"Damn, those people have come into the mountains to hunt..." Hong Yi slapped the table and sprang to his feet. Taking several long strides, he flung open the padded curtain and rushed out of the stone chamber. The moment he stepped outside, the icy wind hit him full in the face, making him shiver. The snow on the ground was already two feet deep; with every step, a person sank into it. The barking grew closer and closer. The situation was becoming ever more perilous. After a mouthful of wine, warmth spread through Hong Yi's whole body. "I've drunk Mr. Bai's wine, so I can't just drink it for nothing. Allow me to present you with a poem." Hong Yi felt even more that this was bad. These people would be difficult to deal with. Even if he went out now and ran into them, he definitely couldn't lead them away; he might only arouse even greater suspicion. "Hmm?" "What should I do? What should I do?" Seeing the three little white foxes in a panic, Hong Yi felt slightly flustered himself. But from the terror in their eyes, he could tell the foxes were truly afraid. He also saw the words on the ground. "Good heavens..." Jing Yuxing, Yang Tong, Hong Xuejiao, and Princess Yongchun—the two men and two women—all had a piercing light flash in their eyes. "More than a dozen mastiffs!" Hong Yi felt dizzy, his heart pounding. He could tell the foxes were doomed. Drink our wine, boost your yin and yang, and keep your breath sweet... Hong Yi understood at once. On a snowy day, deep in the mountains and old forests, there was no way dogs would be barking unless hunters had come into the mountains. That place was also extremely terrifying. They said you could see ghosts beating people there even in broad daylight, and no one dared to pass through. The three little white foxes were even more sensitive than Hong Yi. The moment they heard faint barking carried through the wind and snow outside, they jumped up and chattered wildly, looking thoroughly panicked. Hong Yi looked at the talking mastiff and asked. "Fine wine, immortal wine. And a fine song, too. To dare walk Qingsha Pass alone, to refuse to bow before the emperor, to frighten off that group of experts without even showing yourself—you truly deserve to be called a hero." At the mention of Hong Xuanji and Yang Tuo, all four of them turned solemn. Yang Tong, heir to Prince Cheng, suddenly stepped forward and asked, "Hmm? What's that sound?" In other words, even if Hong Yi's spirit left his body, the mastiffs would see through him. The young man had his eyes tightly shut. The moment Hong Yi entered, he opened them, and a gentle light shone from them, like warm jade. Seeing the words Xiao Shu had scratched into the ground, Hong Yi felt every hair on his body stand on end. He saw a young man sitting in the central seat, dressed in moon-white robes, his long hair tied into a child's topknot and falling over his temples. "Are you Mr. Bai Ziyue, one of the Eight Great Demon Immortals of the World?" Suddenly, another of the more than ten mastiffs spoke. Hong Yi straightened his clothes, about to walk out calmly. As he spoke, Hong Yi stood and took several steps, then declaimed loudly, "My long sword sweeps the nine wilds, my lofty crown brushes the heavens; I stride alone through a world of sages and light, and across the four seas I'm hailed as a hero." Wealthy families kept mastiffs to suppress evil spirits. "Yip, yip! Yip, yip!" Suddenly, a strange transformation took place. The moment that mastiff died, another immediately began speaking like a person. Just then, the mastiffs charging toward the hillside abruptly stopped, as though they had sensed some powerful threat. "What's going on?" Seeing Yang Tong like this, the others were startled and wheeled their horses around. At that very instant, a song suddenly rang out in the distance, accompanied by a faint fragrance of wine drifting through the wind and snow. As soon as Hong Yi climbed the slope, he saw more than ten black dots far down the path. "What a bold, heroic song! Where is it coming from? To dare walk Qingsha Pass alone, to refuse to bow before the emperor..." Listening to it, Hong Yi heard no refined poetry, yet the song was brimming with heroic spirit, its force sweeping over everything like a vast sky. "Please, have a seat, sir. Consort Yuan mentioned you. This is my Monkey Wine, aged for decades. It promotes circulation and prolongs life. Have a sip." "What? They found me?" After spending so many days together, he already knew the foxes' situation. They had only just begun cultivating and had no means of protecting themselves. They might have been able to deal with ordinary hunters, but against hunters with mastiffs like these, they wouldn't stand a chance. They would be torn to pieces and wouldn't even be able to escape. With such powers, one could send out one's spirit and possess another's body. The mastiff just now had been possessed and turned on its master. On the snowy ground, the mastiffs had barked incessantly and pursued them relentlessly, finally tracking them here. The horses followed behind the mastiffs, drawing closer and closer. When they were still several thousand paces away, Hong Yi hid behind the trees and managed to make out Hong Xuejiao's figure. "Princess! There's something alive hiding in the woods on the hillside ahead!" "Mastiffs!" Hong Yi followed the mastiff down the slope and back to the stone chamber in the secluded valley. Woof! Woof! Woof... "Who are you?" "What? The Pure Fox Clan is hiding in the woods? If the mastiffs go up first, they might tear the foxes to pieces. That wouldn't do. I want their pelts intact. Xuejiao, your archery is good. Once the mastiffs go up and drive the foxes out, shoot them in the eyes. Don't damage their pelts." This song rose, and the fragrance of wine spread on the wind. Drink our wine, dare walk Qingsha Pass alone... Hearing a guard shout that something was hiding in the woods, Hong Yi's heart tightened. Suddenly, Yang Tong wheeled his horse around and galloped off. "Brr, it's cold." An arrow flew and struck the mastiff right in the eye. It rolled over and lay still. "That won't work. What good would your arrow do?" "This is the method of a Ghost Immortal possessing a body! What a powerful demon! Who's there? Show yourself!" The barking of those black dots was unmistakably the sound of mastiffs. "Hong Xuejiao? And the others?" "Mr. Bai, there's no problem." Suddenly, the largest mastiff among the more than ten turned around. It seemed as if something had possessed it; a fierce light flashed in its eyes. With a roar, it lunged at Jing Yuxing and the others. "I am Mr. Bai. It's cold outside. Come with me to the stone chamber." The mastiff spoke. "Run up and reason with them? I'm afraid they won't listen. Damn it, if only I were a Grandmaster of martial arts..." Hong Yi thought and thought but couldn't come up with a good way to stop them. Deep down, he felt helpless. It was broad daylight, so the three foxes couldn't send their spirits out to communicate. Their souls hadn't yet reached the Day Wanderer stage and couldn't endure the daylight, even on a snowy day without any sun. Following the sound, Hong Yi struggled onward, step by step toward the valley's entrance. "You're surnamed Yang, right? You're of the imperial family? Go back and tell Yang Tuo that sooner or later I, Bai Ziyue, will settle things with him. Tell him to wait." At the mention of that name, Yang Tong suddenly started, as if sensing something terrifying. He stared fixedly at the talking mastiff before him. The scene had become strangely eerie. "No matter what, I can't let Xiao Shu, Xiao Fei, and Xiao Sang come to harm. Since they call me big brother, I'll treat them as my little sisters. If someone treats me as a man of honor, I'll repay them with my life." Outside the valley was a hillside, with higher ground and a stand of trees where someone could hide and watch the long road beyond the valley from above. For a moment, horses and mastiffs wheeled around and raced back the way they had come. Before the time it took half an incense stick to burn, they were all gone. Only two mastiff corpses and one living mastiff remained. The one who had fired the arrow was Hong Xuejiao. "Bai Ziyue!" Hong Yi lifted his head. He could hear distant barking outside. "Elder Tu might not be able to deal with them either. I'd better go out and draw them away. I'll say I'm a scholar who got lost in the mountains and ask them to escort me back. That way, the hunters will be led away." "Go!" At the same time, the guards accompanying them all stepped forward together. "Good wine... fine wine made by us... The group riding in, driving mastiffs before them, consisted of Princess Yongchun, Hong Xuejiao, Prince Cheng's heir Yang Tong, and Jing Yuxing." "Hong Yi?" Beside him lay a two-foot-long purple wine gourd, and a long sword was strapped to his back. His whole bearing was otherworldly, with an immortal's air. The mastiffs could be as fierce as lions and tigers; even three or four burly men were no match for an ordinary one, and on top of that they could see through spirits. Jing Yuxing had killed his own mastiff, yet there was not the slightest trace of a smile on his face. He suddenly shouted. "I am Bai Ziyue." He looked at Hong Yi. "Have a seat." The young man laughed and beckoned Hong Yi over. Born into a powerful family, Hong Yi might have had low status, but he knew about mastiffs. The largest ones were as big as calves and ferocious. They were divine beasts used to guard homes and protect courtyards. They were also extraordinarily sensitive, naturally gifted with spiritual awareness and able to see incorporeal ghosts.
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