Chapter 106: Big Fox

A few months after Li Qiuyang returned to town, his father, Li Chengfu, passed away. The funeral was quite grand, and the main clan sent people to offer their condolences. Li Qiuyang thanked each guest individually, then sat alone in the mourning hall, staring blankly at his father's coffin. His older brothers treated him with excessive respect, which made him deeply uncomfortable.

Li Chengfu died peacefully. He had held on until Li Qiuyang returned, then quietly passed away in bed, holding Li Qiuyang's hand, as if a weight had been lifted.

Looking at the mourning hall draped in white cloth, Li Qiuyang vaguely remembered being seven years old. Li Chengfu had heard that the main clan was testing spiritual apertures. Without a word, he picked up Li Qiuyang and left the house. As they walked along the flagstone path for a while, Li Qiuyang asked his father:

"Father, where are we going?"

"To seek immortality!" Li Chengfu chuckled as he spoke.

Later, they rejoined the family and changed their surname back to Li. Villagers and members of the Ye clan began to curry favor with them. Li Chengfu was sharp and capable; he not only kept his sons in line, never causing Li Qiuyang any trouble, but also found many tasks within the clan, ensuring their branch flourished day by day.

One day, Li Chengfu, after getting drunk with him, chuckled softly:

"When I was young, catching fat rats in the fields, I noticed three clever people in the village. One was Li Mutian, the other Chen Erniu! One was fierce and calm, the other quick-witted and capable."

"And the third?" Li Qiuyang asked with a smile.

"It was Ye Chengfu." Li Chengfu burst into laughter, his eyes hazy with drink, his wine bowl shaking uncontrollably in his hand.

Li Qiuyang suddenly awoke from his reverie, glancing at Li Chengfu, who lay cold in the coffin. A small child, bouncing and with a white band tied around his forehead, ran in, looking at him with tears in his eyes.

"Father!"

Holding his young son in his arms, Li Qiuyang murmured to himself: "None of you eight possess spiritual apertures. Where then lies the hope for my lineage?"

"As your father, I can only ensure your lifelong prosperity. But without spiritual apertures, you may well precede your father in death."

He looked at the innocent child. Just as he finished speaking, a clan guard walked in from outside, bowing as he said:

"Clan Uncle, the family head requests your presence."

Li Qiuyang quickly stood up, tidied his clothes, and hurried up Lijing Mountain. After walking along the flagstone path for a while, he saw a very large patterned snake corpse coiled on the ground.

"What a long serpent!" Li Qiuyang exclaimed. Without waiting for Li Xuanxuan to speak, he instinctively bent down and cast a spirit-sealing spell on the creature. Li Xuanxuan said with a smile:

"Clan Uncle, how is your cultivation progressing?"

"The fourth layer of the Azure Origin Wheel," Li Qiuyang chuckled. Beside them, Li Xuanfeng silently wiped his bow, dressed in plain clothes, his mood clearly subdued.

A clan guard rushed up from below, sweating profusely, and bent down to whisper to Li Xuanxuan:

"Family Head! News from Shanyue: Jialuoxi is dead! Assassinated during the Grand Shanyue Festival."

Li Xuanxuan was momentarily stunned, then his face lit up with joy. He quickly stood up and addressed the two:

"Jialuoxi is dead, assassinated during the Grand Festival! We can finally sleep soundly! This calls for a celebration!"

The two were instantly surprised. Li Xuanfeng paused his movements and said coldly:

"He got off easy."

Li Qiuyang's expression, however, was rather complex. He quietly said: "When I was in Shanyue territory, I saw many Shanyue people who held him in high regard. How could he have been assassinated?"

Li Xuanxuan nodded, taking over the conversation, and questioned: "Furthermore, his cultivation was at least at the peak of Qi Condensation. Who could have killed him besides a Foundation Establishment cultivator? There are many suspicious points; the matter is likely very complex."

"Where's Uncle Zhong? Perhaps only he knows the details!" Li Xuanxuan looked up and asked, then saw Li Xuanfeng reply:

"He went to hunt demons."

Li Tongya followed the mountain ridges for a while, searching. According to his memory, he found a large banyan tree with pale leaves beneath a cliff. It stood on the hillside, its numerous white leaves falling and scattering across the ground, creating a mottled white expanse.

Having found the remembered location, he indeed saw a large reddish-brown fox sound asleep by the tree. The moment he stopped, the fox's ears sharply perked up, and it squinted its eyes, glaring at him. Li Tongya watched silently for a moment. This demonic beast's cultivation was around the fifth layer of Qi Condensation. He had seen it before when he was seeking talismanic energy sacrifices; at that time, a mere glance from afar had intimidated him. Now, with his cultivation having improved, it was the perfect opportunity to test his sword.

The large fox's eyes were quite spirited. It stared at the sword in his hand, licked its paw, then opened its mouth and stammered: "I haven't eaten... people."

Li Tongya was momentarily stunned. He scanned the large fox with his spiritual sense, bewildered, confirming it was at the fifth layer of Qi Condensation, not Foundation Establishment. It was his first time encountering a demonic beast that had opened its spiritual intellect and refined its horizontal bone. For a moment, he didn't know how to reply, so he only said softly:

"Fellow Daoist... I merely wished to spar with you, just to exchange pointers."

Seeing the large fox speechless, Li Tongya immediately laughed. He raised his hand and struck at the fox. The fox leaped in place, extending its claws to block. For a moment, the sound of metal clashing resounded loudly. The man and the fox exchanged dozens of moves. Li Tongya, feeling confident, pulled back to create distance and unleashed sword qi to attack.

The demon fox was momentarily restricted. After blocking several sword qi attacks, it opened its mouth and spat out a string of fox fire. The fox fire was scorching red, rushing towards Li Tongya's face in a continuous stream. He was startled and retreated several steps. However, the fox fire followed him like a shadow, attaching itself to Li Tongya's protective true essence and hissing.

Li Tongya expended several true essence to extinguish the fox fire. The large fox, meanwhile, pounced forward, baring its fangs and claws, aiming for close combat with Li Tongya. Li Tongya, however, had already sheathed his sword and gathered strength. A brilliant white light flared in his hand, and the Moon Lacuna Sword Arc surged forth. The white sword arc was exceptionally sharp, causing the large fox's fur to bristle. It retreated repeatedly, spitting out several fireballs to nullify the sword qi.

Just as it managed to block the Moon Lacuna Sword Arc, several more sword qi attacks appeared before it. The large fox cried out, its speech suddenly much smoother as it said repeatedly:

"No more fighting! No more fighting... I have a demon general above me! You... you cannot kill me!"

Li Tongya's sword paused. He also wanted to use this opportunity to gather information, so he sheathed his sword and said with a smile:

"Fellow Daoist, your fox fire is truly formidable!"

"Not as good as your sword." The fox sighed softly, a hint of human-like defeat showing. It plopped down under the banyan tree and replied: "Are you... the family's immortal from down the mountain? Do you know someone who uses a bow and has slain many demonic beasts?"

As soon as the fox mentioned someone using a bow, Li Tongya understood. He cupped his hands and said: "Thank you for your leniency, Fellow Daoist. Indeed, he is a member of my family."

The large fox smacked its lips, groomed its fur, and said lazily: "How many die has nothing to do with me. Just don't disturb that big mountain boar. As for the other demonic beasts on the periphery, you can hunt them as you please."

"And this demon general?" Li Tongya asked, cupping his hands. The large fox stood on its hind legs and gritted its teeth, saying:

"It's a Foundation Establishment pig demon. All the demonic beasts in this area are under its control. It's incredibly... tyrannical. It eats everything, and it demands that I send it spirit bamboo shoots every year..."

Li Tongya nodded, thinking to himself: "There really is a Foundation Establishment demonic beast in these mountains. Good thing I didn't rush carelessly into the depths! I only circled the periphery."