Inside the six-star prison of the Mortal Prison, Fang Mu looked at the badly injured Hu Mei'er with a complicated expression.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Aren't you afraid I'll hurt you?"
Fang Mu shook his head and walked over to sit beside Hu Mei'er.
Looking at her human form and her smiling, flower-like face, Fang Mu couldn't help asking, "Aren't you afraid of death?"
"Why did you save me when the wolf demon attacked? If you had turned and left, you wouldn't have been captured!"
"Are you worried about me?"
"Not worried!"
"Stubborn!"
Hu Mei'er laughed, leaned close to Fang Mu, and stared intently at him as she examined him from head to toe.
"What are you doing?"
As Hu Mei'er drew closer and closer until her face was almost pressed against his, Fang Mu leaned back awkwardly and asked.
"I want to remember you. Remember what you look like. After I die, I'll become a Fierce Ghost and come looking for you."
"Are you afraid of Fierce Ghosts?"
"Not afraid! I know you won't hurt me!"
"Hmph! That's not necessarily true. Once I become a Fierce Ghost, how could I still remember you?"
"After I die, you have to cultivate seriously and become stronger. Don't let anyone bully you again."
Looking at Hu Mei'er's earnest expression, Fang Mu felt his throat tighten. He secretly clenched his fists and held back the tears welling in his reddened eyes.
Men did not shed tears lightly; it was only because they had yet to reach the depths of heartbreak.
He wanted to save Hu Mei'er, but he had no idea how. Putting her inside the Demon Refining Mirror was the best option.
But he could not fully control the Demon Refining Mirror. If it refined Hu Mei'er, Fang Mu would have nowhere to weep, for she would truly be reduced to nothing—not even bones would remain.
Besides, how would he explain hiding Hu Mei'er inside the Demon Refining Mirror's space?
Tu Qing was waiting for him to skin the fox demon. If he dared to let Hu Mei'er go, then he and Fang Jing would be the ones to die.
Just as Fang Mu was caught between a rock and a hard place, Hu Mei'er smiled at his tightly furrowed brows.
"Are you worried about me?"
"I knew the outcome the moment I was captured. I won't make things difficult for you."
As Hu Mei'er finished speaking, her fingers transformed into sharp claws and stabbed into her own heart.
"What are you doing?" Fang Mu was horrified. He hurried forward and caught Hu Mei'er as blood poured from her wound.
"Do you know? Being able to die in the arms of the person you love most is such a blissful thing!"
"Don't talk. Quickly—quickly swallow the pill. I—I'll use Vital Energy to protect your heart meridians."
Fang Mu frantically took out a pill and anxiously spoke as he looked at Hu Mei'er's paper-white face.
"You're a man. Men shouldn't cry. My death can buy your life in return. It's worth it."
Hu Mei'er raised her hand, wiped the tears from Fang Mu's face, and smiled radiantly as she died in his arms.
"No—don't!" Fang Mu threw back his head and let out a long howl.
The pill in his hand scattered across the ground. Looking at Hu Mei'er, whose body had already gone still in his arms, he forcibly held back the tears bursting from his eyes.
With a booming crash, the entire dungeon floor began to tremble violently beneath Fang Mu's frenzied blows.
Fang Mu's fists struck flesh and bone, pounding the ground until dirt and stones flew everywhere, pounding until his fists were slick with blood.
Amid the billowing dust, Fang Mu looked at Hu Mei'er, who had reverted to her white fox form, and silently walked toward the execution rack nearby.
"I'm sorry! I can't even preserve your corpse!"
"Rest easy and go! One day, I'll surely flay Tu Qing and pull out his tendons, dig out his bones, and smash his marrow, burying him for your sake."
With practiced movements, Fang Mu stripped the fur and skin from Hu Mei'er's corpse.
His expression turned numb. His bloodshot eyes stared at the pelt he had removed in one piece as he clenched his bloodstained fists.
He could no longer suppress the Demon Refining Mirror. A ray of golden light enveloped Hu Mei'er and refined her into blood.
Fragments of Hu Mei'er's memories surged into Fang Mu's mind.
After who knew how long, he suddenly opened his eyes, a trace of irritation showing on his face, before letting out a long breath of relief.
"You really know how to joke around. If I hadn't obtained those fragmented memories, I really would have thought you were dead."
Fang Mu gave a bitter laugh. Looking at the bloodstained fur in his hand, he felt considerably more at ease.
"So this is your clone? Knowing that you're still alive puts my mind at ease."
"I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time."
Intermediate Essence Blood Pill, formed from the essence blood of a fox demon. After consumption, it could strengthen the blood and nourish the physical body.
Low-grade Essence Pill, capable of nourishing the meridians and increasing cultivation.
Looking at the two pills that had appeared in his hand, Fang Mu stored them inside the Demon Refining Mirror.
Carrying the bloodstained pelt, he left the dungeon and arrived at the Demon Slaying Hall.
The three of them—Wen Xuan and the others—were all inside the Demon Slaying Hall.
Fang Mu reluctantly handed the fox demon's pelt to Tu Qing, then turned and walked away as if his soul had left his body.
Looking at Fang Mu's sorrowful departure, Tu Qing laughed heartily. This was the fate of offending him.
"Fang Mu."
Qi Zhu looked worriedly at Fang Mu's sorrowful departure and wanted to chase after him, but Wen Xuan held her back.
"Let him be alone and calm down."
After leaving the Demon Slaying Hall and returning home, Fang Mu felt that his performance had successfully fooled Tu Qing.
"Brother! What happened to you? Are you hurt?"
Seeing Fang Mu covered in blood, Fang Jing was startled and cried out from inside the room.
"I'm fine! It's demon blood. I'll go wash it off. Don't worry!"
After reassuring Fang Jing, Fang Mu entered the inner room.
The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Fang Mu left home and arrived at the Mission Hall.
There were quite a few people inside the Mission Hall. Fang Mu wore a black bamboo hat, and no one recognized him.
He was not the only one. Quite a few people here also wore bamboo hats, clearly not wanting others to recognize them.
Through the veil of his bamboo hat, Fang Mu saw wisps of black energy rising from many people. That was Demonic Energy.
The night before, he had fused with the civet demon's eyes. The fusion had gone smoothly, and he had not gone blind.
His pupils could now not only see in the dark, but also inspect the Demonic Energy radiating from others and determine the strength of their blood and vitality.
Blood and vitality could be used to judge a person's physical strength and cultivation.
It was a red glow radiating outside the body, difficult for ordinary eyes to see.
Fang Mu surveyed the hall. He found several people whose blood-and-vitality glow was as intense as his own, showing that the Demon Slayer Division was truly a hidden dragon's lair and a crouching tiger's den.
The person with the strongest blood and vitality throughout the Mission Hall was the Deputy Hall Master Fang Mu had seen before.
That Deputy Hall Master's spiritual perception was extraordinarily sharp. The moment Fang Mu glanced at him, he sensed it.
However, the Deputy Hall Master merely raised his eyes to look at Fang Mu before continuing to read the book in his hands, allowing Fang Mu to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
"Have you heard? That Black Panther in the five-star Mortal Prison, the one with incredible speed, was taken down by the kid who accepted the mission last time."
"No way! That kid looks so young. Does he really have what it takes to kill Black Panther?"
"It's true. I specifically asked Little Li, who handles the registrations. That kid really completed the mission."
"You really couldn't tell. That kid actually had such ability? I heard the contribution reward for the Black Panther mission was no small matter."
Listening to the hushed discussions around him, Fang Mu couldn't help secretly frowning.
It seemed wearing the bamboo hat this time had been the right decision. Fang Mu sensed several ill-intentioned gazes probing around.
To avoid attracting attention, Fang Mu accepted two relatively ordinary demon-slaying missions.
After registering at the counter and receiving the demon-slaying token, Fang Mu hurriedly left.
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