In Wuu Shang’s eyes back then, Chu Bai was merely a junior with great resilience and decent potential.
But now, even though the young man sitting before him wasn’t wearing his official robe, the powerful and profound fluctuations of Magical Power emanating from him, combined with the Slaughter Qi he had developed in his position as a Regular Ninth Grade Demon Slaying Officer, were so overwhelming that Wuu Shang felt suffocated.
Wuu Shang had yet to obtain a White Talisman, so his Cultivation was naturally stuck at the Qi Cultivation Third Layer, unable to advance even an inch.
Compared to Chu Bai now, he was far inferior.
His awe-inspiring reputation was well-deserved.
"Lord Chu." Wuu Shang snapped back to reality. Not daring to show the slightest neglect, he bowed respectfully.
Chu Bai looked up at Wuu Shang, a trace of complex emotion in his eyes.
’The very Instructor who once guided me from on high now has to bow to me like a subordinate. The changing of status in the Cultivation Realm is truly cruel.’
"Instructor Wuu... No, Mr. Wuu. Since you are an old friend of my master, please, sit and talk."
Chu Bai poured him a cup of tea with his own hands. Though his tone was neutral, the gesture was a clear sign of respect.
Wuu Shang thanked him, and once seated, he got straight to the point, explaining his reason for visiting.
"To be frank, Lord Chu, the current Patriarch of the Wuu Family is my elder brother. For generations, my Wuu Family has run a Spirit Pet taming business in Anping County, and things have always been quite stable. It’s just... we’ve recently run into some trouble."
A pained expression crossed Wuu Shang’s face. "The Wuu Family recently brought in a batch of Fox Spirits to be tamed. Due to a servant’s momentary negligence, some of them managed to escape."
"Oh?"
Chu Bai set down his teacup, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "Mr. Wuu, an escaped Spirit Pet is something that should be reported to the Evil Suppression Department for the official record.
If it were just a few stray Fox Spirits, given the Wuu Family’s influence in the city, I imagine it wouldn’t be hard to find them. Such a small matter... hardly seems worth calling in a favor owed to my master, does it?"
Wuu Shang’s old face flushed. He wrung his hands in embarrassment and lowered his voice. "You see things with perfect clarity, Lord Chu. An ordinary Fox Spirit certainly wouldn’t be worth this. But during the escape, while we managed to recapture most of them, one in particular is highly unusual."
"That Fox Spirit has actually awakened a sliver of intelligence. It is cunning beyond compare.
After escaping the Wuu Family, it hasn’t harmed anyone or even left the city. Instead, it’s lurking in the busiest districts of the county seat, using the chaotic energy of the marketplace to mask its Demon Qi and rendering our family’s tracking hounds useless."
Wuu Shang’s expression grew grave. "We’re not asking you to mobilize the Evil Suppression Department, Lord Chu. We were hoping you might act in a private capacity to help us capture it alive.
The reason we haven’t filed a report is that my brother is worried. If this goes through the Demon-slaying Team’s official channels, their methods are... swift and merciless.
If they were to injure or kill that intelligent and extremely valuable Fox Spirit, the Wuu Family’s entire investment would be a total loss."
’An intelligent Fox Spirit?’
Chu Bai lightly traced the rim of his teacup with a fingertip.
’That would explain why the Wuu Family is willing to offer a Middle-Grade Dharma Artifact.’
’First, an intelligent Fox Spirit is exceptionally valuable, with far greater potential than an ordinary one. Second, this is also an attempt to build a good relationship.’
"So you came to me to help you ’capture a demon,’ since you’re afraid of it getting hurt?"
Chu Bai regarded Wuu Shang with a faint, unreadable smile. "Mr. Wuu, this proposition of yours... sounds rather interesting."
As the two sat talking, Chu Bai gained a clearer understanding of the Wuu Family’s current situation.
Although the Wuu Family was large and influential in Anping County, with over a dozen Cultivators in the clan, just as Wuu Shang had said, most of them were stuck in the Early-stage of Qi Cultivation.
The reason was both simple and pragmatic: the clan’s disciples had never obtained a White Talisman Daoist Record from the Great Zhou Court, making it nearly impossible for them to find an opportunity to break through the invisible bottleneck into the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation.
However, the Wuu Family had maintained their standing in Anping County thanks to a family-inherited Beast Control Secret Technique.
Using this technique, even though they were only in the Early-stage of Qi Cultivation, they could forcibly enslave numerous Demon Beasts of a similar Cultivation level.
But these Demon Beasts were ultimately subjugated by external means; their wild nature remained difficult to tame, and their potential for growth was extremely limited. Therefore, to the Wuu Family, the Fox Spirit that had fortuitously awakened its intelligence was a priceless treasure capable of elevating their entire clan.
"If we can capture that Fox Spirit, nurture it carefully, and apply our Wuu Family’s Beast Control Secret Technique, then within a few years, we might gain a Guardian with the power of a Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation expert."
As Wuu Shang spoke, his eyes gleamed with fervent hope, though it was tinged with a hint of shame.
Chu Bai tapped his fingers on the table and asked slowly, "It’s been at large for a month? If it’s that clever, it must have a secure hiding place somewhere in the city."
"Exactly." Wuu Shang gave a bitter smile. "Over the past month, the Wuu Family has deployed nearly all of its secret informants.
But that little beast is as cunning as a demon. Whenever our tracking hounds catch a whiff of its scent, it immediately vanishes into the sewers of the busy districts or blends in with stray dogs and cats, making it incredibly difficult to corner."
Chu Bai then recalled the incident Hu Hao had reported about a Snake Demon injuring someone. He asked abruptly, "I heard that last month, a Snake Demon from your Wuu Family caused a disturbance involving a wealthy merchant in West City. Was that also related to this?"
Wuu Shang’s expression faltered. He sighed and admitted candidly, "To be honest, Lord Chu, that was indeed because my brother was so focused on this Fox Spirit. He pulled most of the clan’s skilled members for the city-wide search, leaving the defenses at our Snake Cave, where we rear the Snake Demons, stretched thin. That’s how the lapse occurred.
My brother personally visited to offer his apologies afterward and had that Snake Demon killed on the spot, which is what it took to quell the incident."
Chu Bai nodded slightly, his mind already calculating.
’In the Cultivation Realm, a creature that awakens its intelligence by a stroke of luck, but has yet to achieve Transformation or practice any Evil Techniques, is generally known as a Spirit Monster.’

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