“Stop beating around the bush, Yino!”
“Fine, you’ve brainwashed miss Liu, but where’s my master? Where have you hidden her?”
As Yino gained the upper hand, Xumo grew more impatient.
He neither understood what Yino and Chen Wenhua were discussing, nor did he trust anyone present anymore. Both Yino and these righteous sect elders were all from the Wuji Sect – they looked like a pack of wolves working together!
Otherwise, why would everyone – Ruoning, Wenhua, all of them – actively help Yino twist black into white when he was clearly telling the truth?
At this point, Xumo didn’t even care about uncovering the truth anymore.
He just wanted his master back. That white fox in the ring had been his source of strength through every challenge. Without his master’s guidance, Xumo felt blind – even if he returned to the Liuli Sect, he wouldn’t know what to do.
“Master? What master?”
Seeing Xumo’s agitation, Yino let out a cold laugh with a fearless and bold stare.
During his recent conversation with Chen Wenhua, Yino had clearly felt them reaching an understanding. Chen Wenhua believed Yino’s testimony, while Yino would keep the Azure Forest’s secrets.
From an outsider’s perspective, this wasn’t really a corrupt alliance.
After all, Yino had genuinely saved the Azure Forest, and the righteous sects needed his cooperation to keep their secrets. With Liuli, Ruoning, and Wenhua all willingly supporting him, Yino could turn black into white if he wanted. What could Xumo – a stray dog without his master – do against him?
“Yino! How long are you going to play dumb?”
Xumo was beyond frustration. He knew Yino wouldn’t easily return his master.
But with Yino standing right in front of him, how could he just give up on his master without a fight?
So Xumo tried every way he could to get information about his master from Yino.
If given the chance, he wouldn’t mind fighting Yino right here, grabbing his master and running away…
But with Yino playing dumb, all Xumo could do was watch helplessly.
“This master you speak of… wouldn’t happen to be that nine-tailed white fox, would it?”
Yino stood before everyone, casually admiring the platinum-colored sacred mark on the back of his right hand while chatting with Xumo. Read exclusive chapters at My Virtual Library Empire
Since Yino’s hand was facing away, Xumo couldn’t see the flickering platinum mark.
“Yes! You know she’s my master! You and that evil cult’s holy maiden worked together to capture her!”
“Brother Xumo, it seems you’re having some memory issues.”
Yino’s eyes narrowed as he spoke softly.
He snapped his fingers, and the platinum mark on his hand dimmed.
“If I remember correctly, that nine-tailed white fox was working with the evil cult’s holy maiden. Now that she’s fled with the ancient tree spirit, the fox naturally left with them.”
“Yet Brother Xumo claims the nine-tailed fox is his master…”
At this point, Yino clasped his hands behind his back and looked at the white-haired elder behind Xumo.
“Elder Wenhua, I think Brother Xumo might have been bewitched by that fox demon’s charm, causing these memory issues and making him twist everything around.”
Yino shook his head, looking at Xumo with pity and hopelessness.
In all his years, Xumo had never faced such humiliation.
The scene was so absurd that even Xumo started questioning his own sanity. He wondered if his memories of last night were somehow wrong.
Otherwise, how could Yino so brazenly distort the facts while everyone else seriously listened to his nonsense?
“Xumo, did you really take a fox demon as your master?”
Chen Wenhua turned back, and after exchanging looks with Yino, he too became more ad more suspicious of Xumo’s claims.
This wasn’t because Chen Wenhua favored Yino as a Wuji Sect disciple.
Even objectively, Yino’s testimony made more sense, while in Xumo’s version everyone except himself was evil – showing signs of delusional thinking.
“No… how did you all… suddenly start doubting me…”
Xumo panicked under the stares of the righteous sect elders.
He realized that while trying to get information from Yino, he’d instead revealed his master’s true identity as the nine-tailed white demon fox.
Now, everyone knew fox demons were naturally cunning, and Xumo’s association with one made him a target of suspicion.
“So what if my master is a fox demon! Yino, who are you to judge? Isn’t that Miss Jinyue by your side a fox demon too?” In a flash of insight, Xumo changed topics and pointed at the girl in red beside Yino.
Jinyue froze for a moment, instinctively stepping behind Yino.
Xumo smirked, quickly pointing at Jinyue:
“Elder Wenhua, that giel is actually a fox demon in disguise! If you don’t believe me, the elders can check for demonic energy on her themselves!”
For once, Xumo spoke with complete confidence.
He vividly remembered how last night in the ancient palace, it was Jinyue who had blocked his master with illusions! She’d even backstabbed him with her cunning magic!
If not for Jinyue, he and Yuebai wouldn’t have been in such a mess last night – they would have killed Yino already!
So now Xumo was absolutely certain about Jinyue’s identity.
With his master missing, unless Yino publicly released Yuebai, they could only suspect Xumo of consorting with fox demons. But the fox demon by Yino’s side was real! The righteous elders could easily discover who was really allied with fox demons!
“Xumo, stop this nonsense—”
Chen Wenhua started to scold Xumo’s smug expression, but before he could finish—
“Brother Xumo, accusing someone falsely comes with consequences.”
“Consequences? You know perfectly well that vixen is a demon!”
Xumo sneered dismissively.
Yino shrugged, stepping aside to expose the alluring young woman behind him to everyone’s gaze.
“The elders can easily check whether Miss Jinyue is a fox demon or not.”
“If it turns out she is human, not a fox demon, how will you take responsibility, Xumo?”
“—?!!”
Xumo froze at these words.
The assembled elders also gave Yino’s red-haired companion strange looks.
Under their suspicious gazes, Jinyue raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. She glanced at Yino, then at the righteous elders, finding this charade boring. With a cold snort, she pouted:
“Well? How do you plan to check?”
“They say fox demons are like dogs – stroke their back for three minutes and they’ll raise their tails, showing their fox tails when they moan…”
Before the elders could speak, everyone heard Yino imitating a narrator’s voice, explaining matter-of-factly.
At first, Jinyue thought some perverted old man had made this lewd suggestion.
But when she looked around angrily, she realized it was Yino doing the narration!
Instantly, Jinyue’s face and neck flushed red to her ears. Gritting her teeth, she whirled around to glare at him with furious peach blossom eyes.