Who are you calling your wife?

After nightfall, the clamor rose once again inside the Commandery Princess's Manor:

"Eight ones..."

"I heard a young hero came to the Yamen. His martial arts are beyond divine, and he's especially handsome..."

"Stop dreaming. He's Miss Linghu's dish..."

In the two-courtyard residence outside the wall, however, all was dark and silent.

Xie Jinhuan sat cross-legged in his bedroom, his hands resting flat on his knees. Currents of energy visibly circulated around him, lightly stirring Coal Ball's fluffy feathers. A newly purchased copy of Records of Demons and Ghosts lay beside him.

After the older and younger members of the Lin Household left that afternoon, Xie Jinhuan had gone out for another circuit to inquire about the authorities' movements.

County Commandant Yang had indeed gone to the Li residence and taken away the eldest son, Li Zixian. Yang Dabiao was also searching the city for any Demon Bandits who might be behind the scenes.

But the "great demon of Purple Emblem Mountain" was far too intimidating. The prefectural Yamen had sent few additional men. According to people arriving from outside the city, the outlying counties had already begun organizing laborers to search the mountains in hand-linked lines.

Purple Emblem Mountain stretched over seven hundred li, covering a considerable area. Searching it would take time, but with the Yamen willing to commit so much manpower, finding the grave robbers' camp among the mountains was only a matter of time.

Xie Jinhuan had been in a hurry to escape the deep mountains the day before yesterday and did not know whether he had left anything at the grave robbers' camp. A round trip would take a full day and night, and the mountains were crawling with searchers. He dared not return rashly. For now, he could only find a way to "divert the floodwaters east," pinning the blame on the Demon Bandits or the Li Household to draw the Yamen's attention elsewhere first.

Because he had encountered Demon Bandits today, Xie Jinhuan had also picked up a copy of Records of Demons and Ghosts while out shopping.

The book had a rather exquisite cover, illustrated with a fox demon with ample breasts and broad hips.

Xie Jinhuan had bought it to study demons.

He soon discovered, however, that the cover was purely a sales gimmick. Inside were nothing but accounts of the Witch Cult Rebellion.

The Witch Cult had originally been a fairly normal tradition. Mixing poisons, cultivating venomous creatures, invoking gods, raising ghosts-none of it was particularly respectable, but neither did it provoke the wrath of heaven and man.

A century ago, however, a twisted genius from the Corpse Witch Sect had turned to the Demon Path and pursued Ghost Cultivation. Through puppets, he had then borrowed corpses to return to life endlessly, becoming the "Corpse Ancestor" spoken of by the world.

In just a few years, the Corpse Ancestor had slaughtered a third of the entire world's population and even wiped out the previous dynasty.

Other branches of the Witch Cult had also produced righteous souls who fought the Corpse Ancestor, but he had come from the Witch Cult, and no shortage of its lackeys served under him.

Thus, when Great Qian was founded, it banished the entire Witch Cult to the Desolate Domain to watch demonic beasts bare their fangs, all in the name of safety. They have yet to recover even now.

To outcompete the local natives until they dropped, Xie Jinhuan had studied this history from childhood. After flipping through the book for ages without finding any voluptuous fox spirits, he had tossed it aside.

Now, while practicing at home, he discovered that his landlady's household had started making a racket again. Seeking some peace, Xie Jinhuan picked up the Zhenglun Sword once more.

"Miss Ye?"

"Coo?"

Coal Ball had been rolling around in boredom. Seeing Xie Jinhuan summoning a ghost again, the bird hurriedly flew out of the bedroom in fright.

That familiar, sultry Mature Woman's Voice also sounded behind him:

"What is it? Can't sleep, and you want your big sister to soothe you again?"

Xie Jinhuan turned and saw the alluring, lovely A Piao in red, lying on the inner side of the bed, her cheek propped on one hand as she regarded him teasingly.

Having discovered how useful these "A Piao-brand earplugs" were, Xie Jinhuan continued sitting cross-legged and gathering energy.

"When you asked how I felt the first time I saw you today, what did you mean?"

Ye Hongshang rolled onto her stomach beside him, propping her chin on her hands, her two jade feet gently swaying in the air.

"Exactly what I said. How did you feel when you saw me then?"

"Are you sure you want me to say it?"

"Mm-hmm~"

Xie Jinhuan glanced over the A Piao in red. After a moment's thought, his lips curled slightly.

"You're such a little slut."

?

Ye Hongshang's swaying feet froze. She narrowed her eyes slightly, then sat up and assumed the bearing of an ancestral master atop a mountain, her eyes like swords as she looked down on him.

"You prefer the sort who keeps everyone a thousand miles away?"

Her voice was cold and aloof, like a great block of ice that would not melt for a thousand years.

Xie Jinhuan blinked, a flicker of dazed recognition passing through his eyes.

"You look a little familiar like this..."

Joy stirred in Ye Hongshang's heart. She maintained the demeanor of the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden.

"Oh? You've seen me before? Think carefully, quickly."

"Hmm..."

After racking his brains for a long while, Xie Jinhuan suddenly slapped his forehead.

"That's it! Fairy Nangong!

"I used to wander around near the Directorate of Celestial Observation. I caught a glimpse of Fairy Nangong from a distance once. Her presence was much like yours right now."

Ye Hongshang was instantly speechless. She lay on her side again, propping her cheek on one hand.

"Eating from your bowl while eyeing the pot. Men really are all great big pig trotters. Hmph~"

Xie Jinhuan reflected that he had not gotten to eat anything either. He asked:

"Are you trying to figure out where you came from?"

Ye Hongshang blinked her beautiful, limpid eyes. "My background should be rather impressive. Perhaps you knew me in your previous life and came to repay my kindness in this one."

Xie Jinhuan certainly had never seen Ye Hongshang in his previous life. He shook his head.

"I'm not a fox spirit or a great white snake. What kindness would I be repaying?"

"Then perhaps I am~ Repaying kindness the other way around is still repaying kindness."

As Ye Hongshang spoke, nine long, fluffy red tails drifted out behind her, slowly swaying within the bed curtains. She became a great fox spirit with ample breasts and broad hips.

Holy shit!

Xie Jinhuan's pupils contracted. She looked exactly like the fox spirit of his fantasies. He craned his neck to examine Ye Hongshang's backside.

"Is that a hanging accessory or a plug-in? Does your true body look like this?"

Ye Hongshang turned away, not letting Xie Jinhuan stare wherever he pleased.

"How could my true body possibly look like this? You wanted to see a fox spirit, so I transformed to show you."

Discovering that her true body had no tails, Xie Jinhuan lost interest.

Still, he had never experienced anything like this before, and his curiosity was piqued.

"You can turn into anything? Give me a spider... Holy shit-!"

Before he had finished speaking, a piercing shriek erupted from the bed!

The scene in the room defied description. In any case, the exceptionally courageous Xie Jinhuan practically bristled all over and covered his eyes with his hands.

"A spirit! A female spider spirit! Not a giant white-haired spider..."

"Oh~"

"What do you mean, 'oh'?! Disappear, quick, disappear! I'm going to have a heart attack!"

"Are you sure? I'm not a woman you can summon and dismiss at will."

"Quick, quick, quick, quick..."

Eyes shut, Xie Jinhuan waved his hands repeatedly. Only when the surrounding sounds returned to his ears did he quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

But before he could settle back into position, he heard noises from behind the house:

"Clang, clang, clang~"

"My darling husband-~..."

"Come on, come on, drink!"

?

Xie Jinhuan's face darkened. He knew he had overlooked one detail despite all his precautions. Thickening his skin, he picked up the Zhenglun Sword again.

"Miss Ye? Hongshang? Hello?"

The Zhenglun Sword gave no response.

Xie Jinhuan had not expected this succubus to get temperamental. He could only endure the noise, close his eyes, and try to focus on his training.

But those crazy young ladies in the Commandery Princess's Manor were genuinely noisy. Their overlapping chatter made it impossible to calm his mind. Partway through, he even heard:

"The Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival is about to begin. I hear lots of talented scholars and young heroes have arrived. Supposedly even Bao Fei, the Young Manor Lord of Essence Splendor Manor, is here..."

"A grown man with a name like that-doesn't he worry about being laughed at? However fat he is, could he be fatter than you...?"

"Pah~ You shameless thing. Come on, lift her skirt. Let's see who's really fat..."

How the hell was anyone supposed to practice like this?!

Xie Jinhuan was stunned by what he heard. Not running around back to serve as referee already took exceptional self-control!

Unable to stand it any longer, Xie Jinhuan picked up the Zhenglun Sword again.

"Big Sister Ye? Beautiful Miss Ye? My ghost wife?"

"Who are you calling your wife?"

"I was joking. I need to make the most of my time and train. Help me block out the noise."

"Hmph~"

As the night deepened, inside the study at the Dan King Pavilion.

Dressed in scholarly robes, Chief Steward Zhu Wenyuan stood beside the desk, folding fan in hand and brows tightly furrowed.

"It truly is an autumn of troubles. Today, the counties went door to door, comparing footprints from almost every man of the right height. In Danyang County alone, over a thousand were similar..."

Pill King Zhao Xiao was nearly fifty and had a refined bearing, but years spent worrying over affairs of state had already added a streak of white at his temples. Seated behind the desk, he leafed through the case files submitted to him.

"Both Purple Emblem Mountain and the Academy detected Blood Baleful Qi soaring into the sky, and the Yamen found footprints in the mountains. A great demon must be lurking in Dan Prefecture.

"If we still have no leads tomorrow, submit a memorial to Luojing and ask the State Preceptor to take over.

"Even if the censors and remonstrating officials call me incompetent, and Purple Emblem Mountain and the Academy are called useless rice buckets, that would be better than letting a great demon exploit an opening and bring disaster upon countless people."

As a regional governor, the Pill King controlled military affairs, administration, and finances. Even if he truly encountered a powerful demon, he was supposed to have his subordinates handle it first. Only when it exceeded their capabilities could he report it to Luojing.

If every problem was passed upward without Dan Prefecture lifting a finger, why would the court keep so many people on its payroll?

As an adviser, Zhu Wenyuan very much wanted to resolve this matter within their own jurisdiction. But the "great demon of Purple Emblem Mountain" had hidden too deeply, and their men genuinely could not find it. Hearing this, he could only change the subject.

"At such a critical juncture, the Li Household is adding to the trouble.

"The Li Household delivered Li Zixian under guard to the county Yamen. Afraid the Yamen wouldn't dare use torture, they even stayed to personally supervise his severe interrogation.

"Li Zixian is remarkably tough. No matter how they beat him, he won't admit to allowing his men to profit from selling prohibited drugs. He also denies harboring Demon Bandits and slaughtering innocents, insisting that Li Shizhong deceived his superiors and subordinates and acted on his own..."

The Pill King had expected this. "The dead cannot testify. As long as Li Zixian has any brains, he won't confess. The Li Household is only having the Yamen torture him for my benefit. As soon as the incident at Three Harmony Tower occurred, they sent someone to Luojing. Unless something unexpected happens, Li Gongpu's men will arrive in Danyang tomorrow morning."

Li Gongpu held the post of Yellow Gate Attendant. He served at the emperor's side year-round and enjoyed his deep trust.

Although the Pill King was the emperor's younger brother, a distant relative was less useful than a close neighbor. Unless he could finish Li Gongpu with a single blow, he had to show him some consideration, lest the man spend every day making life difficult for him.

Searching for the "great demon of Purple Emblem Mountain," which might emerge at any moment, already had the Pill King running ragged. Now he had to deal with the Li Household's wretched business as well. He was exhausted in both mind and spirit.

After leafing through the files for a while, the Pill King suddenly noticed a name appearing repeatedly. He looked somewhat puzzled.

"Who is this Xie Jinhuan? He was present at both Dongcang Ward and Three Harmony Tower, and apparently deserves the greatest credit."

Before reporting to the Pill King, Zhu Wenyuan had naturally investigated.

"The son of Xie Wen, the former county commandant of Wanan County. Three years ago, Xie Wen was transferred south, while he followed his teacher to study with the Hidden Immortal Lineage. He only recently returned and is staying temporarily in Clear Spring Lane.

"Despite his youth, his martial skills are quite exceptional. His life has been troubled, though. According to the records, he lost his mother as a child, and Xie Wen died in the line of duty when demons attacked him on the way to his new post. He is the only one left in the family."

"Oh..."

Hearing that his father had died in the line of duty, the Pill King naturally warmed to Xie Jinhuan.

"If you call his martial skills 'quite exceptional,' he must be very capable indeed. With the source of that demonic energy so difficult to find, this is precisely when we need people. This young man..."

At this point, the Pill King suddenly frowned.

"He lives in the Back Alley behind the Commandery Princess's Manor?"

"Er..."

Zhu Wenyuan knew that the prince regarded the princess as the pearl in his palm and had doted on her since childhood. He had even found a way to copy portions of the Martial Dao Divine Canon kept at the Directorate of Celestial Observation so that Commandery Princess Changning could study it more easily.

Now that Commandery Princess Changning had reached marriageable age, what the Pill King feared most, as her old man, was that she would meet the wrong person and be spirited away by some delinquent.

But Commandery Princess Changning possessed beauty fit to topple a nation and was also the pearl of the Pill King's palm. What man did not want to become that prized son-in-law?

In the past, young men who did not know their own worth had often wandered around the Commandery Princess's Manor, vainly hoping to act out a tale of "a wealthy young lady falling for a poor lad."

Seeing that the Pill King had mistaken Xie Jinhuan for a rake intent on seducing his precious daughter, Zhu Wenyuan hastily explained:

"He is an old friend of the commandant's clerk, Yang Dabiao. That is why he lives in Clear Spring Lane. He has never had contact with the princess. If anything, he is close to Miss Linghu. If Your Highness is concerned, I can pay him more attention over the coming days."

The Pill King carefully examined the files. After a little consideration, he said:

"Never mind. Though he comes from humble origins, his father served the nation loyally, and he is capable and upright. If Ling'er takes a liking to him, it would not be too much of an injustice to her. Let things take their course."

"Yes."

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