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Xing Ruyi felt a chill rising from her feet, gradually enveloping her entire body.
Yin Yuan chuckled, his belly round after recently consuming demonic energy. At that moment, he was struggling to support himself on the ground, swaying as he tried to stand up.
Without a moment's hesitation, Xing Ruyi bent down and picked up Yin Yuan, holding him tightly against her chest.
The eerie wind stopped! The dry skin that had been swirling in the wind fell to the ground, looking like a quiet paper figure sleeping on the ground. Then, Xing Ruyi heard a strange sound of footsteps moving closer.
"Is it a zombie?" Xing Ruyi asked softly as she leaned closer to the fox.
The fox squeezed Xing Ruyi's hand tightly but remained silent.
In her arms, Yin Yuan frowned in displeasure because he couldn't smell the fragrance of souls; all he detected was a heavy stench of decay.
The footsteps grew nearer, coming from behind. Xing Ruyi turned her head and saw a crooked shadow on the ground.
Damn! A zombie!
Unable to help herself, she cursed inwardly and tugged at the fox's hand as a warning.
"Don't worry, I'm here!"
Xing Ruyi sighed in relief. She preferred fighting ghosts; demons were manageable, but dealing with zombies was somewhat disgusting.
Just as she was thinking this, the fox gently pulled her and forcefully brought her up to the rooftop. At that moment, the red moon hung high in the sky, and with the corpse crawling below, it created an unreal feeling as if she were in a movie.
"It's all that Wei Shu's fault. If I had known he would turn into a dried-up corpse, I might as well have stayed in Rouge's shop and slept." Xing Ruyi said, poking Yin Yuan's head with her finger. "And you, wouldn't it be better to sleep at home obediently? Instead of leaving your warm soup and meat behind to come out here and consume these things. Do you want to get beaten up?"
Yin Yuan glanced at the fox and lowered his head in grievance. In his heart, he thought, is this really where I wanted to be? It was you, my fox husband, who insisted on bringing me here!
Although he felt a bit wronged, he still had to admit his mistakes. He knew he was the Demonic Fetus, and his Fox Demon mother had always hoped to raise him as a normal child. But the Demonic Fetus was still the Demonic Fetus; without evil spirits as nourishment, how could he grow quickly?
Meanwhile, Yin Yuan was contemplating whether he should apologize to his Fox Demon mother, while Xing Ruyi had already picked him up and tossed him into a pile of corpses as if he were just an object. After throwing him in, she clapped her hands and then pulled the fox close, sitting on the roof to enjoy the view.
"You little brat, aren't you supposed to be impressive? Well then, the task of protecting your parents is now yours. Your mother has no other requests; just don't get your clothes dirty. You know how your mother isn't good at needlework, and those clothes cost quite a bit."
Yin Yuan pouted and landed on a decaying body, raising his hand to slap down on the corpse's head.
With a squelch, the severed head rolled away like a ball into the shadows.
A child who could easily take care of Wei Shu was not something Xing Ruyi needed to worry about in terms of safety. Taking advantage of the good moonlight, she held onto the fox to chat, though the content of their conversation didn't sound very casual.
"So, Bai Shi, how much have you found out?"
"Do you think I’m hiding something?" the fox raised an eyebrow and asked.
Xing Ruyi nodded confidently. "Yes! You are definitely hiding something!"
"And where's your evidence?"
"When you were describing the events, you deliberately omitted some details. For instance, during that time, your speaking speed noticeably slowed down. Although Brother Chang is an upright person, he's still a mortal. As a dignified fox spirit, there are certainly some terrifying things you wouldn't tell him. Not out of concern, but because you feel it's unnecessary; after all, humans and demons are different paths."
"What else?"
"You care about me and understand my nature; you know I would definitely seek out Wei Shu for help. But fox, don’t forget that I know you very well too. If there truly is danger here, no matter how tired you are, you would still stay with me. Even if it’s to train me, you would definitely protect me from the shadows."
"I am indeed protecting you from the shadows; not just me, but also Yin Yuan."
The fox pouted, and in the arena, Yin Yuan was jumping around, seemingly fooling around, but in reality, he was teasing the mindless corpse in circles.
"Just now, when I was entangled with Wei Shu, I sensed something was off. Although he is a demon, his aggression is surprisingly weak. This is far from the common perception of demons. After all, you are one of the Six Paths and a guardian of this Underworld. To put it bluntly, if you were to show a grave to the emperor, the one leading the charge should at least be a master. Wei Shu is too weak; he's so weak that I suspect he has been severely injured. Considering everything that happened with Bai, I understood. In fact, by the time you arrived, Wei Shu had already fallen into the demonic path. Not only him, but those below him are the same. The reason you are in such a predicament is because of them."
The fox looked approvingly at Xing Ruyi and ruffled her hair, saying, "I just didn't want you to worry."
"If you really wanted to prevent me from worrying, you shouldn't have kept it from me. Now look at us; we're both trapped in this cursed place." Xing Ruyi propped her chin up and shouted at Yin Yuan with some dissatisfaction, "You rascal, how long are you going to keep this up? If you continue playing around like this, their master will get angry."
The fox chuckled in disbelief but received a glare from Xing Ruyi.
"You still haven't told me what’s going on with Wei Shu."
"I admit it; I underestimated the situation. When Bai came here, I noticed something was wrong; this village was too quiet. As soon as I reached the village entrance, I smelled blood. Those people were all killed by Wei Shu. Due to his brutality, he was chosen as the guardian of this Underworld but ended up being tricked by a yellow weasel into eating human flesh. Among all spirits and monsters, children are the most terrifying because their thoughts are simple yet filled with deep resentment. Coupled with the sinister energy of this Underworld invading him, Wei Shu has clearly begun to turn demonic. If it were someone else, I could have ignored it, but I knew you would definitely come—not just because of Tiger but also because of those innocent children who were eaten by Wei Shu. So I had no choice but to intervene."
"Were you struggling in battle?"
"Yes, very much so!"
"Is it because of your cleanliness? Afraid of dirtying your clothes?"
The fox shook his head. "No! It's because that outfit was chosen by you."
Xing Ruyi suddenly blushed, feeling overwhelmed by a thousand points of teasing from the fox.
The fox turned his face slightly and smiled as he said something that dampened the mood: "Yin Yuan has almost finished killing; it seems it's time for the mastermind behind this to show up."
"The mastermind! Who? Xiu Xiu!"
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be him."
As soon as the fox finished speaking, a gust of wind suddenly arose from the ground. In the wind, a sound of bells rang out. Squinting to see clearly, a middle-aged man appeared in the eye of the wind, dressed in Taoist robes and talismans, his features obscured.
"Mo Xu You!"
Xing Ruyi recalled the Taoist from Zhongnan Mountain who had recommended Wei Shu to the court, but judging by his age, he seemed somewhat inconsistent with the rumors.
"I didn't expect that there was still a Celestial Being hidden in Luoyang." The Taoist raised the whisk in his hand, and the sound of the bells became even crisper. "Dao Mo Xu You, I have met the Celestial Being."
"Dao!" The fox slightly curled her lips. "Mo Xu You?"
"It's just a name; why should the Celestial Being care?" The Taoist bowed again.
"It is indeed just a name." The fox pulled Xing Ruyi into her embrace, signaling her not to act rashly. "Can Mo Xu You explain tonight's events?"
"The Celestial Being and the young lady are both beings outside this world; it would be best not to get involved in this mundane realm." Mo Xu You looked up, his narrow eyes squinting, a few strands of beard floating without wind, giving off an ethereal feeling.
"What if we want to get involved?" The fox's eyes narrowed as well, revealing a hint of coldness.
Mo Xu You seemed to stiffen slightly. "This matter is deeply entangled; for your sake, it would be better for the Celestial Being not to intervene."
"In that case, there is nothing more for us to discuss." As soon as the fox finished speaking, Xing Ruyi could no longer hold back and kicked Yin Yuan, who was sitting on the ground. "Son, take him down!"
Yin Yuan lazily glanced at Mo Xu You, clearly uninterested in dealing with a mortal.
"Yin Chensi, your son is bullying me!" Seeing that Yin Yuan did not move, Xing Ruyi immediately complained to the fox.
The fox let out a breath and said calmly, "Don't worry, I'll help you deal with him!"
Mo Xuyou, although still somewhat composed, broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. He looked at the strange "family of three" before him and finally realized that this Celestial Being was not an immortal, the mortal was not human, and even the Demonic Fetus possessed a demonic soul. If a fight broke out, he feared he wouldn't be able to handle even the girl in the middle.
Those who know how to read the situation are wise; he obediently bowed his head and recounted everything about the Yin Corpse Land in Wei Village.
During the Tang Hongdao period, due to Gaozong's poor health, much of the court's affairs were handled by Wu Zetian, which subtly infused the court and society with a sense of femininity. The status of women improved because of Wu Zetian's rule; they could not only leave their boudoirs but also enter the court. The women from common families had no desire to enter the palace as consorts nor did they aspire to become officials; what they could see was that Wu Zetian's power brought them relatively more freedom in marriage. In the past, when daughters married, it was often dictated by their parents' wishes and the matchmaker's words; now, however, young women could choose their own husbands. Although it was still within a limited scope, it was certainly better than being married off blindly.
For example, in wealthy families, suitors were usually selected by parents. Even bold daughters would only sneak a glance at potential husbands through a screen without knowing their temper or character. After Wu Zetian came to power, these young women gained more autonomy; those from strict families could exchange a few words through the screen, while those from more lenient families could even interact directly with young men. With more opportunities to meet potential partners, while they could select suitable matches, having too many choices could also lead to confusion.
Although ancient wisdom states that one should marry for virtue, for men—both then and now—appearance remains the primary consideration. Thus, a beauty-enhancing technique from the southern regions began to spread in Chang'an and Luoyang.
"Blood Rouge?" Xing Ruyi suddenly recalled the box of rouge she had found in the graveyard and the story that the fox had told.
"Yes, Blood Rouge. It seems you know about this stuff too," Mo Xuyou said as he raised his head to glance at Xing Ruyi, his gaze lingering on her cheek for a moment.
"Your face—"
"Do you know Xiu Xiu?" Xing Ruyi had also noticed Mo Xuyou's change in expression and seized on his words to ask.
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