“This is the Imperial Preceptor’s Residence,” Leng Yue said, seeing the three gilded characters “Imperial Preceptor’s Residence” on a mansion. She then sheathed her flying sword and jumped inside.

The house was large and square, but it was empty and even somewhat desolate.

"Did we go into the wrong place?" Leng Yue couldn't help but go outside to check again. "This is the Imperial Preceptor's residence, right? Why is no one here?"

"No rush, let's go inside and take a look." Qianchen pulled Lengyue and carried Jiuwei inside.

Unlike the impressive plaque outside, the further they went in, the more surprised they became. They didn't see a single person along the way, and some places were even overgrown with weeds.

Upon reaching the innermost part, they saw a room with a dim light. The three of them quietly approached, and inside sat an elderly man with white hair.

"Good old man, it seems he's not an enemy..." Before Leng Yue could finish speaking, the man turned his head and saw a pair of eyes exactly like the Nine-Tailed Fox's.

"Guests are welcome, please come in." The man's eyes showed neither joy nor sorrow, but he immediately spotted Leng Yue and the others.

Seeing that they had been exposed, Leng Yue and the others revealed themselves completely. "Are you the Imperial Advisor Wei He?" Qian Chen got straight to the point.

“Indeed,” Wei He put down the book in his hand, “and why have you come to visit so late at night?”

"We won't beat around the bush. We're here to ask you why you sent people to look for the Nine-Tailed Fox?" Leng Yue stepped forward, asking the question more directly.

"Who is the Nine-Tailed Fox?" Wei He asked, his eyes filled with doubt. "I only sent people to capture demons, unless the Nine-Tailed Fox you're talking about is that fox demon." Wei He's words were devoid of any emotion, like those of a machine.

“I’m sorry, the fox demon you’re referring to is our beloved daughter,” Leng Yue said, finding Wei He’s constant use of the term “fox demon” to describe the Nine-Tailed Fox, and couldn’t help but defend her. “What do you, a dignified Imperial Advisor, want with our daughter? Or do you have some unspeakable secret?”

The fox spirit's name made Leng Yue angry, so she spoke even more rudely and couldn't help but retort.

"You don't seem to be demons, and this fox demon wasn't born of you. Why are you making enemies of this fox demon?" The Grand Preceptor stared directly at the Nine-Tailed Fox. The Nine-Tailed Fox tensed up for no reason. Qian Chen patted the Nine-Tailed Fox on the back, and the Nine-Tailed Fox smiled gently.

“There’s no need for the Imperial Advisor to know,” Leng Yue raised an eyebrow. “What I’m more concerned about is why the Imperial Advisor keeps changing the subject and why he’s unwilling to tell you his purpose.”

"As the Imperial Advisor, isn't it only natural for me to slay demons and eliminate evil for the people? What reason do I need?" Wei He said indifferently, as if he were just saying how nice the weather was today.

"Does the difficulty of slaying demons justify the indiscriminate killing of innocents?" Leng Yue looked at Wei He in disbelief. "As the Imperial Advisor, holding the power of life and death over the demon race, shouldn't you be able to distinguish right from wrong?"

“Those who are not of our kind are bound to have different hearts. All demons should be eradicated.” Wei He was unusually firm, and there was no logic to it at all.

"Is that so? If that's the case, why does the Imperial Preceptor want to secretly harbor evil spirits?" Qian Chen, who had been silent all along, suddenly uttered a startling question.

"You jest, sir. I have always taken it upon myself to slay demons and monsters. How could I possibly do such a heinous thing?" Cracks appeared on Wei He's face, which had been expressionless all along.

"What's the deal with the array in the backyard?" Because he had once been Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Qianchen was quite sensitive to ghostly matters, which is why he was able to quickly discover the soul-gathering array in the backyard.

The Soul Gathering Array is a formation that collects dissipated souls. Normally, there would be nothing wrong with it, but there is a living dead-like being that is neither human nor ghost in the Soul Gathering Array. In other words, if it weren't for the Soul Gathering Array, that woman would have been reincarnated long ago.

"How did you find out?" Wei He asked warily. He had deliberately used the Immortal Spirit Pearl to conceal it; ordinary people couldn't see the Soul Gathering Array beneath it. "Who exactly are you people?"

“As I just said, we are the parents of the Nine-Tails,” Qianchen looked at Wei He. “You already know that the Nine-Tails is Biluo’s child, right? That means you already know that the Nine-Tails is your daughter!”

"You really know?" Leng Yue couldn't even look at this person directly. "What does Biluo like about you? You're old, ugly, and have a wicked heart!"

"Yueyue, he's not old or ugly, otherwise Biluo wouldn't like him." Qianchen was right. Foxes are naturally beautiful, so they are also members of the appearance association. If Wei He was ugly, he wouldn't have been able to fool Biluo at all!

“I’m not blind,” Leng Yue pointed to her eyes. “I can see everything clearly, okay? Apart from his eyes being able to see, look at his loose skin and how ugly he is. He’s not much better than Quasimodo!”

Qianchen sighed, "Yueyue, you're exaggerating." Lengyue was angry, so her words were aggressive. Actually, Wei He was just a bit old, but you could still see the traces of a handsome man.

"It must be the result of defying the heavens with magic. It seems you are quite devoted." Qian Chen's lips curled into a sarcastic smile. "But your devotion is too terrifying. For the sake of your beloved, you are willing to harm the woman who bore your daughter and loves you with all her heart?"

"That's so damn scum. This isn't affection, it's horror." Leng Yue said, moving closer to Qian Chen. "Killing someone for a dead person is absolutely insane."

"Luo Luo isn't dead!" Wei He, who had been silent all along, suddenly roared at Leng Yue, his veins bulging, as if he wanted to rush up and hit her. His frenzied state was completely like that of a wild beast.

Qian Chen shoved Wei He away with one hand, "Stay away from my lover! If you come any closer, I won't be polite!"

"Hahaha, your lover? What about my lover? My lover hasn't awakened yet! Oh right, fox demon, give me that fox demon!" Wei He suddenly attacked Qian Chen, trying to snatch the Nine-Tailed Fox from Qian Chen's arms. The Nine-Tailed Fox was so frightened that it clung tightly to Qian Chen's neck, momentarily forgetting that it also knew magic.

Qian Chen drew his dagger and quickly knocked Wei He to the ground. Leng Yue came to Qian Chen's side, "How come he's so weak?"

“That formation can only be used in the underworld; mortals must sacrifice their lifespan to use it. It seems he has consumed quite a bit of his lifespan in the past few years.” Qian Chen pursed his lips; he could actually understand Wei He’s unwavering devotion to love.

However, I cannot agree with this. It is understandable to be willing to sacrifice for love, but to hurt innocent people for the sake of so-called love is morally reprehensible.

"You're looking for the Nine-Tailed Fox to prolong your life?" Leng Yue seemed to have figured it out. "Just because the Nine-Tailed Fox is your daughter, does that mean she should die for you?" As she spoke, Leng Yue stepped forward and kicked Wei He, but Qian Chen pulled her back.

"No, I don't think it's to prolong his life. Nine-Tailed Fox is his daughter, so she has his bloodline. Plus, Nine-Tailed Fox is a fox, so her lifespan is naturally not short. He knows all this, so he wants to use Nine-Tailed Fox's lifespan to drive the formation." Qian Chen sighed and looked at Nine-Tailed Fox. "He really is scum."

"Can the people in that formation really be resurrected?" Leng Yue didn't believe it. If everyone could be resurrected, what would be the point of the Underworld? Wouldn't it be chaos?

"No, the underworld is only used to summon those scattered and fragmented souls. But almost none can be found completely, so even if someone is resurrected, they will no longer be the same person." Qianchen sighed, "I don't know where he got the idea that some formation is incomplete and therefore impossible to resurrect."