Jun Jiuli observed the fifth prince for several days and then visited his maternal family for a few more. His maternal family could be described as loyal subjects, and his maternal grandfather, being the Prime Minister, had many students.
Scholars valued face the most, and that family of civil officials would never become an overbearing maternal clan. The fifth prince was also righteous and decisive, and his appearance suggested he wouldn't be an evil person.
After determining the candidate, Jun Jiuli infiltrated the imperial palace at midnight. She knocked out the old emperor and placed him in her spatial dimension, leaving behind a decree of abdication. She enfeoffed the other princes and instructed General Chu to escort the fifth prince to the throne.
Then, she left behind an absurd letter stating that she had met an immortal in her dream and was going to cultivate with them, so there was no need to worry about her. She entrusted the country to the fifth prince and his loyal ministers, hoping they would assist the new emperor well.
The next day, the chief eunuch came to summon people and discovered these decrees. After collecting their belongings, they rushed to the front court to invite the fifth prince and the nominated ministers.
Soon, the emperor's death and the fifth prince's ascension to the throne spread throughout the land. The two princes who refused to submit and attempted rebellion were captured by General Chu.
The new emperor was not a pushover and directly exiled them to guard the imperial mausoleum, while the remaining princes were enfeoffed according to the decree.
Jun Jiuli watched him manage state affairs in an orderly fashion, and the Zhao Kingdom enjoyed peace and prosperity with favorable weather. She happily returned to Qingling Mountain with the old emperor.
She wondered how the male and female protagonists were doing. She believed they would be delighted to have another companion.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, she encountered several small foxes attempting to sneak out. Jun Jiuli's appearance startled them all.
"My Lord, why are you here?"
"Why are you here? Didn't I tell you not to go out?"
"We also want to see what the outside world is like. My Lord, don't worry, we have the ability to protect ourselves. We definitely won't be captured and threatened by those bad humans."
"It's not that I'm worried about you; I'm worried about the humans outside."
The little fox seemed betrayed, looking hurt.
"My Lord, how can you say that? That human caused Si Niang so much suffering. No human is good. You are of our kind, why are you speaking up for others?"
The other little foxes nodded in unison, strongly agreeing with her statement. Jun Jiuli shook her head, looking at the resentment in their eyes.
Some things truly cannot be indulged too much. With a little power, they wanted to go out and cause trouble. Fortunately, she had foresight, otherwise, these little creatures running wild would be her fault.
Jun Jiuli raised her hand and severed the tails of several foxes. The foxes didn't even have time to dodge, crying out in pain and baring their teeth at Jun Jiuli.
"Why, why are you doing this to us? What did we do wrong?"
"This is just a warning to make you remember. You can move freely within the mountain, and outsiders won't disturb you. Don't even think about breaking the balance and dictating the fate of others."
"What about you? Aren't you dictating our fate? What you're doing is unfair. Reattach our tails, and we'll forgive you."
The other foxes also nodded. Jun Jiuli burst into laughter.
"What use is your forgiveness to me? It is because of my support that you have reached this point. Of course, you must listen to me, otherwise, you must return everything you received from me. That is fairness."
The foxes were greatly shocked and tried to circulate the spiritual energy they had accumulated, but they couldn't mobilize it at all. It was only then that they thought of showing remorse and begging for mercy, but Jun Jiuli had already disappeared.
The foxes began to complain, yet they didn't consider that it was their own weak will that led them to be incited. Like Si Niang, they developed worldly desires and harbored inappropriate thoughts.
The foxes, dragging their injuries, returned to their clan and tearfully recounted the events with embellishments. The clan elders' eyes sharpened, and they confessed everything.
The clan leader, frustrated by their lack of progress, summoned all the foxes for a meeting. He warned them not to leave Qingling Mountain and that to have a good future, they must cultivate diligently.
Stop thinking about unrealistic things and harboring malicious intent. More foxes were assigned to patrol outside the village daily, and any fox caught sneaking out would be punished.
The clan leader dared not slacken for a moment, re-establishing strict clan rules. One must be strong themselves; relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself.
He understood that mountains can collapse and people can run away. Moreover, the person had already helped them enough; they couldn't morally blackmail her forever. She would eventually return to the Upper Realm.
To prevent the fox clan from having another Si Niang, another disaster of extermination, all foxes diligently educated their children. The young fox spirits were diligently copying clan rules.
Jun Jiuli was busy in the Zhao Kingdom and hadn't checked on Qingling Mountain for several days. Seeing the events now, she was greatly startled. Shui Wa, clutching his stomach, was laughing uncontrollably in the spatial dimension.
Zhao Lingheng and the others took half a day to return to the house where they had been staying. Zhao Lingheng boiled water and took a bath, enduring the pain.
However, the stones and grass embedded in his flesh had to be picked out one by one. Zhao Lingheng's pig-slaughtering screams could shake nests from the trees outside.
After picking them out, blood began to seep out, and basin after basin of bloody water was poured out, attracting several batches of animals. Fortunately, torches were lit around the outside of the house, and they held their breath, remaining silent, thus narrowly escaping.
The back wounds could only be handled by Jiayin. No matter how agile, she was still a fox. Therefore, Zhao Lingheng kept holding his breath, and his displeasure with Jiayin reached its peak.
It took seven days to pick out all the foreign objects. Zhao Lingheng had lost more than half his life. He lay in bed, weak and listless every day, while Jiayin went out to get food.
Because of this, she encountered the foxes from before. They followed her all the way and found Jiayin's base. Seeing Zhao Lingheng on the verge of death, they felt extreme disgust.
If it weren't for his talent, Jiayin wouldn't have been expelled from the clan, and they wouldn't have lost their freedom. With new and old grievances, the foxes carried poisonous snakes into their house that night.
When Jiayin was awakened by the screams, Zhao Lingheng was already entangled by a poisonous snake. By the time Jiayin dealt with the snake, Zhao Lingheng's lips had turned black, and he had fainted.
Jiayin rushed to suck out the venom and apply medicine, but he showed no improvement. It was then she discovered that his third...
leg had also been bitten. The poison was too deep to suck out. For the sake of his life, Jiayin had to personally wield the knife and amputate it.
Zhao Lingheng was unconscious for two days. Upon waking, he learned that Little Heng was gone. He became melancholic and didn't speak for days. He glared at Jiayin constantly, resorting to the silent treatment.
Shui Wa: "Hahaha, that snake had eyes."
Jun Jiuli: "They naturally have eyes, don't they?"
"Is this considered a medical malpractice? Why is Zhao Lingheng angry? Hahaha, he really should thank Jiayin for saving his life. What an ungrateful thing."
"You're truly savage~"
"This round of little snakes is a great move. It's going to disgust both the male and female protagonists. The female lead is also heartbroken. How delightful."
"Soon they'll be reunited as a family, the ugly bride meeting the father-in-law. They'll surely be even happier, don't you think?"
Saying this, Jun Jiuli whipped the old emperor with her whip, urging him to walk faster.
After parting ways with the little foxes, she had the old emperor climb the mountain himself. Elderly people need more exercise to live a long life.