19 Chapter 18: This Matter Has Nothing to Do with Wind and Moon

Morning fog not yet dispersed, small courtyard in a mountain town.

In the midst of the loud reading voice, a man and a fox, their eyes met through the crack in the door.

Zhou Dao appeared as usual, watching calmly.

As for that red-skinned fox, its whole body was shivering, with fear overflowing in its eyes.

The most dangerous place is the safest place; she had thought hiding in Peace Town and concealing her presence would keep her from being discovered.

But, in the end, this bane star still found her.

Just as Zhou Dao was about to push the door open, the red-skinned fox suddenly curled up, its front paws clasped together, its head bowed as if kneeling and begging.

"Huh?" Zhou Dao raised an eyebrow.

Is it trying to save its life now?

That night, this demon fox hadn't shown any mercy when it went on a killing spree in the Demon Control Department.

Having cultivated to this realm, it must have at least tens of human lives taken under its paws.

Although Zhou Dao was not one for justice, he wasn't a soft-hearted person either.

Moreover, an Evil Level High Grade Monster was extremely valuable; sacrificing it to the Ancestral Master would undoubtedly be rewarding, and something he couldn't miss.

Whoo...

Suddenly, the red-skinned fox's tail swept, and the reading voice stopped abruptly.

The thin scholar swayed and fell down.

"Do you want me to make the move?" Zhou Dao stepped into the courtyard and spoke indifferently.

"I know I will die. I only beg for your mercy, to let me fulfill my last wish." The fox pleaded, its eyes of despair couldn't help but look at the scholar beside it, a tender emotion appearing.

Zhou Dao frowned, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, walking to the stone table in the courtyard, he looked at the unconscious scholar and sat down.

"Humans and demons do not mix, dragons and snakes do not live together. Since ancient times, it has been like this. Don't harbor any delusions."

As he spoke, a rumbling sound emerged from Zhou Dao's body, terrifying blood energy pulsating endlessly as if a raging spring thunderstorm.

The red-skinned fox trembled violently, revealing a fearful expression.

Even in her prime, she wasn't a match for Zhou Dao, let alone now?

"Sir..." The fox knelt down and begged for mercy, tears streaming from its eyes.

Zhou Dao's hand paused slightly, then fell.

The terrifying blood energy like a raging river pressed down on the red-skinned fox, who closed her eyes tightly, blood leaking from them, slowly falling to the ground, completely lifeless.

"Delusions!"

Zhou Dao shook his head, putting the corpse of the red-skinned fox into his Green Coiling Treasure Bag with a sword qi, and then glanced at the scholar before leaving the courtyard.

...

That night, still in the small courtyard.

The scholar sat in the courtyard reading when he suddenly felt irritable, his voice stopped abruptly, putting the book down.

Knock knock knock...

At that moment, a series of soft knocks sounded under the moonlit night.

The scholar was startled, got up to open the door, and a gentle fragrance wafted in, accompanied by the night breeze.

Outside the courtyard door, a red-clothed woman held a red candle and stood gracefully. She looked at the scholar, smiling faintly, exuding an indescribable charm.

"I heard the young master's reading and came. I apologize for the intrusion." The red-clothed woman's eyes were enchanting, her voice soft and gentle.

The scholar was stunned, the two of them separated by the door, their eyes meeting, an exchange of tender affection and sweetness.

A beauty with red sleeves adds fragrance, one glance creates mutual understanding!

From a distance in the attic, Zhou Dao sat leaning on the roof, silently watching everything happening in the courtyard, and then shook his head.

"Delusions!"

There's a record in the "Demon-resisting Agency Work Manual."

When a fox transforms into a demon, it suffers the pain of a severed tail. After death, it lights the soul candle, which allows it to exist in the world in the form of blood energy, appearing in the human world. But to perform this technique, it must endure the pain of a broken heart and bones, tormented day and night. When ten days pass, the soul is scattered.

There was once a demon fox, who performed this forbidden technique, marrying a human.

"The fox demon marries a man, lighting the soul candle!" Zhou Dao murmured softly.

That fox demon was already dead, but because of its delusions, its soul remains immortal.

Her foolish yearning was for the scholar, saved in the mountain, the tender affection that took hold of her heart like a demon.

Zhou Dao gave her an infusion of blood energy, allowing her to perform the forbidden technique.

Although enduring the pain of heart gouging and bone-splitting, the risk of her soul scattering, she had no regrets.

Zhou Dao couldn't understand why a fox demon would suffer even after death, all for those ten fleeting days?

When the red candle burned out, her soul would scatter.

Even if she were together with the scholar, what could she leave behind?

When she was gone, the scholar would sooner or later forget this emotional connection.

Time changes, there is nothing eternal in this world.

"In the human world, there is indeed foolish affection, but this hatred has nothing to do with wind or moon!" Zhou Dao muttered softly.

Love and hate, perhaps it is the innate instinct of all creatures, some people live for obsessions, even madness after death.

Zhou Dao didn't know why he wanted to help the fox.

His cheap master once said that humans should not mingle with demons, and dragons should not live with snakes.

In theory, he should not have interfered.

Maybe, it was just because this scene in front of him overlapped with some memories and emotions from his past life.

"A ghost of a beautiful woman!?"

Zhou Dao shook his head.

The way is seemingly unfeeling but has feelings, perhaps this is the true essence of cultivation.

"Silly fox!" Zhou Dao waved his hand, stood up and left.

Under the full moon, above the dome, there was no trace of him.

In the distance, the laughter gradually rose in the courtyard, talented and beautiful people looked at each other, everything was left unspoken.

...

Returning home, Zhou Dao took the fox demon's corpse from the Green Coiling Treasure Bag.

Helping the demon fox was merely acting on his whim; he still had to offer the sacrifice.

High-Level Evil Class demons were rare even in Peace Town, so Zhou Dao naturally wouldn't waste it.

"Sacrifice!"

Zhou Dao flicked his finger, a drop of fresh blood seeped out and fell onto the fox demon's corpse.

Although this demon fox had lost a tail, it was still considered a complete corpse as it had been cultivated after birth.

Hum…

The fox's body burned fiercely, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a wisp of green smoke that shot upward.

Looking up, one could vaguely see an altar with a tablet, inscribed with secret charms, written in a dragon and snake style, ancient and mysterious.

[Offer the Red-Tailed Demon Fox, receive the reward "Sage's Great Handprint" Second Level]

A mechanical voice rang in Zhou Dao's ear, followed by a stream of thoughts descending from the sky and merging into his mind.

"Sage's Great Handprint Second Level?" Zhou Dao was astonished.

He had been practicing this [Inner Divine Weapon Skill] for more than half a year; it turned out that it was incomplete, merely the first level.

"Just the first level, and it's ranked eighth?" Zhou Dao was instantly overjoyed.

[Inner Divine Weapon Skills] were classified into nine grades according to their power, with the ninth grade being the weakest and the first grade the strongest.

Generally, upon entering the Refining Realm Sixth Transformation, one could practice ninth-grade [Inner Divine Weapon Skills].

The Cyclone Moon Saber practiced by Chen Qinggang was ranked ninth.

The three [Inner Divine Weapon Skills] Zhou Dao obtained through sacrifice were "Ice-Fire Toxic Dragon Spear" eighth-grade, "Blissful Great Treasure Sword" and "Sage's Great Handprint," both ranked eighth-grade as well.

Although Zhou Dao practiced these three Inner Divine Weapon Skills, he spent the most time on the "Sage's Great Handprint," as he had been alone for many years and his hand speed was extremely fast due to his rich experience.

Now, obtaining the second level of cultivation method and Sage's Great Handprint, he would upgrade it to the next level.

"Seven!"

Zhou Dao was delighted and as expected.

After unlocking the second level, "Sage's Great Handprint" leaped into the seventh rank.