Chapter 607: Innate Conscience! The Dignified Lady Hu! Overbearing Actions! Responding to Every Request!

“The two of you speak in a way I can’t quite understand. What exactly is going on?” Lady Hu asked curiously.

“The Zhou family of Linjiang County traded with the demon clans, abducting people and selling them into the hands of demons. The demon involved in this transaction is you, Lady Hu. I came here because of this,” Li Yanchu said solemnly, looking directly into her eyes.

“What?! Abducting people and trading with demons?!”

Lady Hu was shocked and hurriedly explained, “Although I am a demon in cultivation, I also wish to achieve proper spiritual accomplishment. Therefore, I accumulate merit points to benefit the people. I would never commit a crime, let alone traffic humans.”

Her words left Li Yanchu and Ming He silent once again. This fox lady radiated an aura of merit; it was clear she genuinely accumulated good deeds.

“The truth of this matter remains unclear. I ask, Lady Hu, that you come with us,” Li Yanchu said solemnly.

He did not immediately assume she wasn’t the Lady Hu they were searching for, but he wanted to take her away from this place first.

“Do you not trust me, Daoist Master?” Lady Hu asked.

“This matter is of great importance. Since you wish to cultivate merit, wouldn’t resolving this be a great merit? What do you think?” Li Yanchu replied.

Lady Hu paused for a moment, then nodded. “What you say is not wrong. Very well, I will accompany you.”

Ming He looked at the dignified Lady Hu, feeling a little confused.

The feedback from the Heart-Questioning Method indicated there was absolutely nothing wrong.

From beginning to end, this fox lady had not spoken a single lie and held no malice toward either of them.

They had placed no binding restrictions on her body; of course, unless Li Yanchu used force to subdue her, she would never allow herself to be manipulated.

“This matter feels... off,” Li Yanchu said, frowning slightly.

The Lady Hu who had traded with the Zhou family of Shanhai Tower, according to Zhou Yushu, was a stunningly seductive woman. Yet, when they tracked the information to a temple, they found only a dignified temple goddess.

Li Yanchu kept this Fox Immortal Lady close, to prevent her from using her great magical power to mask her aura.

They then went to the county office to verify her identity. They discovered that in Donglin Commandery, there was no other Lady Hu. Only in Gaoling County was there a grand fox temple.

The three of them traveled to a secluded spot outside the city. Li Yanchu used an Eight Trigrams Mirror to examine her.

This Lady Hu had absolutely nothing wrong with her. She was also not a clone or duplicate; it was her true body. Her cultivation level was roughly between the rudimentary and intermediate second realm.

Normally, demonic beings cultivated slowly, unless they took a dark path, like consuming humans, which accelerated their growth significantly.

“This matter is of great importance. I ask, Your Grace, that you accompany us to the prefectural city of Donglin.” Li Yanchu spoke solemnly.

Lady Hu furrowed her brows. “I have explained myself politely, and I have even come to you here. Yet you still do not trust me. I am unwilling to go to the prefectural city.”

Up to now, Li Yanchu had always slain demons, ghosts, evil cultivators, and wild spirits. But today’s situation was extraordinarily strange. If he killed the wrong person, he would commit a grave sin.

Still, he could not allow Lady Hu to remain in Gaoling County. If she were using some special technique to conceal her aura, it would make him a laughingstock if he failed to act.

After thinking it through, Li Yanchu realized that even if she was unwilling, there was no other choice at this time.

Swish!

The blade gleamed; the Jiaoslayer was drawn. A crack dozens of meters long appeared on the ground. It was an extremely straight, perfectly linear fissure, filled with a domineering sword intent.

“Daoist Master, what are you doing?!” Lady Hu said in alarm.

“If this matter truly has nothing to do with you, I will apologize in the future. But if you do not comply now, do not blame me for being merciless with my sword,” Li Yanchu said in a stern voice.

He had no personal grudge against demons. As long as they cultivated peacefully and harmed no one, he would leave them alone. But feeding on or harming humans was absolutely intolerable.

Thus, dealing with this Fox Immortal Lady in this way went somewhat against his own inclinations, giving a sense of using force to compel someone.

Lady Hu was silent. She glanced at Li Yanchu and the Jiaoslayer in his hand, then at Minghe.

With a soft sigh, she said, “You act with overwhelming authority, Daoist Master. What can I say? I will follow you.”

Li Yanchu nodded, and he produced the Heaven-Earth Demonbane Godshuttle. After channeling his power into it, it immediately transformed into a small boat.

“A flying artifact?” Lady Hu exclaimed in surprise.

“It won’t take long, and if all goes smoothly, I will personally escort you back.” Li Yanchu said with a smile.

The three of them boarded the shuttle-boat formed by the artifact. In a flash of light, they soared toward the horizon...

***

In Gaoling County...

Inside the Fox Immortal Lady Temple, people knelt in a dense crowd: Some prayed for children, some for healing, some for marriage, for success in exams, for wealth, for disaster relief and protection...

The temple was packed with worshippers, all seeking blessings. The temple deity was so busy that it seemed like her feet never touched the ground, and her throat was nearly smoking from all the shouting.

The Fox Immortal Lady Temple’s incense and offerings weren’t particularly abundant, but sometimes requests would all come at once, making the place exceptionally lively.

A ragged young girl quietly slipped into the temple and knelt before Lady Hu.

“Please, Lady, save my mother. Save my mother. My mother is about to die,” the scruffy little girl pleaded desperately.

The crowd unconsciously recoiled at her smell, showing some disdain.

A well-to-do woman could not help but sneer, “Where did this little beggar come from, running into the Fox Immortal Lady Temple?”

She felt that kneeling in the same temple as such a girl diminished her own status.

The little girl seemed oblivious, continuously bowing before Lady Hu, even scraping her head enough to draw blood.

The woman at first kept muttering complaints, but seeing the girl’s persistence and sincerity, she awkwardly fell silent.

From the statue of the Fox Immortal Lady, a dignified and serene woman stepped down, her expression gentle and compassionate.

“Do you wish for your mother to recover?” the stately Fox Immortal Lady spoke kindly.

The little girl froze, looking up slightly, realizing a majestic, dignified woman now stood before her.

Yet the people around seemed not to notice at all.

“Yes... yes. I want to save my mother. I will do anything, please, Lady, save my mother.” The girl bowed repeatedly.

The onlookers were astonished, thinking the girl had lost her mind and was talking to thin air.

“To cure your mother, you must offer your most precious possession. Are you willing?” the Fox Immortal Lady asked with a gentle smile.

Without hesitation, the little girl cried out, “I’m willing! I’m willing! Please, Lady, save my mother.”

The Fox Immortal Lady smiled. “Very well. Go home and see for yourself, your mother’s illness has been cured.”

The girl froze, staring at Lady Hu in disbelief. Then, with a burst of excitement, she leapt to her feet and ran out the temple doors.

She wanted to see her mother, bedridden for days, nearly dead from not being able to afford medicine.

As she ran, a ray of spiritual light shot from above her head, descending and merging into Fox Immortal Lady.

The Fox Immortal Lady exhaled a sigh of contentment, her gaze utterly serene and dignified.