48

Leaving Fuxiao City, they traveled eastward for eighty miles until they reached Fox Mountain.

Xie Hanzhu, eager to reach their destination, was unwilling to take a leisurely carriage ride. Once they had exited the city and were sure there was no one around, she formed a hand seal and summoned her spiritual sword.

The three of them flew on their swords, and it wasn't long before they saw the Fox Mountain described by the innkeeper.

Xie Hanzhu flew over the mountain for half a day but saw no foxes, only birds. She landed on the mountain, picked up a stick, and began hitting it against a rock in frustration. "There's not a single fox here."

"This place is probably called Fox Mountain because it resembles a fox," Wen Miaomiao said, pointing to the highest peak to explain to Xie Hanzhu.

"Look at those two strange rocks, don't they look like fox ears?"

Xie Hanzhu squinted at the rocks for a long time, then angrily threw the stick to the ground. "That innkeeper must have been tricking us! There's no white fox, not even a ghost!"

Su Luowei was about to speak when her expression suddenly tightened. She pulled them behind a tree.

The mountain was filled with ancient trees, their thick foliage providing more than enough cover for the three of them.

Following Su Luowei's gaze, Xie Hanzhu saw a white shadow flash past a few moments later.

The white shadow moved at an incredible speed, far faster than any ordinary person!

Xie Hanzhu's eyes widened, and she mouthed silently, "White fox?"

Su Luowei shook her head, indicating she wasn't sure, then gestured for them to follow.

The three of them quickly pursued the direction in which the white shadow had disappeared. When they reached a forest, Su Luowei abruptly stopped and called out, "Who's there?"

There was a rustling in the trees ahead, and amidst the green foliage, a figure in white emerged.

"And who might you be?" a clear male voice responded as a young man walked out of the forest.

The newcomer was a young man dressed in white robes, holding a white folding fan. His appearance was refined, and his demeanor was gentle and composed.

Xie Hanzhu spoke first. "We asked you first."

She eyed the man suspiciously, then leaned closer to Su Luowei and whispered, "Senior Sister, this guy's wearing all white—could he be the white fox?"

Her voice wasn't exactly soft, so the man easily heard her.

He snapped his fan open with a flourish, fanning himself nonchalantly as he smiled. "If that's the case, then you three are even more suspicious. After all, you're all dressed in white too."

From the moment they faced each other, Su Luowei knew this man wasn't a spirit beast in human form but a fellow cultivator. She could sense a familiar aura of a cultivator from him.

"My junior sister is straightforward and means no harm. I hope you won't take offense," she said, bowing slightly with a calm expression. "May I ask for your name?"

Though he hadn't revealed himself as a cultivator, his steady demeanor and the subtle pride in his brow suggested he was a disciple of a prestigious sect.

The man put away his fan, smiled, and returned the bow. "I am Sheng Ruiming of the Dongji Sect. May I ask who you are?"

Dongji Sect.

No wonder Su Luowei found his aura familiar.

Her parents were elders of the Dongji Sect, and Su Luowei had cultivated there since childhood.

There's a saying that you don't hit someone who's smiling at you. Since he had introduced himself politely, Xie Hanzhu dropped her guarded demeanor. "We're from the Qingxu Sect."

The man smiled. "So, fellow cultivators from Qingxu."

Wen Miaomiao asked gently, "As a disciple of Dongji Sect, what brings you to Fuxiao City?"

The Dongji Sect was located on Dongji Island, a considerable distance from here.

It wasn't unusual for cultivators to travel in the mortal world, but given the current situation, his appearance alone in Fox Mountain seemed a bit peculiar.

"I, like you, came to investigate the missing brides in Fuxiao City."

Sheng Ruiming was also a Golden Core cultivator. He explained that he had grown up here and was sent to the Dongji Sect by his parents to cultivate. Recently, he had received a letter from his parents about the strange occurrences in Fuxiao City, so he had requested leave from his sect to return.

He had been at a tea stall outside the city when he overheard the vendor talking about someone seeing a white fox abducting a bride, which had piqued his interest and led him to Fox Mountain.

The four of them searched the mountain but found no trace of the white fox. They decided to return to the city and gather more information.

Back in the city, Su Luowei was planning to take Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao to explore the streets when Sheng Ruiming suddenly suggested, "My family should have some information about the missing brides. If you're free, why not come with me?"

They had suspected that Sheng Ruiming's family was a prominent local family, considering the distance from Dongji Island. The fact that his family could afford to send him there to cultivate suggested they were quite wealthy.

When they followed him to the City Lord's mansion and heard someone shout, "The young master has returned!" they realized that Sheng Ruiming was the City Lord's son.

Of course. The City Lord of Fuxiao City was also surnamed Sheng, with the given name Jing.

The City Lord's mansion was divided into front and back courtyards. The front courtyard was for receiving guests and conducting official business, while the back courtyard was the residence of the City Lord and his family.

Upon hearing that his eldest son had returned, Sheng Jing hurriedly dropped everything and rushed out of the council hall.

Seeing his son, he was overjoyed and hugged Sheng Ruiming tightly. "Ming'er, you're finally back! Was your journey smooth?"

Sheng Ruiming replied, "It was. How is everyone at home? Are you and mother well?"

Sheng Jing's face beamed with pride as he looked at his son. "Everything is fine at home, thanks to the pills you sent back. Your mother and I are much better."

It was then that he noticed the three women behind Sheng Ruiming. "And who might these young ladies be?"

Sheng Ruiming turned and introduced them. "This is my father, Sheng Jing, the City Lord of Fuxiao City. Father, these three are fellow cultivators from the Qingxu Sect, all Golden Core cultivators."

Hearing that the three were from Qingxu, Sheng Jing stiffened. "So, they're immortals from Qingxu."

Su Luowei said, "Upon receiving your letter, our sect leader sent the three of us to assist in resolving the missing brides' cases. Do you have any leads?"

Sheng Jing glanced at his son, then at Su Luowei. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "To be honest, we were just discussing this matter with our advisors. If you don't mind, you're welcome to join us."

A year ago, brides had begun disappearing in the city. There were no warning signs, and they vanished either two days before their wedding or on the day itself.

Xie Hanzhu frowned. "Is there anything these missing brides have in common?"

The advisor shook his head. "Almost none."

Wen Miaomiao, sensing his hesitation, pressed, "Almost?"

After some thought, the advisor added, "If I must say, all the missing brides were known beauties in the city."

Xie Hanzhu exclaimed, "I see! That fox only goes after the pretty ones!"

Su Luowei shot her a look, signaling her to stop speaking. Xie Hanzhu immediately covered her mouth and fell silent.

"We heard from the locals that a white fox was seen abducting these brides. Does the City Lord have any leads on this?" Su Luowei asked, her tone calm, showing no extra respect despite Sheng Jing's position.

"We've heard that Fuxiao City has recruited some rogue cultivators as guests."

Sheng Jing cleared his throat, looking a bit embarrassed. "As you know, Fuxiao City is quite a distance from Qingxu Sect, and it's not easy to travel back and forth. I was worried that if something happened, the immortals might be too busy cultivating to come immediately, so I became close to a few rogue cultivators."

Su Luowei maintained a serious expression. "It sounds like you were thinking of our well-being, not wanting to disturb our cultivation."

Sheng Ruiming knew his father harbored resentment toward Qingxu Sect and was aware of how he had been shirking his tax duties over the years. Detecting the displeasure in Su Luowei's tone, he quickly intervened to ease the tension. "Resolving this issue is the priority. Everything else can wait. Father, do you have any concrete leads?"

Sheng Jing had his men present a brocade box, which, when opened, revealed a tuft of white fur.

Wen Miaomiao picked up a few strands and examined them closely. "Fox fur."

Sheng Jing explained, "This was found in the room where the most recent bride disappeared, discovered by one of our guest cultivators. I'm ashamed to admit that after all this time, this is the only clue we've found. We still haven't located the white fox's lair."

The advisor quickly reassured him, "That white fox has already become a spirit, capable of taking human form and being incredibly cunning. It's no wonder it hasn't been found."

Sheng Ruiming added, "Father, don't worry. I already have a plan to lure the white fox out, but I'll need the help of these fellow cultivators."

Su Luowei responded, "Let's hear it. If it's feasible, we'll do our best to assist."

His gaze lingered on Su Luowei, his eyes gleaming with a hint of mischief as he suddenly asked, "May I know the names of the three of you?"

"Su Luowei of Qingxu Sect's Yanmo Peak, and these are Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao," Su Luowei introduced.

As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed Sheng Ruiming's eyes twinkling with amusement.

"So, it's Junior Sister Luowei," he said with a knowing smile. "I should have mentioned earlier that my master is Elder Su Haocang of Dongji Island."

Su Haocang was Su Luowei's father in the original story.

In other words, he was also her father.

This meant that by seniority, she should address Sheng Ruiming as Senior Brother.

Su Luowei's expression remained calm, showing no reaction to the revelation. She merely glanced at him before shifting her gaze away.

"So, Sheng Daoyou, what's your plan?" she asked, referring to him as "Sheng Daoyou" to distance herself from him.

Sheng Ruiming rubbed his nose, looking slightly embarrassed. "Aside from close family, few people in Fuxiao City know that I'm a cultivator. They think I've been away traveling all this time. So I thought we could spread the word that I've returned home with a woman and plan to marry her next month."

Hearing this, Xie Hanzhu's eyes slowly widened. Even Wen Miaomiao looked surprised.

Sheng Ruiming paused, watching Su Luowei's expression closely. Seeing that she didn't immediately refuse, he continued, "I'd like to ask Junior Sister to help me play a part in this."

After refusing Sheng Ruiming's offer to escort them, Su Luowei left the City Lord's mansion with a thoughtful expression.

Watching her, Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao exchanged several glances before Xie Hanzhu finally couldn't hold back. "Senior Sister… Are you really going to pretend to marry him?"

Su Luowei glanced at her, her tone neutral. "It's one possible plan."

But she didn't say whether she would or wouldn't.

The three returned to the inn, climbed the stairs, and were about to go to their rooms to rest when a little girl suddenly appeared from around the corner on the second floor, running straight to Su Luowei and hugging her leg tightly. She sweetly called out,

"Mother!"

Su Luowei's face paled.