Chapter 366: The Fox's True Nature

“Thank you, Daoist Master, for your hospitality and accommodation. However, I must continue my journey southward, so I won’t stay any longer,” she said with a slight bow.

“

Meow...”

a soft feline sound came from beside him.

“My deepest thanks to you, Daoist Master Muyunzi. I’m eternally grateful,” Wanjiang added with sincerity.

The maid accompanying them spoke respectfully, “It is truly a blessing for the people of Donghe County to have the esteemed elder Daoist Master residing here. With you guarding this place, I dare say no demons or ghosts would dare come within ten li of this area. I’ve always admired esteemed Daoist Masters like you, who safeguard the peace of a region.”

With a humble wave of his hand, Muyunzi replied, “Oh, you flatter me. This old man has no significant cultivation or abilities. It is all thanks to the efficacy of the Thunder God. If only I were as powerful as you claim, that would be a different story.”

After speaking, he turned to face Song You and bowed.

“Since you still have the world to traverse, I dare not hold you back. Allow me to escort you down the mountain.”

“Thank you,” Song You responded, returning the gesture and ignoring the maid’s words.

Muyunzi accompanied them all the way to the mountain gate. It was only when Song You stopped and requested that he not go further that Muyunzi agreed to halt. Otherwise, he would likely have escorted them all the way to the foot of the mountain or even to the main road beyond the hill.

As they descended, Song You finally addressed the maid, “Your admiration for Duke of Thunder Zhou has been duly noted. The next time I meet him, I’ll be sure to pass along your regards.”

“Please, Daoist Master, have mercy!” the maid exclaimed.

The maid followed closely behind her master, smiling cheekily as she said, “I’ve been cooped up in Changjing for ten years. I was only playing around and teasing, not trying to make fun of that old Daoist Master. Please don’t take it to heart, Daoist Master...”

The cat walking ahead of them turned its head to look back at them, its eyes gleaming with curiosity, as if relishing the drama.

Song You, however, remained silent.

Ahead, two men dressed as officials were making their way up the mountain. Both were stout and slow-moving. They paused frequently to talk, their expressions tinged with concern. Perhaps they were having a hard time hiking due to years of comfort and luxury, or they were just too immersed in their conversation.

“Those two elder gentlemen are truly pitiful,” one said. “They had already retired from their official posts, finally at an age to enjoy peace and family, yet they met such a tragic end...”

“The two elder gentlemen were once high-ranking officials in the court, and though they lived far apart, they both died one after the other. The methods used were so similar. I don’t think this was the work of ghosts or demons—it might have been some old enemies seeking revenge.”

“I heard their heads were twisted off, not chopped. Twisted clean off, as if by sheer force. Their bodies were covered in large gashes, several at that. Their injuries didn’t seem to be caused by blades or swords but more like claw marks left by some monster,” one of the officials described with dramatic detail. “How could that be the work of humans? It was clearly a demon’s doing!”

“But didn’t they hire folk specialists to investigate? And they found no trace of demonic energy.”

“Bah, what can those folk specialists do? If it’s a truly powerful demon, how could they detect anything with just a compass? No, I’m telling you, it’s definitely a demon!” the official insisted.

He added, “This Qingxiao Temple’s Thunder God shrine is renowned as the most effective in Angzhou. Its temple owner, Daoist Muyunzi, is also a highly cultivated master. Since we’re such close friends, I called you here with me under the pretense of a visit so we could both pray to the Thunder God, ask for his protection, and ensure we don’t end up like those two elder gentlemen.

“If we encounter any demons or evil spirits, I’ll manage, but you, dear brother, are still young with a bright future ahead of you.”

“Shh, shh...” The younger official hushed him, gesturing with his mouth for the older one to look ahead.

The older official followed his gaze and looked forward.

Reading for too long had strained his eyes; he couldn't see clearly. Squinting and craning his neck forward did no good either. He could only make out two graceful figures in the distance.

“Ah, my dear brother, I was talking to you about something important, and yet here you are, still so easily distracted by beauty. When will you ever—“

He kept his voice low as he spoke, but the figures descending the mountain grew closer and clearer in his sight. As they approached, their silhouettes became fully visible—slender, elegant forms, breathtakingly beautiful faces, and an otherworldly grace.

Even though he had long passed the age of being enthralled by beauty, he couldn’t help but be stunned into silence. The words he was about to say were swallowed back down his throat.

The women, without glancing sideways, walked past them with calm, measured steps.

However, the maid accompanying them gave a mischievous smile. She glanced back at the officials, her gaze almost enchanting enough to steal their souls.

As the women moved farther away, their figures gradually blurred again, fading from sight. Yet their beauty, grace, and celestial aura remained vividly etched in the officials’ minds. Compared to them, everything else in the mortal world and even the immortals in the heavens seemed like mere dust and ash.

“Hey! Hey!”

When the older official finally snapped out of his daze, the women were already far away, reaching the base of the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, Miss Wanjiang’s carriage and coachman were waiting, along with Song You and the jujube-red horse belonging to Lady Calico. Nearby, a few additional horses and mules stood tethered, likely belonging to those who had come to the shrine to offer incense.

The maid climbed into the carriage first. She retrieved an ancient ebony box and, while opening it, spoke casually to the coachman. “You know what? I don’t think there’s any need for you to drive the carriage anymore. I always end up sitting outside anyway, and I find driving the carriage rather fun. Why don’t you just go inside and rest?”

With that, she aimed the now-open box at the coachman.

The coachman didn’t utter a word, as though he couldn’t speak. He glanced around cautiously to ensure no one was watching. Then, with a loud puff of smoke, he transformed into a frog.

“

Whoosh

!”

The frog hopped straight into the box.

The entire sequence of events piqued the curiosity of Lady Calico. She nearly stood up, stretching her neck to peer closely at the frog inside the box.

“

Bang

!”

The box was swiftly closed and casually tossed into the carriage.

Miss Wanjiang remained by the carriage, her posture graceful as she smiled and asked the Daoist, “Did you overhear the conversation between those two gentlemen?”

“I did,” the Daoist replied.

“Could it be that someone with a blood feud is seeking revenge on those old officials but, unwilling to leave a name like the Thunderstrike Swordmaster, for fear of being discovered, has resorted to imitating us demons?” she mused.

“Who knows?” the Daoist answered.

“Retired court officials, unlike those from the

jianghu

, wouldn't dare leave their names. It’s only natural they would avoid doing so,” Miss Wanjiang said, shaking her head. “It's just that so many of the world's incidents involving demons and spirits are, in the end, caused by humans. Our demon names are tainted because of such actions...”

“...”

Song You wasn’t particularly surprised that she knew.

Previously, she had worked alongside Heroine Wu under Princess Changping’s direction. Both of them had similar tasks, gathering information and intelligence, though they followed different paths. Given that this powerful demon had some knowledge of Heroine Wu, it was only natural that Heroine Wu would have learned something about her in return.

“Rest assured, Daoist Master. I am a demon, not a human. Now that I am free, I no longer concern myself with human affairs. I’ll keep my lips sealed about this. In fact, there are probably very few who know of it in this world.”

“And besides, we know that you share a fateful connection with that

jianghu

woman. Mistress holds you in such high regard. How could we possibly do anything that might displease you?” the maid added with a cheerful smile. “That woman has some abilities. Even if someone were to deduce that those officials weren’t killed by a demon, they wouldn’t be able to trace it back to her.”

“Let’s get going, shall we?”

“Daoist Master, are you implying we’ve been talking too much?”

“Too much already? We’ve been fairly quiet, actually. Daoist Master, I suspect you don’t truly know what foxes are like...”

“...”

The Daoist remained silent, fastening the saddle bag securely onto the horse’s back. He gave the horse a gentle pat to soothe it for its efforts, then leaned on his bamboo staff and began walking ahead. The horse and the cat immediately followed, though the cat kept glancing back, its curious gaze fixed on the two women behind them.

The maid exchanged a glance with her mistress, their silent communication clear.

With a resigned sigh, the woman climbed into the carriage, while the maid cheerfully hopped onto the front board. Grasping the whip, she gave it a light flick.

“

Creak, creak

...”

The carriage began to move slowly, following the Daoist down the path.

After catching up with the Daoist, the maid didn’t cease her chatter. If the Daoist ignored her, she would turn her attention to the cat. Lady Calico, being polite, often responded, and the maid cleverly kept the conversation engaging, occasionally winning her over with interesting topics.

After all, they had shared the rice wine soup she had made the previous evening—one must show gratitude for food offered. Thus, the sound of their chatter accompanied them most of the way.

It was only when they passed other travelers that the conversation paused, if only briefly.

The journey southward continued, with scenic views of mountains and rivers and visits to temples and shrines.

The maid seemed to have entirely dropped her façade, and the woman beside her gradually revealed her fox-like nature—a side of herself that the aristocrats, nobles, and literati of Changjing’s royal courts could never have imagined, let alone witnessed.

***

Several days later...

The group had entered the borders of Fengzhou.

This region wasn’t as wealthy as Angzhou, but it far surpassed the war-torn northern lands ravaged by conflict. The population was relatively dense, and the city was bustling. However, the atmosphere carried a heavier yin energy. Whether this was due to years of arrangement by the State Preceptor, slowly amplifying the yin energy, or because the area’s natural yin energy was already more concentrated—leading the State Preceptor to select it—was unclear.

Additionally, with ghosts from various regions being transported here, Song You could faintly sense ghostly qi in the air.

On the first night after entering Fengzhou, he chose to camp in the wilderness.

The fox demon decided to camp with him. Or rather, she didn’t exactly camp. She had a carriage, and with its roof and canopy, it couldn’t really be considered camping.

That very night, they encountered ghost officials on their nocturnal escort mission.

The spot they chose to rest was a sheltered area not far from the main road, with a small lake nearby. It was still early in the night when the ghost officials appeared. Song You had just finished his meal and was sitting on a rock with his eyes closed, concentrating on the spiritual resonance of the land.

Lady Calico was still sipping her rice wine soup, while the maid had wandered off somewhere. Miss Wanjiang sat on a willow branch that bent toward the lake, hanging very close and almost parallel to the water's surface. Her feet were bare, and her jade-white legs were exposed. It wasn’t clear whether she was playing with the water or washing her feet.

The moonlight reflected off the lake, creating a sparkling surface. The ghost officials, escorting their spectral charges, slowly approached.

“Looks like there’s someone over there...”

“Who cares!”

“They don’t seem to be asleep yet.”

“Leave them be. Let’s just do our job. Since they choose to camp in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night and refuse to sleep, it’s their own fault if they get scared out of their wits.”

“Wait... I think I see a Daoist priest? And why is the heaven and earth spiritual qi in that area so abundant?”

“Eh? Could it be a cultivation master?”

“Ah! My eyes hurt!”

“Mine too! Don’t look too long!”

“So what should we...”

“Be careful!”

The ghost officials quickly became more cautious, passing quietly along the main road while sneaking glances at the scene nearby.

Some of them saw the Daoist priest meditating on the stone. Others noticed the calico cat nearby, sipping her rice wine soup while occasionally casting curious, unafraid glances their way.

Then there was the woman perched on the tree branch, her bare feet dangling as she played with the water, her head turned to observe them. The more they looked, the more astonished—and unsettled—they became.

At that moment, the Daoist priest opened his eyes and glanced at them.

The heaven and earth spiritual qi that had gathered around him swirled and lingered, neither concealed nor restrained. To the ghost officials, it seemed as if he was glowing, making the figure of this meditating Daoist priest appear more divine than any celestial being.

Being gazed at by such a presence sent a shiver through their very souls.

Fortunately, the Daoist priest merely looked at them a few times before noticing that they were following the main road. He then closed his eyes again.

Only then did the ghost officials dare to breathe a sigh of relief. Once they had put some distance between themselves and the group, they began whispering among themselves, debating who that extraordinary figure could possibly be and whether they should report the encounter to the State Preceptor.