"Brother Zhang, what are you doing? Hurry up and look! If Big Mouth Wu reacts, he'll fight us to the death."
After I spoke, Zhang Dabiao didn't move. Instead, he took a step back, then a second, then a third.
Only then did I realize something was wrong with Zhang Dabiao. I quickly put down the speaker I was holding and formed the Heavenly Retreat Seal, ready to assist Zhang Dabiao in case of any sudden developments.
As Zhang Dabiao moved aside, I shifted my gaze to the main house. When I saw the scene inside clearly, I almost cried out, and I almost used the wrong hand seal.
A fox the size of a wolfhound was squatting on the bed. Its fur was bright red, its ear tips were white, and its tail, about the same length as its body, wagged from time to time. Its narrow, fox-like eyes were narrowed as it looked at Zhang Dabiao, as if a person were staring at an opponent.
Wu Damouth's wife was slumped on the ground, her head leaning against the edge of the bed. Her face was pale, and her eyes were vacant. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of her chest, I would have thought she was dead. What I found most unacceptable was that the fox was touching Wu Damouth's wife's head with its front paws, as if a person were petting a cat.
If this scene had occurred at night, I would have found it normal, but encountering it in broad daylight was even more shocking than meeting a ghost.
The Tibetan Mastiff's roar from the speaker was still ferocious. Just listening to the sound, I knew the mastiff was fighting, but I felt my heart sinking, and it sank faster and faster. No wonder Bai Ling'er had said, "That's not something you can handle."
"You ungrateful wretches, you came here and I welcomed you kindly, offering you food and drink. Why are you still holding onto this? What? Do you really think I'm easy to bully?"
The voice came from Wu Damouth's wife's mouth, but I knew it wasn't her speaking. The voice couldn't tell if it was male or female, and most importantly, it sounded somewhat sharp, like the way eunuchs used to speak. Without a doubt, this was the red fox demon in front of me, speaking through Wu Damouth's wife.
Hearing this, my head felt like it had been hit by a speeding car, buzzing.
Before I began learning Yin Gua with my master, the first thing my master taught me was how to distinguish between Yin entities, malevolent spirits, and spiritual beings. Among them, some Yin entities and malevolent spirits, upon seeing anything, would simply run without saying a word. And a portion of these included the red fox in front of me.
I quickly recalled the records in "Strange Fiend Feng Shui." Yin entities and malevolent spirits, due to their nature, mostly operated at night. Some with higher cultivation could only control people near dusk, when the sun was about to set.
But the red fox in front of me could control Wu Damouth's wife in broad daylight and even use her mouth to convey messages. According to the records in "Strange Fiend Feng Shui," such Yin entities would have cultivated for at least five hundred years. However, such demonic creatures usually hid in deep mountains and old forests, aiming to achieve their true form and ascend to immortality. Why would it appear here first? Wasn't it afraid of heavenly retribution?
Zhang Dabiao drew the mountain-splitting saber he carried and said through clenched teeth, "Demon fox, you still dare to appear before me. If you have the guts, release the person, and if I don't skin you, I won't be surnamed Zhang."
"Heh heh... skin me? You're lucky I didn't suffocate you last time. If someone hadn't lured that kid away, you'd still be alive to talk big to me? I'll settle the score for you wearing my kind's fur slowly. Today, I'm just here to deliver a message and don't have time to deal with you." As he spoke, his narrow fox eyes looked at me, and I instantly felt as if I were being stared at by a venomous snake, a cold sweat breaking out all over my back.
Facing such a demonic entity, it was no longer something Zhang Dabiao and I could handle. I subconsciously took a step back, "What do you want?"
The voice came from Wu Damouth's mouth again.
"Kid, some things are not for you to know, nor are they for you to inquire about. If you continue to investigate the events of ten years ago, I will kill you. Lest you forget my warning, I'll take some interest today and demand one of your ears."
As soon as the fox demon finished speaking, its body instantly turned into a red streak of light and charged at me. Just as I thought I was about to lose an ear...
Rumble—
Another voice sounded in my ear at the same time, "If you want his ear, you'll have to ask if this young lady agrees."
As soon as the word "agrees" fell, I felt a strong gust of wind beside me, and then I saw a hole about half a meter wide in the back wall of Wu Damouth's house.
Bai Ling'er's petite figure stood in front of me, glaring at the red fox that had been blasted out of the house.
"Little mudfish, you've been hiding your strength?" Wu Damouth's wife, staggering, walked out of the house, and the venomous voice came from her mouth again.
"To beat a mongrel like you, do I need to hide my strength? You need to borrow someone else's mouth to speak. If it were me, I'd just find a wall and smash myself to death."
Facing Bai Ling'er's vicious curses, the red fox's eyes instantly turned red, and it bared its white teeth, looking like it was about to fight to the death.
Bai Ling'er's small tail slapped in the air, making a "snap" sound, "I warn you, this is not like the old days. If we continue to fight, it will definitely attract their attention, and then they'll skin you alive. It'll be no joke."
Bai Ling'er's words were like a bucket of cold water poured on the red fox. Its pair of red fox eyes gradually returned to their original color, but its voice remained fierce, "Skin me? How much better are you? If you're caught, they'll still skin you and take your gall."
"Me, you don't need to worry about. Can't you see the difference between you and me?"
"You actually... Hmph, you win this round." Then the red fox turned its head to me, "Kid, some things are not for you to know. If you continue to investigate the events of ten years ago, the result will be a dead end. This is your last warning. Next time I see you, I'll eat you in one bite."
As soon as the red fox finished speaking, it leaped out of the backyard and disappeared in an instant. At the same time, Wu Damouth's wife slumped to the ground with a thud.
Looking at the majestic Bai Ling'er, I was overjoyed and said, "Alright! Ling'er, I didn't expect you to be so powerful..."
Before I could finish speaking, Bai Ling'er looked back, then directly folded down from mid-air. I was so scared that I quickly caught her with my hands.
"Stupid... stupid, I need to sleep... sleep for a while, don't forget you promised me..." Before she could finish speaking, Bai Ling'er's head drooped, and her human-like eyes gently closed.
Suddenly, I panicked.
"Bai Ling'er, you... you don't scare me, what's wrong? Say something."
No matter how I nudged her, she remained motionless, like a dead snake.
Zhang Dabiao, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke, "She's probably asleep."
Hearing Zhang Dabiao's words, I felt like I had grasped a life-saving straw and excitedly said, "Brother Zhang, do you know what's going on?"
Zhang Dabiao frowned, "I don't know the specifics, but when my father was alive, he mentioned that some spiritual beings with advanced cultivation have their own special abilities to deal with natural enemies. Generally, once they use them, they are usually moves that result in mutual destruction. The red fox left, and Bai Ling'er didn't die. She probably just used some secret techniques and is likely too tired to sleep..."
To verify Zhang Dabiao's words, I placed my finger on Bai Ling'er's chest (seven inches), and a faint pulse could be felt from my fingertip, almost making me cry with joy.
"Brother Zhang, she really isn't dead..."