Mythical Luo, starting with the fox spirit

Jin Renfeng, his lips wrinkled and trembling, was carried to the bed by two disciples of Shenhuo Mountain Villa.

The story of Yang Ping'an spending the night at Shenhuoshan Manor spread wider and wider, and the rumors became increasingly outrageous.

The Li family of Taoyuan, the Ji family of Tianwai Feixian, the Mu family of Lianti, and other aristocratic families that were on good terms with the Yang family, all prepared to send invitations and gifts to the Yang family to express their congratulations.

The Xiao family, the Wen family, and other smaller families, because of their own conflicts with the Yang family, were not in the same circle and could not integrate with each other, so their attitudes toward this matter were not the same.

Some people don't care about this matter at all and just watch coldly, while others secretly do some dirty tricks, trying to fish in troubled waters.

With a sinister smile on his face, Xiao Wancheng, the head of the Xiao family, instructed his family members to fan the flames and spread rumors of a marriage alliance between Shenhuo Mountain Manor and the Yang family of Tianyan, in an attempt to usurp and control the position of leader of the Yiqi Dao Alliance.

Upon discovering these malicious rumors, Butler Yang immediately reported them to Old Master Yang and launched a counterattack through the Yang family's channels.

The Li family, the Ji family, Wangquan Manor, and other families all understood that the marriage alliance between the Yang family and Shenhuo Mountain Manor would not affect their own families.

While the Yang family was fighting back against the rumors, they also cooperated tacitly with the Yang family's actions through the words of their respective families.

With the combined forces of the major families of the One Qi Alliance blocking his plans, Xiao Wancheng's schemes were a joke, failing to cause any ripples and dying in the womb.

Upon learning the news, Xiao Wancheng was furious. He locked himself in his room and smashed all the vases and cups in the room.

……

Yang Ping'an flew for a while and arrived at the Yang family stronghold marked by Old Master Yang. This stronghold was very close to the territory of the demon race.

After landing, Yang Ping'an did not go directly to the Yang family stronghold, but instead went into a roadside eatery.

"Put today's meal expenses on the Daoist Master's tab." Two Daoists dressed in the standard robes of the One Qi Dao Alliance finished their meal and, while picking their teeth, arrogantly shouted.

"My lords, our shop is a small business, and we really can't afford to extend credit!" the shopkeeper in front of the two Taoist priests said with a distressed smile.

"Who do you think you are? I'm going to pay you back on credit today!" A round-faced Taoist priest slammed his hand on the dining table, his face full of displeasure.

"Paying for food is a matter of course! How can you eat without paying?" A young waiter said indignantly when he saw them trying to freeload.

"Huh? Who are you, daring to teach this Taoist priest how to do things?" Another Taoist priest glared angrily at the waiter.

"Sir, it's all my fault for not disciplining him properly. The little fellow is new here and doesn't know any better. Please don't take it to heart." The shopkeeper quickly covered the waiter's mouth and pressed his head down to apologize to the Taoist priest.

"Hmph, you'd better keep an eye on this old man. It's only because I'm kind-hearted that I would teach him a lesson." The Taoist sneered.

"Yes, yes, I will definitely discipline him strictly," the shopkeeper, dressed in linen clothes, said with a forced smile.

"My lord, you've been keeping accounts with my shop for three months already!" The shopkeeper pleaded, bracing himself for fear that his clerk had escaped unscathed and that the Taoist priest was relatively easy to talk to.

"Please, gentlemen, be so kind as to settle the bill for the meal earlier. I need your help."

"You bastard, the fact that I, a Taoist priest, am eating here is a sign of respect for you and that I'm giving you face," the shopkeeper retorted as the round-faced Taoist priest suddenly stood up.

His spittle flew everywhere, spraying the shopkeeper's face. The shopkeeper bowed and nodded repeatedly with a forced smile, not daring to utter a complaint.

"Pah, you dog, how dare you ask this Taoist priest for money." The round-faced Taoist priest spat at the shopkeeper with disdain when he saw Yang Ping'an, who was dressed in fine clothes, walk in.

"Let's go." The round-faced Taoist priest led his companions away in a swagger.

After the two Taoist priests left, the shopkeeper wiped the saliva off his face with his sleeve, picked up the stool that had fallen to the ground, and kept sighing.

The young man quietly cleaned up the leftover food on the table.

When the shopkeeper saw Yang Ping'an enter the shop, he put away his disappointment and hurriedly greeted him with a smile.

"Young master, would you like some tea or a meal?"

Yang Pingan found a clean table and sat down. He looked around the restaurant. The small shop had eight wooden tables, behind which was a cashier counter. The kitchen and the counter were separated by a printed curtain.

"Give me one of their signature dishes and a bowl of white rice," Yang Ping'an said to the shopkeeper after looking around the store.

"Alright, our braised pork is absolutely top-notch, I guarantee you'll rave about it." The shopkeeper's smile became even more sincere as he praised his specialty dish.

"Does the young master have any other requests?"

"Um, may I ask what happened to those two Taoist priests who just walked out?" Yang Ping'an asked directly.

"Well, young master, you may not know this." The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, looked Yang Ping'an up and down, and found that his clothes were quite extraordinary, plus he was wearing a sword. He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"I must tell you, sir, you mustn't speak carelessly!"

Yang Ping'an nodded upon hearing this. He had just seen the Yang family's Heavenly Eye mark on the Taoist priest and wanted to inquire about some information from the shopkeeper.

"Sigh, those Taoist priests, under the leadership of the town mayor, were doing their duty to protect us common people from monsters, but they just didn't like to talk to us."

"Everything has changed since a group of unknown Taoist priests, dressed in black robes, came to town half a year ago."

Yang Ping'an remained silent, continuing to listen to the shopkeeper explain the reasons behind the drastic change in the Taoist priests' behavior.

"That group of people said that the mayor colluded with monsters, and threw out a pig demon to accuse the mayor of letting them go. Good heavens, that pig demon had a blue face and fangs, and looked very terrifying."

"They took the mayor away directly, and then a new mayor came." The shopkeeper said, glancing cautiously at the shop entrance.

"The first thing this new town mayor did after taking office was to demand that we hand over management fees, protection fees, and head taxes; he was only interested in making money."

"If anyone refuses to pay, he'll find a pretext to confiscate all their property, kick them out of town, and then sell their house to someone else at a high price."

"In a place like ours, so close to monsters, leaving the town means certain death. After he drove away several families, no one dared to object, and they gritted their teeth and handed over the silver."

"Who would have thought that the Taoist priests in the city would follow suit and start exploiting us common people?"

"Isn't anyone going to expose their behavior?" Yang Ping'an was furious about the mayor's actions, but he didn't show it on his face and asked with a puzzled look.

"Sigh, why not?" the shopkeeper sighed and shook his head.

"In the past six months, there have been a few people who really couldn't survive and wanted to sneak out to report their behavior."

"Before they could slip away, the Taoist priests in town discovered their trail and arrested them. The town mayor didn't kill them, but hung them upside down on the city gate and starved them for three days without a drop of water."

"They were starving and looked like they were not human. The mayor gathered everyone in town and threw them out into the monster's territory in front of everyone."

"Now everyone is even less likely to resist the mayor. They've also taken control of all the roads leading out of town. We can't fly, so how are we supposed to go out and complain?"