621: Chapter 32 Major Discovery?

"It's not a fox; it's a fox demon."

"Ah?!"

Hearing Meng Li's words, Jing Tian, Tang Xuejian, and Xu Maoshan were startled once again.

A fox demon was far more terrifying than a fox.

Xu Maoshan looked around and, seeing no one else, couldn't help but ask, "Grandmaster Meng, where is that fox demon?"

Meng Li said indifferently, "It was that woman selling things just now."

Xu Changqing thought to himself, *As I expected.*

He had felt something was off about Wan Yuzhi earlier, but he hadn't found any flaws yet and wasn't entirely certain. He hadn't expected that Meng Li had seen through her long ago, but...

"Brother Meng, since you saw that woman was a fox demon, why did you let her leave?"

"Exactly, and you even let Long Kui buy her things." Jing Tian added after Xu Changqing voiced his doubt.

Meng Li replied, "She is a fox demon, but she has no grudge against me, so why shouldn't I let her leave? By the same logic, she is a fox demon, but there's nothing wrong with the rouge and powder she sells; in fact, to mask her own scent, the quality is quite good. It was a normal transaction, so why shouldn't I let Long Kui buy them?"

Xu Changqing and Jing Tian were stunned.

Tang Xuejian said, "But she's a fox demon, and demons harm people."

"Did you see her harm anyone with your own eyes?" Meng Li asked.

Tang Xuejian froze, then said awkwardly, "Well, no."

"Then don't jump to conclusions." Meng Li remarked, then glanced at the sky and said, "It's a bit late to go to the Ancient Vine Forest now. Let's find an Inn to stay at first."

With that, he turned and walked into the village.

Hong Kui, Lan Kui, Jing Tian, and the others followed.

However, when they found an Inn, the innkeeper said it was full.

Meng Li understood; this should be the same as the original plot: the Inn wasn't actually full, but a bizarre murder case had left everyone on edge. The innkeeper was afraid of taking responsibility and didn't want to let outsiders stay, so he lied about being full.

He didn't feel like making a fuss, so he called Jing Tian aside and told him and Xu Maoshan to use a bathroom excuse to check the status of the guest rooms.

A short while later, Jing Tian and Xu Maoshan returned and, with a fierce Aura, pulled the innkeeper to the back guest room area, pointing at the empty rooms. "So many rooms are empty, yet you told me it's full. What's the meaning of this?"

Seeing this, the innkeeper sighed and said helplessly, "Guests, it's not that I don't want to host you, but I really have no choice."

"Recently, several murders have occurred here. Just on the night of the fifteenth last month, another man died strangely and suddenly in our shop."

"Even now, the government is still investigating."

Hearing this, Xu Maoshan felt a chill in the air and subconsciously asked, "The man you're talking about, he wouldn't happen to have died in this room, would he?"

The innkeeper shook his head. "No, it was another room."

Xu Changqing realized, "No wonder everyone in this village runs away as soon as they see a stranger."

The innkeeper nodded. "Yes, so please forgive us, guests. These next few nights are full moon nights, and I don't dare take your business."

Xu Changqing smiled. "The innkeeper can rest assured on that point. Brother Meng and I both know how to subdue demons. Please let us stay here."

Seeing this, the innkeeper had no choice but to agree. "Fine then, but you must sign a life-and-death waiver. No matter what happens, this shop will not be held responsible."

He was clearly terrified by what had been happening.

Meng Li replied, "Very well."

Then, the innkeeper brought out brush and ink and wrote the life-and-death waiver.

Meng Li, Jing Tian, and the others scanned it, and after confirming there were no issues, they signed their names.

Only then was the innkeeper completely at ease, and he called a Assistant to arrange rooms for them.

Since there were many empty rooms, they all stayed in the same area.

Hong Kui and Lan Kui shared a room.

Jing Tian and Xu Maoshan shared a room.

Meng Li, Xu Changqing, and Tang Xuejian each had their own room.

In the evening, after they finished eating, each returned to their room to rest.

Meng Li sat cross-legged on the bed meditating on the Dao, and before long, he heard a knock at the door.

He exited his state, got up to open the door, and saw it was Jing Tian, Xu Changqing, and Tang Xuejian.

As soon as they met, Jing Tian said, "Elder Brother Meng, we have a major discovery."

Hong Kui and Lan Kui in the next room heard the commotion and opened their door to look.

Seeing this, Meng Li stepped aside and said, "Come in and talk."

Before long, except for the sleeping Xu Maoshan, everyone else was gathered together.

Jing Tian mysteriously shared the major discovery. It turned out that he, Tang Xuejian, and Xu Changqing had unexpectedly seen Wan Yuzhi in the Inn's front hall earlier and overheard her conversation with a man the innkeeper called "Old Master Liu."

This Old Master Liu and Wan Yuzhi's husband, Gao Yong, were close friends, and the former had received favors from the latter.

Now that Gao Yong was seriously ill and Wan Yuzhi had no money for medicine, she had no choice but to ask Old Master Liu for a loan.

Unexpectedly, Old Master Liu was an ungrateful miser; despite possessing a huge amount of gold and silver, he wouldn't part with a single cent.

In the end, Wan Yuzhi and Old Master Liu parted on bad terms.

"Ungrateful and shameful!" After the story was told, Hong Kui commented with a cold sneer.

Lan Kui said, "From this, although that Wan Yuzhi is a fox demon, her nature shouldn't be bad. Otherwise, she could have just stolen the money; there was no need to be so humble and ask Old Master Liu for a loan."

Jing Tian nodded. "Lan Kui has a point."

Lan Kui immediately gave a sweet smile.

Tang Xuejian said, "That's not necessarily true. I think Old Master Liu's actions might anger Wan Yuzhi, leading her to go after him and cause him harm. After all, even as bystanders, we feel indignant at Old Master Liu's behavior. As the person involved, Wan Yuzhi couldn't possibly not be Life Qi, let alone the fact that she's a fox demon."

Xu Changqing frowned and said, "Miss Xue Jian's words have some merit. In that case, Old Master Liu might be in danger."

Jing Tian curled his lip. "That's his own fault for being ungrateful."

Xu Changqing said, "That may be so, but it is a human life after all. Furthermore, if Wan Yuzhi kills because of this, it will add to her sins."

Seeing this, Meng Li was amused and said, "So, you've come to me to debate this accidental discovery?"

"Not exactly." Jing Tian denied, then added, "Didn't you discover that Wan Yuzhi is a fox demon, Elder Brother Meng? Since this matter involves her, we came to ask for your opinion."

Lan Kui followed up, "That's right, Elder Brother Meng, what do you think about this?"

"I'm watching while sitting." Meng Li joked, then laughed, "This is a grudge between Wan Yuzhi and Old Master Liu. We are outsiders and have no right to interfere. Most importantly, don't you think it's a bit late now?"

"If Wan Yuzhi wanted to harm Old Master Liu because he refused to lend her money, she probably would have already made her move by now."

Hearing this, Xu Changqing's expression changed slightly, and he quickly stood up, saying, "I'll go check."

...