The County Magistrates Gather

Hearing the foxes plead for mercy, the little fox girl blinked in confusion.

This feeling of déjà vu... it's like I've seen a similar scene somewhere before?

Just as the little fox girl was stunned, an old, decrepit fox crawled out of the cave and kowtowed, saying, "My lord, this was all my idea! If you must blame someone, blame me alone! My children are all innocent, please—"

"Grandmother----"

Great-Grandma----

"Ancestor----"

Upon hearing the old fox's apology, the little foxes who could speak human language spoke human language, while those who could not whimpered softly.

The dozens of foxes were making a ruckus, so noisy that even the little fox mother felt slightly dizzy.

"I am not—Great-Grandma—"

Upon recognizing the old fox's identity, the little fox girl instinctively wanted to kneel down and greet him.

However, as soon as the little fox girl moved, she found that her Pure Fox Robe had tightened.

At the same time, Guo Jing's voice also whispered in the little fox girl's ear.

"Xuan'er, I wouldn't say anything if you knelt before your elders on ordinary days. But this time, you represent Her Majesty's face. You cannot kneel before even your elders! Your every word and action represents Her Majesty, so please don't disgrace her!"

"Yes, thank you for reminding me, Sister Jing."

Upon hearing this, the little fox spirit finally understood and nodded repeatedly to thank Guo Jing for reminding her.

"Cough cough."

With a light cough, the little fox girl thought for a moment, then, imitating Yin Yunze's usual manner, used her Authority over Frost and Snow to make herself an ice and snow bench.

Leaning back on the bench, the little fox girl smiled at the old fox and said, "Great-Grandma Fox, don't you recognize me?"

Upon hearing the little fox spirit's words, Grandma Hu quickly looked up to observe, but no matter how she looked, she couldn't recall anything.

After all, who could have imagined that just two years ago, this little fox was tricked, captured, and enslaved?

In the blink of an eye, he has become a fox Orthodox God with three tails!

"I... don't quite remember." Choosing her words carefully, Great-Grandma Fox said humbly, "Please, Your Excellency, give this little fox a hint—?"

Seeing Great-Grandma Fox's nervous and humble appearance, Little Fox Girl could no longer pretend.

Stepping down from the snow-covered bench, the little fox girl squatted down in front of her great-grandmother fox. While administering a Heal Wounds and Cure Illness, she soothed her, saying, "I'm Xiao Wu from Clear Creek Village! Great-Grandma, don't you recognize me?"

Observing this scene, Guo Jing ultimately said nothing and did not interfere with the blood relatives' reunion.

Don't go so far as to kneel down; it's just a little rude.

In any case, Lady Qingnü shouldn't be too harsh on Sister Xuan'er for this kind of thing.

"Xiao Wu?"

Hearing what the little fox girl said, Great-Grandma Fox looked around in confusion, but still couldn't find many of her original features.

Even Grandma Fox only vaguely remembered some of the details about Xiao San and Xiao Wu from Clear Creek Village.

But since this fox Orthodox God says she is Xiao Wu of Clear Creek Village, then she is Xiao Wu of Clear Creek Village.

"Oh, it's Xiao Wu! Oh dear, look at Great-Grandma's memory, she didn't even recognize him."

As she spoke, Great-Grandma Fox transformed into a little old woman with white hair.

However, unlike the little fox girl who properly transformed into human form, this great-grandmother fox's old-age image was merely an Illusion Technique.

In this Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is scarce, even the great-grandmother fox, who couldn't even obtain a title, remained a little demon who hadn't yet taken Transformation.

In the eyes of most lesser demons, someone like Grandfather Huang Three could be considered an immortal who had already attained enlightenment.

The illusory image of the Great-Grandmother Fox looked at the Little Fox Girl with a smile on her face and said, "Xiao Wu, I remember you weren't taken by that fellow villager—how did you Transformation? And become a three-tailed spirit fox? And even obtain the position of Orthodox God?"

"Xiao Wu! How did you become a three-tailed fox?"

"Fifth Sister, Fifth Sister! How did you become Orthodox God?!"

"Fifth Aunt, your clothes are so beautiful!"

"Fifth Grandma, your precious sword looks quite formidable!"

Upon hearing that Great-Grandma Fox had recognized her, the foxes immediately erupted in a frenzy.

An unfamiliar fox clan Orthodox God and one's own blood relative becoming a fox clan Orthodox God are two completely different things.

Whether they actually knew each other or not, this group of foxes, big and small, surrounded the little fox girl, and all sorts of questions about how to address her arose.

"It's all because I met the Lady Qingnü Nu!"

The little fox girl wasn't annoyed by being surrounded and questioned by her relatives; instead, she happily swayed her three large tails. She didn't even notice the little foxes, whose intelligence wasn't yet fully developed, trying to catch her three tails.

With a hint of pride, the little fox girl recounted her experiences in detail.

"What the hell? You're saying that Lady Qingnü is a Nine-Tailed White Fox from the Qingqiu Kingdom? And she has the Authority over Frost and Snow! And she can conjure things out of thin air?"

After listening to the little fox girl's story, Great-Grandma Fox's eyes darted around, and she quickly asked, "Um, um, little, no, Fifth—you've been given the name Zhao Zixuan by the Empress, right? Zixuan! Great-Grandma has a—um—"

Could you perhaps speak to the Lady Qingnü and ask her to look after us mortal foxes for your sake? We wouldn't dare ask the Lady Qingnü for help, but we're all of the same kind—"

"Ha, you bunch of filthy, ignorant foxes! How dare you be so rude! Surrounding the goddess!"

Suddenly, a sharp voice came from the side.

A leopard leaped out of the forest and hissed at the foxes led by Great-Grandma Fox.

After the foxes scattered in panic, the leopard turned to the little fox girl and said ingratiatingly, "This goddess, I am—"

Because they dared not get too close, the evil spirits watching from the sidelines were unaware that this was a family reunion.

To the other lesser demons and evil spirits, this den of foxes had somehow become incredibly audacious, surrounding this Orthodox God.

Those with quick wits, like this leopard, seized the opportunity and began to plot.

If they were truly surrounded by fox demons, then the leopard could be considered to have escaped. If not, it could be excused as a moment of panic and loss of composure.

In any case, it will leave a good impression on this Orthodox God.

The sudden appearance of the leopard startled the little fox girl.

"It's you!" Upon recognizing the leopard's features, the little fox girl's face paled at first, then she gritted her teeth and said, "I remember you! Seventy years ago, you chased me for ten miles!"

"What----?"

Faced with the little fox girl's accusations, the leopard was momentarily speechless.

Subconsciously activating the Authority over Frost and Snow, without even giving the leopard a chance to explain, an ice spike pierced the leopard's forehead and exited through the back door.

The next moment, the lifeless leopard carcass slumped limply to the ground.

The atmosphere of the entire scene became somewhat suffocating.

After all, this leopard was a minor figure among the local demons and monsters.

Having survived the Six Ke Mystic Lightning Formation, the little fox girl didn't show much emotional change due to the leopard's death.

Ignoring the leopard's carcass, the little fox girl continued the previous topic, "Actually, the reason Her Majesty sent me here this time is also for this matter. Her Majesty wants me to help find some Demon Race who are willing to believe in her and obey her commands—"

A glance swept over the leopard's corpse, revealing only an illusion. The fox grandmother's smile stiffened slightly, "We shall obey Your Majesty's orders."

While everyone below was busy with their own affairs, Yin Yunze finally received the long-awaited guest.

"Lord Li, how have you been lately?"

"This is not good— Lord Zhou, how are things on your end?"

"Don't even mention it—apart from Lord Xu—"

Several guards, dressed in official robes, drove directly to Yin Yunze's temple.

After getting off the car, the group greeted each other and exchanged pleasantries.

Yin Yunze, who was observing the exchange of pleasantries from the sidelines within the Dao Field, did not look too pleased at the moment.

After all, they hadn't heard from Yin Yunze for quite some time, and this morning they suddenly said they would arrive at O this afternoon.

Clearly, although Xu Hanxian, these county magistrates had their own agendas and might have their own plans in private.

To be honest, Yin Yunze finds people like this, who stir up trouble for their own selfish reasons, very annoying.

At this moment, Sun Qin, Xu Hanxian, and several yamen runners, including Peng Shulan, were waiting at the entrance of the Qingnü Temple.

He cupped his hands in greeting to his colleagues, though he had been caught off guard and had lost face in front of Yin Yunze.

But at this moment, Xu Hanxian still maintained a friendly demeanor. "Gentlemen, you have come from afar, please come in and have a chat!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Qin, acting as Yin Yunze's representative, also spoke up, "Her Majesty has been waiting for you gentlemen for quite some time—"

"Wait a moment!" Among the county magistrates, the one addressed as Lord Li sternly said, "Why don't you kneel before me, woman?"

Upon Xu Hanxian quickly tried to smooth things over. "Lord Li, you—"

"Yes, Lord Li, why be so harsh on such a beautiful woman!"

Upon hearing this, Lord Zhou chuckled and stepped forward, preparing to take Sun Qin's hand. "My beauty, rather than spending your life in a desolate temple, why not become my eleventh wife! Once we're family, naturally there's no need for—"

Upon hearing this, Sun Qin's face twitched, and she dodged the groping hand, maintaining her composure as she said, "Sir, please have some self-respect."

"I say, you shameless woman, you're the one who should reflect on your actions!" Upon hearing this, Lord Li seized the opportunity to say, "It's one thing not to kneel before me, but you have no right to speak in our conversation—"

Seeing that the man was going too far, Yin Yunze whipped up a wisp of snow and whispered in Peng Shulan's ear, "Peng Shulan, throw these officials in!"

"Yes!"

He responded loudly, and the next moment, Peng Shulan seemed to vanish into thin air.

They came up behind the county magistrates, grabbed them by the back of their collars, one in each hand, and threw them into the Qingnü Temple.

The other county magistrates felt a sudden lightness in their bodies, and the next moment, they landed awkwardly on the ground.

As they got up from the ground, the men were about to unleash their fury when they saw a stunningly beautiful young woman lounging lazily a few meters away from them.

However, the fox ears on its head and the nine tails swaying behind it effectively dispelled their almost sarcastic thoughts.

"What have I done to deserve such disrespect from you gentlemen?"

Looking at these officials, Yin Yunze smiled faintly, but his eyes revealed an undisguised coldness.

"My lords, there are still so many beautiful things in this world. Why are you so desperate to leave this beautiful world?"