Volume One: Servant of Changshui County Chapter Thirteen: The Appearance of the Fox Demon

A graceful figure in red appeared on the muddy path.

All around, the world was blanketed in white snow, yet the woman’s robes seemed untouched by frost or dust.

Who could this alluring presence be but the very fox demoness Lu Jiuzhang had encountered before?

Now, she walked toward them, barefoot, a bewitching smile playing on her lips, tempting the souls of all who saw her.

Her brows arched and sleeves fluttered like drifting snow; her beauty was so rare that she stood alone in all the world, dazzling beyond compare.

Song Tao stepped in front of Lu Jiuzhang. “Do you remember what I said before? These demons are masters of seduction. You’re still too young to resist them!”

Lu Jiuzhang wanted to protest—couldn’t he add a few words before “too young,” such as “you’re still of tender age”? Otherwise, saying only “you’re still too young” was bound to be misunderstood! How could he live down the gossip?

Before Lu Jiuzhang could reply, Song Tao began to walk toward the fox demoness, as if pulled by invisible strings. His eyes grew dazed, his movements unsteady and wanton.

Lu Jiuzhang wanted to call out, to awaken him, yet found he could not even open his mouth.

In his anxious state, Song Tao had already reached the fox demoness.

She parted her lips, revealing two sharp fangs—longer than a fox’s, almost like a tiger’s—and sank them into Song Tao’s neck.

Song Tao’s face showed only blissful enjoyment.

Was being bitten on the neck truly so pleasurable? Was it like being bitten somewhere else?

Lu Jiuzhang realized his thoughts had strayed, but there was no more time to hesitate—another moment and Song Tao would surely be dead!

“Be good and stay still. Next, it’s your turn, young master,” the fox demoness whispered with a smile, quickening her movements.

Song Tao’s face turned deathly pale, then ashen.

“Heaven and earth possess—” Lu Jiuzhang tried to shout, reciting an essay he’d read in a past life.

As a scholar of the ninth rank, this was all he could do.

In an instant, the sky darkened, clouds thickening, thunder and lightning filling the air with awe.

The fox demoness’ expression changed, her gaze filled with terror as she looked up.

But Lu Jiuzhang found himself stuck—he remembered the essay’s words perfectly, yet the words would not come out, as if some mysterious force prevented him from speaking.

Moments later, the thunderclouds silently dispersed.

The fox demoness laughed lightly. “Well, well. So you’ve already reached the ninth rank of the scholarly path. I must apologize for underestimating you. But such a masterpiece, imbued with the power of heaven, is not something a mere ninth-rank scholar can recite in full.”

She pushed Song Tao aside and faced Lu Jiuzhang directly.

Just days ago, this youth had seemed ordinary enough; who would have guessed he would advance so quickly? He truly could not be underestimated.

She had already suspected he carried some rare artifact to ward off demonic influence. That was why she’d obtained a special object from her master to suppress the artifact’s power.

Now that Lu Jiuzhang had advanced in rank, the artifact could still be suppressed.

She felt fortunate she had taken precautions; otherwise, dealing with Lu Jiuzhang might have proved troublesome.

With a graceful wave, she sent a dark green pearl spinning into the air. It hovered, releasing wisps of black smoke.

In a flash, the smoke surged toward Lu Jiuzhang, enveloping him.

Seizing the moment, the fox demoness advanced, blood-stained lips parted, aiming for Lu Jiuzhang’s neck.

Everything happened in a heartbeat.

At the critical moment, the Kui Star Tower shook, and the Literary Pool within began to boil.

The black mist invading Lu Jiuzhang’s mind was swiftly suppressed by the Kui Star Tower. At the same time, a faint green glow enveloped him.

Behind him, a massive cyan figure appeared—the very man in the green robe Lu Jiuzhang had seen in his mind’s eye days before: Lu Shiyi.

It was he who had opened the doors of the Kui Star Tower, allowing Lu Jiuzhang to enter and advance overnight.

The literary energy in the pool surged more fiercely than ever.

Lu Jiuzhang roared, “Heaven and earth possess righteous energy, assorted and flowing in myriad forms!”

At last, the full passage could be spoken!

Above, black clouds gathered once more, thunder cracking.

The fox demoness, terrified, leaped back.

In an instant, lightning as thick as a barrel crashed down on her.

The air was soon filled with the stench of burning flesh.

The fox demoness was dead—reduced to a block of charred blackness, thin wisps of smoke still rising from her remains.

Lu Jiuzhang, utterly spent, collapsed to the ground.

Did a ninth-rank scholar truly possess such power?

Surely not.

The Literary Pool in the Kui Star Tower had just boiled over; Lu Jiuzhang guessed he must have borrowed the strength of the great scholar Lu Shiyi to defeat the demoness so decisively.

But borrowed power always comes at a cost. The literary energy was exhausted, leaving Lu Jiuzhang drained and feeble.

It was as if he’d spent half a month indulging himself in the Red Fragrance Brothel, barely able to stand as he staggered out.

His legs trembled, his whole body felt as heavy as lead.

Now, the dark green pearl, bereft of demonic energy, fell to the ground.

Lu Jiuzhang crawled forward a few steps and tucked it away—it might hold valuable clues.

Footsteps echoed.

The commotion had surely drawn attention; people were approaching.

Looking up, Lu Jiuzhang saw Zhou Cheng of the Demon-Slaying Guard.

“Leave at once—there’s more than one demon here!” Zhou Cheng commanded in a low voice.

More than one? That fox demoness had been trouble enough; if another appeared, they were doomed.

Zhou Cheng spared only a glance at the demon’s charred corpse, then seized Lu Jiuzhang and dashed out of the village with him.

Roughly, Zhou Cheng carried a blade in one hand and tucked Lu Jiuzhang under his other arm, sprinting at astonishing speed.

In moments, they reached the village entrance—only to find new trouble.

An invisible barrier shrouded the village, sealing it off from the outside world.

“No wonder we couldn’t sense anything inside. We’ve entered a spell formation—easy to enter, impossible to leave. But only sorcerers use such formations. How did demons come by one?” Zhou Cheng muttered.

Hearing this, Lu Jiuzhang immediately understood: he himself was the true target of this demon hunt.

His first encounter with the fox demoness had not been mere chance—they had come prepared!

Such an elaborate scheme, just to deal with two ordinary people—working with demons, and more than one at that!

Chen Xuanfeng must be one of the masterminds, Lu Jiuzhang reasoned.

But how could he gather evidence against Chen Xuanfeng? More importantly, how could he ensure his own safety?

“They’re coming—stay alert!” Zhou Cheng hissed.

Some fifty meters away, a black cat appeared.

This cat was two or three times larger than a normal feline, exuding an aura of uncanny menace.