…

Hearing the approaching voices growing closer, Jun Zhu panicked. Halfway down the stairs, he immediately turned back and ran up, retracing his steps. However, as he rounded the corner, he crashed headfirst into a pair of legs.

The impact was not light—his nose took the brunt of the hit, sending a sharp pain through him, and his eyes almost welled up with tears.

“Mm?”

A deep voice rang out. Jun Zhu looked up and saw the person he had collided with—a handsome man dressed in blue and white Taoist robes. His dark hair was tied high, adorned with an intricately designed silver headpiece. His expression was gentle, and his entire demeanor exuded a warm, spring-like presence.

“Where did this little fox come from?”

He was discovered.

Jun Zhu had no time to think. Without hesitation, he darted past the man, intending to make a quick escape. But before he could flee, a surprised female voice rang out from behind.

“Senior Brother Qi! What are you doing here? Eh—what a beautiful fox!”

Jun Zhu turned his head and saw a striking young woman in a crimson dress. Her almond-shaped eyes were fixed on him with an intense gaze.

The moment Jun Zhu met her eyes, the astonishment in her expression deepened. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she crouched down, reaching out to scoop him up.

Alarmed, Jun Zhu immediately dodged her hands, his body flashing away in an instant. Just as he prepared to flee, he felt a sudden tug on his tail.

His tail—she grabbed his tail!

A sharp pain shot through him as the woman yanked it backward. Furious, Jun Zhu whipped around and swiped a claw at her hand.

How dare she grab his tail?! If he still had his demon powers, he would have made her pay for it!

The woman’s fair hand now bore several bloody scratch marks, tiny beads of blood welling up from the wounds.

Seeing her beautiful hand injured, Murong Feixue’s expression darkened with fury. Her gaze toward Jun Zhu burned with rage, as if she wanted to tear him apart on the spot.

“Insolent creature! How dare you scratch me?!”

Her voice turned cold as she snapped, “Someone, catch that fox for me!”

At her command, the group of followers behind her sprang into action, lunging toward Jun Zhu.

Their auras were strong—each of them seemed to be at the Golden Core stage.

Jun Zhu turned and bolted, cursing his rotten luck. Why was he always running into misfortune?!

Although he had lost his demon powers, his fox body was still quite agile. The Golden Core cultivators couldn’t catch him right away.

“Miss Murong, please be careful not to harm it! That white fox was brought here by a very important person. If anything happens to it, our inn won’t be able to bear the consequences of his wrath!”

The innkeeper’s assistant, watching Jun Zhu being chased all over the place, suddenly shivered at the thought of a certain person and quickly stepped in to warn them.