Chapter 17: How can you know what a fox is worried about if you are not a fox? The Forget-Your-Troubles Tavern in Liangcheng has actually closed down. Many wine lovers sighed and groaned, and acquaintances asked each other about the reason, but no one knew why. A curious person went to Jingwei Study to inquire, but was told by the servant that Mr. Zhuang was not feeling well and could not see guests. So everyone started to speculate, could it be that Mr. Zhuang's time is coming up, and Mrs. Zhuang is so exhausted from serving him medicine that she is unable to run the tavern? This made some alcoholics very anxious. The Qionghua Dew that was previously sold in various restaurants became a hot commodity, and the price of the wine was raised to ten gold coins per two ounces. Originally a common dish that anyone could enjoy, it suddenly became a status symbol for the local wealthy. Those whose souls were taken away by magic were also sent back home, but they were just like they had gone out yesterday and returned today, and their families were also like that, as if the soul-taking incident had never happened. This was a good thing for the government, and in order to avoid unrest among the people, they just went with the flow. Prefect He also woke up shortly afterwards. The old magistrate was so happy that he burst into tears and quickly ordered people to prepare a banquet to thank Lingxiang and his party. When the prefect at the banquet saw Lingxiang, he was startled at first, then he bowed deeply and performed a great salute. Everyone was stunned for a moment, thinking that this salute was a bit too much. Magistrate He hurriedly explained that saving a life was like giving birth to a new life, which made sense. Several people stayed in Liangcheng for a few days, and when their injuries were about 70% healed, they prepared to leave.
Lu Ying was going to the border town of Youlu to visit his family. It was north of Liangcheng, and Guyangcheng was located southeast of Liangcheng, so he went there one day ahead. After bidding farewell to Prefect He and Vice Prefect Zhao who insisted on escorting them out of the city, Ling Xiang and Long Qi set off with many local specialties. "Aiya," Lingxiang suddenly said as they walked, "I am a beauty, unlike some people who are like tigresses~~" Her words were spoken like the sound of a mountain peak, and her tone was more tortuous and graceful than that of an actor's singing. Long Qi was stunned at first, then he looked around and said, "Hey, isn't this because he was hit by the soul-stealing technique and his mind is unstable?" "Ah~ Really? Why do I feel like I don't have what I should have?" Lingxiang said, brushing off her sleeves, "You're clearly a man~" Long Qi secretly sighed in his heart: This female tiger is really something. It has been such a long time since it happened, but she still remembers it so clearly. It is true that only women and villains are difficult to raise. She is a woman, and a very petty person... "Hey, I was just saying that. As a master, why are you so fussy about it? Do you want to argue with your apprentice?" Ling Xiang stopped walking after hearing this, turned around and smiled at Long Qi, saying: "I don't have many strengths, but I am an expert at taking revenge." As he said that, he took out a tree branch that he got from somewhere and hit Long Qi with it. Long Qi hurriedly used the package of local specialties to block him, and shouted as he retreated, "I was wrong, you are not a man at all. How can a man be so brutal and unruly as you? You...you are just a she-tiger!" After saying that, he quickly picked up the bag and ran away. When Lingxiang heard this, she was so angry that she was like a Buddha being born and two Buddhas ascended to heaven. "What did you say! I am a female tiger?! Humph! You are so good, Long Qi. Today your master will teach you a lesson and let you know what it means to respect teachers and what it means to value morality!" Then she chased after him. The two of them were bickering and playing, and not far away, Zhuang Wei stood tall, smiling, watching them walk away. In his arms was a long-tailed red fox. The fox's eyes were half closed, as if it was sleeping. A closer look revealed that there was a messy fur on the red fox's hind leg, probably because it had been injured... …… On the night of the full moon, when Zhao Tongzhi got up at night, he saw a figure flash by outside the window. When he went out to take a look, it was Long Qi, but he looked strange, as if he was sleepwalking. The old magistrate suddenly thought of the soul-stealing case, and hurriedly asked the servants to inform Lingxiang, while he went to find Lu Ying. When he arrived at Lu Ying's place, he found Ling Xiang there too, seemingly discussing something important. Seeing that both of them were dressed neatly and were about to go out, he hurriedly told them about Long Qi. Upon hearing this, Lingxiang Lu Ying hurried to the yamen gate and instructed not to let anyone follow her to avoid unnecessary casualties. The two of them walked out of the yamen and happened to see Long Qi turning the corner of the alley, so they followed him quietly. On the way, Lingxiang told Lu Ying her guess and asked him to find Mr. Zhuang and inform him, otherwise they would not be his opponent with their strength. Lu Ying also felt that this made sense, but Mr. Zhuang and Mrs. Zhuang were in love, so he was afraid that they might not believe him. It was late at night, and everyone had already gone to bed. When he found Mr. Zhuang's bedroom, Mrs. Zhuang was not there, and only Mr. Zhuang was lying in bed. He could not wake him up no matter what he did.
Lu Ying suddenly thought of the calming talisman that Lingxiang had given him on the way, so he quickly took it out and attached it to him. As expected, he was hypnotized. Mr. Zhuang didn't believe what he said at first, but when he was asked where his wife was, he remained silent. The two of them then went their separate ways to look for him, but when they met again, Mr. Zhuang had already died... "My husband, if I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have known that there is love in this world that is more intoxicating than wine. But after I found out, I was deeply involved in it and couldn't extricate myself..." Yao Yi stroked Zhuang Wei's face and murmured, "If you weren't in this world, what's the point of leaving me alone..." She bent down and kissed his forehead, a tear fell and flowed down his cheek. After a long time, they reluctantly separated and looked at him for a long time. Suddenly, Yao Yi's eyes flashed with a faint light, and then two beads came out of her mouth, one crystal white and the other fiery red. They were actually demon pills. Seeing this, Lingxiang said hurriedly: "If you use this to extend his life, you will die. Is it worth it to cultivate for a hundred years?" Yao Yi looked at Lingxiang and smiled sweetly. "You are not a fox, so how do you know what the fox is worried about? You are not me, so how do you know what I am thinking about?" As he said this, he crushed two magic pills with one hand. Wisps of spiritual power entangled and floated from Liu Yaoyi's hands, like a sea of fire and silver flowers, yet so gentle, enveloping Wei Zhuang for a long time, and then suddenly dissipated, filling the entire Liangcheng. "Oh..." Lingxiang sighed and took out two pills from her Qiankun bag. A strange fragrance wafted into Long Qi's nose, and he hurriedly looked at the person in his arms. It was another life-extending pill! "What are you doing?" Lu Ying was also shocked when he saw it. "After all, she really didn't kill anyone, so she can be considered kind. With her power, if she really wants to extend Mr. Zhuang's life, she can use extraordinary methods to exchange her life for another's." After saying this, he stood up and walked towards the yard. Zhuang Wei was lying there quietly, as if he was sleeping, with traces of tears still in the corners of his eyes, but no scars on his body. When Long Qi looked over, he saw a long-tailed red fox curled up beside Zhuang Wei. Lingxiang stuffed the pill into the red fox's mouth and activated it using the magic formula. "I hope this can save your life. If you are lucky, this Soul Gathering Pill may help you transform..." A gust of wind blew by, dispersing the dark clouds that blocked the moon, rippling the water in the pond in the courtyard, and blowing down the flowers on the jade trees beside the pond. …… The red fox in Zhuang Wei's arms opened its eyes, looked at the two people walking away, then closed its eyes again, as if it had fallen asleep again. When the wind blew, Zhuang Wei's clothes were blown up. He stroked the red fox and turned to go into the city. Where is the flower that looks like a flower but is not a flower? The fog comes and goes, and it is hard to get rid of it. The fox on the road is the most affectionate. It will find its lover and finally have a family. (End of this chapter)