Li Mu walked on the main road and turned back to look at the little fox following behind him. He couldn't help but sigh. "What a sin!"
Even foxes were literate these days?
If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have written Strange Stories from a Strange Story.
Moreover, the fox spirits of Strange Stories from Strange Stories all transformed to repay their kindness. She was still at least a few decades away from transforming. How long would it take for her to transform into her human form?
Li Mu still tried to persuade her. "Go back. I really don't need you to repay me."
The little fox followed behind him and begged. "Benefactor, please don't chase me away. I'll work hard to cultivate and transform as soon as possible."
"It's not a matter of whether you transform or not." Li Mu thought for a moment. "I already have a family."
Li Mu didn't mind telling a few white lies to persuade this stubborn fox.
"I can be a concubine," the little fox said nonchalantly. "Just like in Strange Stories from a Strange Story."
She looked up at Li Mu and said, "Benefactor, you're lying to me. You're not married yet."
Li Mu was stunned for a moment. "You can tell?"
The little fox nodded shyly. "Yes …"
Li Mu changed his perspective and asked, "Don't you have a family? If you leave with me, what will happen to your family?"
The little fox said, "I'll live with Granny. I'll just let her know. Granny also hopes that I can repay her kindness as soon as possible."
The little fox was so stubborn that Li Mu couldn't do anything. He could only say, "Even if you want to repay me, you'll have to wait until you transform. Why don't you come find me after you transform?"
The little fox said firmly, "I can do a lot of things now. I can help you clean your room, wash your clothes, warm your bed …"
Li Mu had Wanwan to clean his room and Liu Hanyan to wash his clothes. He didn't have anyone to warm his bed, but how could he let a fox warm his bed?
Along the way, he tried to persuade her but failed. Instead, he was almost tempted by her.
After entering autumn, the weather was getting colder and colder. This little fox was so furry that it would definitely be warm if it burrowed into the blanket. He wondered if it would shed its fur …
Along the way, Li Mu gained a deeper understanding of the little fox's stubbornness.
Even if Li Mu was the person it wanted to repay, it was impossible for him to persuade it to give up.
Having figured this out, Li Mu stopped persuading it. At most, he would let it warm the bed for a few days, fulfilling its wish, and then send it away.
Thinking of this, Li Mu looked at it and asked, "Are you going home with me?"
The little fox raised her head and asked, "Can … can I tell granny?"
Li Mu nodded and said: "Go, I will wait for you here."
The little fox ran a few steps before turning back. "Benefactor, you have to wait for me …"
Li Mu waved his hand and said: "Go on …"
Watching it disappear into the depths of the forest, Li Mu stood by the side of the road and did not leave.
The Records of the Monsters of the Ten Continents clearly stated how stubborn the Celestial Foxes were. In their understanding, saving their lives was a huge karma that had to be settled. Stopping them from repaying their debt of gratitude was no different from cutting off their path of cultivation.
For these monsters that had gained sentience, cultivation was more important than anything else.
After the little fox left, Li Mu first took off his outer robe, then walked to the water and rubbed off the splashes of blood on his official robe to avoid attracting attention when he returned.
When he was possessed by the Venerable Master Thousand Illusions, Li Mu had thought of harming his enemy at the cost of his own life in order to protect himself.
Under the immense power of heaven and earth, the Venerable Master Thousand Illusions had been directly obliterated and Li Mu had suffered serious injuries that would require at least several months of recuperation. But all in all, the injuries had been worth it.
Not only did he kill a powerful enemy, but he also obtained enough anger to condense his soul, as well as the pure soul energy of a Middle Realm cultivator. Other than that, Li Mu's mind was filled with a lot of complicated memories.
Rather than calling them the memories of the Venerable Master Thousand Illusions, it would be better to call them Old Wang's memories.
The Venerable Master Thousand Illusions did not walk the path of Daoism that refined one's soul and condensed one's soul. Instead, he walked an evil path called the "Thousand Illusions Technique".
This technique did not focus on the physical body, but on the primordial spirit.
The Heretical Cultivation of this technique allowed one to split one's primordial spirit into several soul bodies. As long as one managed to escape, it could be reborn in a new body and continue to appear with a new identity. Once it had gathered enough soul power, it could return to its peak.
The Venerable Master Thousand Illusions had been cautious all his life and always had a backup plan. Before he was jointly annihilated by the Buddhist and Daoist sects, he had separated a soul body and hidden it in Yangqiu County.
Just when the Righteous Faction experts thought that they had eliminated him, he possessed Old Wang's body and was reborn. He refined his soul and hid in the county government as Old Wang.
Fragments of memories began to flash in Li Mu's mind.
In a dark underground cave, Wu Bo's fat body was fleeing in a narrow passage.
In the Chen Village, a fortune-teller knocked on someone's door.
In the Zhang Village, Landlord Zhang invited a Feng Shui master into the Minister's Mansion with a smile.
In the Ren Family, Ren Yuan kowtowed to a black-robed man.
In the Caishikou, Old Wang stood behind the Zhang County Magistrates. He narrowed his eyes and watched as the executioner chopped down on Zhao Yong's head with a knife in his hand.
In the north of the city, in a dilapidated house, the soul of the Zhang-wang Clan had just dissipated and was condensed in another place.
The last memory was in a remote dark alley. A figure in official uniform that Li Mu could not be more familiar with walked in and never came out again.
…
After these fragments of memories flashed back, they gradually dissipated. In a short moment, Li Mu experienced his journey in the past few months from Old Wang's point of view.
The Venerable Master Thousand Illusions had always been cautious. In addition to the Flying Stiff in Zhou County, he had also secretly kept a backup plan.
Even if that plan failed, he would only lose the soul that possessed the Flying Stiff. If he could gather the souls of the Yin and Yang and the Five Elements once, he could gather them again. At that time, who would doubt him?
Imagination was beautiful, but reality was cruel.
Unfortunately, he met Li Mu, a Dongxuan Heretical Cultivation expert. In the end, he still ended up dead.
Li Mu gathered his thoughts and leaned against a tree, waiting for the little fox to return.
The crisis had been resolved. He looked up and saw that the originally gloomy weather had unknowingly turned into a clear sky.
A white figure ran over from afar. When it saw Li Mu still standing there, it said happily, "Benefactor, Grandma agreed. Let's go …"
Although he had agreed to let the little fox follow him temporarily, there were some things that Li Mu had to pay attention to on the way back.
As he walked, he said, "First, without my permission, you can only stay at home obediently. You can't go out as you wish."
This was mainly for the sake of the little fox.
Although there weren't any powerful cultivators in Yangqiu County, it was best for a fox that had just formed a fetus not to wander around the streets. If a cultivator with bad intentions saw it, it was inevitable that they would have evil thoughts.
The little fox nodded seriously and said, "I will stay at home obediently."
Li Mu added, "Second, you can't talk in front of outsiders."
The little fox hurriedly said, "I know. I won't speak carelessly."
Although the little fox was stubborn, it was very obedient. The fox behind him was eye-catching. After entering the county, Li Mu held it in his arms.
The little fox hid in Li Mu's arms and looked around. Its gem-like eyes shone with curiosity.
Li Mu walked to the door. A constable standing there saw him and immediately came up to him. "Li Mu, where did you go? I looked everywhere for you …"
Li Mu asked, "What's the matter?"
The constable looked at Li Mu and said hesitantly, "There's something that I don't know how to tell you. Anyway, hurry to the yamen!"
After sending the little fox home, Li Mu left the house and headed for the yamen.
He had just stepped into the yamen when Zhang Shan came over and said sorrowfully, "Li Mu, you're finally back. Old Wang, Old Wang, he's gone …"
In Old Wang's room, his corpse was placed on a small bed. His hands were folded over his abdomen and his expression was very peaceful.
In truth, this was only one of Venerable Master Thousand Illusions' plans.
The real Old Wang had died a few months ago.
If Venerable Master Thousand Illusions' plan had succeeded, the one standing here now would not be Li Mu, but him.
After Old Wang, Li Mu would be his second target for possession. As Li Mu, he would continue to live in the county yamen and perhaps collect the souls of the five elements.
He would replace Li Mu and work under Li Qing. He would enjoy Li Qing's kindness. He would become neighbors with Liu Hanyan and let Wanwan massage his back and shoulders. Even the little fox that Li Mu saved would come to him after it transformed into human form to repay his kindness …
It was unforgivable!
Li Mu did not tell Zhang Shan and the others about these things. In any case, Venerable Master Thousand Illusions was dead. This result was enough.
Otherwise, Li Mu would find it difficult to explain how he killed Venerable Master Thousand Illusions. This involved too many of his secrets. It was better to let them believe that Old Wang had died of old age and that Venerable Master Thousand Illusions had died under the encirclement of the experts of Fu-lu School.
His trust in Old Wang was second only to Li Qing and Liu Hanyan. He did not expect that the person he trusted so much was the mastermind who had been spying on him from behind the scenes.
It had to be said that Old Wang, or Venerable Master Thousand Illusions, had used practical actions to teach Li Mu a good lesson.
Not only did he teach Li Mu a lot of cultivation knowledge, but he also taught him that on the path of cultivation, he should not easily trust anyone. He had shown Li Mu the cruelty of the cultivation world.
In the future, he would have to be more careful in his cultivation.
In the end, Zhang Shan did not covet Old Wang's inheritance. Instead, he took out all his private savings and put them together with Old Wang's savings. He planned to prepare a good coffin for him.
Li Mu could not afford a gold-rimmed nanmu coffin. A gold-rimmed nanmu coffin could buy a five-section house in Yangqiu County.
He gave Zhang Shan some silver, enough to buy a good nanmu coffin for Old Wang.
Li Mu returned to the duty room. When he saw Li Qing, he was about to speak when Li Qing said indifferently, "Close the door. I have something to say to you."
Li Mu turned to close the door and asked, "Boss, what's the matter?"
Clang!
A white light flashed in front of Li Mu's eyes. He felt a cold sensation on his neck. He lowered his head and looked at the Qinghong Sword on his neck. He then looked at Li Qing with a puzzled expression.
Li Qing looked straight at him and said coldly, "Who are you?"
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