Dogs and Foxes

"Dog demon?"

"Have dogs become demons?"

The great demon in the Zhao family mansion fled in a whirlwind, which indeed revealed a demon.

"You didn't let me see the bride back then, and that bastard is good at concealing his presence, so it's normal that I didn't see her clearly..."

Kong Ning undoubtedly misjudged the Yao Qi. She made a couple of excuses, but when she saw that Zhang Xuezhou wasn't paying attention to the part of her mistake, she felt relieved.

"There are very few dog demons in the world, but that dog demon had a good master, and was elevated to the level of a great demon," Kong Ning explained. "He was mischievous and often played these kinds of pranks."

The bride was turned into Er Gouzi, and the Zhao family mansion was in chaos, with shouts of "report to the authorities!" ringing out.

"The dog demon turned into a bride, but where did the bride go?"

The Zhao family's decision to marry a bride to bring good fortune to Zhao Liang clashes directly with societal norms, but it is perfectly normal in this world.

Zhang Xuezhou was precarious, and he was powerless to change this mindset and system; at most, he could only worry about whether there were any casualties.

"I guess it's hidden somewhere, or maybe it's still at home," Kong Ning said. "I haven't seen the dog, but I know it's well-behaved and wouldn't hurt anyone rashly."

"That's good!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

With the matter of the dog's bride temporarily behind us, Zhang Xuezhou felt much more at ease about the demons in his heart.

However, Kong Ning's assessment of Zhao Liang remained unchanged, which led Zhang Xuezhou to decide to take Kong Ning to observe him up close and see what went wrong, so as to avoid causing future trouble and turning the wedding banquet into a funeral.

His request prompted Kong Ning to shrug and nod in agreement. He then tore off a piece of gauze and tied it around his face, barely covering most of his features.

When I returned to the Zhao family mansion and knocked on the door again, this time no one asked me anything; instead, the door was quickly opened.

"Master Zhang?"

"I thought Zhang Sanyang and the others who went to buy medicine would be back so quickly!"

"I thought it was someone from the prefect's office coming to investigate the demon!"

The two farmhands behind the gate responded with awkward smiles, while Master Zhao peeked out from the main hall, and even Old Master Jiang turned his head to look.

Compared to the previous lively scene of music and celebration, the Zhao family was now under a state of constant alarm. Many people were carrying knives and swords, while others were carrying longbows, and they all blocked the entrance to the main hall.

As salt merchants, the Zhao family, besides having patriarch Zhao and Zhao Liang who possessed considerable martial prowess, also had people under their command who served as their retainers.

The four burly men in leather armor standing at the entrance exuded a powerful Qi and Blood; judging from their presence, they were even several levels stronger than Zhao Liang, the military commander of Bashu.

The sensation of an arrow pointing at his body sent a jolt through Zhang Xuezhou, who immediately reached out to intercept it.

"Don't hit me randomly, I know someone here!"

Upon entering the Zhao family mansion for the second time in a short period of time, Zhang Xuezhou immediately acted as if he were an old friend.

He repeatedly reached out his hands, and only after Master Zhao spoke did the four guards at the door remove the weapons that were pointing at Zhang Xuezhou.

"Master Zhang, it's all thanks to the old man Jiang you invited who saw through the evil spirits that our Zhao family escaped this calamity!"

Master Zhao bowed in thanks.

Mountain demons and monsters mostly cause trouble in the wilderness, and very few of them commit evil deeds in big cities.

For ordinary people, once the monster changes or hides itself well, it is difficult to identify it with their own eyes.

Master Zhao's gratitude was sincere.

Although the demon has not yet caused any damage or death to the Zhao family, the fact that a demon would replace the bride in a marriage to bring good luck is absurd and eerie, suggesting that it may have been brought about by ulterior motives.

Zhao Liang was now lucid, and the demon had already fled. Master Zhao was undoubtedly relieved.

He once again invited Zhang Xuezhou to the main hall for a celebratory drink.

"Jiang Taigong is also with us... Jiang Taigong? Jiang Taigong?"

When Master Zhao turned around and pointed to Old Master Jiang beside him, Old Master Jiang was nowhere to be seen.

This prompted Master Zhao to call out several times, but when he could no longer see Jiang Taigong, a hint of fear appeared in his eyes.

"Master Jiang is a deity descended to earth. He cured my illness and scared away the evil spirits. He should have left now, having accomplished his great deed and left with nothing but his name!"

Zhao Liang's words calmed Master Zhao's mind and brought him a sudden realization.

"So Master Jiang is a deity!" Master Zhao exclaimed in surprise.

"He gave me the prescription, and as long as I brew the medicine according to his method, my illness will be cured," Zhao Liang said.

"Hey, you monster, you're actually controlling other people's bodies! Show your true form at once!"

As Zhang Xuezhou approached the main hall, Kong Ning's eyes kept scanning Zhao Liang.

When Zhao Liang spoke repeatedly, she couldn't help but shout.

"Who are you, woman, daring to spout nonsense in my Zhao family!" Zhao Liang retorted in kind.

"You're controlling Zhao Liang's body to make your voice heard, so the casting range can't be too far. Don't let me find where you're hiding!" Kong Ning shouted.

"Master Zhang?"

Master Zhao glanced at Zhang Xuezhou, then at Kong Ning, and only after looking at Zhao Liang again did he return to Zhang Xuezhou.

His eyes held a mixture of panic and suspicion, and he struggled to understand the situation.

Zhao Liang was brought back to his senses by Jiang Taigong, who was brought back by Zhang Xuezhou, but Zhao Liang was then scolded by the woman with a veiled face that Zhang Xuezhou brought with him.

Thinking of the demon that had just fled in a whirlwind, Master Zhao became extremely anxious.

However, his years of experience in the underworld were considerable, and he did not immediately side with Zhao Liang and shout. He even stopped Zhao's children and wives from interrupting.

When he asked Zhang Xuezhou, Zhang Xuezhou looked around suspiciously. He knew that many of the things were not caused by Zhang Xuezhou, but by the strange people that the other party had brought with him.

"Guards, throw this crazy woman out of here!"

Zhao Liang shouted a rebuke, and then proceeded to give orders to the crowd.

This caused the group to exchange glares and subtle messages, but they were forced to step forward due to the orders of the Zhao family's commander.

"Master Zhao, Body Control is not the same as controlling the mind. Why don't you ask a few private questions to try and save your son's life!"

Zhang Xuezhou pondered for a few seconds before offering his suggestion.

"Zhao Liang, let me ask you, what is your stepmother's favorite dish?"

Master Zhao hesitated for a moment, then asked Zhao Liang a question.

"Father, you trust outsiders more than me!" Zhao Liang roared, "Get these people out of here!"

He reached out and forcibly took the bow and arrow from one of the retainers, aiming the arrow directly at Kong Ning behind Zhang Xuezhou.

Zhao Liang drew his bow and shot the arrow in one fluid motion.

The ear-piercing sound of a powerful bow being pulled back had barely faded when the arrow had already pierced through dozens of meters.

Zhang Xuezhou tilted his head, remembering that the skill Song Bu'er taught him to dodge gunshots hadn't been used in reality, but he could easily use it in this world because of his strong physique.

The arrow grazed his ear and flew backward, but Zhang Xuezhou was not worried that Kong Ning would be injured by the arrow.

He glanced sideways and saw Kong Ning behind him exhale a breath, sending the arrow flying back.

"Pfft!"

The sound of an arrow hitting his body rang out. Zhao Liang pointed at Kong Ning, but the rapid loss of strength in his body made it difficult for him to lift his finger again.

A wave of dizziness washed over him, and his body collapsed straight down.

"The simplest way to break this kind of control technique is to destroy the spell's consumables, which can effectively redirect the Technique Method's backlash... Why is it an old woman coughing up blood from the backlash?"

Zhao Liang shot arrows extremely fast, but Kong Ning counterattacked and killed him even faster.

An arrow ricocheted and struck Zhao Liang in the chest, causing him to let out a sharp scream.

The backlash from the broken Technique Method caused the shattered blood from the sorcerer who had been performing rituals in the main hall to be expelled, and she transformed into a fox.

Before the fox demon could even beg for mercy from Kong Ning, its body rapidly turned black, and it died within seconds.