How did I, who just ascended to heaven, become an evil spirit?

Qi Yuehong lowered her head, her expression full of shame.

"Alright." Li Hu patted his shoulder and began to examine Qi Yuehong's wounds.

Qi Yuehong is a hundred-year-old evil spirit. Its true form is a moon ghost that possessed the body left behind when it became an immortal. The situation is similar to Li Hu's. The injuries on this body are just minor. The wounds will disappear after being exposed to the moon.

Its current near-death state clearly indicates that the Moon Demon's true form has been severely injured.

But Li Hu had only recently become an evil spirit and had no idea what to do with his appearance. So he reached out and channeled some of his inner energy into Qi Yuehong's body, keeping her alive. Then he asked the people around him:

Do you have any ideas?

Old Yuan was so anxious that he scratched his head and couldn't say anything.

Wong Tai Sin shook his head. He didn't even know how the injury came about, let alone how to treat it. He had absolutely no idea.

"I! I have a way!"

At this moment, Chi Yue's expression softened somewhat, and she spoke.

"My house is nearby, really nearby! My grandma is a rat cultivator; she's very knowledgeable and experienced, she'll definitely have a solution!"

Li Hu frowned and asked, "The rat cultivator is also a mortal. How can you be so sure she has a way?"

"Grandma Rat is 124 years old this year. She once signed a contract with a Rat Fairy, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a half-deity!"

Chi Yue was slightly agitated. "Brother, believe me! I wouldn't joke about something like this!"

Li Hu really had no other good options at the moment. The only thing he could do was use his inner energy to keep Qi Yuehong alive, but that wasn't a long-term solution, so he had no choice but to nod in agreement.

"Then let's set off quickly," Li Hu said.

……

So everyone followed Chi Yue and jogged along.

Chi Yue led the way, Huang Daxian carried Qi Yuehong on his back and followed behind, with Li Hu bringing up the rear.

With everyone giving their all, they traveled at a breakneck speed, venturing deeper and deeper into the forest.

This place didn't look like a place where anyone lived. There wasn't even a proper road big enough for a donkey cart to pass through, so the group had to choose from animal trails and small paths.

At first, Wong Tai Sin was unwilling to believe that there was a village here, but after walking along a narrow cave at the bottom of a cliff for a while, everyone looked out and saw that it was indeed a paradise.

Here, both men and women dress in animal costumes, just like Chi Yue. The paths crisscross, and the sounds of chickens and dogs can be heard everywhere.

Huang Daxian clicked his tongue in admiration and said, "What a secluded paradise! No wonder it's not even mentioned in the county annals."

"Come! Follow me!"

Chi Yue anxiously led the group further in, exchanging a few casual words with some familiar passersby along the way, before leading them to the depths of the village.

An elegant bamboo hut sits here, with chickens and ducks raised in the courtyard, making it a pleasant place.

"Grandma Mouse isn't my biological grandmother; she's just the oldest person in the village, and that's what everyone calls her," Chi Yue explained. "When you see her later, please don't say anything to her. If Grandma gets angry, everyone will be in trouble!"

Without waiting for a response from the others, Chi Yue went to the door, cleared her throat, and knocked on the door.

"Grandma, it's me, Chi Yue!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the bamboo hut opened by itself, and a kind old woman's voice came from inside:

"Oh, you're Huang Xian's child. Come in."

The group then entered the house and, led by Chi Yue, went into the inner room.

As soon as he lifted the curtain, Li Hu noticed an old woman inside smoking a pipe.

The woman looked very old, with an ugly face full of wrinkles and scars, a protruding mouth and buck teeth, a small face, three white whiskers on each side of her mouth, a red headscarf wrapped around her head, and a hunched back.

At first glance, Li Hu almost mistook it for a rat dressed in human clothes.

Upon closer inspection, it's difficult to find any human characteristics in her. Apart from walking upright and using a cane, she is practically indistinguishable from an animal like Yuan Sou.

Fortunately, Li Hu had seen a lot during this time and did not show any impoliteness. But just as he was about to ask for help, he was interrupted by the rat grandmother waving her hand.

"The spirits have already told me, begging me to save this person, right?"

Li Hu cupped his hands and said, "That's exactly right."

"I am Li Hu, a sword cultivator from Dengzhou, a sword immortal in disguise. Please, madam, lend a hand to save my friend."

"Hmph, I know you, Li Fengcong."

Grandma Rat hummed and hawed, and one sentence surprised Li Hu. How could someone in this godforsaken place recognize him?

"Three months ago, a swordsman from Dengzhou ascended to immortality at the young age of twenty. He became world-renowned, a truly remarkable young talent, a force to be reckoned with." Grandma Rat smiled. "Don't you think so?"

Li Hu chuckled awkwardly, "It's all just empty fame."

"Please, Grandma, save my friend. If there's anything I, Li Hu, can do in the future, I will do my utmost to help."

Grandma Mouse didn't respond. Instead, she came behind Huang Daxian and told everyone to put Qi Yuehong on the bed.

Grandma Mouse sat by the bed, first checking Qi Yuehong's forehead temperature, then trying to feel Qi Yuehong's pulse on her wrist, and finally frowning deeply, clutching the prayer beads in her hand, remaining silent.

"Grandma?" Li Hu asked tentatively.

Grandma Mouse waved her little hand and took over the conversation, saying, "Your friend's problem is rooted in the heart; I am no immortal, and it is truly difficult for me to help."

"This evil spirit is already dead, so even with my superb medical skills, it's still difficult for me."

She sighed several times, her cloudy eyes scanning Li Hu and his group. She frowned deeply, and when she finally noticed the colorful rat on Yuan Sou's head, her eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had seen something extraordinary.

"Immortals...immortals?"

Grandma Mouse became instantly excited, knelt down with a thud, and bowed down to the fancy mouse.

The crowd looked at each other, all somewhat puzzled.

But then Grandma Mouse raised her head again, carefully examined the fancy mouse for a moment, and then shook her head to herself.

"No, that's not right. You're not a deity; you're just a rat that has become a spirit."

Grandma Mouse revealed the truth herself. Her eyes darted around, but she wasn't too disappointed. She returned to her chair, leaned on her cane, and stared intently at the fancy mouse.

No one spoke up. The scene was still too awkward, and no one wanted to bring it up.

So Li Hu simply sat down on the ground and waited for Grandma Rat to speak.

Grandma Mouse's beard trembled, her eyes looked slightly unnatural, sometimes she turned her head to look at Qi Yuehong on the bed, sometimes she stared at Li Hu, and sometimes she looked up as if she was thinking.

However, most of the time, it looked at the fancy mouse with an appreciative gaze, which made the fancy mouse feel a little uncomfortable.

Finally, as if she had made up her mind, Grandma Rat took one last look at Qi Yuehong on the bed, then turned to Li Hu and said:

"Young hero, if you want to save him, I do have a way, but I need you to grant me a request."

"Grandma, please speak." Li Hu clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"That young male rat," she pointed to the fancy rat on Yuan Sou's head, "must stay and marry my granddaughter."

"Let us become in-laws from now on, so that I can ask the immortals to help me, which will also bring blessings to our descendants."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the fancy mouse cried out, "Hey! I disagree! How can I marry a human! This is too frivolous!"

"I've traveled all over the country and seen all kinds of people. Let's go, there must be another way to save the commander!"

This sudden news caught the frivolous rat completely off guard, and it was so anxious that it jumped up and down on Old Man Yuan's head.

Li Hu lowered his head and remained silent for a while before nodding and bowing to Grandma Rat one last time, saying, "Since this is a marriage, it must be something they both want to do."

"Well done, Tiger! We absolutely will not allow it!"

Seeing this, the frilly rat finally breathed a sigh of relief, but Li Hu's next words stunned him: "Why don't you let us meet your granddaughter? If it's suitable, I think it's feasible."

"Hey! You surnamed Li! How could you sell me!" The fancy rat immediately struggled, but was held down by Old Yuan.

The old ape sighed and said, "You should just shut up. What's a little bit of sex for the sake of the leader?"

"I could come too, but they don't want me," Yuan Sou said with a grin.

"Hahahaha." Seeing Li Hu's attitude, Grandma Mouse laughed, opened the window, and shouted outside.

"Come in, let the little girl in. I have something to say to her."

A short while later, a young girl walked into the room.

Although she was dressed in animal skins, it couldn't hide her youthful vigor. She looked completely different from Granny Rat's dirty appearance. She had a slender figure and fair skin, and was a beautiful young woman.

When the fancy mouse saw the girl, it stopped its fuss and stared at her intently for a long time.

"This is my little sister, what do you think?" Grandma Mouse took a puff of her pipe and asked Li Hu with a smile.

Li Hu looked her up and down, and finally nodded: "I think she's suitable."

"Haha, good, good, why don't we hold the wedding tonight? It'll bring you some good luck, what do you think?" Grandma Mouse said with a smile.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Grandma."

Li Hu took out a handful of silver from his pocket, untied the jade pendant from his waist, put them together and pushed them in front of him, saying, "This is just a little something I have; consider this my betrothal gift."

"Hahaha, what use are all this gold and silver to me, living in complete isolation?" Granny Rat chuckled, continuing her tale.

"Take your things back."

"Friend, leave it here. I will return it to you intact first thing tomorrow morning."

"Then thank you very much." Li Hu clasped his hands in a fist and bow.

After the wedding details were agreed upon, the young woman was taken back to freshen up and prepare for the wedding that evening.

The fancy rat was also led outside and stayed in the courtyard with Yuan Sou, Chi Yue, and the others.

"Tell me, how...how am I supposed to get married like this?"

The fancy mouse stood upright and tried to walk on its two legs like a human, but after only a couple of steps it wobbled and fell down again. "Look at me," it said, "how am I supposed to get married?"

"Am I worthy of it?!" The fancy mouse couldn't help but feel a little discouraged.

The rat had lived for a long time, and he had never imagined that he would encounter such a thing one day.

"Oh, so now you're implying you're willing to get married?" Old Yuan joked. "Now you're even starting to worry about the girl?"

"I'll remember your obsequious manner for the rest of my life," Wong Tai Sin couldn't help but tease, finally breaking into a hearty laugh. The air outside was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Finally, Chi Yue called for a stop, and mysteriously said to the Flowery Mouse, "I do know the technique of transformation, I can teach you, do you want to learn?"

"Transformation?!" The fancy mouse's eyes widened instantly, and after thinking about it, it was indeed true.

After all, Chi Yue could transform into a weasel and then transform back into a weasel. Everyone had forgotten about it before, but now that they think about it, it can indeed be considered a transformation spell.

The fancy mouse immediately nodded frantically, and even Old Man Yuan couldn't remain calm at this point.

Such a rare skill is something we should definitely learn, especially someone like Yuan Sou. A monkey following behind Li Hu always feels a bit out of place.

"You can learn if you want, but you have to say nice things, you understand?" Chi Yue coaxed patiently.

"Good sister, I kowtow to you! You are the most beautiful girl in the whole world!" the fancy mouse exclaimed with delight.

"Oh my, Grandma, you are so beautiful, you could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky, and the moon hide its face in shame." Old Yuan's face was also full of smiles, and he uttered some blatant words of praise.

"Tch, that's not what I want to hear," Chi Yue said, arms crossed, somewhat displeased.

"That……"

The fancy mouse suddenly realized, hesitated for a moment, but in order to have a humanoid form for marriage, it finally mustered the courage to say those words.

"My dear sister, you really do look like a goddess!"

……

The wedding of the youngest sister and the flowery mouse took place as scheduled that evening.

The frilly rat was dressed in a bearskin coat, tiger-skin boots, and a deerskin hat. He was about six feet tall, about the same height as the little girl. Although he had just learned the transformation technique and was not very proficient, he had a somewhat shifty look and the fur on his mouth was not completely clean. But with this outfit, he looked quite imposing.

The youngest girl, wearing a red veil, stood in the middle of the crowd, holding a red armband with the flowery rat.

On the main stage, Li Hu and Grandma Rat each sat on one side, smiling as they looked at the newlyweds.

"Ahem." Old Yuan cleared his throat and stood beside the two of them.

He had just learned the art of transformation, and his face was much cleaner, and the back of his hands was no longer hairy. His sparse, gray hair was tied on top of his head. Although he had a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, he was completely unremarkable in the crowd.

He held up a piece of red paper and began to recite in a high-pitched voice:

"I rejoice that today we are bound by the red thread of fate, a perfect match, and I pray that we will grow old together in happiness, our love as fragrant as osmanthus and orchid."

"I don't care whether you were a demon or a thief in your past life, nor do I mind if you're born with evil spirits or bad luck. Heaven and earth bear witness, we are bound together by this day, through thick and thin!"

"I bow to Heaven and Earth!"

The shrew smiled demurely at the youngest sister and bowed towards the outside of the hall.

"Bowing to the parents a second time!"

Li Hu clasped his hands together in front of him and accepted the bow.

"Husband and wife bow to each other!"

Upon hearing this, the two turned around, and the fluffy mouse hurriedly bowed down. However, perhaps because he was not yet used to the human body shape, he bowed down too hastily and accidentally bumped head-to-head with the little sister who was also bowing down.

With a cry of "Ouch!", the comical scene made everyone burst into laughter.

"The ceremony is complete! Lead them to the bridal chamber!"

At this moment, everyone cheered. The villagers outside raised their glasses in celebration. The men were busy boasting and drinking, while the women sat at the table watching their husbands argue with smiles on their faces. The children sat together at the table, some picking at the food, and others chasing and playing on the floor.

Grandma Mouse smiled and looked around the village, nodded contentedly, and got up to go back to the inner room of her bamboo hut.