A bolt of lightning flashed through the sky, lighting up the entire area. Ji Ai Guo walked through the forest unsteadily. She did not dare to walk on the path with many people, and instead walked deeper into the forest.
She crossed a small hill and circled around a pond filled with reeds. She used the Sweet Dew Technique to heal her wounds, but as she moved, it tore open again, causing blood to seep out.
"I have yet to avenge my parents, and I have yet to avenge my Master's death."
"I can't die!" Ji Ai Guo mumbled to herself. She continued walking like this, stumbling and stumbling. When she reached a corner, she suddenly tripped and fell down. In an instant, she did not know what had happened.
As the rain continued to fall, a sound could be heard coming from within the forest. A fox leaped out, its eyes scanning its surroundings. It had an intelligent look on its face, and its ears twitched slightly as it listened for any movement.
"Ji ji." The fox called out as it came to the side of the water. It waited quietly on the shore, and suddenly stretched out its claws, grabbing a fish out of the water.
The fox bit the fish to death and ate it cleanly. It then began combing through the water, looking very delicate. All of a sudden, it stopped moving, and its ears twitched.
The grass grew thickly in the mountains, and the fox looked in a direction cautiously. It then began to run, and suddenly tripped, rolling on the ground.
"Ji ji." The fox called out angrily, and looked down to see that there was a person on the ground. It was Ji Ai Guo. Her body was covered in blood, and her face was pale.
The fox was curious. Even with its keen senses, it did not notice that there was a human nearby. It tilted its head and looked at her. After thinking for a long time, the fox bit on her clothes and dragged her towards a cave. The cave entrance was covered with grass, and looked very well hidden.
"Ji ji!" The fox thought for a while, and stretched out its claws to collect the blood stained mud. It then threw it on the other side of the road, all the way to the cliff.
The fox was so tired that it stuck out its tongue. It returned to the cave, and looked at Ji Ai Guo before lying down beside her.
At the side of the mountain
A group of Daoists appeared. The sky was filled with fog and the water was bubbling. The leader of the group was a Daoist wearing a straw raincoat. He looked rather handsome and had wooden shoes on his feet. A dozen disciples followed closely behind him. After passing through a mountain pass, they stopped.
Although they had a raincoat, it wasn't enough to protect them from the rain. Furthermore, they were covered in mud and water. One of them had a pale and yellow face as he said, "Damn it, she has a magical item on her that can conceal her presence. Even spells can't detect her. How are we supposed to find her in such a rainy day and in such a huge mountain?"
"We can't find it with spells, but there's blood. Let the spirit beasts follow." The Daoist in the lead furrowed his brows because he couldn't find them for a long time. After a moment of silence, he said, "When we return, we can reward these spirit beasts with some meat and bones."
The so-called spiritual beast was actually a dog. For some reason, a person said, "That's all there is to it."
As he spoke, he commanded the dog to sniff the air. They continued forward until they reached a cliff. Looking down, they saw a large river.
The river was turbulent, and the current was rapid. Under the rain, the water splashed up to thirty meters high. No Daoist dared to jump down.
The Daoist in the lead looked at her and laughed coldly, "I didn't expect this woman to be so resolute. She actually chose to commit suicide."
"Senior brother, should we search further downstream?" The Daoist following them asked.
The Daoist in the lead replied, "She was injured. It doesn't matter if she committed suicide or jumped into the water to escape. We won't be able to continue searching. We can only watch the Fate Lantern."
"If the Fate Lantern is still there, it means that she's still alive. Even if she has a magical item, as long as the sect can break the spell cast on her, we'll be able to catch up to her."
"Senior brother is right!" The Daoist understood and didn't stay any longer. He turned around and left.
Six hours later, a fox popped its head out from within the cave. It sniffed the air and realized that there wasn't any scent of a Daoist. The fox then called out in a mocking tone.
Cave.
At this point, the sound of coughing could be heard. The ground was covered with dried grass and fur. Ji Ai Guo suddenly sat up, her eyes flashing with a cold light. She reached for her sword, but found nothing.
"Where is this?" Ji Ai Guo looked around and saw that she was in a cave. It was extremely simple and cold. Ji Ai Guo stretched out her hand to touch her wound. She could still feel the pain, but it was much better. She touched her wound and found some herbs that she had chewed.
She pressed her hand on the grass and felt the fur. Not far away, there was light coming from the entrance of the cave. Ji Ai Guo's face turned pale. She clutched her chest and walked towards the light.
"This is a cave." There was a large hole in the cave. Light shone in from outside. Vines grew along the walls of the cave, and there were many wild fruits growing on them.
A white fox was wagging its tail as it stood by the side of the pond, its eyes staring intently. At this point, the fish in the pond moved slightly. The fox stretched out its claws and viciously slapped the fish onto the shore.
The fox turned around and saw Ji Ai Guo. It couldn't help but smile at Ji Ai Guo, "Ji ji!"
Ji Ai Guo walked over and lowered her body. The fox didn't try to escape. It pointed its claws at the fish and then at Ji Ai Guo.
"Do you mean to say that this fish is for me to eat?" Ji Ai Guo asked. The fox nodded its head and placed the fish in her hands.
"It's so intelligent!" Ji Ai Guo paused as she saw the fox turn around and run away, "Don't go. It's, it's you who saved me, right?"
Ji Ai Guo shouted out as the fox disappeared into the vines. Ji Ai Guo slowly squatted down as she choked on her tears. All of a sudden, she felt something rubbing against her cheeks. Looking down, she realized that the fox was holding a fruit in its mouth and was rubbing its face against hers.
Ji Ai Guo hugged the fox in her arms as tears flowed down her cheeks.
The peach was small and sour, but she still ate it. Ji Ai Guo was from a fisherman's family and knew how to prepare it. She gathered some firewood and used her Dao arts to light it. She then sliced the fish and roasted it before eating.
The white fox ate the roasted fish happily and continued to fish in the pond. The fox was very fond of Ji Ai Guo, and would always cling to her. After eating, the white fox pulled Ji Ai Guo out of the cave. At this point, the rain had stopped and the sky was clear. The night was cold and refreshing, and the moon hung high in the sky. When the moonlight shone down on the ground, the white fox finally let go of her and stood up, "Ji ji!"
"Do you want me to learn?" Ji Ai Guo couldn't help but laugh. Her master had clearly said that there was nothing in this world that could be absorbed. Just as she was thinking about this, the fox seemed to have found the right posture. It sucked in the air, and saw the silvery light from the moon falling down into its mouth.
The fox trembled as it swallowed, causing Ji Ai Guo to stare at it in shock. After some time, she said, "Demon? I've heard my master say that although there are legends of demons, there have never been any. "
The fox ignored her, and only stopped after a long time. Its eyes were filled with intelligence. After thinking for some time, it pounced forward and dug out a few herbs before turning around and returning to the cave.
"I'm the one who healed you?" Ji Ai Guo took it, and suddenly, tears rolled down her cheeks. The white fox seemed to understand Ji Ai Guo's sadness, and it moved closer to her, gently cupping her.
The fox meowed a few times before she hugged it, "Fox, you're the best. My mother is gone, my father is gone, and even my master is gone. I only have you now."
Pinghu County
The sun shone down, bringing with it a scorching heat. An army of thirty thousand was marching towards them. Their banners covered the sky, and they could not see the end of the army. According to the rules of the dynasty, all of them were armed and donned in armor.
Pei Zi Yun arrived at the foot of the city, and noticed that it was impossible to maintain their formation. This was something that no army could do. However, when they arrived at the foot of the city, they raised their banners, and more and more soldiers regrouped. Very quickly, the majority of the army arrived, and gathered two miles away from the city.
Under the banner of the main army, more than thirty officials followed the army, their demeanor was extremely respectful. They had conquered Yuan An County and raised their blades. In one breath, they had raided three hundred houses, and killed many people. When the news spread, even before the main army arrived, all the counties had surrendered, and responded to the summons of the imperial court.
The magistrate of Praise Lake County, Liu Dian, was sweating profusely. He said, "Dao Master, I see that the army is at its peak. This Pinghu County would not dare to resist the imperial army."
Pei Zi Yun looked at them, and couldn't help but admit that these people were despicable. Once they started killing, they would naturally become docile. He then laughed and said, "Some of them are elites that I've brought out from the capital city, and are different."
"As long as the troops of the county have seen blood, they can be used." Pei Zi Yun then asked, "We've arrived at Pinghu County. Which official wishes to persuade them to surrender?"
At this point, the thirty odd officials looked at each other. The magistrate of Praise Lake County, Liu Dian, rubbed his forehead and stood up, "Dao Master, this official is willing to go."
"Oh?" Pei Zi Yun paused, and was somewhat surprised. Whether it was for the sake of merit or something else, this attitude was very appropriate. He then said, "Good. Whether or not you succeed, I will remember your merit."
"Thank you Dao Master. But to persuade Pinghu County to surrender, what are your conditions?" Liu Dian was actually quite close to Pei Zi Yun, and knew of the news about Pinghu County. However, at this point in time, he wouldn't say it out loud. He bowed and asked.
"The troops have yet to fight, and the city has already surrendered. This can be considered as a response. I will not go back on my word." Pei Zi Yun looked at him and replied plainly.
"Yes, Dao Master. I shall see to it immediately." Liu Dian revealed a look of joy as he walked towards the city.
Chen Yong, who was standing at the side, stepped forward and whispered, "Dao Master, isn't this a little inappropriate?"
Hearing Chen Yong's words, Pei Zi Yun laughed, "Firstly, the art of war is important in politics. Politics is important in rolling a snowball and forming a strong momentum."
"Ji Bei Hou has five counties. Now that I've surrendered Northern County and Yuan 'an County, the moment Pinghu County surrenders, the momentum of the avalanche will be formed. The other two counties will no longer have the will to fight. Even if the people above want to fight, the people below will not."
"Look, the magistrate has surrendered. In the future, all the other counties will surrender. If the county surrenders without a fight, wouldn't that be a merit? If we can set an example and persuade the other counties to surrender, we can even ask the imperial court for a merit."
Seeing that Chen Yong was still trying to gather his men, Pei Zi Yun laughed, "The most important thing is the Crown Prince's decree. The imperial court urgently needs us to pacify Ying Prefecture. We don't have much time to waste. For this, so what if we are criticized?"
"Yes, Dao Master." Chen Yong understood at this point. He then looked at Liu Dian who was shouting at the bottom of the city walls. This man wasn't afraid of death. He got close to the city walls and shouted loudly.
After some time, the city gates opened with a loud bang. The officials inside lined up and knelt on the ground in welcome. Pinghu County had surrendered.
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