Ultraman cubs begin to wreak havoc.

"It seems she has already passed away."

The woman nodded in the darkness. The girl stood in the corner of the hut for a long time before suddenly disappearing, as if she had never been there. After a moment of silence, the woman squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth.

“We ghosts and monsters cannot go to the underworld after death. After we die, we will immediately turn into dust, trees, and rivers.”

"So, why is your daughter here?"

Hearing Iida Ryu's question, the woman's tone was filled with helplessness:

"Because she was killed by a curse."

"Died from a curse?"

A flash of light illuminated the hut in an instant; it was lightning, and it was very close.

Jingtian Jinglong clearly saw the woman's appearance at that moment. After the light, a deafening sound resounded throughout the entire forest. The lightning must have struck near the hut. Jingtian Jinglong waited for the next lightning strike because he wanted to see the woman's appearance one more time—

In that instant, Ida Iryu saw that the woman in front of him was no longer in human form, but in the form of a monster disguised as a woman.

Jingtian Jinglong didn't have to wait long. Before long, the next lightning bolt shone into the thatched hut, and almost at the same time, Jingtian Jinglong's eyes had already captured its true form.

Before Ida Ryu was a thin, white fox, aged and frail, with several tufts branching from the tip of its tail...

It's a fox spirit!

"Samurai, I have a request."

The fox's tone was very calm at this moment.

"Can I ask for help?"

“That’s right. I was watching you fight that demon the whole time. But because I had a request for your help, I took the liberty of rescuing you from the forest.”

What do you ask for?

After Jingtian Jinglong agreed, the fox took a deep breath and said, word by word:

"I beg you to cut me down like that demon!"

The third clap of thunder sounded, and the fox raised its face, gazing intently at Ida Iryu with its long, narrow eyes, awaiting a reply. Ida Iryu remained silent, waiting for the fox to explain the situation. The fox seemed to understand his thoughts and began to tell its story:

"This forest originally belonged to us foxes. Although now, even the trees here eat human corpses and are tainted with filth, long ago, this forest was filled with a peaceful and serene atmosphere. We ourselves do not know what we were like before we became fox demons."

"All we know is that only two people in our tribe are allowed to live in this forest. We don't know who gave us permission. In short, living in this forest is perhaps our innate destiny."

"We two are inseparable. When we fox spirits marry, we only have one child. If the child is male, we will send it away from here to embark on its own journey once it grows up. Our ancestors told us that we do this firstly so that our bloodline can continue in other lands, and secondly so that there won't be too many fox spirits in the same area, which would lead to mutual hatred and killing."

"Because this is a tradition passed down through generations, my husband and I will also abide by it. If we give birth to a female, when she grows up, my husband and I will merge into one and become a new male fox spirit. After the transformation, we will then form a bond with our daughter and reproduce. This is how we fox spirits live, constantly repeating the cycle. No matter how time changes, for us, this is the most normal and proper way of life."

“My husband and I had a daughter. She was the little girl from earlier. Every night at midnight, she would appear in the hut and stand there for a moment. She was healthy and grew up carefree from a young age. Just as my husband and I were about to become one, he came to this forest.”

At this point, the fox's expression changed. Jing Tianjinglong couldn't tell if it was resentment or helplessness, but the fox's tone remained unchanged:

"At that time, he was just a child. Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be less than ten years old. I don't know where he heard the rumors, but he came to this forest to take our lives. What he wanted was the powerful life force of our fox demon clan, which could continue indefinitely. Before him, many other petty villains came to the forest, wanting to steal our life force. They were either human or demon, but we knew the forest like the back of our hand. With just a little illusion magic, we could wipe them out without lifting a finger."

"But he was different. The moment he uttered the incantation, the forest that was supposed to be helping us fox spirits seemed to descend into madness. He killed my husband so easily that none of us could believe it. He stained his entire body with my husband's blood, and then chanted a new incantation. In the blink of an eye, his body began to change. Before long, he transformed from a small child into a robust adult man."

"After the transformation, he looked at me and stretched out his palm. I saw it clearly with my own eyes. I saw a terrifying eye suddenly grow out of his palm. Before I could react, the eye in his palm suddenly emitted a black light and attacked my daughter and me. I protected my daughter and used my body to block the black light. At that time, I didn't care about my own life or death. I only hoped that my daughter could save her life. I had no other desires."

"However, after being struck by the black light, I was unharmed. I don't know what he did to us, or what happened. By the time I could see clearly, it was too late. My daughter in my arms was already lifeless... Yes, he was trying to kill my daughter. He used a spell to spare my life, killing only my daughter."

As she spoke, a hint of resentment crept into the fox's voice; this unpleasant memory revealed some of her monstrous nature.

“I attacked him like a madman, but his magic was truly superb. Not only could I not get close to him, but he also immobilized me. Kill me!” I yelled at him. “Now I have no hope of living and I have lost the strength to live. Kill me!” I could only keep yelling at him.

"But he looked at me and mocked, 'I want you to live.'"

He continued:

"You must live and taste all the pain."

After saying that, he left my forest.

Because of our nature, we demons cannot take our own lives. In the human world, people often commit suicide to follow their loved ones after they die, but we demons cannot do that. I can neither commit suicide nor fulfill our destiny, so I can only add to my years.

Later, the wandering evil spirit settled in this forest without an owner. However, ghosts don't fight each other for no reason. It usually came down the mountain to abduct and eat people. Although it was somewhat wary of me, it understood the etiquette of first come, first served, and there was never any unpleasantness between us.

However, this demon possessed unparalleled martial arts skills, and every time it came to the forest to kill someone, that person died at its hands. These people were likely many renowned warriors, and the demon grew stronger day by day after eating their flesh and drinking their blood.

However, you dismembered the ghost in the blink of an eye, and of course, you were also seriously injured in the duel. Please don't take offense at me for saying this, but fortunately, the ghost wasn't killed because you were seriously injured.

It dispersed its resentment, hiding under the roots of several trees where you dismembered it. This ghost's obsession runs deep; it must be preparing for resurrection someday. But resurrection is no easy task. Moreover, it needs a substitute body, so it seems hopeless.

Let's not talk about him anymore. My mind is made up. You can kill us monsters with your blade. I think I can die a quick and painless death in your hands.

"I hope you can help me get rid of the pain I've endured these past years, no, I should say the pain I'll suffer for the rest of my life."

Jingtian Jinglong closed his eyes and listened quietly to the fox's story.

"When you have fully recovered and are able to wield your sword again, please do help me."

Finally, the fox lowered its head deeply and pleaded with Ida Ryu.

Thunder and lightning struck again.

Jingtian Jinglong and the fox fell silent.

Finally, Ida Iryu broke the silence.

"I agree."

After saying that, the fox lowered its head even further.

Its thin shoulders trembled incessantly.

Before long, the trees began to stir, but this stirring was not the bloodthirsty stirring of the past. This time, it was because they had lost their master and were filled with bewilderment.

Ida Iryu arrived at the low ground where he was fighting the demon. He took a deep breath and then channeled his strength into his dantian. Although it was not yet at his usual level, Ida Iryu's whole body was full of power at this moment.

Next, Jinglong concentrated his mind and entered the state of 'nothingness'. Jinglong stood there silently for a while, as if he had transformed into a big tree.

A sudden gust of wind arose. Leaves, carried by the wind, fell from the branches and danced wildly in the air. Ida Iryu drew his sword, and the blade, guided by his hand, traced supple lines in the air.

After finishing the attack, Ida Iryu sheathed his sword.

The time has not yet come.

Thinking of this, Jingtian Jinglong turned and left, and after he left, leaves fell on the spot where he had stood.

Ten leaves fell from the branches, but nineteen reached the ground. One of them, just like when it fell from the tree, was not cut in two, indicating that Jingtian Jinglong still needs some time to recover and regain his previous strength.

So, Jing Tianjinglong and the fox demon spent several more days under the same roof. During these days, the fox demon took good care of him, and thanks to her meticulous care, Jing Tianjinglong's injuries healed faster than expected.

When Jing Tianjinglong returned to the thatched hut, the fox demon was preparing dinner.

"I caught a big salmon today."

As the fox spirit spoke, she smiled at Jing Tianjinglong.

"understood."

After giving a completely emotionless reply, Ida Iryu sat down cross-legged.

How is your recovery going?

"Ah."

Iida Iryu answered without any hesitation.

"It has recovered to about 90%."

"In that case, you can wield the knife now, right?"

"can."

Hearing this, the fox demon fell silent, and soon the aroma of roasted salmon wafted from the thatched hut.

Then, as night fell...

"warrior."

Jing Tianjinglong, who had already lain down to go to bed, heard the fox demon's call.

"What's the matter?"

Jingtian Jinglong replied with his eyes closed.

"I wonder how outsiders view us."

The fox demon's question surprised Jing Tianjinglong somewhat. After hesitating for a moment, he said:

Outsiders should treat you and me as husband and wife.

“Husband and wife...”

"Indeed, outsiders might think that we are a couple who live deep in this forest for some reason, and are somewhat different from ordinary people."

The fox demon relit the paper lamp that had been extinguished, and the dim light slowly enveloped the woman who was the fox demon in disguise in the darkness.

With her long, flowing hair and translucent skin, her slender eyes held not only alluring charm but also a hint of helplessness.

"Let me tell you the truth."

The fox demon gazed at the lamp and spoke quietly.

"Ever since you arrived, I've started pretending to be human and learning how to live. At first, I actually found it quite troublesome. However, in the last two days..."

"The last two days?"