Lei are mythical beasts that exist in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Before the resurgence of spiritual energy, it was difficult for all things to become spirits or demons.

Most of the spirits and demons disappeared. Some abandoned the human world and existed in cave heavens similar to the Qingqiu Country, while others simply perished. Hu Ming did not expect that while visiting a friend, he would encounter a great demon from the Qin and Han dynasties and a mythical beast from the Classic of Mountains and Seas in a city.

As for Zhang Ruosu's name, this Qingqiu fox, who was immersed in books, didn't pay much attention to it.

Lei's black tail stood up high, quietly observing this human.

Very ordinary, and didn't seem to have particularly profound cultivation, not comparable to Zhang Ruosu.

However, among Taoists of about the same age as him, he could be considered powerful.

Of course, such cultivation was enough to protect himself when facing ordinary monsters, but it was still too weak to deal with great demons like the Mountain Lord and Boqi. No wonder Zhang Ruosu sent it over. The black Lei thoughtfully jumped onto the wall next to him, looked down at the young man, and said arrogantly:

"Little guy, I will protect your safety."

"But don't think of me as an ordinary cat."

"According to human calculations, I am much older than you, and much more noble."

"Prepare my daily diet properly. I only eat the fish raised in the Dragon-Tiger Pond on the back mountain of the Celestial Master's Mansion, and I want to drink the dew from the plum blossoms. Also, I don't like humans touching me, don't tease me with things, and it's best not to have those fluffy puppies that stick out their tongues appear around me. Do you understand?"

The black cat Lei succinctly expressed its requirements.

If cats are proud and self-centered creatures, then Lei, which ranks among the top spiritual cats, is undoubtedly the best of them.

Suddenly,

A fair palm gently landed on its neck, and then lifted this five-hundred-year-old mythical beast up. Lei was furious, turned its head, and then its whole body stiffened into a cat stick, held in the air, its limbs and tail drooping.

The girl, wearing a slightly larger shirt, black trousers, and white sneakers, held the cat in her arms and said in surprise, "Lei? There are still cats like this in this era."

The heavenly girl, surrounded by a gentle breeze, landed beside Wei Yuan.

The girl reached out and stroked Lei. The black cat hissed instinctively, but still obediently didn't dare to move.

Wei Yuan asked curiously, "Lei?"

The heavenly girl nodded and replied:

"It's an ancient cat, skilled in the magic of yin and yang. The person who raises it will not be jealous of others. There is another kind of spiritual cat, raising it can bring worry-free life, but it's just that the person writing the book deliberately exaggerated it. It's not really magical powers, but just because it's too cute, it will make people concentrate on teasing the cat and have no intention of thinking wildly."

"Yuan, do you want to touch it?"

The black Lei glared and hissed at Wei Yuan.

The Sili Xiaowei looked at the heavenly girl's eyes and confirmed that she was sincerely recommending it.

He looked at the black cat making threatening gestures.

After thinking about it, he shook his head and said with a smile, "Since this black cat doesn't want to, then forget it."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the black cat licking its paw and transmitting its voice: "Consider yourself lucky, junior, for having some sense."

Wei Yuan paused slightly, raising his eyebrows.

Lei suddenly felt uneasy.

Wei Yuan smiled, sheathed his sword, and stretched out his hands to hold the cat's head.

The black cat was shocked, and stopped licking its paws.

Offering you a toast, you refuse to drink, so you will be forced to drink a forfeit!

I'll knead!

……………………

Soon, the water ghost and the soldier ghost, who had just set up a ghost wall to prevent ordinary people from approaching, returned and flew into Wei Yuan's palm.

After having three-thousand-year-old soul-nourishing wood in the museum, their abilities had been greatly improved.

With the assistance of the ghost-expelling supernatural power, they could move in the sunlight and set up illusory ghost walls in a short time.

Wei Yuan naturally took the black cat from the heavenly girl, holding this five-hundred-year-old mythical beast in his arms. The latter wanted to claw back, but was afraid of the girl with the Kunlun aura on her body, so it could only curl up obediently.

Wei Yuan called Zhang Hao and told him what had happened.

Hearing that the culprit who caused the situation had been beheaded by Wei Yuan's sword, Zhang Hao was obviously relieved.

After agreeing to visit and thank him later, he continued to deal with the current trouble.

Zhou Yi and the three of Xuan Yi were not members of the Quanshi Action Team.

After the missing person case they were responsible for was over, they received updated tasks and had already left here.

During this time, Wei Yuan only contacted Zhang Hao and Shen Jifeng.

After that, he cleaned up the remaining traces in this place and temporarily sent the injured Qingqiu fox to a hotel. After all, the other party was a monster, and it was difficult for human hospitals to treat injuries caused by mana backlash for a fox spirit, and he was unwilling to go to the hospital for treatment, perhaps worried that in the face of modern technology, his bone structure as a fox demon would reveal something.

When leaving, Wei Yuan turned back to look at the place where the battle had taken place.

The speed of spiritual energy resurgence was getting faster and faster. Would the appearance of demons and monsters become more and more frequent in the future?

Would it slowly become necessary, like in the Qin and Han dynasties, to hold grand nuo rituals at the level of the entire Divine Continent every year?

He also thought of the news he had seen before, which should have happened a few days ago. Vengeful spirits from the New World had come to Divine Continent, so the closed shrines in Sakura Island should not be so simple either.

Hopefully, they won't appear in Divine Continent.

The convenience of transportation is sometimes a big trouble.

…………………

A high-end custom room in a hotel.

The old fox spirit lay on the bed, sighing.

He was already injured, but now it was even worse. He was backlashed by baleful energy. Wei Yuan's Crouching Tiger Art was not good at treating demons and monsters. It was the heavenly girl who injected a stream of clear energy to stabilize his injury, but it could only maintain this state.

"Qingqiu foxes are creatures that live in the Qingqiu Country."

"Their constitution is slightly different from that of creatures from the outside world. The spiritual medicine needed for their injuries must be obtained from Qingqiu."

The black cat Lei jumped on the cabinets in the room, and licked its paw leisurely, adding:

"But with this fox's current appearance, I guess he has no way to return to Qingqiu."

Hu Ming's face became even more bitter, and he looked at Wei Yuan and the heavenly girl, cupping his hands helplessly and saying, "I said before that if you two went to Qingqiu, I would entertain you, but now I may have to break my promise. Perhaps, I'll have to trouble you two to go to Qingqiu Country once and tell my family to have my third uncle bring spiritual medicine to heal me."

"Go alone?"

The heavenly girl was slightly surprised. Seeing Wei Yuan looking at her in confusion, she explained:

"Qingqiu Country is outside the human world, north of Chaoyang Valley, and Chaoyang Valley is the residence of the water god Wu."

"In ancient times, there were two leaders of Qingqiu, one was the Nine-Tailed Fox. Dayu met the Nine-Tailed Fox of his generation in front of Tushan and married her; and the other was the ancient god Shebishi. The first generation of Nine-Tailed Foxes always lived close to Shebishi, and the residence of the heavenly god Dijiang was also near Qingqiu."

"The entire Qingqiu Country is inhabited by many demons, mainly fox clans, and even descendants of humans and ancient gods. The number is no less than that of an ancient country."

"But in a country, from beginning to end, there are three gods and Dayu's wife."

"Yuan, do you know the reason?"

Wei Yuan shook his head.

The girl thought for a while, and did not say the remaining words in front of other monsters, but took Wei Yuan out of the room. Facing his puzzled gaze, she did not answer directly, but recited a sentence, saying:

"Chiyou ascended Jiunao Kongsang, and the Yellow Emperor killed him in Qingqiu."

"Qingqiu is the place where Chiyou, the ancient leader of the human race, was buried. In order to suppress his unwillingness, resentment, and fighting spirit, Ba and Yinglong lost all their mana and clear energy and abandoned their status as heavenly gods to stay in the human world. So, in this era, it is not yet known whether Chiyou's resentment has re-emerged."

"The one who killed him was the Yellow Emperor, the leader of men."

"And assisting the Yellow Emperor were my two older sisters, Xuan and Ba."

The girl pointed at Wei Yuan, and then at herself.

"The terrain of Qingqiu is constantly changing. We are entering Qingqiu Country without the guidance of a Qingqiu fox."

"I think, it's not a very good thing."

"Moreover, your identity is more likely to be targeted than ordinary humans."

"Because of the Sili Xiaowei?"

"It's the Crouching Tiger. Sili Xiaowei is an official position of Emperor Wu of Han, but Crouching Tiger can be traced back to the Zhou, or even more ancient times."

……………

Wei Yuan and the heavenly girl returned to the room. Hu Ming pretended not to care about what they said, and said sincerely:

"I know your concerns, but don't worry."

"Even in our Qingqiu Country, those three great gods only exist in legends, and the ancient leaders have also disappeared. There is no problem with safety. Although Qingqiu is a bit exclusive, give me three days to create a mana token, and they won't make things difficult for you two."

"I wonder if you two can lend a helping hand..."

Wei Yuan was thoughtful, looking at the heavenly girl.

The girl seemed to be saddened by the fact that the three heavenly gods no longer existed and that she was the only one left.

Noticing Wei Yuan's gaze, she just smiled and said:

"Want to go?"

A region that exists in legends, a foreign land recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, affectionate and beautiful fox girls.

A world where demons and humans coexist.

Wei Yuan nodded.

The girl looked at Hu Ming, nodded, and said in a gentle tone:

"Then, it is permissible."

ps: Most of the information on Qingqiu, Dijiang, and Shebishi comes from the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Xun Chuo's "Annotations to the Table of Officials of Jin" says: "The Sili Xiaowei was an official of the Zhou Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, when the witchcraft prison of Princess Yangshi arose, the Sili was established according to the Zhou system."

The "Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue" links the Nine-Tailed Fox with Dayu's flood control and his marriage to the Tushan girl Jiao.