Chapter 121: Retribution

(Well, I’m posting a long chapter directly—finally got the car back today, and my mood is much lighter! It’s a new week, so I’m asking for recommendation votes and monthly votes!)

Hearing a chilling laugh ring in his ears, Li Yifeng’s legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground, his thighs trembling uncontrollably. "Who... who exactly are you? What do you want?"

He truly could not fathom why he had encountered this stranger for no reason, nor did he have any clue as to the person’s identity.

A jackal stood upright on its hind legs just three paces in front of him, its eyes glowing with a ghostly blue light. "If you don't want to suffer more, follow me obediently!"

Having said this, the creature turned around and began to walk up the mountain path.

A flash of malice darted through Li Yifeng’s eyes. As he scrambled to his feet, he reached into his robes and pulled out a three-finger-wide dagger, which he silently hid up his sleeve.

"Keep up!"

Seeing he hadn't moved, the jackal grew impatient and turned back, preparing to snap at Li Yifeng’s lapel with its jaws.

Li Yifeng suddenly lunged, his hand moving like lightning as he plunged the dagger toward the jackal’s throat.

*Swish!*

The blade struck with fierce precision, burying itself deep into the jackal's neck.

*Awoo...*

The jackal let out a pained howl and tried to lash out with its claws, but Li Yifeng kicked it hard in the chin, sending it tumbling to the ground, where it lay struggling and unable to rise.

Li Yifeng stood panting, his face flushed and distorted with a savage expression. "You idiot, you want me to follow you? In your dreams!"

He dared not linger; this place was no longer safe. As for whatever mishap had befallen the mountain bandits, he no longer cared—saving his own life was paramount. He turned and sprinted down the mountain, covering ground as fast as he could.

It was late, but fortunately, the sky was bright with stars and a crescent moon, providing enough light to see the path and avoid tripping over rocks.

*Heh-heh-heh!*

Suddenly, a bone-chilling, raspy laugh erupted from the woods. A large bird flapped out and circled above Li Yifeng’s head—it was an owl!

The owl’s eyes were large and round, fixed intently on the fleeing man below. It opened its beak and suddenly spoke: "Do you really think you can get away?"

Li Yifeng’s heart plummeted into an icy abyss. The terror of the unknown gripped his soul like a giant hand. What was happening? When had he ever offended such a being?

*Heh-heh!*

Before he could respond, the owl dove, its talons clawing at his face and leaving several bloody gashes. The man cried out in agony, waving his dagger wildly in the air.

*Heh-heh!*

The owl swooped from a clever angle, pecking sharply at his wrist and instantly gouging out a bloody hole. Li Yifeng lost his grip on the dagger, and it clattered to the ground.

With his weapon gone, Li Yifeng had no defenses left. He dropped to his knees and begged tearfully, "Immortal, please spare me! Great Immortal, have mercy!"

He knew nothing of spirit possession or supernatural transformations; it was as if something from another world had suddenly manifested before him, leaving him entirely powerless to resist. Since he couldn't fight, he could only kneel and beg. He prayed that this was just a case of mistaken identity, or perhaps he had inadvertently offended some powerful cultivator while climbing the mountain, and this was merely a minor punishment.

"Despicable wretch, I will never trust you again."

The voice sounded like a child expressing frustration at being deceived, but the owl’s actions were ruthless. It dove again, its sharp claws carving a row of bloody marks into the other side of Li Yifeng’s face.

Li Yifeng covered his face and howled in pain. His once handsome features were now shredded, and even half of his elegant, three-strand beard had been torn away. Blood and tears streamed down his face. The man who usually carried himself with the overbearing air of a ruthless tycoon now looked like a pathetic, beaten bear, in a state of utter wretchedness.

***

Mortals are, after all, mere mortals. Even the current Emperor, if stripped of his protection, would be nothing but dust before a cultivator. Secular power and intimidation hold little weight against true practitioners.

The only reason Li Yifeng dared to move against Lu Xiyao was that he perceived her to be helpless, with no one to rely on. He had dismissed the two scholars from Jiangzhou entirely, and he had only minor concerns regarding Master Huangfu—far from genuine fear. He never imagined that the world was not as simple as he believed.

How could a world inhabited by demons and spirits ever be simple?

What was even more complex was that Master Huangfu and his daughter were foxes who had attained cultivation, hiding in plain sight within the mortal realm—a fact that was utterly absurd and unfathomable. It was unimaginable that foxes would forgo deep-mountain cultivation to instead become merchants, bustling about and haggling over trifles.

Thus, even though Li Yifeng was ambitious and possessed high-level political cunning, all such maneuvers were merely child’s play, a farce in the face of power that transcended reality.

The owl continued to dive, its claws and beak adding wound after wound to Li Yifeng’s body. The man was helpless, eventually collapsing onto the mountain path, gasping for breath and unable to move. *Am I really going to die at the hands of an owl? What an utter absurdity!*

Contemplating the sheer ridiculousness of it all, he almost let out a bitter laugh.

Then, with a flutter of wings, the owl flew away.

*Huh?*

Li Yifeng was stunned. Was it, as he had hoped, merely a warning? He struggled to rise, but every inch of his body ached, and even the slightest movement sent stabs of pain through his heart. Having lived a life of luxury, he had never endured such suffering. He decided to lie still; if they truly wanted him dead, he couldn't escape anyway. He would wait for reinforcements.

*Zhang Ziran might have run off, but the two guards would surely call for help.*

*Clack, clack, clack...*

After an indeterminate amount of time, the sound of footsteps echoed on the silent mountain path, approaching from above.

*Ah, could it be the bandits coming down? No, there are only two sets of footsteps, and they sound light...*

Li Yifeng quickly discerned the difference. Regardless, any sound of human presence was a turning point. He pushed himself up with his hands, ignoring the pain, and looked up—

The first thing he saw was a face of delicate, sorrowful beauty, followed by another, bright and cunning features. Two distinct, beautiful maidens, like forest sprites or celestial beings, appeared before him.

"You... you two!"

Li Yifeng was struck with shock and doubt—he had never seen Lu Xiyao’s true face before.

"My surname is Lu. My father is Lu Xiping."

At the mention of that name, Li Yifeng’s mind went blank, swirling with a chaotic storm of thoughts that refused to settle.

In many matters, even those directly involved are left in the dark, let alone an outsider like him. Confused, he only knew that something beyond his control had definitely occurred.

"Dear niece..."

After these words left his dry lips, he didn't know what else to say.

"Hahaha!"

Lu Xiyao suddenly burst into laughter, a sound so desolate, so cold—years ago, Li Yifeng and Lu Xiping had been dear friends; Li Yifeng had even held the young Lu Xiyao in his arms.

But that was a lifetime ago, so long ago that it had been forgotten, and could never be remembered again. The friendship between Lu Xiping and Li Yifeng had ended in the ruin of a family, proving the old adage: "You can know a person’s face, but not their heart." Or perhaps, the human heart is simply the most difficult thing to fathom, as it changes with the environment like drifting clouds.

"Tsk, tsk. And you call yourself a scholar? All those sagely books you’ve read must have been eaten by dogs. How can your skin be so thick? I’m truly curious, how does a beard even grow on such a thick face?"

Jiao Na mocked him, though she secretly regretted not tearing his mouth off earlier. Needless to say, the jackal and the owl had been Jiao Na’s handiwork. To spare Lu Xiyao from the shock of seeing such supernatural sights, she had meditated, sent her spirit out to possess the creatures, and thoroughly punished Li Yifeng before bringing Lu Xiyao down to claim her own revenge.

Hearing the word "scholar," Li Yifeng suddenly recalled his status and shouted, "I am a Juren! I have official rank! If you dare to offend me, aren't you afraid of the Imperial Court’s wrath and the execution of your entire clan?"

Jiao Na sneered, "The Imperial Court? Hmph, the Court is like dung to me. If it weren't so filthy, I would have stepped on it long ago."

Li Yifeng was horrified, pointing at her, "You... whose daughter are you, to speak such treasonous nonsense?"

Jiao Na looked at him as if he were an idiot and couldn't be bothered to argue. "Sister Lu, it’s getting late. Do it. The Master is waiting for us to return."

Lu Xiyao tensed. Now that her enemy was before her, she hesitated, stepping forward with uncertain movements.

"Go to hell, all of you!"

Li Yifeng suddenly screamed, lunging up. Blood-stained and disheveled, he grabbed a fist-sized rock he had spotted and swung it at Lu Xiyao’s head with the ferocity of a demon. He had been saving his strength, and seeing only two young girls, a flicker of hope had ignited—surely, dealing with two girls would be a piece of cake? One strike each, and they’d be finished.

"Watch out!" Songniang warned.

"Do you think you're impressive just because you grabbed a broken rock? Damn you, take this!"

Having seen his trick, Jiao Na was prepared. She flicked her foot from beneath her skirt, landing a heavy kick squarely on Li Yifeng’s chest. The force was immense; he was sent flying two yards back. With a dull *thud*, he slammed into a thick tree trunk, his skull cracking and his neck snapping instantly. He was dead.

"Oh dear, I kicked too hard. Sister Lu, look..."

Jiao Na had wanted Lu Xiyao to take her own revenge, but she had ended it with a single kick.

"Sister Jiao Na, thank you!"

Tears streaming down her face, Lu Xiyao threw herself into Jiao Na’s arms. Seeing her enemy lying dead, her vengeance achieved, she was overwhelmed with a mixture of sorrow and relief. Whether she had dealt the blow herself mattered little. The important thing was that Li Yifeng was dead, and her parents’ vengeance was complete.

For years, the thought of revenge had coiled in her heart like a viper, denying her peace. After so much painstaking planning, the sudden, twisty way it had been achieved felt like a dream.

Perhaps, as the saying goes, "Good is rewarded with good, and evil with evil." If not, why would Li Yifeng have been so obsessed as to abduct her, leading directly to Jiao Na’s intervention?

It was only a pity for Xiang'er, whose life had been lost.

Thinking of Xiang'er, who was like a sister to her, Lu Xiyao felt a fresh wave of grief. But she wiped her tears, knelt on the path, and kowtowed three times toward the west—the direction where her parents were buried.

"Father, Mother, Xiyao has avenged you. Rest in peace!"

Jiao Na and Songniang watched, deeply moved.

When her emotions finally settled, Lu Xiyao stood up and asked, "Sister Jiao Na, what do we do now?" Li Yifeng was an official, after all; his death would surely draw the scrutiny of the authorities.

Jiao Na replied carelessly, "Sister Lu, don't worry. There are over a dozen bandit corpses in the cave above. Throw this scoundrel’s body in with them. When the officials arrive, they’ll have a headache trying to sort it out."

A scholar sneaking up the mountain in the middle of the night to die alongside bandits was suspicious enough to muddy the waters perfectly. It would be difficult for the Li family to explain. Furthermore, because of her identity as a fox spirit, Jiao Na was the protagonist of a story that transcended standard criminal cases; ordinary bailiffs would never find a lead.

Jiao Na dragged Li Yifeng’s body to the cave and tossed it aside. Songniang, having a sudden inspiration, found a bag of silver in Li Yifeng’s sedan, opened it, and scattered the coins throughout the cave, creating another false trail.

Afterward, Jiao Na carried Lu Xiyao on her back and told her to close her eyes, claiming she would use light-foot skills to return to Hu Village. In truth, it was a Daoist technique—a form of flight that left no trace. With her abilities, she could easily have been a legendary knight-errant.

Lu Xiyao kept her eyes closed, feeling the incredible speed. She admired Jiao Na even more, but she didn't think too much of it. Exhausted and traumatized by the day’s events, she fell asleep on Jiao Na’s back.

She dreamt that Chen Jianchen was carrying her, striding like the wind, leaping over bottomless ravines and traversing vast, sea-like forests.

To ride the dream like a horse, unfettered and free—how wonderful!