“I’ve already let your friend go, now you release Xiao Hei quickly!”
The woman gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with heartache as she watched the little black fox struggle in Chen Xiao’s grasp.
Chen Xiao had no intention of harming the little black fox; he merely wanted to force its owner to reveal themselves. Now that his objective was achieved, he loosened his grip and let the little black fox go.
In fact, the moment Chen Xiao saw the little black fox, he had sensed a human presence on it, knowing at once that this little creature must be kept by humans.
As soon as it was released, the little black fox darted into the woman’s embrace, whimpering and yelping as if it were a wronged child.
The woman tenderly stroked the little black fox, “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared, Mommy is here. Xiao Hei is the bravest…”
Seeing this, Gu Zhendong was stunned. Recalling the little black fox’s Golden Core realm cultivation, he couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation.
“Who are you? Is this spirit fox yours?” Chen Xiao asked.
The woman glared fiercely at Chen Xiao, “What business is it of yours whether it’s mine or not? I’ve let you go, why aren’t you leaving quickly? This is no place for you to stay!”
Gu Zhendong frowned, “Why are you being so rude, young lady? We mean no harm, why are you chasing us away? Is this mountain yours?”
The woman sneered, “You’re right, this mountain is indeed mine. And you say you mean no harm? You’re all after Xiao Hei, aren’t you? I’m telling you, you’ll never snatch Xiao Hei from me!”
Chen Xiao was taken aback, explaining, “Miss, you’ve misunderstood. We are here to visit the Mohe Sect. We had no idea there was a spirit fox named Xiao Hei on the mountain before we arrived.”
Upon hearing the words ‘Mohe Sect,’ the woman’s gaze suddenly froze.
Then, she asked suspiciously, “Who exactly are you people? And why are you visiting the Mohe Sect?”
Gu Zhendong snorted, “You ask too many questions, young lady. The former sect leader of the Mohe Sect, Li Muzhi, was my friend. I’ve come to visit him, what concern is it of yours?”
“You’re lying!”
Unexpectedly, Gu Zhendong’s words provoked a cold, sarcastic retort from the woman, “My father has been dead for ten years. If you were truly his friend, wouldn’t you know that?”
“Wait, you’re saying Li Muzhi is your father?”
Hearing this, Gu Zhendong’s eyes widened abruptly as he carefully examined the woman’s face.
The woman sneered, “Heh, so you’ve slipped up now. If you don’t even recognize me, how can you claim to be my dad’s friend?”
Gu Zhendong’s lips trembled slightly with excitement, “Miss, are you twenty-one or twenty-two years old, and your given name is Qin?”
The young woman was greatly startled, “How do you know my name, and my age?”
Gu Zhendong quickly hurried over, “Qin’er, I’m your Uncle Gu. I even held you when you were little. I remember you were only four or five years old that year, though that was fifteen or sixteen years ago.”
“Uncle Gu?”
Li Qin’s gaze narrowed slightly, as if searching her memory.
A moment later, her eyes suddenly widened, “You’re Uncle Gu Zhendong? I remember you. When you came back then, you brought a little sister who couldn’t walk!”
In an instant, Gu Zhendong’s eyes welled up with tears, “Qin’er, that’s me! I can’t believe you’ve grown up so much in the blink of an eye!”
“So it really is you, Uncle Gu!”
Li Qin’s eyes reddened, her emotions equally stirred.
Xiao Hei, nestled in her arms, bared its teeth at Gu Zhendong, clearly blaming him for making its mother cry.
Gu Zhendong quickly asked, “Qin’er, quickly tell Uncle, what exactly happened back then? How did your father die, and how was the Mohe Sect destroyed?”
Li Qin stopped Xiao Hei, who was about to pounce and bite Gu Zhendong, and began to recount the past events.
“Uncle Gu, my father was killed by that old beast Wang Xingde of the Hidden Sword Pavilion. Our entire Mohe Sect, dozens of people, were also annihilated. It was all because that old beast Wang Xingde coveted our Mohe Sect’s supreme treasure, the Seven Fiend Blood Banner!”
“That day, that old beast Wang Xingde mobilized a large force, gathering all the experts from the entire Hidden Sword Pavilion, and attacked the Mohe Sect. They killed everyone they saw, not even sparing a chicken. My brother and I were playing in the mountains, so we escaped. But when we returned home, all we saw were corpses everywhere, not a single survivor…”
Gu Zhendong’s eyes blazed with fury, “Hidden Sword Pavilion, Wang Xingde…”
Chen Xiao was also indignant, but he was more concerned about the whereabouts of the Seven Fiend Blood Banner, as that was his objective for this trip.
“What about the Seven Fiend Blood Banner? Was it also stolen by the people from the Hidden Sword Pavilion?”
Li Qin shot Chen Xiao a look, as if he had asked a foolish question.
“What else? He mobilized such a large force just for the Seven Fiend Blood Banner. After killing everyone, would he leave the item behind?”
Chen Xiao was speechless for a moment, then said, “Uncle Gu, it seems we have to make a trip to the Hidden Sword Pavilion.”
Gu Zhendong nodded forcefully, his expression serious, “Yes, I must avenge my brother Li.”
Chen Xiao: “…”
He didn’t care about revenge; he only wanted the Seven Fiend Blood Banner. But since Gu Zhendong had said it, he couldn’t refuse him.
Li Qin, however, looked surprised, “Uncle Gu, you want to avenge my father?”
Gu Zhendong said as a matter of course, “Of course. Back then, I was hiding in the Mohe Sect to escape the pursuit of the Liu Sect. It was Brother Li’s full assistance that allowed me and my daughter to escape. Brother Li saved my life. Now that he has been harmed by villains, how can I stand idly by? If I don’t avenge him, I will have no face to see Brother Li in the netherworld!”
A flicker of light clearly flashed in Li Qin’s eyes, but it quickly dimmed, “Uncle Gu, the Hidden Sword Pavilion is too powerful. You… are probably no match for them.”
Chen Xiao smiled, “Although the Hidden Sword Pavilion is powerful, how do you know we are not their match? Moreover, there’s you. The strength of this spirit fox of yours is not ordinary. If I’m not mistaken, it was Xiao Hei that bit Wang Xingde, wasn’t it?”
Li Qin was slightly taken aback, surprised that this young man knew so much.
She nodded, “I did take Xiao Hei to assassinate Wang Xingde, but unfortunately, it was unsuccessful. Although Wang Xingde was poisoned, he wasn’t killed.”
Gu Zhendong smiled and praised, “It’s already very impressive that you could do this and retreat safely. By the way, where is your brother? Is he also in the mountains with you? Why haven’t I seen him?”
Li Qin shook her head, “No, I am alone in the mountains. My brother is working in Qingcheng.”
Chen Xiao’s expression froze slightly, then he asked, “Your brother, is he working as a waiter in a hotel?”