Chapter 70: The Old Matchmaker

Chapter 70: The Old Matchmaker

At the foot of the mountain, Meng Yuan sat cross-legged under the shade of a tree.

Xiang Ling peeled eggshells while chattering about the knowledge she had secretly acquired from the beams of her room.

Meng Yuan asked how much she had learned, and she evaded the question for a while, then ate two eggs, rubbed her stomach, and contentedly rolled around on the ground. Suddenly, she realized she was facing away from Meng Yuan and said, "Pat me to get rid of the dust."

"..." Meng Yuan rubbed his eyebrows and gently patted her a few times. Then he asked, "How is your hometown doing?"

"I don't know either!" Xiang Ling jumped onto Meng Yuan's lap and lay back, exposing her white belly. She adjusted herself and said, "It's quite warm here."

"I remember Zhu Da Sis telling you that someone was looking for the old matchmaker. Did you find out who it was?" Meng Yuan asked.

Xiang Ling sat up immediately and said seriously, "It's a red-furred fox and a big gray wolf. I even asked about them!"

"Are they ordinary spirits, or have they entered the ranks like Wolf Big and Wolf Two?" Meng Yuan asked further.

"Zhu Da Sis said the red-furred fox is very cunning, and the big gray wolf is very sturdy. It even ate Zhu Da Sis' two children!" Xiang Ling recalled and stomped her foot in anger, "Although Zhu Da Sis is impolite, she's actually a good person!"

Meng Yuan clearly remembered that Xiang Ling called Zhu Da Sis impolite because Xiang Ling had discussed with Zhu Da Sis to have her children castrated in exchange for money. This earned Zhu Da Sis a reputation for being impolite.

"Then let's go back and take a look," Meng Yuan smiled. "When we get there, we can ask your friends if anyone is still inquiring about the old matchmaker."

"What if the red-furred fox and the big gray wolf are still around?" Xiang Ling asked worriedly.

"They're no match for us. We'll get your home back!" Meng Yuan assured her.

The old matchmaker, a blue fox, had followed the Taoist path and was probably at the ninth or eighth stage, with limited knowledge of the arts.

The cultivation levels of the red-furred fox and the big gray wolf were unknown, but they were likely not much stronger than the blue fox matchmaker.

Currently, Meng Yuan was at the eighth stage, equipped with a heavy bow, and possessed the Feather Dance Technique. He could move freely, so it was natural for him to go and take a look.

Xiang Ling stood up, her two round eyes wide as she stared at Meng Yuan. Her nose was moist, and she tilted her head slightly, saying earnestly, "If my wet nurse hadn't died, I would have asked her to be your companion. We would be like family!"

"..." Meng Yuan smiled and stood up, saying, "Your wet nurse has a companion in Tranquil Void Temple."

"He's not as good as you," Xiang Ling said, climbing onto Meng Yuan's shoulder, looking very reasonable.

The two of them entered the mountain together. Since Meng Yuan had been there once before, he knew the way and didn't need Xiang Ling to guide him. He listened as she talked about the various punishments teachers gave to students.

After walking for half an hour, they arrived at a bald, high hill, marking their entry into Big Head Mountain's territory.

In front of the bald hill was a mountain hollow with stagnant water—the Old Turtle Pit.

Xiang Ling nimbly jumped down and ran to a stone near the Old Turtle Pit. She crawled inside and took out a floral headscarf. Then, she climbed up Big Head Mountain, her small paws forming a canopy over her head as she peered around, circling back and forth.

After a while, Xiang Ling probably didn't see anything interesting, so she slid down, saying, "Let's go find Zhu Da Sis. She's the easiest to talk to!"

Xiang Ling climbed onto Meng Yuan's shoulder and earnestly instructed him, "Zhu Da Sis is a really good person. If you speak politely, I'll praise your skills again. Who knows, she might be willing to do business with you!"

At this point, it's best not to bring up business matters.

Meng Yuan didn't respond, but Xiang Ling was a talkative one. She whispered, "He has many close companions."

As they moved forward, they realized there was no clear path, and Xiang Ling kept pointing the way.

However, the paths she chose were not reliable, mostly convenient for her petite figure to pass through, while Meng Yuan had to navigate around.

After wobbling and swaying for about half an hour, they reached a valley. Xiang Ling shook her head and looked around, "There used to be humming sounds in the mountains, why are they gone today?"

Meng Yuan ignored her and took down his longbow, leaning against a large tree to scout ahead.

"Eh! There's a scent of blood!" Xiang Ling squinted and strained to push her black nose forward.

"Hush." Meng Yuan grabbed Xiang Ling and tucked her into his robe, but she poked her head out again.

In the distance, they saw three figures approaching. The middle one was a tall wolf demon, clearly the Wolf Two that they had encountered at the Peonies Ridge!

At that time, Meng Yuan had pursued and fought Wolf Big, while Ren Debiao had failed to catch Wolf Two.

When reporting back, Teacher Nie had scolded Ren Debiao for not daring to fight with his life.

Meng Yuan hadn't realized it then, but later he guessed that Teacher Nie must have disabled Great Tail Venerable early on, and then hurriedly pursued himself and Ren Debiao. That was why he saw himself fighting with all his might and rescuing Xiang Ling, while Ren Debiao's reluctance to fight for his life was also witnessed.

At that time, Teacher Nie thought he had Great Tail Venerable in his grasp, so he didn't intervene in the fight between Ren Debiao and Wolf Two. Little did he know that Great Tail Venerable had self-immolated.

Regardless, Meng Yuan remembered clearly that after the Peonies Ridge incident, Teacher Nie had become closer to him and more distant from Ren Debiao.

Now that Wolf Two had appeared here, there was likely a Buddha Demon behind.

On either side of Wolf Two, there were a red fox and a white fox, about half a person's height, each carrying a sword with swaying tassels, looking exceptionally graceful.

At this moment, Wolf Two held a knife in one hand and a black piglet in the other, devouring it while talking to the two foxes.

The red and white foxes, on the other hand, were much more refined, their disdain evident on their faces, yet they forced a smile.

Meng Yuan observed them carefully, formulating his battle strategy.

This Wolf Two practiced the Martial Path, only at the Ninth Stage, which Meng Yuan didn't consider a threat.

However, he was cautious about the two foxes possibly having a connection with Old Matchmaker.

But Old Matchmaker followed the Taoist path, and her words showed a certain disdain for the Buddhist Sect. How did these two foxes end up with Wolf Two?

Regardless, Meng Yuan needed to disable the two foxes first.

He held his breath and waited until the wolf and the two foxes were a hundred steps away. Then he drew his longbow and fired, not worrying about hitting his target. He immediately retrieved the arrow and shot again.

The opponents were extremely alert, and as soon as they heard the sound of the bowstring, they quickly dodged behind trees. As a result, the first arrow hit the white fox's shoulder, while the rest of the arrows missed.

Meng Yuan was satisfied with disabling one white fox.

"Which fellow Daoist is ambushing us here?" Wolf Two hid behind a giant rock and roared.

"Hahaha! It's the dog thief from the Demon Suppressing Bureau!" Wolf Two peeked out, recognizing Meng Yuan, and burst into laughter, "He's just an Eighth Rank Martial Practitioner with a heavy bow! No need to worry! Let's finish him together!"

"Quickly end this!" A weak male voice echoed, followed by a coquettish female voice shouting, "Wind rips the earth, water surges to the sky, earth, fire, water, wind, rise!"

Upon hearing this familiar incantation, Meng Yuan knew that they were definitely related to Old Matchmaker!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end