At the same time, Atay and Qiu Yongsi had already chased after them. After the other two women escaped from Pingkang Li, they split up and each transformed into a fox in the East Market. One entered the dark East Market, while the other jumped onto a roof and fled to the south. Like an arrow in the dark night, they disappeared without a trace in an instant.
Atay and Qiu Yongsi came out of the alley and slammed on the brakes. Li Jinglong, Hongjun, and Mo Rigen chased after them. Without waiting for them to speak, Li Jinglong said, "You guys go after the one on the roof. We'll go after the one on the ground. Quick!"
Atay and Qiu Yongsi jumped onto the roof and chased after them.
Li Jinglong, Hongjun, and Mo Rigen ran to the deepest part of the East Market, which was closed for the night.
The Carp Demon ran into the Leaning Poem Railing. Everyone was still shivering. A customer hurriedly shouted, "Quickly call the Long Wu Army who is patrolling the city …"
The Carp Demon ran into the crowd and shouted, "Passing Clouds!"
After it finished speaking, it fished out the brocade pouch and scattered the Flower of Departed Souls. Immediately, the surrounding people all sneezed.
"Ha — — Choo!"
"All Things Are Empty!"
The Carp Demon jumped onto the high table in the middle of the hall and scattered the Soul-Leaving Flower Powder.
"Ha — — Choo!"
Immediately after, the Carp Demon jumped up the stairs to the third floor. It shook open the brocade pouch and poured the last of the Soul-Leaving Flower Powder into the hall.
"Time After A Lifetime!"
"Ha — — Choo!"
"Everyone eat, drink, and have fun. I'm leaving now."
The Carp Demon ran out of the window and met up with Hongjun and the others.
The East Market was so quiet that one couldn't even see their own fingers.
Li Jinglong asked in a low voice, "Can you feel the demon aura now?"
Hongjun replied in a low voice, "It's too far. I almost can't see it. Just now, there was a flash of light." Then he pointed to a certain direction.
Mo Rigen stared into the darkness. Li Jinglong asked, "Can you see?"
Mo Rigen frowned. "I can't see. It's too dark."
Mo Rigen's eyesight was extremely good. The arrows on his back were all made of fine steel and engraved with runes. When the sky was high and the sky was vast, a single arrow could bring down a bird from ten thousand miles away. However, in this pitch-black market, he couldn't use his eyesight.
"It also seems to be … there." Hongjun turned to the other side, his eyes full of doubts.
"Elder Shi," Mo Rigen patted Li Jinglong's arm and said, "Your sword … is glowing?"
Li Jinglong pulled out the long sword and pointed it in the direction Hongjun pointed. The runes on the long sword emitted a faint light and lit up. Hongjun and Mo Rigen were filled with surprise.
Li Jinglong held the long sword and turned it to another angle. The light on the sword brightened a little, then dimmed again.
"What do you mean?" Hongjun asked curiously.
"This sword can either sense the demon aura or your flying dagger." Li Jinglong answered. He began to move the sword to the left, then to the right. The sword's light slowly caught up with his movements. Then, as Li Jinglong slowly turned the sword in a fan shape, it maintained a stable light.
"This fox is circling." Li Jinglong said, "It's escaping from the East Market. Let's outflank it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the three of them spread out and went in three different directions to outflank it. Foxes were the most cunning, not to mention a demon. Li Jinglong was afraid that if he had any misgivings, it might escape again and he would lose one of Hongjun's flying daggers. He immediately gave the order to not show any mercy if necessary.
Atay and Qiu Yongsi chased along the rooftops. Atay ran until he was out of breath and said, "Brother Qiu, you go first. Let me rest for a while."
Qiu Yongsi looked confused, "I'll go with you. We agreed that I wouldn't catch demons."
Atay, "…"
Atay had no choice but to reluctantly run over, saying, "Why is this elder Shi so fickle? Didn't we agree before … "
"Hehe." Qiu Yongsi reached out and pulled Atay over the rooftops, "I think this Li brat is very smart. It's useless to just be careful. Plans can never keep up with changes. It's better to break the stalemate and throw away the corpse. The fox demon in the hall is unprepared and will reveal itself. We've been investigating for so long, but haven't we found anything? "
"But if we do that," Atay panted, "the higher-ups will be alerted. His life won't be easy."
"Don't worry about it." Qiu Yongsi laughed, "Maybe he already has a backup plan?"
"I don't think so." Atay said.
"Hey, it's here!"
"Let's go, let's go."
The flying daggers flashed and the two of them immediately chased along the rooftops.
The fox with the flying daggers on its shoulders staggered and ran slower and slower. Its escape route followed the East Market and opened up more than half a fan-shaped area. However, Mo Rigen and Hongjun had already silently appeared and blocked its escape route. They were waiting for Li Jinglong to give the signal and immediately take action.
The fox seemed to sense danger. It sniffed the air and stopped.
In an instant, Li Jinglong rushed over and silently swung his sword in the darkness. The fox quickly retreated and roared, spitting out smoke from its mouth!
Immediately after, an arrow pierced through the air and shot into the fog. The fox saw that it couldn't escape and simply released a strong light. A woman's angry voice could be heard, "Shameless mortals! You've gone too far! What have I done to you?! "
"A life for a life." Li Jinglong said coldly, "Do you think the Chang 'an is a place where you can wreak havoc?!"
The fox suddenly rushed out of the fog. Its body had already become ten feet tall. It popped out its sharp claws and pounced towards Li Jinglong!
Li Jinglong immediately raised his sword to block. With a "clang", he was instantly knocked to the ground! He never thought that the fox demon could become so big. It seemed that this demon was extremely daring. Just now, it only wanted to lure them over. Its real purpose was to kill them here!
Mo Rigen's arrow flew over and nailed the fox's shoulder. However, this fox demon was the one that had set fire to the mummified corpse. Its cultivation was extremely high and it was completely unafraid of Mo Rigen's Nailing Seven Arrows!
Its eyes turned blood red and it spat out flames from its mouth. Just as it was about to burn Li Jinglong into charcoal, Hongjun rolled over and rushed over. With a shake of the Rainbow Divine Light, it covered the two of them! In an instant, the fox demon's face was burned by the flames it spat out. It roared in pain!
As soon as the flames were extinguished, the fox demon shockingly knocked over the stall in the quiet market. Li Jinglong grabbed Hongjun and rolled on the ground with him, avoiding the collapsed stall.
"Elder!" Mo Rigen rushed over.
"I'll distract its attention. You guys take its heart." Li Jinglong said and walked out from under the collapsed stall.
Hongjun and Mo Rigen hid under a pile of rubble and looked out. They saw that the fox demon's shoulder was still pierced by Mo Rigen's arrow and Hongjun's throwing knife. It stood up with difficulty and seemed to have used up a lot of its strength.
Hongjun was afraid that it would spit out flames again. He shook the last throwing knife in his right hand and covered his left hand with the Rainbow Divine Light, ready to attack at any time. Mo Rigen patted Hongjun and walked away quietly.
The fox demon panted and looked directly at Li Jinglong. At that moment, Hongjun was extremely nervous.
Li Jinglong was not afraid at all. He walked forward with his sword and said coldly, "Demon, the Exorcism Department of the Tang Dynasty has withered for fifty years. Today, as long as this sword is here, Chang 'an will not be a place for you to act presumptuously!"
After that, Li Jinglong pointed the sword in his hand at the fox demon. The throwing knife on the fox demon's body reacted and lit up with a strong light! The fox demon sneered, "Do you really think you're so great? I might as well tell you, Chang 'an is no longer a place for you humans. Just wait and see … "
Mo Rigen stood at the end of the East Market, on top of a wooden stake, and drew his bow.
Hongjun held the throwing knife tightly. His palms were sweaty.
Li Jinglong was startled. However, at that moment, the fox demon bared its sharp teeth and pounced on Li Jinglong. Its sharp claws reflected the night light. If Li Jinglong was scratched, his stomach would be cut open.
Li Jinglong waved his sword and leaped back. Just at that moment, the sound of horse hooves approached. A group of Long Wu Army soldiers arrived. The leader shouted, "Who dares to act presumptuously at night?!"
Mo Rigen immediately withdrew his arrow. Hongjun immediately turned his head. The moment Li Jinglong leaped back, the fox demon saw the opportunity and rushed toward the approaching Long Wu Army soldiers! Li Jinglong roared, "Run —!"
When the Long Wu Army soldiers saw the huge fox, they thought they were in a dream. They were shocked. Before they could react, the fox demon had already rushed to the middle of the army. In an instant, the soldiers and horses were thrown off their feet. Li Jinglong immediately chased after the fox demon. He jumped along the back of the fox demon and stabbed the back of its neck with his sword!
The horses neighed and fled in all directions. The Long Wu Army soldiers fell to the ground. Li Jinglong roared, "Run!"
The soldiers scrambled to escape. The fox demon was stabbed in the back of its neck. It roared and turned around again, flipping Li Jinglong to the ground. Hongjun could not aim accurately several times. He was afraid that the fox demon had injured Li Jinglong. It was difficult for him to use his throwing knife. When the fox demon's claws came down again, Hongjun only needed to wait for a moment to use his knife. However, he could not ignore Li Jinglong's life. He immediately took off the jade peacock plume from his waist, injected his spiritual power, and threw it close to the ground.
"Don't worry about me!" Li Jinglong shouted.
His sword was stabbed in the back of the fox demon's neck. He had no weapon in his hand. He grabbed the Long Wu Army's spear and used it to break the ordinary soldier into two halves. When Li Jinglong's stomach was about to be cut open, the peacock plume flew over and burst out several divine lights. "Clang, clang, clang!" It blocked the fox demon's claws.
Then, Hongjun shouted, "Hit!" The flying dagger spun as it flew out. Li Jinglong leaned back but the fox demoness was already prepared. She knew that Hong Jun was waiting by the side for a sneak attack. With a flip of her body, she ignored the flying dagger that stabbed into her abdomen and charged at Hong Jun!
Li Jinglong immediately turned around and ran to save him. Hongjun flew to dodge. He had scattered his magic weapons. If he was caught like this, he would be seriously injured!
Li Jinglong suddenly hugged Hongjun and pressed him down. The two of them slid close to the ground and avoided the fox demon's body.
In the next moment, another giant beast appeared, releasing a wolf howl. Both of them were shocked. Another giant gray wolf had appeared in the market! The giant beast was as tall as a person, but it was much smaller than the fox demon. It jumped down from the side of the roof and bit the fox demon's neck. Its canine teeth sank deeply into the fox demon's neck!
"What is this?" Hongjun was shocked.
"Now!" Li Jinglong shouted.
Hongjun instantly came back to his senses. He waved his sword fingers and two throwing knives burst out with the fox demon's blood. The blood splashed all over the sky and flew back to his fingers.
The fox demon flew over their heads. Then, Hongjun held a throwing knife in each hand and threw it with both hands.
"Hit!"
The two throwing knives flickered with light. One of them was cold ice and the other was raging flames. They crossed a short distance and brushed past Li Jinglong's face. With a few strands of hair, they hit the fox demon's chest where its heart was! The cold ice burst out and the raging flames burned. The fox demon's heart suddenly exploded, turning into a charred bloody hole. There were even ice crystals hanging around it!
It was still struggling in midair. The blood-red light in its eyes dimmed, and its body shrank rapidly. With a swish, it turned into a small fox in the mouth of a giant wolf. The two flying daggers, several arrows, and a sword on its body fell to the ground one after another with a clatter.
The giant wolf spat out the small fox into its mouth. It quietly looked at Hongjun and Li Jinglong.
Li Jinglong pulled Hongjun up. Hongjun suddenly said, "Is it Mo Rigen?"
The giant wolf made a "ha" sound. Its mouth opened a little and there seemed to be a smile in its eyes.
The guards of the Long Wu Army stood up in shock. Li Jinglong signaled to Hongjun that they would talk about this later and go over to check first.
"Officer Li!" Everyone greeted him one after another. Their expressions were clearly different from when Li Jinglong was in the Dragon Martial Army. Their eyes were filled with shock and fear, and their admiration could be seen at a glance. There were many of his old subordinates among them.
Li Jinglong asked them one by one. After confirming that no one was injured, he looked back at Hongjun and asked, "Where's the fish? Let them smell some Soul Leaving Pollen. "
The Carp Demon dragged a brocade bag over and said, "It's gone."
Li Jinglong, "…"
"Wow! Demon — —! "Everyone was scared to death.
"Three thousand two hundred taels of silver! It's gone after one time?! "Li Jinglong's image was suddenly destroyed.
The Carp Demon hurriedly argued, "You sucked three and a half taels of silver last time. There's less than eight taels left in the bag …"
Li Jinglong remembered and could only give up. Everyone was shocked when they saw Li Jinglong scolding a demon.
"What happened tonight, other than Commander Hu, don't tell anyone." Li Jinglong could only instruct, "Tomorrow I will go to the Long Wu Army and personally report it. If there's any noise later, inform the brothers and don't worry about it. "
Everyone nodded. Li Jinglong didn't know if the Soul Leaving Flower would work. He could only admit that he was unlucky and think of a way to remedy it.
"Then …"
After the Long Wu Army left, Li Jinglong looked at Hongjun and the giant wolf and said, "Let me see if you're hurt."
Both of them were fine. Hongjun only scraped his elbow when he fell to the ground. This was the first time Hongjun had such a fierce battle since he left the mountain, so he didn't recover for a while.
At this time, a fireball rose in the distance like fireworks. Everyone immediately turned their heads.
"Caught it." Li Jinglong said, "Let's go."
"Ride on my back." Mo Rigen, who had transformed into the Grey Wolf, saw that Hongjun was a bit tired and said, "I'll carry you."
Hongjun rode on the Grey Wolf's back and was carried north. Li Jinglong followed behind quickly.
"Mo Rigen?" Hongjun asked in a low voice.
"Hm?" The Grey Wolf stopped and turned its head slightly.
Hongjun motioned for it to continue and asked, "Are you a demon?"
"Sort of." The Grey Wolf answered, "There hasn't been a person with the Grey Wolf's transformation in the clan for nearly a hundred years. I don't know what I am either. Don't tell Atay and the others."
The Grey Wolf didn't seem to want Li Jinglong to hear too much. When they arrived in front of a courtyard, it arched its body and leaped onto the courtyard wall and onto the roof.
At this time, the dark clouds in Chang 'an gradually parted and the moonlight shone brightly. The Grey Wolf carried the young man and ran silently along the roof.
"You're not going to take me in, are you?" The Grey Wolf suddenly said.
Hongjun laughed and leaned close to its ear and said, "I'm also half a demon."
"Hm?" The Grey Wolf seemed to be very surprised. It shook its ear and said, "But I don't think you look like one."
"My father is a …"
"Shh." The Grey Wolf answered, "There's no need to say more. My father said that there isn't much difference between a demon and a human. There's only the difference between good and evil."
The Grey Wolf stopped and stood on the roof. It looked around and found the bloodstains on the ground. It found the direction.
"Hongjun." The Grey Wolf asked again, "Have you seen a glowing White Deer?"
Hongjun said, "Hm?" He used to live in Taihang Mountains. There were many deer, but he had never seen the White Deer described by the Grey Wolf. After answering, the Grey Wolf didn't say anything else.
"The main reason I came to Chang 'an is to find it." The Grey Wolf said, "If you know the whereabouts of the White Deer, remember to remind me …"
After Mo Rigen transformed into the Grey Wolf, he still had a leather belt, a bow, and a quiver on his back. It wasn't easy to ride on the wolf's back. Hongjun almost slipped off a few times. He had to hold on tightly to the belt.
There were flashes of light in the distance. They were close to the Imperial City. The Grey Wolf let Hongjun get off, stood up slowly, and transformed back into Mo Rigen. Hongjun was still looking back at Li Jinglong. Li Jinglong got a horse from somewhere and rode it over. He took a shortcut to catch up with the two.
"They're coming!" Qiu Yongsi and Atay leaned against a wall.
Hongjun asked, "Where's my knife?"
Atay looked innocent and pointed inside.
Qiu Yongsi said, "We hurt it with a fireball, but it jumped into the Imperial Palace …"
Atay said, "I hurt it with a fireball. Brother Qiu, you didn't do anything!"
"… We didn't dare to chase after it." Qiu Yongsi explained, "We were afraid of causing trouble for you, so we said we'd ask you first when you came."
Li Jinglong also arrived. He jumped off his horse. After knowing that the fox escaped into the Imperial Palace, he was stunned.
"You …" Li Jinglong almost died of anger, "How could you let it escape like that?"
"It hasn't escaped yet." Atay said, "You want to go in and catch it?"
If the fox demon escaped into the Imperial Palace, how could they find it in such a big place like Xing Qing Palace? Li Jinglong frowned and looked at Atay and Qiu Yongsi. The two just smiled, as if they had a tacit understanding. At that moment, Li Jinglong understood their intention. He had to nod his head meaningfully.
… They divided into two groups. One of them escaped to the East Market, which was a trick to lure the enemy. The other one escaped to a place where there might be reinforcements. In other words, the reinforcements were in the Imperial Palace? Atay and Qiu Yongsi obviously didn't kill it. They just followed it all the way to see where it escaped to.
In other words, it was very likely that there were demons lurking in the Imperial Palace.
However, Hongjun's flying dagger was still nailed to the fox demon. Since he promised him, he must find a way to do it.
Li Jinglong's mind was filled with countless thoughts. Suddenly, his ears caught a very subtle sound.
It was quiet at night. In the late autumn, the insects' chirping disappeared. The wind didn't blow in Chang 'an. Just about a hundred steps away, the sound was particularly clear. It was the sound of the flying dagger hitting the tiles. The fox was hiding on the eaves of the back hall of Xing Qing Palace.
Hongjun was about to say something, but Li Jinglong made a "shh" gesture. He held his breath and listened quietly. A series of subtle sound was heard again.
"It didn't go far. It's hiding on the roof of the back hall. It's pulling out your flying dagger." Li Jinglong whispered. "I heard it."
"It's useless." Qiu Yongsi shook his head. "As soon as we get close to it, it runs away. The fox demon is too smart. If something happens in the Imperial Palace, we can't deal with it. "
Li Jinglong took off the bow on his back. Everyone looked at him with surprise.
"My arrow is a mortal weapon. It can't kill demons." Li Jinglong said to Mo Rigen, "I'll borrow your arrow."
Mo Rigen couldn't believe it. "You can hit it?!"
Hongjun had been playing with flying daggers since he was young. Naturally, he knew how difficult it was. Previously, the other four people couldn't hear what Li Jinglong said. But even if they could, it was a hundred steps away. Hongjun couldn't rely on just listening to the sound to hit the target.
"Let's try it." Li Jinglong gently pulled the bow in the darkness.
He tilted his head and tried to distinguish the sound a hundred steps away. When he was young, his equestrian archery skills were one in a hundred. He often boasted that he was the descendant of the Flying General Li Guang. Unfortunately, time passed and he was looked down upon for many years. He didn't have the chance to go to the battlefield. Usually, he regarded his performance archery skills as a monkey show for the nobles. He didn't want to use them.
Over time, his skills were no longer mentioned. The Li family couldn't prove its origin, so he became the laughing stock of Chang 'an.
At this moment, he was very nervous. The hand that pulled the bow was still trembling slightly.
On the roof of the back hall of Xingqing Palace, the fox demon seemed to sense danger. It looked at the endless darkness behind the high wall. It raised its claws and retreated slightly.
"Let's go back first." Hongjun whispered in the darkness. "We can find it. Elder Shi, I still have two more. It's not a problem."
Li Jinglong took a deep breath and pulled the bow again. He looked sideways at Hongjun and looked at him. At this moment, he heard the soft sound of tiles colliding.
In an instant, Li Jinglong decisively released the bow!
An arrow flew out without a sound and broke through the willow trees in the palace. With a clear sound, the willow leaves flew into the air like a shooting star. After flying a hundred steps, the fox that was a hundred steps away was shot in the abdomen without a sound and blood spurted out.
After a long time without hearing a whine, Li Jinglong sighed tiredly. When he looked at Hongjun again, his eyes were full of guilt.
"I haven't practiced for a long time. I'm rusty." Li Jinglong frowned. His eyes were full of anxiety. He just wanted to break the bow in his hand.
When everyone was about to comfort Elder Shi that he had done a good job tonight —
— the fox rolled down along the roof of the palace.
There was a sound of water in the pond in the back hall.
"It hit?" Mo Rigen was shocked.
"It hit." Hongjun said, "I'll go in and look for it."
Hongjun immediately threw out the hook and jumped into the courtyard wall. Everyone looked at Li Jinglong in a daze.
"Come out immediately after you find it!" Li Jinglong said.
After a moment, Hongjun jumped out and threw out the third fox. It was pierced through the right side of its chest by the arrow and was dying. Li Jinglong was relieved and smiled. "I promised you that I would find the knife."
Li Jinglong had never laughed in front of everyone. His laugh made the atmosphere a little awkward. Everyone looked at each other. Atay and Qiu Yongsi couldn't accept what happened tonight. They were dumbfounded.
"You look good when you laugh, Elder Shi." Hongjun smiled. "Don't always be so serious."
Li Jinglong coughed unnaturally and said coldly, "Let's go. We'll talk about it when we get back."
Everyone followed Li Jinglong back to the Exorcism Department.