Xiao Mei's transformation astonished both Mo and me.
We hadn't expected her to possess such formidable powers, nor to be capable of such captivating appearances.
Her speech, however, was still somewhat lacking. Kuaishuge.
But that didn't matter. As a spirit, I believed she would quickly master human language and proper pronunciation by simply staying with us.
Seeing the little fox, Xiao Mei, had resumed her true form, Mo and I decided not to linger outside any longer.
We returned to the stretcher and, carrying Elder Wei's reanimated corpse, began our journey back to the village.
We encountered no further trouble along the way; everything proceeded smoothly.
Despite the numerous unforeseen events that had transpired tonight, all had ended well.
We hurried along, too exhausted to converse.
Xiao Mei followed us quietly.
By the time we carried the corpse back to the village, it was already three in the morning.
The entire village was shrouded in darkness, save for the occasional bark of a dog.
Upon reaching the Wei family's house and carrying the body inside, we found the doors tightly shut but lights on, indicating that no one had slept.
I knocked on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
"Who is it?"
Elder Wei's voice called out.
"It's me, Qin Ze."
Upon hearing my voice, Elder Wei quickly responded:
"Daoist Master Qin, ah, I'll be right there to open the door!"
"That's wonderful, Daoist Master Qin is back!"
"..."
The voices of the Wei family members continued to echo from within the house.
With a creak, the door swung open.
Mo and I entered, carrying the reanimated corpse.
The little fox followed us inside as well.
The Wei family's gazes were fixed entirely on the corpse.
Upon seeing us bring the body back, they all covered their mouths.
Elder Wei, in particular, asked:
"Daoist Master Qin, Daoist Master Mo, my father. No, this zombie won't move anymore, will it?"
I shook my head:
"It won't. Its head is shattered!"
As I finished speaking, I removed the branches that had been covering the corpse's head.
Fourth Brother Wei, upon seeing the corpse's head covered in black blood and brain matter, let out a series of retching sounds, nearly vomiting.
Eldest Brother Wei and Third Brother Wei also confirmed the zombie's identity.
It was indeed their father.
A sigh of relief escaped their lips.
"Thank you, both Daoist Masters."
"We, the Wei family, are eternally grateful for your great kindness!"
"..."
Elder Wei and Third Brother Wei expressed their gratitude repeatedly.
Had their father not been killed, he would have continued to haunt them.
Now that Mo and I had rid them of this menace, they could finally live in peace.
As for the corpse-cat and other matters, I had no intention of telling them.
After all, the less ordinary people knew about such things, the better.
I waved my hand, instructing them to contact the crematorium to come again.
They should arrange for the old master's body to be cremated and buried promptly.
Although his body had turned into a zombie,
a prompt burial would allow their father to rest in peace.
"Yes, yes, I'll make the call right away."
As Elder Wei began to make the call,
Third Sister-in-law suddenly let out a scream from inside the house:
"Ah! A fox, a fox..."
With her shriek, Third Brother Wei pointed at the little fox on the sofa, looking terrified.
Elder Wei and the others also reacted, their eyes widening in surprise at the sight of the white fox in the room.
Xiao Mei, seeing this, became vigilant, baring her teeth.
She adopted an aggressive posture, even emitting her spiritual energy.
Seeing this, I became visibly tense and quickly spoke:
"Don't be alarmed, don't be alarmed. This is a good fox that we brought."
"Xiao Mei, calm down. They are all good people, good people who won't harm us..."
I hastily raised my hand to stop her.
After all, Xiao Mei had lived in the mountains for so long and was only just beginning to interact with humans.
I feared she might become agitated and bite the Wei family members to death.
Upon hearing my words,
Xiao Mei gradually restrained herself.
Seeing this, I let out a sigh of relief.
Mo then explained to the Wei family:
"This is a spiritual fox we brought back from the mountains. Don't be afraid."
When the Wei family heard that we had brought her,
and that she was a "spiritual fox," their eyes widened further.
They all bowed to Xiao Mei, addressing her as "Fox Immortal."
Hearing the Wei family address her as Fox Immortal, Xiao Mei finally relaxed her guard completely.
Since Mo and I had been paid,
we were obligated to see Elder Wei's matter through to the end.
Therefore, after returning the corpse, we did not leave.
We planned to depart the Wei residence only after Elder Wei's body had been cremated and buried the following day.
The Wei family also placed immense trust in Mo and me.
Despite our youth, they had witnessed our genuine abilities.
Moreover, venturing out for one night and returning with a white fox,
a white fox was not a common sight.
The fact that we could bring back a fox and make it obey us further elevated their respect.
Following this, Mo and I remained at the Wei residence.
Not only did the Wei family treat us with great reverence,
but they also brought out a large yellow chicken from the house for Xiao Mei to eat.
For a fox, what could be more enticing than a yellow chicken?
Even the transformed Xiao Mei's eyes gleamed at the sight of the yellow chicken.
She let out a soft "Ying ying ying" sound.
Finally, she even uttered "Thank you" from her mouth.
This astonished the Wei family, who immediately dropped to their knees with a thud.
Shouting "Fox Immortal descended," they would have performed a full kowtow to Xiao Mei if Mo and I hadn't intervened...