113 Fault

"Why the sudden loss of arrogance? Just a moment ago, you ignored my well-meaning advice, and now that you are the one begging, shouldn't you show some sincerity?"

Li Xintian laughed instead, in no particular hurry.

"This King admits that I truly underestimated you. As long as you are willing to extract the Haoran Zhengqi (Noble Spirit) from my body, I will recall the changgui (ghosts of the tiger's victims) and steer clear of you whenever I see you. Is that acceptable?"

The Flying Tiger King retracted his dharma form, returning to his original state as he spoke.

Meanwhile, at the dilapidated temple:

After Li Xintian and the Zouwu had departed, the changgui began to batter the temple doors. However, the doors were protected by the Haoran Zhengqi left behind by Li Xintian.

Every time the changgui struck, they were repelled with agonizing shrieks. The Haoran Zhengqi burned their yin energy, only fueling their resentment.

"Why has it gone quiet? Have they all left?"

Chen Linqing had been woken up by the frantic pounding and the shrill, ear-piercing screams of the changgui.

"Should we open the door and take a look?"

No sooner had Chen Yuanwen said this than he regretted it.

"Are you incapable of going three days without tearing the tiles off the roof?"

Chen Zishan gave Chen Yuanwen a sharp flick to the forehead, followed by a sound thrashing born of "great paternal love." Even Huo Wanping ceased to defend him.

"It is unlikely," Hu Qiuyan mused. Having learned much from Li Xintian, she knew that changgui would not leave easily without luring their prey; they were among the most vengeful of spirits.

Outside the temple, one of the changgui began to shift its shape. It transformed into the likeness of Li Xintian, covered in wounds and dripping with blood. It stopped ten meters away, kept at bay by the Haoran Zhengqi.

"Grandmother, Grandfather, come out and save me! I can't hold on much longer, the Zouwu has betrayed me!"

The changgui, in the form of Li Xintian, lay on the ground and cried out.

Inside the temple:

"Don't believe it! When Xintian left, he warned us that changgui can mimic anyone's appearance and voice to lure us into a trap. The Zouwu would never betray him; that must be a changgui's deception," Hu Qiuyan said urgently upon hearing the voice outside.

"Grandfather, Grandmother, please come out and save me! I am the real one, they will be here soon!" the changgui continued to plead.

"Cousin... he's covered in blood, lying outside the temple!" Chen Yuanwen peered through a hole in the paper window. Shocked, he watched the bloodied figure of Li Xintian outside; he had never seen the man injured or bleeding before.

"It really is the young master, covered in blood," the servants echoed, crowding around the hole to look.

"It truly is Xintian," Chen Zishan, Chen Linqing, and Huo Wanping whispered, having seen the scene themselves.

"Do not believe it! If Xintian were truly that injured, he wouldn't have the strength to escape to the temple, let alone shout with such vigor. He would have been devoured by the Zouwu long ago. You have all seen how massive that creature is," Hu Qiuyan said, blocking Chen Linqing as he moved to open the door.

The family hesitated, caught in the conflict of who to believe.

"Grandfather, Grandmother, they are coming! If you don't come out to save me, how will you face my parents?" The changgui screamed, and to add to the illusion, it manifested the Flying Tiger King and the Zouwu in the sky above, watching Li Xintian with predatory hunger.

"No, we still cannot go out," Hu Qiuyan said, leaning her weight against the door. She knew that while others might lose their composure, she could not.

"No? Move aside! I will not stand by and watch Xintian die before our eyes!" Huo Wanping, feeling dissatisfied, pulled Hu Qiuyan away.

Chen Linqing threw open the doors and stepped out, followed by the servants. Before Hu Qiuyan could stop them, the changgui in Li Xintian's form stood up, grinning hideously.

"You fools finally decided to open the door!"

The changgui reverted to its original form and lunged at Chen Linqing. Chen Linqing realized instantly that his single action had invited catastrophe.

"Get back inside, all of you!" Hu Qiuyan broke free from Huo Wanping, flashed outside, and ordered them to retreat.

They scrambled back into the temple in a panic, but the old doors, weakened by time and the family's terror, collapsed inward.

The changgui watched with cold, mocking eyes. They knew the Haoran Zhengqi had lost its effect the moment the door was opened. Hu Qiuyan realized she could not fend off twenty changgui alone; even a hero couldn't withstand a mob.

"Everyone, tear off a piece of paper and stand back-to-back in a circle! It can protect you!"

Knowing the original protection was gone, she pulled a book from her robe—a collection of Li Xintian's calligraphy imbued with Haoran Zhengqi. She tossed it to Chen Linqing, but in their panic, they tore it to shreds.

"You fools! You deserve what's coming to you for not cooperating!" Hu Qiuyan was livid.

The changgui attacked. The incomplete paper scraps offered only a moment's reprieve before losing their power, and the souls of those caught were snatched away to become puppets.

Meanwhile, with Li Xintian:

"Now it is my turn to set conditions. You had better extract that Haoran Zhengqi from my body!" The Flying Tiger King, receiving word from his changgui, glared at Li Xintian.

Li Xintian, also sensing that his barrier had been breached, remained calm.

"Don't think about rushing back to save them; I will stop you."

"As expected, you humans are as foolish as ever. A few petty tricks were enough to make them open the door themselves. Oh, and I see a fox among them—quite a beauty. She will make a fine trophy wife for this King," the Flying Tiger King chuckled triumphantly. He did not realize that he had just sealed his own fate by angering Li Xintian.

"Zouwu, go back quickly and eat those changgui. Leave this to me," Li Xintian commanded, floating in the sky.

"You want to leave? Not without my permission!"

The Flying Tiger King tried to intercept the beast, but Li Xintian was faster. With a blur of motion, he landed a heavy punch on the Tiger King's forehead. The creature howled, crashing into the ground like a meteor, shattering trees. The Zouwu leaped through the air, racing back to the temple.

The Tiger King shook his dazed head. "You have truly angered me. Let's see if your life is as hard as your fists!"

Li Xintian, radiating Haoran Zhengqi, appeared before him. He kicked the Tiger King under the chin, sending teeth flying and the beast reeling backward into the air. Li Xintian followed, landing a heavy double-footed stomp on the tiger's stomach.

"Boom!" The Tiger King roared as the ground beneath him cracked like a spiderweb.

"Is that all? Do you think this tickling can kill me?" The Tiger King channeled his demonic energy and blasted Li Xintian away, charging at him with blinding speed.

Li Xintian caught the tiger's claw with a fist, forcing the Haoran Zhengqi into the beast's body. The Tiger King thrashed in agony as the energy rampaged within him. Li Xintian proceeded to beat the Tiger King like a sack of grain. Though the beast wouldn't die, he was left bruised, battered, and utterly humiliated.

Back at the temple, the situation was dire. Six people had already perished. Hu Qiuyan was exhausted, having spent her own demonic energy to hold off the ghosts.

"I cannot hold on much longer. Xintian must know something is wrong here," she thought, feeling her energy reserves nearing empty.

Just then, the Zouwu arrived, snapping its jaws at the twenty changgui. With a lash of its tail, it swept up six of them, swallowing them whole amidst their shrieking. It then inhaled the remaining ghosts into its maw.

"Well done, Zouwu!" Hu Qiuyan cheered, patting the beast's leg. The Zouwu gave her a haughty, dismissive glance, as if to say such trivialities were beneath it.

"It is all my fault," Chen Linqing lamented, filled with remorse for opening the door. "If I hadn't let my fear cloud my judgment, we wouldn't have lost these six lives."

"Father, do not blame yourself," Chen Zishan consoled him. "You did it for Xintian. Anyone would have been distraught seeing their kin lying in a pool of blood. Even my sister would have done the same."

"I am at fault too," Huo Wanping added, weeping. "I should not have pulled Qiuyan away."

They all looked toward Hu Qiuyan with a mix of guilt and lingering resentment for her not stopping them more firmly. She felt aggrieved; she was a fox demon, after all, and could not easily reveal her true nature.

"Let's not dwell on this," Chen Yuanwen interrupted. "Let's wait for Cousin to return. He likely anticipated this outcome."

Li Xintian arrived shortly after, dragging the battered and distorted form of the Flying Tiger King. He tossed the beast onto the ground. Aside from his torn clothes, Li Xintian was completely unharmed.

"Xintian!" Hu Qiuyan ran to him, her grievances vanishing instantly.

"Say no more. I guessed this might happen when I left. I do not blame you. Sometimes, one must see things with their own eyes to understand. You have suffered, and I am grateful," Li Xintian said, pulling her into an embrace.

"Ahem!" Chen Yuanwen coughed nearby, prompting Hu Qiuyan to blush and pull away.

"Cousin, what about the situation over there?" Chen Yuanwen pointed toward the shaken family.

"Grandfather, Grandmother, let this serve as a lesson," Li Xintian said firmly. "Do not dwell on it. We will encounter even stranger things on this journey, but from now on, you must listen to Qiuyan. As for this Flying Tiger King, you have heard of 'acting as a tiger's accomplice,' haven't you? This beast has lived for ten thousand years. The changgui are his creations; they cannot be killed, only recalled, because they are bound to his life force. That is why I had to leave—dealing with the ghosts is far more tedious than dealing with the tiger himself."

Li Xintian chose not to harp on Chen Linqing's mistake. He knew that blame would only breed further conflict on the road ahead. It was better to let the matter rest, provide compensation for the lost lives, and move forward.