'That does it! Master, let me eat them!' Hearing the senior's response, Chou's fear of the fox was abruptly replaced by a surge of fury towards the older sect disciples.
Realizing she cannot part peacefully with her seniors, Li Meirong decided it was time to reveal her hidden spirit plant. They may have thought they had the upper hand with her, but little did they know she too had a few tricks up her sleeve. She unthreaded her pouch and lifted Chou out of it, holding him on top of her palms like a trophy.
The fox cub sat silently at her side, shifting his stare from his "rescuer", to the tiny plant, and back to the vermin speaking to her. His gaze was deep and unfathomable.
"I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me with no choice! My spirit beast will not hesitate to eat you if I give him the order. You better leave me alone, or face the consequences!" Said Li Meirong, trying to sound intimidating.
Chou leapt to the ground, his size increasing with every passing moment, until his height grew nearly as tall as the ancient trees flanking the path.
The senior's eyes widened in astonishment. They knew she carried a spirit plant with her, but this one… It was huge! Despite their shock, they both pretended to be unmoved by the plant's impressive demonstration of power.
Wei regarded the girl with a condescending smile stretched across his face, his arms were folded arrogantly over his chest. Senior Ying Yue matched his pose, so that she looked almost like a mirror reflection of his. Backs straight, an amused look on both of their faces, their immortal appearance and supposedly honorable reputation for belonging to a righteous sect clearly did not match their current countenance.
Ying Yue burst into a fit of laughter, and pointed a mocking finger at Li Meirong.
"Li Meirong, you sound so confident! Hahaha, you're so gullible. You must have gotten accepted into the sect as a fluke. How can you be so foolish as to follow us blindly? Let me give you some advice for your next life. Don't trust people so blindly! You think we came unprepared?"
As senior Ying Yue finished her little speech, senior Wei took out a small wooden whistle that was hidden under his collar, and brought it to his lips. A warbling sound emitted from the whistle, and as if in response, a loud, monstrous, screech reverberated through the surrounding woods.
The fox cub's eyes widened in surprise. This trap was prepared well in advance and they seemed to be well informed about his bride.
And so it was that under these circumstances, he finally learned her name… It was a shame he had to hear it uttered by that vermin.
Li Meirong noticed the fox cub moved to stand in front of her, taking a protective stance, his fur standing on end, and his mouth slightly opened, exposing little pearly white fangs. He emitted a low growl from deep in his throat.
His whole posture looked a lot more adorable than what the fox had probably intended.
She quickly picked him up from the ground and held him tight. She didn't want the little one to get hurt again because of her mistakes. If anything happens, she would throw him into the bushes nearby and hope for his survival.
Bai Qingyue felt quite miserable, shedding invisible tears for his damaged pride… He didn't even have a chance to show her his impressive figure, and she was already cradling him in her arms like a baby! But as for the predicament, he was not concerned. Li Meirong had a god's cultivation. These pests would not pose much of a challenge even if they summoned forth the most colossal creature in this earthly realm.
The girl holding the fox cub addressed her seniors. "I have never even spoken to you before you approached me. What have I done for you to decide to plot against me??" She sounded genuinely confused.
Li Meirong wasn't so blind as to think she had no enemies in the sect, but she assumed they would have been people she had at least interacted with before. Unless they were operating on someone else's orders… Could it have been captain Liang?
Chou held his vines high up in the air, preparing to strike. Wei and Ying Yue still seemed unfazed.
It was senior Wei who spoke next, "I will let you know, so your ghost won't remain to haunt us. You made an enemy of a very powerful cultivator. He offered us a blood serum for our unborn child in exchange for your life. He even warned us about your spirit plant. You'd best surrender now. If you do, we will make your end painless." He sounded almost concerned for her well being, if only his words matched his tone.
A rumbling sound could be heard from the south, gradually increasing intensity. The sound became clearer, it was that of the ground shaking and cracking under the weight of a massive force.
From that same direction, trees were being torn down like mere twigs, as whatever was summoned by the whistle made its way through the forest.
Sensing the impending danger, Li Meirong stopped hesitating, and issued her command in an urgent tone, "Chou, leap now!"
Immediately Chou lifted his body high in the air and swung himself mouth first towards the enemy. He was by now a high ranked spirit beast, a low level cultivator would be no match for him. Ying Yue screamed in fright. she hadn't expected such a huge plant to move with so much agility. One moment he was 30 feet away, and the next, his large gaping mouth was zeroing in on her head!
Wei pushed his wife out of the way as he drew a small silver knife. It enlarged instantly to the size of a full blown sword.
Chou narrowly avoided the slash of the sword. He leaped again at Ying Yue, while his long, tough vines coiled around the sword handle. No matter how Wei tried to slash at him with his sword, he was unable to cut Chou's vines.
Ying Yue, realizing that the tables had turned, knew she had to fish for extra time. Just as Chou was about to gobble her up she screamed, "Stop! Please stop!! We regret! Let's stop this fight. I'll tell you the truth." She knelt on the ground crying, playing for sympathy.
That guy had told her the girl had a third rank spirit plant! A third ranked spirit she could easily handle on her own.
This was clearly a higher ranked spirit!
"Chou, don't eat her just yet, but be ready in case she moves." Li Meirong's voice sounded cold and detached. She'd gotten used to the common violence in this world, there was no longer any surprise in face of such circumstances. She didn't take any chances, knowing that she would have been dead now, if the circumstances were different.
Bai Qingyue had his paws resting comfortably on his new favorite spot in the world, as Li Meirong held him tight against her chest. The softness and comfort he felt, and the way his bride handled the pests made him both pleased and proud. She hadn't even used his cultivation, and she was already making them beg on the ground at her feet. And well she should, being his woman!
He even considered letting the plant live, seeing as it behaved so obediently. Little did he know, Li Meirong had no idea how to tap into the powers he bestowed upon her, and acted with the only means she knew to use.
Senior Wei was entirely wrapped in vines, his sword already separated from his hand and dropped to the ground. An expression of utter defeat was plain to see on his face. Ying Yue cried miserably, her aloof and unapproachable demeanor shattered entirely. Her neat bun turned messy as her hair spread tangled all over her face, and her dress got dirtied from the soil.
She spoke in between sobs, "M-my husband and I are blood related siblings. Our surname is Wu. W-we were shunned by our clan for our forbidden love, and with our strong martial arts background, we managed to get into the righteous sect. We kept our identity hidden and married but.."
She stifled her sobs and continued, "When I bore the fruit of our love, the baby came out deformed! It was not a one time occurrence. We couldn't very well request assistance in the righteous Forgotten Waters sect, and so we paid a visit a year ago to the evil Yuan Gui sect. It was a terrifying journey, but it was our only hope! One of their highest superiors approached us as soon as he saw us arrive. He knew a lot about you! When he heard the sect we came from, and especially our division, he quickly offered to make a deal. He told us about your spirit plant and special aura that deflects beasts and demons. He seemed to have been obsessed with you, and asked us to lure you to the top of the fire mountain looming over the Thousand Beasts forest, in exchange for a blood serum that would let us conceive a healthy baby. His name was Sheng Jing Wu, the Jiangshi master."
After Ying Yue finished her confession, the temperature suddenly dropped down by several degrees. It became suffocating to breathe. A certain fox cub's aura unleashed its might in a sudden rage. Despite becoming a mere fox, Bai Qingyue's oppressive vibe of an immortal high god remained.
This Sheng Jing Wu dares entertain thoughts about his bride?!
How many lurked around her in his absence?
Li Meirong was lost in thought, taking in all this new information and failing to notice the fox cub's dark and snarling expression. Wu Ying Yue, Wu Wei, and even Chou, all subconsciously began to cower closer to the ground, in reaction to his increasingly bloodthirsty aura.
It was that man from the wild lands, which Chou spat out while she had fainted.
She'd completely forgotten about him, and figured their paths would never cross again. Meanwhile, he'd been seeking his revenge. Who knows for how long?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a menacing presence that had just arrived onto the path.
Its beady reptilian eyes were already locked on its target.