Sword Slaying White Fox

The dimly lit thatched hut made the old Daoist priest resting on the grass couch appear like a sinister, malevolent spirit, unsettling to behold.

"I never expected a mere spirit monster would resort to schemes of sowing discord and framing others."

Mo Chuan sneered, "If I intended to frame someone, to poison them or stab them in the back, why would I need you to remind me?"

"You old scoundrel, what do you mean by that? We agreed the inside of the house was yours, and the outside was mine. Are you trying to gobble up the prey all by yourself?"

An enraged shout came from outside the house.

Mo Chuan was stunned, unsure if the old Daoist priest was colluding with the spirit monster, or if the spirit monster was simply too cunning.

He pondered for a moment, then fell silent.

At this point, the more he tried to explain, the worse it would sound. It was better to say nothing.

As for how these people would choose to proceed, what did it have to do with him!

Pan Xingsi and the others, cowering in fear on the west side of the thatched hut, were now both shocked and terrified, unsure of what to do.

"Please, Daoist priest, have mercy. Young Master Qiao is the son of the Qingshui County Magistrate. He is lost in the wilderness today, and the Magistrate will surely send people to search for him. I beg you to be lenient!"

Pan Xingsi spoke with utmost sincerity, begging for his life, yet his words carried a hidden threat.

Mo Chuan glanced at them and said, "As a member of the Daoist sect, how could you collude with spirit monsters? Whether you believe me or not, you are free to leave or stay."

Hearing this from outside, a scream erupted, "You old scoundrel! You really intend to devour all the prey! I'll eat you too!"

The spirit monster, its bloodlust ignited by the feast, surged into the thatched hut with a rush of wind and rain.

It lunged straight for Mo Chuan.

In a fleeting glimpse, it was a white fox, its mouth stained red with blood, entering on a swirling gust of dark wind.

It had already planned: if it killed the old Daoist priest, these people would surely scatter and flee.

That would be the beginning of its gluttonous feast.

"Whoosh!"

Unexpectedly, the old Daoist priest seemed prepared. With a raise of his hand, a Five Thunder Token shot out!

Sizzle—

The Nine Heavens Divine Thunder contained within burst forth, like clouds from a dragon, illuminating the entire house, startling the white fox, which tried to stop in mid-air.

However, once the fox was in the air, there was nowhere to gain purchase.

Even with a sudden twist of its body to change direction, it couldn't outrun the swift lightning.

Instantly, the lightning struck its body, and the white fox let out a pained yelp, its entire body stiffening.

By inertia, it flew towards Mo Chuan.

Mo Chuan's eyes lit up at the sight. He reached out and grabbed the air, drawing the Fine Steel Seven-Star Sword from the Sacrificial Dao Furnace, and thrust it into the white fox spirit monster that had delivered itself.

"Pfft!"

The sword pierced its throat, and a torrent of blood gushed out, splattering his face with a pungent, bloody stench.

This scene, though described slowly, happened extremely quickly.

In the eyes of Pan Xingsi and the others, they only saw the spirit monster surge in with a strange wind, then a cold glint flashed across the heavens.

When the sword's radiance faded, they saw the old Daoist priest sitting on the grass couch, raising his sword in a thrust!

At the tip of the sword hung a large, limp white fox.

As everyone watched, they could faintly see a fox-shaped soul struggling to emerge from the white fox's corpse.

"Vile creature, how dare you attempt to communicate with the underworld before me?"

Mo Chuan let out an angry roar, and a Ghost Subduing Talisman shot out. The white fox immediately let out a scream, its soul utterly annihilated.

After finishing all this, Mo Chuan felt his vision darken.

The Seven-Star Sword, still impaling the white fox, no longer had the strength to be held aloft, and clattered to the ground.

A cold sweat broke out on his aged body, and his muscles ached intensely.

It was clear that the previous strike had completely exhausted the old Daoist priest's strength.

After a while, Mo Chuan, panting, finally recovered. He picked up the fragrant tea Pan Xingsi had just brought and took a large gulp, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

"Son—"

"Young Master Pan—"

At this moment, faint shouts could be heard from outside the thatched hut. Pan Xingsi and the others, who had been scared into quails, were startled by the sound and listened intently.

"My father is looking for me!"

Young Master Qiao exclaimed with joy upon hearing the shouts. Before they could go out to greet them, wailing suddenly erupted from outside.

Judging by the cries, it was a lament for the deceased female members of the Qiao family.

It was likely that the fox spirit hadn't completely devoured the female members yet.

"Splash..."

A sound of footsteps approached. Looking over, they saw several burly guards escorting a middle-aged man as he barged in.

"Dad—"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Young Master Qiao exclaimed with emotion, unable to control his voice.

"My boy, are you alright? Huh? Are you alright?"

The middle-aged man rushed over, checking his precious son from side to side. He was clearly already terrified by the corpses outside.

"Dad, I, I'm fine! I'm fine!"

Young Master Qiao finally relaxed.

"You unfilial son, what happened here? How could Shu'er... how could she have died so horribly outside?"

Seeing his son unharmed, the father's anger flared up.

"Dad, we were attacked by a spirit monster!"

"What?"

The father's face drained of color.

The county magistrate of Qingshui had just been beheaded by a malevolent spirit, and now his son was attacked by a spirit monster. How could he not panic?

Young Master Qiao quickly explained the entire sequence of events, meticulously, fearing that the death of Qiao Shu would be blamed on him.

"I am Qiao Mingyuan, the county lieutenant of Qingshui. I thank the Daoist priest for saving my life!"

After listening, the father quickly cupped his hands and bowed to Mo Chuan.

His gaze couldn't help but fall upon the white fox spirit monster lying on the ground, with the Seven-Star Sword still embedded in it.

"To aid the world and save people is a matter of duty," Mo Chuan replied, returning the bow.

"Where is that monster? Where!?"

Suddenly, a person stumbled in from outside. He was over forty, dressed in luxurious clothes, his eyes bloodshot as he scanned the surroundings.

"You damned fox spirit! Why did you have to kill my daughter? Why?"

Upon seeing the white fox corpse on the ground, he lunged at it like a madman, raising his foot to stomp on it.

"Brother Yuhong, please, please!"

Qiao Mingyuan quickly stopped the man, trying to console him.

"My daughter is dead, and her body is not even intact! How can you ask me to be consoled? How can you?"

The man wailed and cursed, tears streaming down his face.

His cries and curses were enough to break the hearts of those who heard and bring tears to the eyes of those who saw.

Alas, my cultivation is limited, and I am merely a soul. I am powerless to help.

Mo Chuan shook his head, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart.

Anyone who had raised a blooming daughter for over a decade would not be able to withstand such a blow.

"Brother Yuhong, please calm yourself and stop speaking nonsense."

Qiao Mingyuan offered a word of comfort.

Then, he gave a look to his household servants, signaling them to escort Qiao Yuhong away.

At this moment, Qiao Yuhong was clearly not in a state to be reasoned with, and keeping him here would only cause further distress.

"Daoist priest, please forgive him. My cousin had this youngest daughter in his middle age and doted on her dearly. Now that she has met such a tragic end, his mind is clouded, and he is speaking nonsense!"

"It's quite alright!"

Mo Chuan waved his hand. After a moment of thought, he said, "It's a pity that my Daoist skills are shallow, and I was never able to deal with this beast. I have lived in seclusion and cultivated diligently until today, finally eliminating this great hidden danger! Yet, I still owe a life debt!"

Qiao Mingyuan quickly waved his hands upon hearing this, "Daoist priest, you must not say such things! You must not! If there is a life debt, it is my Qiao family that owes the Daoist priest. How could the Daoist priest owe my Qiao family?"

As the head of the Qiao clan, in this world where clans held great importance, it was not unreasonable for Qiao Mingyuan to speak on behalf of Qiao Yuhong.

Pan Xingsi, who had remained silent until now, suddenly cupped his hands and said, "Daoist priest, you built your hermitage and temple here, was it perhaps to suppress this malevolent beast?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of everyone looking at Mo Chuan changed.

"Just begging for survival in the wilderness!" Mo Chuan waved his hand.

Young Master Qiao, still shaken, heard these familiar words and a look of embarrassment appeared on his face!