Chapter 121: Meeting the Demon Fox Again

Chengji Road, Changsheng Travel Agency.

A series of urgent knocks rang out.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Cui Yue was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He had come to find the bespectacled man, hoping he might have a solution.

"Hey, young man, who are you looking for?"

The travel agency's receptionist, a middle-aged woman, rattled a bunch of keys while munching on melon seeds, her voice muffled.

"Ma'am, where is the person staying in this room? I have something urgent to discuss with him!"

Cui Yue gestured vaguely to describe the bespectacled man's appearance and height.

"Oh, you must be his friend! I remember seeing you here a few days ago."

The receptionist had a sudden realization; no wonder the young man looked so familiar.

"Yes, that's right! It’s me. Have you seen him lately?"

"No. Your friend is renting this room long-term. He said he had an urgent matter to attend to a few days ago and hasn't returned since."

The woman spat out a seed husk, selected a key from her ring, and turned it in the lock. With a creak, the wooden door opened a crack.

"Go on in. Lock the door when you leave."

With that, she returned to the duty room, still snacking on her melon seeds.

Cui Yue pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was indeed empty, its furnishings left untouched. However, a note was left on the table with only a single sentence: *Cui Yue, I have an urgent matter to attend to for a few days. If you need me, wait for my return.*

Holding the note, he felt a wave of frustration and slumped heavily into a rattan chair.

"Hee hee hee!"

Suddenly, a light giggle came from behind him—a voice so charming and seductive it seemed to melt into one's bones.

Cui Yue whipped around to see a figure standing by the bedside, a smile playing on her lips. Her breathtaking face was hauntingly familiar, like water in a spring river or a flower in a desolate city. Just a brief moment of eye contact was enough to steal a person’s soul.

"It's you!"

Cui Yue sprang from the chair as if by reflex, his peachwood sword already in his grip.

Indeed, the stunning woman before him was the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit who had escaped after being injured at the video arcade.

"Haha, little boy, your memory isn't half bad. You still recognize me."

The Nine-Tailed Fox sneered, sat down on the edge of the bed, and crossed her jade-like legs, watching the young man with keen interest.

Cui Yue felt his face flush and cursed under his breath. This vixen was truly shameless.

"What exactly do you want?"

"What do you think I want?" The Nine-Tailed Fox said, casting him a seductive wink.

Cui Yue knew full well the extent of her powers. He was no match for her; engaging in a fight now would be disastrous for him. Furthermore, he wasn't sure if he had fallen under some dark spell of hers, but he felt inexplicably timid in her presence, and even a glance at her made his heart race uncontrollably.

"Where is that lousy Taoist?"

The Nine-Tailed Fox flicked a long, snowy-white tail from behind her, letting it rest against her smooth, delicate neck as it swayed gently.

"Hmph, I don't know. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you!"

Cui Yue realized immediately that she had come for revenge, holding the bespectacled man accountable for their past grievances.

"Why so tense? I'm not going to eat you."

She extended a soft, slender tongue to lick her lips, a gesture of bone-deep allure.

Cui Yue gulped, silently reciting the Mantra of Purifying the Heart to ensure he wouldn't fall for her tricks.

"Just tell me where he is, and you can have whatever your heart desires."

Her long tail brushed past as she exposed a pale, fragrant shoulder, offering a bewitching smile.

Cui Yue nearly bled from his nose. This vixen was utterly shameless. Seizing the opportunity, he thrust his sword forward!

"Take this!"

Before the shadow of the blade could even reach her, the white figure flickered and vanished into thin air.

Cui Yue broke into a cold sweat. The gap in their power was immense; he couldn't even touch her.

Before he could recover, a light laugh sounded behind him, filled with mockery.

"Oh? What is this?"

Her beautiful eyes were fixed on his collar, filled with surprise.

Cui Yue turned around quickly, his sword pointed at her once more. "Vixen, come here and face your death!"

The Nine-Tailed Fox sneered, stroking her long white tail with one hand. "Hmph! I wonder who is actually nearing their end. Little boy, corpse poison has already entered your bloodstream. You don't have much time left."

Hearing this, Cui Yue hurriedly clutched his collar, his hand trembling as he held the sword. "You—you're spouting nonsense! Who ends up dead is still hard to say."

The Nine-Tailed Fox wore a playful expression as she enunciated each word.

"Very well, then let's wait and see!"

With a flash, she vanished through the window. A white mist evaporated from her body, and a snowy-white fox landed on the garden wall. Its red, jade-like eyes held a malevolent glint, and its mouth opened to speak in a human voice.

"Hmph, when that lousy Taoist returns, tell him this: it is a battle to the death between us! Of course, whether you'll even be alive by then is another matter."

As soon as she finished speaking, she leaped away and disappeared over the rooftops.

Cui Yue exhaled a long breath and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. It seemed the vixen had no intention of fighting him today, or perhaps she simply felt he wasn't worth the effort.

"Corpse poison? Could it be that I am infected with corpse poison?"

He had hoped to find the bespectacled man, but instead, he had run into this vixen who brought nothing but trouble—and had even identified his affliction.

Just as he feared, things were spiraling in an increasingly dire direction. Was there anyone left he could trust, someone who could help him?

Li Jianguo?

At the thought of that name, a chill ran down Cui Yue's spine. It seemed a bit unreliable, but given the gravity of the situation, he had to find him to verify the truth.

At the entrance of the alley near the Supply and Marketing Cooperative staff quarters:

Li Jianguo usually didn't have a formal job. Besides helping people inspect houses or repair graves, he spent his time tinkering with the ancient books left behind by his grandfather. However, after all these years, he still couldn't decipher their deep meaning and could only fumble through them slowly.

"Is this book just something the old man used to fool me? Otherwise, why haven't I understood a thing after all these years?"

Feeling stifled, he poured a full cup of wine and was about to down it in one gulp when a sudden, violent knocking erupted at his door.

Li Jianguo’s hand jerked, the cup slipped, and the wine splashed entirely onto the ancient book, soaking it through.

"Mother of mine! Who is knocking like a death-spirit? They're going to tear my door off!"

He hurriedly picked up the book and wiped it frantically, his heart aching. Even though he couldn't understand it, the book was precious to him.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The knocking became even more ferocious, as if the person wanted to smash through the wood.

As soon as Li Jianguo opened the door, a dark figure darted in, slammed the door shut behind him, and panted for breath.

"Cui Yue?"

Only then did he realize the visitor was none other than Cui Yue.

"Cui Yue, why are you here? Aren't you at work today?"

Cui Yue hadn't dared to delay a single moment after leaving the travel agency, rushing straight to Li Jianguo's place.