"Search everything! Don't miss a single spot!" This time, the demon hunters were clearly different from the previous lackeys. They didn't search the bamboo forest; they went straight to Leng Yue and the others' thatched hut.

"Who are you people? Why are you causing trouble at my doorstep?" Qianchen protected Lengyue, while the Nine-Tailed Fox was hidden inside the barrier.

"Get out of the way! We were sent by Grandmasters. Anyone who disobeys will be executed on the spot!" The leader of the demon exorcists roared arrogantly, holding up a token with the character 'Wei' on it.

There is only one demon hunter in the entire Great Wei Dynasty who possesses the "Wei" token, and that is Wei He, the high-ranking and powerful Imperial Preceptor.

Qian Chen wanted to make a move, but Leng Yue stopped him, saying, "Let's see what they're up to."

Upon hearing Leng Yue's words, Qian Chen nodded and stepped aside to let her pass. Their protective barrier was undetectable unless the Imperial Advisor himself came.

The lead exorcist searched everywhere, turning the thatched hut upside down, but found nothing.

"You really haven't found any monsters here?" the little leader, an exorcist, asked, his tone extremely arrogant.

"I've heard some rumors, but I've never seen it with my own eyes." Qianchen glanced at the Nine-Tailed Fox and made up a story without changing his expression. "I heard that the monster has two tails and likes to eat people's hearts and livers. I wonder if it has been captured yet?"

"No, no, we're looking for that two-tailed fox demon." The foreman, the exorcist, nodded. "Have you seen it?"

Qianchen shook his head. "How did you know it was a fox demon and not some other kind of monster?" Qianchen took the opportunity to inquire.

"Our Grand Preceptor can tell with a single calculation, so of course he can be certain," the junior exorcist said proudly. "Our Grand Preceptor is the most powerful exorcist in our Wei Kingdom. Whatever he says is always correct."

"Yes, yes, otherwise how could he have been appointed as the Imperial Advisor by the King!" Qian Chen nodded, then pressed on, continuing to flatter the little leader, the demon hunter, "To be able to catch the Imperial Advisor's eye, you must be quite powerful, right? Then our safety is guaranteed. To be honest, ever since the rumors started, we haven't had a good night's sleep."

"Of course, which of our demon hunters under the Grand Preceptor's command doesn't have real skills? Those who can win the Grand Preceptor's favor are even fewer. Our leader is a favorite of the Grand Preceptor." Before the demon hunter leader could speak, his subordinates rushed to answer, flattering their leader in the process.

The junior demon hunter seemed very happy, straightened his back, smiled, and said, "It is truly my honor to have the favor of the Imperial Preceptor."

"Then we'll leave the task of exorcising the demon to the leader. We hope that the leader can capture that monster as soon as possible so that we can get a good night's sleep!" Qian Chen's lies became more and more fluent, and anyone who didn't know better would think they were true.

"Of course, of course. If you have any clues, just come find me at Bao'an Hall on Qili Street." The little leader, the exorcist, was pleased by everyone's flattery and left with a smile.

They left the thatched hut and entered the bamboo grove, muttering to themselves, "Could it be that the Imperial Advisor miscalculated? Wasn't it supposed to be right here?"

"That fox demon must have been terrified and fled long ago upon hearing the reputation of the Imperial Preceptor and the leader..." The subordinate thoughtfully provided a reason for the junior leader, the exorcist.

"You certainly know how to talk," the foreman grinned, "but that's not impossible, after all, we are the Imperial Advisor's personal demon-slaying guards..."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

"Have we forgotten something important?"

"What's up?"

"Forget it, asking you is pointless..."

………………

The sound faded into the distance, but the Nine-Tailed Fox they were looking for appeared in the thatched hut.

"Daddy said I like to eat human hearts and livers?" Nine-Tailed Fox looked at Qian Chen with resentment.

“I wasn’t talking about you,” Qianchen raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Lengyue. “My lady, what do you think about this?”

“I’ll just sit and watch,” Leng Yue replied irritably. “It’s just Wei He, isn’t it? Why don’t we go investigate him and find out everything?”

"Hey," Nine-Tails chimed in, but received no response.

"Shall we go tonight?" Qianchen asked softly, holding Lengyue in his arms, completely ignoring Jiuwei, who was acting as a third wheel.

“Okay,” Leng Yue nodded, then looked at Jiuwei, “Jiuwei doesn’t need to go, lest she be discovered.”

"Sigh..." Nine-Tails, "I want to go too..."

"That's fine, this girl would only be a burden if she went." Qian Chen nodded in agreement with everything Leng Yue said.

Nine-Tails: "You don't love me anymore, Father, you don't love me anymore..."

"..." Qianchen looked at Nine-Tailed Fox, "You've grown up now, you need to learn to love yourself."

"Are you kidding me?" Nine-Tails looked at Qian Chen, wondering how her father, who used to dote on her, could be so heartless. "Father?"

"Alright, stop fooling around," Leng Yue nudged Qian Chen, then picked up Jiuwei. "It's true that once you have a child's shell, you really become a child. You, your dad is just teasing you!"

“But when we go out, you stay within the barrier and are not allowed to go anywhere.” Leng Yue looked at Jiuwei seriously. “You’re not a real child. I know you understand the implications of this.”

Nine-Tailed Fox remained silent; this was her usual response whenever the topic came up. Leng Yue was used to it, exchanging a glance with Qian Chen without saying anything more. Everyone has secrets, and if someone doesn't want to talk about them, they won't force them.

But unlike usual, Nine-Tails was silent for a while before speaking up again, "My story... is nothing new, just as melodramatic as in novels. I just... just don't want to think about it anymore."

"It's alright, don't be stressed." Leng Yue rubbed the nine-tailed fox's head. "Be careful tonight. If Wei He really is the one who took your birth mother's inner core, and he's coming to find you now, he must have some ulterior motive."

"I know, I'll be careful." Nine-Tails nodded. How could she not know that such a person would absolutely stop at nothing to achieve his goals?

If she hadn't loved the wrong person, she wouldn't have ended up dead, her body torn to pieces, dragging down her family's fate. In the end, wasn't it just that the person she loved wasn't human?

It wasn't until sunset that Leng Yue and Qian Chen set up a new barrier for the Nine-Tailed Fox before leaving. Wei He wasn't there; as the Imperial Advisor, he couldn't easily leave the capital. Protecting the royal family was his most important responsibility.

Kyoto and Shiritei are a thousand miles apart, and it would take them an hour to reach them by flying sword. Therefore, they needed to set off early and not delay too long.

"Come back soon, I'll be scared if I'm alone." This was the first time Nine-Tails had shown such a vulnerable expression, and it was also the first time she had been separated from Leng Yue and Qian Chen since she came to this world.

Looking into the Nine-Tailed Fox's eyes, Leng Yue's heart softened. She turned to Qian Chen and said, "Why don't we take the Nine-Tailed Fox with us?"

“We’re going to gather information,” Qian Chen said hesitantly, but seeing the two people looking at him, he finally gave in, “…Alright.”

Nine-Tailed Fox was overjoyed and hugged Qianchen's leg tightly. "Thank you, beautiful Daddy. I knew you were the best to Nine-Tailed Fox."

"You little ingrate, wasn't it me who pleaded for you just now?" Leng Yue said unhappily, looking at Jiuwei.

"Yes, yes, thank you, beautiful mother." Nine-Tailed Fox said, giving Leng Yue a kiss as well.