Chapter 339: Little Fox, Skin-picking Master (2-in-1)
Underneath a star-studded sky, the towering walls of the western gate of Tianan City loomed high, the gates tightly shut. Outside the city, the market was deserted, with the shops lining the streets long closed. Only a few tea houses and restaurants still emitted light, their doors open.
On the second floor of a tea house, a man with a fierce yet handsome countenance sat by the window at an old square table, calmly sipping on a cup of the local specialty, “Snow Bamboo Maofeng.”
The tea had a subtle sweetness upon first sip, followed by a lingering sweetness, with a hint of bitterness and the distinctive aroma of bamboo that permeated the mountainous terrain.
Demon Emperor Hu Mu nodded in satisfaction, then casually overturned the teacup and tossed two or three spirit stones into the arms of the nearby tea house attendant as a token of appreciation.
“Good tea,” He remarked.
The attendant accepted the spirit stones, bowing hastily. “Thank you, sir, thank you… It’s just…”
But halfway through his sentence, he hesitated, casting a cautious glance at Hu Mu’s visage, seemingly intimidated by his fierce appearance.
Hu Mu glanced at him. “Speak.”
“Sir, I’ve noticed that for the past four days, you and the lady have been coming here every day, arriving when we open and leaving only after we close. I couldn’t help but wonder, are you waiting for someone?… If you are, I could recommend the Xian Tea Pavilion in Tainan City. The ambiance there is much better than this humble tea house, and the seating is more comfortable, wouldn’t you agree?”
Hu Mu withdrew his gaze, ignoring the attendant, and resumed drinking his tea in solitude. However, upon hearing the attendant’s inquiry, Xue Tianqiao, seated across the table, chimed in with a smile, “Oh, it’s just that my master here doesn’t dare to enter the city. If he had the courage, why would he bother staying in such a rundown tea house? Isn’t that right, master?”
At these words, a hint of murderous intent flashed in Hu Mu’s previously mild eyes as he glared at his impudent disciple, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The attendant, still puzzled, asked, “He doesn’t dare to enter the city?”
“Yes, isn’t this the capital city of the Emperor Sect? The Emperor of the Central Domain resides there. Since my master can’t defeat him, he doesn’t dare to enter the city and can only stay outside. Isn’t that right, master?”
Hu Mu: “…”
The waiter, momentarily dumbfounded, thought it was a joke, so he jokingly continued,
“So, Daoist, does your master have any grudges with the Emperor of the Central Domain?”
“Yeah, my master is the Demon Emperor~ Isn’t that right, Master?”
“Demon… Demon Emperor…” Xiao Er was shocked, then couldn’t help but glance at Hu Mu and said with a smile, “I’ve met the Demon Emperor.”
“You should call him Your Majesty, the demon clan doesn’t like being called lord. Isn’t that right, Master?”
“Then I’ve met Your Majesty the Demon Emperor.”
The waiter felt a bit speechless, smiled, bowed, and then turned to attend to the ginseng tea at the nearby table.
After the man left, Hu Mu instantly crushed the teacup in his hand with his fingers, then reached out and pinched Xue Tianqiao’s chubby cheeks, making her pout,
“If you can’t control your foul mouth, do you think I won’t pull out all your teeth?”
Xue Tianqiao blinked but didn’t struggle. She silently took out a small notebook and ink pen from her bag and drew a stroke on the notebook.
Hu Mu furrowed his brows slightly, looking at the book in her hand, and asked, “What are you jotting down?”
“Well, since Master led the demon clan to break through the Yu Guan City, Master, you have wanted to skin your disciple six times, three times to skewer her and eat her, twice to bury her in the ground, and five times to strip her teeth… six times.”
“…💢”
“Master, you’re so fierce~”
“…💢💢💢”
Hu Mu took a deep breath, feeling his anger skyrocket, then forcibly reset it to zero. He let out a long exhale, retracting his hand and grabbing a fresh teacup. “Who told you I can’t beat him? I faced off against the elders of the Xuanxing Sect without fear. Why should I fear someone named Nan Gong?”
Xue Tianqiao curled her lips and retorted, “Then why doesn’t Master go into town? Your disciple is bored to tears following you around, just drinking tea every day. I want to explore the night market in Tainan City, indulge in the city’s sweet-skinned roast chicken, and play with Granny Si.”
Hu Mu shot Xue Tianqiao a glare but didn’t engage further, returning to his tea.
Just as he was about to sip it contentedly, a deafening boom echoed from the direction of Tainan City, shaking the entire teahouse. Naturally, most of the tea spilled from Hu Mu’s cup.
Patrons on the second floor rushed over, peering in the direction of the noise. They saw that the towering twelve-story attic of Heavenly Execution Court had lost its roof, replaced by a golden dragon coiling above.
“Isn’t that the golden dragon from the Eastern City a few days ago?”
“What’s happening? Isn’t that Heavenly Execution Pavilion? Did the golden dragon lift off its roof?”
“Has another monster infiltrated the city?”
Speculation abounded, causing Hu Mu’s temples to throb. He glanced at his tea-soaked clothes, then stood up, following everyone’s gaze.
When Hu Mu caught sight of the golden dragon, his already furrowed brows knitted even tighter,
“Holy Emperor…”
After murmuring, he promptly reached out and seized Xue Tianqiao, who was trying to slip away to observe the commotion, lifting her collar and placing her in front of him. He turned halfway to face her,
“Stay quietly by my side and don’t move a step away, or I’ll tear your skin off.”
At that moment, another disturbance occurred. The twelve-story attic of Heavenly Execution Court collapsed with a thunderous roar, while the radiant light intertwined with spiritual energy obscured the starry sky behind.
Just as the onlookers were filled with fear and confusion, the sound of swords emanated from the direction of the western gate of Tainan City, redirecting their attention to the city tower a hundred feet away.
Boom–
A burst of fire erupted atop the city tower, and soon after, two or three armored imperial guards descended from above. Hu Mu, holding Xue Tianqiao, squinted at the fiery spectacle on the tower, trying to discern what was happening. Suddenly, a female voice sounded from behind,
“Excuse me!! Who is the Demon King?!!”
Hu Mu turned to see a cultivator in the core formation stage wearing a fox mask and dressed in snow white, standing in the center of the second floor of the inn. She shouted, silencing the previously frantic crowd.
Ye Wan’er glanced around, waited for a moment, and seeing no response, muttered,
“Not here?”
Then, she vanished in an instant before the eyes of the crowd.
Before the tea patrons in the tea house could react, Ye Wan’er’s shout echoed from another tea house across the street,
“Excuse me!! Who is the Demon King?!!”
Upon hearing the second call, Hu Mu’s eyes twitched slightly. He had just considered the Core Formation stage cultivator’s teleportation technique impressive given her cultivation level, but he hadn’t anticipated her cunning as well.
However, Granny Si Xuanji’s cunning was formidable too. Most likely, this person was sent by her to escort him into the city. However, Hu Mu was not inclined to respond at this moment. He couldn’t just blurt out “I’m the Demon Emperor!! I’m here!!” in public, could he?
At that moment, the crowd on the second floor of the tea house heard the commotion and turned to look at the tea house across the way, sparking a flurry of discussion,
“What Demon Emperor? What was that thing just now? Is she seeking the Demon Emperor?”
“Would the Demon Emperor be drinking tea in these rundown tea houses? That’s unlikely, isn’t it? The Demon Emperor isn’t that frugal, right?”
“What a chaotic situation… First the appearance of the golden dragon, then the sudden opening of the city gate, and now someone is proclaiming the Demon Emperor in a tea house…”
Hu Mu’s face was etched with lines of frustration. Then, in the next moment, Xue Tianqiao’s loud shout silenced the previously buzzing tea house,
“Hey!! He’s here!! My master is here!!”
Silence fell over the tea house as everyone turned their attention to Xue Tianqiao, who Hu Mu was holding in his hand, feet dangling.
Hu Mu’s head dropped with an exasperated expression as he glanced at Xue Tianqiao. His face clearly expressed the desire to skin her. However, Xue Tianqiao wasn’t fazed. She met her master’s glare, blinked, and explained,
“Master, she’s calling for you.”
Hu Mu scanned the surroundings, observing the terrified expression of his tea host. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and expelled the thought of turning the fox in his hand into stew.
In the next moment, a white blur flashed. Ye Wan’er immediately turned back, surveying the scene, and her gaze settled on the face of the menacing man currently holding Xue Tianqiao. Seeing the man glaring at her with murderous intent, she felt her legs weaken for a moment, but quickly composed herself and gave a respectful bow,
“Junior pays respects to the Demon King and requests entry into the city at your earliest convenience.”
Hu Mu glared at Ye Wan’er. He truly desired to flay and dismember this eccentric core-forming cultivator, but upon noticing the Star Returning Bell hanging from her waist, he quickly suppressed his urge to kill.
“Those who carry the Star Returning Bell are all close associates of Si Xuanji. After thrashing one for a while, Si Xuanji will strip off his tail hair.”
Hu Mu remained silent for a moment, then glanced at the casual cultivators nearby. Suddenly, black mist poured out of his sleeves, enveloping him. When the mist dispersed, a sleek black fox tail emerged from behind his long coat.
“Lead the way,” He commanded.
With a wave of his sleeve, he and Xue Tianqiao vanished from the spot, reappearing in front of the western gate of Tainan City. Ye Wan’er, shocked for a moment, quickly followed suit.
As she reached the gate, a loud bang echoed, and a figure flew out from the gap in the gate, landing with a couple of bounces before stopping with hands on the ground.
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Liang Zhu glanced at Ye Wan’er beside him and asked, “Miss Ye, where is the Demon Emperor?”
Ye Wan’er wordlessly gestured behind him with her eyes. It was then that Liang Zhu noticed someone standing behind him. Stiffly turning around, he saw Hu Mu, with Xue Tianqiao in tow.
Seeing Hu Mu holding Xue Tianqiao, Liang Zhu couldn’t help but gulp nervously. He quickly rose and saluted, “Junior pays respects to the Supreme Being.”
Hu Mu glanced at him, feeling that Si Xuanji’s subordinates seemed rather clueless. Xue Tianqiao, noticing her master’s expression, spoke up, “My master says, no need for formalities.”
At that moment, two teams of imperial guards emerged from the western gate, surrounding Liang Zhu, Ye Wan’er, and the others.
Upon seeing the massive fox tail behind Hu Mu, the guards’ faces displayed confusion, but they tightened their grip on their spears.
Next, a black-haired man wielding a spear stepped out from the city gate.
“Dare to do this under my nose…” He began, but his expression froze when he saw the fox’s tail behind Hu Mu. He glanced cautiously at Liang Zhu and Ye Wan’er, who had just snuck into the city and opened the gate, then incredulously questioned them with his eyes, Did you summon this fox spirit?
Liang Zhu paused briefly, then respectfully said,
“Your Majesty, this individual is a close aide to the Emperor of the Central Domain. Wu Wen’an possesses mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation.”
“…”
Hu Mu glanced at Liang Zhu, then took Xue Tianqiao’s hand and stepped forward. Upon seeing this, Wu Wen’an quickly stepped back, but the imperial guards around them remained indifferent. As Hu Mu approached, the nearest guard raised his spear towards Xue Tianqiao.
Wu Wen’an hastily gestured to stop, “Wait!”
But it was too late, the spear was already thrust forward. Just as the spear was about to reach Xue Tianqiao, Hu Mu’s long black tail flickered slightly. In an instant, a black shadow shot out from the tip of the tail, engulfing the surrounding Core Formation cultivators and Wu Wen’an in its grasp.
Clang…
All that remained were scattered armored spears, amidst the silence. A bolt of lightning flashed across the night sky, illuminating the dark tower and startling Ye Wan’er, who had been dazed.
Ye Wan’er was genuinely startled. Dozens of cultivators in the core formation stage and one in the middle Nascent Soul stage vanished in an instant, leaving no trace behind.
Although she knew Void Realm cultivators were formidable, she hadn’t anticipated this level of power.
“This… This, this, this…”
Although Liang Zhu was also slightly surprised, Ye Anping had given a prior warning – “Under no circumstances should you touch Hu Mu’s tail. Even accidentally brushing against it is unacceptable, as that’s where his stomach is.” – so he knew what had happened.
Seeing Ye Wan’er’s anxious demeanor, he paused and reminded her,
“Miss Ye, I wonder if Lao Liu has instructed you not to touch that tail under any circumstances. Even if you touch it accidentally, it’s his stomach.”
“No… No… Is Immortal Danyue more powerful than him?”
Liang Zhu was momentarily shocked and nodded,
“She’s one cultivation realm higher. What do you think?”
“…”
Ye Wan’er’s heart skipped a beat. This was her first time witnessing a Void Realm cultivator in action. Some things sounded impressive when others talked about them, but they had no concept of it.
Back in Yu Guan City, she had stolen Immortal Danyue’s daughter’s spiritual sword and humiliated her. She had also seen her and Ye Anping together…
What if she held a grudge and reported her to her mother, Xiao Yunluo? What would happen then?
Wouldn’t she just vanish in an instant?
Ye Wan’er couldn’t help but shudder, covering her shoulders. She swallowed hard and said,
“Brother Liang, you’re like a brother to me… When we return, could you please put in a good word for me with Young Master Ye? And ask him to speak favorably of me in front of Young Master Xiao… I… I’m afraid.”
Liang Zhu was somewhat speechless and simply didn’t respond. He hurried forward and, with proper etiquette, gestured,
“Your Majesty, please enter the city.”
Hu Mu glanced at him. He had overheard their private conversation earlier. Why did so many people think that old lady Si Xuanji was more formidable than him?
But he pretended not to hear and nodded slightly, then carried Xue Tianqiao and followed Liang Zhu through the tower and into the city.
…
