Chapter 171 The Fox Calamity of Beiman

Chen Mu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down; he needed more information to understand what had happened here.

He circulated his Hunyuan Calamity Astral Qi to its fullest extent, sharpening his five senses to their peak. He rapidly scanned for any trace of abnormal fluctuations in the air and finally detected a faint trace of Demonic Qi in the direction of the village's east end.

With a flicker of his body, Chen Mu immediately executed the Divine Void Step, darting toward the pile of rubble at the east end of the village.

In the thicket of weeds beside the rubble, a weasel was burying its head, gnawing on something. Hearing the commotion, it jerked its head up, panic flashing in its tiny, mung bean-sized eyes.

Upon seeing Chen Mu approaching, it was so frightened that its fur stood on end, and it kicked off with its hind legs, intending to flee.

Chen Mu flickered again, activating the Divine Void Step, and instantly blocked the weasel's path. Seeing the situation was dire, the weasel tried to turn and run, but Chen Mu stepped forward and pinned its tail.

"Spare... spare me! My Lord, spare me! I was just passing by; I don't know anything!"

The weasel spoke in human language, its voice sharp, thin, and trembling, as it bowed repeatedly in terror.

Chen Mu stared at it coldly.

"What happened here?"

The weasel's eyes darted around, and its voice stammered.

"I... this small demon does not know..."

"You don't know?" Chen Mu let out a cold snort, applying slight pressure with his foot.

The weasel immediately grimaced in pain and hurriedly changed its tune.

"Ouch! I... I know! It was the Fox Lords from Beimang."

It swallowed hard, not daring to continue.

"Foxes?"

Chen Mu was taken aback, as if recalling something, and gestured for the weasel to continue.

"Yesterday evening, I was foraging in the nearby woods when I saw three red shadows coming from the north, heading straight into Sangye Village. The aura... it was terrifying. Even from far away, I was trembling all over."

"They stayed in the village for less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before leaving. When they left, there was... there was no breath of any living person left in the village."

"Three red shadows? What exactly did they look like?"

"They were three foxes, their fur bright red, with multiple tails, and their eyes glowed. When they walked, the surrounding air was distorted, as if looking at things through fire."

The weasel tried hard to recall, its voice trembling.

"As soon as they arrived, they said this village... this village had offended Beimang... and was to be wiped out. Then they slaughtered... they killed everyone! Not a single one was left!"

Chen Mu fell silent for a moment.

"What about Blind Li? The old man who couldn't see, the village chief of this village."

The weasel blinked blankly and shook its head.

"I... I don't know. I... I didn't see him. When they were killing people, they didn't seem to be looking for anyone in particular; they just... killed whoever they saw."

Chen Mu stared at it.

"Which direction did those foxes go?"

The weasel raised a paw and pointed tremblingly toward the northwest.

"They went that way... into the old forest. As for where exactly, I really don't know..."

Chen Mu nodded, looked at it, and suddenly asked.

"Have you eaten any humans?"

The weasel stiffened, its small eyes darting around twice before it hurriedly shook its head.

"No, absolutely not! I only eat wild fruits and occasionally catch some poultry. I... I have never dared to harm humans!"

It said this firmly. Chen Mu looked at it and suddenly smiled.

"Good, then you may go."

The weasel felt as if it had been granted amnesty and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Thank you, My Lord! Thank you, My Lord! Thank you for your mercy in not killing me!"

After saying this, it scrambled up using its hands and feet, turned around, and dove into the forest.

"Wait!"

The weasel's body stiffened. It slowly turned back, squeezing out a smile that was uglier than crying.

"My... My Lord, do you have any further instructions?"

Chen Mu said indifferently.

"If I see you again next time, I will definitely kill you without mercy."

The weasel nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes! I will get far away right now and... and never come back."

With that, it scrambled into the forest and disappeared into the dense shrubbery in the blink of an eye.

Chen Mu stood where he was, watching the direction in which it had disappeared, his eyes deep and dark.

Half a cup of tea later, deep in the dense forest.

The weasel was lying by a stream, drinking water in large gulps, its small eyes full of the triumph of having survived a disaster.

"Damn it... that scared the hell out of me... What kind of background does that guy have? His Killing Intent is so heavy... Good thing I'm clever!"

"But that baleful star is finally gone. Heh heh, those two-legged sheep in Sangye Village, although their meat is a bit tough, it's still meat after all..."

It drank for a long time. Just as it breathed a sigh of relief and was about to stand up, a calm voice suddenly came from above.

"We meet again."

The weasel's fur stood on end instantly, and it jerked its head around. Chen Mu was already standing behind it; who knew how long he had been there?

The weasel's entire face twisted, and it stammered as it spoke.

"My... My Lord, how did you..."

Looking into Chen Mu's cold eyes, it suddenly understood that this person had never intended to let it go from the very beginning.

"You lied to me!" It suddenly shrieked.

"I did not lie to you. I said that if we met again, I would not show mercy."

As Chen Mu spoke, he drew his soul-slaying blade.

The blade flashed, a black light appeared, and the weasel's head rolled to the ground, its eyes still filled with terror and confusion.

[Killed the weasel demon, plundered Martial Dao Lifespan: 23 years.]

The System's cold notification sound rang out.

Chen Mu sheathed his blade, without even looking at the demon corpse, and turned to leave Sangye Village.

Just as he had taken a few steps, a low whimper suddenly came from behind, mixed with a youthful but fierce bark.

Chen Mu paused and looked back.

He saw a small, pitch-black puppy, no bigger than a palm, crawling out from the dry grass nearby, baring its teeth at him.

It seemed to really want to pounce on him and bite him, but because of its tiny size, it looked somewhat comical.

Chen Mu's gaze fell on the puppy's eyes.

A faint trace of golden light shimmered within those eyes.

It was it, the missing puppy from Li Daniu's house.

Chen Mu remembered that day when he went to Li Daniu's house to pick up the dog, only to learn that both the mother dog and the puppy had disappeared. At the time, he just thought it was wild and untamable, having returned to the mountains and forests. He hadn't expected that this little thing had actually managed to find its way back to Sangye Village, and to Blind Li, guided by some mysterious sense.

But unfortunately...

Seeing Chen Mu standing still, the puppy let out a low growl and lunged, biting onto Chen Mu's pant leg.

It bit down with great force, its sharp, milk teeth sinking into the fabric, its entire body dangling in mid-air as it kicked its four legs frantically.

Chen Mu did not shake it off. Looking at the familiar golden light in the puppy's eyes and recalling the appearance of the old dog from Sangye Village before it died, his heart stirred slightly.

He could feel the faint Demonic Qi circulating within the puppy's body and knew that it was no ordinary domestic dog, but a descendant of the Yao Race that had inherited the old black dog's spirituality and a portion of its power.

"Let go."

Chen Mu said in a low voice.

The puppy ignored him, biting even tighter, whimpering in its throat.

Chen Mu sighed.

"You are of the Yao Race and should not remain in the human world. I will let you go; return to the mountains and forests and cultivate properly."

He reached out to pry the puppy's mouth open, but the little guy was stubbornly persistent, refusing to let go no matter what. Its eyes were wide, and its pupils were full of stubbornness.

After a moment of stalemate, Chen Mu suddenly realized something.

"You want to take me to find Blind Li?"

The whimpering in the puppy's throat paused, then continued.

Chen Mu was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Lead the way."