeting his gaze, which was filled with concern.