Chapter Eighty-One: Jiu’er’s Choice

As the three conversed, a flying sword suddenly shot toward the white fox’s tail, severing part of it in an instant. Crimson blood spurted forth, but the white fox endured the searing pain, unwilling to give up its chance at survival, and continued to flee desperately.

“I hit it!” one cultivator shouted joyfully.

“Fool, stop attacking recklessly! It’s already trapped—if you ruin its pelt, the price will drop,” another cultivator barked, fearing everyone would rush in and leave nothing but a bloody mess.

“Yes, only an intact pelt can fetch more spirit stones. Clothes made from it will look better too. I wonder if a first-rank demon beast has a demon core? If it does, it’d be even more valuable.”

“A first-rank demon beast rarely produces a demon core. Even if it does, it’s only useful for making low-grade pills or artifacts. The flesh is worth more—the meat of a demon beast is a delicacy among high-level cultivators. Restaurants that serve cultivators will pay plenty of spirit stones for it.”

“It’s almost finished. Everyone, don’t attack. Wait until its demon power is exhausted, then destroy its soul. Do not damage the body,” said the cultivator who had spoken earlier.

The white fox kept running. It did not know its fate had already been sealed by these cultivators, but it refused to give up.

Once, it had been an ordinary animal, ignorant and carefree. When hungry, it ate; when tired, it slept. The moon in the night sky inspired awe in its heart, and it imitated other beasts, bowing reverently to the moon. Though it did not understand the reason, worshipping the moon brought it inner peace.

Day after day, year after year, until one day, the white fox awakened its intelligence, learned the path of cultivation, and successfully gained demonic power. It believed its chance to change its fate had finally arrived.

Who would have thought that this was the beginning of its tragic destiny? With demonic power, it became like a beacon in the darkness to cultivators, who sought to rid the world of such threats. To its memory, it had never harmed a human, but no one listened to its pleas. All it could do was run, again and again.

It had survived countless hunts before, always narrowly escaping, but this time, it feared it would not be so lucky. There were too many cultivators this time. If only it didn’t know how to cultivate!

It remembered the days before it gained intelligence—catching mice and picking grapes with its companions, living without worries, cultivation, pursuit, or the boundaries of race.

Perhaps ignorance truly is bliss, the white fox thought, as its eyelids grew heavier. Blood loss blurred its vision, and finally, it collapsed to the ground, unable to run any farther.

The cultivators rejoiced upon seeing the white fox fall and hurried forward to claim their prize.

“Brother, please save it! I beg you!” Jiu’er’s eyes brimmed with tears as she clung to Zhou Qi’s sleeve, shaking it desperately. The white fox’s plight reminded her of her own days after being captured by humans. She was lucky to have met her brother, but the white fox…

“Sigh, all right, I’ll try,” Zhou Qi said with a heavy sigh. Judging by the cultivators’ words, all they wanted was spirit stones—that could be arranged. Boss Zhou was more than capable.

“Fellow cultivators, please wait. I have a request,” Zhou Qi said as he flew forward on his sword, halting the crowd.

The cultivators’ eyes lit up. Was justice about to prevail? What a lucky day—perhaps another business opportunity awaited.

“Fellow cultivator, if you have a grievance, speak quickly,” said the apparent leader of the cultivators.

“I would like to purchase this white fox. Name your price,” Zhou Qi said, bowing.

“Truly?” The cultivators brightened. If someone bought the white fox, it would save them much trouble—better than splitting a single leg among several people.

“Truly,” Zhou Qi replied, relieved they were willing to sell.

“This white fox isn’t very strong, but it took considerable effort for all of us to catch it. The price may be a bit high—five hundred low-grade spirit stones. If you think it’s too much, we can discuss,” the cultivator offered.

“No need. Five hundred it is.” Zhou Qi tossed them the spirit stones. He had expected them to ask for more—such a sum was nothing to a man who could spend tens of millions.

After handing over the spirit stones, Zhou Qi moved to collect the white fox.

“Wait, fellow cultivator. Allow me to finish it off before handing it to you. Rest assured, I will only destroy its soul and will not damage its body,” the cultivator said.

“What?” Zhou Qi was taken aback. “I want it alive. Why would I buy a dead fox?”

“You may not know this, but within Daoist territories, the trade of demon or magical beasts is restricted to dead specimens. Live trading is forbidden by the Daoist sects,” the cultivator explained.

“Why is that?” Zhou Qi was surprised. Was there some hidden reason?

The cultivator leaned closer, lowering his voice mysteriously. “Legend has it, in his early years, the Daoist Patriarch took in a snake demon, nurturing and caring for it as his own disciple. But when the snake attained great power, it betrayed him, attacking while his guard was down and gravely wounding him.”

“Though the Patriarch eventually slew the snake demon, from then on he bore a deep hatred for other races, believing ‘those not of our kind must harbor ill intentions.’”

“This is why Daoist disciples are so zealous in hunting demons and evil creatures. Over time, more rules were added—if you encounter another race and have the ability to kill it but do not, you will be held responsible. Thus, live trading was stamped out, and even demon eggs must be ruined before they can be sold.”

This was far too extreme. Zhou Qi almost wanted to give the Daoist Patriarch a lecture on the importance of biodiversity. What to do now?

Seeing the hopeful look in Jiu’er’s eyes, Zhou Qi decided to try again. “Fellow cultivator, I’ll give you another five hundred spirit stones. Could you sell it to me alive? My younger sister is fond of animals and cannot bear to see them killed. Besides, this white fox’s cultivation is so low—what harm could it do?”

The cultivator shook his head firmly. “You see no danger now because its cultivation is weak, but who’s to say it won’t become a scourge in the future? Fellow cultivator, your thinking is dangerous!”

Seeing Zhou Qi’s efforts thwarted, Jiu’er no longer pleaded. Instead, she sent a message to Zhou Qi: “Thank you for taking care of me, brother. I cannot watch the white fox be killed—that would be like dying myself. Please forgive me. You are human; please do not interfere. This is my own choice.”

“Jiu’er, no!” Zhou Qi cried out.

In a flash, Jiu’er appeared beside the injured white fox. She scooped it up, a light flashed, and she activated a teleportation talisman, vanishing from sight.

She was so fast that Zhou Qi had no time to react. When she was gone, only a crowd of bewildered cultivators remained.

“Heh, women. Fellow cultivator, your sister is playing with fire,” the cultivator said darkly to Zhou Qi, then shouted to the others, “After her!”

The cultivators scattered, searching for Jiu’er and the white fox. With the fox’s demonic power, it would not be hard to track them.

“Boss, this is bad. Miss was too impulsive—she’s in real danger now,” Xiao Bai said anxiously to Zhou Qi.

With a sigh, Zhou Qi could only join the pursuit. He could not stand by while Jiu’er was in peril.