The leader of the cultivation alliance has a crush on me.

“I’m telling the truth, I really feel something’s wrong on the mountain.”

"Don't overthink it. Do you even know what day it is in a few days?"

Rong Xiu listened and pondered for a moment. He looked at Feng Xun and said softly, "The Ghost Festival is coming soon."

"Yes, the Ghost Festival is coming soon, and the City of Bones will probably be bustling again."

"How do you know? Do you think just anyone can go into this City of Bones? Even fox spirits wouldn't dare to go in rashly. I've heard there are many vengeful ghosts inside. If you get close, you'll be devoured by them in an instant."

"Where did you hear such hearsay?"

After speaking, one of them looked around, then waved to the others with a knowing look on his face, and the others immediately approached curiously.

Rong Xiu heard the man say, "Let me tell you, there used to be a fortune teller in our village named Wang Wu. He was a fortune teller who kept saying that his opportunity was coming soon. He predicted that it would be in the City of Dry Bones. He went there a few days ago. Do you know what happened?"

"What?" everyone asked in unison.

The man said mysteriously, "Then, not two days later, a skeleton was found leaning against his door. The skeleton was still stained with blood and bits of flesh, looking as if it had been eaten clean by wolves."

"Pshaw, that's a lie."

"I don't believe it. I've never heard of it."

"If something really big had happened, the news would have spread far and wide long ago."

"You might not believe it, but strange things have been happening one after another in this area lately."

"Let's talk about Tianqiong Mountain again. I used to go there to chop firewood every day, and one day I saw it with my own eyes..."

Song Ke listened to their gossip. Feng Xun, seeing Rong Xiu present, didn't talk much to Song Ke, but was a little worried about how she was eating.

Seeing Feng Xun looking at her, and then glancing at the things on the table, Song Ke's eyes lit up. She simply squatted down beside the table, next to Feng Xun's legs, and tilted her head back to negotiate, "I'll eat like this."

Feng Xun glanced at Rong Xiu, calmly tore off a chicken leg, and placed his hand under the table. Song Ke was eating with a satisfied expression when suddenly someone next to her screamed in terror.

"A ghost!"

He jumped a long way, still pointing at the chicken leg hanging in mid-air, being eaten piece by piece, clearly terrified.

"A ghost... there's a ghost."

Rong Xiu, looking righteous, was about to get up to see what was going on when Feng Xun said calmly, "Eat your food."

In fact, Rong Xiu didn't eat much, since he had already practiced fasting and wouldn't go hungry even if he didn't eat for a few days.

Rong Xiu stared at his master with a strange expression, scrutinizing him for a while before continuing to eat with a hesitant look.

The waiter came over to check on the situation, and Feng Xun only said, "Who knows what he saw because he's seeing things?"

The three of them didn't stay here. Instead, they went to the Fox Fairy Temple, which wasn't far from here and that everyone had just mentioned.

Standing outside the Fox Fairy Temple, Song Ke looked at the temple, which wasn't too dilapidated. It looked quite exquisite and had been around for some time.

"Is there really a fox spirit here?"

Feng Xun glanced at it, his gaze indifferent. Rong Xiu, however, was momentarily distracted by the sight of the palace. He turned to Feng Xun and asked, "Master, shall we go in?"

"This place doesn't look peaceful at all, nor does it seem like a blessed land; it's more like a desolate and deadly place."

“When I read the Tales of the Strange, I saw a record of Tianqiong Mountain. There were no foxes here before. It is said that a change occurred in Qingqiu County, which caused many foxes to migrate out.”

"The foxes here must have migrated here back then."

Listening to this, Song Ke turned her head and asked, "Your apprentice seems to know quite a lot."

Feng Xun stepped inside. In the somewhat deserted courtyard, there was a large ancient tree with branches and vines entwined around it. Although it was not the season for leaves to fall, the entire tree was bare, with withered yellow leaves covering the ground, like the final chapter of life, which inexplicably evoked a sense of desolation.

Feng Xun walked in front, while Rong Xiu followed behind, looking wary. He gripped his sword tightly and looked around, but his posture was upright and he exuded a righteous aura, as if he had nothing to fear, no matter what was there.

Song Ke thought of how he was originally a prince of the Western Kingdom, but his country was destroyed and his family perished because of the rampant demons, and he sighed inwardly.

He only hoped that his younger brother Rong Ling, who depended on him for survival, was still safe and sound; otherwise, this trip would have been completely meaningless.

Song Ke asked Feng Xun, "How much longer until we reach the Western Kingdom?"

As Feng Xun entered the main hall, his gaze met that of a crimson statue with a fox's head and a human body, standing right in the center of the hall. The statue's eyes seemed to be filled with an eerie smile. Feng Xun frowned and looked away.

Song Ke glanced at it and felt that the statue's gaze was bewitching. Feng Xun's voice whispered in her ear, "Don't look."

Song Ke realized what was happening and looked away. Rong Xiu thought he was talking to him, so he looked at Feng Xun and replied, "It seems there's nothing else here except this statue."

Song Ke whispered, "But you said this fox spirit is a woman, right?"

"I must say, just looking at it like this, you can tell how beautiful it would be if this portrait were transformed into a human. No wonder it's a fox."

Rong Xiu continued, "Master, this place is quite strange. I heard them say that people have been worshipping here for a long time, but look, there isn't even an offering table in front of the statue."

"Or was it originally there, but someone moved or destroyed it?"

Song Ke also took a stroll around. The palace was far too simple, even crude.

Since she couldn't look directly at the statue, Song Ke simply stood to the side of the statue and looked at it. The more she looked, the more familiar the silhouette seemed, but she couldn't quite place it.

Song Ke clicked her tongue in exasperation. She glanced at the sky outside; it had already grown dark without her noticing.

Song Ke asked Feng Xun, "Shall we stay here tonight?"

Feng Xun looked around and then scanned the palace with the Spirit Binding Silk, but found nothing. He then used the Spirit Binding Silk to form an array around the palace, surrounding it, and then disappeared with a flash of red light.

Song Ke clearly felt that the Love Root and the Binding Spirit Silk in her palm had some kind of tacit understanding, jumping around in her palm as if it were excited and playful, making her palm feel hot.

"what happened?"

Feng Xun probably noticed that Song Ke was in a daze and something was wrong, so he moved closer and asked.

"Master, what did you just say?" Rong Xiu asked, unable to resist, after hearing Feng Xun's voice again.

He never imagined that, besides the motionless statue, there were other people in this small palace.

Before dark, Rong Xiu had just gathered some firewood from the ancient tree in the courtyard and lit a fire in the middle. His eyes caught sight of the straw bed that Feng Xun had already laid out in the corner, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Eh!"

When did his master become so kind? He even made up a bed for him. He walked over somewhat embarrassedly, his face showing a mixture of suppressed flattery and surprise.

Rong Xiu muttered very softly, "Master, it's disrespectful of me to make your bed."

Although he spoke softly, Feng Xun still heard him with his keen hearing and gave him a puzzled look.