Night had fallen as Fang Zhou and Ling Xiaoyue took their seats in the sedan provided by the Wang Family, heading to the Hu Family residence to exorcise the demon foxes.
Sitting in the sedan, Fang Zhou reminisced about the bits of knowledge Ling Xiaoyue had shared with him before they left the Wang Family estate.
Fox demons usually operate as families, with only one nest of fox demons in a given area. A nest would contain no more than ten at most. If there were more, the dominant fox demon would drive the young out to fend for themselves and spread out.
Ling Xiaoyue and Fang Zhou had altogether slain five fox demons; therefore, it was highly probable that there were still five remaining in the Hu residence, two adults and three young ones.
Ling Xiaoyue had made it clear that she would only deal with the two adult fox demons, leaving the three younger ones for Fang Zhou. This served as training for him and an opportunity to gain experience.
Fang Zhou now understood why Ling Xiaoyue had taught him the New Moon Qi and swordsmanship—it was all for this purpose.
He did not refuse. Had this been when he first arrived at Qingde City, he certainly would have rejected the offer, but now he has gained some confidence. Even if he couldn't beat them, he could at least run away.
If he was lucky, perhaps there wouldn't be as many as three young demon foxes in the Hu residence.
Opening the system panel, Fang Zhou allocated the unused 4 points of manliness entirely to Spirit, boosting his spiritual resistance and ensuring that he could shake off any illusion technique the demon foxes might use.
Name: Fang Zhou
Realm: Qi Refining Realm (entry-level)
Techniques: New Moon Qi, Qi Refinement Technique
Skills: Illusion Technique, Hu Lai's Left Hand, Fireball Technique, Simple and Understandable Swordsmanship
Strength: 4
Speed: 5
Constitution: 4
Spirit: 6
Manliness: 0
Unknowingly, Fang Zhou had already acquired four skills. The Simple and Understandable Swordsmanship was the swordsmanship technique taught to him by Ling Xiaoyue. He initially wanted to give it a name full of swagger on his own, but as he hadn't come up with a suitable one, he just left it as is. Unexpectedly, the system went ahead and named it something with zero swagger.
But this swordsmanship technique was indeed simple and understandable. One just needed to remember the actions and changes in the moves, plus a few key points, following the Qi circulation pathways of the Qi Refinement Technique.
After two days of practice, Fang Zhou was already performing it quite adeptly.
The sedan moved through the streets and alleys and soon arrived at the gate of the Hu residence, where Hu Zhaici personally greeted them at the entrance.
"Welcome, honored masters. Your presence truly graces the Hu Family with distinguished glory."
Hu Zhaici bowed profoundly, almost to the point of bending down to the ground.
Ling Xiaoyue accepted the greeting indifferently and waved her hand, "Mr. Hu, no need for such formality. It is said that cultivators travel the mortal world for—ah! Why the heck are you pinching me?"
Ling Xiaoyue turned around and glared at Fang Zhou, grabbing a wine pot and hurling it toward him.
Fang Zhou, with an unflustered expression, swatted the wine pot away.
I pinched you to stop you from spouting that nonsense again. I'm almost brainwashed by that line, for crying out loud!
Hu Zhaici watched the two with a peculiar gaze. If he hadn't confirmed their identities beforehand, he might have suspected them to be frauds, impersonating cultivators, as they lacked any semblance of a cultivator's demeanor.
Yet his face remained expressionless as he made a welcoming gesture with his hand, "Please, masters, come inside."
Ling Xiaoyue shot Fang Zhou a look that said we'll settle this when we get back, then walked ahead into the Hu residence.
Fang Zhou followed behind, glancing up at the residence plaque, feeling a mix of nervousness and anticipation.
Disregarding that night two days prior, this time Fang Zhou was actively setting out to slay demons—this was what he envisioned a true cultivator to be: chivalrous and filled with vigor, wielding a sword to purge evil spirits.
Not those who scammed meals, jacked up prices, or took advantage of health and wellness scams.
The group entered the Hu residence, passing through courtyards and gardens, and arrived at the main hall.
To their surprise, there were two beautiful young girls looking at them with large, curious eyes, mainly focusing their attention on Fang Zhou.
"These two are my daughters, Hu Yiling and Hu Yirui, who are a bit unruly. Please forgive their behavior."
Hu Zhaici introduced them to Ling Xiaoyue and Fang Zhou and then instructed his daughters, "Hurry up and greet the masters."
The two young girls glanced at each other, bowed with their hands folded and said in unison, "Greetings to both masters."
After they spoke, their four large eyes continued to gaze unblinkingly at Fang Zhou.
Fang Zhou feigned indifference, but inside he was secretly on guard. The looks in the eyes of these two women were almost identical to the way Li Ruyu had looked at him initially.
You know what they're thinking without even having to guess.
You're thinking about eating farts, aren't you?
A dissatisfied snort from Hu Zhaici finally made the two daughters' unbridled stares subside a bit.
Only then did he turn to Ling Xiaoyue and say, "Master, my third daughter..."
Ling Xiaoyue sat down carelessly, interrupting him: "Boss Hu, demon extermination is the duty of us cultivators; you needn't worry about that. However, my apprentice and I wander across the world, always extending a helping hand to those afflicted by evil spirits. Yet, we have no means of making a living, leading us to a life of poverty due to an empty wallet. We often have no idea where our next meal will come from. I hope Boss Hu can demonstrate some humanitarian spirit and sponsor some travel expenses. My apprentice and I would be eternally grateful."
Hu Zhaici's mouth twitched slightly, and he finally couldn't help but curse inwardly.
Damn, just ask for money straightforwardly, no need for such sanctimonious and fresh platitudes. You think I don't know you've just earned tens of thousands of silver from the Wang Family? Empty wallet, my ass!
At that moment, Hu Zhaici and his two daughters looked at Ling Xiaoyue and Fang Zhou as if they were shameless rogues who'd gladly trade their lives for money.
Ling Xiaoyue's skin was incredibly thick, and such disdainful gazes were like a gentle breeze to her, not even comparable to the feeling of solid banknotes slapping her face.
Fang Zhou's skin wasn't as thick, and he felt a bit embarrassed under their stares.
Ah, if only I'd known to make a mask to cover my face; otherwise, my reputation will soon be in the negatives.
Fortunately, Hu Zhaici was prepared. With a light clap of his hands, several servants walked into the hall with several large trays of gold, approaching Ling Xiaoyue.
"These pieces of gold..."
Hu Zhaici was about to give Ling Xiaoyue an introduction.
But the gleam in Ling Xiaoyue's eyes couldn't wait any longer; she directly used her Sleeve Universe Technique, sweeping all the gold on the trays into her possession in a single gesture.
Hu Zhaici's face stiffened, half of what he was about to say caught in his throat, and veins popped on his forehead.
Damn, I wasn't planning to give you all of it!
Yet, Ling Xiaoyue's use of the Sleeve Universe Technique still made Hu Zhaici's eyes narrow.
He coughed and chased away the stunned servants, then said to Ling Xiaoyue, "Master, my third daughter, Hu Yiye, is seriously ill. I've heard that the master possesses the miraculous ability to revive the dying. Could you perhaps save my daughter's life first?"
Ling Xiaoyue, delighted at having received the money, beamed, "No problem, let my apprentice handle it. He's best at treating patients with physical depletion."
Seeing that Hu Zhaici and his three daughters were looking at him, Fang Zhou nodded nonchalantly - it's just a matter of using the whip and meatballs, nice and simple.
Although the whip was gone now, the meatballs, oh no, the Yang Reviving Pills, Ling Xiaoyue had indeed given him a few.
Hu Zhaici looked intently at Fang Zhou for a few moments, then turned to his two daughters and said, "Take this master to see your sister."
Hu Yiling and Hu Yirui immediately winked at Fang Zhou with grinning faces: "Master, please follow us."
Fang Zhou looked at Ling Xiaoyue, who nodded at him. This was what they had agreed upon before; the big fox demon was Ling Xiaoyue's responsibility, while the smaller fox demons would be dealt with by Fang Zhou.
However, before leaving, Ling Xiaoyue stood up and gently touched the philtrum area under Fang Zhou's nose, and then patted his shoulder significantly, saying meaningfully, "Go on, come back early."
Touched lightly by Ling Xiaoyue, Fang Zhou's nose suddenly felt different, a strong odor of fox musk hitting him, causing him to sneeze involuntarily.
"Sorry!"
Fang Zhou quickly apologized to the Hu family, who looked at him in surprise.
Hu Yiling and Hu Yirui, unsuspecting, led the way, and Fang Zhou followed closely behind them.
"Master, where are you from?"
"Master, how old are you this year?"
After leaving the main hall, the two girls immediately became lively, bombarding Fang Zhou with questions about his privacy and getting very close to him, almost hanging on him.
Fang Zhou was extremely uncomfortable because a strong odor of fox musk wafted from the two girls. After sniffing it for a while, he felt it was too overwhelming.
But he had no choice but to act as if nothing was wrong, gasping for air without wanting to be noticed; he was really caught in a bind.
They arrived at a secluded small courtyard, and Hu Yiling and Hu Yirui led Fang Zhou into a room in the yard.
The room was simply furnished and the air was slightly stagnant; a girl, skinny to the extreme, lay on the bed, as if all the blood and flesh from her body had vanished, leaving only skin wrapped around bones.
Fang Zhou was taken aback; he hadn't expected the girl to be so gravely ill.
What surprised him even more was that he didn't smell any fox musk from this girl.