A Foxy Temptress

Before long, Liu Chengfeng slowly came to. His whole body was safe and sound, and he immediately scrambled to his feet.

He found himself in an unfamiliar place. The room was plain and bare.

The fox lay beside him. When he woke, it gave him a lazy glance, then closed its eyes again.

"Virtuous nephew, you're awake."

Nangong Renshe came in and, seeing Liu Chengfeng unharmed, let out a sigh of relief.

"Uncle, where is this?"

Liu Chengfeng felt something was off about this place. It gave him a chilling feeling.

"The Imperial Capital. The Demon Slaying Division."

"The Emperor of Qiuchi ordered you detained here."

Nangong Renshe explained the situation to Liu Chengfeng.

After the Ascending Wu Clan was wiped out, the Emperor of Qiuchi had ordered Liu Chengfeng detained at the Demon Slaying Division.

There were three charges: damaging the Grandmaster Mansion's property, colluding with the demonic path, and acting as a spy for a foreign beast.

"Your guilt won't be decided until after the Three Departments Joint Trial."

Nangong Renshe told Liu Chengfeng that Qiuchi Kingdom had only detained him. He had not yet been convicted or sentenced.

"They can do that?"

Liu Chengfeng hadn't expected Qiuchi Kingdom to get involved.

"Don't worry too much. We just need to smooth things over with the right people. It shouldn't be a problem."

Nangong Renshe hurried to reassure Liu Chengfeng, telling him to relax. He had also brought a lot of things with him.

"These were seized from the Ascending Wu Clan."

Nangong Renshe pushed everything in front of Liu Chengfeng.

There were cultivation manuals, weapons and treasures, Blood Medicine, and Mountain Pills.

Liu Chengfeng had done all the work in wiping out the Ascending Wu Clan, so Nangong Renshe had brought him all the best things they'd seized.

Liu Chengfeng examined them carefully, then picked out a few Mountain Pills and Blood Medicine. He gave everything else to Nangong Renshe.

"Uncle, these belong to the sect."

The Ascending Wu Clan wasn't especially wealthy; it was about on par with the Cloud Rising Sect.

They had only five or six batches of Second Refinement Blood Medicine and Second Refinement Mountain Pills.

"Keep the manuals. Pick out a few weapons and treasures, too."

Seeing that Liu Chengfeng had taken only some Mountain Pills and Blood Medicine, Nangong Renshe felt awkward accepting the rest. All of it should have belonged to Liu Chengfeng.

"If I need anything, I'll ask you for it later."

Liu Chengfeng didn't take the other items. They weren't much use to him.

Ever since Liu Chengfeng had fallen unconscious, the fox had stayed by his side.

Nangong Renshe glanced curiously at the fox lying nearby and told Liu Chengfeng.

"I saved its life. It must know how to be grateful."

Liu Chengfeng smiled, too. The fox opened its eyes, shot him a glance, and clearly disagreed.

Liu Chengfeng reached out to pat its head, but it disdainfully shook him off.

Liu Chengfeng and Nangong Renshe both laughed. The fox ignored them even more completely.

"Don't worry. Once I smooth things over, the Demon Slaying Division will let you go soon."

Now that Liu Chengfeng was all right, Nangong Renshe felt at ease. He planned to call in some favors and get Liu Chengfeng released.

Just as Nangong Renshe was leaving, a middle-aged man walked in from outside.

The man wore a thin black robe. His face was gaunt, his expression cold, and his air so grim that no one dared approach him.

"This is the Chief of the Demon Slaying Division, Iron Hand Demon Breaker."

Nangong Renshe introduced the middle-aged man to Liu Chengfeng.

The Demon Slaying Division and the Grandmaster Mansion were both major departments under Qiuchi Kingdom's jurisdiction.

The Grandmaster Mansion was responsible for contacting, managing, and coordinating the sects, lineages, and cultivators within Qiuchi Kingdom.

The Demon Slaying Division was responsible for tracking down and judging cultivators or sects that committed crimes within Qiuchi Kingdom.

The Chief of the Demon Slaying Division, Iron Hand Demon Breaker, was Han Qi. People called him the fourth strongest in Qiuchi Kingdom. He had reached the peak of the Reception Fourth Rank.

Han Qi was cold to everyone alike. He nodded to Liu Chengfeng, which was his way of greeting him.

"Brother Han, I'm entrusting my boy to you. Please look after him."

Nangong Renshe and Han Qi were old acquaintances. Before leaving, he entrusted Liu Chengfeng to him again and again.

"Stay at the Demon Slaying Division. Don't go out."

Han Qi left after dropping that one sentence.

Liu Chengfeng was detained at the Demon Slaying Division, but he wasn't thrown into a dungeon or put in shackles. Instead, he was housed in the compound inside the Division.

Liu Chengfeng was the only one in the entire compound. It was plain and bare, but in the Imperial Capital of Qiuchi Kingdom, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, this was already extremely generous treatment. It was hardly what one would expect for a prisoner.

At the Demon Slaying Division, he was free to do anything except leave.

After Han Qi left, Liu Chengfeng sat cross-legged and regulated his breath. He circulated his cultivation method, drew in spiritual energy, strengthened his blood energy, and tempered his body.

While he had been unconscious, Nangong Renshe had already given him Blood Medicine and Mountain Pills.

Now, as he examined himself internally, he found that his blood energy was still depleted and that he had hidden injuries. He quickly took Second Refinement Blood Medicine to replenish his Blood Sea and Second Refinement Mountain Pills to heal his internal injuries.

Blood Medicine and Mountain Pills were essential pills for cultivators. They came in First Refinement, Second Refinement, Third Refinement, and so on.

First Refinement Blood Medicine strengthened blood energy and was refined from century-old medicinal ingredients.

Second Refinement Blood Medicine replenished the Blood Sea and was refined from millennium-old medicinal ingredients.

First Refinement Mountain Pills healed external wounds and were refined from century-old medicinal ingredients.

Second Refinement Mountain Pills healed hidden injuries and were refined from millennium-old medicinal ingredients.

After taking the Blood Medicine and Mountain Pills, he circulated his cultivation method and regulated his spiritual energy. Liu Chengfeng's blood energy grew stronger, and his hidden injuries disappeared.

It took Liu Chengfeng several days to get himself back in shape.

The only thing he regretted was that the She Tian Demonic Tree had escaped while he was unconscious.

Once his body had recovered, Liu Chengfeng activated his Celestial Body and sensed and listened to everything in the Imperial Capital.

The Imperial Capital of Qiuchi Kingdom was its largest city. It covered an immense area, bustled with prosperity, and was densely populated.

Using his Celestial Body to sense his surroundings, the first thing Liu Chengfeng detected was the Spirit Vein Dojo beneath the ground.

The entire Spirit Vein Dojo was enormous, more than ten times larger than the Spirit Vein Dojo of the Su Family in Tiger Mound.

The Spirit Vein of the Su Family in Tiger Mound was like a little stream; the Spirit Vein Dojo of Qiuchi Kingdom's Imperial Capital was like a river.

The spiritual energy gathered in the dojo was like a lake.

"Is this the power of a god?"

Liu Chengfeng was startled when he sensed the Spirit Vein Dojo.

Deep within the Spirit Vein Dojo of Qiuchi Kingdom's Imperial Capital was a vast, imposing pressure, as if a god were there.

Most astonishing of all, the Imperial Capital's Spirit Vein Dojo had two Spirit Pools. One carried the power of earthly fire, while the other carried the power of marsh water.

"A Spirit Vein Dojo with the power of nature, two Spirit Pools in one dojo—fire and water that should never mix, yet they coexist in the same place."

Liu Chengfeng couldn't help marveling. This was the foundation of Qiuchi Kingdom, something the Cloud Rising Sect and the Ascending Wu Clan couldn't compare with.

With spiritual energy as abundant as a lake, Liu Chengfeng wanted nothing more than to take a deep breath and absorb it all.

Still, he restrained himself. If he really sucked in a mouthful, the Emperor of Qiuchi or the Grand Marshal might come knocking to kill him on the spot.

"Something's wrong."

As Liu Chengfeng sensed the Spirit Vein Dojo, he found that some of the spiritual energy carrying the power of marsh water was poisonous.

The poison was well hidden. Without his Celestial Body, he wouldn't have detected it.

"How can spiritual energy be poisonous? That makes no sense."

Cultivators trained in the Reception Divine Treasury, absorbing the natural forces in the Spirit Veins and making them their own—earthly fire, lightning, marsh water, and other such powers.

Spiritual energy wasn't supposed to be poisonous. Yet a small portion of the Marsh Qi emanating from the Imperial Capital's Spirit Vein was highly toxic.

Liu Chengfeng found it strange. There had to be something wrong.

Curious, Liu Chengfeng turned the Heavenly Mound, listened to heaven and earth, and called out to all things.

"It'd be nice to get out and take a walk."

"When will the sun rise?"

Liu Chengfeng tuned out the everyday chatter of birds and beasts, old trees, and rivers. Two voices stood out and caught his attention.

"Where do you want to go for a walk?"

Liu Chengfeng drew close with his Celestial Body, opened the Sky Eye, and looked.

The first voice jumped in fright and immediately shrank back, like a timid young girl easily startled.

Liu Chengfeng peered through the Sky Eye for a long time before he finally saw that the voice wishing to go for a walk belonged to an Ancient Tree.

Its branches crisscrossed like a nest, its whole body was black, and its trunk bore scars scorched by lightning and fire.

"Who are you?"

After a while, the Ancient Tree asked cautiously.

It spoke like a timid girl, but it was probably tens of thousands of years old, if not older.

"Some young upstart has appeared out of nowhere, and he can understand us."

Another voice cut in. It was unmistakably overbearing.

"You can talk to each other?"

This was the first time Liu Chengfeng had encountered something like this, so he quickly examined them through the Sky Eye.

The second speaker was a Stone Lion. It had been battered by wind and sun for ages, its surface mottled and ancient, but its body was immense.

"Such ignorance."

The Stone Lion was not only overbearing, but arrogant as well.

"We were set here by Divine General Lihuo."

The Ancient Tree was shy and timid. It had finally met someone who could communicate with them, and mustered the courage to tell Liu Chengfeng.

"Divine General Lihuo—is he the founder of Qiuchi Kingdom?"

"Pah, how could he be a divine general?"

The Stone Lion's identity was unclear, but it spoke with great arrogance.

"The founder of Qiuchi Kingdom was one of Divine General Lihuo's attendants."

The Ancient Tree was easier to talk to. It was willing to share this with Liu Chengfeng.

"Did Divine General Lihuo place you here to guard Qiuchi Kingdom?"

"I'm not—"

The Stone Lion sounded a little annoyed as it gave a muffled reply.

"I connect the heavenly thunder and earthly fire. Divine General Lihuo planted me here."

"There's a top-grade treasure on my Crow Nest."

"Just a top-grade treasure from the Sage Scroll."

The Stone Lion sounded disdainful.

"A top-grade Sage Scroll technique for the Blood Sea Divine Treasury."

The Ancient Tree spoke timidly. The Stone Lion fell silent.

"A top-grade Sage Scroll technique for the Blood Sea Divine Treasury—"

Liu Chengfeng was shaken to the core by this news.

Cultivation methods and techniques were divided into the Human Scroll, Sage Scroll, and God Scroll.

It was said that there were no God Scroll cultivation methods for the Blood Sea Divine Treasury. An Innate Sage Scroll was the highest level of cultivation method in the Green Meng Realm.

He had Innate Bones. If he obtained a top-grade Sage Scroll, wouldn't he be able to fuse and create an Innate Sage Scroll, becoming the rarest and most powerful cultivation method in the Green Meng Realm?

"You can try."

The Ancient Tree was very friendly toward Liu Chengfeng. Not only did it tell him that it had a cultivation manual hidden in its body, it even encouraged him to come and take it.

"Pah. He's not of the imperial family or a noble household. Can he take it? He can't even enter the Ancestral Hall."

The Stone Lion's words silenced the Ancient Tree. Like a little girl, it quietly shrank back.

"What did you mean when you asked when the sun would rise, senior?"

Didn't the sun rise every day?

"Why should I tell you?"

The Stone Lion was arrogant.

"Bring him a flask of Golden Wind Jade Dew Wine."

"Don't want it."

The Stone Lion said that, but it was already smacking its lips.

"Golden Wind Jade Dew Wine."

Liu Chengfeng committed the name to memory.

The Stone Lion stopped paying attention to Liu Chengfeng, and the Ancient Tree fell silent too.

Liu Chengfeng continued probing the Imperial Capital to see if he could find anything else.

"Well now, you little fellow are working hard at your cultivation."

Ye Huijian appeared, interrupting Liu Chengfeng's probing.

"I'm not little at all. I'm very big."

Liu Chengfeng shot a fierce glance at her ample figure.

"Is that all your lecherous mind can think about?"

Ye Huijian folded her arms across her chest, making her curves even more breathtaking.

"Want to try?"

Could a man bear this kind of provocation? Liu Chengfeng's eyes hardened, and he felt like doing something wicked.

Ye Huijian gave him a half-smile.

"Great people don't hold grudges against small fry."

Liu Chengfeng didn't dare do anything to this cheap auntie-master, either. If he angered her, she could pluck his head off in one swift move.

Ye Huijian sat down beside Liu Chengfeng.

The fox saw Ye Huijian and was horrified. It tried to run, but she snatched it up in an instant.

"Why are you scaring it?"

Seeing the fox tremble all over, Liu Chengfeng was puzzled.

"You little vixen, where did you get it?"

"I found it on Great Meng Mountain."

Liu Chengfeng didn't hide it from Ye Huijian.

"Well now, you can even find such a saucy fox out in the wilderness."

Holding the fox up, Ye Huijian gave it a half-smiling, half-mocking appraisal.

The fox had been so terrified by Ye Huijian that it was scared out of its wits.