My Evil Wife Is a Nine-Tailed Fox

The school bell rang, a signal that the students were allowed to go home. Since there was no news of another demon invasion in the city lately, Shen Minyao and Li Fei'er didn't feel the need to do anything for now. The fox woman only needed to spar with the grim reaper that was accompanying her recently, instead of her cat guardians. 

The three stood on the rooftop, where students rarely visited. The locks had been enchanted by Shen Minyao, so they were able to stay there while keeping the other humans from entering the place to disturb them. Shen Minyao and Mu Qing decided to take a break from their training to have a word with Li Fei'er for the preparation of their upcoming departure to the north. 

From above, they could see the students chattering among their friends as they left the school premises, one after another. 

"I can spar with you, but I don't think I could be any help for Lady Li. I'm not as knowledgeable as Lord Qin when it comes to utilizing one's power," Mu Qing commented.

"Oh, no, Lord Hell. You really don't need to bother. I know that you're already busy with Yaoyao's training. I can just review my notes while waiting." Li Fei'er waved a hand and smiled awkwardly. Unlike Shen Minyao, she couldn't wield any weapon to protect herself and had only relied on her shikigamis for protection and to attack the other demons. 

"It wouldn't hurt if you consider wielding a weapon, just in case you run out of spiritual powers. First, you need to find an appropriate weapon to use. No matter how good you are, you will lose on the battlefield if you don't possess a good weapon and cannot utilize it to the fullest." Shen Minyao opened her fan and used it to cool herself as she sat on top of the door leading back to the floors below them. 

There was no doubt that as a young shaman, Li Fei'er's skills were way better than those old farts the fox woman had encountered in the past. It was a pity, though… that she wasn't as skilled in weapons unlike Feng Jiu, her predecessor. 

Feng Jiu, although a human and didn't have the spiritual skills as a shaman, was able to fend off lower demons on her own. She didn't rely on Su Daji and other demons in their group to protect herself. She could certainly beat them without any help, so long as she wasn't facing a hundred of them at once. 

"Hmm… I'll ask my dad about it, then. Maybe he would have something that I could use." Li Fei'er hummed in agreement. 

"Right. It would be better if you can also infuse your spiritual power on your weapon," Mu Qing added. 

"Eh? I could do that?" The young shaman blinked upon hearing the grim reaper's words. 

"Technically speaking, it is possible." Shen Minyao yawned behind her hand. "Think of it like an enchantment spell, the same thing demons like us do." 

Li Fei'er gave it a good thought and nodded. She had witnessed Shen Minyao and Lord Hell fight with other demons before, and she noticed that their weapons weren't easily damaged in the middle of the battle. It would also make sense why Qin Zhi's naginata was also able to retain its sharpness after killing so many demons during their hunt. 

"I didn't consider that it's possible," Li Fei'er admitted, "but, thanks! I would surely discuss this with my father." 

She already had an idea she wished to do with her possible weapon. She needed a weapon that could purify the demons upon contact, forbidding them to regenerate and heal their affected body parts in the process. 

"It's good that you have options other than using spells and your shikigamis. I heard from Lord Qin that you've gotten a lot stronger these days. We will be relying on your help once we reach the northern lands," Shen Minyao said. 

Li Fei'er's face lit up. "En! You can rely on me for help!" 

It was rare for Shen Minyao to ask for her help, after all. She wouldn't feel so useless this time around. 

She felt bad that she needed to lie to her family about the short trip she was making with Shen Minyao and Mu Qing, Still, Li Fei'er knew how important it was for them to stop Peng Weijin from gaining traction and getting more demons to his side. 

This was the first time she had encountered a vengeful spirit that was able to turn itself into a full-fledged demon. Just how long had it taken before it reached its current state as a demon? 

From where Shen Minyao was seated, she then spotted two familiar figures making their way out of the school grounds. Shen Qing was following Su Yin, trying to get his attention. However, he pushed her hands away from him. He looked around as if he was looking for someone, and his face fell when he didn't find the person in the crowd. 

Ever since she had dumped Su Yin, the young man had been frantically looking for her. However, the fox woman always made sure to hide herself from the annoying human. 

Did Su Yin just realize the consequences of his actions of hurting the real Shen Minyao's feelings? However, the fox woman thought that it still wasn't enough. Even if Su Yin cried with blood in front of her now, the real Shen Minyao would never return after what Shen Qing had done to her. 

As for Shen Qing, the fox woman wasn't quite done with her yet. She was only allowing Shen Qing to experience helplessness and how it felt to be ignored by the person she cherished the most. 

'Let's see how you would deal with it.' Shen Minyao snickered, fanning herself as she looked at Shen Qing's pained expression when Su Yin disregarded her. The fox woman had no doubt that this selfish little girl would once again push the blame to her. 

Her eyes flashed red as Shen Minyao tried to read Shen Qing's thoughts. She had only realized lately that when Baiyu's power rose, it would also somehow affect that of hers. This ability was one of those. The fox woman could read a human's mind for a limited time. 

'Shen Minyao is the reason why Su Yin is giving me the cold shoulder. Damn her!'

Shen Minyao laughed, making Li Fei'er and Mu Qing wonder what she found amusing just now. 

"Lord Hell, humans are really amusing, don't you think? They are so prideful and greedy. They waste a lot of time on trivial things that aren't fulfilling in the first place. In the end, once they realize that their days are already outnumbered, the regret and realization would come to them too late." She clicked her tongue and shook her head. 

Mu Qing didn't respond. Unlike the fox woman, who was openly cynical with her thoughts about humans; he didn't have much opinion on the atrocities humans would commit every single day. 

Their lives were fleeting. For immortals like him and Shen Minyao, these fleeting lives could be lost in the blink of an eye. However, wasn't that what made human lives precious? 

In his long life as a grim reaper, he had encountered several kinds of humans. Some refused to be taken to the afterlife, begging him to allow them to stay in the mortal realm; while others willingly followed him without a word. However, what Mu Qing hated the most was collecting the lives of young children and infants. These souls were untainted and had yet to commit a sin, but their lives still perished too soon for his liking. 

As for Shen Minyao being cynical, he had already expected this from a demon like her. Her long life as one should have allowed her to witness the way of the humans and how lacking they were. 

While Mu Qing was preoccupied with his own thoughts, Shen Minyao suddenly stood up from where she was seated, her eyes narrowing. 

"Li Fei'er, you better come with me. Now!" She demanded as she leaped from where she stood. 

"What? Why? Where are we going?" Li Fei'er asked as she collected Shen Minyao's and her school bag on the floor. 

"Lu Anqi is in trouble," the fox woman replied as she enchanted the locks, allowing them to leave the rooftop. 

"She's in trouble? What happened? I haven't seen her today. I thought she missed school again." 

"She's here, and she's probably looking for us. We need to hurry as she is being chased." Shen Minyao didn't waste her time and ran down the stairs, with Li Fei'er and Mu Qing following after her. 

When they reached the front gates of the school, Li Fei'er sensed a lot of ghosts coming their way. 

"What's going on?" She asked, but even before Shen Minyao could answer, they spotted Lu Anqi running towards them in her spirit form, shocking Li Fei'er.