DIZION 8 The Tigerfox Transformed!

The two left the old man on the street and started sauntering aimlessly. Cheng Qiu halted in his tracks and apologetically spoke, "Your Highness, I didn't expect the establishments to close this early. I'll find an inn for us, please wait for me here."

As he moved forward, Mu Feng keenly grabbed his wrist, "No, we're not staying in an inn. This cub was injured by a fiend in Gaodi Hill Forest. We're going there."

She took out a pill from her pouch and poured it in the cub's mouth. After half an incense time, the TigerFox grew larger. Its cultivation was suddenly raised. Cheng Qiu was stunned. It was his first time seeing a beast transform. He asked, "Your Highness, that elixir...it raised his cultivation?" Mu Feng nodded.

While at Mt. ZhuXintai, she managed to collect some pills from their Medicinal Alchemists. Thinking they would be beneficial someday, she kept a few of them.

She explained, "This TigerFox is a demon. It should be able to transform itself into a human-like figure when it regains its strength. For now, we have to find the brute who harmed this fellow. It wouldn't be good if it attacks people too."

The two proceeded to enter the forest, walking side to side. Cheng Qiu held a flame in his palm lighting up their way. A faint laugh broke the silence, on a branch of a large tree was a ghost hanging upside down. Carrying the cub on her left arm, she drew her weapon, XingYue, with her right hand.

XingYue is the name of Mu Feng's glaive. It's a glaive with an enormous blade and a crescent arc in the middle that can poison low-tier ghosts when cut by it.

Mu Feng yelled, "Were you the one who's been harming this fellow?"

The ghost leaped to the ground. "I am. And so?" It approached them as he continued. "Why do you carry that lowly demon on your arm, come give it to me. It's weak anyway."

After it talked, the ghost suddenly attacked them. Mu Feng dodged as Cheng Qiu slashed its right arm. She yelled again, "You're going to kill it." The ghost snorted, "And so what if I kill it?"

Mu Feng slashed its chest, "I can't let you murder pe-..." She was supposed to say 'people' but immediately remembered that the being in her arm wasn't a human in the first place, it was a demon. She threw XingYue upwards, and it disappeared into thin air. Right after, using the pointy nail of her right thumb, she cut her index finger to draw some tiny blood. This tiny blood hardened, forming an infinite string, then propelled to the air and strangled the ghost.

"Innocent beings don't deserve such ill-treatment especially from the likes of you."

The blood string tightened, tearing the ghost's head from its body then liquified afterward. Cheng Qiu felt especially worried, "Your Highness, you can't use your Royal Blood String too much. XingYue existed for this reason, you know that."

Mu Feng chuckled, "Cheng-ge please don't worry. I'll limit my use of it next time."

Royal Blood String was a special hidden weapon her mother pa.s.sed to her before death, right after her birth. This seemingly infinite string could drain her blood if used frequently. One time, she recklessly tried weaving ta.s.sels from it. The next day, she went pale, had to rest and take medication to restore her lost blood. However, it couldn't transform into anything other than the string, she has yet to experiment.

Mu Feng and Cheng Qiu weren't exhausted in the slightest. It was one of those low-tier ghosts hurting others for mere s.a.d.i.s.tic pleasure. They found a shabby little shack in the middle of the forest and stayed there for the night. Even if slaying a low-tier ghost doesn't take much energy, they were roaming the village for the whole day. It's still tiring, so the two fell asleep instantly the moment they rested inside.

The next morning, Cheng Qiu woke up to the sounds of birds chirping and rustling winds from the tall trees. It was only him and Mu Feng on the hut, the cub was gone. Mu Feng woke up as well, Cheng Qiu called her, "Your Highness!!"

She looked to her side and upon seeing no TigerFox, she was slightly upset. "That little cub, even though its cultivation was raised, I'm not sure if it was healed yet. Where did it go?"

Cheng Qiu wasn't concerned about the beast at all, "If it was still unwell, it wouldn't go anywhere. It must've regained its energy so it went out and left. But most importantly,...." He pointed to the area across the room, "....this shack, someone lives here."

Across the room was a bamboo table with few rotten fruits over it and pots of varying sizes under. There was also a clay stove and rolled mats on the side. There were spider webs on the ceiling and dust everywhere, so it appeared to be an abandoned shack. As they examined the interior of the abandoned hut, they heard someone coming near them. Mu Feng was about to peer outside when a soft voice called out to her, "Master!!"

She turned around only to be startled by the sight. Standing in the doorway was a tall, white-clad young man appearing to be the same age as her, smiling brightly, his golden eyes gazing innocently at her, carrying a rectangular plate full of different fruits. Cheng Qiu was even more startled, he gripped the hilt of his sword as he asked in his usual unfriendly manner, "Who are you?"

She stopped him, but the young man ignored him and called out to her again. "Master, thank you for saving my life." He lowered his head and kneeled. Mu Feng exchanged glances with Cheng Qiu then stared at the young man in agape.

This…. This delicate young man, right here was the TigerFox cub?

Never did she expect that a weak and injured beast she saved last night would be this…

Charming!

Trying to keep a straight face, she reached out to the young man and gripped his shoulders. "Are you alright?"

The injuries of this fellow last night were severe, so she couldn't help but be worried. The young man beamed at her, "Master, thank you! I owe you my life."

Mu Feng's pill came from Yi Sect's Department of Medicinal Alchemy, so it really was effective and managed to heal the TigerFox's injuries overnight. It costs too much for normal people, but for a monarch like her, it could only be compared to a generic wine. She felt awkward for being given grat.i.tude like this, so she denied it. "Get up. I only did what I'm supposed to do."

The young man handed her the plate of fruits, "Master, I picked these from the forest. They're all edible and taste good as well."

"This hut, do you know who lives here? " she casually asked as her hand grabbed one fruit and placed it on her mouth. The smile on the young man's face slightly weakened, "The person who lived here was the human who took care of me."

Mu Feng kept on chewing and inquired, "Where is that person now?"

The young man paused and breathed heavily before uttering,

"Killed by that ghost."