The succubus's hair sounded more ill, and it looked...

Yan Huanyue felt that her husband had some health problems.

In addition, Pei Xuanzhi's complexion had been extremely poor these past few days, and he had even stopped going to the library, which he usually frequented most. She felt that this was probably because of that matter.

But given his current state, she didn't know what to say.

But because of his state, she vaguely felt that she had probably misunderstood him that night, and that he probably didn't mean to play a trick on her.

So for a few nights after she went to bed, she secretly teased him, wanting to see what really happened that night that ended without a trace.

But he remained unmoved, simply wrapping himself tightly in the blanket and sleeping with his back to her.

This appearance seems to be the most likely explanation; it seems like things aren't going well.

Sure enough, his previous reckless and crazy behavior still ruined his health.

In truth, it wasn't a big deal, and she wasn't particularly concerned about it. Thinking about his difficult-to-handle periods of passion, she could even say she breathed a sigh of relief.

However, one can't help but worry that this is just one of the signs of his deteriorating health.

So while he sat in the yard watching the cats play with a sullen face, she offered suggestions and advice, both openly and subtly.

"If you feel unwell, be sure to go to the clinic. There's nothing to be embarrassed about; your health is the most important thing."

Pei Xuanzhi simply sat under the shade of the locust tree in the courtyard, his face gloomy as he stared intently at the little tabby cat sunbathing in the yard, giving her perfunctory replies.

"Okay, I understand."

Yan Huanyue went to Wenshitang to retrieve the mission, busied herself packing her things to prepare to go down the mountain, and went to the medical hall to get a lot of nourishing pills for him, not caring how bad his complexion had been these past few days.

The night I left, I drew a restraining talisman on his lower abdomen. He just turned his face to the side, closed his eyes, put one arm over his eyes, and bit his lip without saying a word.

His nightgown was thin, and he unbuttoned his shirt and lay down in front of her. His reaction was quite obvious, clearly indicating that he was already aroused.

Yan Huanyue could feel his tension even as the soft, cool tip of her pen glided across his lower abdomen.

But he didn't make any demands. After finishing the painting, he straightened his clothes, wrapped himself in the blanket, and closed his eyes with his back to her.

The little kitten sat outside the window, meowing energetically.

Yan Huanyue knelt on the bed, pen in hand, looking at the figure wrapped in a blanket. She felt that he might not have a physical problem, but rather that he simply didn't want to have any problems with her.

She knelt there and thought for a long time. Apart from refusing to take him down the mountain, there seemed to be no other disputes recently.

So he still can't let go of this matter. Has he become heartbroken over it?

Yan Huanyue put away all the things used to draw the suppression talisman, blew out the lamp, returned to her bedchamber, and lay down. She sighed softly, "Don't be angry. I'm really afraid that if I take you down the mountain, I won't be able to take good care of you."

In the darkness, Pei Xuanzhi opened his eyes and said calmly, "I didn't..."

"Whatever you want, I'll bring it back and give it to you."

Pei Xuanzhi's expression changed upon hearing this, and he agreed, "Well... actually, I might still be a little angry. No couple is separated like us so often. However, it's also because I'm too weak. I'm angry at myself for not being able to be your companion."

Yan Huanyue pulled him out of the tightly wrapped blanket and pulled him into her own, inhaling his cool fragrance, rubbing her cheek against his hair, and smiled:

"Then I need to become stronger so that I can protect you wherever we go, and take you with me wherever I go."

Pei Xuanzhi nestled against her chest, looking up at her in the dim light, his cool voice carrying a hint of seduction, "Sister said she'd give me anything I want?"

Yan Huanyue nodded. "Mm."

Pei Xuanzhi smiled faintly, a tear inexplicably welling up in the corner of his eye. "Then... tell me 'I like you' a hundred times now."

.

"What you beg for won't last. Once the giver gets tired of you, they won't even look at you again. Besides, you're not even a kind beggar."

The cat suddenly appeared out of nowhere, jumped onto the windowsill, and started licking its paws and washing its face while meowing.

Pei Xuanzhi was reading a book on a recliner under the shade of a locust tree when a yellow talisman suddenly flew out of his sleeve and hit the little tabby cat.

This cunning and treacherous cat deceived his kind and ignorant wife, secretly and maliciously disrupting their lives.

Fortunately, his wife thought that after she left, the cat could keep him company for a while so that he wouldn't be too lonely.

Now that the lady has come down the mountain, it's time to deal with this wicked cat.

The little kitten gracefully dodged his yellow talisman and sneered, "Why didn't you dare expose me before she left? You think I'm vicious because I threatened you? But what about you? You framed people, sowed discord, distorted the truth, and were ruthless. Little devil, you have to pay for everything you do."

Several yellow talismans came flying at the kitten, which suddenly leaped onto the roof and jumped down, transforming into a strong lioness. Its large, heavy paws slammed down on the locust tree shade.

Even though Pei Xuanzhi quickly got up and slipped out of the shade of the locust tree, a few small locust leaves still stuck to his shoulder.

A large golden snake emerged from behind him, passed over his head, and charged directly at the lioness with its gaping maw.

The lioness clearly hadn't expected him to change like this, and immediately transformed into a kitten, nimbly dodging the snake's attack.

"How dare you devour souls!"

The golden snake's pink eyes narrowed, and it suddenly swooped down, swallowing the kitten whole.

The snake slowly retreated, retracting its back little by little. As its head slid over his shoulder, it opened its mouth and exhaled a wisp of mist.

The fog balls were instantly dispersed by the wind, like floating smoke.

He neither consumed nor refined her soul; his sole purpose was to destroy a wisp of her soul mist.

His home with Yan Huanyue was a happiness he had finally achieved.

He carefully protected her, and only managed to get a few responses from her with great difficulty. Anyone who tries to destroy her deserves to die.

However, by the time he caught up with them at Pear Blossom Valley, the cave was already deserted.

Why would she leave behind that wisp of soul-mist cat to deliberately disturb him?

Pei Xuanzhi paced back and forth in the cave. Could it be that after he had Lu Shenchu ​​inform the Sky Patrol Division about the Yun family's secret probing of the demon immortal's background, the demon race was about to change the world ahead of schedule?

Then why did Zhixu deliberately provoke him these past few days to lure him over? Was it just to annoy him?

He walked around the stone platform in the cave, then looked up at the stone walls of the cave, but there were no extra marks.

A yellow talisman flew out from his sleeve, and with his help, he lightly leaped onto the stone platform.

There is a clear sign that a stone on the platform was broken and later repaired.

Pei Xuan cleaved the rock in two with a single palm strike. The rubble exploded, revealing a piece of paper on it, which read: "Vengeful and vindictive, cunning and suspicious. Though I have not personally come to greet you, I know you will arrive."

Pei Xuanzhi brushed aside the paper without any qualms and saw that there was another piece of paper underneath, with three small pictures drawn on it.

In the first small picture, several shadows with wolf ears are whispering to a little boy with wolf ears and a long tail.

In this picture, each shadow points to the little boy's long tail with one hand and to the same direction with the other.

In the second small picture, the little boy with wolf ears and a long tail stands next to a woman wearing a crown, with one foot secretly stepping on the long hem of the woman's skirt, looking up at the crown on the woman's head.

In the third small picture, the little boy is captured by a group of shadows with long tails but no wolf ears. Their tongues and tails are cut off, and the shadows together wield long knives and plunge them into his heart.

After he looked at it for a moment, the drawing on the paper disappeared.

Pei Xuanzhi lowered his eyes to look at the painting, his expression indifferent.

It turned out that it was to give him a warning.

The ambitious little demon, swayed by the spell, believed that he could covet his birth mother's power simply because of a blood relationship.

But he was not a pure-blooded demon, so he would not be able to win the hearts of the people. He would eventually be killed by the demons, and they would forcibly remove the parts that resembled his birth mother and treat him as a troublemaker who talked nonsense.

Nobody will acknowledge him...

It is truly remarkable that the Weaving Master was willing to discern his wolfish ambitions, issue a warning in advance, and prevent problems before they arise, presenting the cold-blooded ruthlessness, complexity, and obscurity of power to him in such a concise and refined manner.

Oh……

His unwanted offspring must have caused her immense distress back then.

Now that he knows his entire background and has such a personality, even though he repeatedly emphasizes that he has no intention of being a demon, her comments about him are enough to make her suspicious.

Suspicion leads to unease.

Anxiety is like a knife hanging over one's head every day, causing worry and eventually leading to murderous intent.

If he had stayed in Chang'an and hadn't been found by his father, she probably wouldn't have worried about the threat this child might pose.

But not only did he find his father, his behavior must have made her wary of him.

The Sky Patrol Bureau and the sects fought to support Zhixu's forces and defeat Hengyu's forces. Even though the human race's intervention at this time was beneficial to Zhixu, she had to be wary that she would continue to be manipulated by the human race after seizing power.

This child, held in Pei Hanzhou's hands, could become a tool for the human race to interfere in the power of the demon race at any time.

To secure her own power, she would be wary of him, and if she were to have a child of pure demon race in the future, she would definitely do everything in her power to deal with him for the child's safety.

Did he think he would dispel this warning on his own and grieve because of his birth mother's heartlessness?

I suppose this wasn't just for him to see.

Pei Xuanzhi quickly painted another one and presented it to Pei Hanzhou's desk, saying in a low voice, "Father, this is what I found after she led me to Pear Blossom Valley. I only have a vague understanding of it, but its surface meaning alone makes me feel uneasy."

Pei Hanzhou stared at the painting, his expression unchanged. After a long while, he looked up at Pei Xuanzhi's expression and said:

“You are just my son. Don’t worry about her. I will handle this matter. In the future, I will never let anyone use your background to make a fuss.”

.

Zhao Chai'er was used to being idle and lazy back in his hometown.

Previously, he had been used as bait by the Yu family to capture a fox demon. He received some money from Yu Nian as compensation, and with the threat of death no longer chasing him, he completely relaxed and wandered around, eating and drinking to his heart's content.

After a while, I soon realized that this drifting life was ultimately meaningless.

When he arrived in Yongfeng, he came across a wealthy family that was looking for a son-in-law. He had seen the girl from afar and liked her, so he quickly bought a set of clothes and went up to recommend himself.

Because he was young and handsome, and dressed smartly and elegantly, he was good at counting and calculating with counting rods when cockfighting and dice counting. He was also good at using an abacus. He was clever and quick-witted, which made him highly valued by Madam Liang, who was looking for a husband for her daughter.

He subtly boasted about helping the Yu family capture the fox demon, and then produced a gold ingot with the Yu family's name on it as proof.

Madam Liang asked a fellow villager who worked as a steward in the Yu family to inquire about it, and it turned out that such a thing was true.

The two elders of the Liang family admired righteous men throughout their lives. They did not know how cowardly Zhao Chai'er was when he acted as bait, but they felt that he had a noble spirit of sacrificing his life. Therefore, they were very satisfied with him and treated him with extra courtesy.

Although I asked around in his hometown and learned some stories about his impoverished youth and his idle ways, there was nothing too outrageous about him.

However, the two elders of the Liang family had some experience from traveling all over the country, so they never looked down on people.

Children from poor families are young and have no family to supervise them. They have no way out and no future. They only think about feeding themselves today. How can they have any lofty ambitions?

In addition, due to his youthful nature, he liked to play and fight, so being undisciplined and wandering around was a common occurrence.

Now that they're grown up, even without the guidance of elders, haven't they begun to educate themselves according to worldly standards? This shows that they still have a good heart and aren't a good-for-nothing.

In addition, he was eloquent and handsome, which won over Miss Liang's heart. Soon after, the Liang family elders arranged for the two to get married.

Chai'er had been an idle man for over ten years. Back then, when he lay on his creaky, broken bed in his hometown, he never dared to dream that he could live such a stable and prosperous life with loving parents and a wise and good wife.

All those past events seemed like a dream. After starting a family, he resolved to become a decent person.

After getting married, he studied under Miss Liang for a while before being taken out to run a business.

Recently, Miss Liang became pregnant and urgently needed a batch of goods. With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the family's three shops were too busy to spare any manpower, so she personally stayed at home with her parents and sent Chai'er with a shop manager to deliver the goods.

This young steward, in his early twenties, had attended the village school a few years ago and learned about the Chinese almanac. He considered himself more capable than the average shop assistant or steward and had long harbored the idea of ​​marrying into the Liang family.

After all her efforts, Zhao Chai'er picked the peaches for her, leaving her extremely resentful.

Seeing Zhao Chai'er, a good-for-nothing idler, doing better and better, the steward was filled with envy and jealousy, as if needles were pricking his heart, making him restless and unable to eat or sleep.

This time, he accompanied Zhao Chai'er on a delivery trip. He secretly tripped Chai'er along the way, intending to cause both Chai'er and his cart to fall into a ravine, but he failed.

After some calculation, it became clear that selling the carriages and horses would bring in a considerable sum of money, and delivering the goods would also provide a payment.

It would be better to wait until after the goods are delivered, then find a way to get rid of Chai'er, sell the carriages and horses, take the money, and go back to report the death, saying that they had been robbed by bandits, that the carriages, horses, and money had been stolen, and that the son-in-law had also been kidnapped and his fate was unknown.

Even if the Liang family finds him by then, they won't be able to find him alive or dead. At that time, it would be considered a great honor for Miss Liang, a woman who has already given birth, to marry him.

Thinking of the intelligent and generous Miss Liang, the steward's former admiration had long since turned into contempt.

They'd take any scoundrel but not him? What kind of taste do they have?

On the way back from delivering the goods, Zhao Chai'er sat in the car with a lamp lit, showing the child a book of poems about names.

He was born with some intelligence and learned to read quickly from Miss Liang. Now he is practically illiterate, recognizing simple characters but not knowing others, and even when simple characters are combined, he doesn't recognize them.

He simply copied down the characters he thought were beautiful one by one and took them back for Miss Liang to choose from.

The carriage traveled through a remote village under the cover of night and gradually came to a stop.

The steward outside, who was driving the carriage, turned around, lifted the curtain, and looked at Chai'er. "Young master, it seems we've come to the wrong place. This village is deserted; it's not the town we passed through on the way here."

Zhao Chai'er carefully put away the copied words and then put the book given to her by Miss Liang into the small box.

Only after getting off the carriage did they see a desolate, dark village silhouetted against the lonely moon.

Chai'er immediately returned to the carriage, blew out the lamp, and got off the carriage again: "The horses have been running for most of the day and need to be fed. It's easy to run into bad people while traveling at night. I don't know if this village is safe or not. Let's not go into the village. Let's drive the horses away from the path and go to the edge of the wasteland over there."

The steward asked in surprise, "A graveyard? Aren't you afraid, young master?"

Zhao Chai'er has recently been admired by the Liang family for her boastful story about the fox demon. She seems to really think of herself as a righteous person who is willing to risk her life. She said fearlessly, "It's nothing. What is a graveyard? It's just a bunch of dead people. When I worked with the Yu family to outwit and capture the fox demon, it was much more dangerous than this."

As he spoke, he personally took the reins and headed towards the cemetery.

The steward lagged behind him, pulling the cart at the shaft. When they were almost at the cemetery, Zhao Chai'er tripped over a mound of earth, twisted his ankle, and barely managed to keep his balance.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the steward quickly pulled out a dagger he had prepared beforehand and stabbed him in the back.

Zhao Chai'er didn't even have time to utter a sound before collapsing to the ground and falling silent.

The steward took the knife and stabbed him in the neck several more times, then stripped him of his outer clothes and jewelry, dragged him to a deep ditch on the other side of the cemetery, and threw him in.

The steward's heart pounded, and he broke out in a sweat. Just as he threw the firewood down, a gust of cold wind blew, making him shiver. He quickly turned and ran to the carriage to leave.

Just as he jumped onto the carriage shaft and was about to pull the reins, he heard a faint sound of turning pages coming from the carriage behind him.

The faint sound was like a thunderclap to his ears.

This piece of trash surnamed Zhao can't read many characters, yet he's been pretending to read classical Chinese literature the whole way. To say he's like a dog looking at a sky lantern is an understatement.

The more disgusting the sound of turning pages in the carriage had been throughout the journey, the more horrifying it became at this moment.

Perhaps the book wasn't placed properly and was blown away by the wind?

The steward turned around stiffly, staring at the calm carriage curtain, and fearfully stretched out his hand, which was still covered in blood.

Just as my fingertips touched the carriage curtain, I heard three faint coughs coming from inside the carriage.

"Ah! A ghost!"

The steward screamed and jumped off the carriage shaft like a madman, swinging his short legs wildly.

He was terrified and instinctively needed to see a living person as soon as possible, so he was driven by fear to run all the way to the deserted village.

As soon as he ran into the village, he saw a dark figure in front of him. When he got closer, he realized that it was Zhao Chai'er, who had just died by his blade.

The steward shouted, rolled his eyes, and suddenly rose into the air like a stunned fish.

Yu Yi squatted on the eaves with a grin, then suddenly raised his fishing rod. The "Zhao Chai'er" turned into a yellow talisman, which, like bait, hooked the little steward who had taken the bait, and he swung in the air.

"You're so lucky. I just got this mysterious evil artifact and you just happened to run into it."

Yu Yi swung the fishing rod sharply, throwing the already terrified steward onto the roof, and called out towards the distant graveyard, "Yan Huanyue, how do you remove this talisman again?"

The cemetery was instantly transformed into a flat wasteland.

Yan Huanyue stood under the moonlight, dressed in a misty pink dress, with Zhao Chai'er standing behind her, her face pale.

Next to Zhao Chai'er was Yu Nian, who was only up to his thigh.

Behind Yu Nian stood a group of Yu family servants holding bows and crossbows.

Yan Huanyue made a hand seal in the wind, and suddenly threw the seal outwards. The little steward on the eaves opened his bloodless lips and spat out the yellow talisman on the silk rope.

Yu Yi, carrying the steward, flew back to the wasteland in a few strides, threw the corpse on the ground, stuck the fishing rod into the ground, crossed his arms, looked at Yan Huanyue, and laughed:

"How was it? Did my cough just now sound like your husband's?"

Yan Huanyue gave a disdainful sneer.

Zhao Chai'er's face was deathly pale. He had just twisted his ankle and felt a cold wind blow from behind. Suddenly, he was pulled aside and fell into a flat wasteland.

Looking up, he saw that the person who had pulled him up was Yan Huanyue, one of the couple who had saved his life at the inn.

Looking back, he saw the steward who had been by his side these past few days casually swinging his knife in the air, dragging it through the air as he threw it onto the flat ground.

He then realized that he had almost died at the hands of the steward, and that he had received a favor from Yan Huanyue.

Upon hearing Yu Yi's words, Zhao Chai'er didn't hesitate and stepped forward to partially block Yan Huanyue, saying, "The Sixteenth Young Master sounds more seriously ill than Young Master Pei, and he looks quite different."

Yu Yi's smile faltered for a moment, then she smiled at Zhao Chai'er and said, "Chai'er, it's only been a few days, and you've been living a good life. People are even eyeing your wealth. What were you bragging about just now? That you'd help us outsmart the fox demon?"

Zhao Chai'er licked her dry lips and forced a smile, saying, "What? Sixteenth Young Master, did I say something wrong? Wasn't I the one acting as the array's core that night?"

Yu Yi smiled and said, "Yes, yes, yes."

She then pushed him aside, looking at Yan Huanyue with a smile, but her eyes were icy cold. "Let's chase after them together. Liao Yunu threw away her fishing rod and ran away. Why can your talisman be used with her mystical evil artifact?"

The surroundings fell silent, and everyone looked at her.

Yan Huanyue pulled up the fishing rod with one hand and chuckled, "You're not capable of asking her, yet you come to me? Only those who haven't read the talisman book would find the matter of using the talisman to extract gold from the water as bait surprising. Besides, I found Liao Yunu's trail and chased after her all the way. This fishing rod is what I took; it has nothing to do with you."

After saying that, he put the fishing rod directly into his treasure pouch and said to Zhao Chai'er, "Chai'er, come on, I'll take you to the nearby town market."

Yu Yi took a few steps after him and asked, "What was that thing you lit and threw out just now? It could blind them?"

Yu Nian, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up: "Brother, don't ask anymore."

He then bowed to Yan Huanyue with a hand seal and said, "Fellow Daoist Yan, it's been a long time. Your cultivation has greatly improved, which must be due to your hard work. Where do you wish to go now?"

Yan Huanyue returned the greeting and said, "I originally received the mission to deal with the evil Taoist. After killing the evil Taoist, I unexpectedly discovered Liao Yunu's whereabouts and chased after her. She ran north, and I was going there too."

Yu Yi smiled and said, "It's a coincidence. We're going to deliver spirit stones and pills to the sects on patrol. I heard that it's your Tianyan Sect's turn this year."

In this era, prominent families had a tradition of supplying provisions to the sects that were on patrol, as a sign of their support.

Yu Yi added, "It's a pity that Sect Leader Pei is quite busy, having to arrange the inspection tour and bury the deceased."

Yan Huanyue's heart skipped a beat, thinking something had happened to Pei Xuanzhi. In that instant, she felt her vision go white and all the color drain from her face. She could only ask, "What did you say?"

Yu Yi smiled and said, "You didn't know about such a big thing? Your grandfather, Sect Leader Pei, has found your father. It's a pity that the female demon died young. No wonder Young Master Pei was able to be adopted by someone. Now, Sect Leader Pei doesn't care about the past and has sent people to bury your demon father in the Pei family's old cemetery in Xianyang."

Yan Huanyue's heart was instantly relieved, and she made a hand seal, saying, "Thank you for informing me, but the sect leader and that person are not married, so I hope Fellow Daoist Yu will be careful with his words."

After saying that, he took Zhao Chai'er and drove away in the carriage.

Yu Yi felt a little bored and turned to ask Yu Nian, "Sister, why didn't you let me ask her what she used to blind her?"

Yu Nian shrugged. "This time, Liao Yunu stole so many things from us, and instead of asking about Liao Yunu's methods, you only ask about these trivial details." Yu Yi frowned and said, "We only asked her about purchasing; what she uses, we can use too."

Yu Nian said, "That's definitely unusable. You might as well learn the illusion formation."

Yu Yi asked, "Why?"

Yu Nian pursed her lips. "She used the hair of a succubus, which can be burned to blind people. However, the effect is extremely weak. It can only superficially bewitch ordinary people without cultivation. If it weren't for the cover of night, it would probably be of no use to ordinary people at all."

Yu Yi chuckled and said, "I see. No wonder we weren't allowed to make a sound. Even a cough would probably break the illusion... Carrying your hair with you when you go out, how old-fashioned."

Yu Nian said, "Perhaps it was something I picked up earlier, and after I found it, I put it away and used it without thinking."

Upon hearing this, Yu Yi laughed loudly, "It would be enough to make a man surnamed Xue furious to death."