"I'm so thirsty."
Wei Gongzhan opened his eyes groggily, mumbling incoherently.
The Xiaopang girl carefully collected the dew from the leaves and fed it to the other person's mouth. She had seen injured deer on the mountain being fed water in this way by the villagers.
Wei Gongzhan gulped down the water, barely opening his eyes. Seeing Xiaoli's anxious gaze, he smiled slightly and said, "I'm fine."
Xiaoli pouted, unsure what to say for a moment. She knew that the other party was so badly injured that he should need food to replenish his strength. Even injured animals in the mountains need to eat to recover. However, she dared not go out to find food for him because she was certain that as soon as she left, that scantily clad woman would come in and strangle Wei Gongzhan.
" Xiaoli."
"Um?"
Is it dark yet?
"Mmm," Xiaoli nodded silently.
A day has passed.
Anxiety flashed in Wei Gongzhan's eyes!
He looked at his arm, which had been burning hot several times already. He knew that someone was contacting him using Mr. Black Cloud's techniques!
Who could it be?
Enemy or friend?
How should I respond to the other person?
Hei Yun's communication spell didn't allow him to communicate with the caster remotely, so every time he sensed the magic seal getting hot, he would go down the mountain to find Hei Yun.
Given my current condition, it's clear I can't get down the mountain. What should I do?
Something very serious has happened in Great Azure Mountain. The Thousand-Faced Fox has escaped, and the one named Murong Yunji is an inside agent. The current Seventh Master Shen is an imposter!
He was unable to pass on so much important information. He had been too reckless and should not have rushed in so quickly. If it weren't for Xiaoli's timely arrival, he would probably have been smashed into mincemeat by that wanton woman.
At that moment, all I could think about was protecting Great Azure Mountain, even if it meant risking my life. But I forgot that someone as weak as me had no chance to fight back.
Now look what happened, we've wasted our biggest opportunity!
He realized that everyone in the entire Great Azure Mountain must have heard the explosion at the barrier, but apart from himself, no one came over, not even the Mountain God!
What does this mean?
This means that the entire Great Azure Mountain is under control. Wei Gongzhan certainly believes that the Mountain God would not rebel, but there is a monster here that can prevent people from rebelling but also make them betray their masters.
That Thousand-Faced Fox who can alter memories!
The thought filled Wei Gongzhan with despair. How could such a troublesome monster exist in this world?
wrong
But just then, a question suddenly occurred to him.
Since that monster can alter memories, why doesn't it just alter its own?
Upon thinking of this, Wei Gongzhan suddenly perked up.
Yes, Xiaoli doesn't let those monsters kill her because they're close to her, but they could easily fulfill that need. By altering her memories, she'd be harmless like everyone else in Great Azure Mountain, so there's no need to kill her, right?
But why not do it that way?
Is it possible?
Is it because you can't do it?
This was originally the most unrealistic idea, but the more Wei Gongzhan, the more likely it seemed!
Because only this explanation makes sense!
Thinking of this, Wei Gongzhan looked at Xiaoli with difficulty.
He didn't believe he was a chosen one. From birth, he knew he was destined to be an ordinary person. So even in Jiangnan, a place full of opportunities, he was willing to remain an ordinary person. Therefore, this special quality was definitely not something inherent to him.
Xiaoli
She is the daughter of the Thousand-Faced Fox. She possessed the talent of the Golden Crow Flame at the age of one and also had the ability to directly transform people.
This is the darling of heaven and earth, the future protagonist!
It could only be her!!
Wei Gongzhan his head and began to think quickly.
How did Xiaoli do that? Was it intentional or unintentional?
If it was unintentional, you must understand the rules. If it was intentional, how can you persuade the other person to help you? How can you deal with her mother?
Why the hell did this kind of problem have to happen to me?
What should I do?
On the other side, by the river, Wei Gongcheng carefully concealed himself in the Underworld, observing the riverbank.
Two hours have passed since I activated the Dharma seal and sent out the message.
There's been absolutely no movement from Great Azure Mountain!
Wei Gongcheng was very patient. As the City God, he had one advantage: in the Underworld, it was difficult for anything else to enter unless he agreed. This was proven. When Liuzhou isolated the Yin-Yang Road, it was such a huge operation, with an overwhelming number of evil spirits and those ancient and terrifying beings hidden among them, yet none of them were able to enter. Wei Gongcheng was confident that, apart from Chen Qing, no one could force their way in!
Being in this state makes you absolutely safe.
Even if someone finds this place through the magic seal on Wei Gongzhan's body, even if it is the legendary number one sorcerer Ziyue, Wei Gongcheng is not afraid. As long as they come out into the open, even if he cannot handle it, he can immediately contact the Shen Family in other prefectures.
But after waiting all afternoon, nothing happened!
Wei Gongcheng quickly came up with various guesses. First, the other party was very patient, betting that he was not sure and would not easily inform the lord or ask the neighboring state for help, so he was sitting on the sidelines and was wearing him down.
This might seem extremely small to Wei Gongcheng, because the risk is immense. What if he's reckless and manages to alert everyone?
The second possibility is that I'm overthinking it. Seventh Master Shen is real, but I'm just imagining things. Nothing happened at Great Azure Mountain.
However, this is highly unlikely, because if that were the case, Hei Yun would not have disappeared without a reason, and Wei Gongzhan would not have remained completely unresponsive. He remembered that Wei Gongzhan had always been very respectful to Hei Yun, fearing that the other party would harm Great Azure Mountain. He was usually very obedient, delivering wine and grain whenever asked, and always available whenever called upon.
The third possibility is that Wei Gongzhan is dead, hence the lack of response!
However, in his opinion, this might be on the smaller side.
If the worst-case scenario occurs, then the Thousand-Faced Fox will most likely have already escaped. They can use the Thousand-Faced Fox's talent to control the Great Azure Mountain, without needlessly causing bloodshed. Moreover, the Lord will notice the deaths of a large number of believers immediately, so there is no need for it!
By controlling Wei Gongzhan's memories, he can be made to farm in Great Azure Mountain with peace of mind.
But here's the problem: if that's the case, and he activated the magic seal, Wei Gongzhan should have come down the mountain immediately.
He didn't; he was either dead or under control.
The probability of him dying is relatively small, unless the other party happens to be intent on killing him and he just happens to be unlucky enough to run into them.
It can't be that bad, right?
Wei Gongcheng secretly became a little worried. He still had a good impression of this pragmatic cousin; he was one of the few people in the Wei Household family whom he liked.
But what if things weren't so unlucky?
Thinking of this possibility, Wei Gongcheng looked at Great Azure Mountain again.
If he wasn't so unlucky as to not be easily killed by the Thousand-Faced Fox, it means he was under control. But why would they need to control him?
If they discovered he had rashly descended the mountain, shouldn't they have followed him to probe the situation outside?
Since their memories have been controlled, even if they are brought down from the mountain, they won't leak any information or pose any threat. They can even use this opportunity to find out if Liuzhou has noticed their movements.
Why not?
forcibly detained
Could it be that Wei Gongzhan's memories were not altered?
The moment the idea came to mind, Wei Gongcheng's mind raced, and he paced back and forth excitedly.
Because he knew that it wasn't actually impossible.
The Thousand-Faced Fox's method can be countered!
The Lord had told him this before.
He remembered clearly that it was last year when the little fox in Great Azure Mountain turned one year old and awakened many talents. Not only could it release the Golden Crow Flame, but it could also turn the villagers into all sorts of things, causing chaos throughout Great Azure Mountain!
It wasn't just the villagers in the mountains who were having a headache; even the Thousand-Faced Fox herself was having a headache. If she angered the child even slightly, the child could turn her into some strange and wonderful thing. It has to be said that it was truly a catastrophic phenomenon for a child to possess such a terrifying talent.
He was curious at the time and asked Chen Qing, "My lord, isn't the Thousand-Faced Fox able to control memories? Why not use this method to make that little one behave, or even make her work for you?"
"That's highly unlikely," Chen Qing shook his head. "If I'm not mistaken, that little guy has antibodies!"
"Antibodies? What are those?"
"The antibodies that the mother possesses are innate; it's determined by her nature. The Thousand-Faced Fox's ability is too terrifying. If she's in a state of high-pressure pain during childbirth, she might subconsciously use that ability to control the baby, which could very well harm the unborn infant."
"To avoid such a thing, and in order to ensure my own successful birth, perhaps I could acquire the genetic ability to be immune to the Thousand-Faced Fox's talent."
"Huh, is that so?"
"This is a point we can exploit," Chen Qing said with a smile. "If this child can actively control this immune system, then she will be our best asset in dealing with the Thousand-Faced Fox!"
Recalling this, Wei Gongcheng towards Great Azure Mountain suddenly brightened!
A seemingly absurd yet perfectly logical possibility came to mind.
Wei Gongzhan and the little fox had a very good relationship. Is it possible that he acquired the same ability as the little fox to be immune to memory manipulation?
And that's why they're kept on the mountain and can't come down?