I pondered for a moment. This matter couldn't be ignored, and it had to be addressed as soon as possible.

This fox demon will not give up easily; it may follow the scent to find us, or it may continue to harm others.

"By the way, what's your name?"

I suddenly realized that after chatting for so long, I still didn't know this man's name.

"My name is Zhao Ming."

The man replied.

"I need to go to your house," I said to Zhao Ming with a serious expression.

"We must see the situation with our own eyes, confirm what that thing is, and find out Erhei's whereabouts. Most importantly, we must eliminate it, otherwise the consequences will be endless."

Upon hearing that he had to go back, Zhao Ming was terrified: "Go back? No way! I can't go back! She'll skin me alive!"

Seeing Zhao Ming's pathetic state, I got a little angry and snorted coldly:

"We're trying to help you solve your problem. If you're not willing, then forget it. Anyway, that vixen isn't after us."

Upon hearing what I said, Zhao Ming immediately backed down.

"Master, you mustn't abandon me! I... I'll take you there!"

Zhao Ming hesitated for a moment, but his mental defenses quickly crumbled.

He is now filled with immense fear, and seeing us as his lifeline, he will naturally cling to us tightly and will not let go.

"Don't worry, we're here." Li Huai patted his shoulder, trying to encourage him, even though he himself didn't look too good.

"Okay, Li Huai, you watch over him. Luo Tianhe and I will go prepare some things."

I led Luo Tianhe into the inner room and began preparing things: a peach wood sword, talisman paper, black dog blood, cinnabar, and ink line—these were all standard supplies.

In addition, I specifically took a few items that might be useful in dealing with fox demons, such as realgar powder, red thread soaked in special medicinal materials, and a small bottle of "purification pills" with a pungent smell.

Luo Tianhe remained silent. Seeing that I had been preparing for a long time, he finally couldn't suppress his doubts and asked:

"Chen Yan, last time when you faced the weasel, who was also one of the Five Immortals of the Northeast, you were extremely cautious and didn't dare to say you would subdue him. You could only talk to him. Why did you immediately want to attack this fox spirit?"

Hearing Luo Tianhe's question, I stopped what I was doing and glanced back at him.

"How can that be the same? That weasel has already cultivated to the level of seeking a title, who knows how many hundreds of years it has cultivated, its cultivation is very profound."

"And this fox spirit also absorbs men's yang energy and does things like skinning people. It's obvious that her cultivation is insufficient and she has gone astray."

After I explained, Luo Tianhe nodded thoughtfully and followed me out of the inner room.

"Let's go, there's no time to lose," I said to Zhao Ming.

Zhao Ming looked at us, his eyes struggling for a long time. In the end, the desire to survive overcame his fear. He gritted his teeth and stood up with difficulty: "Okay, I'll take you there."

It was already dark when the car drove through the night.

Zhao Ming's hands were still trembling slightly as he gripped the steering wheel. I glanced at him and thought to myself, "I should have driven. I hope this kid doesn't cause any more accidents."

I glanced at Li Huai's face; it looked normal, without any of the signs of a dark complexion or impending death. I breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed we wouldn't be in a car accident.

“Master Luo,” Zhao Ming’s trembling voice broke the silence in the car.

"Can we really handle her? I've heard from the older generation that fox spirits have hundreds or even thousands of years of cultivation, can summon wind and rain, and are capable of countless transformations..."

"Hehe, you're overthinking it. Hundreds or thousands of years of cultivation, and the ability to summon wind and rain? If he really had that much power, would he still be fixated on that little bit of yang energy in you?"

I said irritably, "This kid is quite audacious, always talking about hundreds or thousands of years of cultivation. Does he really think those fox spirits are just some roadside cabbages?"

After a pause, I continued:

“It’s not easy for demons to cultivate. There are very few truly powerful demons who can summon wind and rain. Most of them hide in the mountains. The one that’s entangled with you acts so ostentatiously, even skinning people to vent its anger. It seems ferocious, but in reality, its temperament is unstable, and its cultivation is probably not that deep. It relies on nothing more than charm and illusion, as well as human fears and desires.”

Li Huai added from the side, "That's right, this kind of thing is the best at manipulating people's minds. The more you fear it, the more terrifying it becomes. You were completely drained and confused before because you fell for its tricks. Now that we're here, if you can calm yourself down, its tricks might not work so well."

Hearing Li Huai's words, I looked at him with some surprise.

This unreliable idiot actually managed to spout such a long string of reasonable things; it really impressed me.

"How did you know?" Luo Tianhe, who was standing next to me, had the same question as me.

"I found it online."

Li Huai took out his phone, which displayed a search bar: the abilities of a fox spirit and how to deal with a fox spirit.

This idiot, his style hasn't changed at all.

I grinned, closed my eyes to rest, and ignored him.

My grandfather once told me,

Foxes are cunning and extremely difficult to deal with.

Folklore records about fox spirits and fox demons are vast and varied from north to south, but the core themes are all related to "bewitching" and "retribution".

This one, however, has clearly gone astray, cultivating by absorbing the vital essence and even the lifeblood of men. This is a quick way to achieve success, but also a path to certain death.

"arrive,"

Zhao Ming suddenly stopped the car, pointed to the residential area ahead, and said to us:

"My home is in 3302. How about I wait for you at the door and keep watch for you?"

Seeing that he was about to escape again in the early hours of the morning, I patted him in an annoyed tone.

"Okay, the three of us can go in."

Zhao Ming was delighted, and then he heard what I was about to say.

"However, fox spirits have the most sensitive sense of smell. If they smell your scent and come looking for you, that would be bad. You would be all alone and helpless. Even if you were skinned alive, no one would know."

Zhao Ming's face immediately turned as bitter as if he had swallowed a bitter pill.

"No, no, no, our community is designed in a complicated way. If you get lost again, I'll show you the way."

The four of us walked along the path toward the building where Zhao Ming lived.

The closer you get, the more pronounced the eerie scent, a mixture of alluring fragrance and fishy stench, becomes.

"I said, the smell next to your house is so strong, doesn't anyone complain?"

Li Huai pinched his nose and asked, somewhat puzzled.

Zhao Ming twitched his nose. "Really? I can't smell anything."

"He's gotten used to the smell, and this scent probably has hallucinogenic effects."

I explained on Zhao Ming's behalf from the side.

The residents here are probably the same; they've become so used to the smell that they can't detect anything special about it.