Chapter 121: Chapter 120: Fox Spirit!
"You brought him here?" Xie Jiuxiao raised an eyebrow, no wonder he hadn’t seen this guy at the royal residence.
"Yeah, anyway, he has nowhere to go, might as well be idle, so I brought him here as a temple keeper to work for me. He gets food and drinks, isn’t it better than struggling around like before?"
Yu Nianzhao was quite satisfied with her decision; Jing Rui’s body was filled with yang energy, making him perfect for guarding the temple. Even a slight hint of evil spirits wouldn’t dare approach him.
"He doesn’t seem very willing though."
"It’s fine, his unwillingness is his business, hiring him is mine." Yu Nianzhao flashed a mischievous smile, "Anyway, he can’t escape, I’ve placed a talisman on him. Without my permission, he can’t leave the temple area within a ten-mile radius."
In an unseen place, a red thread was tied to Jing Rui, the other end located within the temple.
Xie Jiuxiao, "...It’s just a temple keeper, even if he runs, I can find you another."
"That’s different."
"How is it different?"
"Jing Rui is quite special." His exorcism destiny is indeed unique, isn’t it?
"Special?" Xie Jiuxiao squinted, his gaze dangerously fixed on the lazy and muddled Jing Rui.
Jing Rui shuddered; he inexplicably felt a chill on his back.
With the endorsement from Princess An Nan, the traffic at Yu Nianzhao’s Yanwang Temple was decent. The noblewomen in Shangjing seeking to connect with Princess An Nan often donated incense money, showing their goodwill.
A small temple was packed with people, the incense thriving so much that nearby temples were envious.
Unfortunately, they didn’t have someone like Yu Nianzhao as support, so they could only look on with envy and jealousy.
At nightfall, the area around Yanwang Temple felt somewhat desolate.
A hunter stumbled on his way down the mountain, and upon looking up, he realized mist had begun to form around him.
He scrambled to get up, walking blindly forward, headlong into the mist.
Ho ho ho ho—
A chilling and strange laugh sounded beside him, and the hunter could vaguely see a shadow darting through the mist.
"Who’s there? Stop pretending to be mysterious!"
The hunter was terrified, yet he tried to calm himself, gripping his bow tightly as he ran in the opposite direction of the shadow.
"Come on, don’t leave~"
A seductive voice entered his ears, causing his heart to race. He subconsciously halted, looking in the mist at the short shadow that clearly seemed not human, but rather, an animal?
Yes, it looked like a fox.
Having hunted on this mountain for long, the hunter knew the animals here well.
Seeing the shadow’s outline, he could guess it was a fox.
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead; he was extremely frightened.
"Oh dear heaven, I had heard from the townsfolk that fox spirits appear in the mountains. I always thought it was a lie, yet now I’ve really encountered one? They say fox spirits eat people. My flesh is lean, not tasty, fox spirit, please let me go."
The hunter’s face turned pale as he ran faster, trembling as he clutched his bow.
"Hee hee hee~ Since you’re here, why not come with me as a guest?"
The mist grew thicker, the fox’s shadow darting closer and closer to the prey.
Crunch!
Something unknown beneath him made the hunter trip again, falling flat on his face.
The fox’s shadow closed in, the hunter’s body growing colder inch by inch as he desperately crawled forward, struggling to escape the mist.
"No, I have elders and children to care for, I can’t die here, help, someone save me!"
"Hee hee hee~ It’s just me and you here, even if you scream your lungs out, no one will save you."
Stepping carefully, the fox was about to emerge from the mist.
Bang—
Suddenly, a sound of a blow made the fox hang its head in pain.
The mist opened a breach.
Looking up, the hunter saw a temple ahead.
His adrenaline surged, and he frantically got up, stumbling towards the temple, just before the fox could pull him back, he collided with the door.
Bang!
A loud crash accompanied the fox catching the hunter’s ankle.
Sharp claws pierced the hunter’s foot, attempting to drag him into the mist.
"Ahhh!"
With a piercing scream, the door to Yanwang Temple opened.
"What’s all the noise, it’s late at night, can’t a person sleep?"
Jing Rui rubbed his eyes, displeased as he leaned against the door. When he cleared his head and met the shining green eyes in the mist, he was startled.
"Damn! What the heck is this!"
Jing Rui was shocked, his sleepiness vanished, and instinctively he tried to run back inside.
"Save me..." The hunter pleaded, extending a hand towards him. Jing Rui hesitated.
"Hee hee hee~ Another prey has arrived." The ghostly voice rang out, the fox eyeing Jing Rui while still clutching the hunter.
Raising a claw, it tried to drag Jing Rui away too.
"Oh my! King Yan, save me!" Jing Rui had never seen such a scene, he bolted.
The moment he sidestepped, Yu Nianzhao’s statue was revealed.
A golden beam of light from the statue not only dispersed the mist but exposed the fox’s true form.
"Ow ow—" The fox shrieked in agony.
After being scorched by the golden light, Jing Rui saw a yellow-furred fox glance fearfully at Yu Nianzhao’s statue, clutching its burnt tail, rolling away hastily without concern for the hunter left behind.
As the mist dissipated, peace returned. If not for the hunter’s ankle still marked by the fox’s scars, they might have thought it was all a dream.
The next day, Yanwang Temple became popular.
The hunter had vanished all night; worried, his wife, children, and elderly mother brought their neighbors together to look for him.
Only then did they learn of the night’s incredible events.
"What fox spirit, surely encountered a newly formed fox demon. Luckily Yanwang Temple protected you; otherwise, you’d either be dead or skinned by that fox." The town’s eldest and most esteemed elder spoke with authority, instilling deep respect for Yanwang Temple.
"This hunter’s story still circulates in Shangjing, our Princess’s Yanwang Temple is bustling with people burning incense, becoming unexpectedly famous."
Dongfang Chenyuan recounted the story he’d heard outside, his face brimming with pride.
"Is there really a fox demon? That’s really eerie." Zhixi felt chills running down her spine after listening.
"There are evil forces in the world, naturally there are also spirits, as long as you don’t wander outside at night, it shouldn’t be a big problem." Yu Nianzhao reassured her.