I am Guhuoniao, not an umbrella demon, please do not disturb me.

Bai Qingyu looked up and gazed in the direction of the capital.

I said I wouldn't help Xu Yuanqing, but in the end I still have to help him.

That guy was definitely Xu Yuanqing's biggest enemy. With the existence of the Demon Book and monsters, killing Xu Yuanqing wouldn't be a difficult task. Perhaps he just didn't want to bear the karmic burden.

Putting that matter aside for the moment, Bai Qingyu turned to look at Tamamo-no-Mae.

While she was talking to the illusory figure, Tamamo-no-Mae had already successfully transcended her tribulation and was lying on the ground welcoming her new life.

Tamamo-no-Mae is still a child, but her strength has increased too rapidly. Bai Qingyu suspects that the reason why this tribulation is so powerful is because she is the reincarnation of the Demon King and has retained a part of her power.

The oppressive, suffocating dark clouds in the sky gradually dissipated, and a ray of sunlight shone on Bai Qingyu.

Bathed in bright sunlight, Bai Qingyu arrived before Tamamo-no-Mae's transforming body.

Her original body was almost completely charred by lightning, resembling the outer shell of a silkworm cocoon. If Tamamo-no-Mae can successfully break through her new body, it will be a rebirth.

The process of transformation takes much longer than the time spent undergoing tribulation, and this is when he is in the most danger.

"Don't rush, take your time. I have no hostility towards you."

Seeing the black cocoon tremble, Bai Qingyu said softly.

After these words were spoken, the black cocoon stopped moving, but it was clear that Tamamo-no-Mae's transformation was happening faster. In less than half an hour, Bai Qingyu saw the hairs of her bloodline appear on her body, starting from her head and gradually spreading to her entire body.

Soon, Tamamo-no-Mae stood up from the ground and used the last of his strength to shake off the black cocoon fragments. As he moved, the large bell tied around his neck jingled crisply.

Tamamo-no-Mae raised her noble head once more, and behind her, four demon tails were quite eye-catching. Compared to before, after successfully transcending the tribulation, she had grown an extra tail, and her corresponding demon power had almost doubled, reaching the level of a Nascent Soul.

The Nascent Soul stage isn't very strong, especially for a former demon king like Tamamo-no-Mae.

The problem is that Tamamo-no-Mae has reached the Nascent Soul stage in less than ten years since her rebirth. With this talent, she will catch up with Shuten-dōji and the others in at most another ten years, and then once again reach the pinnacle of the world, and the Demon King will return.

The four-tailed fox is not very large; it is slightly larger than a wolf but slightly smaller than a tiger.

Looking up, Tamamo-no-Mae met Bai Qingyu's gaze. She neither ran away nor approached him, but simply watched him quietly.

Just now, during his tribulation, he actually sensed Bai Qingyu's appearance helping him block the cultivators and Xue Tongzi. Even though it was the first time he'd seen her, he felt an inexplicable sense of closeness, and an impulse even welled up within him—to go back with Bai Qingyu.

"I'm sorry I'm late, but I arrived just in time."

Bai Qingyu folded up the wooden umbrella and walked towards Tamamo-no-Mae, standing in front of him. "Come home with me. I will raise you until you grow up."

Bai Qingyu believed that Tamamo-no-Mae retained some of her memories, and that was probably the purpose of the Killing Stone.

It's not about helping Tamamo-no-Mae to be reborn, but about helping him store some power and memories.

After being reborn, Tamamo-no-Mae absorbed the power of the Sesshōseki, which naturally cracked and became an ordinary stone.

Extending a hand, Bai Qingyu watched as Tamamo-no-Mae leaned forward and pressed her fox head against his palm. He smiled. "You didn't leave, did you? Let's go home. Can you transform into human form or shrink your body?"

Tamamo-no-Mae nodded gently, her body quickly shrinking to the size of a kitten, and she nimbly leaped onto Bai Qingyu's shoulder.

Actually, it wasn't Bai Qingyu who chose Tamamo-no-Mae, but rather Tamamo-no-Mae who chose Bai Qingyu.

For Bai Qingyu, it was simply raising another child.

Whether she's a demon king or not is secondary; the real goal is to pet the nine-tailed fox. I have to say, Tamamo-no-Mae's fur in her true form is incredibly smooth and feels amazing. I just wonder what her tail feels like.

Bai Qingyu patted the little guy on her shoulder, leaped into the air, and instead of rushing back, turned her head to look at a small village not far away.

This small village was also the one that appeared in the Demon King's dream.

If she remembered correctly, the scene in her dream was a small snake, severely injured and dying, floating in a small river near the village. After the villagers pulled it out, they immediately began to eat the snake, their bodies and faces covered in snake blood.

While eating, they kept saying things like "immortality" and "immunity to all diseases."

In their view, the little snake was a dragon, and by eating the dragon's flesh and drinking its blood, they could achieve immortality.

She hadn't known what had happened to cause the little snake to be beaten like this, but now she understood.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, this happened during the process of sorting out the dragon veins in the capital. And the person who injured her is very likely the same guy who just asked her to cooperate. In the entire capital, without the interference of the Demonic Sect, only this person has the ability to beat the little snake that badly.

It's unlikely that the Demonic Sect will intervene. They all know the current relationship between her and the Heavenly Sect. They would rather offend the Heavenly Sun Palace than the Fate Sect. As long as the little snake reveals her identity, no Demonic Sect will go back to make things difficult for her.

With each step, Bai Qingyu covered hundreds of meters and arrived above the village.

She doesn't plan to wipe out the village yet; she'll see how things go first.

They're just a bunch of fools, and nobody can predict the future. Just like today, she guessed the identity of the person behind it all with a single thought, and that thought could change everything in the future.

Upon landing, Bai Qingyu gazed at the small village at the foot of the mountain from afar.

This small village is incredibly lucky to have survived the great battle against the demon king.

The village is quite large; it's more like a town than a village. Compared to the poor villages outside, life here is much, much better.

Bai Qingyu wanted to see what kind of people lived in the village.

If they are just ordinary villagers without any karmic burdens, then so be it. But if these people were already burdened with karmic burdens before eating the snake, and were engaged in shady activities like murder and selling flesh, then don't blame her for erasing this place.

To be honest, she doesn't know what to do either.

She said it was just a dream and shouldn't be taken seriously, but she still came.

It would be a lie to say that he had no murderous intent at all, while at the same time he thought they were just a bunch of ignorant fools.

Before even entering the village, Bai Qingyu spotted a young girl dancing gracefully under a cherry blossom tree outside the village.

The girl had a captivating figure and an exquisitely beautiful face, yet she was only around twelve years old. Against the backdrop of cherry blossom trees, her dance was even more graceful, fluid and elegant like a butterfly fluttering in the air.

Noticing Bai Qingyu approaching, the girl stopped and looked at him from afar, a hint of surprise on her face.

What a beautiful person...

In all the villages and towns within a hundred miles, she was the most beautiful girl. But when she saw Bai Qingyu, she couldn't help but feel a little pale in comparison. However, there was no jealousy or envy in her eyes, only simple admiration.

"Little girl, could you tell me the name of the village ahead?"

When Bai opened her mouth, her voice was melodious and pleasant.

The girl was stunned for a moment before she reacted. "Sister, are you going into the mountains or coming down and you've gotten lost? Our village is called Shannan Village. If you need any help, you can come over. Everyone here is very welcoming."

"Yes, I was just passing by. That dance you just saw was really beautiful. Can you tell me your name, sister?"

"My name is Kiyohime. This name was given to my father by an immortal when he was young." Kiyohime lowered her head, feeling a little embarrassed by Bai Qingyu's praise.

Kiyohime's name is quite strange. Everyone who hears her name asks her about it, so Kiyohime has gotten into the habit of giving a brief explanation when telling people her name.

Most people wouldn't ask any more questions once they heard that the name was given by an immortal.

"My name is Qingyu, Bai Qingyu. Our names are quite similar."

Bai Qingyu also felt that the name was a bit strange, and the style was completely out of place here, but she didn't ask any more questions. After exchanging pleasantries, she prepared to leave and go into the village to take a look. Unexpectedly, Qingji suddenly called her back.

"Um, Sister Bai."

"Ok?"

Bai Qingyu turned around and saw Qingji biting her lower lip, looking very conflicted. "Sister, are you an immortal?"

"Immortals...you could say that too."

To mortals, cultivators who can fly and traverse the earth are immortals, and Bai Qingyu could understand what she meant.

To her surprise, upon hearing this, Kiyohime bit her lower lip and immediately knelt before her, her eyes filled with tears, looking utterly pitiful. "Please, Immortal Sister, save my mother! Kiyohime is willing to give everything..."

Bai Qingyu never expected to encounter such a thing just by visiting a small village to check on things. She had greeted Qingji simply because she thought her dancing was good and wanted to ask about the village's name; she had no other intentions.

He had no intention of kidnapping the young girl to raise as his own, so he just exchanged a few polite words.

"What happened to your mother?"

"She...she's been cursed by a monster..."

"Oh, please get up quickly and take me to see her, but I can't guarantee that I can save her."

This scene was witnessed by a monk not far away.

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Please vote for me, sob sob sob.

Volume 1: Chapter 140 How to Deal with a Kidnapped Child

Bai Qingyu wasn't the only one watching Kiyohime dance. A little monk not far away was also staring intently, but he kept looking up and down, not daring to look at Kiyohime directly. He held a string of small Buddhist beads in his hand, standing with one hand in front of him, silently reciting some kind of scripture.

He wasn't much older than Kiyohime; Kiyohime was twelve or thirteen, while he was only fifteen.

The monk's name was Anzhen. He came to this small village a few days ago to stay overnight and also helped with some rituals for the deceased in the village. He has stayed ever since.

Seeing Qingji's pitiful state, Bai Qingyu didn't have time to pay attention to the monk behind her. She quickly helped Qingji up, her eyes filled with helplessness. She was the type who responded better to kindness than force, especially when the person asking her for help was a child; she would always soften her heart.

"Take me to see him/her. I'll do my best to help if I can. There's no need to talk about repaying me. If you really want to repay me, then if we meet again in the future, just dance for me."

Bai Qingyu gently touched Qingji's head and spoke softly. To be honest, she had a good impression of Qingji from their first meeting. There was no karmic hindrance on her head, and her eyes were clear and bright, which showed that she was a good child. She was also so pretty and cute, and her dance was even more beautiful.

She must have seen Tamamo-no-Mae on her shoulder, or perhaps she judged her by her aura, and thus knelt down to beg her.

Upon hearing Bai Qingyu's words, Qingji was moved to tears. She wiped away the tears with the back of her hand, as the emotions that had been suppressed in her heart for a long time burst forth at this moment, and her voice trembled slightly.

"Thank you, thank you, fairy sister, thank you!"

Her heartbroken crying wasn't an act to deceive Bai Qingyu's feelings, but rather a kind of excitement, eagerness, and emotion akin to grasping at a lifeline.

My mother has been cursed for years, and if a cure isn't found within another year, she will surely die. Everyone has been helpless all these years; even the town's doctor has said he can't cure her unless a celestial being comes to save her.

Although her family had some money, they didn't know any immortals.

Knowing her mother's death was imminent yet powerless to stop it, the importance of Bai Qingyu's appearance to Qingji is self-evident.

Under the cherry blossom tree, Bai Qingyu smiled as he wiped away Qingji's tears, took her wrist, and comforted her as they walked towards the village.

Kiyohime felt that she would never forget this day in her life. Whether she succeeded or not, Bai Qingyu was her benefactor, her great benefactor.

Kiyohime led Bai Qingyu along the village's bluestone path and briefly recounted what her mother had encountered. Three years ago, her mother went to town to buy some things, but on her way back, she was injured by a humanoid monster.

A humanoid demon cursed her, stealing her memories and putting her into a deep sleep. She could only wake up for a few days each year. When she woke up, she no longer recognized anyone around her because she had lost all her memories, and she even forgot her own daughter, Kiyohime.

Of course, if that were all, it would be fine, at least she would still be alive, and her memories could be slowly retrieved and cultivated. However, each time she fell asleep and each time she woke up, a black mark would be left on her body, and the more marks she gained, the weaker her life would become.

The town's feng shui master said that the power of the soul had been absorbed. A person has three flames on their body, and the appearance of the black mark was to suppress these three flames.

After understanding the general situation, I walked to the door.