Chapter 813: How Exactly Was It Done?

As a nine-tailed fox demon, the woman hadn't encountered anything beyond her comprehension for a long time, let alone something that would frighten her. But Tu Siyan's death was far too bizarre; one moment they were playing chess together, the next she had died an unnatural death.

Moreover, Tu Siyan's essence, energy, and spirit had been relatively intact just moments before, yet they seemed like fragmented sand held together. The moment the woman touched her, everything instantly disintegrated.

"How could this be? How could this be? Did someone kill her? No, impossible, impossible..."

The woman stood up suspiciously, her gaze darting inside and outside the small building. She gathered all her spiritual senses, constantly investigating and divining, but all sensory feedback told her that everything was normal.

However, the clear result she obtained from her divination made her even more panicked: Tu Siyan had indeed been murdered, dying a dozen breaths ago...

Her body tensed, and she remained on high alert for a while before finally relaxing slightly. It seemed the perpetrator's target had only been Tu Siyan.

"Ugh..."

She slowly exhaled, forcing herself to calm her emotions. With her cultivation level, panic and unease did not last long, but a strong sense of apprehension became increasingly difficult to suppress.

Squatting down again, the woman gently brushed Tu Siyan's hair. Ice crystals began to form around Tu Siyan's body, quickly encasing her in ice.

'Is it Ji Yuan? It must be him!'

Given the circumstances and the timing, the only person the woman could think of was the Great Immortal Ji, who had arrived with the Buddhist Ming Wang to settle accounts with Tu Siyan.

Although she found it difficult to directly deduce that Ji Yuan had killed Tu Siyan, the woman had a strong intuition telling her that this was indeed the case.

However, at this moment, the woman hesitated greatly about whether or not to go and confront Ji Yuan.

It was important to remember that even before she knew Ji Yuan, she had suffered a great loss at his hands. She had initially thought she encountered an interesting little fox and intended to take it as a plaything, but she was inadvertently tricked by Ji Yuan into a strange illusion. Her spiritual avatar had died within it, and she still bore the damage to this day.

Regarding Ji Yuan, the woman now felt not just apprehension but also a touch of fear. Yet, it wasn't a question of whether she dared to go, but whether she *should* go.

After Ji Yuan's dream-traveling sword strike, his dream-self gradually dissipated, much like a dream transitioning or disappearing, returning to a state of normal, deep sleep.

Inside Tu Yi's study in the tree pavilion, Ji Yuan rolled over comfortably on the wooden couch and mumbled.

"Good wine... good sword..."

Outside, Tu Tong, Tu Miao, Tu Yi, and the Fo Yin Ming Wang, as well as several fox demons including Tu Sisi near the table, faintly heard Ji Yuan's dream-mutterings.

Tu Sisi and many of the fox demons now viewed Ji Yuan very differently than before, holding an inexplicable reverence and even a touch of admiration for him.

They had believed there was no one in the world as free-spirited and graceful as Old Ancestor Tu Yi, but Ji Yuan's demeanor while drinking and discussing swordsmanship had been thoroughly etched into the hearts of all who witnessed it.

Hearing Ji Yuan's dream-mutterings about wine and swords, combined with the earlier scene, evoked a sense of an unrestrained immortal gracefully traversing the world. This almost sublimated the imaginations of countless female fox spirits regarding immortals. Many female fox demons from Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven felt a speculative admiration for Ji Yuan. Even Tu Sisi stared blankly towards the tree pavilion for a long time before quickly shaking her head and looking at Tu Yi.

'Indeed, the immortal that Senior Yi knows is truly unique. Mr. Ji must be the most exceptional among all immortals!'

After Ji Yuan arrived in this world, before he comprehended the art of dream-traveling, the sensation of dreaming had grown increasingly distant from him. Only after he grasped the dream-traveling art did dreaming become much closer again, but even then, his dreams were still vastly different from those of ordinary people.

This time, though Ji Yuan also had his own insights and understood the correspondences between events in his dream and reality, he felt this dream was a truly authentic one, possessing the genuine feeling of an ordinary person's dream. Of course, it was also a good dream, at least for him.

With Tu Siyan now dead, Ji Yuan could have an even better dream and comfortably sleep off his warm drunkenness.

The white paper in front of Tu Miao on the table had already become a long scroll, still extending as he wrote furiously, the pages trailing onto the ground. Occasionally, he added illustrations, depicting Ji Yuan and Tu Yi's sword-finger clash. However, if Ji Yuan were present, he would definitely not appreciate Tu Miao's drawings, not because they were poorly drawn, but because they lacked resemblance – not in facial features, but in the essence and spirit, of which barely a tenth was captured.

However, this judgment was from Ji Yuan's discerning eye, which always sought to capture the true essence when observing art. In reality, Tu Miao's skill was not only rare among mortals but certainly not poor among demon cultivators and even within the immortal cultivation world. At the very least, Tu Tong, Tu Yi, and even the Fo Yin Ming Wang paid considerable attention to Tu Miao's writings.

"Brother Miao, when you're finished writing, you must let me read it, alright?"

Tu Tong chuckled, her voice so soft and teasing it was almost seductive. Tu Miao gladly responded in a similarly flirtatious manner.

"Of course."

After all, both Tu Tong and Tu Miao were quite relaxed. Mr. Ji probably wouldn't cause any more trouble, at least not within Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven. As for matters outside, there was no need to worry about them for now.

Tu Yi pretended not to hear their exchange, but he was quite interested in Tu Miao's ongoing writings. Although he himself had certainly gained more profound insights than the onlookers, it didn't prevent him from cross-referencing and gaining from another perspective.

However, about another half an hour later, a streak of light suddenly appeared in the sky. The light then transformed into a white-robed woman high in the air, who slowly flew with the wind towards the area in front of the valley lake.

Tu Miao paused his writing, frowning slightly. After exchanging a glance with Tu Tong, he looked up at the sky, both of them harbouring doubts.

'Why is she here?'

"Shouldn't she be guarding Tu Siyan?"

Tu Yi also watched the newcomer contemplatively. The elderly monk Fo Yin likewise awoke from his meditation, calmly gazing at this fourth nine-tailed fox. Inwardly, he was secretly astonished by the exaggerated depth of Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven's power.

"Ah, indeed. No wonder the ancient saying goes, 'Nine-tailed foxes do not leave the Jade Fox Heaven!'"

As the elderly monk Fo Yin uttered his admiring Buddhist chant, the woman drew closer. She looked at the wine jars scattered across the open ground in the valley, most of which were already empty. Foxes filled the surrounding mountainsides from near to far. Ji Yuan was not among the four people at the table, but the next moment, she sensed his aura within the tree pavilion.

The woman descended from the sky expressionlessly, and Tu Miao immediately questioned her.

"Tu Xin, why are you here? Weren't you too busy to come?"

"Yes, Sister Tu Xin, you actually have time to visit?"

Tu Tong frowned slightly. As she asked, her eyes held doubt as she looked at Tu Xin, and she subtly gave her a meaningful glance.

Only then did Tu Xin show a seemingly natural smile. She first bowed to the elderly monk Fo Yin.

"Venerable Fo Yin, I, Tu Xin, extend my greetings!"

"This old monk returns your courtesy."

The elderly monk Fo Yin simply returned the bow and said no more. Tu Xin, meanwhile, deliberately looked around.

"Weren't a True Immortal and the Ming Wang supposed to visit Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven together? How is it that I only see the Venerable One and not the Immortal? Oh! There's immortal qi in Brother Yi's room, could he be in there?"

As Tu Xin spoke, she started to walk towards the tree house, but before Tu Yi could say anything, Tu Miao reached out and directly stopped her.

"Don't disturb Mr. Ji. He was drinking and discussing swords with Tu Yi; the sword's hum resonated for three days, and he never stopped drinking. He finally got drunk and is now sleeping in the tree pavilion."

"Drunk? A True Immortal gets drunk too? Heh heh, this little one is very curious. Is it really Mr. Ji in there?"

Tu Tong smiled, walked closer, took Tu Xin's hand, and chuckled teasingly.

"Sister Tu Xin, you're joking. Of course, it's Mr. Ji. His swordsmanship is profound, and his drunken swordplay is truly extraordinary. You, my dear, really missed out. Perhaps such a sight will never be seen again in this world..."

As she spoke, Tu Tong secretly sent a spiritual message.

'Tu Xin, what are you doing? Why aren't you guarding Tu Siyan? What are you doing here? Are you trying to provoke Ji Yuan? We just managed to appease him!'

Tu Xin's expression turned slightly complex. She looked at Tu Tong and responded with a spiritual message of her own.

'No need to guard her. Tu Siyan is dead... She died silently in front of me about half an hour ago. Her essence, energy, and spirit have completely disintegrated...'

"Wh—"

Tu Tong couldn't help but gasp, though she immediately cut herself off after only a single syllable. Still, it drew the attention of those nearby. As they looked at her, Tu Tong suppressed her alarm and tried her best to maintain a calm exterior, conveying the truth to Tu Miao and Tu Yi. A fleeting look of shock passed over both their faces.

The elderly monk Fo Yin stood to one side, unaware of the silent exchange between the nine-tailed foxes. However, he observed the changes in their expressions, and even a fleeting alteration was enough to make him understand that something significant had undoubtedly occurred, something they were unwilling to reveal to him.

"Sister Tu Xin, please sit first. I'm currently writing about the sword discussion, and I've just reached a particularly exquisite part. When I'm done, I'll let you read it; you can glimpse the marvel of the three-day sword discourse."

Tu Miao forced himself to remain calm, sat back at the table, picked up his brush, and resumed writing. But his inner unease caused him to lose the spiritual essence in his strokes. What was originally decent writing now appeared somewhat chaotic, retaining only the superficial beauty of the text and illustrations.

Tu Tong was in a similar state, frequently looking towards the tree pavilion along with Tu Xin.

"Oh, by the way, Sister, I haven't asked when Mr. Ji fell asleep."

"Hmm, it was about half an hour ago..."

Tu Xin smiled again and looked at the elderly monk Fo Yin, feigning ignorance.

"Venerable One, were it just you and Mr. Ji who came this time? They didn't even inform me, how naughty of them! With a True Immortal and the Ming Wang present, I should certainly have come to pay my respects."

"Ah, indeed, no need for excessive courtesy. This time, only Mr. Ji and I came."

"That's right, it was only Mr. Ji and Venerable Fo Yin, and Mr. Ji didn't leave this place even a single step. We all watched him fall asleep drunk."

Tu Yi's words not only meant that Ji Yuan had not left the valley, but also subtly implied that there were no traces of him casting spells while drunk. Tu Tong and Tu Miao had also been constantly observing Ji Yuan, so they nodded in agreement.

Besides, Tu Xin had been with Tu Siyan constantly these past few days. Even if Ji Yuan hadn't been drunk, she should have been able to delay him if he had rushed in. What's more, Ji Yuan was currently lying drunk in the tree pavilion, and all four nine-tailed foxes and the Buddhist Ming Wang had clearly discerned that his aura remained consistent.

Perhaps the strangeness emanating from the four nine-tailed foxes was too potent. The elderly monk Fo Yin seemed to vaguely grasp something and secretly divined Tu Siyan's situation. Unlike the previous obscurity, this time he quickly had an answer: Tu Siyan was dead!

Thus, while startled, the elderly monk Fo Yin also shared the same doubt as the four nine-tailed foxes whose gazes frequently drifted towards the tree pavilion.

'Was it really Ji Yuan? How... how did he do it?'