Chapter 1197: Another Peerless Beauty
According to Ye Zhiqiu, over the past year or so, he had largely cleared out the demons within the territory of Tongyou City. Apart from those hiding extremely well and those who secretly fled after catching wind of his presence, very few demons remained within Tongyou City.
However, this so-called clearing did not mean slaughter; only a very small number of demons had died at Ye Zhiqiu's hands for various reasons. The rest were brought back to the Guardian District by Ye Zhiqiu; some were forced, but others also voluntarily returned with him.
Precisely because there were so few demons left in Tongyou City, Ye Zhiqiu hadn't found any prey for a long time. He was therefore preparing to give up his search in Tongyou City, as continuing would be largely meaningless and a waste of time. So, he simply decided to return to the Guardian District first to report back to Yang Haoran, explain the situation within Tongyou City, and then await Yang Haoran's arrangements.
But what he hadn't expected was that just as he decided to leave Tongyou City, he sensed a faint, almost imperceptible trace of Demon Qi. Had his cultivation not been high enough, and had Demon Hunters not been exceptionally sensitive to Demon Qi, he would never have detected such a faint wisp.
Since he only sensed a faint wisp of Demon Qi, Ye Zhiqiu couldn't determine whether the demon's strength was great or weak. It could have been just a minor demon of low power, but it could just as well have been a powerful demon concealing its true strength.
However, whether it was a minor demon or a powerful one, since he had sensed the presence of Demon Qi, Ye Zhiqiu certainly wouldn't let the opportunity pass. After all, his main purpose for staying in Tongyou City was demon hunting; what sense would it make to detect Demon Qi and not investigate?
He didn't secretly approach the location of the Demon Qi; instead, he directly tore through space, arriving at his destination via spatial teleportation.
He did this partly because he didn't want to waste time, allowing his target a chance to escape, and partly because he couldn't be bothered to sneak around, feeling there was no need for such caution.
Although the fox demoness's beauty greatly surprised Ye Zhiqiu, it did not cause him to lose his composure, nor did he become infatuated. Faced with the fox demoness's striking beauty, Ye Zhiqiu not only remembered who he was but also didn't forget his purpose for coming here.
Ye Zhiqiu's arrival also greatly surprised the fox demoness, for she sensed the Star Spirit Power emanating from his body and knew Ye Zhiqiu was a Demon Hunter. She hadn't expected that despite her extreme caution, she would still be discovered, and by none other than their sworn enemies, the Demon Hunters. This filled her with both surprise and intense rage—the rage of a demon towards a Demon Hunter.
The fox demoness had just arrived at this place. To avoid attracting attention, the moment she stepped out of the spatial rift, she immediately sealed all the power within her body. Furthermore, before exiting the rift, she hadn't used her full power, only a small fraction, which meant the Demon Power emanating from her was very faint. Even the spatial rift she opened was tiny, barely large enough for her to pass through, ensuring that its appearance caused minimal disturbance and wouldn't easily draw others' attention.
By all accounts, having been so careful, she shouldn't have been discovered. But the facts proved her wrong; she was still found, and her discoverer instantly appeared before her.
She believed the reason she was discovered must have been the faint Demon Power still emanating from her body as she emerged from the spatial rift. The other party must have traced that faint Demon Power to sense her presence and precise location. From this, it was clear that the opponent's perceptive ability was quite astonishing, and such perception was usually proportional to one's own strength. This meant the opponent was, in all likelihood, very powerful.
The fox demoness understood this, yet she did not back down. One reason was her considerable confidence in her own strength; she felt there was absolutely no need for her to flee just because she encountered a Demon Hunter.
Another reason was the deep-seated hatred she held for Demon Hunters. This hatred would not allow her to turn tail and flee the moment she met one.
There was a third reason: it was clear the other party had come for her. Otherwise, why would he have arrived so precisely? Since he was here for her, it was unlikely he would let her leave easily. Even if she chose to flee immediately, she would undoubtedly be obstructed.
It was precisely because of these three considerations that the fox demoness not only refrained from fleeing but instead launched an immediate attack on Ye Zhiqiu.
Ye Zhiqiu hadn't expected the fox demoness to be so decisive, attacking him without an ounce of hesitation. However, his reaction was equally swift, and he immediately counterattacked.
Not long after they clashed, the fox demoness realized that Ye Zhiqiu's strength was a whole realm above hers. Even with her full power, she was no match for him. She knew that if she continued, she would quickly be defeated, so she decisively decided to flee.
Unfortunately, in the face of such a vast power disparity, she was utterly unable to escape Ye Zhiqiu's grasp and was ultimately captured by him.
During his engagement with the fox demoness, Ye Zhiqiu had, in fact, never intended to kill her. Otherwise, the fox demoness wouldn't have merely been captured; she would have tragically died at Ye Zhiqiu's hands long ago.
After capturing the fox demoness, Ye Zhiqiu initially didn't resort to force but instead offered the woman a choice. However, there was only one option: for the fox demoness to accompany him to the Guardian District where Yang Haoran was located. There were no other choices.
Naturally, the fox demoness did not agree, even attempting to escape from Ye Zhiqiu's grasp. So, Ye Zhiqiu wasted no words; he directly sealed the fox demoness's remaining meager power and casually pulled out a mask from his spatial dimension, placing it on her face. The fox demoness's beauty was truly astonishing, even on par with Bai Xue's, and the journey back to the Guardian District was still quite long. To avoid unnecessary trouble on the way, Ye Zhiqiu decisively placed a mask on the fox demoness, concealing her breathtaking countenance.
Ye Zhiqiu's concern was not unfounded. After all, "a beauty who brings disaster" was no joke; when faced with those driven by infatuation, people would do anything for beauty. It wasn't that Ye Zhiqiu feared such individuals, but encountering such trouble would waste his time and affect his mood. Giving the fox demoness a mask was a simple yet effective solution, so he casually did it.
When the fox demoness was forcibly taken away by Ye Zhiqiu, she naturally unleashed a torrent of furious curses. Originally, Ye Zhiqiu had only sealed the meager power within her, but annoyed by her incessant insults, he simply deprived the fox demoness of her ability to speak. Only then did he find some peace. Not until he met Yang Haoran, and at Yang Haoran's prompting, did he restore her ability to speak.
Ye Zhiqiu's account to Yang Haoran, of course, was strictly from his own perspective. As for the fox demoness's inner thoughts and further details about her situation, Ye Zhiqiu naturally wouldn't know. He merely recounted his experiences and his one-sided analysis, relaying everything to Yang Haoran.
Although this information wasn't extensive, it at least allowed Yang Haoran to gain a bit more understanding of the fox demoness. That was a good thing, ultimately, certainly better than having gained no understanding at all.
After telling Yang Haoran everything he knew, Ye Zhiqiu didn't linger in the study. Instead, with a sword slung casually over one shoulder and a bottle of liquor tilted to his lips, he departed with a flourish, leaving Yang Haoran alone.
The next morning, the fox demoness once again arrived at the study, escorted by Xiujuan. Rather than an escort, it was more accurately a supervised delivery, as Xiujuan's primary task was to prevent the fox demoness from escaping. Although Yang Haoran hadn't explicitly stated this mission, given her understanding of him, how could she not know his true intention in asking her to "take care" of the fox demoness?
Throughout the day, the fox demoness had indeed considered escaping, but she abandoned the idea after only a brief attempt. Not to mention the patrolling units within the Guardian District, nor the experts lurking in the shadows, just Xiujuan, who had been constantly by her side, displayed a hint of her abilities that made the fox demoness unable to even conceive of escape. This seemingly ordinary Xiujuan was, in fact, a Ghost who had reached the peak Evil Spirit realm.
If her strength were restored to its peak and not sealed by Ye Zhiqiu, she would certainly dare to contend with Xiujuan. But with her power sealed, apart from her combat skills and physical strength far exceeding ordinary people, her other aspects weren't significantly different from a regular person's. Such meager combat skills and physical strength were utterly insignificant before a peak Evil Spirit Ghost; she knew this very well.
Precisely because of this, she had no choice but to abandon any thoughts of escape, forced to spend an unforgettable yet stifling day under Xiujuan's watchful eye.
Arriving in the study today, the fox demoness had already cleaned herself thoroughly. It wasn't that she had tidied herself according to Yang Haoran's wishes, but rather because she was inherently a clean person. Her dirty appearance and the foul smell she emitted yesterday had truly been unbearable for her. However, at first, her attention had been entirely on Yang Haoran and Ye Zhiqiu, and consumed by rage, she hadn't noticed the issue at all.
It wasn't until a single remark from Yang Haoran awakened her to the fact that she was reeking that she realized her state. This was also why she had followed Xiujuan away; otherwise, she would not have willingly left with Xiujuan yesterday.
Although she had cleaned herself, the fox demoness was still wearing her tattered clothes. They had simply been washed clean, no longer covered in mud and bloodstains like yesterday.
It wasn't that Yang Haoran's Guardian District couldn't produce a single decent outfit. On the contrary, the thoughtful Xiujuan had prepared several sets of clothes made from fine fabric for the fox demoness. However, the fox demoness refused to accept them. Additionally, because her power was sealed, she couldn't open her independent space to retrieve her preferred clothing, so she was forced to wear the washed and dried rags.
Aside from her tattered clothes being somewhat conspicuous, the wounds exposed on the fox demoness's body were equally noticeable.
Following Yang Haoran's instructions, Xiujuan had prepared healing Dānyào for the fox demoness. However, the fox demoness steadfastly refused to take it. Left with no other choice, Xiujuan had to report the matter to Yang Haoran and even suggested whether they should forcibly feed the Dānyào to the fox demoness for her safety.
Yang Haoran did not accept Xiujuan's suggestion, deeming it unnecessary. Anyway, the fox demoness's injuries weren't severe enough to be life-threatening. If she refused to take it, then so be it; this way, he could save a Dānyào. After all, each Dānyào was hard-earned, and if the fox demoness wouldn't eat it, he couldn't find a compelling reason to force her.
Precisely because the fox demoness hadn't taken the Dānyào, the scabs on her various wounds hadn't fallen off, and her internal injuries hadn't recovered much either.
However, the tattered clothes worn by the fox demoness and her wounds were not her most conspicuous features. Her most striking attribute was her flawless, exquisite face. Anyone with weak resolve, glancing at that face even once, would find it incredibly difficult to tear their eyes away.
Her exquisite face, paired with her flawless figure, resulted in a combined allure that was far more than a simple one plus one equals two. The charm that erupted was multiplied exponentially, a beauty that made "stunning beyond words" seem insufficient.
Ye Zhiqiu had not exaggerated to Yang Haoran in the slightest; this fox demoness was indeed a peerless beauty!
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