My lady, don't be angry. I'm letting you touch my big tail.

When Qiao Yi and Hua Ran returned to reality, nothing had changed.

It only took a second to change in time.

Hua Ran thought she was just asleep.

"Hmm... I think I was dreaming, but I don't remember what I dreamed about."

Joey coughed. "You're injured and exhausted, it's normal for you to fall asleep."

"Huh? Why am I crying..."

Hua Ran wiped the corner of her eye.

Then he saw Joey, and without thinking, he hugged her and pressed her little face against his chest.

"My wife...you're right here beside me."

He felt uneasy, as if his wife had just distanced herself from him.

Joey's heart seemed to melt as well.

Especially knowing that the other person loves you so much.

Although I can't understand why he would love me 120 percent.

"Yes, I've always been here. I told you, you can't leave my side. When the monster comes out, I have to protect you."

Hua Ran felt that Qiao Yi's voice had become gentler.

He touched his face and winked at her.

The fox's ears twitched to both sides.

"Am I still dreaming? Why is my wife suddenly speaking to me so softly..."

Hua Ran reached out and pinched her cheek.

It was only after the pinch hurt that I realized it was real.

Joey was a little embarrassed. "Am I...am I usually very fierce?"

"No, not at all. Anyway, my current wife is really my sweetheart~"

As expected, Hanazono blossoms with just a little sunshine.

Give them a little kindness and they'll go into heat.

He leaned in and kissed Joey, his whole body going limp in her arms like a boneless snake.

But he is clearly a fox.

Suddenly, a huge roar erupted, this time louder than any of the previous ones.

A dark green claw slowly emerged from the cave behind the shrine, trying to grab something.

Hua Ran immediately straightened up.

"My lady...a monster has appeared!"

"Ah, it can't really be considered a monster."

Joey continued to channel Yang energy into the Foundation Sword, and the surrounding area became warm, around 31 or 32 degrees Celsius.

"To be precise, it is the ferocious beast Taotie. Do you know Taotie? It's that beast that eats a lot and is said to have eyes growing under its armpits."

Hua Ran was taken aback. "My lady, how do you know what it is?"

Joey said that's a long story.

The deceased Taoist nun said that at first there was a halo around the mountain, but no black aura.

Later I learned that the guy liked sunshine.

This proves that even if that creature isn't some divine beast imbued with yang energy, it is still a strange beast capable of resisting yin energy.

In addition, it eats souls, both ghostly and normal souls, without any dietary restrictions.

Perhaps only the Taotie, which is indiscriminate in its dealings with both Yin and Yang, can devour all souls.

Hua Ran reached out and touched Qiao Yi's head.

"My lady, you are so intelligent, you can do everything, you are both scholarly and martial! No wonder I chose you~"

Joey felt a sweet warmth in her heart from the praise.

As rocks and debris fell heavily around them, the monster buried underground stretched out its two front claws and swept away the shrine.

Hua Ran asked again, "But the bubbles it spits out are black. That's yin energy, which doesn't fit the Taotie. The Taotie should be yang."

The ground was cracking.

Joey said directly, "Hold me tight."

"Ok!"

Hua Ran wrapped her arms around Qiao Yi's neck, and Qiao Yi lifted her up in her arms.

His little head was still pressed against Joey's neck.

At the same time, Qiao Yi gathered her yang energy to the soles of her feet, jumped up suddenly, and the Dingji Sword, fueled by the yang energy, emitted even more flames. Together with the sword, she flew upwards with the rising heat.

The Taotie below finally broke through the barrier and leaped out.

Joey smiled after reading it.

"Still a cub."

In her own world, Joey captured adult Taotie, and they weren't just as big as a small mountain.

So Joey answered Flower Dye.

"Do you think human nature is inherently good or inherently evil at birth?"

"Eh?"

“There are many interpretations, but I tend to believe that at the beginning of life, people are neither good nor evil. If you teach them good, they will know to cherish life; if you teach them evil, they will regard life as worthless. This gluttonous cub, having become aware of its own nature and been suppressed here, first sucked the souls of the wronged. It's quite normal for it to harbor evil thoughts when it doesn't know good or evil, isn't it?”

Hua Ran understood this time.

"So the halo surrounding the mountains is normal, but the bubbles inside are black. My lady, it's not too late to make it turn over a new leaf, so that there will be one less scourge in the world."

Joey didn't respond to that.

Instead, he said to Hua Ran, "Hold on tight, don't fall."

"Hmm... My wife, am I becoming a burden to you by being held like this, taking up your hands... Why don't you put me somewhere and I'll hide?"

Joey said no need.

Dealing with this Taotie myself is not troublesome.

She landed on the mountaintop and glanced down. All the villagers of Shiqiao Village saw the green monster that burst out of the ground and leaped a hundred meters high.

They all shouted.

Some people said, "Joey is going to destroy the village. I really hope this monster can eat Joey and that fox spirit!"

Some people said, "This monster was released by Joey; it would be good if they both perished."

The priest in white said, "Yes, it's the monster that Joey released. It wants to use this monster to destroy the village and kill us all!"

Joey gave a cold laugh.

"Monsters aren't scary, it's people's hearts that are scary. I can't let you go down there; if you leave my side, I won't be able to protect you."

Qiao Yi looked down and saw Hua Ran trying to shrink into her arms.

The hand that was around his waist pinched his lower back.

"Don't strain your abdomen, you're still injured."

"Um..."

When Hua Ran was pinched like that, she could no longer hold her head up, and her body went completely limp.

Only the tail remained, still wrapped around Joey's waist.

As the Taotie rampaged and its massive jaws snapped shut, Qiao Yi only took a step back from the mountaintop.

Suddenly, the Taotie leaped up, spraying out salty, fishy saliva. Just as it was about to swallow Qiao Yi whole, there was a loud "bang," and the Taotie collapsed in front of Qiao Yi, its body twitching and barely moving.

When everyone looked again, they saw a fiery red sword stuck in the back of Taotie's neck.

A large amount of blood gushed out, it roared twice, tilted its head, and fell completely silent.

"You can't just focus on eating; Dingji is still behind you."

After speaking, Qiao Yi hugged Hua Ran and jumped off the mountaintop.

It slowly landed in front of the villagers.

The villagers screamed and scattered.

There was only one obedient man, standing cautiously behind Joey.

His mother had been possessed by a weasel, and Joey had saved their family.

"Miss Qiao...I know you're a good person..."

Qiao Yi put Hua Ran down, and Hua Ran snorted.

"My wife is definitely a good person."

The well-behaved man approached Joey and bowed to her.

Joey laughed again, and in an instant, a man's scream echoed through the sky.

A dagger flew out spinning.

If Qiao Yi had been a moment too late, the obedient man would have plunged the dagger into her body.

Hua Ran narrowed her eyes slightly, and Qiao Yi continued, "That's why I say, monsters aren't scary, it's people's hearts that are scary."