Chapter 67

Hearing the malicious tone, Li Chengying assumed it was another enemy coming to their doorstep. Without a trace, he took half a step to the side, blocking in front of Xie Chang'an, and reached his hand into his sleeve to grip the paper cutout.

Because he knew that while Xie Chang'an looked fine on the surface, her injuries were not yet fully healed, and if a fight really broke out, she would likely be at a disadvantage.

Noticing this subtle gesture, Xie Chang'an's long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she did not push him away.

Upon seeing this, the fox grew even angrier.

"Good grief! The moment I'm away, you're out here picking up people! Speak! Where did this little vixen come from?!"

Li Chengying:?

Xie Chang'an: "Are you just going to abandon that massive Bone-Reflecting Mirror?"

The fox said viciously: "That's right, I'm abandoning it!"

Xie Chang'an: "Weren't you eager to be the grand lord? What, were you overthrown?"

The fox replied: "With none of you around, who else could possibly beat me!"

That was true enough.

Xie Chang'an: "What are you here for?"

The fox lifted her chin: "Looking at your sickly state, you're injured, aren't you? I guessed you'd definitely run into trouble here. That's why I told you to bring me along. What good is that fellow Crested Ibis? He understands nothing and doesn't even have a brain! Without this deity, you can't take a single step. Now you know you still need this deity to step in!"

Xie Chang'an nodded: "What a coincidence, there is indeed a matter right now that requires you to step in."

The fox assumed a haughty posture and said: "Let's hear it."

Xie Chang'an: "Biyang Jun of the Southern Peak Grotto-heaven just left. Chase after him and kill him."

The fox said with disdain: "What Biyang Jun? Some nobody crawled out of who knows what crack in the ground, I've never even heard of him. How strong is he?"

Xie Chang'an: "Not very high. Just at the Martial Immortal Realm."

The fox:?

This was definitely the first time Li Chengying had ever witnessed a fox instantly complete a facial transition from unbridled arrogance to sheer terror.

"In that case, I think we should still deliberate this matter long-term."

The fox let out an awkward laugh, abandoning any talk of single-handedly fighting him, and instead scurried around Xie Chang'an in circles.

"Your injuries aren't light. Who hit you? Was it that Biyang Jun from just now? Did you really make an enemy of the Southern Peak Grotto-heaven? I heard that's one of the top-tier major sects nowadays."

Xie Chang'an nodded: "Not only did we make an enemy of them, we are also being hunted down by their entire sect. If you leave now, you still have time."

"Are you joking? Am I, the Great Demon Yu Cui, the kind of coward who clings blindly to life?"

The fox was initially furious, but her tone shifted abruptly in the next second.

"However, as the saying goes, those who understand the times are wise men. We certainly can't beat them in a frontal clash. Why don't we adopt a roundabout strategy—poison them a little, cast some shamanic curses—and perhaps we can achieve victory by surprise? Why don't you come back with me to the Bone-Reflecting Mirror to ponder this, and once we've figured it out, we'll storm back for revenge!"

Seeing the fox talk like a street-performing juggler, Li Chengying couldn't help but chuckle.

The fox was a bully who feared the strong; she was polite to Xie Chang'an only because she had been beaten into submission, and ordinary people didn't receive such treatment. Immediately, she whipped her head around and bared her teeth.

"What are you laughing at? What's so funny! Where did this sickly ghost crawl out of? Is a mere grand demon like me someone you can mock? Hurry up and kneel down to beg for mercy and admit your mistake!"

Having spent the morning channeling Qi for Li Chengying despite her own injuries, and later having to deal with Biyang Jun's manhunt, Xie Chang'an had expended immense mental and physical energy. Now that she relaxed slightly, her exhaustion and fatigue became impossible to conceal.

"I am going inside to heal my injuries. You two are forbidden from arguing."

With that, she turned and entered the study, returning inside the painting.

Only this time, her posture of holding an umbrella was replaced by sitting cross-legged beneath a tree.

Li Chengying stepped forward to close the ajar door, preventing anyone from going inside to disturb her, but his gaze fell through the crack onto the painting, and for a moment, he stopped in his tracks.

In the painting, peach blossoms drifted, clear water flowed deep and serene, her hair was dark as ink, her robes red as fire, and her skin like ice and snow, lending an extraordinary vibrancy to the ordinary ancient painting.

The fox cared nothing for any of that. With Xie Chang'an gone to anchor the atmosphere, she immediately grew arrogant again.

Silently, she leaped toward Li Chengying's back, preparing to give him a lifelong unforgettable intimidation.

Yet the moment her claws were about to hook into Li Chengying's hair, she plunged headfirst into a deep pool!

The emerald pool water bore the weight of a fox, splashing high with a loud plash.

Where on earth did a deep pool come from in the Li family's small courtyard?!

The fox was nearly choked to death by the sudden water, thrashing her four legs frantically as her water-logged fur dragged her body downward. Using all four limbs and desperate struggle, she barely managed to salvage a bit of swimming skill and clambered out of the pool.

"Are you trying to drown me?!"

She was incandescent with rage, but more importantly—

"She actually gave the Sealing Karma Brush to you?!"

For a moment, the fox was so choked with anger she felt like she was suffocating, unable to tell whether she was more upset that her ambush had backfired on her, or that the presence of a "newcomer" by Xie Chang'an's side made her even angrier.

"I had assumed such petty parlor tricks would be nothing to Your Excellency."

Li Chengying wore a look of mild surprise, but his tone was tinged with a smile, as though he had seen right through the fox's bluff.

If Xie Chang'an were here, she would find him completely different from how he was in front of her.

In her presence, Li Chengying was usually gentle and harmless, calling her Master without a care in the world, slowly carving out a place for himself by her side through unpretentious means that nurtured things as silently as a spring rain.

Yet at this moment, even with a sickly pallor still lingering on his face, his hands folded and his posture upright, he naturally radiated a restrained, noble, and secluded tranquility.

Though separated by merely a few steps of the courtyard platform, he stood like a high and distant, vaguely perceived divine statue, casting a sense of aloof and distant detachment.

A sudden flash of wariness stirred within the fox; her front paws froze mid-air, not daring to advance another inch.

Seeing her motionless, Li Chengying walked down two steps. With a slight flick of his sleeve, the pool and rockery dissolved, restoring the ordinary appearance of the small courtyard.

"Are you her pet? She keeps a vixen?"

He gazed at the drenched fox, knowing she had learned her lesson and no longer dared to act rashly, so he appropriately revealed a trace of curiosity, instantly shattering the illusion of the divine statue.

The fox let out a cold snort, used spells to evaporate the moisture, and shook her fur.

"Now you're the one answering my question first! What kind of bewitching soup did you feed her, that she even gave you the Sealing Karma Brush?"

The moment she brought this up, the sour taste in her mouth bubbled over uncontrollably.

It was merely a Sealing Karma Brush, the fox thought. What fine treasures had she not laid eyes on? She wouldn't petty over something like this, but the fact that she could hand over such a top-grade magical treasure was, to some extent, a testament to deep trust.

Yet the thought that the person capable of earning the trust of the suspicious and reclusive Xie Chang'an wasn't her made the fox grind her teeth with hatred.

Had she known it would come to this, she shouldn't have indulged her vanity of solely ruling over the Bone-Reflecting Mirror; no matter what, she should have followed them out from the start.

It was as if Li Chengying could read her thoughts, and his reply made her teeth itch with annoyance.

"That's naturally because I am worthy of trust."

The fox retorted: "I don't believe it! You must have used some scheme to trick her! With the likes of you, what kind of help could you possibly be to her?"

Li Chengying replied: "It seems you don't understand her well enough either. Sister Xie is so ice-snow intelligent, who could easily deceive her? Even if she were deceived, it would certainly be of her own free will. If you are willing to speak nicely with me, I might just teach you a trick or two to help win her favor."

The fox sneered: "Who wants to win her favor? I am a grand demon of the Bone-Reflecting Mirror, simply bored out of my mind and looking for some amusement. No matter how formidable Xie Chang'an is, she's still just my plaything!"

Li Chengying smiled faintly, choosing not to expose her.

Clearly, this fox kept gravitating toward Xie Chang'an, yet the only stubborn thing left about her was her mouth.