Chapter 9

"Ow...ow..."

Inside the cave, Ning Wuxue, who was staring blankly at the moon, couldn't help but open his mouth, and a high-pitched wolf howl echoed with the silver-white giant wolf's voice in the sky, reverberating through the snowy mountains.

The wolf howl still ringing in his ears, Ning Wuxue suddenly woke up, covering his mouth with both hands and glancing up at the sky. The moon was still the moon; where was the silver-white giant wolf?

"Illusion, it must be an illusion... Am I thinking too much about demons?"

Ning Wuxue let out a long breath, gave a self-deprecating smile, and turned his gaze to his hands. His eyes widened—silver-white, wolf claws!

Slap, slap...

He slapped himself twice, the pain making tears well up in his eyes. He stared intently at his hands, which were still silver-white, wolf claws?

"Damn, this isn't how it's supposed to play out, right?"

Ning Wuxue's face fell. In the moonlight, his tender, slender hands were covered with several inches of silver fur, his palms had become larger but were still human, his nails had grown long and hard, sharp like daggers. Looking down from his hands, his legs were also covered in silver fur, and his sharp toenails had pierced through his cotton shoes. A fluffy, duster-like tail was tucked between his legs.

"Wolf demon? Werewolf?"

Eyes wide, Ning Wuxue leaped up, but his body soared into the air and crashed directly into the cave ceiling. His face made intimate contact with the cold rock, and dust and dirt fell down. Ning Wuxue tragically fell from the cave ceiling, landing on a rock with a thud.

"Ah..."

A miserable howl, Ning Wuxue's two wolf claws clutched his buttocks as he jumped out of the cave, hopping around in the snow.

As midnight approached, a beam of moonlight seemed to be drawn and fell directly on Ning Wuxue. With his buttocks throbbing in pain, Ning Wuxue felt a cool force surge from his forehead, flowing through his body along the path of the medicinal heat, reaching his limbs and bones, and finally converging in his lower abdomen.

The pain disappeared, and an unprecedented sense of comfort made Ning Wuxue feel as if he were floating in the clouds. It was like a drug, an extreme pleasure that made him want to howl.

"Ow...ow..."

The high-pitched howl pierced the sky, and in response to the wolf howl, the moonlight became even more intense, forming a one-meter-wide beam of light that enveloped Ning Wuxue. This time, the cool force not only surged from his forehead but also opened countless pores on his body, absorbing the essence of the moon.

Between his eyebrows, a faint blood-colored scar appeared, and Ning Wuxue's mind was filled with endless blood and a fierce aura, a madness that was invading his consciousness.

"Is this what happened a month ago?"

Ning Wuxue, feeling the fierce aura and madness invading his consciousness, suddenly saw the thousands of blood-colored characters from his dream. The characters emitted a glow, surrounding his body and forming a rotating blood chain, like a snake, rushing into his forehead.

Instantly, Ning Wuxue heard someone reciting in his ear. Like a sudden enlightenment, he clearly understood the meaning of the characters. It was a legacy cultivation technique left in his demon wolf bloodline, the only method to resolve the fierce aura and madness.

Naturally, Ning Wuxue sat cross-legged, his two wolf hands forming a lotus finger gesture and gently placed on his knees. Following the cultivation technique, he guided the essence of the moon from his forehead to his feet, through the eight extraordinary meridians, and finally into his lower abdomen. Some of it entered his mind, the cool essence and fierce aura canceling each other out, the blood color gradually fading and finally disappearing completely.

Focusing his mind, Ning Wuxue felt everything brought by the demon wolf bloodline.

It turned out that the fierce aura and madness were the hidden instincts of the demon race in his bloodline, and only the legacy cultivation technique could resolve them. A month ago was the time for the bloodline legacy, but it was interrupted by the Daoist Baiyun, and Ning Wuxue did not receive the cultivation technique. His consciousness was overwhelmed by madness, and he only awakened now.

Ning Wuxue, who was meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the Baiyun Daoist Temple.

"Not good, the commotion was too big, and Daoist Baiyun has already noticed."

Now transformed into a demon, Ning Wuxue's spiritual senses covered a mile, and his perception of danger increased a hundredfold. He sensed a great danger coming from the Baiyun Daoist Temple, clearly indicating that he had been discovered.

Stopping the absorption of the moon's essence, Ning Wuxue struck the cave with one palm. With a loud boom, the cave collapsed, and snow covered it, hiding his presence. He turned and, using the cultivation technique, vanished like a ghost into the snowy mountains.

Not long after, a figure in a green Daoist robe appeared under the moonlight.

A wide Daoist robe, a tall and slender figure, a stern face, and a wooden sword under his feet. He suddenly landed where Ning Wuxue had been standing, the wooden sword in his hand. Looking around, it was Daoist Baiyun from the Baiyun Daoist Temple.

"Such a strong demonic aura, just like a month ago. Unfortunately, he escaped."

Daoist Baiyun's eyes showed a serious expression. He took out a talisman, threw it into the air, and thrust the wooden sword forward, shouting, "Quickly..."

With a loud boom, the talisman burst into flames, and the green smoke dispersed the surrounding demonic aura. After doing this, Daoist Baiyun looked at the Baiyun Daoist Temple and slapped his forehead.

"Not good, I should have gone to check on the scholar first. I was too careless."

As soon as he said this, Daoist Baiyun threw the wooden sword into the air, leaped onto it, and recited a spell, "Wind Escape Technique, quickly..."

Daoist Baiyun rode the sword away, coming and going in a hurry. The Daoist technique was miraculous, and in just a moment, he had traveled over ten miles, returning to the Baiyun Daoist Temple. His face was dark as he walked to the back courtyard.

In the courtyard, the Daoist guarding the room saw him and quickly stood up to greet him.

"Master..."

Daoist Baiyun glanced at the door, the talisman still in place, and the shadow of the scholar reading projected on the door. His dark face relaxed, and he coldly asked, "Has the scholar been reading all along?"

"Yes, Master. I've been watching, and he seems very diligent," the Daoist answered cautiously, sensing that Daoist Baiyun was in a bad mood and not wanting to bear his anger.

"Hmm!"

Daoist Baiyun's expression softened. He walked to the room, removed the talisman from the door, and gently knocked, saying, "Young Master Ning, are you there?"

"Creak..."

The door opened, and Ning Wuxue looked at Daoist Baiyun with confusion, respectfully bowing and saying, "Daoist, what brings you here so late at night? Did I disturb your rest? If so, I apologize deeply..."

"Oh, not at all. I suddenly remembered that the Jiangzhou governor, Zhang Qing, will come to the temple to burn incense tomorrow. He is the chief examiner for the county examination. Since Young Master Ning is a candidate, why don't I introduce you to him?"

As he spoke, Daoist Baiyun's eyes kept glancing into the room, as if he were looking for something.

"Really? That would be wonderful." Ning Wuxue was pleasantly surprised, bowing deeply to Daoist Baiyun and saying, "I am deeply grateful, Daoist. Oh, please come in, please come in..."

Realizing he was blocking Daoist Baiyun, Ning Wuxue quickly moved aside, gesturing for him to enter, his face showing regret.

Daoist Baiyun hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand and did not enter, saying, "It's late, Young Master Ning. You should rest early. I will introduce you to Governor Zhang Qing tomorrow."

"Thank you, Daoist..."

Ning Wuxue watched Daoist Baiyun leave, letting out a sigh of relief, thinking, "That was close."

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