Master Ji sent her disciple to tail someone, while she herself was secretly lurking in the garden.
Even if she were discovered, with the disciple drawing attention ahead, she could escape in time.
She lurked until midnight without any commotion and just when Master Ji thought it was a wasted trip, suddenly a cold breeze swept by, making her shiver.
Lacking in strength but rich in experience, Master Ji immediately realized the demon fox had arrived.
She crawled forward like a big rat in the flowerbed, all the way to the open courtyard. Poking her head out, she saw a delicate little boy not far away, draped in fox fur, blankly sucking his thumb.
Hearing the noise, the little boy turned around, his nearly white-less black eyes staring directly at Master Ji.
Master Ji, without a change in expression, slowly stood up, revealing a kindly smile, "Little darling, why are you wandering around alone so late at night? Come over to auntie."
While speaking, Master Ji's hand stealthily reached into the bundle on her back, groping for a packet of Strong Fox Killing Medicine.
Having traveled widely, Master Ji, tough and experienced, thought if she couldn't handle a big fox, surely she could deal with a small one and decided to start with this little fox tonight.
The little boy stared blankly at her for quite a while before saying, "I'm waiting for my mom and sister."
"Oh, so you're waiting for someone."
Master Ji took two steps forward, slowly pulling out the Strong Fox Killing Medicine, her smile growing more benevolent, "And where are your mom and sister?"
The little boy tilted his head and pointed behind Master Ji, "They're right behind you."
Master Ji stiffened, slowly turning her head to look behind, only to find four beautiful women had appeared at some unknown time, glaring at her unfriendly, eyes also fixed on the Strong Fox Killing Medicine in her hand.
Master Ji pulled off an awkward smile, "Misunderstanding... sisters, all a misunderstanding!"
"Who's your sister?"
One of the women coldly spoke, waving her hand.
With a slap sound, despite being several meters away, a red palm mark appeared on Master Ji's face, flipping her over to the ground.
That woman, still not pacified, waved her hand repeatedly, sending out invisible energy that thrashed Master Ji around the ground, begging for mercy.
A beautiful lady raised her hand to stop her, looking at Master Ji on the ground with a smile, asking, "What is your relationship with the cultivator from the Wang Family?"
Master Ji realized the opportunity had come, whether she lived or died depended on her answer.
Enduring the pain, she quickly said, "Enemies, me and those two are mortal enemies, you've got the wrong person."
Master Ji thought she hadn't said anything wrong, after all, rivals in the same profession, right?
The beautiful lady hadn't answered yet when suddenly a light laugh rang from above.
The fox demons, startled, hurriedly looked up.
They saw a celestial-like beauty in white lying on a tree canopy, holding a wine jug, smilingly watching them.
"So, it turns out we are enemies, Master Ji."
Ling Xiaoyue, smiling, said to Master Ji, "I was actually thinking of rescuing you, but you've gone and treated me as your enemy, how sad. But no worries, I don't hold grudges."
Master Ji pulled off an awkward smile again, "Misunderstanding... all a misunderstanding!"
The beautiful lady stared at Ling Xiaoyue in the tree, asking, "Are you the cultivator who hurt my child?"
Ling Xiaoyue laughed, "If you mean the little fox from last night, then yes, that was me."
The lady also smiled, "Then choose your way to die—dismemberment, skinning, or soul extraction?"
Ling Xiaoyue shook her wine jug, "I choose... sliced white fox, or braised is fine too."
...
Ling Xiaoyue was true to her word, the whip indeed had a miraculous effect, inflicting special damage on the demon fox.
Fang Zhou, using Hu Lai's left hand in conjunction with the whip, successfully shattered the demon fox.
But he also sustained quite a few injuries.
However, the successful mission alert didn't pop up, and the smashed demon fox reappeared unscathed the next moment, baring its teeth and pouncing at him again.
"Undying Body?"
Fang Zhou was shocked; he hadn't even left the novice village, how could he encounter a boss of this level?
Without time to think, Fang Zhou could only pick up the whip again and entangle with the demon fox.
After smashing the demon fox for the third time, Fang Zhou finally realized that he might have fallen for an Illusion Technique.
A regular fox needing to seek human males for nourishment couldn't possibly possess such a high-end skill as Undying Body, and besides, Ling Xiaoyue had mentioned that this demon fox was only in the Qi Refining Realm and was adept at Illusion Technique.
So, the likelihood that he was under an illusion was the greatest.
Fang Zhou faced the demon fox's fourth attack, starting to ponder how to break the illusion technique.
Usually, he was the one casting illusion techniques on others, and this was the first time he himself had fallen victim to one.
As Fang Zhou kept hammering the demon fox in the illusion, the demon fox was also deeply trapped in it.
The demon fox had never expected Fang Zhou to be proficient in illusion techniques. As it cast an illusion on Fang Zhou, Fang Zhou retaliated with several illusions of his own, and both ended up entangled in the illusions.
Unaware that it was caught in the illusion, the demon fox looked at the dazed Fang Zhou, suddenly revealing a coy smile. This man was far more handsome than Wang Minghong, which made it itch with desire. It just wondered if he was still a virgin.
However, it didn't dare let its guard down and continued to maintain the illusion, waiting until it was sure Fang Zhou was deeply ensnared before lunging at him with a fierce smile, "Let me show you what I can do!"
...
In reality.
A young novice monk observed from outside the yard for a while, noting that Fang Zhou and the demon fox were still standing motionless, seemingly lost in thought.
He remembered something his master had once mentioned: cultivators and demons can engage in soul-level combat while their bodies remain motionless. If someone were to damage their bodies at this moment, it could lead to the downfall of their souls.
Realizing his opportunity, the novice quickly climbed over the wall into the yard, approaching cautiously. Seeing that neither Fang Zhou nor the demon fox reacted, his courage gradually grew.
He first walked up to the demon fox, waved his hand, and then went to Fang Zhou.
Looking at Fang Zhou's stern, starry-eyed face, the novice felt like he had eaten a dozen lemons, the sourness almost making his teeth fall out.
"Hmph, a seductive, cheap creature, surely using that face to charm women all the time."
Out of indignant fury, the novice pulled out a small dagger and started gesturing towards Fang Zhou's face.
"Don't blame me, blame your face for being prettier than mine."
As the novice pondered how to scar Fang Zhou's face, he didn't notice the demon fox behind him suddenly baring a fierce grin and pouncing over.
Caught off guard, the novice was knocked to the ground, nearly petrified in fright, and frantically struggled.
"Let me go, you demon fox! My master is nearby, what are you trying to do?!"
"Don't—ah!"
...
Finally, Fang Zhou thought of a way to break the illusion, although he couldn't be sure it would work, it was worth a try.
He cast an illusion on himself.
Suddenly, the entire world twisted, two bizarre scenes intertwining and tearing at each other, various eerie sounds infiltrating Fang Zhou's mind. It was as if someone was roaring in the distance and whispering in his ears, crying, laughing, screaming—all these sounds mingled together.
Fang Zhou felt a splitting headache and an irritable sensation welled up from within. However, the bizarre scenery and sounds soon vanished, and the world returned to calm.
Fang Zhou broke free from the illusion and before he could feel relieved, he heard a sound.
He looked down and jumped out of fright, leaping three feet high and bouncing far away.
"Damn, what the hell are you playing at... Damn, my eyes!"
Fang Zhou felt like his eyes would be scorched blind. These two people, no, one person and one fox had gone mad. Even if you're irresistibly attracted to each other, at least consider the setting.
Unable to bear the sight any longer, he summoned Hu Lai's left hand and smashed it down.
The demon fox, hit by the left hand on its back, wasn't very powerful apart from its illusion and Wind Control Technique, and was still at the Qi Refining Realm. It was directly knocked down by the punch, spitting blood.
This punch also woke the demon fox up from the illusion. It just regained consciousness and was still dazed when Fang Zhou landed another punch, knocking it to the ground.
"Thump—"
A plume of blue smoke appeared, and the human form of the demon fox vanished, revealing its true form—a yellow fox, slightly smaller than a hunting dog, with a fluffy tail.
The demon fox glared at Fang Zhou hatefully, then leapt into the air, darted toward the courtyard exit.
"Think you can escape?"
Hu Lai's left hand couldn't reach, and Fang Zhou, in a rush, picked up a whip and hurled it forcefully at the demon fox, while enduring a headache to cast another illusion.
Struck by the illusion, the demon fox fell into a stupor, and the whip, like lightning, hit it directly on the buttocks, causing a penetrating wound.
The demon fox hit the wall with a smack, then fell to the ground, convulsing, its large eyes filled with humiliation and defiance.
Fang Zhou didn't expect to be so accurate and breathed a sigh of relief; though the hit was lewd, the ends justify the means.
He looked down at the novice, opened his mouth, not knowing what to say; at this moment, he didn't know what expression was appropriate.
The novice silently gathered his torn clothes, stood up, and limped out of the courtyard.
Soon after, Fang Zhou heard muffled cries coming from outside the courtyard.