All the strange occurrences, all the bad things, were connected to this fox demon.
That was why the moment Yan Shouyi spotted the fox demon, he charged towards the second floor!
Long Feicheng shouted from behind, "Brother Yan, what happens to us if you leave?"
Yan Shouyi turned his head and threw out a wooden lump. "San Yuan, protect them!"
The wooden lump flew in front of Long Feicheng, spread its wings, and circled the heads of the two men three times. Golden powder fell from its body, forming a shield of light that enveloped them.
Long Feicheng looked at the wooden bird in astonishment. It was his first time witnessing the wooden bird's power.
With no further worries, Yan Shouyi could focus on dealing with the fox demon.
He reached the staircase and pulled out several Taoist talismans from his bag. Gripping the talismans, he ascended the stairs. A long corridor stretched out above, with doors lining both sides, much like a tenement building. Meng Guohui and his wife had lived in the room at the end of the corridor; it was from the window of that very room that Yan Shouyi and the others had seen the fox demon earlier.
Reaching the door, Yan Shouyi kicked it open. To his surprise, the door swung open on its own.
Yan Shouyi missed his footing, lost his balance, and tumbled into the room. Before he could regain his senses, the door slammed shut again.
The fox demon stood on a table by the window, elegant and indifferent. A bushy tail swayed gently in the moonlight.
Yan Shouyi scrambled to his feet and said coldly, "Meng always treated you well. Why would you harm him?"
Hearing this, the fox demon's expression turned peculiar, but it did not answer Yan Shouyi's question. Instead, it leaped down from the windowsill.
Yan Shouyi's expression shifted slightly. It seemed he had fallen for the fox demon's diversionary tactic!
He rushed to the windowsill, only to feel an invisible force sealing the window. He couldn't get out!
After landing, the fox demon wagged its tail towards the sky and walked towards Meng Guohui step by step.
Long Feicheng looked on, a little scared. "Brother Yan, the fox demon is coming over. It won't bite me, will it?"
"Stay within the circle and don't move. I'll find a way to get out as soon as possible!" Yan Shouyi frantically bumped against the seal.
This fox demon's cultivation was not shallow; it wouldn't be easy for Yan Shouyi to deal with it. The current seal on the window wouldn't be broken quickly, and Yan Shouyi was uncertain if San Yuan could protect Meng Guohui and Long Feicheng.
He could only try to break the seal while observing the fox demon's movements.
The fox demon slowly approached Meng Guohui. Surprisingly, it didn't attack Meng Guohui but simply sat down, licking its paws.
"Brother Yan, what is this fox demon doing?" Long Feicheng felt even more uneasy seeing this.
Meng Guohui stared at the fox demon, a strange feeling suddenly arising within him.
It seemed this fox demon harbored no ill will towards him.
The fox demon's fur was very white, its eyes very bright, so bright they seemed to hold an entire ocean of stars. It opened its mouth, revealing a pink tongue, and tilted its head, looking at Meng Guohui with endless… affection.
Meng Guohui's eyes widened, and he said in disbelief, "Your eyes... they are just like... my wife's."
"Mr. Meng, it's a bit late to try and establish a connection now. Besides, fox demons are inherently cunning. Don't fall into its trap!" Long Feicheng warned from the side.
The fox demon suddenly bristled, flicking its paw through the air towards Long Feicheng. Three bloody scratches immediately appeared on Long Feicheng's neck!
San Yuan's defense was utterly useless against the fox demon!
Sensing the fox demon's threat, Long Feicheng turned pale with fright. Clutching his neck, he shouted, "Brother Yan, your moves aren't working! Mr. Meng, you go first, I'll stay behind to buy time! Hurry!"
In the small courtyard, Long Feicheng seemed to be the only one who was particularly nervous.
Meng Guohui's fear vanished. He gazed at the fox demon intently. Instead of backing away, he took a step forward, out of San Yuan's protective circle, and walked towards the fox demon.
"Mr. Meng???"
Long Feicheng, still having some sense of loyalty, didn't abandon Meng Guohui and flee on his own, but he remained in place, not daring to approach.
Meng Guohui raised his hand, signaling to Long Feicheng that he was alright.
He walked calmly to the fox demon, crouched down, and asked with suspicion, "Are you... her?"
The fox demon looked at Meng Guohui, hesitated for a long time, and finally nodded.
"I knew it!"
Meng Guohui's face lit up with excitement, his eyes instantly reddening. He couldn't help but say, "The way you look at me, it's just like her!!"
Long Feicheng stopped his pleas, and Yan Shouyi paused his efforts to break the seal. Both were utterly astonished.
The fox demon, Mr. Meng's wife?
Wasn't it the culprit trying to harm Mr. Meng?
What in the world was going on?
Tears welled up in the fox demon's eyes. It leaped into Meng Guohui's arms, licking the tears from his face, whimpering sadly.
"So you were her," Meng Guohui seemed to understand everything and embraced the fox demon tightly.
Yan Shouyi's thoughts also gradually became clearer.
Fox demons gained sentience after a hundred years, became spirits after three hundred, and only had a chance to transform into human form every five hundred years. However, once they took human shape, they could only maintain it for a maximum of twenty years. After twenty years, when the fox demon ascended to immortality, it had to revert to its fox form.
The fox demon Meng Guohui had rescued long ago had five hundred years of cultivation. Waking up, the fox demon was saved by Meng Guohui, thus developing affection for him. It then transformed into human form, came to Meng Guohui's side, and they fell in love.
But their happiness was short-lived. The fox demon only had twenty years. Just recently, knowing it was about to ascend and revert to its fox form, perhaps fearing Meng Guohui's rejection if he knew it was a fox demon, it feigned a death from illness, abruptly ending their love story.
Afterward, it returned to the place holding their most cherished memories, planted it with hydrangeas, and lived alone in remembrance.
Meng Guohui held the fox demon tightly, shaking his head and laughing. "I don't care. I don't care if you're human or demon. I love your soul, and it will never change."
The fox demon shed tears that, upon falling to the ground, bloomed into clusters of hydrangeas.
So, it was all a charade.
The fox demon hadn't intended to kill Meng Guohui.
Wait…
Yan Shouyi suddenly realized a serious problem.
If the fox demon had no intention of harming Meng Guohui, then what was the cause of all the strange events surrounding Meng Guohui?
Someone wanted to kill Meng Guohui!
It was Ding Li!
The one person who wanted to kill Meng Guohui all along was Ding Li, and every time, it was the fox demon that intervened!
If the fox demon hadn't appeared in time just now and strangled the truck driver's neck, Meng Guohui would surely have died in that car accident!
"Mr. Meng, quickly have your subordinates find Ding Li's location. He's the mastermind who wanted to kill you!" Yan Shouyi shouted urgently.
Meng Guohui also came to his senses instantly. Pale with fear, he took out his phone, ready to contact his subordinates.
But at that moment, a dark figure lunged out from a corner, a gleaming dagger in hand, stabbing towards Meng Guohui!
This person was Ding Li, who had awakened halfway in the ambulance and tracked them down to silence Meng Guohui!
Ding Li was covered in blood, his face horribly contorted, his expression twisted as if he weren't alive.
Everything happened too suddenly; Meng Guohui had no time to react, let alone Long Feicheng.
As the dagger drew closer to Meng Guohui's heart, the fox demon suddenly leaped forward, meeting the dagger!
*Swoosh!*
The dagger sank deep into the fox demon's back, piercing through its chest and pinning it to Meng Guohui!
Ding Li screamed, "Meng! Go to hell!"