The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Lu Xiaosan was so shocked she couldn't close her mouth, "You... how can you be so beautiful!!"

Wen Ying sat at a distance, and hearing him praise a woman's beauty for the first time like this, she was filled with curiosity.

She immediately perked up, leaned against the wall, and slowly got up, walking step by step toward the two of them.

As they approached, they saw the woman in green standing before Lu Xiaosan: her figure was graceful and shapely, with long hair reaching her waist, just as they had seen her from afar.

When Wen Ying shifted her gaze to her face, she was instantly stunned, just like Lu Xiaosan.

But her eyes were narrow and wide-set, her nose was flat and her lips were thick, and her face was covered with red spots and pimples.

Hearing Lu Xiaosan's praise, she lowered her beautiful eyes, half-covered her face with her hand, and smiled shyly...

Lu Xiaosan stared in disbelief, shaking his head in admiration, "You're unlike any other vixen I've ever seen..."

The fox-woman was very nervous, covering her face with both hands and saying, "Is...is there anything different?..."

Lu Xiaosan's expression suddenly turned stern. "The vixens I saw before were all disgusting. They smelled terrible and had all sorts of vicious hearts."

Then he changed the subject, "But you're different. Although I've only seen your appearance, that's enough..."

The fox spirit grew increasingly nervous as she listened. She quickly took a few steps back, peeking out from between her hands with her small eyes, and asked in a very soft voice, "What about my appearance...?"

Lu Xiaosan swallowed hard. "Your appearance, apart from being a little uncomfortable to look at, is otherwise very pleasing to the eye!"

Wen Ying and the Green Fox Girl both widened their eyes and asked in unison, "What...what does this mean?"

Lu Xiaosan scratched his head vigorously, looking anxious. "It's just...it's just..." He gestured with both hands, but he just couldn't describe his feelings.

Finally, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed happily, "That's right! You can think of it this way: those other vixens, apart from being somewhat pleasant at first glance, are all unsettling! But you give me the exact opposite feeling!"

The fox-woman slowly lowered her hands that were covering her face, and looked extremely shy as she lowered her head. "Is that so? But... I think... my sister is pretty good too."

The fox spirit nodded again. "Now it seems... they really didn't lie to me."

Wen Ying suppressed her surprise and asked suspiciously, "Who are they?"

When the fox-woman saw someone asking her a question, she looked frightened and hurriedly replied, "It was...it was two hunters from this mountain. They...they told me that this is the kind of appearance that humans like, so...I changed to look like that...that's how it is."

"Great minds think alike! Hahaha," said Lu Xiaosan.

Wen Ying gave a helpless smile. "You must have been... you must have been tricked by them... and you just happened to run into a strange person like Brother Lu. Could it be... you've never left this mountain and met anyone else?"

The fox spirit smiled and shook her head. "I've stayed on this mountain for nearly a thousand years, never leaving. It was only a few years ago that I met those two hunter brothers, and that's when I transformed into human form..."

Lu Xiaosan asked with a smile, "Then... are those two hunters still inside the house?" He then turned to walk towards the house.

"Hey, they're not in the house right now," the Blue Fox Girl hurriedly stopped her.

Lu Xiaosan stopped and turned around. "Then, where are they?"

The fox-woman sighed, "I...I don't know either. They disappeared several days ago..."

Wen Ying crossed her arms, somewhat disappointed. "As expected, those two hunters aren't here."

Wen Ying asked again with suspicion, "Since they're not here, why did you force your way in, even risking your life against that giant vine? What's inside? What happened here?"

Lu Xiaosan nodded vigorously, also casting a questioning look at her.

The fox spirit was a little scared, stammering, "I...I..."

Seeing this, Wen Ying immediately said gently, "You don't need to be nervous or afraid. He won't hurt you again, right?" After saying that, she nudged Lu Xiaosan with her elbow.

"Ah, yes, yes... I won't, I won't."

Looking at the barren wasteland behind Lu Xiaosan, Qinghu Nu took a deep breath and slowly calmed down.

Then, her expression darkened, and she said softly, "A few days ago, a mysterious guest came to our hunters' place, saying he wanted to do business with them. The two hunters went out with him, but... only the mysterious guest returned. He took over the hunting lodge, and... and..."

Lu Xiaosan asked, "What else is wrong?"

The goddess Qinghu's expression grew increasingly sorrowful, her features gradually contorting into a grimace, as if she were about to cry. Her hands clenched into fists. "He...he even kidnapped my husband!"

"Ah! Where did he take your husband?" Wen Ying asked anxiously.

"Ah! You have a husband!" Lu Xiaosan exclaimed in surprise.

The two blurted out almost simultaneously.

Upon hearing his words, Wen Ying immediately turned to Lu Xiaosan, her face slightly angry, and slapped him, "You! What are you thinking?"

"I..." He was about to say something, but when he saw the angry Wen Ying and the sad Qinghu girl in the distance, he swallowed his words and looked ashamed.

He simply couldn't believe that there could be a devoted fox spirit in this world. For a long time, all he had seen were promiscuous fox spirits who seduced and harmed people. Suddenly being told that there was a fox spirit who would risk everything for her husband was something he found hard to believe.

He then thought, "No wonder I felt so comfortable when I first met her. She must really be a fox spirit. Sigh, not easy."

"Ignore him, continue," Wen Ying said to the Green Fox Girl.

The fox spirit nodded gently. "After my husband was captured by that man, he was locked up in this house... and that man must also be a sorcerer. That giant vine was specifically used to stop me. I couldn't defeat him, so I had no choice but to come to the house every day to bring him food and beg him to release my husband..."

After she finished speaking, she slowly looked towards the hunting house, her eyes full of tenderness.

Wen Ying was deeply moved. "I see. No wonder you let him have some little mice and rabbits..."

Then she thought to herself, "But these are things foxes like to eat... but humans might not like them... It seems she really is naive."

"Then... then why did he arrest your husband?" Wen Ying asked again.

The fox spirit shook her head and sighed, looking ashamed. "Because his original target was... me, but I have accumulated so much cultivation over time."

"He couldn't catch me, so he kidnapped my husband, who has no cultivation... to threaten me. ...I'm here today... intending to exchange my life for my husband's..."

Lu Xiaosan lowered her head and pondered: No wonder she said things like "I'll switch with you." Although the mysterious person was the one who did the evil, why did it sound more like she was the one who harmed her husband...?

Perhaps having seen too many fox spirits, Lu Xiaosan couldn't help but wonder when he saw the pitiful appearance of the green fox girl: was her infatuation real or fake?

Desperate to get the truth, Lu Xiaosan asked loudly, "Where is that guy now? Is he in this house?"

The fox spirit shook her head. "I don't know, but my husband should still be locked up in this house..." she said, her face filled with excitement.

Wen Ying turned to look at Lu Xiaosan with a serious expression, "Let's go take a look."

The three arrived at the front of the house, and Lu Xiaosan punched and kicked the door again, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open it.

Lu Xiaosan, panting heavily, looked at the Green Fox Girl, who was becoming increasingly anxious. He had no choice but to say helplessly, "Then... you should do it."

The Blue Fox Goddess looked surprised. "The mage is the kind of person who can flatten half a mountain without saying a word. How come he can't even open a door?"

Wen Ying burst out laughing after hearing this.

Lu Xiaosan straightened up and laughed, "These Buddhist beads of mine can harm demons and monsters, but they can't harm innocent humans. So, as for these non-demon beings, I'm powerless to help them..."

The fox spirit and Wen Ying nodded in approval at the same time, "The monk is truly a living Buddha incarnate. It's wonderful that he doesn't kill innocent people."

Lu Xiaosan looked at the hilltop he had leveled and laughed awkwardly, "I wouldn't call myself a living Buddha, I'm just trying not to look like a bandit..."

Seeing his sudden melancholy, Wen Ying patted his shoulder and smiled, "Well, you still did a great job."

After she finished speaking, she said to the fox spirit, "You'd better open the door quickly. Aren't you in a hurry to see your husband?"

Lu Xiaosan and Wen Ying stepped aside and saw Qinghu Nu hurriedly come to the door and put her hand on the door. They took a deep breath.

Wen Ying said from the side, "That guy might still be inside, we all need to be careful!"

The three nodded simultaneously, and then the fox spirit exerted a slight force on her hand, and with a creak, the door slowly opened…