16: The White Fox Leads the Way (Please vote and read)

Another demonic disaster in Yunlu County?

When Chen Yuan heard this news, his brows furrowed, and his heart sank.

He said nothing, silently took out money, placed it on the table, and got up to leave.

The stall owner habitually hunched his body, repeatedly thanking him: "Thank you, sir, please come again next time."

Then he packed up the bowls and chopsticks, shook his head, and sighed, "I wonder how long our Qingshan County can last!"

Chen Yuan's departing footsteps paused slightly, then he strode away.

Walking on the street, Chen Yuan looked at the somewhat chaotic street and caught a whiff of something unusual.

Soon after, he arrived at the Mi Family Shop in Guilinfang.

At this moment, the shop was bustling with activity.

The common people were all scrambling for rice and flour.

The plump shopkeeper, who had been listless due to the haunting, now seemed like a different person, beaming with smiles.

At this time, he was writing a sign, then replaced the old sign on the rice jar with it.

It read: "Rice: Thirty Wen."

With this change, the crowd immediately erupted.

"Shopkeeper, it was just twenty wen per catty, and now it's thirty wen? Is that how you do business?"

"That's right, that's right, aren't you clearly scamming people?"

"Black-hearted, it was only 15 wen a few days ago."

“…………”

The people were indignant.

And when the plump shopkeeper heard this, he stood at the shop entrance, annoyed:

"Hey, what are you yelling about?"

"What do you mean I'm scamming people? Thirty wen a catty is the current price. Don't you know that the neighboring county has another demonic disaster? Our supply route has been cut off, so the price naturally went up."

"If you don't buy, someone else will. Go, go, don't block my business."

He was very firm.

When the surrounding common people heard this, although they knew this guy was trying to inflate prices, they knew that with a demonic disaster in the neighboring county, many refugees would surely flock here, and then food would be scarce, so they could only keep quiet.

Everyone silently understood and obediently pulled out their copper coins.

As they hurriedly left, they could only complain:

"Ah, this cursed world."

"We can't even live anymore, and the imperial court doesn't care."

"Heh, the imperial court? Fend for yourselves!"

“……”

Chen Yuan listened to the fading voices, walked into the rice shop, and asked for twenty catties of rice and flour.

Looking at the plump shopkeeper's smiling and shrewd appearance, Chen Yuan thought, it seems that the shopkeeper hasn't been stolen from enough by that little fellow.

After buying the rice, Chen Yuan carried the rice sack and walked on the road.

A figure, hurrying along, bumped into him squarely.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," an old woman with graying temples, carrying luggage, fell to the ground, then stood up and quickly apologized to Chen Yuan.

"Madam, where are you going in such a hurry?" Chen Yuan helped the woman up and asked.

"Oh, what else? Fleeing for my life." The old woman patted her leg, her expression sorrowful.

"Everything's fine, why flee?"

"Young man, don't be foolish. Let me tell you, Madam has relatives in Yunlu County, and they escaped death and fled overnight. They said that this time, Yunlu County's demonic disaster is not simple; it's completely out of control. Since last night, demons have been killing people everywhere, and no one is managing it. The county magistrate even sealed the city gates, and people who want to escape can't get out."

"I'm telling you, if this demonic disaster isn't managed, it will soon spread to Qingshan County. Actually, many people already know, but it hasn't spread widely yet. Madam advises you to quickly take shelter. I plan to leave and go live with my son in another county. I've been in this place for decades, and I've been scared enough. I'm leaving."

With that, the old woman looked back at the county town, then hurried away, heading in the direction out of the city.

Leaving the small county town where she had lived for decades.

After hearing the old woman's words, Chen Yuan's brows twitched. He walked to a nearby alley corner, his body blurred, and he vanished from his original spot.

A few minutes later, Chen Yuan stood at the ferry crossing outside the city, looking at the wide river.

On the river, boats were now crowding the ferry crossing.

Many people were bringing their families and luggage, boarding the boats.

Among them, most were local gentry and wealthy individuals.

Chen Yuan took a deep breath.

Feixian Sect!

At this moment, the Mud Pill in his mind vibrated.

The Banshan Tiger Talisman transmitted a message.

A miniature map of mountains and rivers appeared in his eyes.

A green light point was flickering on it.

It was an alert signal from his Contracted Demons.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and his body turned into an afterimage, disappearing from the ferry crossing.

"Mom, Mom, what's wrong?"

In a certain dense forest, a thin, weak little girl of eight or nine years old was anxiously helping up a pale-faced woman dressed in a gray ruqun.

"Chong Chong, don't mind me, run quickly. You won't be able to escape if you drag me." The woman gasped for breath, her lips white, and pushed her daughter forward.

"No, without Mom, Chong Chong won't go anywhere." The little girl bit her lip, her eyes filled with fear but also great determination, and shook her head.

With that, she gritted her teeth and placed the woman's arm over her thin shoulder, struggling to walk forward.

At this moment, in the distance, a roar shook the forest, startling the mother and daughter, making them tremble and almost fall.

The woman's eyes were filled with terror,

"That demon is coming. It ate other people, and it's going to catch up to us, Chong Chong, run quickly."

With that, her voice was full of pleading.

But the girl only had tears in her eyes, stubbornly dragging her mother.

Suddenly, the bushes to the side rustled, as if something was about to emerge.

When the woman saw this, though her body trembled, she desperately shielded her daughter behind her, her eyes fixed with determination on the movement in the bushes, which was continuously drawing closer.

The next second,

"Swish!"

A white fox rushed out from the bushes.

The white fox saw the mother and daughter, whimpered at them, and then gestured in a certain direction,

"Mom, this fox seems to be telling us to follow it!"

The little girl was very intelligent and seemed to understand what the white fox wanted to convey.

"Is it also a demon?" The mother was uncertain and surprised.

She was a little scared.

The white fox whimpered again, seemingly in a hurry.

"Mom, listen to it." The little girl, for some reason, felt a sense of trust in the white fox. She pulled her mother and followed the white fox.

The white fox immediately darted into another patch of bushes.

The mother and daughter followed.

Before long, after a few turns, the mother and daughter followed this white fox to a very secluded cave.

And when the mother and daughter entered the cave, they even saw a pile of grain as high as a small mountain.

On top of it, a Little Squirrel was sprawled, sleeping soundly on its belly.

The mother and daughter were very surprised by all of this.

However, the roar of the monster outside continued like a nightmare.

After lingering nearby for a few minutes, it slowly drew closer.

A foul, fishy smell drifted into the cave with the mountain wind, making one want to vomit.

When the white fox heard this roar, its fur bristled.

And on the small mountain-like pile of grain, the Little Squirrel was awakened by the sound.

It immediately jumped up and chirped a few times at the white fox.

The white fox, however, shook its head and rushed out of the cave.