The crimson glow of the setting sun filtered through the gaps in the branches, scattering patches of light across the ground. As the mountain breeze swept through, it carried another voice with it.

“Don’t attack!”

At that moment, a woman’s voice suddenly rang out. Riding the wind, a fox came sprinting over and, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a beautiful woman.

“Mother.”

Mingyue obediently called out, quietly slipping the little gourd behind his back. “Mother, what brings you here?”

The woman walked over and gently stroked her son’s head without saying a word. Her gaze fell upon the two foxes lying on the ground, their fur scorched black.

“My two Elder Sisters, it has been a long time.”

Thin wisps of green smoke still curled from their singed fur. Demonic creatures feared heavenly lightning above all else. The red and white foxes’ demonic qi had been thrown into chaos by the lightning strike, leaving them unable even to maintain an illusion.

Forced to remain in their fox forms, they struggled to push themselves upright.

“So it’s you, Yanzhi. Hehe, looks like you had better foresight than we did, submitting to the Black Mountain Old Demon first. Your cultivation has advanced considerably—even the important task of guarding the mountain gate has been entrusted to you.”

The red fox was not nearly as bitter as the white one, her voice much weaker. “Little Sister, we’ve come under Granny Tree Demon’s orders to seek an audience with the Black Mountain Old Demon. Please announce our arrival.”

“There is no Black Mountain Old—”

Yanzhi stopped halfway through her sentence. Her eyes drifted beyond the mountain toward the village bathed in the evening sun, and she frowned slightly.

Could this be the alias that Mister Lu uses outside the mountain?

Otherwise, why would these two sisters deliberately come all the way to Qixia Mountain?

After a moment’s thought, she nodded to her son, signaling Mingyue to dispel the formation and take the two foxes to meet Mister Lu.

After all, besides Mister Lu, there were also Daoist Master Sun, Grandmaster Toad, and Mister Lu’s three disciples. No matter what these two fox demons had in mind, they could hardly stir up any trouble.

“It’s just… Mister is currently in secluded cultivation. I wonder whether he’ll be willing to see them.”

As Mingyue let out a helpless sigh, he waved his hand. The bronze bell around his wrist gave a crisp chime, and the surrounding azure spiritual qi gradually dispersed.

Yanzhi pulled her son into her embrace with a smile. “Since they’ve come all this way, we should report it to Mister Lu. That’s your duty.”

As Old Donkey and Mingyue escorted the two foxes down the mountain, outside the now-vanished formation, a swift figure vaulted over rooftops and walls as he rushed inside. Before him stretched acre upon acre of fields, their crops beginning to yellow. Farmers busy harvesting grain and digging irrigation ditches looked up one after another.

“Who’s that?” “What a rugged beard.”

“Looks like another cultivator.” “Think he’s here to see Liangsheng?”

“Most likely. Didn’t even the prince of Sui come here twice?”

Watching Yan Chixia streak past like a blur, the farmers’ eyes somehow managed to follow his movements. But after years of seeing demons, cultivators, and high-ranking officials come and go, they no longer found such sights unusual. They gathered up their farming tools, called to their children playing by the fields, and headed home for supper.

“Fellow Daoist Lu!”

Yan Chixia rushed into the village entrance and dispelled the spell enhancing his movement. Not knowing where Lu Liangsheng lived within the village, he infused his voice with magic power and shouted at the top of his lungs as he walked.

“Hey, hey! What are you yelling for? The sow over at Dazhu’s house next door is giving birth. You scared the piglets back in—who’s going to take responsibility for that?”

Not far away sat an old man behind a fortune-telling stall. His legs were crossed, one foot bobbing idly. His temples were streaked with gray, and his clouded eyes stared blankly toward the evening glow.

“You’re a cultivator, yet you’re so rash and impatient. Judging from the rise and fall of your aura, I’d say you’ve encountered some great trouble and have traveled a long way to seek help here.”

The old man flared his nostrils and sniffed.

“Hmm… there’s demonic qi as well. The one you’ve encountered is likely a great demon that devours people.”

Yan Chixia was taken aback. He could vaguely sense cultivation emanating from the old man, and for the briefest moment, the elder gave him the impression of someone who had returned to simplicity, concealing all traces of his cultivation. Could this old man be Lu Liangsheng’s martial grand-uncle or some senior of that generation?

“May I ask this Senior—”

“Senior Brother!”

Just as Yan Chixia opened his mouth, another voice called out from the opposite side of the threshing ground. A youth of sixteen or seventeen ambled over, a cyan sword hanging upside down across his back as he casually munched on a piece of fruit.

“Back to telling fortunes again, Senior Brother? Oh? That face is unfamiliar. A visitor from outside?”

Senior Brother?

Yan Chixia glanced at the old man, who had turned his face away, then at the young man before him. After a moment’s hesitation, he cupped his hands in greeting.

“Is this Lu Village at Qixia Mountain? I’ve come to find—”

Crunch.

The young man took a bite of his fruit and casually waved the hand holding his sword.

“No need to look. My master is in secluded cultivation and isn’t receiving visitors for the time being.”

Yan Chixia had traveled all the way south for the sole purpose of eliminating the thousand-year-old demon haunting Lanruo Temple. Having come this far, there was no way he could simply give up. Besides, several lives still hung in the balance. If he delayed any longer, by the time he returned, there would likely be nothing left of them but bleached bones.

“I am an old acquaintance of Fellow Daoist Lu. I ask that you kindly announce my arrival. Just tell him that Yan Chixia of Qin has come to pay a visit!”

“Yan Chixia? I think I’ve heard my master mention that name before.”

The young man was none other than Li Sui’an. He stopped chewing the half-eaten fruit, tossed it toward the old man at the fortune-telling stall, then looked Yan Chixia up and down before rubbing his smooth chin with some difficulty.

“My master has been in seclusion for a year now and rarely sees outsiders. But every morning at sunrise, he goes to the Honglian Temple outside the village. Why don’t you wait there until tomorrow morning? Since you’ve already come all this way, what’s another day or two, right? It’ll also give you a chance to enjoy the scenery of our Qixia Mountain. The spiritual qi here is also quite beneficial for cultivation.”

Faced with the silver-tongued youth, Yan Chixia had not even managed to finish half a sentence before the other launched into a lengthy explanation. It was obvious the young man was trying to brush him off.

From the village entrance behind them came the cheerful jingling of bells.

Old Donkey clopped forward, herding along two foxes whose fur had been scorched black and matted together into miserable clumps. Beside him, Mingyue swung his little gourd as he cheerfully greeted the villagers.

Jingle… jingle… jingle…

As the ringing drew closer, Yan Chixia suddenly sensed two familiar demonic auras. He abruptly turned around, his gaze sweeping over the little boy and Old Donkey before settling on the two foxes hobbling along the ground.

“So it’s you two little demons! You tailed me all the way here. Was your plan to kill me?!”

He slapped the wooden case on his back, and with a whoosh, a small sword shot out.

The very next instant, a cyan longsword streaked across the sky and struck it head-on.

Clang!

The sharp crash of metal exploding against metal rang out as Yan Chixia’s flying sword was knocked tumbling from the air.

Yan Chixia beckoned with a hand, and the flying sword returned to the wooden case. Turning his head, he saw the young man beside him making the motion of sheathing his own sword as well.

His thick brows furrowed, and he lowered his voice.

“What do you mean by this?”

“You can’t fight in Lu Village.” Li Sui’an hugged the cyan sword across his chest, smiling as brightly as the sun. “My master made that rule.”

Meanwhile, the two fox demons, who had nearly been cut down by a single strike, bared their teeth furiously at the bearded man. They naturally recognized him as the Daoist they had encountered at Lanruo Temple half a month ago.

“Evil Daoist! Just wait until we’ve met the Black Mountain Old Demon. You’ll regret this!”

The Black Mountain Old Demon?

What’s going on?!

This time, everyone present was stunned, their gazes shifting back and forth between the bearded man and the two fox demons.

The rosy afterglow illuminated the mountain ridges, casting long, continuous shadows across the earth.

Halfway up Qixia Mountain, Grandmaster Toad lay sprawled in a great lump. He opened his mouth in a huge yawn, inhaling a cloud of mist before smacking his lips lazily. Then he slowly crawled over to a boulder still bathed in the fading sunlight and resumed his nap.

In the distance, the ancient tree wrapped in faded red cords stretched upward. Within the stone grotto of Qixia Mountain, the massive stone gate remained tightly shut. Dim lamplight illuminated the interior, casting the silhouette of a man upon the cave wall.

The flame flickered.

Seated at his desk, Lu Liangsheng lightly flicked a finger. The candle burned a little brighter, illuminating the sheet of paper before him as the brush drew a trail of ink.

Two characters appeared: Human Dao.